God Encourages The Discouraged

God encourages the discouraged

1 Kings 19

Good morning everyone- We are glad that you are here to join with us.

If you would turn in your bible or whatever devise you use to read the word of God to 1 Kings 19. We will look at what I believe is becoming more and more a problem with a lot of people.

We will see a prophet of God accomplish much and right after he does, the devil comes and robs him of it being a blessing and it becoming a fight for his life. Anyone relate to that?

It seems like right after you see and experience a mighty victory or receive a mighty blessing that soon after you are dealing with issues and events that rob you of the joy that you have just experienced.

We like to call it “the mountaintop experience”- We all like being on the top of the mountain, none of us like when we get knocked off the mountain.

Most have heard someone wrongly imply that if you come to Jesus that ALL YOUR TROUBLES and problems go away- if you have been a Christian for very long, YOU KNOW that is not true- if fact, you quickly learn that being a Christian sometimes puts a target on your back for those who are looking for someone to blame and the devil certainly comes against you when you have experienced a victory in your life.

Elijah the prophet had a mighty victory on Mt. Carmel in 1 Kings 18. He stood amongst a rebellious people and challenged them-How long will you waiver between two opinions? If the Lord is God, follow him; but if Baal is God, follow him.”

Scripture said that the people did nothing! That sounds about right!

Push and shove make a decision and most make the decision to do nothing.

Paraphrased Elijah challenged the prophets of Baal. Prepare a bull for sacrifice and see who god is God! They would each call on their God to ignite the sacrifice.

Prophets of Baal went first- they spent hours crying out to him

Elijah taunted them- after hours spent for their God to come and show his power.

Perhaps he is busy! Perhaps he is traveling, maybe he could not hear you! SHOUT LOUDER.

Maybe your God is sleeping

After hours of no response, he prepares the altar for the God of Israel. He digs a mote and puts an enormous amount of water on the sacrifice making it even harder to ignite. Three times, he added more water (37) “O Lord, answer me, so that these people will know that you are turning their hearts back again.”

Then the fire fell and burned up the sacrifice, the wood, the stones and the soil, and also licked up the water in the trench.”

“The Lord-he is God! The Lord he is God!”

(40) “Then Elijah commanded them, seize the prophets of Baal. Don’t let anyone of them get away! They seized them, and Elijah had them brought down to the Kishon Valley and slaughtered.”

A tremendous victory -God got honor and glory and responded to his prayer.

Here is the text this morning! Watch out when you are on the mountaintop-

There is always someone who wants to knock you off of it.

People will often knock you off.

Even the Lord will not allow you to stay on the mountain too long because we begin to think we don’t need him anymore.

The lessons are learned in the valleys of our life so that we know what to do and how to act when we are allowed to be on the mountaintop.

Like what coach Vince Lombardi of the Green Bay Packers said of those scoring a touchdown- “Act like you have been there before”

There he tore down the altar of a false God and had 450 prophets embarrassed and killed that their God could not do what they claimed he could. HE IS NOW RUNNING FOR HIS LIFE.

1 Kings 19:1-5 Read from Bible

God encourages the discouraged! Ever been there?

It would be great to live in the victories forever! To always be on the mountaintop.

What follows a victory- usually an attack from the enemy- on us or on those close to us. Something that is close to home to discourage us from what the Lord has just done.

Illustration

I have to admit that I have made some bad decisions in my life.

ANYONE KNOWWHAT I AM TALKING AOBUT?

Most of the time they have been after something real good or real bad has happened- Say amen!

You are on a mountaintop and you expect to stay there forever and when you are not then you feel like God has abandoned you. (The Lord does not leave us on a mountaintop) life lessons are learned in the valleys.