To first Kings chapter 19. This this morning is really continuation of last Sunday morning's message. We cover the first half of chapter 19 or first several verses, seven or eight. We'll cover down cover down through verse 18. Today, in chapter 18, we saw Elijah the courageous.

Boy, was he courageous? He he stepped right up to Ahab on more than one occasion. He told Ahab to his face. It wasn't going to rain for until he said so again. Of course, he's taking his cues from God.

Came back to Ahab at the end of three and a half years and said, I challenge the prophets of Baal to a duel on Mount Carmel and whichever God answers with fire, let him be God. Ahab agreed and of course, God answered the true and living God answered with fire and the God of male worshipers, the pagans did not answer because he is no god at all. Then God brought the rain. Elijah, so excited, sprinted out in front of Ahab's chariot and ran with him all the way to the Palace Of Jezreel. Victory parade and then what happened?

Well, when he got to the palace there, a messenger came out to meet him and he came with a stern warning. He said, Jezebel says this, she's the queen. The Sidonian princess that married Ahab, whose father was a priest to Baal and Sidon, the one who brought Baal worship at large to Israel. She had decreed that Elijah would be dead within a day. Like those he had killed of her prophets earlier in the day.

She swore on her own life that she would see the end of Elijah within twenty four hours. The courageous, brazen Elijah, who had just led the parade to the palace in Jezreel, tucked his tail, and ran away. There are many things that can destroy the joy and power and effectiveness of God's children in our service for the Lord. Among those are fear and self pity. We see that in Elijah in chapter 19 and we see that a lot around us in the world in which we live today.

With COVID on our minds, fear of getting the virus or loved ones catching it, Self pity over the difficult circumstances that have been foisted upon us. We see a lot of that. Fear and self pity. With the threat of impending doom and semi lockdowns, depression is up, drinking is up, suicide is up. Sadly, revival doesn't seem to be up.

Our world that desperately needs Christ is looking to the church and God's people for a better answer. Then, government can give them. For a better answer than liquor can give them. For a better answer than suicide can give them. The people of the world are looking to God's people for a better answer.

Instead, they're often seen much of the same fear and pity in God's children that they are experiencing in their own life. First Timothy one seven and eight says this, as Paul writes Timothy to encourage him in the task that is before him. For God has not given us the spirit of fear but of power and of love and of a sound mind. Be not thou therefore ashamed of the testimony of our Lord nor of me his prisoner but be thou partaker of the afflictions of the gospel according to the power of God. Paul writes Timothy and says, Timothy, doesn't say Timothy, you're never going to face any headwinds.

You're never going to face persecution. You're never going to face those who are resistant to the message that you have to give. No, you're going to face all of that. But don't let fear, fear of man, fear of circumstances, fear of this world, fear of physical harm, overwhelm you and take control. For God has not given us the spirit of fear but of power and of love and of a sound mind.

And Paul would tell us the same thing today. And God does. Let's go to the Lord in prayer once more before we finish. Lord, we thank you. Today, for your word and for the challenge from your word as you challenged Timothy long ago That you have not given us a spirit of fear but of power and of love and of a sound mind.

As we look at Elijah and what he went through, Lord, I pray as you lifted him up from this and refocused his eyes on what was before him. And empowered him once again. I pray that you would do the same for your children today. Lord, if we need revival, bring it. If we need to rededicate ourselves to the service of our king, if we need to confess our failure and allowing fear and self pity to overwhelm us, Lord and distract us from the goals that are before us.

Lord, I pray that you would do a mighty work, that you would draw all to yourself, and if there be one here today that's never trusted you as Lord and savior, then most importantly, they would come in humility and faith to receive you today as Lord and savior of their life. For in Jesus name, we do pray. Amen. No child of God should ever be overwhelmed with fear or depression or reach the point of despair yet some do. Including the likes of Jeremiah.

And Jonah. And Elijah. Last week, I asked the question, what can we learn from the failures of these men? As well as their successes. Their failures and struggles were recorded as we observed for our admonition.

That is for our learning today. There is something to be learned. From the depression of Elijah. And from the revival that God did in his life. Something we can learn.

We can begin by looking at the cause of Elijah's depression last week. How did he come to be in such a condition? We learned that when we come to think, we are strong. That we have succeeded, that we can let down our guard. That we are most vulnerable.

To Satan's attacks. To such things as being overwhelmed by fear and depression, and despair. When we think we are invincible, is when we find out that we are most vulnerable. We are not invincible. Our God is but we're not.

I can do all things through Christ through Christ, through Christ who strengtheneth me. Now, I didn't stutter there, okay? I'm making an emphasis through what? Through Christ, which strengtheneth me. When sometimes things seem to be going well, when we've just come over a big mountain top, it's easy to let down our guard.

And in a matter of moments, Elijah went from the thrill of victory to the agony of defeat. Any of you old enough to remember wide world of ABC's wide world of sports? There's a man coming down a ski jump and just at that in their introduction to their sports program, they would say the thrill of victory and right about that time, he slipped off the edge of the ramp and went tumbling head over heels and the agony of defeat. And so we see Elijah here. He's coming down the the ski jump.

He's about to go soaring and there he goes. Off the side. You ever felt like Elijah? Probably have somewhere along the line. He defeated and slew the enemies of God, led the victory parade, as the rain poured down, but upon hearing the words of Jezebel, these words, so let the gods do to me and more also if I make not thy life as the life of one of them by tomorrow, about this time.

Those words hit him so hard that he took his eyes off of who? He took his eyes off of the Lord. Like Peter walking on the water. And Peter began to sink and so Elijah began to sink not in waves of water but in waves of fear and self pity and so he ran and he ran and he ran until he couldn't run anymore. Sat down underneath of a small scrubby tree in the desert.

And there he called on God to take his miserable life for he had been a failure. No better than his fathers is how he put it. He let the circumstances get the best of him and he let his motions overwhelm him. He was that red arrow at the top is Jezreel. That's in Galilee.

That's where he started running and he didn't quit running till he got down here South of Beersheba. If you can see it, that's the arrow at the bottom down in the desert down below Israel, down in Southern Judah. He had ran out of Israel altogether but he didn't stop running when he got out of the borders of Israel. He kept running south through Judah around past the the the most southern city into the middle of nowhere and then there he sat down under a tree that looks something like this. And he said to God, take my life, take my life.

I'm a failure. I can't do anything. I'm worthless. No better than my fathers. And then he passed out Not only did he let his spiritual guard down but he had no doubt spent himself in the process and was easy pickings for fear and depression.

But he was also in a good place in a way for God's assistance. You see, as Paul said, it's when we are weak that he is what? That he is strong. Sometimes, God has to bring us down, bring us to reality that he might lift us what? It's called humbling us.

And so, God humbled Elijah as Elijah ran but God wasn't done with him In the end, Elijah would come out the other side stronger, not weaker After God works on us, the same can be true of us. Count it all joy when you fall into diverse temptations knowing this that the trying of your faith worketh patience but let patience ever perfect work that you may be perfect and entire, complete, wanting, or lacking nothing. James chapter one. Sometimes, the process may be painful. But if you stick with God he will bring you through.

God did not strike him dead as he requested, did he? He did not rebuke him sharply as he deserved. Now, what did God do? God sent an angel with food and water. And he tapped him on the shoulder and he said, eat and he ate, went back to sleep, woke him back up.

God said, eat again. The journey is long before us. You better, you gotta need to eat. So, he did. Our gracious and merciful God, isn't in heaven waiting to come down on us.

We fail. No. He's up in heaven. The Bible says he's tempted in all points like as we are yet without sin. He is a god of compassion and mercy and grace and love.

He wants to teach us and yes, sometimes we have to go through the valley to get up to the mountain on the other side. But he's a gracious God and a kind God and he wants the best for us, not the worst. So, he didn't strike Elijah dead. He didn't rebuke him sharply. He just comforted him and indeed, Jesus is the God of all what?

The God of all comfort. And if you know the Lord Jesus, he sent you a comforter that's with you. The holy spirit. I want us to see in verse eight today how God sustained Elijah for the forty days in front of him. Look if you would in verse eight and he arose and did eat and drink and went in the strength of that meat forty days and forty nights under Horeb, the Mount Of God.

God sustained Elijah through his time of trial. He didn't immediately rip him out, did he? He didn't say, oh, no, here we go. Magically, alright. Over here, back to the land.

No. Elijah needed to go what? Through the trial and sometimes we need to go through the trial. Temptations pray. Lord, take me out.

Take me out of the trial. Well, that's essentially what Elijah's saying when he says, take my life. I want out. God says, no, you're not getting out. Going through.

It's going to be better on the other side. So, he sustained him through that time as he sustains us through our trials. God doesn't wasn't done with him yet. Elijah found his way. I believe in God's direction and clearly by God's grace and strength over the next forty days to the Mount Of God, a special place for Israel.

There it is. The beautiful mountain of Mount Horeb or Mount Sinai. Is it also is called? Isn't it gorgeous? All that lovely vegetation and It's just a big jagged rock in the middle of the what?

In the desert. But it was a very special place. For God and Israel. At this case, Elijah. The place where God had met, a broken and humbled shepherd who was once a powerful prince.

To call him to be the leader of Israel and servant of the Lord. That would be Moses. The place where he met again with Moses after they came out of the land to strengthen him a second time, to make a nation out of a million freed slaves to give Israel a covenant and a land by his might and his power. At this rock here in the desert, God made Israel a nation. And he made a covenant with them.

To give them the land, to bless them as long as they stayed faithful to him. Now, it will be the place of God's reformation of a broken and worn out prophet who by God's grace is not finished yet. Don't be too quick to think God is done with you either. Especially after a failure in your life, Trust God, let him mend his broken servant and make of you a more useful and beautiful vessel. For he is able.

There are too many Christians today that are sitting back on their haunches and not doing anything. They are discouraged. They have decided, well, I failed. God is done with me. If you're here, God is not what?

He is not done with you. He has a job for you, a task for you, a ministry for you. He is not done with you yet. He will mend you. He will fix you.

He will encourage you. He will sustain you. He will revive you and he is able to use you mightily. I am. There's a song and my pianist went to children's church.

So, I'll have to sing it acapella. So, bear with me. But it's entitled The Steps of a Good Man It echoes two verses out of Psalms. Says, the steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord and he delighted in his way. Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down.

For the Lord upholdeth him. With his hand. The song goes like this. Though dark be the night and long be the day. Lord make me follow in thy perfect way though cometh sorrow though great be my pain Lord make me serve thee come sunshine or rain the steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord and he delighteth in his way though he fall he shall not be utterly cast down for the Lord for the Lord for the Lord upholdeth him with his oh thou art almighty I am so small Lord make me trust thee whatever befall thou art all holy you make no mistake Lord make me Christ like whatever it takes the steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord and he delighteth in his way though he fall he shall not be utterly cast down for the Lord for the Lord for the Lord upholdeth him with his That's what the Lord did for Elijah.

He upheld him with his what? He guided it with his hand. He sustained him with his hand. To this rock forty days it took him to get there. Forty days of testing and trial to purge a lie of the dross, the impurities in his life, and remake him anew.

Forty days and nights, it rained upon the earth and God washed the planet clean while he sustained Noah and his family in the ark. Forty years, he took to humble and remake Moses in the desert before God met God. God met Moses met God again at Mount Horeb in the in the bush. Forty years he took to raise up a believing generation to enter the land of Canaan after the first generation said no. Forty days, God tested Jesus in the Desert Of Judea before he began his earthly ministry.

There's something about the number what? In scripture when it comes to trials and tests. Now, God may not take forty days or forty years with you to renew you, to test you. He may not take you to Mount Horeb to do it, probably won't. But he can get your attention and he desires to revive you spiritually.

Be assured, he desires to revive and help you and he will. If we will do what? If we will humble ourselves. Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God that he may exalt you in due time. We can humble ourselves or we can be what?

Or we can be humbled by God. But as when we are in a place of humility that God can do his work. That God can do his work and he will. He will. That brings us to the second point.

God not only sustained him but at Mount Horeb, God rebuked him, reassured him, and recommissioned him. He came to rest finally in a cave on this rock special place where God brought him a quiet place, a place away from all other places, a place where only God could sustain him, a place where he could listen to God, a rugged place where God could remake him. Sometimes, God has to take us to a special place for us to listen and grow. A special place in our our mind, our heart, and our life. Maybe a special place in your house.

He took Moses to the backside of the desert for forty years. He took Elijah to Horeb for forty days. He led Paul to the Arabian Desert to reveal himself and teach him there. In Isaiah 4,610, it says, be still and know that I am God. Be still in your prayer closet or in your garden.

I come to the garden alone. Your place of solitude. We all need one of those places to spend time with God each day. And if we don't, he may take us to a place not of our choosing. Wasn't but a few years ago that I spent almost a month laying on my back in a bed when I herniated a disc in my back and couldn't hardly walk.

Sometimes, God has to put us in our bed on our back to get our attention to get us to refocus, spend time with him. That's what Horeb was all about. It was a place for Elijah to be alone with who? To be alone with God. Is there a place where you are alone with God each day?

Is there a time that you are alone with God each day? If not, there needs to be. There needs to be. Three times a day, David, three times a day, Daniel. Left whatever he was doing, went to his house, got in his quiet place, got on his knees, and prayed to the God of heaven.

And look what God did in Daniel's life. God can do the same for you. No, he may not make you the counselor to the king or the president but he can bless you in ways you can't imagine If we will be still and know that he is God, we will find time to get along with him. A place we can commune with God. Let him examine our hearts and our thoughts as David said, search me, oh God, and know my heart.

Try me and know my thoughts. See if there be any wicked way in me and lead me in the way everlasting. That's what Horeb was, a quiet place. We all need a quiet place to spend with God. A place where we can be rejuvenated by him.

Secondly, he spoke to Elijah and asked him, what are you doing here? Look if you would in verse 10. He said, well, at the end of verse nine, he said, what doest thou here, Elijah? Verse 10, Elijah said, I have been very jealous for the Lord God of hosts, for the children of Israel, forsaken thy covenant, thrown for the children of Israel who have forsaken thy covenant, throw down thine altars, and slain thy prophets with the sword, and I, even I only am left, and they seek my life to take it away. Look, if you would at verse 14, again, he said, I have been very jealous for the Lord God of host because the children of Israel have forsaken thy covenant, thrown down thine altars, and slain thy prophets with the sword and I even I only am left and they seek my life to take it away.

God at last Elijah, what are you doing here? As though God didn't know, did God know? God knew. God knew what he was doing there. It wasn't for God's information.

It was from Elijah's benefit that God asked him to answer the question. He needed Elijah to hear who? Himself. And his self pity. Elijah said, I've been loyal to you.

Israel's abandoned you. They replaced your altars with pagan ones. They've rejected and slain your messengers and I'm the only one left. That tells me Elijah's eyes weren't on who? God, it was on others.

He was looking for others. To reinforce his faith and his his joy. If you're looking for others to reinforce that, you're looking in the wrong one. Wrong place. We need to be looking to God.

Jesus is our joy. Jesus is our peace. Jesus is our security. Jesus is our strength. Others will fail us but not he, not he.

He will never fail us. And like Elijah, we need to confess to God if we've got our eyes off the Lord and looking in the wrong place. God wants to hear. He wants to hear from you not only your faults, your frustrations, your concerns as well. He tells us to speak to him, to ask him, petition him to come boldly before his throne of grace and he will what?

He'll hear us. He will hear us. Did he hear Elijah? He did. He he he suffered along with Elijah here.

He was patient. Elijah really didn't have a reason to be where he was but in his mind, he did. We really do not have a reason to be overcome with fear and depression and self pity but sometimes we are. God's willing to listen if we're willing to humble ourselves before him. Once God had requested the reason for Elijah's depression, he shook the ground.

He blew the rocks off the side of the mountain with a great wind and a fire burned through the valley but God was not in the earthquake or the wind or the fire. It was after those things that God spoke to him in a while. A still, small voice. God knew exactly what Elijah needed. You know, sometimes other people think they know what you need and they're wrong, aren't they?

Sometimes, we think we know what others need and we're wrong but God's never wrong. He knows exactly what you need. He knows exactly what I need. God, Elijah didn't need the hammered coming down on him. He needed just to hear the what?

The still small voice of a loving God. A voice of comfort and yet rebuke. A voice of mercy and reassurance. Elijah, you're not the only one. There are what?

7,000 that haven't bowed the knee to Baal. Get off your self pity train. And now go. Near the end of the passage, He says here verse for 15, the Lord said unto him, go return on thy way to the wilderness of Damascus. When thou comest to Hazael, when thou comest anoint Hazael to be king over Syria, Jehu, the son of Nimshi, shalt thou anoint to be king over Israel.

Elisha, the son of Shaphat, of Abel Meholah, shalt thou anoint to be prophet in thy room or in thy place and it shall come to pass that him that escape at the sword of Hazael shall Jehu slay. Him that escapeth from the sword of Jehu shall Elisha slay. Yet, I have left me 7,000 in Israel, all the knees of which have not bowed unto Baal, every mouth which had not kissed him. So, Elijah, get back up and let's get going. This isn't the end of the road.

The journey is ahead, the jobs ahead, let's get up, let's get going. It's not as bad as you think and my my friend, it's not as bad as you think. We serve a good God. We serve an almighty God. Yes, we failed.

Yes, he is a god of mercy and grace and forgiveness. Yes, he may have to take you through the valley to get you there but hang on. You will come out the what? The other side. Just trust him.

God didn't need or expect Elijah to change hearts or vanquish his enemies. God can take care of himself. He just needed Elijah to be his messenger. Same is true of you and me. Just be faithful.

God will take care of the rest. Go into all the world and preach the gospel. Be witnesses for Christ at home in Jerusalem, in the state and country, in Judea, in Samaria, and then out to the uttermost part of the world. Be salt and light and don't be discouraged for in due season, we shall reap if we faint not and be encouraged. Fear thou not, God says, for I am with thee.

Be not dismayed for I am thy God. I will strengthen thee. Yea, I will help thee. Yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness. He says the same thing to us that he said to Elijah, Elijah.

And what was Elijah's response? Verse 19, just one phrase, so he what? He departed. What Elijah do? In the strength of his God, he got back up and he went back north and he went back to what God had called him to do now.

Revived, refreshed, and rededicated. How about you? Do you need to be revived, refreshed, and rededicated? You can be. If you will humble yourself under the mighty hand of God, he will what?

He will lift you up. If you will trust him, he will guide you. He will sustain you. He will strengthen you. You can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth you.

God will never leave you. God is in control. God also knows your inward struggle and he's not through with you. Yet. Trust in him.

Get back up. The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord. He delighted in his way. Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down. The Lord upholdeth him with his hand.

Maybe you're here today and you need to rededicate yourself. To what God has for you. And as we sing a hymn of invitation a moment, I would just ask you, I plead with you walk this aisle and get on your knees before God appear or bow your head in prayer there. But if Lord has touched your heart and said, this is for you would you take the moment to talk to him? To rededicate yourself, to trust him, to do mighty things in you.

Let's pray. Dear heavenly father, thank you Lord for this day. For all that you've done for us, for the promises of your word, for the example of Elijah. Lord, I pray you do the same in our life that you did in him and Lord, you can. And Lord, I pray that you will.

Lord, if we must go through a trial first, Lord, help us sustain us. Lord, I pray today if we see and we hear your message that we would respond. Lord, if there's one or two or three or four here, Lord, that you've spoken to today, I pray that they would they would deal with you today. They don't have to sing this sing this hymn of invitation. They can bow their head in prayer.

They can come up here and pray. Lord, I can pray with them if they want but Lord, I pray that we would rededicate ourselves. And trust that you can do mighty things in us still. Lord, give us the spirit of power and of mind, of of love, and of power, and of a sound mind. And take away that fear.

Lord, help us to stand up in your strength and go forth in your power. In Jesus name, we pray. Amen.