Sorry the batteries died
All right, amen so
There in first Kings chapter 17
We're gonna look at 17 and 18 tonight and I'm gonna preach a sermon entitled the man of God Elijah
and I just want to go through here and get a few points out of
The life and the ministry of Elijah, of course if we were to go through the whole ministry of Elijah, you know
We'd be here for you know, quite, you know, several sermons can be preached out of it
But we're just gonna look at these first two chapters and kind of and see if we can't draw some
application here
but mainly I want us to help us understand some truths about the man of God about the man of God and
You know a man of God is a somebody who is unique, you know
It's a unique calling in life to to be a man of God and you know
If we're in church, we have a man of God in our life
You know, we if we're in and if we're in a church, you know, the preacher is the man of God today
Of course, you know Elijah was called the men of God and he was a prophet
He was a preacher but you know
We could look into the New Testament where men like Timothy are called a man of God that are pastors that are preachers
So this is an applicable term, you know, and the point being that if we're in church, you know
You have a man of God in your life. Why? Okay, so, you know might not be the man of God you wanted
But you're stuck with him. All right, and
You know the man of God serves an important lives in a certain purpose in our lives
and you know
I think back on the men of God in my life and think about how much they helped for me and shaped me and
Made me into the man. I am today. No, that was a great credit to the men of God in
The my past, you know, so the man of God is somebody who plays a very important role in our lives
At least they should and we need to understand that their position is not a common one
You know, you can't and you can't just find a man of God anywhere, you know
You can't even in a lot of churches today in a lot of churches. You'll walk me
You'll find a woman of God so-called right and stand up behind a pulpit or you'll see a man of God
Who's not really a man of God. He's just there to you know, collect a paycheck or just try to you know
Earn some kind of earthly reward, you know, he's not in it for the right reasons
Okay
So I just want to look at the life of Elijah here his ministry in these two chapters and just draw some points about the man
of God Elijah and let's first of all look at his making the making of the man of God, you know
Elijah is an interesting character because he just kind of comes out of nowhere
He just kind of comes out on the scene all of a sudden there in first Kings chapter 17 verse 1
It says in Elijah the Tishbite who was of the inhabitants of Gilead and that's really all the background we have on him
We just know that he was a Tishbite, you know, which was a city which was in Gilead that region and that's really it
You know, and I think that God kind of did that on purpose to show us that you know
the call to ministry is open to those who desire it and
This is important to understand because there's a lot of people that will teach the strange thing about you know
You have to have a very specific, you know
God-given call on your life in order to come into the ministry that it's only for certain people
But that's really not what the Bible teaches and with Elijah we see him just coming out of obscurity just coming out of nowhere
He wasn't you know, he's like Amos. He wasn't he wasn't the son of a prophet at least that we don't know
I mean, he doesn't say that he was he just kind of comes out of nowhere
He comes out of Gilead and all of a sudden he's got this great ministry
Now, you know, the ministry is open to those that desire it
But and if you would go over to 1st Timothy chapter 3, I know we actually go to 2nd Timothy chapter 3 2nd Timothy chapter 3
We know that it's open to those who desire it
But of course we understand that there's you know, there are certain qualifications that have to be met
You know
You have to meet certain
Qualifications if you're going to be a preacher if you're going to be a pastor if you're going to be a deacon if you're going to
Be a man of God
Yes, it's open, you know, but it's it's open within that
That doesn't mean that there's no requirements people have to meet certain requirements
The Bible says in 1st Timothy chapter 3 verse 1
This is a true saying if a man desire the office of a bishop, that's not good enough
He has to have this mystical calling on his life in order to fulfill that office
No
it says at 1st Timothy chapter 3 verse 1 that if a man desired the office of a bishop he desired the good work and
Then it goes on and gives us the qualifications for the man of God that we know have to be there
but look the most of
The desire is that who's eligible to be a man of God the guy who has the desire the guy who needs the qualifications
Not just the guy who you know
What's some Bible college and paid a bunch of money and got a rubber stamp on a piece of paper and said you're a pastor
Now, I know you are not married
I know you don't have any kids, but go ahead and be a pastor now go ahead and lead people now
You're a man of God, you know that that's the real irony, you know, is that some people that want to teach this
this mystical calling of
You know the call to the ministry the room has to be filled with light all my hair stood on end
I heard an audible voice from heaven preach the Bible, you know
That's there. Those are the same people that are gonna teach that they're the same people that'll send out unqualified guys
They're the same people that say oh you it's a very elect very elitist very special calling. That's mystical. It's magical
You know, it's not for everybody but then they'll just totally ignore 1st Timothy 3
They'll just totally ignore
You know Titus 1 and just send out whoever just send out some guy who doesn't even meet the actual literal biblical
Qualifications that are just laid out plain as the nose on your face in Scripture those guys that you know
They'll say well, yeah, anybody can do it
You know as long as they have some kind of divine calling on their life. Look, it's a bunch of nonsense
It's trying to it's what they're doing is they're trying to make them feel make themselves feel more important than they really are
And here's the thing about it. It's like why why do you need to puff yourself up like that?
Well, I'm a pastor because you know, I had this divine calling at some point in my life
Isn't just being the pastor or being the preacher doesn't that make you feel important enough as it is
I mean, it's already an important calling enough. Why do we have to add this extra layer of you know?
I was I was God called, you know, and these other guys, you know, they weren't God called like I was
Look at the Bible says if a man desire if a man desire, you know emphasis on the man these days, right?
But if a man desire the office of a bishop he desire the good work, you know
Paul wasn't trying to you know
Tell Timothy to discourage other people that had that desire to not do it
So if he desires an office of a bishop Timothy make sure you know, he's had some kind of a mystical calling in his life
Make sure he's of a certain pedigree, you know, or he's not gonna be good enough, right?
That's not what the Bible teaches. Obviously there are requirements in 1st Timothy 3 in Titus chapter 1
But there there must be both a desire and the requirements
He's both have to be met met and if they are guess what that means that it's open to anybody
That has that desire and that meets those qualifications. It's open to anybody that can do that
Now I will say this, you know, there doesn't have to be this mystical calling
But certain attributes must be present in those that desire the office of a bishop, you know
If you desire to be a preacher if you desire to be a man of God, there should be certain attributes that you
You know
Possess, you know and I've seen guys in the past that you know, they had the desire they met the qualifications
But there were just some things that are probably not they're just weren't gonna cut it
You know the in one of those one of those things you should probably have to you should have the attributes is you have
What's been called the killer instinct?
You know the ability to get up and just be mean from behind the pulpit
I'm not saying every sermon you had to get up and tear people's faces off, you know
But there has to be a time where you know, you can draw a hard line and say what the Bible says
Okay, the Bible says if you're there in second Timothy verse 16
It says all scripture is given by inspiration of God. It's profitable for what for doctrine
Look, there's a lot of guys that can get up and teach a lot of really good doctrine
Can't they they can if they can get up and they can just clearly expound all the deep things of God
They can take all the hard things that are stood and make them very plain and very easy to be understood
You know that that's they can take the doctrine and teach it that's great
It's profitable production. It's also profitable for a proof and for curve and for correction, you know
That's where some people lack you have to have both
you can't just be this profound teach yet to also be able to get up and rip face when appropriate and
Say it like it is and not hold back and preach the whole counsel of God
That's why the scripture is given to us. It's given by inspiration of God
Why did he give it for to us for doctrine for approved for correction for instruction righteousness?
That the man of God may be perfect thoroughly furnished unto all good works
Look at chapter 4 verse 1 I charge thee therefore
Before God and before the Lord Jesus Christ who shall judge the quick and the dead and at his appearing and at his kingdom
Preach the word, you know, that's good advice for any preacher. Anyone desires a preacher. Well, I don't know what to preach
Just preach the Bible
Preach the word there's like there's so much here to preach, you know, just just pick a chapter and preach it
You know, we should go is get obsessed with I having to come out with some kind of new thing or try to impress people
With our preaching, you know, it's the basic truths. It's the simple truths that need to be repeated
These are the things that people need to hear preach the word. You can't go wrong
That's what I was always told just preach the word and you can't go wrong
Preach the word be instant in season out of season. But again notice reprove rebuke and exhort
Reprove rebuke and exhort. There's that killer instinct
You have to be able to get up and say like is you have to be willing to reprove you have to be willing to
Rebuke and to do the exhortation the exhortation is important, isn't it?
It's important to encourage people and motivate people and inspire people
But you know when I'm reading this list, it's two negatives. It's reprove and rebuke and then exhort
So it seems to me, you know, if you're gonna preach the whole counsel of God
You're gonna do a lot of negative preaching, you know, you're gonna step on a lot of toes
You have to be willing to do that
You have to be willing to put yourself in that position where people aren't gonna like you for what you said
So now you can kind of start to see why you know
The man of God is a little maybe a little bit more rare today because not everybody's willing to do that
Why a real man of God is a little bit more rare to find today
Because there's a lot of guys are getting up that want to call themselves a man of God
But they don't want to do any reproving. They don't want to do any rebuking
They just want to preach, you know, all the love and all that and look there's a time and place for that
I understand that but we want to preach the whole counsel on the Word of God
I mean look at let's move on from Elijah's making let's look at his message. What kind of preacher was Elijah, right?
Well, you know
It says there right in the beginning. He starts just tearing face right away
If you look there, you know, he starts preaching about judgment
That's one of the first things that was his first message that we see in Scripture
Elijah comes out of the scene out of nowhere. It's like okay. It's time to preach
What are you gonna preach about verse 1 and Elijah the Tishbite was of the inhabitants of Gilead sent to Ahab
Who was the king by the way?
Anyone, you know and it was and he's preaching to one guy, you know
We're getting a little nervous because there's only that's a small crowd tonight, you know, but here's the thing
You're all just as important as anybody else, you know, my family's here and I'll preach to you, too
You know, you need to be edified
You take the time to come out and be here on a Sunday
I'll preach to you just like I was preaching to a thousand, right?
But the man we would say oh it's what kind of servants gonna be when it's smaller and people are gone and sick and whatever
Well, at least it's not down to one wicked backslidden guy like Ahab, you know, I think that's what that's you know
I go. Oh, it's so hard to preach to a small crowd. Yeah, go tell it to Elijah
Go tell it to a guy whose first message is to go up to the king of Israel who had all this power
Who was just this wicked heathen guy and rip his face, right?
You go up there and say and said unto Ahab as the Lord God of Israel liveth before whom I stand there shall not be
Do nor reign in these years, but according to my word, I mean his first message is that of judgment
It wasn't Oh Ahab, you know
God loves you and God wants his best for you and he wants the best for Israel and he really would like it
You know, no, it was like hey, you know what God's gonna judge this country, you know, God's gonna judge you
There's not gonna be rain for three years until I say so
You mean right away? What else do we see in his ministry? We see him calling out sin. This is his message, right?
We see the making the man of God now
We're looking at the message of the man of God look at first Kings 18 verse 17 and it came to pass when Ahab saw
Elijah that Ahab sent him art thou he that troubleth Israel, you know
That's always the accusation that people that bring against the man of God you hear it so often
You give Christians a bad name. You're the one you're the reason why people are turning away from the faith
You know, well, whoa, and see what all men speak. Well of you
We're so sore so to their pro the the their fathers of the false prophets, you know that you that it's actually a good
Thing when people don't like the preacher
It's actually a good thing when the Google reviews are like in the negatives, you know
It's it's actually a good thing
We have the the Facebook post where people are telling them how bad this church is and everything like that
Then that just tells me. Oh, there must be a man of God there, you know when you're saying oh they trouble
They trouble Tucson. They trouble Arizona. They're the trouble or in Israel
That was a haves take on it
He said I have not troubled Israel, but thou and thy father's house
I mean you could just see him pointing that finger right in his face, you know, you're the problem
They have this is his message right of judgment and of what of calling out sin. This is the work of the man of God
This is his making this is his message calling out sin
He said he's he calls him out
I have not troubled Israel
But thou and thy father's house and that ye have forsaken the commandments of the Lord and that thou hast followed Balaam
I mean, he's just ripping face. He's getting up and just immediately calling out sin, you know
And this is what the ministry is. This is what the man of God is called to do
He calls out sin. He calls out sinners and sin by name when appropriate, okay?
Go over to 1st Corinthians chapter 5 1st Corinthians chapter 5
1st Timothy 1 he said again this charge a community son Timothy according to prophecies which went before on thee
That thou by them mightest war good warfare holding faith and of good conscience and some which some having put away have made
Concerning faith that made shipwreck of whom is high Moneus and Alexander. Oh, I can't believe Paul just named the name
Yeah, Paul names names when it's you know, sometimes there's a there's a time and place to just name the name
You know and there's just there's nothing more frustrating to watch preachers get up and just like just vaguely refer to people
Just start criticizing some church
You know some church in Arizona some church in California
I mean, I I remember from day one I started doing that as soon as I decided I was gonna move to Phoenix, Arizona
I had to listen to some preacher get up. There's this guy out in Arizona
It's like well, I know who you're talking about. Why don't you just say the name?
Why don't you why don't you actually just get up there and preach like Elijah didn't just call it out
Why don't you be more like Paul and just if you feel that strongly about it once you just say the name
And
Then people, you know get all upset when when you do say when you do call out names when you just say hey
It's this person that I'm talking about
And then people want to get all you know touchy-feely at that point then it's like oh now you've crossed the line
You've actually called out the name
That's not what I see Paul doing I don't see him tiptoeing around, you know, you know, there's some people certain people
You know who made shipwreck concerning the faith now, I don't want to say who?
And everyone's like well, we know you're talking about
That's what's so stupid about being vague from the pulpit. Everyone already knows who you're referring to. Why don't you just say it?
The reason though I don't want to say this because then they can just say well I was referring to them
I was just speaking in general, you know, I was you know, and it's just it's a total gaslighting maneuvers when it is
And he's saying of whom is hymenaeus and Alexander there I said it
Whom I have delivered unto Satan that they may learn not to blaspheme look at 1st Corinthians chapter 5
Look the man of God he his message is to preach against judgment. It's to call out sin
It's not only just to call out sin. It's to call out sin and sinners by name
And of course you want to use discretion obviously I understand we're not gonna you know
If you come to the man of God and you know, you have some kind of dealing with him
He's gonna just you know, air your dirty laundry the whole congregation. I get that
Well, there's certain sins that do get called out in Scripture first chapter 5 or first Corinthians chapter 5 verse 1
He says it is reported commonly that there's fornication among you and such fornication is not so much as named as among the Gentiles
Paulson you're calling out calling out the sin in the church. Look there's fornication among you
Well, what where does he who does he think he is calling out, you know the sin in the church?
Well, here's the problem. It's reported commonly. It's not like he's telling anybody anything new. They already know everyone already knows
Oh, yeah, the Corinthians, you know, that's what's going on in that church
He's like so I'm just gonna call it out and he gets real specific that one should have his father's wife
And he are puffed up and have not rather mourned that he had done this team might be taken away from among you
Do you think the Corinthians knew he was talking about?
Of course he did
He says in uh in verse 5 deliver such a one unto Satan for the destruction of the flesh the spirit
Maybe say in a day the Lord Jesus. I mean, he's just calling him out
He calls out people in 2nd Timothy chapter 4, you know Alexander the coppersmith did me much evil
The Lord reward him therefore according to his works
He just calls him out right by name
That is part of ministry calling out sin
Calling out sinners calling out heretics calling out the false prophets and people get all upset when you do that, but that is the ministry
Well, I just don't think we should you know talk about sin, you know, we shouldn't why do we have to call out people said
Well, he said in Isaiah chapter 58 Christ allowed spare not lift up thy voice like a trumpet and show my people their
Transgression and the house of Jacob their sins. That's what God sent Isaiah to go do to cry out
Just to lift up his voice and actually call out sin. That's his message
You know a lot of preachers don't want to do that today, you know, they don't want to get up and just call out sin
They don't want to call a spade a spade. You know why they don't want to do it because it comes with consequences
Because it comes with consequences
And again, this is why the man of God is becoming increasingly more rare today because they people aren't stupid
They know if they get up and they call out sin, there's going to be consequences. I
Mean how many times have we seen it?
You know with our friends where you know, some preacher gets up and rips on the homos and next thing, you know
They're throwing bombs through the window. They're protesting. I mean, it's multiple times
You know, well, there's only been one bombing but I mean, hey
How many do you need to understand that when you get up and you call out sin, there's going to be consequences
In
Matthew chapter 14 and look the man of God has to live with that knowledge
Man of God has to get up and preach these things knowing there's probably going to be consequences with this
And if the man of God's not willing to do that, you know what he needs to do sit down and shut up
Let somebody else do it and let people go to a church where that is gonna happen
Because it comes with consequences verse 1, you know, John the Baptist, you know and John the Baptist didn't really preach anything that controversial
It says in verse 1 at that time Herod the Tetrarch
Had of the fame heard of the fame of Jesus and said unto his servants. This is John the Baptist
He is risen from the dead now. We know how he died, right? He got beheaded in prison, right? Well, what was he doing in prison?
Well, it says in verse 3 for Herod had laid hold on hold on John and bound him and put him in prison for a
Rhodias of sake his brother Philip's wife for John said unto him is not lawful for thee to have her
He just said hey, you know what it's not lawful for you to get divorced and remarried it's not lawful
It's not what the scripture teaches that landed him in jail and eventually got and you know
And she gets so bitter Herodias that she you know takes opportunity to have him beheaded
Look, it's one, you know, it's the job of the man of God
His message is to get up and to call out sin, but you better understand that there are consequences
You
know, I remember sitting in a preaching class and hearing you know
Pastor Anderson making this abundantly clear to the men in that and I think about this often
Is that he got it and said, you know what?
There's guys in this room who have the ability that have the desire
But they're gonna wash up because they're not willing to pay the price that is that you have to pay as a man of God
You need to count the cost if you want to be a preacher if you want to take a stand for God
To whatever degree in your life. You need to be willing to pay the cost count the cost
Beforehand, you know because the man of God has to live with the knowledge that you know, what someone might call CPS
You know someone, you know that some news crew might show up at my front door. Did you really say?
You know the bottom the death threats might come my way
The bomb might get thrown in our window, you know, there are consequences for calling out sin for calling out sinners
But that is the message of the man of God
And you know, but that's not all it is, you know, it's also calling people to make decisions
Calling people to make changes in their lives
It's not every sermon isn't just you know, rip ripping face here tearing off the head there
You know and just putting everybody in their place every sermon and that's not it, you know
I kind of talked about this morning
You know, we want to help people along and be gentle and so on and so forth
But there is a time and place to call it out
But another part of its message if you're there first Kings 18 is to call people to make decisions
He says in verse 21 Elijah came into all the people and said how long halt you between two opinions
You know people do this all the time in their life
They know what they should do and then they know what they want to do
Like oh, I know I need to make this decision
I know what the right decision is, but I'm just gonna stand here halt and or I'm just gonna make the wrong one
Now sometimes they make the right one and that's great
But that's part of the message, you know calling people to make decisions to make changes in their life
He
Said how long halt you to between two opinions if the Lord be God follow him
But if bail then follow him and the people answered him not a word
They didn't know what to say. I'm just like well, we don't know what to do
So he says in verse 37 hear me
Oh Lord hear me that this people may know that thou art Lord the Lord God and that thou has turned their heart back again
And that's what his ministry was was to turn their heart back again
You know people are you know
So often just at a place in their life where they need to start making decisions for God. They need to start, you know
making changes in their life and
they just need a man of God to come along and
And to preach and to bring a message and to pray and to and to put them over the edge
To get them to make it is not to just stand their halt but to actually nudge them in that direction or you know
Run them off
That's what he said if bail be bay if bail be God, you know what go serve him
If that's what you want, you want bail you want all that you want the world just then just go do that
But don't just stand here half in half out. Don't be lukewarm
Either get in or get out, you know, that's what the man of God does
And we might as well just get used to it in this church that people are gonna come
They're gonna get on fire for a little while and then they're gonna get drawn to some kind of a decision their life and they're either
Gonna make the right decision or they're gonna make the wrong one
They're either gonna serve God or they're just gonna go back to where they were
Before they got here and that's just the ministry folks. But you know, and it's real tempting to just get up here, you know
And I guess it isn't
But it could be real tempting for me to just get up here and well, let me just compromise everything we believe
Let me just make this a more seeker friendly church and you know, so we can just get some big crowd in here
You know, but what people what would that benefit anybody?
It wouldn't bet anybody anything for them. Just what I mean
So we could feel like we have a big church
But nobody's making decisions. No one's growing. No one's moving in the right direction. That's not what I want
That's not what the man of God is called to the man of God is called to put people in a place in their life
Where they have to make decisions make changes in their life
That's what Joshua did
He said if it seemed evil unto you to serve the Lord this day choose this day whom you will serve
You know, Jesus said man cannot serve two masters. He will love the one or hate the other you cannot
You have to make a decision people have to make decision their life whether they're gonna serve God or mammon
That's a very real decision that people have to make. You know what people don't always make the right decision
And you know, it's not and I'm not you know, I'm the deacon here. I'm not your daddy
I'm not gonna sit here, you know and try to just persuade everybody to do the right thing
I'm just gonna tell you here's the right thing. Here's the wrong thing. You decide you make up your mind what you want to do
with it
He said choose you to stay in you serve whether the gods which your father served the other side of the flood or the
Gods of the Amorites and whose land you dwell but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord, you know
That's not just a nice little scripture to put up on your wall at home, you know in your calligraphy, you know
it looks nice that's that's an actual like
Motto that is something you have to actually live and flesh out in your own life
And you know a great thing you take from this is that the only people you have any control over in your life
Are you?
you know, I'm talking, you know, that's plural but
You're the only person you have any control over now obviously, you know as a husband and father
I have control over to some degree. I have a great deal of influence over other people's lives
Right, but I can't control what every person does that comes in here
But you know what I can do as a man of God I can put him in a place where they have to make a decision
That's my job. That's what a man of God is called to do
So we looked at his making we looked at his message. Let's look at his ministry, right his ministry
Go back to first Kings chapter 17 than his ministry, you know, if a person wants to get involved become a man of God
Or once you know and this could be applied to people who maybe they're not gonna be a pastor one day
But they just want to serve God. They just want to be a soul winner. They want to be a faithful church member
They want to just do things for God, you know, there's gonna be some level of sacrifice required
You know the ministry of the man of God requires sacrifice
You know
Sacrifices required of anybody that wants to serve God to any capacity. It's going to require sacrifice on your part
Look at first Kings chapter 17 verse 2 and the word of the Lord came on us and
Saying get the Hents and turn the ace word. Oh, where are you taking me? Some probably some nice cush place
Where I can just relax for a little while while this drought goes on and God's just gonna have you know
Peeled grapes brought to me and I'm gonna be fanned every day. I'm gonna be kept safe
No, he said get the Hents attorney is work and hide thyself by the brook chariot. That is before Jordan Jordan
He's saying you know what Elijah Elijah go up and hide in the wilderness
Go out into the bush over there by some river and hang out there
You know, that's a sacrifice. He didn't say, you know, go find some nice home
Go go back home to where you're from
Go back, you know to your town and Gilead and get comfortable and put your feet up and wait a while
He said no go out in the wild
Go out there and he said in verse 4 and it shall be that thou shalt drink of the brook
No milk, you know, no fresh goats milk
No fresh squeezed grapes. No pomegranate juice
no, you're gonna go drink, you know like an animal out of the brook and
I have commanded the Ravens to feed thee
So when he went and did according unto the word of the Lord before he went and dwelt by the brook chariot
That is before Jordan and the Ravens brought him his bread and flesh in the morning. I
Mean and I don't think you know, I don't think these were like gourmet chefs either
I don't think the Ravens were showing up with like those little chef hats on in an apron, you know and pulling up
You know starting a little fire and like what would you like today?
Prophet, oh thou man of God, you know, would you like a little flambe?
You know quiche with a nice spinach and feta cheese me on the menu and like it was probably some real basic
Just you know, maybe some flesh he had to cook. Maybe they found some carcass somewhere, you know
They that they're scavengers, you know what I mean?
Who knows maybe they swept in and like someone threw some bread out that they've gotten old and they picked it up. Who knows?
Right, it's but it's not this gourmet meal. And even if it were he's still sitting out in the bush
You still you know, what am I trying to put that? What's the point? I'm making here his ministry required sacrifice
He had to give up some comforts. He had to give up some luxuries
he had to be willing to you know, take a lesser portion in life and
The Ravens brought him his bread and his flesh in the morning and the bread and flesh in the evening and he drank of the
Brook and it came to pass after a while that the brook dried up
Then the brook dries up, you know, then the drought even gets to him
and here's the thing you have to
Consider the fact here that God could have kept Elijah safe anywhere. I
Mean couldn't you have couldn't you have told him? Hey go go to that cave
You're gonna go to a little while, you know, and I'll have a guy there who will you know, make you whatever you want to eat
No, he told me go hang out in the bush next to a brook and be there till it dries up and I'm gonna feed
You with you know, some whatever the birds bring you look the ministry of the man of God requires sacrifice
And it requires discomfort that doesn't sound very comfortable comfortable to me
You know anyone who's got doesn't he got a kind of camping, you know camping is kind of a leisurely thing
But we wouldn't want to live that way. I
Don't think so. Anyway
You know that you know, everyone wants to romanticize the pioneer life, but it was pretty hard life
You know, we're I was talking about with somebody the other day
I can't remember who but we're talking about how
Crazy would be for us to go back in time because you know people kind of get this attitude of like oh, man
I was born in the wrong century, you know, I should have been born back in you know
The 1800s or whatever when people were different, you know, we didn't have all even this modern life is making everybody so soft
I mean imagine going back in time and telling people where you came from and how things are today
Yeah, we have you know
These things in our pocket called smartphones and we can basically just entertain ourselves
You can have any kind of information at our fingertips
I mean I could just push some buttons and being able to bring food to my door
It's like it's like the most exotic food like to them would be just like the most exotic thing that they think they've never even heard
Of like, you know mango habanero
Chicken wings, you know, we're just getting by the dozens, you know, and we're just so sick of this pampered modern life
We're gonna go back. We wish we could just go back in time
You know if you went back and told people that the kind of life you were living now and that you decided to come back
There and live with them. They'd look at you go. You're crazy. What's the matter with you?
They would trade places with us in a heartbeat
It's not comfortable, you know, we romanticize it but it's not a comfortable existence and the man of God is not called to a comfortable
Existence God puts us in uncomfortable positions. Sometimes he will put us, you know next to a brook
That's got he knows is gonna dry up
I
Mean you think about again going back to the example of John the Baptist
I mean he went out when he started his ministry. He was out in the wilderness and you know
He didn't have Ravens bringing him anything. He was eating, you know locusts of wild, honey
You know, he's like trying not to get stung to get his meal and then he's eating insects flying around and you know
He's wearing he's gird with a leather girdle and camel's hair
That's not exactly the most comfortable thing to wear, you know some hairy jacket
But you know what? God does not call the man of God to a life of ease and comfort
He doesn't really you can apply it to any of us. Hey
quit talking
So, you know, I'd say all that to say this is that the ministry isn't for everyone and that's just the facts, you know
Yeah, it's open to everyone. It's open to any man that has the desire that meets the requirements
But you know what? It requires a certain level of character
It has you have to have some level of you know
You have to be somebody who's willing to count the cost and is willing to be put in some uncomfortable positions
Somebody who's willing to pay the price and deal with the consequences
So his ministry, you know required sacrifice required discomfort, but only you know
It also focused on the needs of others, you know, that's the calling of the man of God
It's to focus on the needs of other people, you know real quick first Kings chapter 17 verse 8
We know the story here and the word of the Lord came unto him
This of course this is after the the brook dries up the Lord sent him saying arise get thee to Zarephath
Which belongeth unto Zidane and dwell there behold. I have commanded a woman would a woman there to sustain thee
So he arose and went to Zarephath and when he came to the gate of the city behold the widow woman
Was there gathering of sticks and he called her and said fetch me
I prayed thee a little water in a vessel that I may drink and she was going to fetch it and he called her and said
Bring me I pray thee a morsel of bread in thine hand and she said as the Lord thy God liveth
I have not a cake but a handful of meal in a barrel and a little oil and a cruise and
Behold, I'm gathering two sticks and am I going in and dress it for me and my son that we may eat it and die
So everyone's just starving in this story
and Elijah said under here fear not go and do as thou has said
but make me thereof a little cake first and bring it to me and after thee
Make for thee and thy son for thus saith the Lord God of Israel the barrel of meal shall not waste neither shall the cruise
Of oil fail, so it sounds at first like, you know, he's just going there for himself, you know
He's going there to just rob this little woman of the last bit of meal that she has, right?
Well, what's really going on?
He's going there to perform a miracle for this woman because the man of God, you know, his ministry focuses on what the needs of others
God's concerned about people, you know, he got a concern about those that have any and this is you know
A great example of that and it's not just all rip in face and you know
Calling people out and call and sin out, you know a big part of it is helping people
Big part of it isn't giving people helping them with their needs whether it's physical or spiritual praying for one another
Encouraging one another that's a big part of the ministry focusing on the needs of others
That's why you know
Sacrifice and discomfort are required because if we're just only concerned about ourselves, you know, we're not going to be concerned about the needs of others
But if we can just accept the fact that you know what I'm gonna be uncomfortable
I'm not gonna have everything that I want. I might not even have everything that I think I need
I'm gonna be put in an uncomfortable situation
I have to make sacrifices for willing to set accept that then we can start to think about well
Let me focus on the needs of others
And we know the story here
It says in verse 15 and she went and did according the story the saying of Elijah and she and and he and her house
Did eat many days and the barrel of meal wasted not that was a really good meal for Elijah
I bet he was real glad after eating whatever those birds were bringing them sit down and have a nice home-cooked hot meal
And drinking some some fresh water and neither did the cruise of oil fail according the word of the Lord
Which he spake by Elijah so, you know again, it's not just ripping face
Look, there's a time to rip face, but you know, let me just come out and say this is that you know
I'm not just up here to be a preacher tainer
I'm not just here for preacher tainment
There are there are sermons that have to be preached that some people are gonna hear and go
Well, that wasn't very exciting. Yeah, but somebody else is gonna hear it and go I needed that
I needed to hear some sermon about you know, being gentle to other people, you know
I needed to hear some sermon about you know
How to raise children or some sermon whatever the topic that isn't going to just be this rip-roaring sermon this ripping face sermon
That's gonna get you know thousands of views on YouTube or whatever
But those are the sermons that need to be preached because the man of God is called to be focused on the needs of
Everyone the needs of others
It's not just all you know, sticking your finger and a haves face and calling him out, you know, it's also visiting the widow
You know and providing needs
Verse 17 it says and it came to pass after these things that the son of the woman the mistress of the house fell sick
And his sickness was so sore
That there was no breath left in him and she said unto Elijah what have I to do with thee?
Oh thou man of God if thou come to call my sin before to my remembrance and slay my son
And he said unto her give me a nice son and he took him out of her bosom and carried him up into a loft
And there he abode and laid upon him his own bed and he cried in the Lord and said, oh Lord
My God hast thou brought this evil upon the widow whom with whom I sojourned by slaying her son
And he stretched himself upon the child three times and cried in the Lord and said, oh Lord my God
I pray thee let this child's soul come into him again
And the Lord heard the voice of Elijah and the soul of the child came into him and he revived and
Elijah took the child and brought him down out of the chamber under this house
under the house and delivered him on his mother and Elijah said see thy son liveth now, I want you to pay attention here because
God Elijah just did this amazing miracle this woman right and you would think that that would be enough for her
She would say oh, you know you are a man of God
But notice what she says in verse 24 and the woman said to Elijah now by this I know that thou art a man of God
And that the word of the Lord that the word of the Lord in thy mouth is truth
You know, she had to see her needs met before she was willing to
Accept Elijah for what he was before she was willing to give Elijah his respect, you know before she was willing to acknowledge him
She says now by this by what by the fact that you came
And raised my son from the dead now, I know thou art a man of God
Because you met my need because not because you showed up and reminded me how how wicked Ahab is
You know, she already knew that not because you showed up reminded me the fact that you know Israel's worshipping Baal
You know those sermons need to be preached but there's also the sermon where you know
We have to just come and take care of somebody's need
You have to help somebody with something that is very important to them and she said now by this
I know that thou art a man of God and that the word of truth is in my mouth
You know part of the ministry of the man of God, you know, it's focusing on the needs of other
It's more than just reaping ripping face. It's bringing the dead to life
And this isn't just the ministry of the man of God
This is the ministry that God has given to all of us man woman boy and girl. It's bringing the dead to life
You know, I'm don't worry. I'm not going full Pentecostal on here
We're not gonna start reading like I'm not talking about literally raising the dead
But we spiritually do that when we go so many don't we?
spiritually go out and bring life to those that are dead the Bible says in second Corinthians chapter 5 for the love of Christ constraineth us
Because we thus judge if one died for all then we're all dead
They were all dead when you're out there preaching the gospel, you know, you're you're like Elijah
You're going out there and you are reviving somebody's child. You were bringing somebody back from the dead literally
Not maybe not literal in the sense that they're dead. You know, you're bringing them back to life in this story, but literally spiritually speaking
There that is a literal reality that they're gonna go to the place of the dead they were gonna go, you know to the lake
of fire
They were gonna be dead there, but now they've been brought back to life eternal
so we see that the you know, the ministry of the man of God it requires sacrifice it requires discomfort so he can stay focused on
the needs of others and
The needs of others isn't always just the rip ripping face sermon, you know, it's the real needs that people have
It's it's soul-willing it's it's preaching the nuts and bolts of the Christian life
But I also want to you know, we'll wrap up here in a minute, but I want to look at his humanity
Look at his humanity. It says in first Kings chapter 19 first Crannock Kings chapter 19
and you have to remember this is out of this is out of the after the the high point of
Elijah's ministry where he's just you know killed the prophets of Baal. He's turned the hearts of Israel back to the Lord God
He's just called fire down from heaven. Just this huge miracle, right?
It says in verse 1 and Ahab told Jezebel all that Elijah had done and how with all he had slain all the prophets with
The sword then Jezebel sent a messenger to Elijah saying so let the gods
Do to me and more also if I make not thy life as one of them by tomorrow at about this time
So she's you know, breathing out her
death threats
And when he saw that he arose and went for his life
You know that might surprise us, you know, you know, whenever I read that story, it's kind of like it's kind of surprises
You I mean, he's just on a tear
Got and especially after everything that he's got is done with him so far. I mean he's provided for him in the wilderness
He's provided with the miracle with the the widow woman. He's even allowed him to bring her son back to from the dead
I mean, he's he's he knows God's with him
But at this point, you know, the pressure just becomes too much the or I don't know what's going on
Exactly, but it seems to me like he has kind of a lapse in faith
You know this great spiritual high that he on is immediately followed by this low in his life
And when I'm pointing out here is the man of God is human
He's just he's he's human like anybody else the man of God is just like the rest of us
He's a man of like passions. It says that when he heard that
Verse three and when he saw that he arose and went for his life and came to Beersheba which belong at the Judah and
Left his servant there. He's like you probably don't want to hang out with me
I'm a dead man, you know run for your life every man for himself
But he went himself a day's journey the wilderness and came there and down and said under juniper tree and he
Requested for himself that he might die
He's like Lord kill me and he said it is enough now Lord take away my life where I have not better than my father's
You know, I read you read this story. Just like what is going on here and we can't understand about you know
We couldn't understand is that Elijah is a man of God a man of God. He's not God
He's not perfect and no man of God is perfect
They all have faults every man of God in Scripture is flawed, you know with the exception of Jesus Christ
And even if it's not recorded, you know, there's some you could look at like Daniel you'd be like, well, what was Daniel's flaw?
I don't know, but he had one I
Guarantee you they all did and I love the bet the Bible records their flaws
So they records their failings their shortcomings because it's relatable because we're all that way
It's his humanity, you know, and we need to make sure that we don't
We want to respect a man of God. We want to you know, we want to
But we don't want to put him on this pedestal, you know and and and exalt him up
You know think about man that which is written, you know, think about him above measure
You know because that's just setting yourself up for disappointment
You know, I don't think anyone in this room has a problem with that
Of putting me up, you know in some high lofty position and but if you are
Let me just go ahead and remind tell you right now you prepare to be disappointed
Because you're gonna find out that I have flaws I'm gonna say or do something
It's gonna offend you that might even be you know wrong for me yet to have said or done
You know, I'm probably going to you know, do something that is not right at some point
You know what? I mean now, I'm not talking about gross, you know, just negligent sin
You know man of God should never be accused of those things. There are certain things that should just never happen, obviously
But you know what? I am human, you know, just like the rest of us just like Elijah here, you know
I might have a bad day. I might have a hard time, you know
There might be maybe maybe you're not gonna like the look on my face one day when you walk in, you know
But maybe I just had a hard week just like you did, you know
Maybe I'm gonna be in a bad mood or maybe I'm gonna
You know need some time by myself or whatever it is because I'm just a man
I mean, I might be the man of God down here, but I'm still just a man and no man of God is perfect
They're all flawed
In James chapter 3 said this my brethren be not many masters
He's talking about being that many masters, you know, not being many instructors not being many teachers
Why knowing that we shall receive the greater condemnation the man of God has held. Yes held to a higher standard and
Because of that, you know when he slips up or he does something wrong. There's a greater condemnation
There's more risk. Look I have more opportunity to get up here and just you know, you know
hurt people through my words or teaching something wrong or
You know, there's there's a greater risk for the man of God because he has more people's attention
More people are looking to him more people are listening to them. There's more pressure there
You know, they shall receive the greater condemnation for in many things. We offend all he said in many things we offend all
If any man offend not in word the same as a perfect man and able also the bride of the whole body
And he goes on talks about the tongue right and it's the tongue that gets us all into trouble
You know and my job is there's a lot of the use of the tongue in this job
The man of God is doing a lot of talking
You know and sometimes the man of God is gonna get up and he's going to offend people
In fact, the Bible said in James 3 he's going to offend all
And he said in many things, you know, I think what he's saying there is that even if I never made a mistake
Let's make let's just say I never made a mistake or never misspoke or whatever
even if I just every word came out of my mouth perfectly and everything I said was just you know, righteousness and truth and and and
Never made a mistake I would still offend everybody eventually
just pick up just by the nature of the Word of God just because the Bible steps on people's toes just because people are all
different stages in their in the Christian growth people are coming from all different
areas people have all kinds of different sins in their lives and things like that and
Even if I get up and start to preach the whole counsel of God like I'm supposed to his man of God
It's only a matter of time until I said everybody the Bible says
In many things we offend all I might not offend everybody all at once but eventually I get to you
You haven't been offended yet. Just give it time
You know your day's coming and look I don't ever set out to just offend people. I don't ever go to church
In fact, a lot of times sometimes I come to church
I think you know what I put that in my sermon, but I think I was just in the flesh
I think I'm just gonna you know, save that for another day. Not that I'm holding back
But just I'm saying you know what that's not gonna benefit anybody
You know if I just put something in there just for the sake of offending something, you know
I'm gonna take it out because I'm not just out of going out of my way to offend people
I don't have to try to do that
I just preached the Bible and people will get offended
Bible says but the tongue can no man tame. It is an unruly evil full of deadly poison
How are you gonna offend somebody just with the words that come out of your mouth?
So we see, you know the humanity of the man of God. We've looked at you know, his his
his
His ministry his message is making his humanity and I want to close here in
I know I said that a minute ago in a minute his meekness. Look at his meekness real quick
You know Elijah he wasn't in it for the notoriety, you know, some guys get in the ministry
They want to get behind a pulpit. They want to get on YouTube, you know
And I'm not against getting on YouTube and getting big on YouTube. That's that's that's great. It's a great tool, you know
Some people are better at it than others. I'm just it's just not my I'm not good at it. All right, I don't tell you
You know, I just I'm just not that big of a draw on the internet, you know
And I'm not doesn't bother me like I get it. Like I'm real picky about my who I listen to
You know, I've only got so many hours a day. I can't listen to every preacher that's out there
You know if I'm gonna listen to somebody I'm gonna listen to somebody that I want to listen to
I guess just a lot of people don't listen to it
But you know what? There's a group of people that come here three times a week that listen, you know, and that's good enough for me
And I hey if people want to listen online it gets big great, you know
But that's not why we should be in it as a man of God for notoriety
You know to be known and if we're known great, that's wonderful. That's not should not be our motive
That's not why he was in it. He was very meek, right?
He was jealous for his God first Kings chapter 19 verse 9
After he you know runs for his life and requests to die, you know
God sends an angel and he feeds him and he goes 40 days and the strength of that meat
And it says in verse 9
And he came thither into a cave and he lodged there and behold the Word of God came to him and sent unto him
What doest thou here Elijah
he said I've been very jealous for the Lord God of hosts and for the children of Israel for the children of Israel have forsaken thy
Covenant and thrown down in altars
And has slain thy prophets with the sword and I even I only am left now
He certainly felt that way and he I don't think he knew the full situation and that you can't really blame him for saying
You know, I'm the only one that's left because that's what he honestly thought was going on. Right? But where is his heart?
You know, he's not like I'm the only real man of God in town
It's just that he honestly thought that he was the only one and God had to correct him in the end
He said, you know, there are 70,000 and not yet bow the knee to bail
But he says again, you know the voice comes to him again verse
13
verse 14
He says and I have been very jealous for the Lord God of hosts because the children of Israel
Have forsaken thy covenant and thrown nine altars and slain thy prophets with the sword and I only am left
So we see that the heart his his meekness is the fact that you know
He wasn't in it for the wrong reasons. You can't get into the ministry. You can't be a man of God with the wrong motives
Because you'll compromise
You'll you'll compromise you'll turn aside under the vain jangling
You'll discern aside under filthy lucre. You'll get in it the wrong reasons. You're you're bound to just make a mess of things
The man of God must be motivated to serve God only
Why are you why you know, why do we want to be a man of God? Why do we want to serve God?
You know, is it because we love the Lord that should be our motive
That was that was his motive because I love God and then you know what it won't matter
It won't matter how big the church is or isn't it won't matter
You know how popular I get or don't get as a preacher
What'll matter is whether or not God is being served or not
and if we have the right motive, you know, God will be served and
That should be why we get into things. We need to have in the you know, that requires what meekness, you know being
motivated
We'll close here it says the last thing I want to look at is this
It's his mantle his mantle because if you remember there the end of verse 15 when God kind of straightens him out in the cave
And it tells him what he needs to do
He says in verse 15 the Lord said unto him go and return on thy way to the wilderness of Damascus
And when thou comest anoint Hazeel to be king over Syria in
Jehu the son of Nimshai shall thought anointing to be king over Israel and Elijah the son of Shaphat of
Abel Meloah shall thought anoint a point anoint to be prophet in thy room
You know, he had a man of God Elijah. He had a mantle that needed to be passed on
There was somebody else that had to pick up that mantle because here's the thing about a man of God
Going back the fact that he's human this means what something this means that he's gonna die one day
He's not always gonna be here
You know and if if people are gonna what's required is that somebody else has to be willing to pick up the torch and carry
It on that mantle has to be passed on to somebody at some point
That's what he told him to do. He said look you're gonna go find Elijah the son of Shaphat
And you're gonna anoint him to be prophet in thy room. You know when you go away. He's gonna take over for you
Verse 19 so we depart thence and found Elijah the son of Shaphat who was plowing with 12 yoke of oxen before him
I love that picture there. You know, he's got these 12 yoke of oxen before him and he's plowing with them, right?
He's he's out working. He's got you know, he's out in the field. He's doing the work, you know
That's where you find a man of God is someone who's out actually doing the work already
You know something who's already not someone's gonna show up and just be like well, you know, I'll work
I'll put in the labor as long as I get to be the man of God. That's not how it works
You know people come to you and say, oh, I'm willing to help in the church. What can I do go scrub a toilet?
Oh, I won't do that. Well, they never mind, you know what go do something else then, you know, go go do whatever
I don't care because you know, we're not
Well, I won't do that, but I would love to you know, leave the songs
But that's been an example I've had in the past well, I know I want something in the spotlight
Well, no, I need you to run a vacuum you want to do that I need you to take out trash
I need you to wipe down the windows. I need you to do some menial tasks that no one's gonna notice
The no one on YouTube is gonna go. Wow, what a great that guy did a great job wiping the windows who keeps that place
So clean man, those chairs are straight. No one says that on YouTube and some people, you know, they want the glory
Their motives are wrong. You know, that's not who's gonna get the mantle
That's not who you want to pass the mantle on to you want to find an Elisha
somebody who is already doing the work is already out there and
is in it and it says there and
You know some other characteristics about Elisha and the passing on of Elijah's mantle
It says so he depart
16 and J who the son of Nimshai shall to be I'm sorry verse 19
so he depart thence and found Elisha the son of Shaphan who was plowing with 12 yoke of oxen before him and
With he with the 12th and Elijah passed by him and cast his mantle upon him
And he left the oxen and ran after Elijah
You know, he left what was
But you know, he didn't try to do both
Because that's the calling of a man of God. You can't you can't try to do both things
Look, I'm not saying that, you know, sometimes we have to work another job and and and pastor at the same time
I get that but you know what you can't have this divided interest in your life if you're gonna be a man of God
You know that break that has that I've seen guys get into ministry and try to fulfill this role of a man of God
But they but they're you know, they they leave their heart in the world. They leave their heart in some secular position
You know, they're not like Elisha who's willing to say well the oxen, you know, whatever
Yeah, I'm not interested in that
I don't want you know
like you can either plow the field or you can take on the mantle of the man of God, but you can't do both and
the guys that I've seen that try to straddle both and
Not out of necessity but just because you know, they weren't quite sure whether or not they wanted to get all you know
They end up failing in the ministry end up getting out of the ministry
They end up quitting the ministry and look I get it. It's not for everyone
But you know, you should know that going into it people need to know that's going into the ministry that it's not for everybody
And if you would rather, you know go out and and go earn a living in the secular world then go do that
Because you can't do both
You know eventually at some point you had to be all-in
You know unless it's out of I understand sometimes out of necessity of the pastor has to work two jobs. I get that
But if not, you know, why don't just be all-in, you know, why not just leave the oxen with the oxen?
Don't let this old life hold you back
You know have the right priorities. That's what he had to do
He left the oxen and ran after Elijah and said let me I prayed to kiss my father my mother and then when I felt
He say I want to say goodbye to my family, but then I will follow thee
And I love what he says to him
He says and he said unto him go back again for what have I done to thee?
Yeah, you know what seems like you really get a full picture of his personality
But sometimes I wonder if Elijah wasn't a little bit of a grumpy guy
He wasn't kind of kind of a maybe kind of a tough guy to be around a little bit
And he lived a hard life and he's out living in the wilderness. You know, he might have been a
Little rough around the edges. What have I done to thee whatever?
But again showing kind of his meekness again, he's like, you know
Do with what you want with it, you know, and I'm nobody
He said go back again for what have I done to thee and he returned back from him and took a yoke of oxen and
Slew them and boiled their flesh with the instruments of the oxen and gave unto the people and they did eat
I mean he just burned it all at the end. He just said, you know what goodbye to that old life
Goodbye to all those old ambitions. Goodbye to all those dreams and all that
I'm just gonna leave that all behind and just fully follow the man of God and just take on that mantle
And then he arose and he went after Elijah and then notice those last words and ministered unto him and then you don't hear
About Elisha or Elijah for a long time after that until Elisha until he actually is able to take on that mantle
But we know that he was there the next time you hear about him. He was he's
Identified as him that poured hands upon the waters of Elijah or Elisha
He in that port, excuse me Elijah again next both time. That's what he's known as that's what he goes on and does
You know part of taking on that mantle is just serving just serving and serving and serving and and you know
That's it because after all that's what the ministry is at the end of the day
That is the calling of the man of God to service to sacrifice
So if you're gonna take that mantle on, you know
That's where you start. It's just through service
The ministry of the man of God begins and ends and everywhere in between with service
So that's because that's the nature of the ministry, you know
So I just want to look at that tonight and remind us about the man of God, you know that they're rare
We don't have a lot of them and for good reason, you know because of the fact that
People need to be willing to count the cost because it does come at a sacrifice because it does, you know
It is uncomfortable because people are going to be offended because it is a tough job to do
But look somebody needs to do it
Somebody needs to stand up and stand in the gap that God should not destroy, you know
The wicked God someone needs to stand up and preach the counsel of God and make up the hedge
You know and we need to do that here in Tucson
Look, we need to do that all around the world all around this country
You know people are clamoring for good churches everywhere and you know what?
I'll be perfectly honest a lot the list of guys that are even close to being able to go out in the ministry is
Very very very short at least in this church
You know, it's incredibly short
And I feel like a lot of times we kind of put them in this weird position of like saying, you know
Well, if you express any interest in wanting to do it, then you know
Maybe you're not the right person for it because you know a real man of God wouldn't you know?
He's happy do another thing. You know what I mean? Like we say like, you know
The people that insist on doing it are probably not the people you want, right?
So then people like well I want to do it, but I don't want to insist
You see I'm saying it's like this catch-22 with people
Well, look, we need guys that are willing to step up and fill that position
You know either as pastors as preachers as servants in the local church
like there's a real need for people to
Serve God today and to and to and to reach people and to you know
Not just do the face-ripping but also ministering to the needs of other going out and doing what bringing a life
Back bringing life back to the dead raising people from the dead spiritually
But if we're gonna do that
We're gonna say I'm willing to take on that mantle just understand it
Begins and it ends with service because that is the very nature of administrative man of God. Let's go ahead and pray