Where is the Lord God of Elijah?

[0:00] Where is the Lord God of Elijah? We're going to look at two characters here.! Elijah and Elisha.

[0:12] Now it's easily mixed up.! Who came first? They're alphabetical. J's before S. Elijah and then Elisha followed on. Elisha had been the faithful servant to the prophet Elijah.

[0:28] And for nine years Elisha had served and stayed under Elijah. Elijah, it means Jehovah is my God.

[0:39] Elisha means my God is salvation. Elijah was known as Elijah the Tishbite. Elijah the Tishbite.

[0:50] Now Tishbite, it means a stranger here. Elijah was a stranger. A sojourner. Someone who is just temporarily passing through.

[1:01] And isn't that true for you and me? We're just sojourners. We're just strangers here. Elijah was a sojourner, a stranger here. He was separated from the world.

[1:12] And so should we be. We're strangers and pilgrims passing through this perishing planet. Elijah was a man who had learned to trust and obey in the Lord.

[1:25] His strength gave him great courage. As he stood for God against all the odds while others ran away, Elijah stood. He stood fast. He stood firm.

[1:35] He stood against the idolatry and apostasy of the nation of his day. Elijah rebuked the ungodly king Ahab for his sin.

[1:46] Elijah withstood the false prophets of Baal, the false religionists of his time. And in 1 Kings 18, we read the account of Elijah's great context with 850 false prophets of Baal.

[2:04] False prophets of Mount Carmel. And we see God's power is displayed in great wonder and unction in the outpouring of the fire from heaven.

[2:18] Elijah invited these false prophets in Israel to witness God at work. To show that Baal had no power at all. In fact, there was no Baal.

[2:31] He was a false god. Small g. Elijah prayed. And God answered. God answered by fire. God answered to honour Elijah's prayer.

[2:45] He prayed that he would be honoured and that the people would know that God was God. God answered by fire. We pick up this story here in 2 Kings, in fact.

[3:03] 2 Kings. We see 1 Kings 18 was the account of the prophets of Baal of the fire falling from heaven to consume the sacrifice.

[3:14] Yet the false gods, escapades and their hoo-ha and their cutting themselves and their antics.

[3:26] Nothing came of that. Baal was shown to be false. But God was seen to be true. And then we see the passing of Elijah from this planet.

[3:40] In 2 Kings chapter 2. We pick up the story in the closing days of his life on earth. 2 Kings chapter 2 from verse 8. And it says, And Elijah took his mantle.

[3:53] He took his mantle. And he wrapped it together. And he smote all the matters. And they were divided. Here they were in the other. So that they two went over on dry ground.

[4:07] And it came to pass when they were gone over. Then Elijah said unto Elijah. Ask what I shall do for thee. Before I will be taken away from thee. And Elijah said unto thee.

[4:19] Let a double portion of thy spirit be upon me. And he said, Then must ask the hard thing. Nevertheless, if thou see me when I am taken from thee.

[4:31] It shall be so unto thee. But if not, it shall not be so. And they came to pass as they still went on and taught. But behold, there appeared a chair of the fire.

[4:42] And horses of fire. And parts of them rose to sunder. And Elijah and I, They had a burden into heaven. And then Elijah saw it. And then he cried, My father and my father.

[4:54] That it shall be Israel and the husband thereof. And he saw you no more. And then he took hold of his own clothes. And he ran them in pieces. And then he took up also the mantle of Elijah.

[5:06] That it fell from him. And went back and stood by the bank of Jordan. Now Elijah was gone. A question planted in Elijah's mind.

[5:17] As he took up Elijah's mantle. And walked up to the bank of the river of Jordan. And in verse 14. And Elijah, Elisha. He took the mantle of Elijah that fell from him.

[5:30] And smoked the water. And said, Where is the Lord God of Elijah? And when he also had smitten the waters, They parted thither and hither.

[5:42] And Elijah went over. Elijah went over the river Jordan. Elijah was gone. And what a man Elijah was.

[5:55] He was a man who had withstood Baal worship. He was a man of bold faith. He fought Ahab and Jezebel. Elijah. He had been a great encourager of the people of God.

[6:07] Those who wanted to serve him. The sons of the prophets. But now, Elijah was gone. He was gone. Taken up by a whirlwind.

[6:20] He ascended into heaven. What an amazing departure. Elijah was gone. And Elijah asked, Where is the Lord God of Elijah?

[6:38] Elijah was here crying out for the power of God to work again. For that power, the power that Elijah had demonstrated, that same power, as Elijah had seen it through his lifetime.

[6:53] Elijah wanted to see God at work again. In answer to believing. In answer to godly faith. Elijah cried out, Where is the Lord God of Elijah?

[7:06] Firstly, consider, Who is the Lord God of Elijah? Who is this God? Who is the Lord God of Elijah? He is the living God.

[7:19] In Him we live and move and have our being. He is the living God. God, He is able. He is able to deliver thee.

[7:31] He is sufficient. He is sufficient for every need. And He works in through us, by His mighty power. He is the Almighty.

[7:44] He is the Lord God. The Lord God who answered prayers of Elijah. And He is ready and willing to answer our prayers, your prayer.

[7:55] The Lord God of Elijah. He gave to Elijah that sweet experience of the power of prayer. We read of Him in James 5, verse 17, where James wrote, that Elijah was a man subject to like passions, as we are.

[8:18] And He prayed earnestly that it might not rain, and it rained not on the earth by the space of three years and six months. And He prayed again.

[8:29] And the heaven gave rain, and the earth brought forth her fruit. Elijah, He prayed, and the Lord withheld rain. Elijah, He prayed, and the Lord poured out rain.

[8:44] As He went to the mount, and His servant was watching for the cloud, for the sign of rain, Elijah was persistent in prayer. He persisted in prayer.

[8:56] Seven times He sent His servant, go back and look, go back and look. As He kept praying, praying on, persisting in prayer, go and look for that sign, go and look for that cloud.

[9:08] He sent His servant to look for the cloud seven times, as Elijah just kept on praying. He kept on praying. Then the Lord sent the rain. Who is the Lord God of Elijah?

[9:22] He alone is the one true God. He alone is the one God. In the country of the rain God, so called, He sent a drought to put Baal to shame and the followers of Baal.

[9:39] In the country of the crops, so called, the God of the fields, He stopped the crops. In the country of the lightning God, so called, He sent fire from heaven to consume the profits of the lightning God.

[9:52] In the country of the rain God, He sent the rains as He decreed. In the country of the fire God, He sent fire from heaven to consume the soldiers.

[10:05] The Lord God of Elijah is beyond compare. He is beyond compare. Who is the Lord God of Elijah? He is the Almighty God. And He still is.

[10:15] Amen? He's the same yesterday, today, and forever. Forever. Who is the Lord God of Elijah? He is the God we can put our faith in.

[10:27] Consider this then. How? How can we see the Lord God of Elijah work in our lives, in our circumstance, in your family, in your situation?

[10:38] How can we see the Lord God of Elijah working? Elisha made use of what had worked in the past. He took up the mantle of Elijah.

[10:48] He took up the mantle of Elijah. What had worked before would work again. Amen? We don't have to invent some new thing. We don't have to manufacture some new thing.

[10:59] To use some new fangled method. Likewise, we need to get back the old power. What worked before will work again. Amen? Amen? The old power, the old book. Amen?

[11:10] It worked still. It will work again and again and again. His promises are yea and amen. What had worked before will work again. Believe God. Believe Him.

[11:21] Believe Him. We don't need some new manufactured, new fangled method. We need the old. We need the old. The old is better.

[11:33] Not that we are against what is new necessarily. What can be new can be helpful and good. But we don't depend on that. We depend on the old power. Amen? We depend on the old power of God.

[11:46] The old faith in God. The old empowerment of God. That's based on God. Not some methods of men. Amen? How does God work?

[11:56] How can we see the Lord God of Elijah work in our day, in our time, in our world? He will work in the ways He always has worked.

[12:07] He still works in answer to believing prayer. Amen? He still answers prayer today. He answers faithful prayer. It's an old method. An old tried and tested method that the God of Elijah answers prayer.

[12:21] And He still does. And He works by His word faithfully proclaim as He always has done and always will do. His word is faithful.

[12:32] He works in answer to faithful witness as people faithfully witness of the power of the gospel. He will save lost souls as He always has done.

[12:43] It's the old method and it's still relevant. Amen? God is relevant, isn't He? He hasn't. He's relevant because He is the same yesterday, today and forever.

[12:55] He is beyond time and space. Beyond fad and fancy and fashion of men. He was His word as He always has done.

[13:06] We need the old proven, tried and tested relying on God and His working and His power. These things are proven. His promises are proven.

[13:19] His promises are true. They always have worked. They work now and they always will work in every generation. Some people think we've got to somehow change it all for generation X or whatever the next generation might be.

[13:34] We've somehow got to shape it and change it such that we've got to twist it and turn it and turn it around. But God always answers faithful prayer.

[13:46] God always answers as His word is faithfully declared. Firm as a rock. Rock solid when He faced the test. Of course, even He had moments of despair. Moments of doubt.

[13:57] Moments of fear. But God enabled him to get through, to get victory in the face of many trials. And we need this kind of men in the church today, don't we?

[14:12] We need some Elijahs of God. Men who will stand for what they believe. We need the Lord, the same God as Elijah had.

[14:25] And may this be our prayer. Where is the Lord God of Elijah? May it be a prayer. May it be our hearts crying. Elijah asked for a double portion of the spirit of Elijah.

[14:38] A double portion. Now it wasn't really that he was asking to be twice as holy or twice as godly or twice as powerful as Elijah.

[14:49] In biblical times when a father made out his will, he divided the property between his children. And he would give a double portion to the one that he chose as his successor.

[15:01] A double portion to the one who would be the head of the family. Usually the oldest son. And so if this man had five sons, he would divide the property in six and he would give a double portion to the one who had the greater responsibility.

[15:20] So as Elijah asked for a double portion, he was asking to be appointed as the successor of Elijah. He said, I want to carry on this ministry.

[15:32] I want to be used of God as you have been used of God. And Elijah was a man who fervently wanted to serve the Lord and to be equipped by God to be his servant.

[15:45] Here is a test of a person's character. The man of God asked him, what do you want me to do for you? Now, Elijah didn't ask for wealth. He didn't ask for a miracle for himself.

[15:59] He didn't ask for safety or success or honour for himself. He just wanted the power. He wanted the spirit. He wanted the spirit of Elijah.

[16:09] He wanted the salvation. He wanted the double portion. He wanted the necessary spiritual empowerment. He wanted the gifts of God that he could be used of God to do what God had called him to do, to be equipped, to be empowered.

[16:24] He recognised that he could not do the task ahead without the equipping of God. He wanted the same spirit that empowered Elijah to rest upon him.

[16:35] What Elijah wanted was the spirit of God. We see a fiery chariot and horses sweep between them and Elijah is separated and taken up from Elisha.

[16:50] The whirlwind comes and takes him into heaven and Elijah disappears from view. He left behind his cloak, his mantle and Elisha lifted the mantle. It was a token that Elisha was to be the successor of Elijah.

[17:04] It was a token that God granted that his prayer was answered and Elisha headed for the Jordan and as he got to the Jordan what did he say? What did he say as he had that mantle?

[17:16] He said here is Elijah's cloak a relic of this great saint of God. I must build a shrine to worship it. Did he say that? No sir.

[17:27] You know he's seen some circles today there's people that carry around dead bones and they bow down some holy men or women of God so they think and they bow down to a skull enclosed in some vessel that they bow down and venerate as some shrine as some relic.

[17:47] Elijah didn't do that. Elisha didn't do that. Or did Elisha say here is the cloak of mighty Elijah it will split the waters as he did before.

[18:01] No. He didn't venerate the cloak the mantle he didn't venerate the garment of Elijah no he cried out where is the Lord God of Elijah because he knew that was the only solution.

[18:18] He cried where is the Lord God of Elijah that was his heartfelt passionate plea and will we as God's servants have that heart cry will God act for his servant as he acted in previous generations does God work now as he always has and all his will yes he can yes he does for this generation as in the previous generations God was with Elisha as he has been with Elijah and as he approaches the river with the cloak in his hands with his garment with his mantle And the other side of Jordan there's 50 prophets looking on the prophets from Jericho are watching and they had seen Elijah and Elisha cross over the Jordan and as they watch on now only Elisha returns and they saw that he carried Elijah's cloak in his hand and Elisha approached the banks of the Jordan and struck the waters and cries out where is the Lord God of Elijah and the waters parted the question to wrap up again is where is the Lord God of Elijah where is he the Lord the God of Elijah is with

[19:46] Elisha Elisha had lost Elijah he was lost in this time of grief it was a sad time a parting time we have those moments through life a moment of parting a time of loss he'd lost Elijah but he had not lost Elijah's God amen you might know saints of God has travelled ahead of you into the glory their God is still here on planet earth amen he is still here the same mighty God who worked before at work again and again and again as powerfully as he has always done the same mighty God and we cry out where is the Lord God of Elijah where is he now where is he now and the Lord Jesus says I am with you always always the Lord God is here with us now in our generation in our time in this city we have

[20:54] God's presence we see God's presence with Elijah and the prophets recognised it that Elijah is the successor will we pray this prayer where is the Lord God of Elijah our God is the God of wondrous power where is he he is present he is present today today as he was through the pages of his word through the record of history in the reformers and revivalists of old he is with us now and we need a double portion of the spirit of God we must have the Lord God of Elijah we must have him we must have him we cannot live without him Elijah had poured water upon the hands of Elijah he'd been his personal attendant he'd done the humble things pouring water on his hands just a servant but now a great weight of responsibility upon him he was to be the successor of the prophet of fire the man of

[22:09] God Elijah where is the Lord God of Elijah sometimes we think where is God in my circumstance in my situation right now where are you God he is right there he is present especially when we face some difficulty when we see Elijah face the Elijah face the Jordan this deep flowing rapid stream how would he cross it it was unfathomable it was extraordinary it was a great difficulty and he took the mantle which those waters knew before when Elijah passed that way and striking the waters where he cries where is the Lord God of Elijah once the waters divide and the prophet walks through why because God is presence the Lord is presence he is present when we stand fast as

[23:12] Elijah did when you face some great difficulty God has not left you he's right here when you face some great difficulty that you cannot get over it when you're facing some trouble some tests some trauma some trial!

[23:58] God says you got to bear with it I'll get you through this storm go to God with your trouble he'll remove or he'll help you get through and you will glorify him the point is go to God go to God find him find him where do I find him in the place of prayer in the place of prayer whatever our trouble or trial lay it before God go to God the worship of the most high God it was carried on by the faithful few there were few in number Elijah cried out on the only one left and God says there's 7000 all around you they've not bowed their knees of bail there's still some faithful few persecuted forsaken tormented hunted to death by the cruel and idolatrous

[24:59] Jezebel but there was a man who Ahab and Jezebel could not touch one man who spoke out for the Lord even to the king's face and he stood alone and cried the God who answers by thought let him be God and when the Lord sent the fire he cried to the people take the prophets of Baal let no one escape that was pretty stern pretty uncompromising pretty unbending there's some prophets of Baal around there's some really terrible things going on we don't toy with them we counter we condemn them we confront them we expose them we overcome them by the word of God and we find the Lord is present where his believing people are now we don't have to go some would think oh I'm going to go on a pilgrimage to some holy place as if

[26:11] God is there yes he is there he is here now amongst his believing people where the men of God will stand firm where the people of God will pray and Elijah stood when the waters raged he stood like a rock when the circumstances were against him for the most part he was steadfast and firm and this is the kind of men the kind of women that we need today people who will not be turned aside who will not detour won't be swayed by the prophets of Baal to jump on the bandwagon but they'll stand firm with God they'll stand fast they'll ask for the double portion they'll trust God who will work in us as a people of God where is the Lord God of Elijah we see

[27:11] God is at work in Elijah's mighty power in prayer now we might think well Elijah had special power he had special prayer there was something special about Elijah's prayer no it says he was a man of like passions as we are he was just a human being he was just a human vessel receptive to God will we be such a vessel God gave him prayer and on the top of Mount Carmel he put his head between his knees and he cried to the Lord he cried to the Lord he cried to the Lord as the heavens were covered then again with clouds and there came a deluge of rain this is a man he prayed he prayed in the chamber he prayed back the spirit of a child and God brought the child to life where did he get this power in prayer how can

[28:19] I get this power in prayer from God the Lord God of Elijah can help you to pray do we stop and pray do we stop and pray or do we use that as the last resort the last thing we do is to pray the Lord God of Elijah can help you to pray so lay hold on God by a daring courageous faith and as God for Elijah he can provide for you as he provided at the brook cherith as he provided at seraph through miraculous intervention God can provide in your circumstance of life no good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly and friends today we might have many reasons why we could be in doubt and despair where we can feel it's too hard we're overwhelmed we're outnumbered we're outgunned the modern day prophets of Baal swarm on every side there's so much confusion wings of doctrine we have to withstand in the evil day and have faith with courage and trust the Lord

[29:48] God of Elijah he's still present and not necessarily in a building but in our home in our hearts in our settings wherever we go he's with us he says I will never leave you nor forsake you the Lord God of Elijah where is he he's with us now he's with us by his spirit and he wants us to trust him to answer by fire to put out his spirit Elijah was God's own man ordained to witness in evil times to stand fast when facing the enemy he might place you in that circumstance where you had to counter things you had to stand your ground you had to stand with the word you had to trust his unction trust him his provision his protection his peace in your circumstance by prayer the Lord took care of his servant where is the Lord

[30:55] God of Elijah fact is Elijah's God he's not over at Carmel necessarily or he's still at Carmel Mount Carmel Elijah's God is here in Elizabeth Park Elijah's God is here now with us among his people and we can be encouraged today that we can know him whom to know is life eternal to put our faith and trust in his wondrous sacrifice at Calvary's cross where that rugged cross bore not just the weight of the Son of God that body perfected and sinless as the pure and precious spotless blood was shed not only did it bear his body his frame it held there our sin on his own body on the tree as it were and if we can trust him now that his death in our place paid the price we can know his eternal gift of everlasting life by trusting him and he takes care of his servants he will take care of you he will take care of you whatever your circumstance today

[32:23] God will take care of you