A God Like No Other, Part 2

Katie Greer calls God's favor, the insider reward you based on how good you are false gods, safety, prosperity, false gods reward you for your strings.

The Bible is God meet you in your weaknesses.

That's what makes the true God. Different from every other God ever concocted in the minds of man do not say they're all the same God world religion like ours with unusual rituals were a little golden statues on altars, but the truth is we might be worshiping a false God, even if we were worshiping Jesus down Summit life JD Greer unpacks portraits that the God of the Bible apart from the gods of our imagination part of our study of the prophet Elijah title something better. If you missed any of the previous messages can find online@jdgreer.com but for now let's jump right into the methods titled godlike verse in 75,000,300 miles of the cities, although their gallery sex is what God told him would be there and he asked her.

Would you please bring me a water cup as she was going to get you called her and said hey bring me a bite of bread to which she said I swear the Lord your God that I don't have a single piece of bread in my house. I have only a handful of flour left and a jar little cooking along the bottom of my job.

I was just gathering a few sticks to cook this very last meal, and my son and I will die, but Elijah said to her, don't not do not be afraid to go ahead and do just what you said but make me a little bread first then use what's left to prepare a meal for yourself and for your son number 14 for this is what the Lord God of Israel says there will always be flour and olive oil left in your containers until the time the Lord sends rain on the crossroad again. So she did as Elijah said, and she Elijah and her family continue to eat for many days, there was always enough flour and olive oil left in the containers. Just as the Lord had promised through Elijah. Sometime later the woman son became sick, he grew worse and worse and finally he died. Then she said to Elijah old man of God, what have you done to me. Have you come here to point out my sins and kill my son Elijah replied give me your son and he took the child's body from her arms carried him up the stairs to the room where he was staying late the body on his bed and Elijah cried out to the Lord, O Lord my God, why have you brought tragedy on this widow who is open your home to me, causing her son to die and stretched himself out over the child three times and cried out to the Lord, O Lord my God, please let this child's life returned Lord heard Elijah's prayer in the life of the child returned and he revived and Elijah brought him down from the upper room and gave him to his mother, look, he said your son is alive and the woman told Elijah. Now I know for sure that you are a man of God and that truly the Lord speaks through you for things that you're going to see in the story about the true God. Every dog before things number one. The true God is a God of the outsider. Why did God send Elijah to a Gentile widow outside of the region of Israel, that you were the first servant Jesus of resource. It was on this passage. It said in Luke chapter 4 is where this is recorded, but in truth I tell you, there were many with those in Israel in the days of Elijah, when the heavens were shut up three years and six months of the great famine came over all the land and Elijah was sent to. None of them, but only to Sarah fathom the landside into a woman who was a widow. The famine genes that affected everybody in Israel but the only one that Elijah was sent to rescue, was a pagan widowed woman in Bill's hometown, and that truth may be Israelite leaders who are listening to Jesus first sermon so mad that you try to kill and on the spot.

This first point I'm making to you is what caused them to be so angry you want to kill them. God is a God of the outsider number two the true God is a God who sometimes contradicts and confuses us the true God is God sometimes contradicts and confuses us this woman son dies and she had no why she was a prophet of God. Elijah Elijah the prophet. He's a theologian. He is a seminary graduate what's his response will explain you all the snow you know we are because God says God I don't say why this kids die here. Can you help here. Notice what they don't do blame God for accusing God woman acknowledges she's a sinner and Sadat has every right to do a got to do.

Not.

I just go to God asking God for help. Appealing to his mercy. They have what I call a humble faith, a humble faith humble.

They recognize that God often does things that they don't understand say they never cease believing in the goodness of God, even when their questions are being answered, humble faith, willingness to live with unanswered questions yet confident God's goodness even in the midst of those questions to see going on with Elijah and this woman is not like your faith is not like your face. Some people when they suffer, they assume the guy just didn't care Summit will begin to rage against God. God how other people turn got into some kind of Jeannie, but always healing always blasts to show enough faith not works awesome until God did anything right.

I made a claim that appraisal and I confess there were no sandbank on the band for the answer still die humble faith is a willingness to live with unanswered questions that you cease never, never cease to believe in the goodness of God is in this humble faith is a miracle. The Holy Spirit is the only one that can bruise that faith in you. I know that from experience because for many years I learned all the right answers but had no humility in my faith. The reason I could not. Faith is the one humble I pretty much needed to have God justify to me what he said or did anything, if not of the angry God or I just, I just felt muscle flip-flopping into unbelief.

The reason some of you can have faith is not humble Wednesday were God to move them out on this one was to read the book of Job John theoretical to Job. It's painful sometimes get through 42 chapters Job summarize for you and like 1.3 muscle Job 38 chapters Job asked peppers God with questions held of his theologian friend to give them answers and a final scene, God shows up in chapter 38 now God is still on the docket.

He could answer to Job why he did what he did and you know what God's answer is Joe Job. Once you go get your universe you created way back here will compare all you'll have universe want to shut up about me run my that's essentially the four chapters, I just wants is for you okay Job. If you have the power for you can even get the DVD likes a quick flashing 12 o'clock okay if it if you can even create a universe don't think that you have the wisdom to question my ways. It is amazing how much arrogance we approach God with want to bring God down to our level and say I'm not a believe until I understand you there's a humility and faith that says God you sometimes contradicting confusing, but I never cease believing in your goodness. See you want the greatest earthly examples that I know of this in more recent history.

Charles Spurgeon, the greatest theological mind to the 19th century was remarkable. Most what about surgeons not hearing him pontificate about the mysteries of God was remarkable. Just hearing him pray for somebody there said when he would begin a prayer for somebody this one account of a woman in his congregation had a chronic illness. He lays his hands on this woman and he dislikes his eyes to God and he says God father if my daughter was sick and she was in this much pain I could do something about it.

I do it.this is your daughter and I know you care for her, the more that I care for my own daughter. God wants you heal this one now.

Spurgeon realized the God sometimes has ways beyond our ways but it never caused him to lose touch with the tenderness of God the father factor one account is listening to some guy his church get up and supposed to wax eloquent and one of his prayers about it and when accepted on the stage purchases want you to shut up.

Call God father and ask him for something. The maturity of your prayers is not shown by their theological sophistication.

There shown by the simplicity of your requests, humble faith, you will know everything God's doing that you never lose touch with his tenderness number three the true God has power over death. The true God has power over death. The one thing the veil could not touch was death. That's where all the world would be saviors fall short. By the way so many things.

Think about this in our world promised salvation, both secular and religious, but the one thing you always have to ask about any would-be savior is. Had they dealt with our primary problem which is death linen pillar both of them promised both of them said at one point that their regime would do away with the need for religion do away with the need for Jesus, but when he said that his new empire would cure world hunger, yet it crumbled years ago fall the Soviet Union because of poverty knew those guys to do a death. Both of them are in someone in the dustbin of history. Now Mohammed, Buddha some of the world's great religious leaders all died. You can visit their graves. I remember hearing the one tragic story of grandmother out in California who was babysitting her grandchildren at her daughter's house to look out the window into her horse. All her granddaughter to your granddaughter fall into the deep end of the pool. She ran outside. The rescuer jumped in the pool to hours later, they pulled out but the body of the grandmother and the granddaughter because the grandmother couldn't swim either. Those people that would be Savior cannot suffer from the same thing to the trying to say people that they suffer with misery since these people they they they they died. Haven't been able to deal with the problem of death. Many of you think of money as a savior. At least that's what you act about it. I know we know this, you will need me to tell you how crazy is that they might give you a comfortable life here, but you're not taking it beyond the grave proverb is that there's no person everything is pulling you all this is absurd only want money for my kids to dress for your kids. Peers help many many thing you want to give her not like nothing is wrong.

Okay to say that it's not a savior you know that we can make life a little easier here, but it doesn't take you beyond the grave. Many of you act like beauty, is your Savior, functionally speaking is when you try so hard that hang onto it may be revealed on your face but you know I mean you have Priscilla writing target lifted but you know this, you can slow the aging process down a little bit, but you can't stop it, you can nip and tuck a tightknit tenet we get that a public twist, elliptic color it whatever you want.

I it's just getting older, saggy or flimsy or if dying is that really the place that you want to build your hope. Can your God carry you beyond the grave. That's what God does in the Bales backyard raising him from the dead and essentially says you can't touch this. I do make a way where you can I bring people back in the day, but you've never been able to do by the way, right after the sermon and look for the Jesus preached about Elijah first thing he did as they try to push them off the cliff pilot is a slip in their midst and what that was like, but he does like to slip in their midst. The edge of the cliff. Though I already know you know he goes straight from there. Luke seven and he goes to the that's on the widow and he raised him from the dead eulogies trying to do is try to walk in the same path of Elijah because it's essentially the same question is answered.

What can God do is a savior that no other God can do.

Essentially Jesus twice their net scene basically says can't touch this quite literally can't touch this is on patently immense and can't touch this. What I'm doing a death before I move on to our final point .4 1.1 of the thing I want you to think about how confusing this whole thing was for the woman I'm here. She's got an easy, starving, and a prophet of God shows up doesn't meet the need, but ask her for something to eat and then after he is eventually provided for her son dies you think about how confusing this is to her. But what if God has a higher agenda, visibly multiplying her oil or raising her son. What if there is something even more important. He's after.

Which is why he does it the way he does it, and that higher agenda is that they know the God that is better than multiplied oil and a resurrection that is more permanent than a temporarily race on some of you are frustrated right now in your life because God seems to not do the things you think you should.

Got you into the school you want to get into you. You've lost the job you can't seem to get into the relationship you want to be in the ass and killed you like you think you want. What if God had a bigger agenda a better agenda and that is you coming know God is bigger than all of life God so big and so glorious that it's more important than your son temporarily living or dying) just now knowing God is better than multiplied oil or even a temporarily resurrected son Isaac temporarily think about this guy as she bit his ear about the region.

There he did when he got old he died again and again resurrected outside his resurrection was temporary every earthly blessing is temporary. What if there was something better than the temporary one if it was knowing a God who is bigger and better than life in a resurrection more permanent than a temporary blessing. That's the point. That's what God is trying to show them that's what he is trying to show you it was 11 talks about two group syllabus and documents as this woman was 11 talks about two kinds of people who pray in faith and some of them get their prayers answered and he mentions this woman.

Specifically he was 11 or so, I guess, raise the dead. Others pray in faith and don't get their prayer answered. But here's what it says about both groups is both of them watch this die in faith.

Neither of them having received the fullness of the promise because the fullness of the promise is not multiplied oil or temporarily resurrected son, the fullness of the promise is fellowship with the Lord of life for all of eternity. That's the bigger agenda for you to know God. Number four true God saves through death, but your God not only has power over that he saves through death. Now we can fester for a minute, but this final scene is pretty mysterious to me. Also little uncomfortable if you asked me Elijah puts the dead boy in his own bed, then stretches out the boy three times what is this, putting him into his own bed. It's hard to think of a place more private to you than your bed right so he's putting the boy in his place, stretching out as a position of vulnerability and I got think of Jesus's words to Peter that when you're old there to stretch you out talk about his crucifixion and I don't have any control what you're doing its vulnerability laid on top of him, as if absorbing the boy's death into his own body.

This is by the way, get this.

The first account in the Bible of somebody actually being raised from the dead and omits this the account of the first person about being raised from the dead begins with the question is this. My son died for my sins and then God has his representative lay down over the boy stretch out and absorbed as it were, that boy's death into his body. So the boy lives. The question is this.

My son died for my Sands God's answer is no, your son is not dying for your sins. My son, my representative will die for yourselves, and God will save you through death of an innocent man. That's how God saved us, and let me add, he continues to work the power of his salvation in us through our death. That's the big mystery to some of you cage your mind around.

False gods always promise to save around death. Uribe showed a faith may be happy I'll prosper you. That is different than the Christian hope the Christian hope is resurrection through death. Many so-called Christian preachers. Essentially, their messages obey God. I know in which you give your BMW he'll prosper you and your job will turn the fillings in your mouth and gold, you know, sometimes God is a minute of the gold billing thing, but he does prosper you want to go at all when I most bothered by what they admit is that the channel God's blessing is resurrection to death his strength and weakness. So sometimes God makes us weak so we can show off his power in us. That's what Paul said, I delight in the fellowship of Christ's sufferings that I could know the power of his resurrection.

If there is no cross there can be no resurrection if you want the power resurrection in your life you have to go to the cross, which means crosses weakness crosses is struggling cross is you being torn down because that's where God's power begins to go when you many of you want to be saved around the cross and is a lot of false peddlers of religion other than to give you exactly what you're looking for, but not this one. Not the Bible. The Bible says you want to power the resurrection. You go into the fellowship of his sufferings. The fact that Jesus died and weakness. Didn't mean that God was angry at him that God was cursing him for saving me without a will of God is how God was saving the world. If you're in the midst of a kind of death. Death of a dream death of your reputation, death of your health or even death in your body and mean the godforsaken you pay for some Jesus, I would never forsake you and your death. Now that's where God is his best work resurrection happens to death and weakness.

So Paul said, I will gladly embrace the fellowship of his sufferings so I can walk in the power of his resurrection, no cross, no resurrection, but a way for Sarah Pfaff were the means to melt in the noun form of that word is crucible cross first resurrection for the Bible took place at the place of the cross, no cross, no resurrection of the true God is a God who brings in the outsider, the true God is a God sometimes contradicts and confuses us the true God is a God who saves through death. False gods do the opposite.

False gods favor the insider reward you based on how good you are. False gods conform to all of our prejudices. False gods save the prosperity.

False gods reward you for your strengths. The Bible's God meet you in your weaknesses.

That's what makes the true God different for every other God ever concocted in the minds of man do not say they're all the same because they're actually fundamentally different.

We land the plane.

This way the last scene with this whole deal.

There's one thing want to turn our attention to the woman because she's exactly the same place you are in or for the woman to experience this God what to she has to take a step of faith right now. Some blind faith.

She seemed a little bit what will God doesn't want to see shows a little. She response shows a little more. She flushes a little more. That's the way God works listen. Christianity is not turning your mind off but many of you are like will only to understand, and I believe God says Christianity is not see them believe Christianity is see a little believe see the rest for the rest of eternity.

So if you've seen enough, the God you can hear him, beckoning you to follow right is beginning to beckon you AC follow.

You got questions me to your seeking answers me to but I seen enough to know that there is a God, God speaks in Jesus and he said come and follow me weight all your questions are answered.

It's never going to happen to believe see little you believe in and he begins to say the rest.

I would invite you to begin to follow say yes to what God you know was doing in your life as you begin to obey God begins to respond. Understand, as you obey God's becomes the vehicle that God begins to pour blessing through and some of you need to take that step. You just begin to go out and believe that God begin to unfold his glorious majesty and your life to take a new step you're listening to Pastor JD Greer on ethics titled God like no other happen to join us late. You want to catch up on this week's teaching sure to visit us online@jdgreer.com special, but to accompany this study of Elijah.

In the second part of the study about Elisha with the study guide titled like our current teaching series something better something greater better part of our study.

Elisha confronted religious environment theory much like our own.

When characterized by the attitude you have your God. I have mine. Elisha shows us that knowing the one true God is better than every other rival and then into something greater portion will take some time to examine the life of one of the greatest miracle workers in the whole of Scripture.

The prophet Elisha, the secret behind Elisha's power here on earth, but his fierce devotion to the God of heaven. Elisha left behind an amazing legacy in his life and not because he was thinking of my because he was focused on the here things that were had a part study each part includes a short chapter that aligns with the teaching you've been hearing and will be hearing for the next also includes space for notes in the Scripture readings from the first and second King interactive application, prayer, prompt let's get you a copy of this practical nubuck study in your copy today saying thanks with your financial get $25 or more to your gift to Summit life opens the door for listeners all across the country and around the world helping them dive deeper into the gospel through this program.

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I 5220 and remember to ask for your copy and matter. Something greater that you have Elisha and Elisha never again is fixate 335 T-20 or go online to de clear.com Molly benefits again next Elisha and ministry challenging bail on top of Mount Herman won't want to have a great weekend and join us Monday on my rear ministry