Elijah Calls Down Fire [Part 2]

Alan White, pastor, Bible teacher and author of his latest book, the power to bless the Bible does it were morally neutral or certainly morally good at it.

Every single person is self-centered and though there might be in your mind of scale. Some people are better than other people. God doesn't see it on a scale like that. He's perfect and we send Alan Wright welcome to another message of good news that will help you see your life. Hold I'm Daniel Britt excited for you to hear the teaching today. In the series miracle me has presented at renewal. The church in North Carolina are not able to stay with us throughout the entire program I'd like to make sure you know how to get our special resource right now. They can be yours for your donation this month to Alan Wright Ministries as you listen to today's message go deeper as we send you today's special offer. Contact Pastor Alan.org that's Pastor Alan.org or call 877-544-4860 that's 877-544-4860. More on this later in the program but now let's get started with today's teaching years Alan Wright person nine is that he came to a cave and lodged and and will hold the word of the Lord came to him and he said to him what you doing here, Elijah. You need always pay attention when an omniscient being asked you a question that God knows everything. So if he asks Elijah a question is not because God needs information, it's because Elijah needs transformation is interesting within the Jewish culture, especially amongst the rabbis is a common practice to answer a question with a question. Once a student came to his rabbi and said Rabbi why is it that whenever I asked you a question you just answer with a question in the rabbis that so what's around the question. You know Jesus did this, he he often did this am I going to say something like good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life and instead of immediately answering is a whiny, good because he's a good answer question and it it makes you think, which enabled you to grow. Sometimes our children, they might have an assignment to write an essay or something in.

And since I'm sort of the writer and the family that might come to me and said I can't think of anything like this as ionic. What should I do it on. Well, you know, I can think of five good ideas right then, but just saying here's what is right on here. Let me give you an outline that doesn't help child is I will what are you interested in all regarding this era of history. What makes you curious what causes you to pause what disturbs you about this subject that you would've the thing that surprises you. This is how you're going to discover what you should write about another would you you want to answer question because you want them to be able to grow so that part of this is it that God wants him to grow and I think the second part of it. As he asked the question because God cares in office sometime if you take time to listen and you didn't answer my question and just listen. You might give them the most precious gift that they've ever had. Just a caring friends of mine is God becomes Elijah's therapist, at least for a few moments, Elijah.

What are you doing here tell me what's going on with you Elijah on listening and even though Elijah's words are not accurate and his feelings are not really grounded in truth there still feelings and that something we try to remind ourselves in our home visit, feelings, or feelings and therefore their valid. If you want to tell someone how you're feeling. When I went immediately seek to disqualify that, but sometimes what we need to do is just listen and if you could listen before you try to fix somebody might really help them and you know God does that. This is a question that I think there really is a question that is designed to help Elijah to admit his aimlessness at this point in his life because the question what are you doing here is in the first place is a Elijah what you doing what you doing well on this here in this cave talk a new God planning what you what you'd what you doing well. I won this great battle at Mount caramel is amazing. I showed up there God that was awesome and then you know I did get discouraged. But now, all along journey 40 day journey and I can't come here to drown her.

I know I know all that legible.

What you what you doing in this season of your life. Maybe eventually I did kind of admit doing so well. I'm not really doing anything right now I don't know what to do. Getting in touch with his aimlessness and he's not using what you do anything we doing here. You always assumed Elijah went to Mount Horeb which is probably the same place as Mount Sinai where Moses got the 10 Commandments always assumed Elijah went there because God and told him to, but the more I study this tax.

The more I realize that that's not really the case.

Elijah, when God says what you doing here, Elijah doesn't say what you told me to come here and and furthermore it is I began to study. It is as he traveled 40 days and 40 nights, which could be a figure of speech just meaning a really long time or could be literal, but in either event, it was more time than what was needed for him to be able to travel there.

What are you doing here know it's interesting if you if you think about this if you could see this on a map, you would realize that that what he did was he started at at at Mount caramel with this huge victory and then pay he runs 17 miles to Jezreel nearby where a have had a summer home and then he gets discouraging as 100 miles south to Beersheba into the wilderness and God comes and feeds him with supernatural food and with the strength of that food the taxes he traveled 40 days to mount home. It was Horeb which signed at the southern tip of the Sinai Peninsula 200 miles to the south. So is now 300 miles south of Mount caramel but if you look at the tax where it is God telling his real ministries going to be next is is you going back to Damascus. You can anoint a king. There he said he is over 300 miles away from anywhere they God had a plan for him. What's interesting is that this whole journey down through the Sinai Peninsula.

That is, as was 40 days. This is the same wilderness that the people of God wandered in for 40 after they refused to take the promise land. So what has happened here is that inner journey that even if you were to go the 200 miles from Beersheba down to Mount Horeb. We know that it was expected in that time. According to a unusual text in Deuteronomy chapter 1 verse two says that from an area near Beersheba down to Mount Sinai that it is about an 11 days journey.

At most it should take 10 or 11 days to journey down there, but he spent 40 days. What has he been doing. He just wandering until he finds himself in a cave on Mount Horeb. Maybe he just said himself with. This is where Moses came. This is a holy mountain.

He just going aimlessly.

That's what this is a picture of is the aimlessness of the mighty profit and how God comes. This verse 10 a Elijah said, I've been very jealous for the Lord, the God of hosts for the people of Israel forsaken your covenant, thrown down altars, and killed your prophets with the sword and I even I only, am left, and they seek my life to take away is a whole lot I and me in my language in this is an I been very jealous for those people had been I have been even I I only laughed and the contract take my life away is thing that we could become self absorbed and aimless. At the same time but actually they go hand-in-hand all day because when you really know where you're going on a mission from God, not think about yourself so much but when you're aimless, you wake up everyday: one must first be doing was my role was doing, why my here when I doing and so God comes to him. Mercifully, in the middle of this man's life that's without direction. Verse 11 and he said go out and stand on the mount before the Lord, and behold, the Lord passed by in a great and strong wind toward the mountains and broke in pieces the rocks before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind. Sounds like me like a tornado like a tornado that would've just swept him away. If he had been in a cave, and after the wind and earthquake but the Lord was not in the earthquake. The ground shook could have been a huge rock slide. Everything like it's falling apart, or when in the and then after that a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. There is a tornado, earthquake, tectonic plates are shifting in a fire that is not a little campfire to warm himself by but a brush fire that is unbridled and consuming everything in its path. The forces of nature, demonstrating the glory and the power of God and yet God manifests all of these grand things and then reveal himself in the next. This mountain where Moses had met with God and the people weren't even allowed to touch the mountain because it was too holy and Moses was meeting with God. This mountain where God put Moses in the cleft of a rock and all the greatness of God. See that's not what Elijah needed at the moment. Elijah already believed in the greatness of God. He had seen God do great things. What he needed something altogether different. It is possible to sing the greatness of God and even be used by God for a great thing and feel distant from Elijah, you've experienced some very dramatic things is wonderful to walk with me. The Lord is saying is, and about you having a Mount caramel every day.

It's about you being close to my heart and me speaking to you and knowing that God is powerful and awesome is important, but that doesn't heal your heart something more intimate is that salad right will have more teaching in a moment from today's important series feel like something is holding you back if you lack an important scene that could change everything. Is there someone you love to sing stack to help them back child.

What's missing blessing on the faith filled vision spoken over, I learned you can learn how to embrace the biblical practice of blessing to Pastor Alan writes new, but it's a blast, which quickly became an Amazon number one bestseller after 370s until now the hardcover book has only been available through retail sales this month right ministries once send you the book I thank you for your Denilson did this not only receive the best-selling book also receive a free session video place in which Pastor Alan teaches how to blast and covers content not video course includes a detailed study guide perfect for personal growth or small group discussion. Make your gift today and discovered the power to blast we are in our final days of offering the special product when you get today. We will send you a special offer, six 877-544-4860 877-544-4861 come to our website Pastor Alan.work. Today's teaching now continues your once again is Alan writing after the earthquake a fire verse 12 but the Lord was on the fire and after the fire. The sound of a low whisper was some translation to set a still small voice a little whisper and when Elijah heard it. He wrapped his face in his cloak and went out and stood at the entrance of the cave, and behold, there came a voice to him and asked the same question, what are you doing here, Elijah. So God got his attention with a whisper. Partly this is just a good strategy because if you want to get somebody's attention. Sometimes you can get it better with a whisper. It reminded me of old trick I used to use when leaving kids at camp and stuff and and I we do a little song I believe you are trying to get ready for dinner and quietly could listen to a message and we build a we do this all, whose side you lean in all and hear her that whose side you lean in nominal gives you that I'm leaving, then no no no outside and every Eileen Eileen Eileen think they'll lean and I know is that anyone whose side you dance in no minute is all dance and dance at the dance and then we get to this point. This is a trick. Whose side you shout is nothing that elementary age boys like to do more than shout is a shout shout shout whose spring was spent on those whose tricky megalith Farley just wanted to get Elijah's attention is power and a whisper whisper is the voice of comfort for mothers, babies crying you'll never help the baby by shouting at the baby but whisper a lullaby comforts whispers the voice of closeness so is like to fan and I were in some busy event out in the downtown area and crowds around and she's on 1 Side St. I'm on the other. Funny to get her attention in the you have a louder voice because you're not near each other but if we were just a restaurant having dinner with friends, and the noise all around the restaurant but your nearby like and could you pass the salt but if we have our own dinner quiet and in a minute.

Maybe a quiet place with candlelight, then your voices go lower right closer and then that evening and speaking to each other from our pillows, you might whisper. In other words, it's the language the voice that you use when you're close to someone and a whisper is the voice of intimacy because you whisper secrets is really in many ways what makes a relationship intimate is there are things that I tell you I don't tell other people and is not meant for other people. It is a whisper because I want you to know that there's a uniqueness to my love for you and God has an intimate voice on but that intimate voice of God that whisper in many ways can be more scary than any other manifestation of God and yet in it is the nourishment that we need because were made for intimacy with God. We are as God's children. On the one hand we are the people who have become enthralled with his glory and all and yet there's a history of being a child of God where we are also those children that have had intimate communication from God in a relationship with God so that we're very close to him as our father and this is unusual thing to build a hold these in the proper tension to know his greatness and in that sense to be in awe of him and get to know his closeness and like he is our father is like makes me think of you know like you watch somebody I would have swung the Super Bowl and hundred million people or are we are celebrating the celebrity of the quarterback and then he goes and picks up his two-year-old child and the child is unimpressed with the Super Bowl victory, but he is very interested in the rough face of his daddy or just wanting to be hug or do something silly with him because what is important to him is not that my dad is the Super Bowl champion but he is my thought and I just have both of these things going on in me all the time with God. I am in all of his greatness.

This one who is greater than anything I can imagine. And I'm in all but if you're his child. Here is Aaron you're a co-heir with Christ and there is a part of what Christian life is all about where you can feel the heartbeat of God and hear his whisper and you are simultaneously impressed by his holiness and yet you are so warmed by his love that you're just a little child in his arms, and that's what Elijah needed.

He needed to know the closeness of God because sometimes when you go through the most difficult seasons of life when you so want God to shout when you so God won't God to fix every problem. I'm tell you, sometimes what God does instead is a greater miracle. He comes and whispers to you and told the story often but II think back and let the toll of this miracle story that during one of the hardest seasons of our lives. Now, many years ago. Several things came together to make it very difficult and the greatest problem of which was Ann's little sister Mary had received an unwelcome diagnosis of cancer that no one could have imagined that a young woman with four little children is never smoked has lung cancer and so it advanced to far and got into her bones and she bravely fought and the ministry of the church in the prayer and became the consuming focus of all of our lives asking God to heal her in this earth and this cancer that eventually took her life. It was also busy trying to take away our joy and consumed every bit of our lives. This is one of those times. In this same season. Not long thereafter, and was in a terrible car crash. So I ran a stop sign. He had hit her car overturned it our baby girl and one of her nieces was in there. At first when I saw it I thought perhaps they were dead and gone and God spared their lives and with therapy for her leg that was injured.

Ministry was challenging and difficult. We were understaffed. We had a very difficult season and who amongst us has a season like that right person moment from Allen's life you're securing and working to continue with this teaching from series miracle man in today's teaching Elijah calls down fire fatalities and studio here in just a moment with the final word today feel like something is holding you back as if you lack an important scene that could change everything. Is there someone you love hissing stock to help them out what's missing blessing. We all need faith filled vision spoken over our lives. You can learn how to embrace the biblical practice of blessing to Pastor Alan writes new, but it's a blast, which quickly became an Amazon number one bestseller after 370s until now the hardcover book has only been available through retail sales this month right ministries once send you the I thank you for your demos this night will not only receive a best-selling but also receive a free session video place in which Pastor Alan teaches how to blast and covers content not found in the video course includes a detailed study guide perfect for personal growth or small group discussion. Make your gift today and discovered the power to blast we are in our final days of offering the special product. We are happy to send this to you as I thanks from Alan Wright Ministries, seven 877-544-4860 877-544-4861 come to our website Pastor Alan.work reflecting on your own life. Even with the story here.

Examples of the gospel of grace all around it. It's when you read the Old Testament like the story were in now and you see Elijah is calling down fire which is a picture judgment and some people get what you see. That's why God is another go. I don't want anything to with the God of that's way is right. What we're really saying is mercies of God, because when Jesus came his disciples at one point said shall we call fire down on these people and they were harkening back to what Elijah did. But Jesus didn't have them call them fire people because Jesus himself came to be the man under fire under the wrath and it's a picture of God's grace.

So one of those kind of tough texts in the Scripture. Nonetheless, we are going through the difficult times and wonder. Are we under the judgment of God with no fear in Christ he's taken on the judgment for you and as such a powerful picture.

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