WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:04.480 We're going to read from the Old Testament, from the book of first kings. 00:00:05.480 --> 00:00:08.800 And we'll read the first 18 verses of this chapter. 00:00:10.400 --> 00:00:13.000 So when we come into this chapter, Elijah 00:00:14.080 --> 00:00:17.280 has just confronted the prophets of Baal at the top of Mount Carmel, 00:00:17.280 --> 00:00:20.120 and God has come down in the fire. 00:00:21.400 --> 00:00:25.080 And then we pick up just at the end of that story here in chapter 19. 00:00:25.839 --> 00:00:29.519 Ahab told Jezebel all that Elijah had done. 00:00:29.519 --> 00:00:32.439 And how he had killed all the prophets with the sword. 00:00:33.079 --> 00:00:36.039 Then Jezebel sent a messenger to Elijah saying, 00:00:36.399 --> 00:00:44.480 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. 00:00:45.320 --> 00:00:47.320 Then he was afraid. 00:00:47.320 --> 00:00:51.320 And he arose and he ran for his life and he came to Beersheba, 00:00:51.799 --> 00:00:55.200 which belongs to Judah and left his servant there. 00:00:55.200 --> 00:01:01.680 But he himself went a day's journey into the wilderness and he came and sat down under a broom tree. 00:01:02.160 --> 00:01:05.280 And he asked that he might die saying, 00:01:05.879 --> 00:01:12.520 It is enough now, O Lord, take away my life, for I am no better than my fathers. 00:01:12.520 --> 00:01:16.240 And he lay down and he slept under a broom tree. 00:01:16.879 --> 00:01:22.159 And behold, an angel touched him and said to him, Arise and eat. 00:01:22.159 --> 00:01:25.920 And he looked and behold there was at his head a cake 00:01:26.679 --> 00:01:33.640 baked on hot stones and a jar of water. And he ate and drank and lay down again. 00:01:34.120 --> 00:01:41.959 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. 00:01:42.799 --> 00:01:49.759 And he arose and he ate and drank and went in the strength of that food 40 days and 40 nights to 00:01:49.760 --> 00:01:51.920 to whore the mount of God. 00:01:53.280 --> 00:01:59.840 There he came to a cave and lodged in it and behold the word of the Lord came to him and he said to him, 00:02:00.160 --> 00:02:02.160 What are you doing here Elijah? 00:02:02.320 --> 00:02:06.600 He said, I've been very jealous for the Lord, the God of hosts. 00:02:07.160 --> 00:02:11.879 For the people of Israel have forsaken your covenant. They've thrown down your altars and 00:02:11.879 --> 00:02:20.439 and killed your prophets with the sword and I even I only am left and they seek my life to take it away. 00:02:21.159 --> 00:02:26.159 And he said go out and stand on the mount before the Lord and behold 00:02:27.159 --> 00:02:29.159 the Lord passed by and 00:02:29.479 --> 00:02:32.439 a great and strong wind tore the mountains and 00:02:33.039 --> 00:02:37.639 broken pieces the rocks before the Lord. But the Lord was not in the wind. 00:02:37.639 --> 00:02:42.759 And after the wind and earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. 00:02:42.759 --> 00:02:47.559 And after the earthquake a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. 00:02:47.559 --> 00:02:52.959 And after the fire the sound of a low whisper and when Elijah heard it 00:02:53.239 --> 00:02:58.560 he wrapped his face and his cloak and he went out and he stood at the entrance of the cave and 00:02:59.159 --> 00:03:03.039 behold there came a voice to him and said, What are you doing here Elijah? 00:03:03.039 --> 00:03:06.639 He said, I've been very jealous for the Lord, the God of hosts. 00:03:06.639 --> 00:03:11.680 For the people of Israel have forsaken your covenant, thrown down your altars, killed your prophets with the sword. 00:03:11.680 --> 00:03:15.359 And I even I only am left and they seek my life to take it away. 00:03:16.159 --> 00:03:21.599 And the Lord said to him, Go, return on your way to the wilderness of Damascus. 00:03:22.079 --> 00:03:26.639 And when you arrive you shall anoint Hazael to be king over Syria. 00:03:26.639 --> 00:03:31.039 And Jehu the son of Nimshi, you shall anoint to be king over Israel. 00:03:31.039 --> 00:03:37.759 You shall anoint to be king over Israel. And Elijah the son of Shaphat of Abel Mehullah. 00:03:37.759 --> 00:03:40.000 You shall anoint to be prophet in your place. 00:03:41.120 --> 00:03:45.120 And the one who escapes from the sword of Hazael shall Jehu put to death. 00:03:45.120 --> 00:03:49.359 And the one who escapes from the sword of Jehu shall Elijah put to death. 00:03:50.079 --> 00:03:55.599 Yet I will leave 7000 in Israel all the knees that have not bowed to bell 00:03:55.599 --> 00:03:57.599 in every mouth that has not kissed him. 00:03:57.599 --> 00:04:00.479 This is God's holy word. 00:04:03.039 --> 00:04:10.959 So tonight we are we're following on from where we ended last week with Elijah 00:04:12.000 --> 00:04:15.359 showing the people of God who the true God really is. 00:04:15.359 --> 00:04:19.439 He has sent down fire and burnt up the sacrifice. 00:04:19.439 --> 00:04:23.040 He has sent rain to end a three-year long famine. 00:04:23.040 --> 00:04:29.760 Ahab has come down off the mountain. He is going home to his town or his city Jezreel. 00:04:30.720 --> 00:04:33.439 And Elijah is out running in front of him. 00:04:34.720 --> 00:04:40.480 Just as we are meant to think, the king is beginning to let God's word do the leading. 00:04:40.480 --> 00:04:45.600 From what we read last week in chapter 18 to now at last the people of Israel 00:04:46.160 --> 00:04:49.600 are going to trust in the true God. The king will return to him. 00:04:49.600 --> 00:04:55.840 The king and the prophet will work together, will live together at last. 00:04:55.840 --> 00:04:59.920 And then we get to this chapter tonight, chapter 19. 00:04:59.920 --> 00:05:03.280 And it doesn't go that way at all. 00:05:04.160 --> 00:05:08.560 Ahab comes home, goes to his wife Jezrebel, tells her everything that's happened. 00:05:09.439 --> 00:05:16.160 She says as far as she can help it, this man Elijah is going to be dead by this time tomorrow. 00:05:16.160 --> 00:05:22.560 There is no way that these people are going to come home worshiping another God. 00:05:22.560 --> 00:05:24.800 There is no way her husband is going to come back 00:05:25.840 --> 00:05:29.600 and listening to this foreign prophet calling the shots. 00:05:29.600 --> 00:05:36.080 So as far as she can help it, Elijah will be dead by this time tomorrow. 00:05:36.080 --> 00:05:40.320 Just to point out one word before we look at this chapter properly. 00:05:40.319 --> 00:05:46.399 It's in verse 3, it says that Elijah was afraid because of this. 00:05:46.399 --> 00:05:51.920 And the word that's used there, it is debated but most likely the word that is really used there 00:05:52.560 --> 00:05:56.959 is a word which means he saw. Not that he was afraid but that he saw. 00:05:57.680 --> 00:06:01.039 Jezrebel threatens to have him killed and it says he saw. 00:06:02.800 --> 00:06:06.560 And what Elijah saw was not the threat to his own life. 00:06:06.560 --> 00:06:12.560 But what he saw was the fact that God is still not going to be worshiped in Israel. 00:06:12.560 --> 00:06:17.360 The people have seen on top of the mountain God sending fire to burn up the sacrifice. 00:06:17.360 --> 00:06:19.439 Ahab has seen the rain come down. 00:06:20.560 --> 00:06:25.360 The true God has sent it at last but they get home and nothing changes. 00:06:25.360 --> 00:06:30.079 Jezrebel won't have it. There's no change in Israel. 00:06:30.079 --> 00:06:31.680 That's what Elijah saw. 00:06:31.680 --> 00:06:39.439 And in his upset, in his heartache, he leaves and heads over 100 miles south. 00:06:39.439 --> 00:06:44.480 In one sense, Elijah's heartache that we read off in this chapter, 00:06:44.480 --> 00:06:48.160 it's down to the fact that the true God is not going to be worshiped. 00:06:48.160 --> 00:06:50.000 There is going to be no change in Israel. 00:06:50.000 --> 00:06:56.560 In a wider sense, in another sense, his heartache is down to the fact that not long ago, 00:06:56.560 --> 00:07:00.480 life was how it was meant to be. He was on top of the mountain. 00:07:01.120 --> 00:07:03.439 Everyone saw who the true God really was. 00:07:03.439 --> 00:07:06.079 Life was what he wanted it to be. 00:07:06.800 --> 00:07:14.480 And yet in no time at all, he comes down and he's driven away and he's left asking, 00:07:15.279 --> 00:07:18.319 how could things go so wrong? 00:07:19.199 --> 00:07:22.560 Life was how he had dreamed it would be and now he's brought so low 00:07:22.560 --> 00:07:24.639 that he is wanting to be worshiped. 00:07:24.639 --> 00:07:26.959 So low that he is wanting to die. 00:07:28.079 --> 00:07:29.759 Just two points tonight. 00:07:32.560 --> 00:07:36.399 What is clear in this chapter is that whether you are on the mountaintop 00:07:37.439 --> 00:07:40.479 or whether you are in the wilderness, you're in the valley, 00:07:40.479 --> 00:07:45.279 whether you're in either of those places, what is clear in chapter 19 is that God 00:07:45.279 --> 00:07:48.800 will not leave you on your own. 00:07:48.800 --> 00:07:51.919 Whether things are as good as they have ever been 00:07:51.920 --> 00:07:55.360 or whether you're feeling like your sadness is just growing and growing. 00:07:55.360 --> 00:08:01.120 Whether work on a Monday to Friday is just how you want it. 00:08:02.720 --> 00:08:06.400 Whether your relationships with your family and friends match your ideal. 00:08:07.040 --> 00:08:12.400 Whether everything in life has its place or it did have its place and it no longer has its place. 00:08:13.840 --> 00:08:16.879 And you've been left wondering why it's not like that tonight. 00:08:16.879 --> 00:08:21.680 God tells you in all of those places you're not alone. 00:08:24.800 --> 00:08:29.759 Two ways tonight in this chapter, two ways in chapter 19 which God tells you 00:08:30.800 --> 00:08:32.799 that you're not alone today. 00:08:32.799 --> 00:08:38.720 In verses 4 to 13, God provides everything that you need 00:08:40.080 --> 00:08:43.919 and he provides for all that you are, every aspect of your being. 00:08:43.919 --> 00:08:49.919 And then from verses 15 to 18, secondly, he gives you a community 00:08:49.919 --> 00:08:53.039 or he puts you into a community. 00:08:53.759 --> 00:08:58.559 So from verse 4, God provides everything you need for all that you are. 00:08:58.559 --> 00:09:03.919 Elijah has left Ege Israel, he's gone a hundred miles south to Bershiba 00:09:03.919 --> 00:09:07.519 and then from there he's gone another day into the wilderness 00:09:07.519 --> 00:09:14.240 and it's when he enters into the wilderness that he asks God to take his life. 00:09:14.240 --> 00:09:16.079 Elijah isn't fed up here. 00:09:18.000 --> 00:09:24.000 He's not afraid of Jezebel or Ahab but once again there is going to be no change 00:09:24.960 --> 00:09:28.559 in Israel and he thinks what hope is there? 00:09:28.559 --> 00:09:32.639 What is the point in living when everything goes against you? 00:09:32.639 --> 00:09:38.000 Look at how God answers that question for Elijah. 00:09:38.000 --> 00:09:44.080 He wants to die and God says here is some food and water that's going to keep you alive 00:09:44.080 --> 00:09:45.759 for the next 40 days. 00:09:47.600 --> 00:09:50.639 God prepares a meal for him. 00:09:50.639 --> 00:09:57.120 God himself makes Elijah a meal and he tells him to come to the table and eat. 00:09:57.120 --> 00:10:03.279 This is how God begins to provide for Elijah for his physical well-being. 00:10:04.720 --> 00:10:07.919 He gives him food and so he is physically sustained. 00:10:10.879 --> 00:10:15.840 And when you read these verses and when you see Elijah eating and sleeping, 00:10:17.440 --> 00:10:18.720 God gives him that. 00:10:18.720 --> 00:10:22.639 God gives him this food and he gives him this water and he gives him rest 00:10:22.639 --> 00:10:28.559 because Elijah is a physical person living in a physical world and he has physical needs 00:10:29.439 --> 00:10:36.080 and interests and at this moment after these days of traveling Elijah needs food and he needs 00:10:36.080 --> 00:10:37.679 water and so God makes him a cake. 00:10:39.120 --> 00:10:43.360 You know it's like I was thinking earlier this week when I was reading this it's kind of like 00:10:43.919 --> 00:10:49.200 well for me anyway when I'm at home I'm lying in bed on a Saturday morning and I can smell 00:10:49.200 --> 00:10:54.480 the bacon being cooked and I think today is going to be okay because the bacon is being cooked. 00:10:55.360 --> 00:10:57.600 For Elijah the day is not going to be okay. 00:10:57.600 --> 00:11:02.960 If there is going to be another day it won't be all right but he wakes up and the food has been 00:11:02.960 --> 00:11:07.200 prepared and the water that is there for him to drink and you know when he wakes up to that 00:11:07.759 --> 00:11:13.920 it proves to him that God cares for every aspect of his being and he prepares for him physically. 00:11:13.919 --> 00:11:28.719 We understand heartache in different ways each of us and maybe you know what it means 00:11:29.599 --> 00:11:34.959 to deal with heartbreak or heartache or sadness or upset. Maybe you know what it means to lose 00:11:34.959 --> 00:11:41.279 someone that you love and maybe you know what it means to miss out on the job that you were so sure 00:11:41.279 --> 00:11:47.279 that you wanted or so sure that you were getting you might know what it means to be so uncertain 00:11:47.279 --> 00:11:56.319 about your future and where you are meant to be and yet it all goes wrong. Maybe we have 00:11:56.319 --> 00:12:01.519 expectations of people and yet we are devastated when these expectations aren't met. 00:12:01.519 --> 00:12:08.559 All these things and far more brings heartache. God looks at us and he sees us the same way he saw 00:12:08.559 --> 00:12:16.159 Elijah. We are physical people in a physical world and God cares about us and he cares about his creation 00:12:18.559 --> 00:12:26.000 and we are giving things here to enjoy. We are giving things here that will at least in some part 00:12:26.000 --> 00:12:32.479 give us comfort. You think we've got loads of examples. You think of good foods. You think of music 00:12:32.480 --> 00:12:39.279 that you like. You think about books that you can hide in, cafes you can sit in. You think of 00:12:39.279 --> 00:12:46.879 disappearing out of the city and enjoying walks by the sea. Think of your family and friends who 00:12:46.879 --> 00:12:53.600 can sit with you. God is a creator and he creates things for us to enjoy and more than that he enjoys 00:12:53.600 --> 00:13:02.720 it when we are enjoying his creation. All of these things and much more are in no way the final answer 00:13:02.720 --> 00:13:12.960 to our heartache but in every respect God cares for his people. He says in the middle of your heartache 00:13:12.960 --> 00:13:20.160 here is how I am going to care for you. Here are the things that will in part at least bring you 00:13:20.159 --> 00:13:28.079 some relief and some comfort. God cares for you as a physical person in a material world 00:13:29.679 --> 00:13:37.759 that he has made. What else does he do? Verses 89, Elijah is still on this journey. He goes to Mount 00:13:37.759 --> 00:13:49.279 Horeb and when he reaches the mountain God invites him to speak. Elijah with his heartache or some 00:13:49.279 --> 00:13:56.399 what some diagnose today as depression. He reaches the mountain and God asks him this question, 00:13:56.399 --> 00:14:04.000 what are you doing here Elijah? Some would say that this is quite an accusative tone that God 00:14:04.000 --> 00:14:11.439 is using. It is as if Elijah is given up and God is rebuking him. It is far more likely that God 00:14:11.440 --> 00:14:19.280 is not rebuking Elijah but that he is inviting him to speak. One writer says that this question was 00:14:19.280 --> 00:14:26.800 put to him so that he would pour out his whole heart to the Lord. God tells you that you are not alone 00:14:26.800 --> 00:14:31.600 by providing everything that you need. He tells you that you are not alone by inviting you to speak 00:14:31.600 --> 00:14:42.159 to him. He gives you an invitation to tell him everything that causes you heartache. If God 00:14:42.159 --> 00:14:46.159 provided for you only physically, if he only gave you things that would make you feel good, 00:14:46.159 --> 00:14:53.600 then that doesn't fix your pain. That doesn't fix your heartbreak. It might be the start of it but 00:14:54.320 --> 00:15:00.960 like how God deals with Elijah, he doesn't expect us to store up our pain. He doesn't 00:15:00.960 --> 00:15:05.680 abucate us and tell us to get on with it. No, he asks us the same question. He says, 00:15:05.680 --> 00:15:12.879 what are you doing here? Why does he ask that? Why does he come to us with that question? 00:15:13.680 --> 00:15:21.680 Peter tells us in his first layer, casting all your anxieties on him because he cares for you. 00:15:23.280 --> 00:15:30.080 He doesn't just care for your physical being but he cares for what some call here your psychological 00:15:30.080 --> 00:15:37.600 being as well. He cares about how you think and work things out. God knows what the answer is in 00:15:37.600 --> 00:15:45.280 this chapter. He knows why Elijah has left Jezreel. He knows why you feel the way that you feel when 00:15:45.280 --> 00:15:51.840 you go to bed at night and when you get up in the morning. But he doesn't expect you to hold 00:15:51.840 --> 00:16:01.360 and do you speak to him? Do you tell him about your anxieties? If you have sorrow, he wants to 00:16:01.360 --> 00:16:06.480 hear about it. If you worry, well, this week at school or uni or work is going to look like, 00:16:06.480 --> 00:16:14.960 he wants to know because he cares for you. He didn't let Elijah travel another 40 days 00:16:14.960 --> 00:16:23.440 just to tell him how weak he was. No, he asks him and he asks you, what are you doing here? 00:16:25.920 --> 00:16:32.160 Cast all your anxieties on him because he cares for you. Just one point specifically 00:16:33.519 --> 00:16:39.600 in this question. And in Elijah's reply, he gives the same answer twice when God asks him this 00:16:39.600 --> 00:16:46.240 question. He's heartbroken. We've said already that God is not going to be worshipped in Israel. 00:16:46.240 --> 00:16:51.840 He's devastated by this. And twice he says that the people have forsaken your covenant. 00:16:52.960 --> 00:17:00.399 They have thrown down your altars and killed your prophets. Your covenant, your altars, 00:17:00.399 --> 00:17:06.960 your prophets. Elijah's heartache is down to the fact that the people want nothing to do with the 00:17:06.960 --> 00:17:14.640 true God. He saw that nothing was going to change. Belonging to God and trusting in him, 00:17:15.440 --> 00:17:21.759 it doesn't just bring joy. It does bring joy and it brings joy that you will not find anywhere else 00:17:21.759 --> 00:17:30.319 in the world, but it doesn't just bring that. It brings sadness with it as well. When you hear 00:17:30.319 --> 00:17:40.480 in your workplace, or you hear in your social and friend circles, when you hear on the TV, 00:17:40.480 --> 00:17:50.079 in almost every corner of daily life, when you hear that life is what you make of it and you're 00:17:50.079 --> 00:17:56.799 the one that sets the rules. And then you see how that works out. What do we do with that? 00:17:56.799 --> 00:18:05.200 If you're a Christian, the challenge, I think, is not to spend your week thinking that this is 00:18:05.200 --> 00:18:11.680 just the way it is. This is just the way this city works. The challenge is to look at Elijah and 00:18:11.680 --> 00:18:19.039 see someone who is disappointed and who cries out to God because his community is making an idol 00:18:19.039 --> 00:18:29.759 and a God out of everything apart from God himself. Does it hurt that the only one who truly knows 00:18:29.759 --> 00:18:35.839 and loves us is the one who's rejected? The one who loves us, the one who has compassion on us, 00:18:37.599 --> 00:18:44.240 does it hurt when we see how he is the one that is being rejected in the world? The true God 00:18:44.240 --> 00:18:52.559 completely knows and he completely cares for you. And this God comes to you in his compassion and 00:18:52.559 --> 00:19:00.640 he asks, what are you doing here? God not only provides for you physically, but he comes to you 00:19:00.640 --> 00:19:10.799 with an invitation to speak to him. One more point under this heading. God provides for you, 00:19:10.799 --> 00:19:16.559 provides for all that you are, and most importantly in this chapter, he provides for you spiritually 00:19:16.559 --> 00:19:26.319 as well. Elijah pours out his heart and God's reply to him is to minister to him by his word. 00:19:28.720 --> 00:19:35.839 In verse 11, God tells Elijah to go out on top of the mountain and look out and he sees his huge 00:19:35.839 --> 00:19:42.240 displays, these huge signs of nature. He sees this wind that's tearing apart the mountains and the 00:19:42.240 --> 00:19:48.480 rocks. He sees the earthquake, he sees the fire, and then what does it say? God is not in any of 00:19:48.480 --> 00:19:57.599 these things. And then after that, after all of that passes, you see what comes, the sound of a 00:19:57.599 --> 00:20:06.319 low whisper or in another translation, a calm, soft voice. And God has been speaking already, 00:20:06.319 --> 00:20:13.279 we see that. God has been speaking to Elijah already in this chapter, but it's made absolutely 00:20:13.279 --> 00:20:19.599 clear to him now. Elijah has to cover his face because he realizes that God is going to minister 00:20:19.599 --> 00:20:28.719 to him. God is going to speak directly into his life, into his very being. God is going to save him 00:20:28.719 --> 00:20:37.519 from his pain, not by huge signs and wonders, but by the quietness of his word. In John 16, Jesus, 00:20:38.319 --> 00:20:43.279 he's telling his disciples that when he leaves, the Holy Spirit's going to come and he's going to 00:20:43.279 --> 00:20:50.240 guide them into all the truth. And in one way, that was a specific promise to the apostles. 00:20:51.359 --> 00:20:59.759 In another sense, it's a promise to the church. The Spirit comes today and he guides us into all 00:20:59.759 --> 00:21:07.440 the truth by applying God's word to our hearts. The Spirit comes and he guides you into all the truth 00:21:07.440 --> 00:21:18.080 by making God's word alive to you. He ministers to you by illuminating God's word. You know, 00:21:18.080 --> 00:21:26.799 Paul says in Romans, and Corey prayed it tonight, the Spirit knows what you need far more than you 00:21:26.799 --> 00:21:32.880 know yourself. And he ministers to you by bringing you the truth. He cares for you 00:21:32.880 --> 00:21:40.560 by bringing you God's word, by bringing you his promises and making them real in your heart. 00:21:41.840 --> 00:21:48.720 That is God's word. You're not great signs, not great displays, but the quietness of his word. 00:21:48.720 --> 00:21:59.680 And I think today we probably know ourselves that this can be a mundane thing. When we get up in 00:21:59.680 --> 00:22:03.360 the morning, we probably think there's nothing spectacular about getting up in the morning, 00:22:03.360 --> 00:22:10.720 sitting in your room, sitting in the lounge and reading the Bible. And yet compared to the winds 00:22:10.720 --> 00:22:15.759 and the earthquakes and the fires, that is how God has decided to speak to you. 00:22:19.440 --> 00:22:26.480 One example, you might come to God like Elijah has done in this chapter because 00:22:26.480 --> 00:22:32.640 life isn't what it was last week, last month, last year, even 10 years ago. 00:22:34.400 --> 00:22:38.799 You might pour out your heart to him because there is no certainty over what life is going 00:22:38.799 --> 00:22:45.680 to look like these next few months and years. God answers you in his word. In Exodus 14, 00:22:45.680 --> 00:22:55.519 he will fight for you. He will take care of your burdens and your pain, and Moses says, 00:22:56.560 --> 00:22:59.600 take heart, the Lord will fight for you. 00:23:03.200 --> 00:23:08.160 God answers you by the quietness of his word. How do you know you're not alone? 00:23:08.720 --> 00:23:13.120 God doesn't stop at physical comfort. He doesn't stop with an invitation to speak, 00:23:13.119 --> 00:23:17.359 but he comes to you and he answers your heart taking his word. 00:23:19.519 --> 00:23:25.359 God has chosen to speak to you through his word, and the Spirit comes, and the Spirit says, 00:23:25.359 --> 00:23:33.679 here is the answer that you're looking for. Here are the promises made to the broken hearted. 00:23:33.680 --> 00:23:46.799 God promises that he will provide for all that you are. He promises that you're not alone 00:23:48.480 --> 00:23:54.720 by providing for all that you are. He promises that you're not alone by putting you into a community, 00:23:54.720 --> 00:24:03.519 by giving you a community. God tells Elijah from verses 15 to 18 that there is going to be judgment, 00:24:03.519 --> 00:24:09.759 that there will be judgment for these people worshipping Baal, but right at the end of the 00:24:09.759 --> 00:24:17.920 chapter, he says that there are going to be 7,000 people left in Israel who have not bowed the knee, 00:24:17.920 --> 00:24:24.640 but who have instead trusted in the true God. God promises Elijah that there will be a community 00:24:24.640 --> 00:24:36.000 for him when he returns north. In Luke 9, Jesus is going up the mountain with his disciples, 00:24:37.440 --> 00:24:45.680 and while he's up there, it says that he is transfigured. He changes appearance. They see his glory, 00:24:45.680 --> 00:24:54.160 and when he's up there, when they see his glory, it says that two people appeared with him, 00:24:54.880 --> 00:25:01.360 Moses and Elijah. It says that these three men were talking, and they were talking about Jesus' 00:25:01.360 --> 00:25:07.440 Exodus. That's the word that's used, his Exodus. You immediately think back to Moses, 00:25:07.440 --> 00:25:12.960 leading the people out of Egypt away from slavery towards freedom. You think of Moses 00:25:12.960 --> 00:25:18.880 coming to Mount Sinai, where Elijah is in this chapter, and God tells him that he's going to 00:25:18.880 --> 00:25:24.720 consecrate a people group who are going to belong to him and who are going to represent him 00:25:25.840 --> 00:25:30.880 to the nations. When Jesus is up the mountain talking about his Exodus, he's talking about the 00:25:30.880 --> 00:25:39.200 same thing. Through the sacrifice that he is going to make, a community is going to be created. 00:25:39.200 --> 00:25:49.840 A body is going to be formed. A body made up of people who trust in him. What will these people do? 00:25:50.400 --> 00:25:58.480 They will worship God, and they will love him. On top of that, they will love one another as well. 00:25:59.600 --> 00:26:07.120 How do we do that? How do Christians love one another in this community that we've been made 00:26:07.119 --> 00:26:21.599 a part of? We care for each other and for all that we are. We cook for each other. We make lunch 00:26:21.599 --> 00:26:27.839 and dinner for one another. We read together. We go on walks together. We help each other with a 00:26:27.839 --> 00:26:34.239 gardener, with the painting. We care for each other physically. We care for each other's well-being. 00:26:34.240 --> 00:26:42.400 We come with the same question, what are you doing here? We come ready to hear what is upsetting, 00:26:42.400 --> 00:26:48.400 what is bringing heartache to those around us. We care for each other spiritually. We pray for 00:26:48.400 --> 00:26:55.839 one another. More importantly, we point to the one who hears our prayers. We point to Jesus, 00:26:55.839 --> 00:27:02.000 the one who loves the body, but who loves you individually and cares for you specifically 00:27:02.000 --> 00:27:11.119 and promises that he will fix your pain. God proves that you're not alone by putting you into a community 00:27:12.880 --> 00:27:18.880 which reflects his nature. Do we do that? It's the question in chapter 19. 00:27:20.480 --> 00:27:29.359 Do we reflect what God is like? Do we reflect his caring nature inside of this community? Do we care 00:27:29.359 --> 00:27:40.479 for each other's whole being every day? One thing, just to close, if you trust in Jesus, 00:27:41.439 --> 00:27:47.599 then you are in this community. When Jesus came down, he grew up, he lived, 00:27:50.000 --> 00:27:54.479 and while he did that, he lost all sense of community. 00:27:54.480 --> 00:28:02.640 He lost every friend that he had. He spent the last three years of his life being hated or mocked 00:28:02.640 --> 00:28:08.559 or accused. He spent the last few days of his life being rejected by his own disciples. Peter 00:28:08.559 --> 00:28:18.799 even goes to the point of saying he never knew this man. As Jesus has put on the cross, he is there 00:28:18.799 --> 00:28:26.960 alone. As he dies, as he hangs on the cross, he is there without a friend, and he does it, 00:28:27.680 --> 00:28:36.399 or he did it so that God could turn to you in grace and save you. The one who died alone has 00:28:36.399 --> 00:28:45.599 made it so that you will never have to be alone. God provides for all that you are, and he gives 00:28:45.599 --> 00:28:52.719 you a community because Christ already came, and he willingly gave it all up for you. If you 00:28:52.719 --> 00:28:59.199 haven't trusted in him, if you haven't believed that he is the only true God, and you are letting 00:28:59.199 --> 00:29:06.159 your circumstances and your people determine how you live and how you feel, and then you come to 00:29:06.159 --> 00:29:15.359 heartache or you come to upset, you have to face that heartache alone. You have to face that 00:29:15.359 --> 00:29:23.039 without God's word and without a community which shows you what he is like. If you trust in him, 00:29:24.079 --> 00:29:32.719 if you put your trust in Jesus, if you confess that he is really the true God, then you will be 00:29:32.719 --> 00:29:39.279 brought into a family that knows the answer. You'll be brought into the care of one who promises 00:29:39.279 --> 00:29:46.720 that he will answer all your pain and all your worry by his word. However the next few days look, 00:29:49.119 --> 00:29:55.920 however they look to you, Christ suffered alone so that this week you would not have to. 00:29:57.759 --> 00:30:02.319 You're not alone, but you're part of a body, and the head of this body is God 00:30:02.319 --> 00:30:13.279 who promises to care for you and answer your upset in the quietness of his word. Let's pray. 00:30:14.159 --> 00:30:21.599 Lord, we thank you for this chapter. We thank you for what we see in Elijah's life, and we pray 00:30:22.159 --> 00:30:28.000 that we will be people who understand that we are in the care of one who provides for our whole 00:30:28.000 --> 00:30:37.279 being, who cares for us physically, psychologically, who answers us spiritually by his word. 00:30:38.160 --> 00:30:44.559 Help us to reflect your nature. Help us to be a community that does the same for one another, 00:30:44.559 --> 00:30:51.920 until we get to be with you and all our heartache, all our tears are removed. So be well as we pray 00:30:51.920 --> 00:31:01.920 for Jesus' sake. Amen.