WEBVTT 00:00:09.130 --> 00:00:16.086 Welcome and thanks for joining us on this episode of the Midweek Podcast brought to you by A Fresh Wind Church. 00:00:16.086 --> 00:00:22.993 Each week, our team brings you new content to help you take steps towards Jesus and discover more in Christ. 00:00:22.993 --> 00:00:26.429 Today's episode is hosted by Pastor Ryan. 00:00:27.481 --> 00:00:29.365 Well, hey, welcome back to the Midweek Podcast. 00:00:29.365 --> 00:00:50.409 Pastor Ryan joined again with Pastor Tim and we are in week three of our series Come to the Mountain, looking at these different mountain top experiences where people encounter God on the mountain, and looking just at God's character, how he reveals himself to us, because we want to know and see God for who he really is. 00:00:50.409 --> 00:01:01.299 And on Sunday Pastor Tim talked about the story of Elijah and I don't know about you, Tim, this is one of my favorite stories in scripture. 00:01:01.299 --> 00:01:10.990 I love it because it seems like it just covers so much of the human experience from these great heights to, like, really low valleys. 00:01:11.772 --> 00:01:12.554 There's so much. 00:01:12.554 --> 00:01:19.031 When I was growing up let me stop that sentence and and give you a little background here. 00:01:19.031 --> 00:01:27.694 When I was growing up, um, I couldn't watch a lot of the things on TV, hee-haw, because the shorts were too short and so forth and so on. 00:01:27.694 --> 00:01:30.429 But I loved space stuff. 00:01:30.429 --> 00:01:38.894 So my dad, who was the one who decided whether I can watch TV or not, would watch Star Trek with me. 00:01:39.180 --> 00:01:41.087 So he's to blame for this whole Star Trek thing. 00:01:41.087 --> 00:01:48.941 He's to blame, he let me do it this whole. 00:01:48.960 --> 00:01:49.962 So he's he's to blame, he let me, he let me do it. 00:01:49.962 --> 00:01:51.185 And one thing about, uh, captain kirk in the original is he. 00:01:51.185 --> 00:01:57.221 He quoted shakespeare all the time and, um, it made me want to go figure out where that came from. 00:01:57.221 --> 00:02:14.977 And um, shakespeare had a I don't know some kind of view into the complexity of the human condition. 00:02:14.977 --> 00:02:33.741 And this story, I mean it is really when you look at the psychological complexity that's going on and I know a lot of people who don't believe in the scripture would roll their eyes well, all that's a myth. 00:02:33.741 --> 00:02:35.081 None of that happened. 00:02:35.782 --> 00:03:04.774 But if you just look at how Elijah reacts to every part, the victory, then when his life is threatened, how he reacts, and then his depression and then his hiding, I mean you just see this whole menagerie of human emotion that comes out in this situation. 00:03:04.774 --> 00:03:21.969 And what we see here is what we see in people who get sent overseas in the military or deployed to war zones and crazy things happen and it don't happen like you think it's going to happen and all these things, and it causes PTSD. 00:03:21.969 --> 00:03:24.965 And I see that here. 00:03:24.965 --> 00:03:36.114 I see him struggling with the results of his win and that is, if that's not insight into the human condition, I don't know what is. 00:03:37.080 --> 00:03:37.441 Yeah. 00:03:37.722 --> 00:03:38.103 It's a. 00:03:38.663 --> 00:03:42.332 It's an interesting case study to to watch Elijah go up on that Cause. 00:03:42.332 --> 00:03:46.951 He's full of confidence in God, that God is who he says he is. 00:03:46.951 --> 00:03:48.185 I mean, there's no doubt. 00:03:48.185 --> 00:04:26.048 He builds this altar and he's like I'm going to dig a trench around it, we're going to pour water on it, we're going to I mean, when God shows up, he's going to show up and then he's mocking the other guys Maybe your God's in the bathroom, maybe he took a nap, maybe he's on vacation, you know like just going to town on him and then he goes from that to this man hiding in the cave and you're like how could the same guy and this is what I love about a story in the how it relates to the human experience, because it's like how can the same guy be on the mountain, be the same guy that's hiding in the cave? 00:04:27.009 --> 00:04:39.108 But then you look at your own life and you're like, well, man, there's definitely been times when I feel like I'm on the mountain, where, you know, I feel like I could conquer the world, and then there's there's times when I feel like man, I can't win at anything. 00:04:39.108 --> 00:04:46.463 It's what I love about his story is it's just, it's so. 00:04:46.463 --> 00:04:50.552 I don't know if I've ever been a part of something quite that drastic, but the emotional highs and lows I've experienced for sure. 00:04:51.360 --> 00:04:55.149 The first thing that happens, though, is he prays that there'll be no rain. 00:04:55.149 --> 00:05:00.305 Now God tells him to do this, and he prays, and then there is no rain. 00:05:00.305 --> 00:05:10.970 So that is, that is a big faith building situation, right there, right, and then he runs off and he finds this widow that he's um living with, and she don't. 00:05:10.970 --> 00:05:13.723 She's like I can't take care of you, I don't have anything. 00:05:13.723 --> 00:05:27.093 And then, um, they get the uh, the oil that never ceases, the magic uh, pot, and um, these things are happening right before his eyes. 00:05:27.199 --> 00:05:48.348 Now, I don't know if this kind of stuff happened with him all the time, but these different situations that he finds himself in, god is showing up, so his excitement and confidence in what God's going to do is it's been great up to this point. 00:05:48.348 --> 00:06:09.425 Then her son dies, and God raises him back from the dead, because Elijah prayed, and he's all sauced up at this point, you know and he comes walking back I think it's Jezreel, where Ahab wasab was ruling from, and he's like I'm going to see ahab, let's go, you know. 00:06:09.425 --> 00:06:11.529 And he goes, it's time to talk. 00:06:11.529 --> 00:06:19.048 And he gets, he finds obadiah, and obadiah is like man, I don't know, this is probably not going to go very well. 00:06:19.048 --> 00:06:23.362 And and elijah's like what are you talking about, man? 00:06:23.362 --> 00:06:27.026 I got, I got this, let's go Me, and God, we're going to take care of this. 00:06:27.026 --> 00:06:46.875 And he gets in Ahab's face, climbs up on Mount Carmel, which is Baal's mountain, and they have this big face-off and he makes it so everybody understands who's the God, you know Right right. 00:06:47.440 --> 00:06:52.913 And so this victory is amazing. 00:06:52.913 --> 00:06:55.889 And then he prays and then a storm's coming. 00:06:55.889 --> 00:07:00.913 He sees the storm coming from afar off and tells Ahab you better get going. 00:07:00.913 --> 00:07:08.874 So Ahab takes off in his chariot to get back home before the sloppy mess comes. 00:07:08.874 --> 00:07:13.339 And then he runs in front of his chariot for 20 miles. 00:07:13.339 --> 00:07:48.942 So it's just like icing on the cake to Ahab and it's like, okay, there is this feeling in Elijah it's my own personal view on this that God is going to change Ahab's heart and he's going to change Jezebel's heart and they're going to give their heart to Yahweh and then the whole country is going to tear down the idols and they're going to start worshiping Yahweh. 00:07:48.942 --> 00:07:55.314 Look what's happened, you know, raise this guy from the dead, stop the rain. 00:07:55.314 --> 00:07:58.326 The rain's coming, fire from heaven. 00:07:58.326 --> 00:08:00.812 The whole thing, the world's going to change. 00:08:00.812 --> 00:08:03.504 We have saved the country. 00:08:03.504 --> 00:08:13.100 They are all going to come back to the Lord and we're going to worship again and spirit and truth, and God is going to be our God and we're going to be his people. 00:08:13.262 --> 00:08:15.365 And this is what Elijah wanted. 00:08:15.365 --> 00:08:19.982 He loved his people and this is the goal, this is what I want. 00:08:19.982 --> 00:08:23.189 And all these great things happen and they get. 00:08:23.189 --> 00:08:33.426 Get back there and instead of Jezebel saying oh my gosh, that's fantastic, so your God is king, we need to worship him, instead she says I'm going to kill him. 00:08:33.426 --> 00:08:38.360 And he didn't get what he wanted. 00:08:38.360 --> 00:08:44.613 Now God got what he wanted, you know, and sometimes we don't know exactly what God wants. 00:08:44.613 --> 00:08:52.342 You know, and sometimes we don't know exactly what god wants. 00:08:52.342 --> 00:08:54.845 But elijah said this is is this what I did? 00:08:54.845 --> 00:08:56.687 All this for for me to be the last one who believes? 00:08:56.687 --> 00:09:00.390 And often he takes off and, yeah, hides in. 00:09:00.410 --> 00:09:07.999 You know, as someone in ministry, you kind of feel it. 00:09:07.999 --> 00:09:10.788 I guess you can relate to it. 00:09:10.788 --> 00:09:13.788 I don't know, I don't want to speak for you, but I feel some of that. 00:09:13.788 --> 00:09:33.860 You know where you can have these just amazing moments in ministry see God do some amazing things, and then you can leave feeling defeated or drained, especially if it didn't turn out the way that you wanted or that you had hoped. 00:09:33.860 --> 00:09:38.267 Yeah, all these people showed up, but it didn't go the way that I had anticipated. 00:09:38.267 --> 00:09:45.609 You're writing this sermon, getting everything planned, and you just feel, man, god is all over this thing, and then you preach it, it and no one looks like they're getting it. 00:09:45.609 --> 00:09:48.235 You're like what is happening here? 00:09:48.417 --> 00:09:50.562 And there's two guys snoring in tandem in the back. 00:09:51.104 --> 00:09:56.241 It's like, how could I have felt so in tune with God during the week writing this message? 00:09:56.241 --> 00:10:04.370 And I get here and it just doesn't translate, nobody's getting it, and so I feel some of that. 00:10:04.370 --> 00:10:32.969 I'm not saying to the same extent I've never called fire from heaven, um, but I, man, I've had those moments when you feel like me and god can do anything, and then just that defeat, or that I'm drained, I'm exhausted, I've got nothing left, um, and he comes here and yeah, jezebel's like I'm going to kill this guy, and he takes off. 00:10:32.969 --> 00:10:37.065 I mean the same guy like, dude, just do the fire thing again. 00:10:37.065 --> 00:10:39.932 That worked last time, do that again. 00:10:39.932 --> 00:10:43.261 And instead he just takes off and hides. 00:10:43.261 --> 00:10:48.552 And that that human experience I think so many people can relate to it. 00:10:48.552 --> 00:10:49.899 Of God. 00:10:49.899 --> 00:10:51.967 I just I don't know if I got anything left. 00:10:52.179 --> 00:10:55.931 Well, that's that point where you're learning to depend on God. 00:10:55.931 --> 00:10:57.466 It wasn't his fire thing. 00:10:57.466 --> 00:11:00.065 It's one thing I preach. 00:11:00.065 --> 00:11:05.110 You hear me say it all the time you don't wield God, he wields you yeah. 00:11:05.110 --> 00:11:09.946 And so when you're like, okay, the time you don't wield god, he wields you yeah and um. 00:11:09.946 --> 00:11:15.033 So when, when you're like, okay, god, you just did this fire thing, do it again, no, what? 00:11:15.033 --> 00:11:16.240 Well, wait a minute, what's the? 00:11:16.240 --> 00:11:21.469 This is the same circumstance, I know, but I'm not going to do this again. 00:11:21.469 --> 00:11:24.312 And it shocks you. 00:11:24.312 --> 00:11:31.746 It shocked Elijah, I know he was thinking everybody's going to come back to God and we do that too. 00:11:33.500 --> 00:11:43.033 Every book you read about starting a church or building a church, and it's got one big word in there momentum, momentum. 00:11:43.033 --> 00:11:45.466 Oh, if you've got the momentum, you've got to capitalize on the momentum. 00:11:45.466 --> 00:11:46.721 If you're getting a little momentum, you've oh, if you got the momentum, you got to capitalize on the momentum. 00:11:46.721 --> 00:11:49.750 If you get in a little momentum, you got to feed into that momentum. 00:11:49.750 --> 00:11:52.062 And it's like how is that? 00:11:52.062 --> 00:12:08.134 How do I spiritually, how do I wrap that in biblical, um, inspired spirituality, momentum, because I've got a God who stops me and prepares me for the next level. 00:12:08.134 --> 00:12:16.094 You know I can't momentum my way through or I'll leave him somewhere behind, and so it's. 00:12:16.094 --> 00:12:27.465 It's very difficult for pastors, especially when they have momentum and then it doesn't go anywhere or it rolls off for a few years, you know. 00:12:27.465 --> 00:12:29.470 And so it's. 00:12:29.470 --> 00:12:40.331 It's tough, especially when every book is like oh, you missed your momentum, that's what happened, and I just want to look up the authors and strangle them. 00:12:42.700 --> 00:12:44.101 Figuratively speaking, of course. 00:12:44.101 --> 00:12:44.621 Yes, yes, I have to let me. 00:12:44.621 --> 00:12:47.524 Let me say that was a joke, strangle them Figuratively speaking, of course. 00:12:47.565 --> 00:12:47.826 Yes, I have to. 00:12:47.826 --> 00:12:49.086 Let me say that was a joke. 00:12:49.086 --> 00:12:50.368 I was just. 00:12:50.368 --> 00:12:52.510 I wasn't even speaking in frustration. 00:12:52.510 --> 00:12:53.812 I was trying to be funny. 00:12:53.812 --> 00:12:57.135 Okay, I know the world we live in now. 00:12:57.375 --> 00:13:03.958 I know Everybody's so literal. 00:13:03.958 --> 00:13:10.942 Yeah, it's we we want and I think, elijah here. 00:13:10.942 --> 00:13:14.899 So he, he takes off and he runs and he's wanting God to do something right, god, you, you gotta protect me, you gotta do something here. 00:13:14.899 --> 00:13:16.445 Well, how did I end up in this point? 00:13:16.445 --> 00:13:18.409 How, why would you do this great thing? 00:13:18.409 --> 00:13:20.701 And now I'm I'm the only one left. 00:13:20.701 --> 00:13:21.744 I'm running for my life. 00:13:21.744 --> 00:13:23.166 What has happened? 00:13:23.166 --> 00:13:27.653 And we look at our life. 00:13:27.653 --> 00:13:29.964 I think a lot like that. 00:13:29.964 --> 00:13:32.067 God, how did I end up in this place? 00:13:32.067 --> 00:13:34.413 Why would you allow this to happen to me? 00:13:34.413 --> 00:13:44.565 And it's real easy for us to start questioning God's goodness and questioning God's motives and his intentions, to say, man, is God truly good? 00:13:44.565 --> 00:13:48.210 Because if he was good, why does my life look like this? 00:13:48.210 --> 00:13:52.975 You know, and we're talking about Elijah, who calls fire down from heaven. 00:13:52.975 --> 00:13:58.302 I mean, that's a level of intimacy with God. 00:13:58.322 --> 00:13:58.783 That's pretty special. 00:13:58.783 --> 00:14:03.432 Before we rain on his parade too much, he's got great spiritual instincts. 00:14:03.432 --> 00:14:17.697 Okay, he, yeah, this happened, and it didn't result in the people coming back to God, but his, his instinct is not to say, all right, I'm done with this. 00:14:17.697 --> 00:14:22.851 You know, I do everything you say, and then it never turns out the way you know, I think it should be. 00:14:22.851 --> 00:14:30.235 I'm sure that's not what he's thinking, but the way it should be, the way you should want it to turn out, god, why don't you just let it happen? 00:14:30.235 --> 00:14:33.253 His instinct, though, is to go to the mountain. 00:14:33.253 --> 00:14:41.510 His instinct isn't to walk away and say I'm done with this or I'm out of ministry, I'm not going to do this anymore. 00:14:42.546 --> 00:14:46.376 He knew God enough that that's where he was going to go. 00:14:46.376 --> 00:14:52.336 He was going to go back to God, even when he was disappointed with God's decision. 00:14:52.336 --> 00:14:53.639 Yeah. 00:14:54.966 --> 00:15:03.788 And that's a good point, and I guess where I was going is a lot of us faced with that's a similar situation. 00:15:03.788 --> 00:15:06.373 Right, we come to that fork in the road. 00:15:06.373 --> 00:15:13.230 Do I trust God's goodness here, because that's the human nature is I'll begin to question God. 00:15:13.230 --> 00:15:16.153 How could he allow me to end up in this place? 00:15:16.153 --> 00:15:19.839 Um, or we lean into it. 00:15:20.479 --> 00:15:41.597 And you know, I think on Sunday you talked about promise versus the process, you know, and I think it was oh gosh, this is back at the old building, so quite a few years ago, um, but we did this Easter series called life in the gap, and it was that same sort of flair, you know. 00:15:41.597 --> 00:15:59.096 So, as soon as you start talking promise and process, I'm like, man, this is, yes, this is what I want to preach about all the time, but this, you know, finding God in the gap, that he's in the process, and we see Elijah leaning into that. 00:15:59.096 --> 00:16:05.212 You know, it's easy for us to go the other way and say, god, this isn't what I signed up for. 00:16:05.212 --> 00:16:12.470 Um, and I, man, I, just I, I've talked to so many people and that's where they're at. 00:16:12.470 --> 00:16:14.554 God, this isn't what I signed up for. 00:16:14.554 --> 00:16:17.047 If you're good, why am I in this place. 00:16:17.047 --> 00:16:19.110 If you're good, why is this happening to me? 00:16:19.110 --> 00:16:20.051 Um? 00:16:21.253 --> 00:16:23.917 how do you think then, I mean we, we. 00:16:23.917 --> 00:16:31.496 If you read this um the passage, or if you were here for the sermon, um, you kind of know what happens with Elijah. 00:16:31.496 --> 00:16:36.135 But what do you think we do when we get to those moments where we need God to show up? 00:16:36.135 --> 00:16:44.308 Um do when we get to those moments where we need God to show up Because we're lost, we're in the valley? 00:16:44.308 --> 00:16:45.692 How do we recalibrate ourselves, do you think? 00:16:48.096 --> 00:16:54.956 First of all, we need to be honest, like Elijah was, and we need to tell God how we feel and how disappointed we are in him. 00:16:54.956 --> 00:16:57.730 I mean, he goes to the mountain. 00:16:57.730 --> 00:16:59.134 That's good spiritual instincts. 00:16:59.134 --> 00:17:02.253 He doesn't go up there to get a new assignment. 00:17:02.253 --> 00:17:05.952 He goes up there to say, god, just take me home. 00:17:05.952 --> 00:17:07.457 I'm tired of this. 00:17:07.457 --> 00:17:09.592 They're never going to do what's right. 00:17:09.592 --> 00:17:11.230 I'm the only one left. 00:17:11.230 --> 00:17:15.537 I'm the only one that cares, kind of like I was when I was under that stage. 00:17:15.537 --> 00:17:19.152 That was a tough day. 00:17:19.486 --> 00:17:20.567 I remember that phone call. 00:17:20.567 --> 00:17:22.894 I honor you, I praise you. 00:17:22.894 --> 00:17:23.616 Thank you, tim. 00:17:27.465 --> 00:17:29.251 And even if it's a lie, I'll take it. 00:17:29.712 --> 00:17:30.115 I'll give him. 00:17:34.146 --> 00:17:38.577 He was up there and he was just letting God know. 00:17:38.577 --> 00:17:42.554 And the first time God he asked him this question twice. 00:17:42.554 --> 00:17:45.111 What are you doing here, elijah? 00:17:45.111 --> 00:17:52.632 First time Elijah doesn't hear him because he's already loaded, he's locked and loaded and he's waiting for God to say something so he can just let him have it. 00:17:52.632 --> 00:18:01.153 And I see him when God says it to him again and he repeats what he says the first time. 00:18:02.326 --> 00:18:12.558 When I was studying it last week, it felt like to me that his second time he said it was a question. 00:18:12.558 --> 00:18:41.866 You know, one thing I learned on the debate team and our debate team was one debate in high school but one thing I learned from a guy was that when you're attacked, make them repeat it, especially if it's ad hominem, if they're just trying to get to you or insult you, usually you can take a breath and just say can you repeat that? 00:18:41.866 --> 00:18:57.733 And when people do repeat what they just said off the cuff, which was mean or nasty or whatever and they remember what they say and then they remembered what they said, you know, and they're like oh, oh, my gosh, I'm not going to say that again, right? 00:18:58.316 --> 00:18:58.556 So? 00:18:58.556 --> 00:19:13.405 And I kind of feel that when Elijah is making that statement, you know I'm the only one, uh, I'm all alone, um, there's nobody left, and he's going through it again the second time he's going through it. 00:19:13.405 --> 00:19:15.853 He's like you know what that's? 00:19:15.913 --> 00:19:16.836 probably not true. 00:19:16.836 --> 00:19:17.175 You know what? 00:19:17.175 --> 00:19:17.678 That's probably not true. 00:19:17.678 --> 00:19:35.109 You know it's probably not because obadiah and he's he's a good guy and I know he loves the lord and he's working right in the same palace and obviously god's probably using him I'm probably not the only one and then god answers the question for him afterwards. 00:19:35.109 --> 00:19:39.425 I I think that second time, when God said, what are you doing here, elijah? 00:19:39.425 --> 00:19:45.576 He realized that his excuse was not an excuse at all. 00:19:45.576 --> 00:19:48.359 So that's kind of how I feel. 00:19:48.359 --> 00:19:59.297 When he got there and I think that's why God speaks to us in a still small voice in that way, and sometimes God's like I just need you to go over that again. 00:19:59.297 --> 00:20:07.346 Remember who I am and remember who you are and who, and then you got to decide who's telling the truth. 00:20:07.346 --> 00:20:08.448 Am I telling the truth? 00:20:08.509 --> 00:20:08.848 or are you? 00:20:08.888 --> 00:20:09.510 telling the truth. 00:20:11.836 --> 00:20:24.613 This isn't the only time in scripture where we see God or and you know some of the other cases Jesus repeat the question or just come with a question. 00:20:24.613 --> 00:20:27.855 You know we're talking about the God, who he is all knowing. 00:20:27.855 --> 00:20:30.787 Right, he knows what Elijah he's not like. 00:20:30.787 --> 00:20:34.593 Hey, I'm, I'm, I got to do an interrogation here and get answers. 00:20:34.593 --> 00:20:37.630 God knows Adam and Eve in the garden. 00:20:37.630 --> 00:20:40.426 God comes down, adam, where are you? 00:20:40.426 --> 00:20:41.809 What are you doing? 00:20:41.809 --> 00:20:43.955 Who told you you were naked? 00:20:43.955 --> 00:20:55.751 Right, I mean, he comes with these questions, but the one that, as you're saying all that, that immediately pops in my head is Jesus's conversation with Peter. 00:20:55.751 --> 00:21:02.621 After Peter denies him, jesus goes to the cross and comes back. 00:21:02.621 --> 00:21:12.173 Peter's out fishing, which a lot of commentators think that Peter's gone back to his old life, that's what he was doing before he was a disciple. 00:21:12.224 --> 00:21:13.731 He didn't do what Elijah did. 00:21:13.731 --> 00:21:16.614 Elijah had better spiritual instincts. 00:21:16.614 --> 00:21:18.088 He went back to the mountain of God. 00:21:18.088 --> 00:21:20.876 But Peter went fishing, Went fishing. 00:21:21.265 --> 00:21:22.751 Yeah, went back to his old life. 00:21:22.751 --> 00:21:24.451 And so there's that fork in the road right. 00:21:24.451 --> 00:21:29.236 And so Jesus shows up on the shore. 00:21:29.236 --> 00:21:37.171 Peter's out in the boat and he sees him and jumps out of the boat and he swims to the shore and Jesus looks at him and says Peter, do you love me? 00:21:38.733 --> 00:21:47.708 Peter's like yeah, I love you and she says feed my sheep. 00:21:47.708 --> 00:21:49.316 And Peter starts talking and Jesus looks at him Peter do you love me? 00:21:49.316 --> 00:21:49.959 Asked him not once, not twice. 00:21:49.959 --> 00:21:51.605 You know it feels a little bit like LeBron leaving for Miami. 00:21:51.605 --> 00:21:55.271 He asked him three times Peter do you love me? 00:21:55.271 --> 00:22:06.451 And this idea and I love preaching on that sermon and I think there's this whole conditional response thing going on here how many times did Peter deny Jesus? 00:22:06.451 --> 00:22:11.477 Three times, how many times did he kind of reaffirm him Three times? 00:22:11.477 --> 00:22:20.693 But then that I think you said this in your sermon on Sunday that God's voice doesn't just comfort it, commissions. 00:22:21.055 --> 00:22:21.276 Yeah. 00:22:21.765 --> 00:22:28.693 And so he comes to Elijah what are you doing here, hey Elijah, what are you doing here? 00:22:28.693 --> 00:22:32.335 And he comes to Peter and he says Peter, do you love me? 00:22:32.335 --> 00:22:35.972 Oh, peter, do you love me? 00:22:36.535 --> 00:22:38.670 Yeah, I feel that. 00:22:39.192 --> 00:22:43.012 Yeah, we expect God to come in condemnation. 00:22:43.012 --> 00:22:47.575 You know that he's going to play this. 00:22:47.575 --> 00:22:49.813 You know God's playing this sick game of whack-a-mole. 00:22:49.813 --> 00:22:54.413 He's just looking, waiting for us to stick our heads up so he can just beat us with a mallet. 00:22:54.413 --> 00:23:01.425 But Paul's already told us there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. 00:23:01.425 --> 00:23:06.596 We said on the podcast last week right now, god is singing over you. 00:23:06.596 --> 00:23:08.487 That's how he thinks of you. 00:23:09.429 --> 00:23:18.207 And he wasn't caught off guard by Elijah's fear and depression and his anxiety and all the stuff that drove him back to the mountain. 00:23:18.207 --> 00:23:27.358 Or Peter, saying what did I just waste the past three years of my life for the guy that said he was supposed to be the son of God was just hung on a cross. 00:23:27.358 --> 00:23:28.119 I watched it happen. 00:23:28.119 --> 00:23:31.405 I'm going fishing, I am over this. 00:23:31.405 --> 00:23:32.727 He wasn't caught off guard by any of that. 00:23:32.727 --> 00:23:45.596 And when he comes, he comes back with this invitation, with and I love how you said it not just comfort but commissioning, because in both of those accounts he sends them back out. 00:23:45.596 --> 00:23:47.478 Right, you're not supposed to be here. 00:23:47.478 --> 00:23:48.657 You're not supposed to be on that boat. 00:23:48.657 --> 00:23:49.419 Peter, do you love me? 00:23:49.419 --> 00:23:50.359 Feed my sheep? 00:23:50.359 --> 00:23:52.340 You know where sheep are not On the water. 00:23:52.340 --> 00:23:56.887 Peter, get out of the water Right, they're over here, go feed my sheep. 00:23:56.887 --> 00:24:06.874 And so I love that idea that when he comes, he comes with an invitation and recommissioned us. 00:24:06.874 --> 00:24:11.148 He's pushing us back into the life that he called us to. 00:24:11.490 --> 00:24:13.896 Peter's response to Jesus there was. 00:24:13.896 --> 00:24:18.671 You know all things you know that I love you. 00:24:18.671 --> 00:24:26.071 And when you read that or when I read it, I always think okay, jesus says do you love me? 00:24:26.071 --> 00:24:27.555 He knows, peter loves him. 00:24:27.555 --> 00:24:37.416 The problem is, peter's not sure if he loves him, you know, and he just keeps asking him do you love me? 00:24:37.416 --> 00:24:39.900 And Peter's like yeah, I love you too. 00:24:39.900 --> 00:24:40.766 Do I love him? 00:24:40.766 --> 00:24:41.807 Why am I fishing? 00:24:42.088 --> 00:24:42.911 You know right. 00:24:43.751 --> 00:24:51.150 You feel that so, um, I think God's so individual. 00:24:51.150 --> 00:24:56.717 I mean, he didn't stand up on the mountain like I made a big presentation of it. 00:24:56.717 --> 00:25:01.146 You know who walks on my mountain or whatever. 00:25:01.146 --> 00:25:03.270 He's like Elijah. 00:25:03.270 --> 00:25:04.854 What are you doing here? 00:25:04.854 --> 00:25:19.416 He calls him by name, you know, and God's an individual God and he's going to call you by name, and all the references that God makes you're going to get. 00:25:19.416 --> 00:25:24.576 It's not going to be before your time or after your time. 00:25:24.576 --> 00:25:31.877 All the things he inspires you to think about are on purpose. 00:25:31.877 --> 00:25:36.010 Everything's going to be for you and about you. 00:25:36.010 --> 00:25:46.657 So when God speaks to you, even in a small way, he's speaking to you, to your situation, to your history, to your future. 00:25:46.657 --> 00:25:52.837 That's how individual God is, and he deals with all of us individually. 00:25:55.048 --> 00:25:55.711 That's so good. 00:25:55.711 --> 00:26:16.821 What do you think and I you know, I know commentators got a lot of thoughts on this and it's been talked about for probably thousands of years now why do you think what is the significance, I guess, of of god speaking to elijah in this moment, not in the storm and in the wind and all that stuff, but in in the whisper, why? 00:26:16.821 --> 00:26:18.979 Why do you think that's significant in this moment, not in the storm and in the wind and all that stuff, but in the whisper? 00:26:18.979 --> 00:26:21.413 Why do you think that's significant in this story? 00:26:22.464 --> 00:26:35.931 All the commentators run along this line and it makes sense and I believe this is the most true is that God has been doing big things with Elijah. 00:26:35.931 --> 00:26:44.527 I mean magic pots, magic bottles of oil, stopping the rain, bringing the rain. 00:26:44.527 --> 00:26:48.012 I mean we're talking big stuff. 00:26:48.534 --> 00:26:51.138 Yeah, it's not it's not like I. 00:26:51.138 --> 00:27:03.491 You know, I prayed and, and my stomach cramps went away and um, and I went to the doctor and I was okay, stomach cramps went away, and um, and I went to the doctor and I was okay, and you go home. 00:27:03.491 --> 00:27:04.073 I preached a sermon, um, once. 00:27:04.073 --> 00:27:05.835 Uh, was it prayer or was it cucumbers? 00:27:05.835 --> 00:27:26.997 My mom had cancer, really bad, and and they were praying and she had started retaining water or something along that lines, and someone told her to eat cucumbers, and then she had a little prayer team. 00:27:26.997 --> 00:27:37.153 She called them all up and came to pray over it, and so two days later she was fine and her question for me was so what do you think? 00:27:37.153 --> 00:27:39.113 Was it prayer or was it the cucumbers? 00:27:39.113 --> 00:27:44.791 And sometimes you know, oh mom, I think that's in the Bible somewhere. 00:27:46.326 --> 00:27:49.855 But that's part of that process promise thing. 00:27:49.855 --> 00:27:54.493 You know, probably not the center part of it, but part of it. 00:27:54.493 --> 00:28:02.130 God is getting you to reach for him, but he's got some things that are smart for you to do in the process. 00:28:02.130 --> 00:28:11.933 Right, eat those cucumbers, they're good for you anyways, and if you don't eat them, does God heal you, probably. 00:28:11.933 --> 00:28:16.666 I mean, this is not either or or anything like that. 00:28:16.666 --> 00:28:23.265 I'm not trying to make that distinction, but we have those type of things in our life all the time. 00:28:23.365 --> 00:28:28.296 Those are the mundane things that you know. 00:28:28.296 --> 00:28:35.755 You got something going on and the doctor says you're okay and you prayed about it, and you're not sure that I have something going on and God healed me. 00:28:35.755 --> 00:28:37.945 You know, you got this question. 00:28:37.945 --> 00:28:39.567 Did I have something going on and God healed me? 00:28:39.567 --> 00:28:40.488 You got this question. 00:28:40.488 --> 00:28:43.910 There was no question in Elijah's mind who God was and what he could do. 00:28:43.910 --> 00:28:49.334 I mean, he's raising people from the dead, he's bringing storms, he's calling fire out of heaven. 00:28:49.334 --> 00:29:14.971 But I think what God was trying to tell him was look, these are all great things and there's a big storm out there, there's a big wind, there's an earthquake, there's a big fire, and I can handle all that, I do all that, I can be all that, but look, the life is in the whisper, the life is in the mundane. 00:29:14.971 --> 00:29:18.654 Now you've got to go out and live that life. 00:29:19.565 --> 00:29:38.394 And one thing I try to encourage people is let me preface it with this I've got a lot of illustrations today, I should write all this down when you go up on top of Mount Washington over in what are those states up there? 00:29:38.724 --> 00:29:41.894 Not Washington, because I feel like we talked about this before and I was wrong. 00:29:42.276 --> 00:29:46.174 Yeah, and I'm going to say the same thing I said then. 00:29:46.174 --> 00:30:06.025 The trees up there are like some of them are way up, 180 years old and they're only three foot high, because you're above the alpine line, you know, and trees just don't grow up there and you grow down in the valley, and I think that's part of what the Lord is saying. 00:30:06.025 --> 00:30:08.592 You got to get back to work, you know. 00:30:08.592 --> 00:30:21.088 We got some things to do and I'm not going to do it like you want me to do it, but I'm going to do it, and so I think that's what this was all about. 00:30:21.088 --> 00:30:23.231 He was running high and hot, you know. 00:30:23.231 --> 00:30:25.394 Think about Billy Graham. 00:30:25.394 --> 00:30:33.644 He has these crusades with a hundred, sometimes a quarter million people show up. 00:30:33.644 --> 00:30:47.857 Then he has one with 90,000 show up and then 50,000 show up, and then 25 and then 10. 00:30:47.857 --> 00:30:49.479 You know what's? 00:30:49.479 --> 00:30:51.060 What's Billy Graham thinking? 00:30:51.060 --> 00:30:53.001 You know, am I? 00:30:53.001 --> 00:30:54.446 Where'd you go, god? 00:30:55.288 --> 00:31:01.378 We should, we should keep climbing you know, keep climbing the numbers and trying to grow this church. 00:31:01.378 --> 00:31:06.998 You know what that feels like, right, yeah, ok, we're not going in the same direction we were going. 00:31:06.998 --> 00:31:09.147 What are we doing something wrong? 00:31:09.147 --> 00:31:10.509 Have we missed a turn? 00:31:10.509 --> 00:31:11.810 What's going on? 00:31:11.810 --> 00:31:12.152 God? 00:31:12.152 --> 00:31:21.518 And he says I'm getting you prepared for the next level, so just get prepared, do your job. 00:31:21.518 --> 00:31:23.707 And we have a hard time with that. 00:31:23.707 --> 00:31:23.988 It's just. 00:31:23.988 --> 00:31:28.728 You know, all our movies are based on conquering and being on top, unless it's Rocky. 00:31:28.728 --> 00:31:42.134 He gets on top and then he gets knocked back to the bottom, which is probably more in line with the truth than, um, all the other movies we watched, the happily ever after movies I think Ty just told me that they're coming out with another Rocky. 00:31:43.204 --> 00:31:45.569 Sylvester Stallone's gotta be like 80 years old. 00:31:45.569 --> 00:31:48.897 He needs put the gloves up, dude, Just stop. 00:31:48.897 --> 00:31:50.464 I don't. 00:31:50.464 --> 00:31:50.865 I don't know what's. 00:31:50.865 --> 00:31:51.607 I don't know if that's true or not? 00:31:51.628 --> 00:31:52.530 well, he can keep going. 00:31:52.530 --> 00:31:54.656 He doesn't ever get really get hit. 00:31:54.656 --> 00:31:59.233 It's not like a real boxer, george foreman, I know that. 00:31:59.294 --> 00:32:02.987 But I'm just thinking like we got to make it do something different. 00:32:02.987 --> 00:32:06.714 Be a grandpa in a movie, uh yeah, leave this boxing thing alone. 00:32:06.755 --> 00:32:14.994 You're 80 um, nobody's gonna buy sylvester stallone movie where he's just grandpa papa, papa. 00:32:14.994 --> 00:32:21.298 No, I saw the guy beat up a russian yeah, yeah it ain't happening, but george foreman died last week. 00:32:21.298 --> 00:32:22.060 Did you hear about that? 00:32:22.060 --> 00:32:22.944 I did hear about that. 00:32:24.106 --> 00:32:28.556 I love george you big boxing fan I am, uh, uh, my dad. 00:32:29.258 --> 00:32:45.078 No, I'll say no because when my dad died, I quit watching boxing, but it's one of those things we did together, you know, and my dad was always really good at it and I was always really bad at boxing and um but I mean, he was like great boxer, wasn't? 00:32:45.164 --> 00:32:54.011 yeah, he was all fleet, all pacific fleet champion that's amazing yeah I watch boxing like, nah, I, I don't want no part of that. 00:32:54.011 --> 00:32:56.317 Yeah, that fight sermon series with the box. 00:32:56.317 --> 00:33:00.733 That's about as close to boxing as I ever want to get I love george. 00:33:00.753 --> 00:33:01.936 They called him pastor george. 00:33:01.936 --> 00:33:02.298 He was a. 00:33:02.298 --> 00:33:03.307 He was a preacher. 00:33:03.868 --> 00:33:05.752 It's awesome made a good. 00:33:05.752 --> 00:33:09.121 Uh, he's the guy that came out that grilling griddle thing too. 00:33:09.141 --> 00:33:13.030 That was great I yeah, and everybody now are buying. 00:33:13.030 --> 00:33:25.990 You can go out and get a george foreman grill for like 35 bucks, but now everybody, it's got these big fancy ones and you look at them you're like, that's just a george foreman grill, but it says blackstone on it. 00:33:25.990 --> 00:33:27.113 So it's's $200. 00:33:27.113 --> 00:33:43.535 Yeah, I love that guy and it's weird how you miss someone, because when he was doing his tours with his stupid grill and all that kind of stuff, he talked about the Lord all the time. 00:33:44.846 --> 00:33:48.509 Raised the Lord for it and the grill, because that thing was awesome. 00:33:49.431 --> 00:33:50.373 I still got the big one. 00:33:50.673 --> 00:33:52.175 Yeah, and the grill Cause. 00:33:52.175 --> 00:33:53.739 That that thing was awesome. 00:33:53.739 --> 00:33:55.122 Yeah, I still got the big one. 00:33:55.122 --> 00:33:56.042 Yeah, that's awesome. 00:33:56.042 --> 00:33:59.471 Yeah, our wives are going to kill us for that little detour as I'm thinking of this. 00:33:59.471 --> 00:34:01.615 I'm really good, I got a thing about that. 00:34:01.796 --> 00:34:02.778 I miss him already. 00:34:02.778 --> 00:34:03.519 Isn't that weird? 00:34:03.519 --> 00:34:07.300 I haven't heard about him or from him for a long time and now he's gone. 00:34:07.320 --> 00:34:24.630 I miss him you know, I don't know what that says about our human experience, but yeah, those parts like I don't even know the guy you know, but we feel like we're losing parts of us when some of those icons and heroes that we've looked up to and followed along the years, uh, pass away. 00:34:24.630 --> 00:34:26.514 You're like well, hold on now. 00:34:26.514 --> 00:34:29.059 You just don't feel as whole as you did before. 00:34:29.079 --> 00:34:31.048 I don't know yeah. 00:34:31.389 --> 00:34:37.949 But I think in Elijah's case here you know, he, as you said, he has seen God in all these amazing things. 00:34:38.771 --> 00:34:42.338 I mean all right, that was a horrible segue from George Foreman. 00:34:42.364 --> 00:34:44.771 Right back into this, right back into the podcast. 00:34:44.771 --> 00:34:45.251 It didn't work. 00:34:45.251 --> 00:34:47.157 I tripped and fell on my face. 00:34:47.157 --> 00:34:50.967 Someone's got to get us back on track. 00:34:50.967 --> 00:34:53.833 But here's a guy who's seen god in all of these. 00:34:53.833 --> 00:34:57.809 I mean, he's seen god in the weather right, don't rain. 00:34:57.809 --> 00:35:00.615 All right, doesn't rain, rain. 00:35:00.615 --> 00:35:03.623 Here's a storm, fire from heaven, boom. 00:35:03.623 --> 00:35:06.869 He's seen god in all of that and I think what you're saying is right. 00:35:06.869 --> 00:35:11.590 I mean, he had to, and to see him in the mundane stuff, right, um. 00:35:11.590 --> 00:35:13.940 I can't remember who it who said it first. 00:35:13.940 --> 00:35:27.215 I don't know how long it's been around, but you know, someone said god whispers because he's close, um, and I think I'll take credit for that pastor tim first said god whispers because he's close. 00:35:28.476 --> 00:35:29.557 And that was a joke too. 00:35:29.557 --> 00:35:31.340 Okay, Just so you know. 00:35:31.340 --> 00:35:35.376 I don't want some guy calling me about copyright laws or whatever. 00:35:35.565 --> 00:35:36.951 Have the whole podcast shut down. 00:35:36.951 --> 00:35:41.090 I think we need that reminder. 00:35:41.090 --> 00:35:42.132 I think Elijah needs it. 00:35:42.132 --> 00:35:50.429 Elijah, I got you I'm right here, you know, and and that call to to recommission him. 00:35:50.429 --> 00:35:57.813 I'm not just in the spectacle, I'm not just in the— I love that word right there. 00:35:58.186 --> 00:36:00.052 I'm not in the spectacle. 00:36:00.784 --> 00:36:10.612 We're just in it because he's in it, but I'm not just in it and we look at our experience, our relationship with God, and we think it's all goosebumps. 00:36:10.612 --> 00:36:26.695 You know, when I come to church and I man, the Spirit was really moving today and the hair on the back of your neck stands up when the band sings that one song or that you know vocalist hits that one note and you're like, oh, spirit is in this place. 00:36:26.695 --> 00:36:31.715 Yeah, he's also with you at work on Monday. 00:36:31.715 --> 00:36:41.492 He's also with you when you're helping your kid do their homework or disciplining your kid, or when your boss is yelling at you, he's still there. 00:36:41.492 --> 00:36:44.827 I'm not just in the spectacle, I'm there. 00:36:44.827 --> 00:36:50.434 And those are great moments and I think God loves it too, when we have a heightened awareness of his presence. 00:36:50.434 --> 00:36:56.693 I think God enjoys being with us in those moments, but just as much God says I enjoy you right here. 00:36:58.445 --> 00:37:05.628 And, more than that, he enjoys you in your sorrow when you've had that loss. 00:37:05.628 --> 00:37:10.952 And it's just, you just don't know if you're going to be able to crawl your way out. 00:37:10.952 --> 00:37:17.768 And God encourages you and says I'm here, you don't have to. 00:37:18.309 --> 00:37:19.793 You don't have to reach to crawl out. 00:37:19.793 --> 00:37:20.195 Right now. 00:37:20.195 --> 00:37:29.751