Elijah’s Three Mistakes!

Part 2

Sermon Notes

March 7, 2010

Jim O’Neal, Senior Pastor

Sun Lakes United Methodist Church

9248 E. Riggs Road, Sun Lakes, AZ 85248

(480) 895-8766

1 Kings 19:9b-18 NRSV

Then the word of the LORD came to him, saying, “What are you doing here, Elijah?” ¹⁰He answered, “I have been very zealous for the LORD, the God of hosts; for the Israelites have forsaken your covenant, thrown down your altars, and killed your prophets with the sword. I alone am left, and they are seeking my life, to take it away.”

· ¹¹He said, “Go out and stand on the mountain before the LORD, for the LORD is about to pass by.” Now there was a great wind, so strong that it was splitting mountains and breaking rocks in pieces before the LORD, but the LORD was not in the wind; and after the wind an earthquake, but the LORD was not in the earthquake; ¹²and after the earthquake a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire; and after the fire a sound of sheer silence. ¹³When Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face in his mantle and went out and stood at the entrance of the cave. Then there came a voice to him that said, “What are you doing here, Elijah?” ¹⁴He answered, “I have been very zealous for the LORD, the God of hosts; for the Israelites have forsaken your covenant, thrown down your altars, and killed your prophets with the sword. I alone am left, and they are seeking my life, to take it away.” ¹⁵Then the LORD said to him, “Go, return on your way to the wilderness of Damascus; when you arrive, you shall anoint Hazael as king over Aram. ¹⁶Also you shall anoint Jehu son of Nimshi as king over Israel; and you shall anoint Elisha son of Shaphat of Abel-meholah as prophet in your place. ¹⁷Whoever escapes from the sword of Hazael, Jehu shall kill; and whoever escapes from the sword of Jehu, Elisha shall kill. ¹⁸Yet I will leave seven thousand in Israel, all the knees that have not bowed to Baal, and every mouth that has not kissed him.”

A. Introduction

1. Young Preacher called to the mission field.

a. A young Methodist preacher did not have a very successful first appointment in a local Church. Sadly, he and much of the congregation seemed to be at odds. The disillusioned young pastor prayed, felt the Lord directing him, and applied to the mission board of his denomination. He was accepted for an immediate opening as a missionary to a foreign land. So on the following Sunday at the end of the service he announced this from the pulpit: “The Lord Jesus has led me to leave the local Church and to become a missionary. I will be leaving this week to go to Asia. As we conclude our service, would someone like to pick a fitting last hymn?” An old boy hollered out, “What a Friend We Have in Jesus!”

b. As I said last week, too often the world puts us down, and at times beats us up. This can cause us to lose faith in ourselves, others, and even God.

2. Today’s Scripture: 1 Kings 19:9b-18

a. Again I remind you that this is what happened to Elijah. He lost faith, even though he was a man very much in tune with God’s Spirit, and a man through whom God had done marvelous things. Elijah let wicked Queen Jezebel get to him. Her vile words, her threats, and the might of her armies scared Elijah, and caused him to doubt himself, his nation, and even God.

b. Now if Elijah the Prophet of God, who did such marvelous things as calling down fire from heaven to light an altar, could lose faith, then so can you and I. This morning Elijah reminds us not to make his three mistakes. Today, I will only briefly touch on the first two points since they were discussed last week, and deal in more depth with the last point.

B. He lost faith in himself.

1. Shoe Comic Strip

a. In the Shoe Comic Strip, Uncle Cosmo is trying to encourage his nephew Skyler at a Little League game. Cosmo says, “Skyler, you’ve got to have faith in your curve ball.” The boy mutters to himself, “When it comes to believing in myself, I’m an agnostic.”

b. Too many people, even great people of faith like Elijah, let the circumstances of life defeat them and then do not believe in themselves.

2. Elijah and Psalm 139:14

a. However, Elijah would once again trust God and believe in himself. After Chapter 19 he reigns fire on some worshippers of Baal-zebub, condemns both King Ahab and Ahaziah for their evil, parts the River Jordan with his cloak, and rides a fiery chariot into Heaven!

b. Do not forget what God says to you in the Bible. Hear the words of King David in Psalm 139:14. “I praise you because you made me in an amazing and wonderful way. What you have done is wonderful. I know this very well.” (Psalm 139:14 NCV) God does not make junk. You are loveable and capable. God has great plans for you.

C. He lost faith in others.

1. Church Prayer

a. In Leadership Magazine there was a comic strip featuring a committee gathered for a meeting at a Church. Around a big table sat the pastor and a dozen people with not so happy looks on their faces. Several had clenched fists, one woman was wildly swinging her Bible, and one fellow had brought a baseball bat! The preacher says, “With our current hard feelings, we will be praying with our eyes wide open.”

b. Even in the best of places there can be hard feelings and disagreements. It’s easy to lose faith in humankind.

2. Philippians 1:3-5 and 1 Kings 19:18

a. Paul, however, reminds us that there are still good people out there. He says this of his friends in the Church at Philippi: “I thank my God for you every time I think of you; and every time I pray for you all, I pray with joy because of the way in which you have helped me in the work of the gospel from the very first day until now.” (Philippians 1:3-5 TEV)

b. And likewise, in today’s Scripture, God reminds Elijah that there were still some 7,000 people who had not bowed down to Baal. There were still 7,000 people who believed in God! Elijah was not alone. And neither are you and I. There are still some decent, loving, God fearing folks out there!

D. He lost faith in God.

1. Woman sues God.

a. Betty Penrose was very upset when her home was struck by lightning, and burned down. She complained to her boss a lawyer named Russell H. Tansie. So he filed a lawsuit in her behalf against God. She sued God for $100,000 for not protecting her home. Some judge actually heard this case! And the judge ruled as follows: Because the defendant, God, did not show up in court, at least in any way that this judge could detect a physical presence, the suit was found in Ms. Penrose’s favor. But even the judge had to admit, “Good luck in collecting on this!”

b. Now we might find Ms. Penrose and her lawyer to be a bit disgusting. However, we all have to admit that there are times in which bad things happen to us, and we do not understand why God allows them to happen. At those moments we cry out, “Where are you God?”

2. Sycamore Tree

a. But if we look, we see that God always provides a way out, around, or through problems. To every negative happening in life, God has a positive answer. To death there is Eternal Life. To doubt there is hope, and most especially the hope that Jesus gives us in the resurrection! To defeat there is always a new door opening that leads to victory!

b. Chris and I have a place in Star Valley, Arizona. We have often visited the Tonto Natural Bridge. One summer, Chris, Matt, Sarah and I hiked the Pine Creek trail through the cave-like bridge and then through the steep Pine Creek Canyon. The evidence of the powerful and destructive force of water was ever present. Huge boulders, and some even house size, were tumbled and piled like a child’s building blocks! And then we saw a magnificent lesson! A sycamore tree had grown northward at a 45-degree angle between two large boulders. Despite the difficulties it apparently had grown quite large. Then in times past the tree was caught in a raging flood. A great wall of water had caught the tree in its grasp and knocked it down and then broken it over the cabin-sized boulder to its south. Its roots were now pulled up, undermined, and laid bare. Only one root appeared to have survived. The tree had obviously been broken at one point along its trunk. The bark was totally scoured away on one side for about ten feet. Somehow the tree had mended itself at this scoured and broken point. After this terrible flood the tree was bent over like a huge “U”. The tree should have died. But there where it lay on the boulder it grew a new trunk! At a 90-degree angle it had put forth a branch that had now grown to be a huge trunk that reached some 40 feet up! This trunk had many wonderful branches and leaves upon it. It was a large and lush green canopy! This tree though now shaped like a huge “S’ was truly alive and one of the largest trees in the canyon! This sycamore tree is a testimony to the faithfulness of God to take care of His creation. And that includes you! You can trust God to find a way for you through your difficulties.

3. Today’s Scripture: 1 Kings 19:10-17

a. Elijah’s final mistake was that he lost faith in God. He cries out twice: “I have been very zealous for the LORD God Almighty.” (1 Kings 19:10a & 14a NIV) You can almost hear him say, “Where are you God, and why do you allow evil ones to prosper?” God reminds Elijah that the corrupt King Ahab and the evil Queen Jezebel are nothing compared to the might of God. God was saying to Elijah and God is saying to us: “I am still in control. I can be counted on. I will pull down those who are evil, and lift up the righteous!”

b. In verses 15 to 17 God tells Elijah to step out in faith. Anoint in the name of the Lord two new kings, and a new prophet, and God’s judgment will come! And it did. The evil King and Queen were defeated and Israel was restored!

E. Conclusion

1. Recap (Elijah made three mistakes:)

a. He lost faith in himself.

b. He lost faith in others.

c. He lost faith in God.

2. Affirm your faith!

a. Elijah learned from his mistakes, and once again he had faith in himself, others, and God! And Elijah would leave this life triumphantly in a fiery chariot!

b. You and I, also, can have faith and live victoriously! Believe in yourself, trust that there are those who do care, and above all trust in God!

1 Kings 19:1-18 NRSV

¹Ahab told Jezebel all that Elijah had done, and how he had killed all the prophets with the sword. ²Then Jezebel sent a messenger to Elijah, saying, “So may the gods do to me, and more also, if I do not make your life like the life of one of them by this time tomorrow.” ³Then he was afraid; he got up and fled for his life, and came to Beer-sheba, which belongs to Judah; he left his servant there.

⁴But he himself went a day’s journey into the wilderness, and came and sat down under a solitary broom tree. He asked that he might die: “It is enough; now, O LORD, take away my life, for I am no better than my ancestors.” ⁵Then he lay down under the broom tree and fell asleep. Suddenly an angel touched him and said to him, “Get up and eat.” ⁶He looked, and there at his head was a cake baked on hot stones, and a jar of water. He ate and drank, and lay down again. ⁷The angel of the LORD came a second time, touched him, and said, “Get up and eat, otherwise the journey will be too much for you.” ⁸He got up, and ate and drank; then he went in the strength of that food forty days and forty nights to Horeb the mount of God. ⁹At that place he came to a cave, and spent the night there.

Then the word of the LORD came to him, saying, “What are you doing here, Elijah?” ¹⁰He answered, “I have been very zealous for the LORD, the God of hosts; for the Israelites have forsaken your covenant, thrown down your altars, and killed your prophets with the sword. I alone am left, and they are seeking my life, to take it away.”

¹¹He said, “Go out and stand on the mountain before the LORD, for the LORD is about to pass by.” Now there was a great wind, so strong that it was splitting mountains and breaking rocks in pieces before the LORD, but the LORD was not in the wind; and after the wind an earthquake, but the LORD was not in the earthquake; ¹²and after the earthquake a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire; and after the fire a sound of sheer silence. ¹³When Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face in his mantle and went out and stood at the entrance of the cave. Then there came a voice to him that said, “What are you doing here, Elijah?” ¹⁴He answered, “I have been very zealous for the LORD, the God of hosts; for the Israelites have forsaken your covenant, thrown down your altars, and killed your prophets with the sword. I alone am left, and they are seeking my life, to take it away.” ¹⁵Then the LORD said to him, “Go, return on your way to the wilderness of Damascus; when you arrive, you shall anoint Hazael as king over Aram. ¹⁶Also you shall anoint Jehu son of Nimshi as king over Israel; and you shall anoint Elisha son of Shaphat of Abel-meholah as prophet in your place. ¹⁷Whoever escapes from the sword of Hazael, Jehu shall kill; and whoever escapes from the sword of Jehu, Elisha shall kill. ¹⁸Yet I will leave seven thousand in Israel, all the knees that have not bowed to Baal, and every mouth that has not kissed him.”

Elijah’s Three Mistakes:

1. He lost faith in himself.

2. He lost faith in others.

3. He lost faith in God.

The Lesson Elijah learned:

(Affirm your faith!)

1. Believe in yourself!

2. Trust that there are those

who do care about you!

3. And above all trust in God!