The Agony of Victory 2

Pastor author and Bible teacher Alan Wright with the Lord says is, it never was about how much you do it's always been about what Jesus has done for you.

That's pastor excited for you to hear the teaching today. In the series. Free yourself yourself. I want to make sure you know how to get our special resource right now could be yours for your donation this month to Helen Wright ministries as you listen to today's message go deeper as we send you today's special offer.

Contact us at pastoralan.org or call 877-544-4860 that's 877-544-4860. More on that later in the program. Now let's get started with today's teaching here. Alan writing something that can feel really empty after you giving your all done your best, and even won the trophy on the other side of it. When you start feeling like maybe that wasn't enough. Nowhere is this pictured in the Scripture more poignantly than the story of one of the greatest greatest miracle worker's greatest men of faith in the Bible.

Elijah Elijah, if you want to follow it's in first Kings chapter 18 where we come to this incredible big confrontation between Elijah the prophet of God, the true God and all of these prophets of Baal and that this is a a a conflict for the ages because this is all about the conflict of the true God and the false gods. This is all about the idolatry of the people up against the true living God of the universe and we come to this in first Kings chapter 18 and to set the stage there been a growing conflict here between King Ahab and Elijah, and here's how this contest is going to be settled is going to come down to and a contest on Mount caramel and there they got together all these 450 prophets of Baal and then there's going to be Elijah and Elijah proposes a contest in which will each take an offering of a bowl and put it on the altar and then who's ever God comes down and consumes it with fire will say that's the true God of it what what a moment.

What a contest that exist just as this is the way we going to do this and that and so they say. Yeah. Okay.

We got 450 prophets of ball they all their all you know, pumped up with this and so they they offer their bowl onto the altar and this is where it really picks up reading in verse 26 where that the really the suspense built and they took this is first Kings 1826. They took the bull that was given them and they prepared it and called upon the name of Baal from morning until noon, saying Obama all answer us. But there was no voice and no one answered. And they limped around the altar that they had made. What a great live, limp and aircraft is calling on everything within them and noon Elijah mocked them. I'm not recommending this to pastors, but in this case Elijah had the authority to do so. So he mocked them and you wouldn't believe that this is in this is what he said in lessons right here in the Bible. This is what Elijah said noon Elijah mocked them and said cry aloud like her cry out shout louder, for he's a God see he's mocking like you know he is a God yeah call louder to him. That's all you need to do and this is what's really funny.

He says either he is musing or he is relieving himself Baal gone potty so maybe you just need to call out a little longer reset or maybe he's on a journey.

Or perhaps he's asleep and must be awakened me.

This is some of this is some old stuff here from Allied days and call out loud.

Or maybe he is just you know indisposed at the moment or proxies asleep and all you need to just call out loud, which by the way side point. What a picture of the folly of religion that says that I need to do something in order to move God. See, other than the Christian gospel. All religions are essentially in one way or another, saying I'm good. Make a sacrifice on their do something I'm good I'm good in some way earned or or or cause God to move on our behalf in the Christian gospel says precisely boss opposite that exactly the right time Christ died for the ungodly.

While we were still in our sin and what we say is exactly the opposite, and that is there's not one thing that you can do to add to or take away from the love of God in Jesus Christ. Your out of the picture. He's already set his love upon you, so this is a picture of paganism. This is a picture of all religion that stands in opposition to the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. So it says in verse 28. They cried aloud and they cut themselves but call out for three hours to minute noonish or maybe we just flagellating ourselves. He'll do something for us. There blood gushed out upon them in his midday past.

They raved on until the time of the offering of the oblation, but there was no voice. No one answered no one paid attention.

Then Elijah said all the people come near me and all the people came near to him and he repaired the altar of the Lord that have been thrown down. Elijah took 12 stones, according to the number of the tribes of the sons of Jacob in the word of the Lord came saying Israel shall be your name and with the stones, he built an altar in the name of the Lord, and he made a trench about the altar's graves would contain two seals of seed. Putting it describes how this debt and then this is the boldness of Elijah.

He says that Phil jarred four jars with water and pour it on the burnt offering on the wood they said do it a second time.

The distance to do it 1/3 time in the water ran around the altar and the trench around water so he is doused with water so nobody would be confused thinking that somehow a spark had it emerged in it called then go fark it was it was drenched with water in it at the time of the offering of the oblation, Elijah the prophet came near and said, oh Lord God of Abraham, Isaac and I and Israel, let it be known this day that you are God in Israel and then I'm your servant, and I've done all these things in your word.

Oh, answer me oh Lord answered me that this people may know that you will Lord your God, that you have turned their Pam turned their backs in the fire. The Lord fell and consumed the burnt offering in the wood and the stones of dust, and licked up the water that was in the trench when all the people saw it, they fell on their faces is 450 prophets of Baal. That event cried out, got lacerating themselves with their swords and they seasonally fall down their face and they say the Lord Yahweh, the Lord he is God, Yahweh, he is God.

And Elijah said sees them seized all the prophets of Baal and let none escape and meet this this is the coolest in the Bible. This story is about a man a God who's got so much faith so much confidence.

It is almost unbelievable.

This man Elijah. What a victory which makes it so surprising to come to chapter 19 and find out what happens in the next scene in the very next scene. Chapter 19 verse two Jezebel sent a messenger to Elijah, saying so may the gods do to me, and more also, if I do not make your life as a life of one of them.

By this time tomorrow.

Speaking of all the slain prophets, and you would just think that Elijah would just say in his heart who is this woman don't be scared. One woman right now because I just think God just destroyed 450 pagan prophets sent word back to her and said no go back home. Not worried about Jimmy something like that, but instead the text says Elijah was afraid and he arose and ran for his life and came to Beersheba, which belongs to Judah and left a servant there, but he himself wanted day's journey into the wilderness came sat down under broom tree and he asked that he might die saying it is enough now.

Oh Lord, take away my life from no better than my father's. He was depressed to the point of suicide is a strange thing but don't ever think that any measure of success is going to make you suddenly immune from the spiritual battle and don't ever think that you're ever going to reach a certain goal or milestone in your life where Shane won't try to find a place in your heart right will have more teaching moment from today's important series accepted perfectly free to be yourself with no fear of injection last no more anxious feeling that you feel like the pressure is always on right here and longing for life with no before sin came into the world's relationship since the fall of the human heart has been little racial camping trip soon. Condescend to be perfect in order to meet them as well. Right now it is pleasing Shane and there's only grace of God in Jesus Christ.

We cleaned for yourself yourself exposes the house of soul. He leads you into a revolution of God's love that heals here so discover freedom joy as you start performing space living here for good life-changing full-length book from Alan Wright for yourself. Gospel is shared when you get Alan Wright Ministries. This broadcast is only possible because of listener financial support.

When you get today. We will send you a special offer. We are happy to send this to you as our banks from Alan Wright Ministries, seven 877-544-4860 877-544-4861 come to our website past Rowan.work days teaching you once again is no better than my ancestors. They all failed and now I've failed you want to grab him by the shoulders and say, Elijah just sold God move in the amazing way what you talk about no is depressed for God is good because the second part of verse five says, behold, an angel touched him and said to him, arise and eat and looked, and behold, there was and is had a cake baked on hot stones and a jar of water and he ate and drank and laid down again. Angel Lord came again a second time and touched him and said, arise and eat for the journey is too great for you and he arose and ate and drank and went in the strength of that food 40 days and 40 nights to Horeb.

The amount of God and I'm touched by the touch by the ministry of this angel, and it makes me aware of just how much God wants to minister to you and to me when we are in the agony of defeat.

There is a ministry that he has in the first part of it is that he touched Elijah. I'll be sharing some personally in a later one of our video sessions.

Just about the touch of God in my life because you know we all have a testimony at all different. Nobody has the same story, but there is a big part of my story and almost everyone that I know has ever experienced real healing from God that would just be called the touch of the Holy Spirit. It might be John Wesley, who said that in a moment he felt like his heart had been strangely it might be someone like Elijah will experience in the next moments in the in the in this ensuing scene in his life where he heard a still small voice. It might be something dramatic that happens in which God just absolutely in Phillips you with his presence fills you with his Holy Spirit manifest himself in powerful and miraculous ways.

All of these and many other ways are all part of the touch of God but it is to say that God does not heal us and transform us merely by giving us principles to live on. He is actually real to us are mindful of the little girl that woke up in the middle of the night and she was having a bad dream. Her mother came in and talked her back in bed and said now remember, you're okay and here because God is always with you, and is the mother, was walking out the little girl said yeah but I want somebody with skin on God came skin on to be close to us in Jesus.

That is better I go away, because the Holy Spirit will come and be with you Angel came in just touched him.

You know, if you know somebody in your life and they really are in need may be the first and most important thing you could ever do is just be near them. Not a whole lot of words, just the ministry of being present and sometimes just the ministry of just taking someone's hand. Just the physical touch. I noticed that the angel touched him as part of the healing of Shane and then gave them nourishment sit here, take this and eat it, drink in a very real sense, he was physically depleted and and this was important that he be nourished, which also get a sense that it's almost like a picture of spiritual food. It's almost like something prefiguring or reminding us of communion.

It's like it's like taking into your body. The grace that is being offered to you take into your being here is nourishment real spiritual nourishment I was seeing here is for the anatomy or the unfolding of how we can be lifted up out of a place of real shame. The touch of God and then actively taking in the nourishment of the Lord, receiving the grace that the Lord has for us.

And then this is what I'm especially taken by his he said to Elijah, the angel said the journey is too great for you. What a thing to say to somebody journey is too great for you on the first glance you think will. That's not encouraging at all. I once heard of a seminary student who would go around telling everybody I will go far in the ministry will go far in the ministry and he tell it to other classmates and he tell it to the professors and he tell it to the administrators. I will go far in the ministry. I'm really far in the ministry and finally some student just confront him and said you know John listen you. You keep saying this all the time. I would go far in measuring the Foreign Ministry are you just boastful words you thought you got some kind a word from the Lord arrays that will know neither Natalie said is just what my professors told me said guys that you got a long way to go so ever since our little story of Lot is not a bad thing if you got a long way to go because that means you can go a long way from where you are right now. So when the angel said to him, get up and eat. Because this journey is too much for you. He was saying you have a great journey in front of you see the answer for Elijah at this moment, was to be reminded that your life wasn't about reaching up to this one. Pinnacle moment at Mount caramel. It wasn't about you building up to this moment, we suddenly defeat all the prophets of Baal.

And finally, God shows himself. It wasn't about all leading up to this is a journey is a wall and this this moment this high celebratory powerful miraculous moment was a great moment in your life but was just a moment.

You have got a journey right now that is greater than what you have previously imagined what Elijah doesn't know is if there's going to be one who's going to follow him. Elijah take off his mantle to put it onto Elisha and Elisha, if you count him up has twice as many miracles as Elijah doesn't know that there's a legacy that is good. Only he doesn't understand all that is to take place. Just like at this very moment you have no idea what God is going to do still in your life is a real sense in which the word of the Lord to you is, therefore, to not take spiritual nourishment experience the touch of God. But remember this, the journey is great that is in front of you. There is a journey that is great in front of you. So the thing that awakens us the thing that draws us out of our deepest depression is not. We somehow finished our race, but when we realize that there's more to run. There's more to do in Elijah. I think has an awakening himself because as I said it's in the next scene where he experiences that the voice of God comes not in all the thunderous noises and rushing wind, but it comes like a still small voice, almost like the Lord saying Elijah catch you by the hand. It was not about you defeating those profits is not about the great miracles is about a walk with me. Sometimes I wake up on Monday morning and is the hardest time or sometimes it didn't wait till Monday morning. Sometimes Easter Sunday night. By the time that you just pour yourself out in an ministry and see the hand of God and see on this one and then you wake up and the midst of ordinary life and ordinary bills to pay and problems that you confront and that's life and there's a temptation for us to hear a voice of shame that says see the problem is, no matter how much you do it will never be enough so you might as well give up what the Lord says is, it never was about how much you do it's always been about what Jesus has done for you, so don't build your life God saying on just trying to reach these Pinnacle moments when you feel like you've accomplished everything instead rest in the fact that you're on a journey God is keep walking with every step of the way Allen right today's teaching the agony of victory or conclusion to this particular teaching that the series will continue its for yourself for yourself and today will continue with pastor Alleman just a few moments with a parting good news thought so stick with this perfectly free to be yourself with no fear for Jackson rolled her eyes look front of you. I love you last no more anxious feeling that she feel like the pressure is always on your life with no show before sin came into the world's relationship since the fall of the human heart has been camped into the temple soon. Condescend to be perfect in order to meet us in some measure at them as well. Right now is pleasing shame and there's only grace of God in Jesus Christ. How we cleaned books for yourself yourself exposes the house of soul. He leads you into a revolution of God's love that heals your soul, discover freedom joy as you show performance-based living.

Shame and fear for good life-changing full-length book from Allen right for yourself.

The gospel is shared when you get Allen right ministries. This broadcast is only possible because of listener financial support. When you get today. We will sing a special offer. We are happy to send this to you as I banks from Allen right ministries, seven 877-544-4860 877-544-4861 come to our website pastor.org with pastor Alleman. The studio in our parting good news thought for the day. What's our take away things the word of the angel to the depressed prophet Elijah's time to get up and eat because the journey ahead is a great one is time to take nourishment. It's time to be filled again because there is a long way still to go that you're not finished in God's not finished with you and sometimes when you have reached the highest pinnacle you feel like, well, I've done all that I can do and yet, shame still lies close at hand. That moment God says no I'm not take you by the hand we've got more in front of us.

That's what hope does and may the God of all hope fill you and refresh you. So you can move on, under the leadership of the Holy Spirit. If you only caught part of today's teaching.

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