Participants: Jim Reinking
Series Code: LDS
Program Code: LDS000026
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00:34 Romans 5:8, this one I'm gonna share with you to begin with.
00:38 But it says "God demonstrates His own love toward us." 00:42 His own personal love towards you and towards me. 00:47 And as I share with you already it just, 00:50 it's just beyond my imagination 00:52 and understanding and comprehension 00:55 that God, the God of the universe, 00:57 the Creator of all that we can possibly see 01:00 or experience of life itself that, 01:03 that this little planets hanging somewhere out there 01:06 in the basses of space 01:07 and on that little planet way down there is you and me, 01:11 that God can take a personal interest in me. 01:15 That God could love me personally 01:19 and that He cares what's happening in my life. 01:22 By the way, He loves and cares about you too as well. 01:25 Isn't that something to think about? 01:28 You'll think God, 01:29 you know, so great and so powerful 01:31 He's got so many more and more important things 01:34 that He ought to be concerned about. 01:37 But I'll tell you when sin came into this world 01:40 this really began to show 01:42 the true character of God, didn't it? 01:44 But God acted, here it says "God demonstrated His own, 01:48 His own personal love toward us, 01:51 in that while we were yet sinners, 01:53 Christ died for us." 01:54 And my friend, that is so essential to understand 01:57 the depths of God's love. 01:59 Well, it says well, we were yet sinners, 02:00 Christ God loved us and He demonstrated it for us 02:04 at the Cross of the Calvary when Jesus died for us. 02:09 And my friend, there is power in that kind of love 02:13 when we began to comprehend it and as we experience it, 02:19 its life changing that love that God has for us. 02:24 And it's important to realize that God loves us as sinners. 02:29 It is not predicated upon our performance 02:33 yet there is as we come into this relationship 02:36 there comes this deep desire 02:38 to become more and more like Jesus. 02:43 In Ephesians 2:8, 9 02:47 I read "For by grace you have been saved through faith, 02:51 and that not of yourselves, 02:52 it is the gift of God, not as a result of works, 02:54 that no one should boast." 02:58 And so, my friend, I standing this morning with God 03:00 it's not depending on anything of ourselves, 03:03 it is not depended on who we are, 03:05 it is not depended on what we can do. 03:10 I thought to hear a name of that but anyway, 03:13 don't you fall asleep on me this morning 03:16 because I've got important subject for you. 03:18 And I'm going to share with you 03:19 two stories, one in the Old Testament 03:21 and one in the New Testament 03:23 that illustrates exactly what I'm getting at. 03:26 And I think the crucial issue is where is God 03:29 when we have just absolutely blown it, 03:32 when we have absolutely failed where is God? 03:36 Take your Bibles and turn with me to 1 Kings 19 03:39 it's the Old Testament page 272, 1 Kings 19. 03:45 I'm going to set up the background, 03:47 the context of this particular passage 03:50 and it's a story about Elijah the prophet. 03:53 And we know that Elijah was ministering 03:55 as we noted last night actually in the presentation. 03:57 He was ministering in a period of time 04:00 in which God's people had gone astray. 04:02 They had gone into apostasy, 04:04 they had embraced Baal the sun god 04:08 and they were hunting down the prophets 04:09 one by one to eliminate them. 04:12 They hated the messages that God was sending to them. 04:16 And Elijah was one of those prophets and the king was Ahab. 04:19 And you know, his queen was the wicked queen Jezebel. 04:23 And Ahab, you know, he just hated those prophets. 04:29 And yet Elijah was sent in by God to give him a message. 04:33 And boldly he went into the presence of the king, 04:34 it was unexpected. 04:36 And he told King Ahab because of the sin 04:38 of his house and of the people 04:41 that there was not going to be rain again except by his word. 04:45 And he was out of there. 04:47 And he went into seclusion just like God's people 04:50 who are going to be in seclusion at certain point says 04:53 "we realize that, 04:54 you know, we have a evil one 04:55 that's determined to take us down." 04:57 Just as much as Ahab and even more than Ahab 04:59 was determined to take Elijah that 05:01 how dare he come into my presence 05:05 and to give that kind of message. 05:08 It just, it was just so straddled, 05:10 you know, he was taken back and so Elijah got out of there 05:13 and for the next three and half years there 05:14 was no rain. 05:17 And then God said to Elijah the prophet go back, go back. 05:24 And so as he is heading back to his homeland, 05:28 guess who he comes across in the wilderness? 05:32 He is out there with his servants looking for water. 05:34 They are so desperate for water. 05:35 It was King Ahab. 05:37 And so you have in 1 Kings 18 this interchange 05:40 "you troubler of Israel?" 05:42 And Elijah came back "no it's not me 05:44 that is troubled Israel 05:45 but you and your father's house have troubled Israel. 05:48 And out of the doors of determination 05:50 there was going to be this meeting 05:52 on the top of Mount Carmel. 05:55 Okay, and there is Mount Carmel right there. 05:58 And all the house of Israel were invited. 06:01 So I understand a little bit more why it's kind of a, 06:03 you know, it's that the kind of mountain we think. 06:04 And there was, you know, 06:06 kind of flat plateau, high plateau. 06:08 And you can imagine the people of God that were there. 06:11 And their test was gonna be whichever God 06:14 answered with fire 06:16 consuming the sacrifice will be the God of Israel. 06:19 Now remember Baal was the god 06:21 that they were had now embraced, the sun god. 06:24 And you know the story, don't you? 06:26 By the hundreds they were there 06:28 these false prophets of Baal 06:30 and they were pleading long into the day 06:33 to the point of exhaustion asking god, 06:36 their god to bring fire down to consume the sacrifice. 06:40 It didn't happen. 06:42 Elijah was, you know-- 06:44 you're caught you must be in a faraway trap. 06:47 Maybe he is asleep, 06:48 maybe you need to just call out to him a little bit louder. 06:52 And then finally when they gave up an exhaustion 06:56 Elijah built that altar put that sacrifice on it, 07:00 drenched it with all of that water, 07:02 bails of water from the Mediterranean Sea. 07:05 And by the way the Mediterranean Sea 07:06 is just off to my left 07:08 when I took that picture so it's right on the coast. 07:11 And they drenched that sacrifice 07:13 and then Elijah prayed and God answered 07:18 and that sacrifice was consumed. 07:22 And then Elijah prayed again, they had cloud. 07:27 He didn't have to break to see the whole sky 07:29 built with those dark clouds. 07:31 He just saw a cloud over the Mediterranean Sea. 07:34 And he said to Ahab, you better get back to the city 07:36 because the rains are coming. 07:39 And you follow the story as the rains are just drenching, 07:43 rain is coming down, 07:44 Elijah is running before the chariot of Ahab 07:49 and leads him back to the city. 07:51 I'm gonna tell you if ever there was a mountain top experience 07:54 Elijah was in it. 07:59 I mean what a thrilling experience to see the victory 08:04 that God established for His name on behalf of His people. 08:10 But you know even prophets have their valley experiences 08:14 and that's what I'm interested in getting that. 08:15 I just want to give you the background of it. 08:17 So we pick it up here 08:19 in 1 Kings 19 and beginning with verse 1. 08:22 Where it says "Now Ahab told Jezebel 08:24 all that Elijah had done, 08:26 and how he had killed all the prophets with the sword. 08:29 Then Jezebel sent a messenger to Elijah, saying, 08:33 'So may the gods do to me and even more, 08:36 if I do not make your life as the life of one of them 08:38 by tomorrow about this time.'" 08:41 I mean, she hated this man, this man of God. 08:44 And when Elijah received this message 08:47 he knew the character of the woman 08:48 that he was dealing with. 08:51 Now just think of the past history of the prophet. 08:54 Just think what have happened the previous day, 08:57 how boldly with such assurance and confidence 09:01 he says "stood alone on the top of that mountain." 09:05 And the powerful things that came 09:06 and answered through the prayers that he lay before God. 09:11 What follows just simply is out of character for the man. 09:17 Because he doesn't act 09:19 in accordance with what we would expect 09:22 out of his past history for it says in verse 3 09:25 "And he was afraid fear gripped the heart of the prophet." 09:31 He knew this was no idol, 09:34 it was no idol threat but Jezebel was making fear. 09:40 I wonder what fears you and I may have this morning. 09:44 Fears about the economy, 09:46 fears about our jobs, our wealth there, 09:49 what's around the next corner, fear for family. 09:54 What fears are we dealing with? 09:57 The Elijah certainly had fear. 09:58 He was afraid the kind of fear. 10:01 Have you ever had the kind of fear 10:02 where you just wish you could get up and run? 10:07 I'm not gonna ask you rise your hand, 10:08 but have you had that kind of fear? 10:11 I'm going to be honest, I've had that kind of fear 10:13 where I wish I could just run 10:16 and get away as far as I possibly could. 10:21 But Elijah not only had that fear 10:24 and the desire to run, he did run. 10:28 It says "He was afraid and arose and ran for his life 10:33 and came to Beersheba, which belongs to Judah, 10:35 and left his servant there." 10:37 And as we follow this story, my friend, 10:39 let me tell you he is running deep into the wilderness, 10:42 deep into the desert as what we find. 10:47 And that's exactly what happens to us 10:50 when we give ourselves over to our fears. 10:52 We end up in very dry parched barren places in our lives. 10:59 Do you know it is possible to be sitting here 11:01 this Sabbath morning and to be on the run? 11:05 Do you know that's possible? 11:06 The haunt, the peroneus, the emptiness, 11:12 the sense of abandonment, 11:15 the sense of fear within our hearts. 11:21 You know, we put the mask on, 11:23 we dress up, we're here but inside 11:28 only you and maybe God knows 11:30 and we could be on that trip. 11:32 Verse 4 11:33 "But he himself went a day's journey into the wilderness." 11:36 And let me tell you 11:37 he was not taking the leisurely walk out 11:40 there into the wilderness, he was running. 11:42 I don't know what kind of, of course they-- 11:44 they didn't have a lot of transportation, 11:45 so they did a lot walking. 11:46 So he probably was pretty conditioned 11:49 and I imagine he was running. 11:51 He you could just imagine 11:52 that Jezebel was not that far behind him 11:55 with the determination to carry out her threat. 11:58 So I imagine he's out of breath by the end of the day, 12:01 this day's journey into the wilderness. 12:04 And he came and sat down under a juniper tree. 12:08 He's exhausted. 12:10 My friend, again when we give ourselves over to our fears 12:14 we're gonna end up in a state of exhaustion. 12:18 I wonder what he was thinking 12:19 as he was running out into the wilderness. 12:23 I imagine he was thinking about how God lead in the past. 12:26 I think he was thinking about how-- 12:27 it just was a day or two before 12:29 he was on top of that mountain 12:31 and the powerful thing that God had accomplished. 12:34 He was the instrument and what a privilege 12:36 to abundant instrument by which God 12:39 had acted in such a wonderful way for His people. 12:45 I imagine he was thinking to himself, 12:47 why, why am I out here, why did I do this? 12:51 And yet the fear was so real, 12:53 he could almost taste it was so real. 12:56 And yet thinking if only I stood my ground 13:00 and trusted God as a gun on every other occasion 13:04 the victory would have been completed 13:06 if I'd only stood my ground and then the sense of failure. 13:12 Don't you think he had these thoughts? 13:15 I failed God, when it really came down to it. 13:19 And that sense of condemnation that came with failure, a guilt. 13:27 I think that was all-- all a part of it 13:29 and on top of it physical exhaustion 13:32 and of course emotional exhaustion. 13:35 As he is out in the wilderness he found this little brush tree, 13:39 juniper tree barely would provide any kind of shade 13:43 from the oppressive sun, he is sitting there under it. 13:48 And it was on the same verse 4 and he requested for himself. 13:51 He is praying again "That he might die, and said, 13:56 'It is enough now, O Lord, take my life, 14:00 for I am not better than my fathers.'" 14:04 And so going through this whole range of emotion 14:06 that I imagine that he went through. 14:08 Fear and all the other things that we're talking about 14:10 now he ends up in a state of depression. 14:14 His thoughts are thoughts of suicide. 14:16 He's not worth it anymore, just how we're going on. 14:19 I just so totally failed. 14:21 Lord, just take my life just end it, 14:23 put me out of my misery. 14:27 And I hope nobody is there this morning 14:28 but if you are, my friend, there's hope. 14:32 And by the way I'm not gonna point out 14:33 because this looks so many, 14:34 placed so many centuries ago this is pre-prosaic days. 14:38 What did they do with depression back then? 14:41 Well, actually Elijah was probably doing 14:44 one of the best things he could have done. 14:45 The motivation was wrong. 14:46 He must be doing probably one of the best things 14:48 he could have done, he is out there running. 14:50 You know, getting those endorphins, 14:52 you know, falling through the system 14:54 but he wasn't doing much good at this point 14:56 because it's wishing to God that he could die. 15:00 And my friend, depression is an awful thing. 15:02 Some of us have fought it, 15:04 some of us are in the midst of it, 15:06 some of us have been in and out of it, 15:10 some of us possibly have been years in it. 15:15 And the question that I have 15:17 as we are looking at the story of Elijah 15:20 where is God in this picture, where is God? 15:24 And as I think about the possibility 15:26 some of us have been struggling too long. 15:30 I think the question we need to ask where is God, 15:33 where is God in this picture in my life, 15:37 in this experience I'm going through? 15:39 Does-- does it matter, does He really care? 15:44 But just tell me what the book says 15:46 but I want to know does He really care 15:50 or is He only there when things are going well, 15:52 and when they are not going well, 15:54 He just kind of disappears. 15:57 Don't you think that's a valid question? 16:00 You know the things that we believe 16:03 and the things that we teach I don't wanted to be just, 16:07 I just don't wanted to be good theology, 16:10 I want to know does this work. 16:14 Does this mean in my need, is this relevant? 16:18 'Cause it work in the nitty-gritty of life, 16:22 life as I'm experiencing it. 16:26 And my friend, if what we are preaching 16:28 and teaching and what is happening here 16:30 within these walls here in and near out 16:34 is not relevant to your life and my life, 16:38 why are we here? 16:42 Well, I think because many of us have concluded it is relevant. 16:46 But again I want to examine this in light of Prophet Elijah. 16:50 Verse 5 it says "He lay down and slept under a juniper tree." 16:53 Again he's just so exhausted. 16:55 Now here's the first clue about where God is in this picture. 17:00 Because it goes on to say "And behold, 17:02 there was an angel touching him, 17:06 and he said to him 'Arise, eat.'" 17:11 Where did that angel come from 17:14 and who sent that angel? 17:17 Who sent the angel? 17:19 God sent the angel which tells us what? 17:23 With the vastness of the universe, 17:25 with so many great concerns that God has before Him, 17:30 He yet noted what was happening to Elijah. 17:35 He was looking over him. 17:36 He saw the fear, He saw him running, 17:40 He was looking over him 17:41 as he was running into the wilderness, 17:43 He saw how exhausted he was, 17:45 He saw him in his despair. 17:51 And then it was that God acted. 17:54 He sent this messenger, this heavenly messenger. 17:57 And notice the first thing it says, 17:59 the first thing it says is that the angel touched him. 18:02 What is in the touch? 18:04 Touch just can be a very powerful thing-- 18:09 it can be. 18:10 Six, seven years ago I finished a series 18:12 in Newberg Oregon actually they're working ten men, 18:17 but having some back troubles, 18:18 but I've had back troubles through a lot of my adult years 18:22 and there is a reason for that. 18:25 Going back to a job I had after my high school years 18:29 that summer I was working at GSA, 18:31 shipping nonmilitary supplies to Vietnam 18:33 and I don't remember there ever teaching us 18:35 how to properly lift with all the lifting 18:37 we were doing day in and day out. 18:39 And I've been having some back troubles 18:41 and I was driving my Toyota 4Runner home, 18:47 six or seven hour trip, gotten out to gas up once 18:51 but when I got home I found out what pain was really about. 18:58 I could hardly get out of the vehicle. 19:01 I could not even stand up, 19:04 I was in excruciating pain. 19:07 It was that about L5, L6 19:09 somewhere in that range in my spine, 19:12 a disk had almost exploded I guess. 19:17 I probably should have gone to the emergency room 19:20 and I thought I was doing all the things I did before. 19:23 I was stretching, I trying to stretch it out 19:25 and I was trying to do all the things, 19:26 walk it out and yet I was in this disposition 19:30 and that was miserable, I couldn't stand up. 19:32 That was either more miserable, 19:33 couldn't lay down, that was awful. 19:35 And I went through this awful night, 19:37 finally got to my doctor's office. 19:39 He sent me over for an MRI 19:41 and eventually found myself in a surgeon's office. 19:45 And he's looking at the MRI and he said, 19:47 well, I don't think you'll need surgery 19:49 which was awfully nice to hear. 19:51 And he said, I think eventually 19:53 you will get back to where you could do lifting again. 19:56 I just have to deal with it from time to time, 19:58 but he said, we're going to get some injections. 20:02 Now I've lost my fear in needles a long time ago. 20:07 But they send me to Spokane Valley Hospital. 20:10 My best friend actually he was as anesthesiologist there 20:14 and I didn't realize an anesthesiologist 20:16 was going to be doing the injections 20:18 and I've asked for Bob but knowing Bob 20:21 he probably would have really stuck it to me. 20:24 And just as aside to him but anyway so here I'm in that gown. 20:27 You just feel so exposed in one of those hospital gowns, 20:30 don't you? 20:31 And they put, you know, 20:32 they did put these curtains around me 20:35 and they're getting ready. 20:36 I see them bring the needle out, 20:38 I see them draw that, its cortisone I think it was. 20:42 I knew what was, something that what was going to happen 20:45 and I was nervous because I've gone chance 20:48 but never in that place of my body. 20:50 And so I was asking questions. 20:52 You know, I verbalize a lot, 20:54 you know, and when I'm nervous 20:55 I verbalize even more that I do normally. 20:57 So I'm asking questions 20:59 and they are not responding to me. 21:02 You know, it's like I didn't exist 21:04 which made me even more nervous. 21:10 Finally the anesthesiologist said, 21:13 well, "There is going to be a little bit of discomfort." 21:16 At that point my heart just froze, 21:19 because I knew that was hospital speak for 21:22 that's gonna be a lot of pain. 21:26 And it wasn't hot, but I was sweating profusely. 21:29 My glasses steamed up literally, 21:31 my glasses were steamed up. 21:34 And they told me get into fetal position. 21:36 Oh man, fetal position. 21:39 Finally that nurse, she came over, 21:41 you know, I'm in the fetal position 21:43 and she put her hand right here on my thigh. 21:47 I want to tell you it relaxed me, it reassured me. 21:52 It was pretty powerful, and it's really what I needed. 21:55 That's what Elijah was going through 21:57 when the angel touched him. 21:59 Think about angel touching you. 22:02 And then notice, 22:04 you know a lot of words like I would do, arise eat. 22:07 What's the first that God did to meet Elijah and his need. 22:11 The first thing He did was to meet his most immediate need. 22:16 The man was exhausted, 22:18 he needed physical nourishment. 22:20 You know, how easy this to overlook the simple blessings 22:24 that God uses to minister to us in times of need. 22:27 Because if you are like me 22:29 when I'm down and out 22:30 I want God to act and I want Him to act now 22:33 and I want Him to be powerful. 22:38 But God sometimes is very subtle 22:41 in how He works in our lives. 22:42 You have noticed that, haven't you? 22:44 How subtle God is and nevertheless it can be 22:48 and is very powerful. 22:50 So that's what we're seeing here 22:51 as we're looking at 1 Kings 19 we move on. 22:54 Let's see, we read verse 6. 22:56 "Then he looked and behold, 22:57 there was at his head a bread cake." Cake. 23:02 God provided cake. 23:04 Probably about the German chocolate cake 23:05 I was talking about earlier this morning 23:07 but anyway "Bread cake baked on hot stones, 23:12 and a jar of water. 23:13 So he ate and drank and lay down again." 23:15 I mean, he was really exhausted. 23:17 Verse 7 "The angel of the Lord came again the second time." 23:20 And again we know who sent that angel 23:22 that second time go back, go back. 23:24 He's been sleeping, he's been resting, 23:27 but it's time for you to go back. 23:29 And again it says the angel 23:31 "Touched him and said, 'Arise, eat.'" 23:38 Again nourishment is being provided but more. 23:40 Now he began to get a little more sense of where 23:43 what's in the heart of God in this experience. 23:45 "Arise eat, because the journey, 23:49 the journey is too great for you." 23:54 What does it tell you what was in the heart of God? 23:59 Does He feel for us when we're tried, 24:05 when we're down, when we feel like we're out? 24:11 Does He care when we're discouraged, 24:16 we're distressed, depressed does it matter to God? 24:22 Oh, my friend, He feels. 24:25 We serve a God who feels. 24:30 He understands and comprehends far more than we realize. 24:34 Verse 8 "So he arose and ate and drank, 24:36 and went in the strength of that food 24:37 forty days and forty nights." 24:39 I tell you, man, he is going deep into the wilderness now. 24:44 Other motivations I think I started into be a play now 24:48 and talking about being strengthened forty days 24:51 after that water and those two meals that were provided. 24:55 Forty days and forty nights he's out in the wilderness, 24:58 he comes to Horeb, the mountain of God 24:59 that's just another name for Mount Sinai. 25:02 And, you know, I don't think he intended 25:04 to go to Mount Sinai to begin with, 25:06 but he found himself running in that general direction. 25:10 And I think, I know what he was thinking. 25:12 This is where God met with His people. 25:14 And I need God to meet with me, 25:16 I'm going to this place, this special place. 25:19 So he's on the run way out there verse 9 25:21 "Then he came there to a cave and lodged there, 25:24 and behold, the word of the Lord came to him, 25:26 and said to him, 25:28 'What are you doing here, Elijah, 25:30 and who sent you here?'" 25:34 You know, it's all and how you say it sometimes, isn't it? 25:39 He could have, you blew it, are you blew it, 25:44 what were you taking off. 25:46 You know, some people have that view of God. 25:50 That angry side of God, when it speaks of God's anger 25:53 it is never in regards to our failures, it is not. 25:58 We got to get that off our thinking. 26:01 No I don't think the way he said it at all, 26:03 it is not in keeping with what we've already seen about 26:05 where God was in this picture. 26:07 Now God is saying what are you doing here, Elijah? 26:10 Have you ever done something you just blown it 26:12 and you said to yourself those weary words 26:14 "what am I doing? What did I say that? 26:18 What was I thinking of?" 26:22 I'm gone through that. 26:25 "What are you doing here, Elijah?" 26:29 Notice the change in emotions in his heart. 26:35 "He said, 'I have been very zealous for the Lord, 26:38 the God of hosts for the sons of Israel 26:41 have forsaken Your covenant, torn down Your altars 26:44 and killed Your prophets with the sword. 26:46 And I alone" I alone "am left and they seek my life, 26:51 to take it away." 26:54 Now what would you describe that as? 26:58 The word is self-pity. 26:59 He's feeling down right side for himself, isn't he? 27:03 I mean, he's going through the whole range of it. 27:06 Nothing worse than self-pity, 27:08 it's a pitiable, pitiful state to be in 27:11 when you're just feeling so sorry for yourself. 27:14 But anyway God understands. 27:17 Now verse 11, this is what I'm going to. 27:19 We've set the story up. Where is God in this? 27:22 This is where we've seen indications of where God is. 27:25 This is where now God really reveals Himself to Elijah. 27:30 And I want you to notice first of all 27:31 how He does not reveal Himself to Elijah, 27:34 because that is made abundantly clear, 27:37 but I want you to notice how He does 27:39 if you're not looking for you could miss Him. 27:43 'Cause verse 11 says "So He said, Go forth.'" 27:46 This is God speaking. 27:47 "'Go forth and stand on the mountain 27:49 before the Lord.' 27:50 And behold, the Lord was passing by" 27:53 Just as He did with Moses on that mountain 27:55 many centuries ago. 27:57 "And a great and strong wind was rending the mountains 28:01 and breaking in pieces the rocks before the Lord." 28:05 I mean, this was a Katrina type of an experience. 28:09 "Breaking of rocks off to the mountains this wind, 28:12 but it says the Lord was not in the wind." 28:17 He wasn't in that powerful display you see. 28:20 And then it goes on to say 28:21 "And after the wind an earthquake." 28:23 That whole mountain begin to shake to and fro 28:25 just like hundred centuries ago 28:28 when God came down upon that mountain 28:30 before His people and yet again it says 28:35 "But the Lord was not in the earthquake." 28:39 "And after the earthquake a fire just like happen." 28:44 Read Exodus 19. 28:46 The rocks of the mountains on top of Mount Sinai 28:49 melted at the presence of God 28:52 as He came down that mountain again centuries ago. 28:55 And so there was a consuming fire 29:00 that was burning on that mountain. 29:01 But again it says "The Lord was not in the fire." 29:07 Like I said that you could almost miss Him 29:10 because here He comes. 29:12 And after the fire a sound of a gentle blowing 29:19 and gentle breeze. 29:24 Ever been down there in the desert absolutely dry, 29:32 the air absolutely still 110, 115 degrees Arizona, 29:41 Death Valley type of the experience. 29:45 Ever been in a suffocating kind of heat 29:48 and then the breeze began to pick up. 29:51 Remember how reviving and refreshing 29:55 that was when the gentle breeze began to blow. 30:00 My friend, that is Him, that is our God. 30:06 In a gentle blow and Elijah 30:08 no question about it recognized Him. 30:11 Where it says in verse 13 30:12 "When Elijah heard it" Notice how he responded. 30:15 First of all it says "He wrapped his face in his mantle." 30:17 He knew he was in the presence of the almighty. 30:22 We are powerful one in the presence of God. 30:24 "He wrapped his face in his mantle 30:27 and he went out and stood in the entrance of the cave." 30:31 And again it says "A voice came to him and said, 30:35 'What are you doing here, Elijah?'" 30:39 And God send him back. 30:43 That's what God did with the man 30:47 that went through the valley experience. 30:53 No thunder lightening, no displays of anger 30:59 and impatience, and irritability. 31:03 I mean, those are characteristics we have 31:05 when we relate to people that fail, don't we? 31:07 Some of us-- particularly 31:09 we have this critical and almost cruel spirit 31:12 when people don't quite measure up to our expectations 31:16 or what we think they ought to be. 31:19 Aren't you glad God is not that way 31:21 in His dealing with us? 31:23 Actually He dealt with Elijah 31:26 in such a gentle and compassionate way. 31:31 And this is the man that God took up 31:33 and translated to heaven without death. 31:41 Isn't that interesting? 31:42 Anyway, there's a lot to get out of this story. 31:47 And I just want to meditate 31:48 but I've got another story to get to. 31:50 It's in the New Testament its John 8 31:52 the New Testament page 78. 31:54 You're gonna remember this story for sure. 31:56 Page 78 John 8 and beginning with verse 3. 31:59 And we find in context Jesus is in Jerusalem, 32:03 He is specifically in the temple, 32:05 He is teaching as He often did 32:08 when He was in Jerusalem. 32:09 He is teaching in the temple 32:11 which was a direct threat to the established authorities 32:16 who govern the temple to the chief priest 32:18 and the Pharisees. 32:19 How dare He intrude our territory in this place? 32:26 You know, this was going on, don't you? 32:29 And so He is there, 32:30 He is teaching and He is healing 32:32 and so they decided to take some action to deal with Jesus. 32:37 And it was kind of subtle, 32:39 but they were setting Him up. 32:41 John 8 and beginning with verse 3. 32:44 Yes, it's this woman caught in adultery, 32:45 here it is this story the scribes-- 32:48 He is in the temple now when this happens. 32:52 "The scribes and the Pharisees 32:54 brought a woman caught in adultery" 32:57 caught in adultery " 33:00 and having set her in the center of the court." 33:05 They begin to make their accusations. 33:07 So I want you to get this scene. 33:11 Adultery, a ministry an occasion 33:14 you are called upon to minister to people 33:16 who are guilty sometimes of the sin, of adultery. 33:20 It is not an easy issue to deal with. 33:24 You got a marriage that is involved, 33:27 you have often family that is deeply involve. 33:30 There is a lot of statement 33:31 somebody as been guilty of adultery. 33:34 You have also the spiritual interest of the individual 33:37 when somebody is being guilty of adultery 33:39 to take in consideration. 33:40 And you also have then the, 33:42 you know, the welfare and the reputation 33:46 of the church to take. 33:47 And depending on how public all of its gets 33:49 and sometimes it seems get public. 33:51 I think several cases that got very public in my ministry 33:54 and boy, they are tough to deal with. 33:56 How do you deal with it? 33:58 And but never in my experience 34:01 have I ever caught somebody in the very act of it. 34:05 Have you Gale? Nor do I ever hope to. 34:09 Now sometimes, 34:10 you know, you wish to have there were cameras 34:11 or something to establish really what had happened. 34:14 You know, because there is all these stories 34:16 going around of what did or did not happen. 34:18 But this woman had-- just think of it. 34:21 Put yourself under the skin of this woman. 34:24 You are that woman and you are caught, 34:28 there are witnesses 34:30 that's why I know she was set up for this. 34:34 She was set up which says something about 34:36 the character of this woman, doesn't it? 34:38 That they thought they could set her up and she was. 34:41 And that, you know this was done in a place of seclusion surely. 34:46 It was done in place of seclusion, 34:48 but they're dragging her out 34:51 for the privacy of that place right into the, light. 34:55 You know the noon day sun we would say. 34:59 I can imagine her trying to cover herself. 35:03 And by the way have you ever asked yourself the question 35:07 what happened to the man. 35:10 They just let him go? 35:14 Now tell me actually does that bother anybody? 35:17 The woman, but the man, 35:18 you know nothing about the man. 35:21 Well, I think she was setup 35:22 and I think he was playing a part in this 35:24 that's what I think. 35:26 I don't have that in the Scripture here 35:28 but I think that's what was going on, it was a setup. 35:31 And so she is trying to cover herself. 35:32 She is being drag up by these Pharisees. 35:35 How would you like to be caught by a Pharisee 35:38 and you sinned and a pretty terrible sin like that? 35:42 And you know the Pharisees ought not to particularly 35:44 have been kind and gentle and understanding. 35:49 And so they take this woman 35:51 and they take her specifically to the temple 35:55 where Jesus is, they knew He was there. 35:59 How do you like to be drag up to the temple, to the church? 36:03 And there is a multitude of God's people there 36:05 because they were listening to Jesus 36:07 and He was healing them. 36:08 And you're being drag right 36:10 into the middle of that scene with the Pharisees. 36:16 Well, that's was happening. 36:18 I think if there ever was a time 36:19 I wish the ground would just open up and swallow me, 36:22 if I was that woman that's exactly 36:24 what I would-- the shame 36:27 of this been brought right out in the open. 36:32 And yes, yes and they come to Jesus. 36:34 Verse 4 "And they said to Him, 'Teacher, 36:36 this woman has been caught in adultery, in the very act.'" 36:39 As we've already noted. 36:41 And being good Pharisees 36:42 they go on to court from the law. 36:47 To the character, aren't they? 36:49 Verse 5 "Now in the Law," 36:52 these doctors of the law declare 36:56 "Moses commanded us to stone such woman." 37:03 Notice what the stand they said that to such woman. 37:07 "What then do you say?" 37:09 Boy, they were out there to hang Jesus. 37:16 But they asked the right question actually, didn't they? 37:19 And isn't that a question you'd like to know the answer. 37:22 I know you know the story, 37:23 but isn't that really a relevant question, 37:27 what do you say, Jesus. 37:29 When I blown it, when I'm guilty 37:31 I was caught red handed 37:32 there is no way I can excuse it, that witnesses. 37:37 What then do you say? 37:39 Well the first thing we take note of 37:40 is that Jesus said not a word. 37:43 Jesus was not gonna play their game. 37:47 And by the way, Jesus never plays the little games 37:50 that sometimes you and I get involved with. 37:53 He always seems through it, doesn't He? 37:56 We do these things. 37:57 And so sometimes, 37:59 you know, actions are more powerful than words. 38:02 What Jesus did was pretty powerful. 38:05 And I want you to notice the first thing 38:07 He did was to deal with her accusers with the-- 38:12 those Pharisees. 38:14 I think that's powerful. 38:16 Verse 6 "They were saying this, testing Him, 38:18 so that they might have grounds for accusing Him. 38:21 But Jesus stooped down and with His finger 38:23 wrote on the ground. 38:25 But when they persisted in asking Him, 38:27 He straightened up, and said to them, 38:29 'He who is without sin among you, 38:31 let him be the first to throw a stone at her.' 38:34 And again He stooped down and wrote on the ground. " 38:36 My friend, He read their hearts. 38:38 He knew the evil intensions that were there. 38:40 He knew every fault, every failure. 38:44 He could have just shouted it out, 38:46 "you hypocrites, you Pharisees 38:50 how dare you stand in judgment of this woman 38:52 when you have done this?" 38:54 He knew every chapter and verse of their lies 38:56 and He could have leaded out just like that. 39:01 And He knew the evil intension not only towards that woman, 39:03 but the evil intensions towards Him 39:05 and He could have done that. 39:08 But I want you take note to, 39:11 how Jesus dealt with the accusers. 39:13 He dealt with them effectively, 39:15 but He didn't deal with it as He could have 39:18 and He could have really deeply embarrassed them, right. 39:21 But what He did was enough, 39:22 that one by one they left, they got out of there. 39:26 They forgot all about what they were up 39:28 were going to do with. 39:29 But anyway, verse 9 "When they heard it, 39:32 they began to go out one by one, 39:33 beginning with the older ones, 39:35 and He was left alone, 39:36 and the woman, where she was, in the center of the court." 39:40 My friend, no better place to be 39:41 even with the multitudes gathered around when you failed 39:44 and when you sinned to be left there 39:47 in the presence of Jesus. 39:50 No better place. 39:52 Now He's ready to address the woman. 39:55 Let's take a look at that. 39:56 Verse 10 "Straightening up, 39:57 Jesus said to her, 'Woman, where are they? 40:01 Did no one condemn you?'" 40:04 Now can you imagine what she was feeling at this point? 40:07 What did she expect to happen? 40:10 She knew enough of the Mosaic Law to know 40:14 and it was just coded. 40:15 She expected that they would be picking up stones 40:18 and they were going to stone her to death there at the temple. 40:24 That's what she expected, right? Yes. 40:26 And when that did not happen 40:28 and when she realized 40:29 that her accusers those Pharisees were gone. 40:34 I can imagine, you know, the whole time 40:36 I think she was just looking down, 40:38 I think she just overwhelmed grief 40:42 and she just, you know, the whole range of, 40:45 the emotions of woman go through on that kind of a situation 40:49 and realize that they were gone. 40:52 And she said, "no one, Lord. 40:54 No one. No one." 41:01 I don't know about you, but that just kind of touches me. 41:06 "And she said, 'No one, Lord.' 41:09 And Jesus said, 'I do not condemn you, either. 41:13 Go. From now on sin no more.'" 41:18 Come on. 41:22 Why didn't He at least say to her young woman, 41:25 I hope you learned a lesson out of this 41:27 and that you never, never again 41:28 will put yourself in those kind of circumstances 41:31 or in that situation again. 41:33 Go, sin no more. So what was going on here? 41:38 Did Jesus condemn what she did? 41:41 No. So what's going on? What's going on? 41:48 Okay, well, He knew first of all what was going on in her heart 41:54 and He knows what's going on in your heart. 41:56 He knew that she stood there self condemned. 42:00 She was crushed, she was experiencing 42:04 the full weight of her guilt and it was open. 42:09 Jesus knew that if He did utter 42:13 those kind of harsh words judgmental, condemnatory words 42:18 He could crush hope out of her life. 42:21 And my friend, Jesus is not interested 42:24 in crushing hope in anyone's life. 42:28 Now it is true we must be aware of how deep 42:31 and complete our need is of Jesus 42:33 and that we are sinners. 42:35 And yes, the Holy Spirit will convict us of our sins. 42:38 I do not deny that, 42:40 but we must understand what the end point of it all is 42:43 and the end point of that all is is that we will be saved. 42:48 And He knows that at some point we must experience 42:52 and we must respond to the depths of His love. 42:57 For simply condemning somebody 42:59 for something they've done wrong and nothing more cures nothing. 43:06 It doesn't cure anything in your life 43:07 and my life and some of us 43:08 grown up in those kinds of homes. 43:10 Maybe we had a critical mother, a critical father 43:13 or maybe, you know, we went around 43:16 with a crowd that was constantly putting us down. 43:20 My friend, you put somebody down time 43:22 and time again, you can crush them. 43:26 And God is not interested in crushing any of us. 43:30 He desires for all of us to come to repentance 43:33 which means we come to knowledge of salvation. 43:38 And that comes out of an understanding 43:40 of the depths of His love 43:43 that's the focal point in the whole process. 43:45 Don't you ever forget it and if you do forget it 43:49 and you're going through tough times 43:52 the Lord help you to remember 43:57 that there is a God that loves you 44:00 in spite of whatever is going on. 44:03 And I want to share with you 44:05 what a powerful thing this was in the life of this woman. 44:08 I have one other passage I want to take you to 44:11 and it's over here in Luke 7, the New Testament page 51. 44:16 I am gonna end on this. 44:18 Another story that connects to this. 44:20 Luke 7, the New Testament page 51. 44:22 Luke 7 and beginning with verse 36. 44:25 The setting is in Bethany and Jesus has healed a Pharisee, 44:30 his name is Simon. 44:32 Simon throws a dinner party 44:34 to express his gratitude to Jesus 44:38 and this woman shows up. 44:40 By the way, who was this woman? 44:42 What was her name? Mary, the sister Martha. 44:48 They lived in Bethany. And actually they knew Simon. 44:52 There's actually more behind this 44:53 connection between Simon and Mary 44:55 than what we have here. 44:57 Desire of Ages would be an interesting background 45:00 take to look at but anyway here it is. 45:02 Luke 7 and beginning with verse 36. 45:04 "Now one of the Pharisees 45:06 was requesting Him to dine with him, 45:07 and He entered the Pharisee's house 45:09 and reclined at the table." 45:10 Isn't it wonderful to know that Jesus also would put His feet 45:14 under the table of the Pharisee and would associate 45:17 and would allow Himself to be entertained by a Pharisee? 45:22 So you know, we are hard on the Pharisees, 45:24 but don't you forget that God loves the Pharisee too. 45:29 You remember that? 45:30 And may be some of us kind of pharisaical attitude. 45:34 God loves you, God loves me completely and fully. 45:38 Verse 37 "And there was a woman in the city 45:41 who was a sinner." 45:42 She had the well established reputation. 45:45 It's the same woman. 45:46 "And when she learned that He was reclining 45:49 at the table in the Pharisee's house, 45:50 she brought an alabaster vial of perfume." 45:52 Again you know this part of the story. 45:55 Again we have to remind ourselves 45:56 however other culture of that period of time. 45:59 When men gathered together to share entertainment 46:04 and to eat together as was happening here 46:07 a woman was only allowed 46:09 to be present for the purpose of serving. 46:13 So for this woman 46:15 with the reputation she particular had 46:19 and she did, she sort it through it quietly, 46:22 but to interject herself 46:23 into that room, into that setting 46:25 as she did there were some powerful things 46:28 that were moving her to do so. 46:32 Now we know this took place at the end of Jesus ministry. 46:35 In a few days He was gonna be crucified. 46:38 And Jesus have been trying to prepare His disciples 46:40 for what was ahead. 46:41 He been telling them again and again, 46:43 He is gonna go to Jerusalem, this is what was gonna happen. 46:45 He was gonna be put to death, but they didn't want to hear it. 46:50 They were clinging to their, 46:51 you know, they were clinging to their own ideas. 46:53 But none of His disciples have 46:55 really picked up on this except Mary. 46:59 She had been listening. 47:01 She was listening clearly 47:02 to what was about to happen to Jesus. 47:04 And she was not going to let this come down 47:09 without her expressing the depths 47:11 of her devotion to Jesus. 47:14 I mean, she had been one of His closest followers 47:16 since, you know, she had been caught in adultery anyway, 47:21 but she took this opportunity. 47:23 You know, she was not gonna let it passed by. 47:25 So that's what was moving her. 47:27 And so there is this verse 38 47:29 "Standing behind Him at His feet." 47:33 She is in the presence of Jesus 47:35 all of this man and the Pharisee at the head of the table. 47:37 That's the scene that we see. 47:40 And she's standing there 47:42 and these deep emotions began to wallop within her heart. 47:46 She is remembering all that Jesus is done for her, 47:49 and all that Jesus has meant to her. 47:51 And the tears began to flow down her cheeks. 47:54 I mean, she just didn't get wet eyes, 47:57 she was crying and weeping, the tears were flowing. 48:07 "She began to wet His feet with her tears, 48:12 and kept wiping them with the hair of her head, 48:18 and kissing His feet 48:21 and anointing them with the perfume." 48:25 How she loved Him. How she loved Him. 48:32 How welled up in her sight of her. 48:37 It kind of takes your breath away, doesn't it? 48:40 What a precious moment. 48:46 I've always talking about how Jesus loves us, 48:49 but my friend, how much do we love Jesus? 48:53 We've talked about His gentleness 48:55 and His compassion, but how about our love for Him? 49:02 That's what we see here. 49:05 Now the Pharisee, oh, it just breaks 49:07 the whole thought doesn't it? 49:09 Now the Pharisee in verse 39 49:11 "Now when the Pharisee who had invited Him saw this." 49:14 He was taking this in. He was not moved by this at all. 49:17 "He said to himself, 'If this man were a prophet 49:19 He would know who and what sort of person this woman is 49:22 who is touching Him, that she is a sinner.'" 49:25 How can He let her do that? What a Pharisee. 49:30 I don't know why Jesus even healed Him. 49:33 That's a human side of me. 49:34 But anyway, so Jesus, Jesus took this all in. 49:39 And I want you to notice what He does with the Pharisee. 49:42 He tries to teach him something here 49:43 and He brings it out of him some of reluctantly, 49:45 but Jesus had the way of doing this with these stories. 49:48 And again I want you to know how He deals with him, 49:52 before again He turns her. 49:54 But anyway, verse 40 "And Jesus answered him, 49:57 'Simon, I have something to say to you.' 49:59 And he replied, 'Say it, Teacher.' 50:02 A moneylender had two debtors." 50:04 This is a simple story, but it was a real set up. 50:06 "A moneylender had two debtors one owed five hundred denarii, 50:09 and the other fifty. 50:10 When they were unable to repay, 50:12 he graciously forgave them both." 50:15 So here it comes the point. "So which of them." 50:19 It was inescapable. 50:21 "So which of them will love him more?" 50:25 Now even a Pharisee who gets that, 50:28 because there is only one way to answer that, right. 50:31 Jesus was very clever. 50:34 Verse 43 "Simon answered and said, 'I suppose.'" 50:37 Look at the reluctance, the reluctance. 50:41 "I suppose the one whom he forgave more." 50:44 And He said to him, "You have judged correctly." 50:48 Good for you. Maybe there is hope for you. 50:52 He didn't say that, but I'll say it. 50:54 Maybe there is hope of the Pharisee. 50:57 But He was making a point. 50:58 He was really trying to reach His heart. 51:00 Verse 44, now He turns to the woman, 51:02 and He draws a comparison between the Pharisee 51:06 who stood in such judgment of this woman 51:09 and the woman He draws this comparison. 51:11 And it's not a favorable one for the Pharisee. 51:14 "Turning toward the woman, He said to Simon, 51:16 'Do you see this woman? 51:17 I entered your house you gave Me no water for My feet, 51:22 but she has wet My feet with her tears 51:25 and wiped them with her hair." 51:27 I mean, this was simple hospitality in that culture. 51:30 And he somehow He'd overlooked it. 51:34 Verse 45 "You gave Me no kiss." 51:36 No kiss of welcome. 51:38 "But she, since the time I came in, 51:39 has not ceased to kiss My feet. 51:42 You did not anoint My feet My head with oil, 51:45 but she anointed My feet with perfume." 51:48 This was not a parable comparison. 51:50 The Pharisee came across as insensitive 51:55 and hard of hard of heart and the woman came across 51:59 as I hoped, I can come across as loving 52:05 and caring and responsive. 52:09 Is that the way you want to be? 52:11 I don't want to be a Pharisee, 52:14 I don't want that kind of hardness 52:15 and that judgmental spirit. 52:18 I want to have the Spirit of Jesus, 52:21 and that is the spirit of love. 52:27 Verse 47 "For this reason I say to you, 52:31 her sins, which are many." 52:35 Did he know her? 52:38 My friend, the question is does He know you? 52:42 Does He know me? 52:45 He does. 52:47 And we are sinners. 52:52 And our sins are many, 52:56 we don't like to talk about it but they are many. 53:00 Maybe not to say that she was guilty, 53:02 but maybe some. 53:04 "Her sins, which were many, have been forgiven." 53:09 Can you imagine what that did 53:10 but thrilled that went through Mary's heart. 53:12 She known and but here Jesus said again, 53:15 her sins which are many they have been forgiven. 53:18 It's passed. What a thrill. 53:22 What joy. What a thrill. 53:28 And then He shares with a Pharisee 53:31 why, you know, remember His time to the Pharisee here 53:35 for she loved much. 53:38 Why did she love? 53:39 Well, I have to go back to the story that Jesus shared, 53:41 because you have been forgiven so much, 53:44 because she loved much. 53:47 But He who is forgiven little loves little. 53:51 And then He said to her Mary, 53:54 your sins have been forgiven. 54:01 My friend, do you have that assurance this morning in Jesus? 54:05 Your sins have been forgiven 54:07 or have you been caring this load of guilt? 54:10 Have you been living with the past? 54:13 Are you the kind of individual just like a tape, 54:15 you just play over all these false, 54:17 all these failures in your mind and your heart, 54:19 Am I worthy? I am not deserving. 54:22 Yes, you are not worthy. You never will be worthy. 54:27 That's the other tape you got to play. 54:29 You never be deserving and that's the beauty of grace, 54:32 that's the beauty of divine love because worthiness 54:36 and being deserved is never the issue, never. 54:41 If it was, you and I would not be here 54:43 this Sabbath morning. 54:45 Would we? We would not be here. 54:51 Verse 49, "Those who were reclined at the table with Him 54:53 began to say to themselves, 54:55 'Who is this man who even forgives sins?' 54:58 And He said to the woman" 55:01 He said this with such deep love and compassion, 55:04 "Your faith, Mary, have saved you, go in peace." 55:11 Have you longed for peace in your life 55:16 and have never truly found it? 55:19 My friend, this is the place, 55:22 this is the dynamic that brings it 55:25 is when we realize what Jesus has done for us as sinners 55:30 and the depths of His love. 55:34 And it leads us-- it's the amazing, 55:37 in song Amazing Grace, it's the amazement, 55:41 it's the amazement that comes. 55:45 And that's why I began this whole revival series 55:48 way back four weeks ago by saying some of us 55:53 have being content to be cauterized 55:57 into the Adventist system. 55:58 We have grown contempt with the lifestyle 56:03 and in the process in time 56:04 we have lost the first love experience 56:09 that it is our privilege to experience here. 56:12 And now 50-years ago you may have accepted Jesus, 56:16 my friend, you and I can be 56:18 in that first love experience in the year and now. 56:23 And my friends, that is what gives us 56:24 deep meaning to what we do here. 56:26 It gives meaning to the songs that we sing. 56:28 It gives meaning to the prayers that we pray. 56:30 It gives meaning to the offerings that we give. 56:32 It gives meaning to the word that is preached. 56:35 It gives meaning to the fellowship 56:36 that we are share in. 56:39 It's the depths of that love 56:42 and to be satisfied with anything less than 56:45 that first love experience my friend, 56:48 it's to be satisfied with crumbs from banquet table of His love. 56:54 And how many of us are needing the crumbs 56:57 when we would be banqueting? 57:00 And how the joy, 57:02 oh, my friend, first love brings joy, 57:06 it brings peace, it brings meaning. 57:11 Such as many of-- 57:12 maybe some of us had not have for a very long time. 57:15 Oh, I know God loves me, I know He died for me 57:17 and we've been but my friend, this got to be real. |
Revised 2014-12-17