Sermonette: Lessons from Elijah’s Work

Sermonette: Lessons from Elijah’s Work

#100s
Richard T. Ritenbaugh
Given 06-Nov-93; 21 minutes

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description: (hide) Have we ever sacrificed our all to God or God’s work, only to find it blowup in our face? The prophet Elijah felt that such a disaster had happened to him. Elijah, probably an elder man, had done a lot in his life, including founding three schools of the prophets, having access to King Ahab and other rulers, having prophesied mightily and performing miracles with God’s power. Nevertheless, James describes him as a man with similar frailties and weaknesses common to all of us, having ups and downs and quandaries similar to us, subject to feelings of failure and discouragement as we have. After a high of completing three monumental works for the Lord, Jezebel’s threat threw him into deep despair and self-pity. God’s angel gave rest and rehabilitation, giving him further specific instructions. Likewise after 50 years of work, seeing the seeming heyday of the Worldwide Church of God, we now witness that work crumbling to pieces before our eyes. Like Elijah, we need to nourish ourselves on spiritual food, preparing ourselves for something beyond our current abilities. God does His best work behind the scene in a still small voice, providing salvation for His people. In our scattering, we must remember we are not alone in doing His work. God wants us individually to turn from our sins and yielding to His will.