God allows us to take part in evangelism. God allows us to participate in bringing others into His kingdom.
Motivations
Ephesians 2
2 As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, 2 in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. 3 All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our flesh and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature deserving of wrath. 4 But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, 5 made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved. 6 And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, 7 in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. 8 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— 9 not by works, so that no one can boast. 10 For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.
Reasons why we tell people the Good News
Ephesians 3
7 I became a servant of this gospel by the gift of God’s grace given me through the working of his power. 8 Although I am less than the least of all the Lord’s people, this grace was given me: to preach to the Gentiles the boundless riches of Christ, 9 and to make plain to everyone the administration of this mystery, which for ages past was kept hidden in God, who created all things.
God’s grace towards us and the working of His power in us is what motivates our sharing the gospel. If God’s power hasn’t worked in you… if His grace hasn’t been evident in your life, then why would you tell anyone about Christ? In order to preach the boundless riches of Christ, you first need to have partaken in some of those riches. I am motivated to tell everyone I can about Christ because I know what He’s done in my life… I know the changes He’s made in my life… I know what He’s done in my life and I want you to know that He can do the same for you. That’s the gospel. I didn’t deserve to know God and God made a way so that I could.
Colossians 1
21 And you, who once were alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now He has reconciled 22 in the body of His flesh through death, to present you holy, and blameless, and above reproach in His sight— 23 if indeed you continue in the faith, grounded and steadfast, and are not moved away from the hope of the gospel which you heard, which was preached to every creature under heaven, of which I, Paul, became a minister.
He’s saying here that the Gospel has been preached to every creature under heaven.
I don’t believe that anyone will go to hell based on what I did or didn’t do. Because that means, if someone out there doesn’t do their job there’s a chance that I wouldn’t be able to go to heaven and I don’t believe my salvation is based on what someone else did or didn’t do. If I don’t tell others about Christ, God will raise up others to tell those people. But now, I don’t get to participate in the blessing of bringing someone into the kingdom. The Lord said even the rocks will cry out if we don’t praise Him, how much more the good news of His Kingdom?
27 To them God willed to make known what are the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles: which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. 28 Him we preach, warning every man and teaching every man in all wisdom, that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus. 29 To this end I also labor, striving according to His working which works in me mightily.
Unless God is working in you mightily, you won’t warn every man in all wisdom about Christ because our desire to share God with others is going to be proportional to what He’s done for you.
If God has saved you from Hell, you’ll want to tell others. If God has changed your life, you’ll want to tell others about it. If God has healed you, you’ll want to tell others, especially those that are hurting. If God has made you a new creation, you’ll want to tell others about it because the Holy Spirit in you has made those changes. That power drives you. Without that power you have no hope of preaching the gospel.
1 Peter 3:13- 22
13 Who is going to harm you if you are eager to do good? 14 But even if you should suffer for what is right, you are blessed. “Do not fear their threats; do not be frightened.” 15 But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect, 16 keeping a clear conscience, so that those who speak maliciously against your good behavior in Christ may be ashamed of their slander.
We must be ready at any time to give an answer for the hope that is within us. But if we are to give an answer, that means someone is asking the question. Has God made a deep enough impact in your life that people notice it and ask you about it? It doesn’t have to be overt. It doesn’t have to be, “Who is this Jesus?” It can be as simple as, “Why are you so nice to me?” “Why do you seem so at peace in this crazy situation?” “Why don’t you judge me like the others?” Always look for the opportunity to interject Christ.
2 Timothy 4
4 In the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who will judge the living and the dead, and in view of his appearing and his kingdom, I give you this charge: 2 Preach the word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage—with great patience and careful instruction. 3 For the time will come when people will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. 4 They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths. 5 But you, keep your head in all situations, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, discharge all the duties of your ministry.
6 For I am already being poured out like a drink offering, and the time for my departure is near. 7 I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. 8 Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day—and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing.
Administer -
2. dispense or apply (a remedy or drug).
Minister - verb
attend to the needs of (someone).
It really does come down to having the cure and in turn, telling others about the cure you’ve found. If you got cured from AIDS and you saw someone else who had AIDS, wouldn’t you tell them? Not only that, God has put you in different peoples lives as a means to administer that cure. Whether it’s telling them that there is a cure or actually being able to administer it to them. If God has done something powerful in your life… if His power is running through you… you’ll want to tell people that His power can change them. You’ll want to tell them that the God of the Universe wants to know them just like He wanted to know you.
“Go into all the world making disciples…” As you are going make disciples. Wherever God has you, make disciples. But be motivated out of the grace that God has shown you and the power by which He has changed your life. That power is the grace of God… you didn’t earn it. It’s a gift. It’s a gift that God wants you to give to others. And it’s by His power that you are able.
Some of you may say, “I don’t feel like God has dramatically affected my life?” To which I would say, don’t discount the small things God has done in your life.
In Philippians 2 it says:
2 Therefore if you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any common sharing in the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, 2 then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and of one mind. 3 Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, 4 not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.
Has knowing Christ encouraged you? Have you experienced comfort from His love? Have you felt tenderness and compassion from the Lord? If you answered yes to any of those, then you have the power running through you to share Christ with someone. God has touched your life. There’s a world out there dying for His touch. Won’t you tell them? Won’t you reach them?
Monday, March 31, 2014
Tuesday, March 25, 2014
How to Bring Your Mountaintop Experience Down into the Valley
Have you ever had an amazing moment with God where immediately after, things went wrong?
Sometimes you are greeted with terrible circumstances after your time with God on the mountain.
Genesis 32
15 Moses turned and went down the mountain with the two tablets of the covenant law in his hands. They were inscribed on both sides, front and back. 16 The tablets were the work of God; the writing was the writing of God, engraved on the tablets.
17 When Joshua heard the noise of the people shouting, he said to Moses, “There is the sound of war in the camp.”
18 Moses replied:
“It is not the sound of victory, it is not the sound of defeat; it is the sound of singing that I hear.”
19 When Moses approached the camp and saw the calf and the dancing, his anger burned and he threw the tablets out of his hands, breaking them to pieces at the foot of the mountain. 20 And he took the calf the people had made and burned it in the fire; then he ground it to powder, scattered it on the water and made the Israelites drink it.
21 He said to Aaron, “What did these people do to you, that you led them into such great sin?”
22 “Do not be angry, my lord,” Aaron answered. “You know how prone these people are to evil. 23 They said to me, ‘Make us gods who will go before us. As for this fellow Moses who brought us up out of Egypt, we don’t know what has happened to him.’ 24 So I told them, ‘Whoever has any gold jewelry, take it off.’ Then they gave me the gold, and I threw it into the fire, and out came this calf!”
25 Moses saw that the people were running wild and that Aaron had let them get out of control and so become a laughingstock to their enemies. 26 So he stood at the entrance to the camp and said, “Whoever is for the Lord, come to me.” And all the Levites rallied to him.
27 Then he said to them, “This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: ‘Each man strap a sword to his side. Go back and forth through the camp from one end to the other, each killing his brother and friend and neighbor.’” 28 The Levites did as Moses commanded, and that day about three thousand of the people died. 29 Then Moses said, “You have been set apart to the Lord today, for you were against your own sons and brothers, and he has blessed you this day.”
Moses had a really bad day.
Genesis 33
7 Now Moses used to take a tent and pitch it outside the camp some distance away, calling it the “tent of meeting.” Anyone inquiring of the Lord would go to the tent of meeting outside the camp. 8 And whenever Moses went out to the tent, all the people rose and stood at the entrances to their tents, watching Moses until he entered the tent. 9 As Moses went into the tent, the pillar of cloud would come down and stay at the entrance, while the Lord spoke with Moses. 10 Whenever the people saw the pillar of cloud standing at the entrance to the tent, they all stood and worshiped, each at the entrance to their tent. 11 The Lord would speak to Moses face to face, as one speaks to a friend. Then Moses would return to the camp, but his young aide Joshua son of Nun did not leave the tent.
God still talked to Moses after He was in the valley. Moses made the same atmosphere as the mountain. He had a place where He could talk to God face to face and without everyone around. Be sure to maintain that connection that you had with God on the mountain.
Carrying out the vision of the mountaintop.
Utmost for His Highest
We can not stay forever on the mountain, basking in the light of our mountaintop experience. But we must obey the light we received there; we must put it into action. When God gives us vision, we must transact business with Him at that point, no matter what the cost.
We must be able to mount up with wings as eagles but we must also know how to come down. The power of the saint lies in the coming down and in the living that is done in the valley. Can I face things as they actually are in the light of the reality of Jesus Christ, or do things as they really are destroy my faith in Him, and put me into a panic?
A psalm of David.
1 The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing.2 He makes me lie down in green pastures,he leads me beside quiet waters,3 he refreshes my soul.He guides me along the right paths for his name’s sake.4 Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me;your rod and your staff, they comfort me.
5 You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies.You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.6 Surely your goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life,and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.
His rod and His staff comfort us as we are in the valley, no matter how dark it is. The rod that Moses used spoke of God's provision and God's authority. God had turned it into a snake in the presence of Pharaoh. Moses had used it to part the red sea. Moses had used it to make water come out of a rock. All these things God did. God comforted Moses by giving him something that would help his walk when the way wasn't smooth. Also something that showed God's authority and provision. This is yours when you walk in the darkest valley.
You are to change the valley… not have the valley change you.
Ezekiel 37
The Valley of Dry Bones
37 The hand of the Lord was on me, and he brought me out by the Spirit of the Lord and set me in the middle of a valley; it was full of bones. 2 He led me back and forth among them, and I saw a great many bones on the floor of the valley, bones that were very dry. 3 He asked me, “Son of man, can these bones live?”
I said, “Sovereign Lord, you alone know.”
4 Then he said to me, “Prophesy to these bones and say to them, ‘Dry bones, hear the word of the Lord! 5 This is what the Sovereign Lord says to these bones: I will make breath enter you, and you will come to life. 6 I will attach tendons to you and make flesh come upon you and cover you with skin; I will put breath in you, and you will come to life. Then you will know that I am the Lord.’”
7 So I prophesied as I was commanded. And as I was prophesying, there was a noise, a rattling sound, and the bones came together, bone to bone. 8 I looked, and tendons and flesh appeared on them and skin covered them, but there was no breath in them.
9 Then he said to me, “Prophesy to the breath; prophesy, son of man, and say to it, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Come, breath, from the four winds and breathe into these slain, that they may live.’” 10 So I prophesied as he commanded me, and breath entered them; they came to life and stood up on their feet—a vast army.
11 Then he said to me: “Son of man, these bones are the people of Israel. They say, ‘Our bones are dried up and our hope is gone; we are cut off.’ 12 Therefore prophesy and say to them: ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: My people, I am going to open your graves and bring you up from them; I will bring you back to the land of Israel. 13 Then you, my people, will know that I am the Lord, when I open your graves and bring you up from them. 14 I will put my Spirit in you and you will live, and I will settle you in your own land. Then you will know that I the Lord have spoken, and I have done it, declares the Lord.’”
The valley holds a lot of dead people. In the valley you will be in contact with many people who aren't alive. You are to speak to the dry bones! The breath you prophesy to them will allow many people to live. You are brought down into the valley to help raise up an army of the Lord.
You're heightened capacity to breathe will not only sustain you in the valley, but will be used to breathe life into those around you. The things you learned in your mountaintop experiences will help you to change lives in the valley. Bring the atmosphere of the mountain with you. Like Moses and his Tent of Meeting.
There is a physical precedent to this.
Mountain atmosphere makes you stronger for the valleys.
"Live-High, Train-Low", whereby the athlete spends many hours a day resting and sleeping at one (high) altitude, but performs a significant portion of their training, possibly all of it, at another (lower) altitude. A series of studies conducted in Utah in the late 1990s showed significant performance gains in athletes who followed such a protocol for several weeks. Other studies have shown performance gains from merely performing some exercising sessions at high altitude, yet living at sea level.
When we are on the mountaintop we rest in God. He reveals things to us. We learn from Him. When we come down from the mountaintop, we are stronger then we were before and able to perform what He asks of us. On the mountain, the atmosphere makes it possible for us to breathe deeper and at a higher capacity when we are down in the valley. Rest in God… cultivate an atmosphere in the valley that replicates your time with God… and be strengthened to carry out the work He has for you in the valley… in the doldrums… in the everyday ho hum existence that we all have to live through. And in so doing your capacity to breathe life into the dead around you will increase and if you let God live through you, you will help raise an army for God.
Monday, March 17, 2014
Bread and Fish... What being a disciple of Christ entails.
Remember a couple weeks ago when we were talking about Elijah and how he tried to hear from God the same way as Moses did in the past? And that God had a new way for Elijah to hear His voice? Well I had the same thing happen to me this week when preparing this message. I had tried to research messages like I've always done and wasn't getting anything. Then I felt God lead me to the passages we're going over today. It was really cool. But just so you know that I am preaching to myself up here.
Questions: What kind of leaders are the most annoying to you? Have you ever had a leader where if they asked you, you'd run through a brick wall for them, no questions asked? What about their leadership made you want to follow them?
In John 21, We pick up with the disciples after Jesus had died and raised from the dead. Jesus had already appeared to them twice but had not had an interaction with Peter, at least according to the Gospel account. Jesus had told them to wait to receive the power of the Holy Spirit. So we find the disciples doing what they were doing before they met Jesus. Fishing. It's amazing how quickly you go back to old habits when you feel cut off from Jesus.
John 21
21 Afterward Jesus appeared again to his disciples, by the Sea of Galilee. It happened this way: 2 Simon Peter, Thomas (also known as Didymus), Nathanael from Cana in Galilee, the sons of Zebedee, and two other disciples were together. 3 “I’m going out to fish,” Simon Peter told them, and they said, “We’ll go with you.” So they went out and got into the boat, but that night they caught nothing.
4 Early in the morning, Jesus stood on the shore, but the disciples did not realize that it was Jesus.
5 He called out to them, “Friends, haven’t you any fish?”
“No,” they answered.
6 He said, “Throw your net on the right side of the boat and you will find some.” When they did, they were unable to haul the net in because of the large number of fish.
7 Then the disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, “It is the Lord!” As soon as Simon Peter heard him say, “It is the Lord,” he wrapped his outer garment around him (for he had taken it off) and jumped into the water. 8 The other disciples followed in the boat, towing the net full of fish, for they were not far from shore, about a hundred yards. 9 When they landed, they saw a fire of burning coals there with fish on it, and some bread.
10 Jesus said to them, “Bring some of the fish you have just caught.” 11 So Simon Peter climbed back into the boat and dragged the net ashore. It was full of large fish, 153, but even with so many the net was not torn. 12 Jesus said to them, “Come and have breakfast.” None of the disciples dared ask him, “Who are you?” They knew it was the Lord. 13 Jesus came, took the bread and gave it to them, and did the same with the fish. 14 This was now the third time Jesus appeared to his disciples after he was raised from the dead.
I want to contrast Peter with Jesus for a second. At the last supper Jesus showed how leadership was supposed to be modeled.
John 13
3 Jesus knew that the Father had put all things under his power, and that he had come from God and was returning to God; 4 so he got up from the meal, took off his outer clothing, and wrapped a towel around his waist. 5 After that, he poured water into a basin and began to wash his disciples’ feet, drying them with the towel that was wrapped around him.
It's interesting that at the Last Supper Jesus removed his outer garment to wash the disciples feet. That is a sign of humility. Peter covered himself up before facing Jesus for the first time after He denied Him. As leaders we need to let go of Pride. He couldn't make himself vulnerable to Jesus because He wasn't sure how Jesus felt about Him. Do we love God more than the service we do for him? Even though God did the work, Peter rushed to present the harvest to God by himself. We lead together, not by ourselves. We need each other in order for our leadership to be effective.
First thing Jesus did when He shows up on the scene is have a meal with the disciples. Jesus showed that fellowship with Him is still very important in serving Him. He still had meals with them. God wants to have meals with us. Masters don't eat with slaves. Brothers and co-heirs eat together.
It's also interesting that they are eating Fishes and Loaves. The same meal Jesus fed the 5,000 and the 4,000.
Fish - represents Christians and Christians to be
Bread - The Word, Christ's Body
Keep that in mind as we read the rest of the story.
Questions:
Do you see yourself as a leader? Why or why not? In what areas do you think you could lead? Don't be modest.
Now let me move ahead to verse 15-25.
John 21:
15 When they had finished eating, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon son of John, do you love me more than these?”
“Yes, Lord,” he said, “you know that I love you.”
Jesus said, “Feed my lambs.”
16 Again Jesus said, “Simon son of John, do you love me?”
He answered, “Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.”
Jesus said, “Take care of my sheep.”
17 The third time he said to him, “Simon son of John, do you love me?”
Peter was hurt because Jesus asked him the third time, “Do you love me?” He said, “Lord, you know all things; you know that I love you.”
Jesus said, “Feed my sheep. 18 Very truly I tell you, when you were younger you dressed yourself and went where you wanted; but when you are old you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will dress you and lead you where you do not want to go.” 19 Jesus said this to indicate the kind of death by which Peter would glorify God. Then he said to him, “Follow me!”
20 Peter turned and saw that the disciple whom Jesus loved was following them. (This was the one who had leaned back against Jesus at the supper and had said, “Lord, who is going to betray you?”) 21 When Peter saw him, he asked, “Lord, what about him?”
22 Jesus answered, “If I want him to remain alive until I return, what is that to you? You must follow me.” 23 Because of this, the rumor spread among the believers that this disciple would not die. But Jesus did not say that he would not die; he only said, “If I want him to remain alive until I return, what is that to you?”
24 This is the disciple who testifies to these things and who wrote them down. We know that his testimony is true.
25 Jesus did many other things as well. If every one of them were written down, I suppose that even the whole world would not have room for the books that would be written.
Peter's response at the third asking shows that He acknowledges that God knows all things and isn't just an equal. Sometimes we think we know as much as God. It's humbling to have God remind us that He knows all things. Even our hearts better than we do.
The most important question Peter ever faced was whether he possessed a devoted love for his Lord.
Two Greek words for "love" are used here. The first is Agape: one of the meanings of which is intelligent and purposeful love, primarily of mind and will.
The second is Phileo: Involves warm natural affection of the emotions, thus a more personal and feeling love. Through these words, Jesus indicates that Peter's love must be not only of the will, but also of the heart, a love springing from both purpose and personal attachment. Jesus' question to Peter is the great question for all believers. We must all have a personal heartfelt love for and devotion to Jesus.
The difference between Peter and John:
John 13:
21 After he had said this, Jesus was troubled in spirit and testified, “Very truly I tell you, one of you is going to betray me.”
22 His disciples stared at one another, at a loss to know which of them he meant. 23 One of them, the disciple whom Jesus loved, was reclining next to him. 24 Simon Peter motioned to this disciple and said, “Ask him which one he means.”
25 Leaning back against Jesus, he asked him, “Lord, who is it?”
26 Jesus answered, “It is the one to whom I will give this piece of bread when I have dipped it in the dish.” Then, dipping the piece of bread, he gave it to Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot. 27 As soon as Judas took the bread, Satan entered into him.
So Jesus told him, “What you are about to do, do quickly.” 28 But no one at the meal understood why Jesus said this to him. 29 Since Judas had charge of the money, some thought Jesus was telling him to buy what was needed for the festival, or to give something to the poor. 30 As soon as Judas had taken the bread, he went out. And it was night.
Interesting that Jesus never asked John these questions and that John was the disciple that Jesus loved. Jesus didn't have to ask John because John rested on Jesus. He was in such close proximity to Jesus that it was obvious that John loved Him. God revealed His secrets to John, not Peter. Even when Peter tries to do the same by inquiring about John later, God tells Him it's none of his business. Peter judged how he viewed himself by comparing himself to others. John just wanted to be close to Jesus. Interesting that God didn't have a problem with John following them. John knew He was loved by the Lord. Why? Because he was near enough to hear Jesus tell him so. How close we are to Him will let us know how He feels about us.
Jesus refers to Peter by the name He had before He followed Him. Remember this is the first time Jesus had interacted with Peter since his denial. Because Peter was uncertain about how God felt about him, he had regressed back to who he was before Jesus arrived on the scene.
God also presented to Peter what the cost of being His disciple and being a shepherd would be. Peter wasn't in control of His life anymore. God sometimes takes you places you do not want to go.
Just like Jesus fed the 5,000… we are to lead by feeding His sheep with Christ's Body and our own. When Jesus told Peter how he would die, he did it in relation to telling him to feed His sheep.
John 15:13 - No greater love has man than this, to lay down his life for his friends. Jesus called His disciples "friends". We are called to make disciples of all men. The people we disciple should be our "friends". And we lay our lives down for our friends.
If we love God, we will feed His sheep. Our love for the sheep is not our motivation. Our love for Christ is. He doesn't say, love my sheep. He just says feed them. And how do we feed them? We give them the Bread of Life, Christ. We feed them His Word. And we give our lives for them. This is how we love Jesus.
Peter did not understand yet the cost of being a disciple of Christ. Namely to lay your life down for your friends. He was closer than some disciples to Jesus but not as close as John. John was in closer proximity. He rested in God. Peter acted out of his own strength. We as leaders must not lead out of our own strength, but recline on Christ and allow Him to do the work.
Good news for Peter. Peter changes his tune when writing 1 Peter… addressing the church as fellow elders. He had given up judging His worth by how he stacked up against the other disciples. It wasn't about him.
How do we feed His sheep? With Bread and Fish. With the Word of Christ and our lives.
What's that look like? Leading a bible study. Discipling a friend. Someone who may not be as far along as you. Giving of yourself when it isn't convenient for you. When you have a friend who needs someone to talk to… giving up some time on Facebook… Netflix… going to the movies… so you can be there for them when they need someone. When they need someone to point them to Christ. Finding people you intentionally connect with in hopes of pointing them to Christ. Always be intentional in all of your relationships. God will give you opportunities. God says we must always have an answer for the hope that is within us. There's a dying world out there that needs that hope. The hope we have within us. You are the fish… you have the bread inside you. You will feed His sheep.
The question you need to ask yourself is… will I rest in Christ, letting Him do the work through me, all the while being close enough to Him to hear how much He loves me? Or will I lead with Pride… doing things in my own strength… doing things on my own terms… loving myself and my status more than I love Jesus. Will you feed His sheep? Will you lay down your lives?
John 21
21 Afterward Jesus appeared again to his disciples, by the Sea of Galilee. It happened this way: 2 Simon Peter, Thomas (also known as Didymus), Nathanael from Cana in Galilee, the sons of Zebedee, and two other disciples were together. 3 “I’m going out to fish,” Simon Peter told them, and they said, “We’ll go with you.” So they went out and got into the boat, but that night they caught nothing.
4 Early in the morning, Jesus stood on the shore, but the disciples did not realize that it was Jesus.
5 He called out to them, “Friends, haven’t you any fish?”
“No,” they answered.
6 He said, “Throw your net on the right side of the boat and you will find some.” When they did, they were unable to haul the net in because of the large number of fish.
7 Then the disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, “It is the Lord!” As soon as Simon Peter heard him say, “It is the Lord,” he wrapped his outer garment around him (for he had taken it off) and jumped into the water. 8 The other disciples followed in the boat, towing the net full of fish, for they were not far from shore, about a hundred yards. 9 When they landed, they saw a fire of burning coals there with fish on it, and some bread.
10 Jesus said to them, “Bring some of the fish you have just caught.” 11 So Simon Peter climbed back into the boat and dragged the net ashore. It was full of large fish, 153, but even with so many the net was not torn. 12 Jesus said to them, “Come and have breakfast.” None of the disciples dared ask him, “Who are you?” They knew it was the Lord. 13 Jesus came, took the bread and gave it to them, and did the same with the fish. 14 This was now the third time Jesus appeared to his disciples after he was raised from the dead.
I want to contrast Peter with Jesus for a second. At the last supper Jesus showed how leadership was supposed to be modeled.
John 13
3 Jesus knew that the Father had put all things under his power, and that he had come from God and was returning to God; 4 so he got up from the meal, took off his outer clothing, and wrapped a towel around his waist. 5 After that, he poured water into a basin and began to wash his disciples’ feet, drying them with the towel that was wrapped around him.
It's interesting that at the Last Supper Jesus removed his outer garment to wash the disciples feet. That is a sign of humility. Peter covered himself up before facing Jesus for the first time after He denied Him. As leaders we need to let go of Pride. He couldn't make himself vulnerable to Jesus because He wasn't sure how Jesus felt about Him. Do we love God more than the service we do for him? Even though God did the work, Peter rushed to present the harvest to God by himself. We lead together, not by ourselves. We need each other in order for our leadership to be effective.
First thing Jesus did when He shows up on the scene is have a meal with the disciples. Jesus showed that fellowship with Him is still very important in serving Him. He still had meals with them. God wants to have meals with us. Masters don't eat with slaves. Brothers and co-heirs eat together.
It's also interesting that they are eating Fishes and Loaves. The same meal Jesus fed the 5,000 and the 4,000.
Fish - represents Christians and Christians to be
Bread - The Word, Christ's Body
Keep that in mind as we read the rest of the story.
Questions:
Do you see yourself as a leader? Why or why not? In what areas do you think you could lead? Don't be modest.
Now let me move ahead to verse 15-25.
John 21:
15 When they had finished eating, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon son of John, do you love me more than these?”
“Yes, Lord,” he said, “you know that I love you.”
Jesus said, “Feed my lambs.”
16 Again Jesus said, “Simon son of John, do you love me?”
He answered, “Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.”
Jesus said, “Take care of my sheep.”
17 The third time he said to him, “Simon son of John, do you love me?”
Peter was hurt because Jesus asked him the third time, “Do you love me?” He said, “Lord, you know all things; you know that I love you.”
Jesus said, “Feed my sheep. 18 Very truly I tell you, when you were younger you dressed yourself and went where you wanted; but when you are old you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will dress you and lead you where you do not want to go.” 19 Jesus said this to indicate the kind of death by which Peter would glorify God. Then he said to him, “Follow me!”
20 Peter turned and saw that the disciple whom Jesus loved was following them. (This was the one who had leaned back against Jesus at the supper and had said, “Lord, who is going to betray you?”) 21 When Peter saw him, he asked, “Lord, what about him?”
22 Jesus answered, “If I want him to remain alive until I return, what is that to you? You must follow me.” 23 Because of this, the rumor spread among the believers that this disciple would not die. But Jesus did not say that he would not die; he only said, “If I want him to remain alive until I return, what is that to you?”
24 This is the disciple who testifies to these things and who wrote them down. We know that his testimony is true.
25 Jesus did many other things as well. If every one of them were written down, I suppose that even the whole world would not have room for the books that would be written.
Peter's response at the third asking shows that He acknowledges that God knows all things and isn't just an equal. Sometimes we think we know as much as God. It's humbling to have God remind us that He knows all things. Even our hearts better than we do.
The most important question Peter ever faced was whether he possessed a devoted love for his Lord.
Two Greek words for "love" are used here. The first is Agape: one of the meanings of which is intelligent and purposeful love, primarily of mind and will.
The second is Phileo: Involves warm natural affection of the emotions, thus a more personal and feeling love. Through these words, Jesus indicates that Peter's love must be not only of the will, but also of the heart, a love springing from both purpose and personal attachment. Jesus' question to Peter is the great question for all believers. We must all have a personal heartfelt love for and devotion to Jesus.
The difference between Peter and John:
John 13:
21 After he had said this, Jesus was troubled in spirit and testified, “Very truly I tell you, one of you is going to betray me.”
22 His disciples stared at one another, at a loss to know which of them he meant. 23 One of them, the disciple whom Jesus loved, was reclining next to him. 24 Simon Peter motioned to this disciple and said, “Ask him which one he means.”
25 Leaning back against Jesus, he asked him, “Lord, who is it?”
26 Jesus answered, “It is the one to whom I will give this piece of bread when I have dipped it in the dish.” Then, dipping the piece of bread, he gave it to Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot. 27 As soon as Judas took the bread, Satan entered into him.
So Jesus told him, “What you are about to do, do quickly.” 28 But no one at the meal understood why Jesus said this to him. 29 Since Judas had charge of the money, some thought Jesus was telling him to buy what was needed for the festival, or to give something to the poor. 30 As soon as Judas had taken the bread, he went out. And it was night.
Interesting that Jesus never asked John these questions and that John was the disciple that Jesus loved. Jesus didn't have to ask John because John rested on Jesus. He was in such close proximity to Jesus that it was obvious that John loved Him. God revealed His secrets to John, not Peter. Even when Peter tries to do the same by inquiring about John later, God tells Him it's none of his business. Peter judged how he viewed himself by comparing himself to others. John just wanted to be close to Jesus. Interesting that God didn't have a problem with John following them. John knew He was loved by the Lord. Why? Because he was near enough to hear Jesus tell him so. How close we are to Him will let us know how He feels about us.
Jesus refers to Peter by the name He had before He followed Him. Remember this is the first time Jesus had interacted with Peter since his denial. Because Peter was uncertain about how God felt about him, he had regressed back to who he was before Jesus arrived on the scene.
God also presented to Peter what the cost of being His disciple and being a shepherd would be. Peter wasn't in control of His life anymore. God sometimes takes you places you do not want to go.
Just like Jesus fed the 5,000… we are to lead by feeding His sheep with Christ's Body and our own. When Jesus told Peter how he would die, he did it in relation to telling him to feed His sheep.
John 15:13 - No greater love has man than this, to lay down his life for his friends. Jesus called His disciples "friends". We are called to make disciples of all men. The people we disciple should be our "friends". And we lay our lives down for our friends.
If we love God, we will feed His sheep. Our love for the sheep is not our motivation. Our love for Christ is. He doesn't say, love my sheep. He just says feed them. And how do we feed them? We give them the Bread of Life, Christ. We feed them His Word. And we give our lives for them. This is how we love Jesus.
Peter did not understand yet the cost of being a disciple of Christ. Namely to lay your life down for your friends. He was closer than some disciples to Jesus but not as close as John. John was in closer proximity. He rested in God. Peter acted out of his own strength. We as leaders must not lead out of our own strength, but recline on Christ and allow Him to do the work.
Good news for Peter. Peter changes his tune when writing 1 Peter… addressing the church as fellow elders. He had given up judging His worth by how he stacked up against the other disciples. It wasn't about him.
How do we feed His sheep? With Bread and Fish. With the Word of Christ and our lives.
What's that look like? Leading a bible study. Discipling a friend. Someone who may not be as far along as you. Giving of yourself when it isn't convenient for you. When you have a friend who needs someone to talk to… giving up some time on Facebook… Netflix… going to the movies… so you can be there for them when they need someone. When they need someone to point them to Christ. Finding people you intentionally connect with in hopes of pointing them to Christ. Always be intentional in all of your relationships. God will give you opportunities. God says we must always have an answer for the hope that is within us. There's a dying world out there that needs that hope. The hope we have within us. You are the fish… you have the bread inside you. You will feed His sheep.
The question you need to ask yourself is… will I rest in Christ, letting Him do the work through me, all the while being close enough to Him to hear how much He loves me? Or will I lead with Pride… doing things in my own strength… doing things on my own terms… loving myself and my status more than I love Jesus. Will you feed His sheep? Will you lay down your lives?
Monday, March 3, 2014
How God reveals Himself to you
How God reveals himself to you
Last time we talked about prayer, what it means, how to do it… Today I thought we'd talk about the ways we hear from God.
Read 1Kings 19:1-9
Elijah Flees to Horeb
19 Now Ahab told Jezebel everything Elijah had done and how he had killed all the prophets with the sword. 2 So Jezebel sent a messenger to Elijah to say, “May the gods deal with me, be it ever so severely, if by this time tomorrow I do not make your life like that of one of them.”
3 Elijah was afraid and ran for his life. When he came to Beersheba in Judah, he left his servant there, 4 while he himself went a day’s journey into the wilderness. He came to a broom bush, sat down under it and prayed that he might die. “I have had enough, Lord,” he said. “Take my life; I am no better than my ancestors.” 5 Then he lay down under the bush and fell asleep.
All at once an angel touched him and said, “Get up and eat.” 6 He looked around, and there by his head was some bread baked over hot coals, and a jar of water. He ate and drank and then lay down again.
7 The angel of the Lord came back a second time and touched him and said, “Get up and eat, for the journey is too much for you.” 8 So he got up and ate and drank. Strengthened by that food, he traveled forty days and forty nights until he reached Horeb, the mountain of God. 9 There he went into a cave and spent the night. And the word of the Lord came to him: “What are you doing here, Elijah?”
God's ways are not our own. Our expectations of who we are and who we think God is can be different from what is true. Our exhaustion at times is self-inflicted. Loneliness can really mess us up -- we were not meant to be isolated. Elijah had accomplished a lot for God but was frustrated and afraid.
Vs. 3 - He was afraid
Vs. 4 - He came to a desert/wilderness time in his life… He wanted to give up.
Vs. 6 - Sometimes God tells us simple things to get us out of our ruts. It's amazing how much our moods affect how we feel about ourselves and what God is doing in our lives. Sometimes, it's as simple as taking care of our physical needs(food, sleep, being able to relax) that have a more profound impact on us then if our circumstances were changed. Also our moods color how we feel about our circumstances. As life gets stressful, make sure you take the proper time to take care of yourself.
Vs. 9 - He chose to go where He thought God might be. Where God had spoken before to Moses, expecting to hear from God like Moses did.
Mount Horeb and Mount Sinai are the same mountain. It's the place where God gave Moses His Word in the form of the Ten Commandments. It's where Moses saw the Burning Bush and first talked to God. It's also the place where God had done miracles for Moses and killed all of his enemies.
Mount Sinai means - desert, also means bush… like the bush that God talked to Moses through.
Mount Horeb means - arid place or Sword or Word.
Here are some of the things that God did for Moses at Mt. Sinai
Read Exodus 33:12-23
Moses and the Glory of the Lord
12 Moses said to the Lord, “You have been telling me, ‘Lead these people,’ but you have not let me know whom you will send with me. You have said, ‘I know you by name and you have found favor with me.’
Vs. 12 - Moses was lonely. Elijah was lonely.
13 If you are pleased with me, teach me your ways so I may know you and continue to find favor with you. Remember that this nation is your people.”
14 The Lord replied, “My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.”
15 Then Moses said to him, “If your Presence does not go with us, do not send us up from here. 16 How will anyone know that you are pleased with me and with your people unless you go with us? What else will distinguish me and your people from all the other people on the face of the earth?”
17 And the Lord said to Moses, “I will do the very thing you have asked, because I am pleased with you and I know you by name.”
18 Then Moses said, “Now show me your glory.”
19 And the Lord said, “I will cause all my goodness to pass in front of you, and I will proclaim my name, the Lord, in your presence. I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion. 20 But,” he said, “you cannot see my face, for no one may see me and live.”
21 Then the Lord said, “There is a place near me where you may stand on a rock. 22 When my glory passes by, I will put you in a cleft in the rock and cover you with my hand until I have passed by. 23 Then I will remove my hand and you will see my back; but my face must not be seen.”
You'll see why this important in a second. Here's a story from Numbers about Moses dealing with a group of people who were opposing him and coming against he and his brother.
Numbers 16:
31 As soon as he finished saying all this, the ground under them split apart 32 and the earth opened its mouth and swallowed them and their households, and all those associated with Korah, together with their possessions. 33 They went down alive into the realm of the dead, with everything they owned; the earth closed over them, and they perished and were gone from the community. 34 At their cries, all the Israelites around them fled, shouting, “The earth is going to swallow us too!”
35 And fire came out from the Lord and consumed the 250 men who were offering the incense.
42 But when the assembly gathered in opposition to Moses and Aaron and turned toward the tent of meeting, suddenly the cloud covered it and the glory of the Lord appeared.
49 But 14,700 people died from the plague, in addition to those who had died because of Korah.
Numbers 16:32 - God showed up for Moses in an earthquake, fire and a cloud and killed all the people who were after him. Maybe Elijah thought that if he were at the same mountain as Moses that maybe the Lord would swallow up all his enemies.
How would you like God to talk to you? When you have a difficult situation or relationship, do you face it head on or do you run from it?
1Kings 19:10-18
10 He replied, “I have been very zealous for the Lord God Almighty. The Israelites have rejected your covenant, torn down your altars, and put your prophets to death with the sword. I am the only one left, and now they are trying to kill me too.”
11 The Lord said, “Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the Lord, for the Lord is about to pass by.”
Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. 12 After the earthquake came a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper. 13 When Elijah heard it, he pulled his cloak over his face and went out and stood at the mouth of the cave.
Then a voice said to him, “What are you doing here, Elijah?”
14 He replied, “I have been very zealous for the Lord God Almighty. The Israelites have rejected your covenant, torn down your altars, and put your prophets to death with the sword. I am the only one left, and now they are trying to kill me too.”
15 The Lord said to him, “Go back the way you came, and go to the Desert of Damascus. When you get there, anoint Hazael king over Aram. 16 Also, anoint Jehu son of Nimshi king over Israel, and anoint Elisha son of Shaphat from Abel Meholah to succeed you as prophet. 17 Jehu will put to death any who escape the sword of Hazael, and Elisha will put to death any who escape the sword of Jehu. 18 Yet I reserve seven thousand in Israel—all whose knees have not bowed down to Baal and whose mouths have not kissed him.”
Vs. 10 - Everything in Elijah's world was broken
a)Broken covenant - Rejected God's Promises
b)Broken alters - destroyed the memory of what God had done.
c)Killed the prophets - destroyed the capacity to hear God.
This is what the enemy tries to do to us.
Elijah was lonely and sought to be comforted like God comforted Moses.
wind
earthquake ---------- } God was not in these things. He wanted to do something new… something more intimate.
Vs. 12 - Still, small voice- gentle whisper
Vs. 13 - reacted like Moses because He expected the same results.
Vs. 15 - 18 God says go back and face whatever seeks your demise. God is not unsympathetic to your plight. He gave Elijah a helper. He gave him people who would keep the evil from befalling him. Though Elijah thought he was fruitless, God showed him the 7,000. God can talk to you anywhere, in anyway. Don't restrict God from speaking to you the way He wants. Talking with God is not a formula and God will meet you where you are. Even if you think God can only talk to you a certain way, He'll show up and say, actually I can talk to you through anything I want.
Exodus 33:14
14 The Lord replied, “My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.”
He promised Moses His presence and His rest.
God promises that He'll always be with you and that He'll do the work of removing the obstacles and enemies you have.
Matthew 12:38-40
38 Then some of the Pharisees and teachers of the law said to him, “Teacher, we want to see a sign from you.”
39 He answered, “A wicked and adulterous generation asks for a sign! But none will be given it except the sign of the prophet Jonah. 40 For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of a huge fish, so the Son of Man will be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.
God desires to speak to you through His word, not signs. Processing His word develops Faith... signs require no Faith.
Isaiah 55:6-13
His word is an eternal sign.
6 Seek the Lord while he may be found;
call on him while he is near.
7 Let the wicked forsake their ways and the unrighteous their thoughts. Let them turn to the Lord, and he will have mercy on them, and to our God, for he will freely pardon.
8 “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the Lord. 9 “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts. 10 As the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return to it without watering the earth and making it bud and flourish, so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater, 11 so is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it. 12 You will go out in joy and be led forth in peace; the mountains and hills will burst into song before you, and all the trees of the field will clap their hands. 13 Instead of the thornbush will grow the juniper, and instead of briers the myrtle will grow. This will be for the Lord’s renown, for an everlasting sign, that will endure forever.”
Isaiah 43:19-24
18 “Forget the former things;
do not dwell on the past.
19 See, I am doing a new thing!
Now it springs up; do you not perceive it?
I am making a way in the wilderness
and streams in the wasteland.
20 The wild animals honor me,
the jackals and the owls,
because I provide water in the wilderness
and streams in the wasteland,
to give drink to my people, my chosen,
21 the people I formed for myself
that they may proclaim my praise.
God does new things... He only requires you to call on Him and to honor Him.
Do you feel like sometimes, you're the only one in your life that cares about doing what God wants? Do you feel broken? Has your loneliness or circumstances kept you from remembering the great things that God has done in your life? Do you feel like all the old ways you used to hear God and be close to Him just don't work anymore? Are you disappointed that God hasn't shown up in a dramatic way in your circumstances and relationships?
God isn't in the wind… He isn't in the earthquake… He isn't in the fire. He wants to speak to you in a still, small voice. A voice that can only be heard in intimacy with Him. To hear someone whisper, their face has to be next to yours. God is more interested in interacting with you on a close, personal level where He can build your faith with His Word. Signs take no faith. Reading His Word and talking to Him builds life-changing faith. So not only are your circumstances changed, but you also are changed. God wants you to trust Him and face your fears. He's bigger than the problems that seek to destroy you.
Last time we talked about prayer, what it means, how to do it… Today I thought we'd talk about the ways we hear from God.
Read 1Kings 19:1-9
Elijah Flees to Horeb
19 Now Ahab told Jezebel everything Elijah had done and how he had killed all the prophets with the sword. 2 So Jezebel sent a messenger to Elijah to say, “May the gods deal with me, be it ever so severely, if by this time tomorrow I do not make your life like that of one of them.”
3 Elijah was afraid and ran for his life. When he came to Beersheba in Judah, he left his servant there, 4 while he himself went a day’s journey into the wilderness. He came to a broom bush, sat down under it and prayed that he might die. “I have had enough, Lord,” he said. “Take my life; I am no better than my ancestors.” 5 Then he lay down under the bush and fell asleep.
All at once an angel touched him and said, “Get up and eat.” 6 He looked around, and there by his head was some bread baked over hot coals, and a jar of water. He ate and drank and then lay down again.
7 The angel of the Lord came back a second time and touched him and said, “Get up and eat, for the journey is too much for you.” 8 So he got up and ate and drank. Strengthened by that food, he traveled forty days and forty nights until he reached Horeb, the mountain of God. 9 There he went into a cave and spent the night. And the word of the Lord came to him: “What are you doing here, Elijah?”
God's ways are not our own. Our expectations of who we are and who we think God is can be different from what is true. Our exhaustion at times is self-inflicted. Loneliness can really mess us up -- we were not meant to be isolated. Elijah had accomplished a lot for God but was frustrated and afraid.
Vs. 3 - He was afraid
Vs. 4 - He came to a desert/wilderness time in his life… He wanted to give up.
Vs. 6 - Sometimes God tells us simple things to get us out of our ruts. It's amazing how much our moods affect how we feel about ourselves and what God is doing in our lives. Sometimes, it's as simple as taking care of our physical needs(food, sleep, being able to relax) that have a more profound impact on us then if our circumstances were changed. Also our moods color how we feel about our circumstances. As life gets stressful, make sure you take the proper time to take care of yourself.
Vs. 9 - He chose to go where He thought God might be. Where God had spoken before to Moses, expecting to hear from God like Moses did.
Mount Horeb and Mount Sinai are the same mountain. It's the place where God gave Moses His Word in the form of the Ten Commandments. It's where Moses saw the Burning Bush and first talked to God. It's also the place where God had done miracles for Moses and killed all of his enemies.
Mount Sinai means - desert, also means bush… like the bush that God talked to Moses through.
Mount Horeb means - arid place or Sword or Word.
Here are some of the things that God did for Moses at Mt. Sinai
Read Exodus 33:12-23
Moses and the Glory of the Lord
12 Moses said to the Lord, “You have been telling me, ‘Lead these people,’ but you have not let me know whom you will send with me. You have said, ‘I know you by name and you have found favor with me.’
Vs. 12 - Moses was lonely. Elijah was lonely.
13 If you are pleased with me, teach me your ways so I may know you and continue to find favor with you. Remember that this nation is your people.”
14 The Lord replied, “My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.”
15 Then Moses said to him, “If your Presence does not go with us, do not send us up from here. 16 How will anyone know that you are pleased with me and with your people unless you go with us? What else will distinguish me and your people from all the other people on the face of the earth?”
17 And the Lord said to Moses, “I will do the very thing you have asked, because I am pleased with you and I know you by name.”
18 Then Moses said, “Now show me your glory.”
19 And the Lord said, “I will cause all my goodness to pass in front of you, and I will proclaim my name, the Lord, in your presence. I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion. 20 But,” he said, “you cannot see my face, for no one may see me and live.”
21 Then the Lord said, “There is a place near me where you may stand on a rock. 22 When my glory passes by, I will put you in a cleft in the rock and cover you with my hand until I have passed by. 23 Then I will remove my hand and you will see my back; but my face must not be seen.”
You'll see why this important in a second. Here's a story from Numbers about Moses dealing with a group of people who were opposing him and coming against he and his brother.
Numbers 16:
31 As soon as he finished saying all this, the ground under them split apart 32 and the earth opened its mouth and swallowed them and their households, and all those associated with Korah, together with their possessions. 33 They went down alive into the realm of the dead, with everything they owned; the earth closed over them, and they perished and were gone from the community. 34 At their cries, all the Israelites around them fled, shouting, “The earth is going to swallow us too!”
35 And fire came out from the Lord and consumed the 250 men who were offering the incense.
42 But when the assembly gathered in opposition to Moses and Aaron and turned toward the tent of meeting, suddenly the cloud covered it and the glory of the Lord appeared.
49 But 14,700 people died from the plague, in addition to those who had died because of Korah.
Numbers 16:32 - God showed up for Moses in an earthquake, fire and a cloud and killed all the people who were after him. Maybe Elijah thought that if he were at the same mountain as Moses that maybe the Lord would swallow up all his enemies.
How would you like God to talk to you? When you have a difficult situation or relationship, do you face it head on or do you run from it?
1Kings 19:10-18
10 He replied, “I have been very zealous for the Lord God Almighty. The Israelites have rejected your covenant, torn down your altars, and put your prophets to death with the sword. I am the only one left, and now they are trying to kill me too.”
11 The Lord said, “Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the Lord, for the Lord is about to pass by.”
Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. 12 After the earthquake came a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper. 13 When Elijah heard it, he pulled his cloak over his face and went out and stood at the mouth of the cave.
Then a voice said to him, “What are you doing here, Elijah?”
14 He replied, “I have been very zealous for the Lord God Almighty. The Israelites have rejected your covenant, torn down your altars, and put your prophets to death with the sword. I am the only one left, and now they are trying to kill me too.”
15 The Lord said to him, “Go back the way you came, and go to the Desert of Damascus. When you get there, anoint Hazael king over Aram. 16 Also, anoint Jehu son of Nimshi king over Israel, and anoint Elisha son of Shaphat from Abel Meholah to succeed you as prophet. 17 Jehu will put to death any who escape the sword of Hazael, and Elisha will put to death any who escape the sword of Jehu. 18 Yet I reserve seven thousand in Israel—all whose knees have not bowed down to Baal and whose mouths have not kissed him.”
Vs. 10 - Everything in Elijah's world was broken
a)Broken covenant - Rejected God's Promises
b)Broken alters - destroyed the memory of what God had done.
c)Killed the prophets - destroyed the capacity to hear God.
This is what the enemy tries to do to us.
Elijah was lonely and sought to be comforted like God comforted Moses.
wind
earthquake ---------- } God was not in these things. He wanted to do something new… something more intimate.
Vs. 12 - Still, small voice- gentle whisper
Vs. 13 - reacted like Moses because He expected the same results.
Vs. 15 - 18 God says go back and face whatever seeks your demise. God is not unsympathetic to your plight. He gave Elijah a helper. He gave him people who would keep the evil from befalling him. Though Elijah thought he was fruitless, God showed him the 7,000. God can talk to you anywhere, in anyway. Don't restrict God from speaking to you the way He wants. Talking with God is not a formula and God will meet you where you are. Even if you think God can only talk to you a certain way, He'll show up and say, actually I can talk to you through anything I want.
Exodus 33:14
14 The Lord replied, “My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.”
He promised Moses His presence and His rest.
God promises that He'll always be with you and that He'll do the work of removing the obstacles and enemies you have.
Matthew 12:38-40
38 Then some of the Pharisees and teachers of the law said to him, “Teacher, we want to see a sign from you.”
39 He answered, “A wicked and adulterous generation asks for a sign! But none will be given it except the sign of the prophet Jonah. 40 For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of a huge fish, so the Son of Man will be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.
God desires to speak to you through His word, not signs. Processing His word develops Faith... signs require no Faith.
Isaiah 55:6-13
His word is an eternal sign.
6 Seek the Lord while he may be found;
call on him while he is near.
7 Let the wicked forsake their ways and the unrighteous their thoughts. Let them turn to the Lord, and he will have mercy on them, and to our God, for he will freely pardon.
8 “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the Lord. 9 “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts. 10 As the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return to it without watering the earth and making it bud and flourish, so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater, 11 so is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it. 12 You will go out in joy and be led forth in peace; the mountains and hills will burst into song before you, and all the trees of the field will clap their hands. 13 Instead of the thornbush will grow the juniper, and instead of briers the myrtle will grow. This will be for the Lord’s renown, for an everlasting sign, that will endure forever.”
Isaiah 43:19-24
18 “Forget the former things;
do not dwell on the past.
19 See, I am doing a new thing!
Now it springs up; do you not perceive it?
I am making a way in the wilderness
and streams in the wasteland.
20 The wild animals honor me,
the jackals and the owls,
because I provide water in the wilderness
and streams in the wasteland,
to give drink to my people, my chosen,
21 the people I formed for myself
that they may proclaim my praise.
God does new things... He only requires you to call on Him and to honor Him.
Do you feel like sometimes, you're the only one in your life that cares about doing what God wants? Do you feel broken? Has your loneliness or circumstances kept you from remembering the great things that God has done in your life? Do you feel like all the old ways you used to hear God and be close to Him just don't work anymore? Are you disappointed that God hasn't shown up in a dramatic way in your circumstances and relationships?
God isn't in the wind… He isn't in the earthquake… He isn't in the fire. He wants to speak to you in a still, small voice. A voice that can only be heard in intimacy with Him. To hear someone whisper, their face has to be next to yours. God is more interested in interacting with you on a close, personal level where He can build your faith with His Word. Signs take no faith. Reading His Word and talking to Him builds life-changing faith. So not only are your circumstances changed, but you also are changed. God wants you to trust Him and face your fears. He's bigger than the problems that seek to destroy you.
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