AFTER
THE STORM
THERE'LL BE SUNSHINE
Sunday, Sept. 14, 1997 pm
1 Kings 19:9-14 And he came
thither unto a cave, and lodged there; and, behold, the word of the
LORD came to him,
and he said unto him, What doest thou here, Elijah? And he said, I have
been
very jealous for the LORD God of hosts: for the children of Israel have
forsaken
thy covenant, thrown down thine altars, and slain thy prophets with the
sword;
and I, even I only, am left; and they seek my life, to take it away.
And
he said, Go forth, and stand upon the mount before the LORD. And,
behold,
the LORD passed by, and a great and strong wind rent the mountains, and
brake
in pieces the rocks 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:
And
after the earthquake a fire; but the LORD was not in the fire: and
after the
fire a still small voice. And it was so, when Elijah heard it, that he
wrapped
his face in his mantle, and went out, and stood in the entering in of
the
cave. And, behold, there came a voice unto him, and said, What doest
thou
here, Elijah? And he said, I have been very jealous for the LORD God of
hosts:
because the children of Israel have forsaken thy covenant, thrown down
thine
altars, and slain thy prophets with the sword; and I, even I only, am
left;
and they seek my life, to take it away.
Elijah fasted 40 days and
nights and entered a cave
- God spoke to him,
asking why he was there.
- He told God all people
were backslidden and they sought to kill him.
- He said he was the
only one serving God.
- God told him to get
out of the cave and stand before God.
God then passed by and a
strong wind cracked the mountain's rocks , before the Lord.
- This was where God
told
Elijah to stand.
- In the very place he
was to go to, a wind smashed rocks all around.
- "Before the LORD"
- Elijah was to stand
before the Lord.
Then an earthquake shook the
mountain like a baby's rattle.
- Then a fire blasted
the
region, burning up every organic piece of material
- All before the Lord.
But God was not in any of
these things.
- FINALLY a still small
voice spoke
- When Elijah heard that
voice he wrapped his mantle around his face and walked out of the cave.
- And God asked Him the
same thing he did before.
- And Elijah answered
him the same way he answered God the first time.
Elijah's mantle had been
off.
- That is why he wrapped
himself in it.
- This means something.
- Removing the mantle
signified quitting the job.
Ezra 9:2-3 For they have
taken of
their daughters for themselves, and for their sons: so that the holy
seed have mingled themselves with the people of those lands: yea, the
hand of the
princes and rulers hath been chief in this trespass. And when I heard
this
thing, I rent my garment and my mantle, and plucked off the hair of my
head
and of my beard, and sat down astonied.
Ezra threw off his mantle
when he heard Israel mingled with the heathens
Job 1:19-20 And, behold, there
came a great wind from the wilderness, and smote the four corners of
the house, and it fell upon the young men, and they are dead; and I
only am escaped
alone to tell thee. Then Job arose, and rent his mantle, and shaved his
head, and fell down upon the ground, and worshipped,
Job threw it down when he
heard his family and house was destroyed.
It is a stripping away of
one's dignity.
- One's position.
- The mantle worn on the
head.
- Honour.
RECENT EVENTS
Elijah just recently seen
God destroy the sacrifice licking up the very stones of the altar!
- God was proved to be
God.
- But Jezebel stood
unchanged.
- She vowed to kill him.
- Elijah felt defeated
and useless.
- Ineffective ministry.
- Ran to the wilderness.
1 Kings 19:4 But he himself
went a
day's journey into the wilderness, and came and sat down under a
juniper tree:
and he requested for himself that he might die; and said, It is enough;
now,
O LORD, take away my life; for I am not better than my fathers.
Wilderness is desolation.
- Elijah's honour was
smashed.
- Nothing convinced
Israel to return to God.
- So he removed his
mantle.
Slept under a juniper tree.
- The Angel touched him.
- "Arise and eat"
- A cake cooked with
coals and cruse of water appeared.
- He slept again and
again.
- The Angel touched him
again and told him to eat.
- The food would give
him strength to journey 40 days and nights to Horeb.
- At Horeb God dealt with
him!!!
40 days of mental torment.
- Trial
- Forty days always
comes before ministry.
- Forty years before a
move of God.
Crisis came after Elijah's
40 days.
PATTERN
- 40 THEN crisis THEN
move of God.
Crisis determines your place
in the move of God.
JESUS' crisis - forty days
fasting and temptation .
-then ministry
Spies searched Canaan 40
days and crisis was report of giants
Noah 40 days in storm.
- Crisis when sent raven
and dove.
- Raven is bad report.
- Dove is good report.
FALL OR get hold of God in
crisis.
- Crisis sees if we
really have what it takes.
- Our minds know, but
crisis sees if we have what it takes.
Israel is bound.
- God sent them out for
40 years to experience the goal - Canaan.
- Crisis was Jordan
River.
GOD ASKED ELIJAH "WHY ARE
YOU HERE?"
- Go into God's will or
doubt and fail.
- WHY ARE YOU HERE?
- Has all the
preparation been wasted?
Israel came to conquer
Canaan.
- Noah came to enter a
new world.
AND ELIJAH'S GREATEST
MINISTRY WAS YET TO COME!
God ignored Elijah the
first time.
ELIJAH CRIED IN DEFEAT AND
FUTILITY.
- God passes by and
WIND,
FIRE and QUAKE - but God not in them.
- Then God in still
small voice.
- After all destruction,
God still spoke.
- There's more work to be
done.
- Elijah put the mantle
back
on.
- Ministry was not over
yet.
- Elijah was not only
one left.
- There were 7000 other
prophets faithful to God.
- "Elijah, Minister some
more."
GO RETURN...
1 Kings 19:15 And the LORD said
unto him, Go, return on thy way to the wilderness of Damascus: and when
thou comest, anoint Hazael to be] king over Syria:
God ignored his excuse.
- The temptation came
before the voice.
- Wind, fire and quake
before the good.
Elijah must have smiled and
said, "I GET IT, GOD."
- God ignored his
complaint and said go on and minister some more!!!
BACK IN THE SADDLE AGAIN!
Prince of powers of air,
wind, fiery serpent - Satan there to defer when something mighty to
happen.
- GOD SAYS IT WAS not
your fault Israel did not turn to me
- Go on, Son!!
God said, "Elijah, come
here."
- And then right where
God wanted Him, a storm occurred.
- God lets them come to
test us.
- To see if we will
stand.
God could have told Elijah
to anoint kings in the cave, but He did not.
- At the cave entrance.
- There God would
instruct.
- DAMAGE OCCURRED THERE.
- "DO NOT FEAR THESE
THINGS, ELIJAH."
- "DO NOT FEAR JEZEBEL."
- God is not in
temptations.
- He allows it to come
to test us.
GO MAN. GREATER THINGS AWAIT
YOU.