WEBVTT 00:00:00.479 --> 00:00:04.080 Last Sunday, we started a brand new series called Elijah Shah. 00:00:04.240 --> 00:00:07.839 And don't worry if you have a hard time saying that or spelling it because it's not a real word. 00:00:07.919 --> 00:00:08.640 We made it up. 00:00:08.800 --> 00:00:14.640 We are going to be covering the stories and the lives of these two prophets in the Old Testament, Elijah and Elisha. 00:00:14.880 --> 00:00:19.839 And their stories flow into each other's, and so we just smushed their names together, called it Elijah Shah, and here we go. 00:00:20.079 --> 00:00:23.440 I am I'm so excited about this story for so many different reasons. 00:00:23.519 --> 00:00:37.039 But but one of the biggest reasons I'm excited to talk about this here together for the next several months, and we'll probably take some breaks here and there, is because this sort of illustrates why I get excited just to read the Bible in general, just to study God's Word on my own. 00:00:37.280 --> 00:00:38.960 You know, the Bible is not God. 00:00:39.359 --> 00:00:46.719 So we don't worship a book, we don't worship the Bible, but the Bible, God's Word, it is his revelation to us. 00:00:47.280 --> 00:00:51.200 And as a person, I might be able to make observations about life. 00:00:51.439 --> 00:00:55.920 I might be able to make very astute and maybe even profound observations about life. 00:00:56.079 --> 00:00:57.119 Many people do. 00:00:57.520 --> 00:00:58.399 And that's awesome. 00:00:59.119 --> 00:01:07.840 It's great when someone makes a powerful observation about life, but never settle for the observations of people when you can have the revelation of God. 00:01:09.040 --> 00:01:17.519 Never settle for what a person can observe when you can understand what only God can reveal, because trust me, there are things that only God can reveal. 00:01:17.920 --> 00:01:22.159 There are things about you, about life, that only God can show you. 00:01:22.319 --> 00:01:23.040 No one else. 00:01:23.280 --> 00:01:24.239 No one else knows. 00:01:24.480 --> 00:01:25.439 No one else understands. 00:01:25.599 --> 00:01:26.799 You need to hear from God. 00:01:26.959 --> 00:01:34.879 When we open up God's word and we explore it, we open up ourselves and our hearts and our minds to what only God can reveal. 00:01:35.200 --> 00:01:44.400 And sometimes in church, especially as churches get bigger and more modern or whatever you want to call it, the Bible becomes more and more auxiliary. 00:01:45.760 --> 00:02:06.079 It just becomes this thing that occasionally is brought up and used, and a few verses are kind of peppered in, and we we maybe come to this conclusion that the Bible's, you know, it's great and there's good stuff in there, but it's kind of like you got a pan for gold, you know, that there's some really good nuggets of truth in there that are practical, but they're really hard to find, and it's just like you need someone that really understands it to show you the little things in there that are actually helpful. 00:02:06.239 --> 00:02:07.519 The opposite is true. 00:02:09.199 --> 00:02:21.840 As we mature and as we grow as Jesus followers, when we open up God's word and we ask the Holy Spirit to reveal to us what he wants to reveal to us, it's more like drinking from a fire hose where you have to shut it sometimes and be like, enough. 00:02:22.000 --> 00:02:25.120 I gotta deal with it, I gotta chew on this for a while before I can move to anything else. 00:02:25.280 --> 00:02:26.800 That's really how it is. 00:02:27.439 --> 00:02:31.759 And so as we study Elijah and Elisha, that's really what we're doing together. 00:02:31.919 --> 00:02:36.960 We're just opening up God's word and reading a little bit at a time and going, what does this say about life now? 00:02:37.120 --> 00:02:40.080 What does this have to say to me in my life today? 00:02:41.199 --> 00:02:45.120 Because I'm telling you, every single page of scripture is packed. 00:02:45.280 --> 00:02:48.479 It is packed with the profound, the powerful, and the practical. 00:02:48.560 --> 00:02:49.280 Every page. 00:02:49.520 --> 00:02:52.080 And I love alliteration, and there were a lot of P words there. 00:02:52.240 --> 00:02:56.080 So I'm saying every page is packed with the powerful, the profound, and the practical. 00:02:56.319 --> 00:02:56.639 Okay? 00:02:57.680 --> 00:02:58.639 It really is. 00:02:59.039 --> 00:03:01.280 And I want us to experience that as we go through this. 00:03:01.360 --> 00:03:07.680 And by the way, if you're here and you're not a Jesus follower, it's not a decision that you've made in your life, you're either here because you're curious or because someone dragged you along. 00:03:07.840 --> 00:03:09.039 Uh, you're here against your will. 00:03:09.120 --> 00:03:10.560 If, by the way, if you're in trouble, let us know. 00:03:10.639 --> 00:03:12.159 We we don't want that to be the case. 00:03:12.479 --> 00:03:16.479 But even if if you haven't, someone just said, geez, like what does he say? 00:03:16.560 --> 00:03:18.000 Why does he say things like that? 00:03:18.240 --> 00:03:18.879 I don't know. 00:03:19.039 --> 00:03:22.319 I've been wondering my whole life why a lot of things come out of my mouth. 00:03:22.479 --> 00:03:34.560 Um but but even if you haven't made that decision to be a Jesus follower, I want you to understand that we we don't just want to invite you into this adventure of life that God has invited us into. 00:03:35.840 --> 00:03:39.680 We want to invite you into the depths of what God has for you. 00:03:41.039 --> 00:03:46.639 Like there is a depth that we get with God that's unlike anything else in the world. 00:03:47.439 --> 00:03:55.759 And so we don't just want you to experience Jesus, like you check off the box and move on, like, yay, I had some Jesus. 00:03:55.919 --> 00:04:00.479 No, we want you to, we want to invite you into the full depth of life that God has for you. 00:04:00.560 --> 00:04:04.560 And that that's something that we all grow in when we open up the Bible and say, God teach us. 00:04:04.639 --> 00:04:05.759 And so that's what we're gonna do. 00:04:05.919 --> 00:04:11.840 Last week we met Elijah for the first time as he shows up in scripture in 1 Kings chapter 17, verse 1. 00:04:12.000 --> 00:04:13.919 He just comes like out of nowhere. 00:04:14.080 --> 00:04:17.360 The Bible says, now Elijah, who is from Tishbi and Gilead. 00:04:17.600 --> 00:04:19.680 By the way, Gilead, middle of nowhere. 00:04:19.839 --> 00:04:21.199 Tishbi, middle of nowhere. 00:04:21.360 --> 00:04:26.240 So, in other words, what the Bible is saying is now Elijah, this nobody from nowhere's will, okay? 00:04:26.480 --> 00:04:31.120 He shows up and he's talking to King Ahab, who is the king of Israel this time. 00:04:31.360 --> 00:04:39.120 And here's what he says to Ahab, as surely as the Lord, the God of Israel, lives, the God I serve, there will be no dew or rain during the next few years until I give the word. 00:04:39.360 --> 00:04:41.360 That is a bold thing to say to a king. 00:04:41.600 --> 00:04:46.480 Like, God better have told you to say that, if you're gonna go to a king and say that. 00:04:46.720 --> 00:04:49.600 And we went through this last week, in case you weren't here, just to give you some understanding. 00:04:49.759 --> 00:04:53.600 This is not God like being angry and just spiting people for the heck of it. 00:04:53.680 --> 00:04:54.879 That's not what's happening here. 00:04:55.120 --> 00:05:05.199 Um, Ahab has married this woman named Jezebel, and she is a passionate worshiper of a Phoenician god known as Baal, a little g god that was worshipped in Phoenicia. 00:05:05.279 --> 00:05:06.399 That's where Jezebel's from. 00:05:06.560 --> 00:05:10.879 And Ahab has been very heavily influenced by Jezebel, and he has started to worship Baal. 00:05:11.040 --> 00:05:15.920 In fact, he has built a temple to Baal in Samaria, which was the capital city of Israel at this time. 00:05:16.160 --> 00:05:21.680 He's built a temple to Baal in Israel, and he has really deemed that all Israel should worship Baal. 00:05:21.839 --> 00:05:26.480 When the king builds a temple to a god, that's the king saying, This is our official religion now. 00:05:26.720 --> 00:05:31.519 And so all of Israel has really followed Ahab's lead, and they are worshiping Baal. 00:05:31.600 --> 00:05:35.680 It just so happens that Baal was the Phoenician god of rain. 00:05:35.920 --> 00:05:38.720 Baal was the one the Phoenicians believed made it rain. 00:05:38.800 --> 00:05:49.920 And so here you have Ahab and all of Israel praying to Baal for rain, abandoning worshiping God, the provider of everything, and saying, Baal make it rain, Baal make it rain, and offering their sacrifices and their worship for that. 00:05:50.000 --> 00:05:52.639 And God speaks to Elijah, this prophet. 00:05:52.800 --> 00:05:56.800 He says, Hey, go tell Ahab that I'm gonna give Ahab exactly what he wants. 00:05:57.040 --> 00:05:59.920 I'm gonna let Baal handle the rain for a while. 00:06:00.720 --> 00:06:05.839 And so Elijah shows up and tells King Ahab, hey, keep worshiping Baal and serving Baal if you want to. 00:06:06.000 --> 00:06:09.759 God is gonna let you see exactly who Baal is and exactly who he is. 00:06:11.040 --> 00:06:12.879 This is not just some random thing God is doing. 00:06:12.959 --> 00:06:16.160 He is He's teaching Ahab and all of Israel a very important lesson. 00:06:16.319 --> 00:06:18.560 Do not put your faith in a little g God. 00:06:19.439 --> 00:06:20.480 Do not do that. 00:06:20.639 --> 00:06:21.839 And that's something for all of us. 00:06:22.000 --> 00:06:26.319 Never put your faith in in a God who is smaller than your trouble. 00:06:27.759 --> 00:06:33.680 Put your faith in the real God, the only God, the God that is so big that when you bring your trouble to him, he looks at it and goes, Yeah, I can handle that. 00:06:34.800 --> 00:06:36.319 So that's what happened last week. 00:06:36.399 --> 00:06:40.639 And now, immediately after he has this confrontation with Ahab, God speaks to him again. 00:06:40.879 --> 00:06:43.040 It says, Then the Lord said to Elijah, Go. 00:06:43.680 --> 00:06:45.519 In other words, run. 00:06:46.480 --> 00:06:49.120 You know, you just gave the king some really bad news. 00:06:49.279 --> 00:06:50.079 He is not a good king. 00:06:50.160 --> 00:06:52.639 The Bible says he's the worst king Israel has ever had up to this point. 00:06:52.800 --> 00:06:53.920 And God says, Go. 00:06:54.240 --> 00:06:55.360 Like, get out. 00:06:56.000 --> 00:07:00.720 He says, Go to the east and hide by the Kareth brook, near where it enters the Jordan River. 00:07:00.959 --> 00:07:04.480 Drink from the brook and eat what the ravens bring you, for I've commanded them to bring you food. 00:07:04.639 --> 00:07:08.560 So Elijah did as the Lord told him and camped beside Careth Brook, east of the Jordan. 00:07:08.879 --> 00:07:12.639 The ravens brought him bread and meat each morning and evening, and he drank from the brook. 00:07:12.720 --> 00:07:16.000 But after a while the brook dried up, for there was no rainfall anywhere in the land. 00:07:16.160 --> 00:07:20.959 And then the Lord said to Elijah, Go and live in the village of Zarephath, near the city of Sidon. 00:07:21.040 --> 00:07:23.360 I've instructed a widow there to feed you. 00:07:23.600 --> 00:07:26.560 Okay, so there's a lot happening here, and let's unpack this. 00:07:26.720 --> 00:07:34.160 Believe it or not, this scripture is jam-packed with a really practical, practical, powerful truth for us. 00:07:34.319 --> 00:07:37.680 And it answers a very important question that we all deal with in life. 00:07:37.759 --> 00:07:40.079 That we all deal with multiple times in life. 00:07:40.160 --> 00:07:42.480 Some of us might be dealing with this in a big way today. 00:07:42.720 --> 00:07:49.279 The question is: what do we do when a door closes in our lives? 00:07:50.560 --> 00:07:53.439 How do we respond when we encounter closed doors? 00:07:53.519 --> 00:07:54.959 I'm not talking about literal doors. 00:07:55.120 --> 00:07:59.199 Like if you go home and the door to your restroom is closed, just open it. 00:07:59.360 --> 00:08:00.319 Just go in. 00:08:00.480 --> 00:08:02.480 Like, I'm not talking about that, right? 00:08:02.560 --> 00:08:16.639 We all know the metaphor of when a door closes, when you're pursuing something in life and you have some idea of what you want to do and what you want to be, and you give it your all and you go in that direction, then all of a sudden, inexplicably, sometimes very confusingly and frustratingly, the door is closed. 00:08:17.040 --> 00:08:17.759 What do you do? 00:08:19.120 --> 00:08:21.680 That's what this scripture teaches us. 00:08:22.639 --> 00:08:24.000 But we need to unpack it a little bit. 00:08:24.079 --> 00:08:29.199 Now, number one, we learn that Elijah goes, he flees Ahab. 00:08:29.519 --> 00:08:31.519 He has to, because Ahab will kill him if he stays. 00:08:31.680 --> 00:08:34.639 He flees from Ahab and he goes to a place called Karath Brook. 00:08:34.720 --> 00:08:38.240 And we don't know exactly where that is, but it tells us that it was east of the Jordan River. 00:08:38.320 --> 00:08:42.720 It was probably close to where Elijah had grown up, somewhere in the Gilead region. 00:08:42.799 --> 00:08:45.519 And so here's a map of ancient Israel at this time. 00:08:45.759 --> 00:08:48.320 The yellow at the top is the kingdom of Israel. 00:08:48.480 --> 00:08:50.399 The kind of pinkish-purplish color. 00:08:50.480 --> 00:08:51.919 Is that I'm like half colorblind. 00:08:52.000 --> 00:08:53.519 Is that pinkish and purplish? 00:08:53.759 --> 00:08:54.159 Yeah. 00:08:54.320 --> 00:08:54.720 Alright. 00:08:54.799 --> 00:08:55.919 So shouldn't have asked. 00:08:56.080 --> 00:08:58.480 The pinkish and purplish color at the bottom, that's Judah. 00:08:58.559 --> 00:09:02.159 Remember that Israel, we talked about this last week, has split into two different nations. 00:09:02.399 --> 00:09:05.360 So you've got Judah in the south, and Jerusalem is the capital city there. 00:09:05.519 --> 00:09:08.639 You've got Israel in the north, and Samaria is the capital city there. 00:09:08.799 --> 00:09:15.519 And so Samaria is where is where Elijah confronts Ahab, and then God says, get out, go to the east, east of the Jordan River. 00:09:15.600 --> 00:09:18.240 So here's kind of the path that Elijah probably takes. 00:09:18.399 --> 00:09:22.960 And guys, if you want to go ahead and pull that up there, you know, we got a little Indiana Jones dotted line. 00:09:23.120 --> 00:09:25.120 You know, we could play the music if we wanted to. 00:09:25.200 --> 00:09:27.039 Bom, bah bum-ba-ba-ba-ba. 00:09:27.360 --> 00:09:28.559 I love that movie. 00:09:28.720 --> 00:09:30.879 Okay, so so he goes east of the Jordan River. 00:09:30.960 --> 00:09:33.840 Now, on a map on a screen like that, it looks small. 00:09:34.080 --> 00:09:37.039 That looks like a small journey, you know, and in our world it would be. 00:09:37.200 --> 00:09:40.720 Get in your car, take a drive, maybe get an airplane, and it's like nothing. 00:09:40.879 --> 00:09:49.279 But we're talking about 3,000-ish years ago, you know, on foot, maybe with a camel, maybe, and so this is a perilous, long journey. 00:09:49.440 --> 00:09:51.679 And he goes to Kareth Brook. 00:09:52.000 --> 00:09:52.879 Kareth Brook. 00:09:52.960 --> 00:09:54.320 And that sounds like a really nice place, you know. 00:09:54.480 --> 00:09:57.120 Like, oh, you guys want to come with me to Kareth? 00:09:57.440 --> 00:10:00.320 But Kareth is actually, someone said yes, okay, why not? 00:10:00.399 --> 00:10:01.039 Let's figure it out. 00:10:01.200 --> 00:10:08.159 It's gonna be a long, we gotta fly to Israel, and uh, you know, airfare's expensive, so I don't know if you really mean yes when you say yes, but whatever. 00:10:08.480 --> 00:10:14.320 So Kareth actually comes from a Hebrew word that means to separate or to cut off. 00:10:14.720 --> 00:10:15.039 Okay? 00:10:15.840 --> 00:10:18.480 Not super pleasant sounding, right? 00:10:18.639 --> 00:10:23.840 Like if you're booking a vacation and you get online, you go to travelosity, and you find a place called Separation Bay. 00:10:24.159 --> 00:10:26.960 You tell your family, hey guys, we're gonna take a trip to Separation Bay. 00:10:27.039 --> 00:10:29.039 You're like, I don't know about that. 00:10:29.440 --> 00:10:31.039 Like it could be a good thing, maybe not. 00:10:31.120 --> 00:10:34.480 Or what if you found a place like, honey, come here, look, there's a place called Cutoff Island. 00:10:34.559 --> 00:10:36.720 Let's go to Cutoff Island and have a good time. 00:10:36.879 --> 00:10:38.639 You'd be like, I don't, what's getting cut off? 00:10:38.720 --> 00:10:40.639 I don't, I don't like the idea of that. 00:10:40.799 --> 00:10:45.039 And so this is not, what I'm saying is, this is not some pleasant place. 00:10:45.200 --> 00:10:49.279 This is not some like resort town that Elijah is going to. 00:10:49.440 --> 00:10:51.039 He's going to the middle of nowhere. 00:10:51.120 --> 00:10:56.159 He's going to a place that is so cut off, so separate, so remote, that he will be safe from Ahab. 00:10:56.399 --> 00:11:00.639 It's a long journey and he's by himself, but that's okay, right? 00:11:00.799 --> 00:11:02.080 He's provided for. 00:11:02.480 --> 00:11:12.320 And we kind of have a tendency when we read the Bible to read over some things that are miraculous, but to read over them so quickly that we don't actually let it sink in and we don't really take into account what's actually happening. 00:11:12.480 --> 00:11:19.360 So it's said that Elijah goes to Kareth Brook, and while he's at Careth Brook, God sends, you know, ravens to bring him food. 00:11:19.600 --> 00:11:22.240 And we can read that and be like, wow, that's so cool. 00:11:22.480 --> 00:11:32.320 You know, almost picture like a Disney scene, you know, in Disney movies when the princess opens the window and like the birds come in, and the birds like will sit on the princess's hand and they'll sing together. 00:11:32.399 --> 00:11:38.080 And sometimes animals in Disney movies help the princess make a dress or something like that, you know, the mice or whatever. 00:11:38.240 --> 00:11:40.480 And that's what we kind of picture, like, oh, what a sweet moment. 00:11:40.559 --> 00:11:49.600 Here's a here's Elijah, he's waking up at Karath and he's in the middle of nowhere and he's separate from everyone he knows, but no big deal, because he's got birds, and they're they're showing up and they're bringing him food and all that. 00:11:49.759 --> 00:11:56.320 But like, number one, in those Disney movies, it's not ravens. 00:11:56.879 --> 00:11:57.200 Okay? 00:11:57.519 --> 00:12:00.399 It's like bluebirds, cardinals, little finches. 00:12:00.559 --> 00:12:02.000 Like, have you ever seen a raven? 00:12:02.320 --> 00:12:04.480 Like we have a picture of a raven, okay? 00:12:04.720 --> 00:12:05.919 This is a raven. 00:12:07.519 --> 00:12:14.879 Like, when you wake up in the morning and you're hungry for breakfast, this is not who you want to see delivering your food. 00:12:15.039 --> 00:12:15.360 Okay? 00:12:15.840 --> 00:12:17.840 Ravens are disgusting. 00:12:18.559 --> 00:12:21.519 And I don't even think if ravens had feelings, they could be offended. 00:12:21.600 --> 00:12:24.000 I think if a raven was here right now, he'd be like, yeah, we are. 00:12:24.159 --> 00:12:27.440 You know, because they're scavengers, number one, they're scavenger birds. 00:12:27.600 --> 00:12:28.720 That's how they they feed. 00:12:28.879 --> 00:12:29.759 They're scavengers. 00:12:29.919 --> 00:12:34.159 They're often in history and in literature associated with death and disease. 00:12:34.320 --> 00:12:36.000 Like, these are for a reason. 00:12:36.480 --> 00:12:37.600 It's a raven. 00:12:38.240 --> 00:12:42.080 And it says that it's bringing Elijah bread and meat. 00:12:42.879 --> 00:12:44.720 Like, I just want you to picture this for a second. 00:12:44.879 --> 00:12:49.440 Get out of your mind this idea that Elijah's off on some oasis, like vacation. 00:12:49.919 --> 00:12:51.679 I mean, he's he's in a terrible place. 00:12:51.759 --> 00:12:53.440 He's at this place called Kareth. 00:12:53.519 --> 00:12:54.639 It's cut off and it's separate. 00:12:54.720 --> 00:12:59.200 And the only thing keeping him alive is that God is sending him ravens, ravens. 00:13:00.399 --> 00:13:02.879 And in the morning, they're bringing him bread and meat. 00:13:03.759 --> 00:13:05.120 Like I want you to think about this. 00:13:05.200 --> 00:13:17.840 And you're in a park and you're hanging out at the park and you're by yourself and you're hungry, and all of a sudden a raven comes and sits next to you on the park bench that you're sitting on, and it goes like, and meat, like meat is sitting next to you on the park bench. 00:13:18.000 --> 00:13:21.279 Would any one of us go, thank you, Lord? 00:13:21.600 --> 00:13:22.320 Breakfast. 00:13:22.480 --> 00:13:23.679 I was just getting hungry. 00:13:23.840 --> 00:13:25.279 You know me so well, God. 00:13:25.600 --> 00:13:29.200 Like I'd be sitting there going, what, where did this come from? 00:13:29.679 --> 00:13:30.320 You know? 00:13:30.960 --> 00:13:35.759 Like, this is raw meat delivered by a raven. 00:13:37.039 --> 00:13:41.440 And Elijah is gonna stay alive by eating that. 00:13:42.720 --> 00:13:46.559 God is so good to us, because we're not Elijah right now, okay? 00:13:46.720 --> 00:13:49.039 Like, seriously. 00:13:49.360 --> 00:13:53.600 And I think probably the saving grace for Elijah is that he lived 3,000 years ago before they knew what a germ was. 00:13:53.679 --> 00:13:55.919 And so for him, he's probably like meat, sweet. 00:13:56.080 --> 00:13:58.080 But like for us, that'd be hard. 00:13:58.720 --> 00:14:03.279 So Elijah's not in some fairy tale wonderful place, he's in a really difficult place. 00:14:03.440 --> 00:14:06.879 This is not a fun season in his life, but thankfully his needs are met. 00:14:07.039 --> 00:14:08.000 God is providing for him. 00:14:08.080 --> 00:14:09.759 He's not gonna starve to death. 00:14:10.080 --> 00:14:16.480 He has he has food to eat, he has water to drink, that is until the brook dries up. 00:14:16.960 --> 00:14:27.840 And that had to be so frustrating for Elijah because he's obeyed God and he's gone where God has told him to go, and he's cut off, and he's separate, and he's got ravens bringing him meat and bread, and that's probably when the first vegan, Elijah was probably the first vegan. 00:14:27.919 --> 00:14:30.080 Like he's like, I'm not eating bread or meat ever again. 00:14:30.240 --> 00:14:33.519 I'm inventing this whole new diet now because of that experience. 00:14:33.679 --> 00:14:38.960 But the brook dries up, and if you're Elijah, you're sitting there going, like, really, God? 00:14:39.759 --> 00:14:42.240 I mean, you're God, you're you're the God of wonders. 00:14:42.320 --> 00:14:45.440 You can you can literally like make miracles happen on command. 00:14:45.519 --> 00:14:50.559 You have fed me miraculously through birds for a long period of time, and you couldn't even keep this brook going. 00:14:50.639 --> 00:14:52.559 It's not even a river, it's a brook. 00:14:53.039 --> 00:14:56.399 And the brook dries up, and God says, Elijah, I need you to go again. 00:14:56.879 --> 00:14:59.039 I need you to go to a place called Zarephath. 00:14:59.120 --> 00:15:01.759 Now we'll bring this map up again, our little Indiana Jones map. 00:15:01.919 --> 00:15:07.120 And we know that he went from Samaria all the way to where he was at at Karath Brook. 00:15:07.200 --> 00:15:12.639 We don't know exactly where that was, and now he's going from there all the way up to Zarephath, at the very, very top of your map. 00:15:12.799 --> 00:15:18.559 And here's what's really interesting about that is Zarephath is not in Israel. 00:15:19.200 --> 00:15:21.120 Zarephath is in Phoenicia. 00:15:21.679 --> 00:15:25.840 It happens to be like right next to the city of Sidon where Jezebel is from. 00:15:26.320 --> 00:15:32.799 He's in this whole mess because he has just offended King Ahab and Jezebel by calling Baal out and saying that Baal isn't real. 00:15:32.960 --> 00:15:40.000 And now God's like, hey, I know you don't have any water to drink, uh, but like, don't worry, I'm sending you to Zarephath. 00:15:40.480 --> 00:15:43.840 To like the home turf of all the Baal worshipers. 00:15:44.320 --> 00:15:46.879 And Elijah must be thinking, God is crazy. 00:15:47.039 --> 00:15:48.240 Like, what is God doing? 00:15:48.399 --> 00:15:50.080 But Elijah goes. 00:15:50.399 --> 00:15:52.720 And this is an incredibly long journey for him. 00:15:52.799 --> 00:16:02.639 By the time he's done going from Samaria to the Kareth Brook, all the way to uh Zarephath, I mean, we're we're talking miles and miles of treacherous, difficult journey. 00:16:03.039 --> 00:16:06.639 And I admire greatly that Elijah says yes and that he goes. 00:16:06.720 --> 00:16:12.480 If you read scripture, one of the things you'll find that the great men and women of God have in common is when God says go, they go. 00:16:12.960 --> 00:16:16.159 When God says go, they go, and Elijah is one of those people. 00:16:16.799 --> 00:16:25.519 Now, as I was reading this and preparing for this morning, and just asking God, hey, what's in here for us? 00:16:26.159 --> 00:16:31.759 Like, how does this relate to us in our lives today in a very different culture in a very different time? 00:16:33.120 --> 00:16:41.519 God, God brought to my mind this truth that's become kind of the motto for my family at this season in our lives. 00:16:42.159 --> 00:16:45.840 See, there's these two huge moves that Elijah has to make. 00:16:46.240 --> 00:16:49.360 Two massive moves that Elijah has to make in this story. 00:16:49.519 --> 00:16:55.919 He goes from Samaria to Karath, he goes from Karath to Zarephath, he's on this journey, and he has to make these huge moves, he has to change everything. 00:16:56.240 --> 00:17:00.879 And there's one really simple reason that Elijah makes the moves that he makes. 00:17:01.840 --> 00:17:04.559 In fact, it's even simpler than like obedience to God. 00:17:06.640 --> 00:17:11.279 Why does Elijah make the moves that he makes in this story? 00:17:11.839 --> 00:17:13.759 And the answer is that he has to. 00:17:15.119 --> 00:17:16.000 He has to. 00:17:17.279 --> 00:17:19.519 Elijah leaves Samaria because he has to. 00:17:20.079 --> 00:17:22.000 King Ahab will kill him if he stays. 00:17:22.319 --> 00:17:29.359 Elijah leaves Careth Brook because he has to, because the water dries up, and he'll literally die of thirst if he stays there. 00:17:29.519 --> 00:17:32.079 He makes these moves because he he has to. 00:17:33.039 --> 00:17:34.480 He has no other choice. 00:17:35.599 --> 00:17:39.359 My son Liam is really passionate about basketball. 00:17:39.519 --> 00:17:45.200 Um I talk about that a decent bit, and if you come here for long, it will continue as long as he is into that. 00:17:45.359 --> 00:17:50.319 And it's it's funny, I struggle with Liam because he's so much better than I ever was. 00:17:50.480 --> 00:17:51.599 So much better than I ever was. 00:17:51.680 --> 00:18:00.799 And it's actually kind of hard to teach him because we'll go into the yard and and like I'll show him something, like, hey, try this, and then he'll do it once, and I'll go, yeah, like that. 00:18:00.960 --> 00:18:01.759 Just do that. 00:18:01.920 --> 00:18:09.839 In fact, this last week he was off school, and on Monday, I was off work, Monday's my day off, and so uh I took him and we went to this gym. 00:18:10.160 --> 00:18:12.480 Liam's seven years old, he just started the second grade. 00:18:12.640 --> 00:18:15.359 We go to this gym, and there's another boy in the gym playing. 00:18:15.599 --> 00:18:18.720 And so Liam gets up the nerve to go ask this boy if he'll play with him. 00:18:18.880 --> 00:18:20.000 This boy's much taller than Liam. 00:18:20.160 --> 00:18:22.160 Liam and him talk, and this boy's in the fifth grade. 00:18:22.400 --> 00:18:24.960 There's a big difference between a fifth grade boy and a second grade boy. 00:18:25.119 --> 00:18:28.559 And I was actually really excited because this kid said yes, and here's a fifth-grade boy. 00:18:28.640 --> 00:18:33.039 He's in a gym, he's playing basketball, he's tall, he looks like a basketball player, he's wearing basketball clothes, like he's equipped. 00:18:33.200 --> 00:18:35.200 And so I'm thinking this will be great. 00:18:35.440 --> 00:18:43.519 Because what I need to happen for Liam is I need to have him hit some walls so that when he hits these walls, I can coach him and say, Don't, this is a learning moment. 00:18:43.599 --> 00:18:45.920 This is a chance for you to learn how hard this is. 00:18:46.079 --> 00:18:47.920 And so this boy and Liam start playing. 00:18:51.759 --> 00:19:01.039 And so, in fact, when it was done, Liam went to use the restroom, and the boy came and sat next to me on the bleachers, and the boy went, it was a really weird moment because there's a fifth-grade boy and me. 00:19:01.119 --> 00:19:02.160 And he's like, Is that your son? 00:19:02.240 --> 00:19:04.880 And I went, Yeah, he went, he is really good. 00:19:05.200 --> 00:19:06.960 I was like, I know, you know. 00:19:07.119 --> 00:19:10.079 And so I'm sitting here going, man, I I in on one hand I'm excited. 00:19:10.160 --> 00:19:13.680 On the other hand, I'm like, I really want, I want to be able to teach him things. 00:19:14.000 --> 00:19:16.000 That's hard when it comes so easy to him. 00:19:16.240 --> 00:19:24.319 But one of the things that I have had the chance to teach him when we're outside playing together is that sometimes Liam will just decide in his mind ahead of time what he's gonna do. 00:19:24.640 --> 00:19:25.759 Like he'll get it in his head. 00:19:25.839 --> 00:19:34.240 This happens a lot in life, it happens in sports for sure, but he gets it decided in his mind what he's going to do, and then he just tries to do that even if it's not open. 00:19:34.480 --> 00:19:39.279 And so he might decide, I'm just gonna take it all the way to the basket and score, but I'm playing against him, and I don't let him do that. 00:19:39.359 --> 00:19:48.559 And so I'm standing in front of him, and rather than adjust and go somewhere else, he just keeps going with the plan and runs right into me and usually says I fouled him. 00:19:48.720 --> 00:19:50.160 Um, but whatever. 00:19:51.039 --> 00:19:57.680 And so there's this phrase that we've been teaching Liam as we we practice, and it's it's really simple it's take what the defense gives you. 00:19:59.440 --> 00:20:02.480 Sometimes, son, you have to take what the defense gives you. 00:20:02.559 --> 00:20:05.200 Sometimes you're trying to do this, and it's just not open. 00:20:05.599 --> 00:20:06.799 It's just not possible. 00:20:07.279 --> 00:20:10.480 And rather than just trying to force it, you need to adjust. 00:20:11.039 --> 00:20:13.039 And if the defense is giving you left, go left. 00:20:13.119 --> 00:20:14.799 And if the defense is giving you right, go right. 00:20:14.880 --> 00:20:17.440 And if the defense is giving you the inside, take the inside. 00:20:17.519 --> 00:20:20.880 But but don't force it, take what the defense gives you. 00:20:22.480 --> 00:20:31.839 It's something that we work with Liam a lot in, and it's become the motto of our family because right now, like, there's probably no phrase that Megan and I say to each other more often than take what the defense gives you. 00:20:32.000 --> 00:20:35.519 And when we say defense, we literally always mean our children right now. 00:20:36.160 --> 00:20:38.000 They're the defense in our lives. 00:20:38.160 --> 00:20:52.720 You know, we've got three kids and another on the way, and there's these moments where Megan and I will set out to have a conversation, you know, to get something done, and we we start, and it becomes very clear that our kids, the defense, is not going to let this happen right now. 00:20:53.839 --> 00:21:02.960 And there's times that I start to get really frustrated and really kind of upset, even, because I'm so determined to do what I set out to do, and they're not allowing this to happen. 00:21:03.039 --> 00:21:04.799 Yesterday we were driving from Nashville. 00:21:04.880 --> 00:21:08.559 We spent a few days in Nashville, Tennessee, did a kind of a conference thing, it was really great. 00:21:08.720 --> 00:21:17.359 And we're driving back, all of our kids in the back seat, and Megan and I were so excited to have a few hours to just discuss some things that we had learned and some things that have really inspired us. 00:21:17.440 --> 00:21:28.640 And every single time we start to talk, five words come out, and one of our kids screams or cries or yells or just noises, just loud noises coming from the back. 00:21:28.720 --> 00:21:34.960 And at one point in time they're watching a movie, and Liam kicks something that made the movie play weird, and we couldn't figure it out. 00:21:35.039 --> 00:21:36.960 It's just we could not have the conversation. 00:21:37.119 --> 00:21:43.759 And I was sitting here getting really frustrated, really upset that I just can't talk to my wife for five minutes. 00:21:44.480 --> 00:21:46.000 And that phrase hit me again. 00:21:46.559 --> 00:21:48.079 Take what the defense gives you. 00:21:48.720 --> 00:21:50.240 This is not the time. 00:21:50.720 --> 00:21:52.480 This is not the time to do this. 00:21:54.960 --> 00:21:58.000 What do we do when we encounter a closed door? 00:22:00.720 --> 00:22:03.839 Sometimes we need to go find a different door. 00:22:05.119 --> 00:22:11.440 Sometimes we need to go find a door that's open rather than beat our heads against a door that has been closed. 00:22:12.640 --> 00:22:15.759 By the way, this is something that Jesus did in his life. 00:22:16.000 --> 00:22:21.359 Jesus is this amazing leader, and one of the things that all leaders have in common is that they're adaptable. 00:22:21.759 --> 00:22:24.240 And Jesus was highly adaptable in his life. 00:22:24.319 --> 00:22:28.799 We know this because when Jesus began to teach, when he first went public in his ministry, he taught in the synagogues. 00:22:28.960 --> 00:22:34.319 So for example, in the book of Mark, Mark 1.21 says, Jesus and his companions went to the town of Campernum. 00:22:34.400 --> 00:22:37.759 And when the Sabbath day came, he went into the synagogue and he began to teach. 00:22:38.000 --> 00:22:44.559 In Mark 1.39, it says, so he traveled throughout the region of Galilee, preaching in the synagogues and casting out demons. 00:22:45.440 --> 00:22:48.960 In Luke chapter 4, we get to see Jesus come forward as the Messiah. 00:22:49.039 --> 00:22:53.039 It's the first time that Jesus steps out and says, Look, I'm the Messiah. 00:22:53.279 --> 00:22:56.400 And he does that in the synagogue, and it does not go well for Jesus. 00:22:56.559 --> 00:23:00.000 Luke 4.28 says, when they heard this, the people in the synagogue were furious. 00:23:00.160 --> 00:23:04.240 Jumping up, they mobbed him and forced him to the edge of the hill on which the town was built. 00:23:04.319 --> 00:23:08.799 They intended to push him over the cliff, but he passed right through the crowd and went on his way. 00:23:09.440 --> 00:23:15.279 In Mark chapter 3, it says Jesus went into the synagogue again, and he noticed a man with a deformed hand. 00:23:15.440 --> 00:23:18.799 Since it was the Sabbath, Jesus' enemies watched him close closely. 00:23:18.960 --> 00:23:22.559 If he healed the man's hand, they planned to accuse him of working on the Sabbath. 00:23:22.880 --> 00:23:26.079 And Jesus said to the man with a deformed hand, Come and stand in front of everyone. 00:23:26.240 --> 00:23:31.279 And then he turned to his critics and he asked, Does the law permit good deeds on the Sabbath, or is it a day for doing evil? 00:23:31.519 --> 00:23:33.920 Is this a day to save life or to destroy it? 00:23:34.079 --> 00:23:35.279 But they wouldn't answer him. 00:23:35.440 --> 00:23:39.039 And he looked around at them angrily, and he was deeply saddened by their hard hearts. 00:23:39.119 --> 00:23:40.880 And then he said to the man, Hold out your hand. 00:23:41.039 --> 00:23:43.680 And so the man held out his hand, and it was restored. 00:23:43.839 --> 00:23:49.359 And at once the Pharisees went away, and they met with the supporters of Herod to plot how to kill Jesus. 00:23:50.079 --> 00:23:53.200 Things did not go well for Jesus when he taught in the synagogues. 00:23:53.440 --> 00:23:55.759 He begins his ministry by teaching in the synagogues. 00:23:55.920 --> 00:23:58.319 Every single time you see him teaching, he's in the synagogues. 00:23:59.359 --> 00:24:06.720 And every single time he tries to teach anything, he has to deal with all this anger and all this hatred because he's on the home turf of the Pharisees, and it's just not working out. 00:24:06.880 --> 00:24:08.640 And so Jesus changes course. 00:24:09.440 --> 00:24:14.160 In Mark chapter 4, it says once again, Jesus began teaching by the lake shore. 00:24:14.400 --> 00:24:21.359 A very large crowd soon gathered around him, so he got into a boat, and then he sat in the boat while all the people remained on the shore. 00:24:21.519 --> 00:24:24.160 He taught them by telling many stories in the form of parables. 00:24:24.240 --> 00:24:28.559 So Jesus goes from teaching in the synagogues to teaching at the lake shore. 00:24:29.680 --> 00:24:31.359 He taught out and about in the public places. 00:24:31.519 --> 00:24:36.000 In fact, in the book of Mark, there's only one time after this moment where Jesus teaches in the synagogues. 00:24:36.319 --> 00:24:42.480 And the rest of the time you see him teaching, he's out teaching the people in public places, in the wilderness. 00:24:43.039 --> 00:24:48.240 And now when the Pharisees come to disrupt him, they're on Jesus' turf, not the other way around. 00:24:48.720 --> 00:24:53.519 See, what happened was Jesus realized that the door to the synagogues were closed. 00:24:54.000 --> 00:24:55.119 And so what did Jesus do? 00:24:55.200 --> 00:24:57.119 He took what the defense gave him. 00:24:57.759 --> 00:25:04.319 And rather than just beat his head in frustration in the synagogues, Jesus just went another way. 00:25:05.440 --> 00:25:10.240 And he went to the wilderness and he taught out and about with the people. 00:25:11.039 --> 00:25:13.759 And it completely and totally changed his ministry. 00:25:14.400 --> 00:25:16.720 Jesus was adaptable. 00:25:17.599 --> 00:25:21.759 When he found that there was a door that was closed, he just went to a different door. 00:25:22.960 --> 00:25:26.480 And I know that on one hand, this can sound defeatist. 00:25:27.359 --> 00:25:31.599 Because there's part of us that says, no, no, when I encounter a closed door, I kick the door down. 00:25:32.000 --> 00:25:32.640 Right? 00:25:33.519 --> 00:25:40.079 When I encounter a closed door, I'm gonna find a way through that door, I'm gonna pick the lock, I'm gonna do whatever I have to do to get through that door. 00:25:40.240 --> 00:25:42.960 I'm gonna let some door stand in my way. 00:25:43.119 --> 00:25:47.200 But what we've got to understand is that sometimes God is the one who shuts the doors. 00:25:49.440 --> 00:25:53.920 In the Old Testament, a prophet named Isaiah was prophesying about Jesus as he often did. 00:25:54.160 --> 00:25:58.480 In Isaiah 22, 22, it says, When he opens doors, no one will be able to close them. 00:25:58.720 --> 00:26:01.440 And when he closes doors, no one will be able to open them. 00:26:01.920 --> 00:26:05.839 I don't want to spend a second of my life trying to open a door, God has shut. 00:26:08.160 --> 00:26:16.400 But I have spent a lot of time in my life frustrated, defeated, angry, disillusioned. 00:26:17.839 --> 00:26:22.480 Because I'm trying to get through a door that isn't going to open. 00:26:25.039 --> 00:26:31.359 There have been a lot of times in my life where I've set out to do something, something I really want to do, something I want to see happen, things that I've wanted to see happen here. 00:26:31.599 --> 00:26:37.519 I thought it was good and I thought it was right, and I put all my effort, all my energy, all my talent, time, whatever resources I have, I've given it to that. 00:26:37.599 --> 00:26:42.160 And then at some point in time that door closes, and I'm sitting there going, God, what in the heck? 00:26:42.319 --> 00:26:47.440 I mean, I've done this, I've done it with good intentions, I've done it with the right spirit, I've worked really hard. 00:26:47.519 --> 00:26:48.720 Why is this door shut? 00:26:48.880 --> 00:26:57.680 But what I have to ask myself, what we all have to ask ourselves is this do I believe, do I believe that God has opened a door for me in life? 00:26:59.920 --> 00:27:01.839 Or do I believe that this door is the only one? 00:27:05.359 --> 00:27:14.160 You ask yourself today, do I believe that there's an open door for me in life, that God has a purpose for me, that God has a plan for me? 00:27:15.440 --> 00:27:17.359 That there's a relationship. 00:27:18.400 --> 00:27:23.680 Those of us who are single, that there's a person that God has set aside for me. 00:27:25.039 --> 00:27:26.240 Do I believe that there's a career? 00:27:26.400 --> 00:27:30.160 Do I believe that there's a job opportunity that is right for me? 00:27:31.839 --> 00:27:41.039 Because if you believe that, then when you encounter closed doors, rather than bemoaning the fact that the door is shut, you'll get excited about the idea that there must be a better door that God has opened. 00:27:41.279 --> 00:27:44.240 When God says no, it's because he has a better yes. 00:27:44.480 --> 00:27:47.759 I believe that because I've experienced that in my life. 00:27:49.680 --> 00:27:51.839 I'll share this with you really quickly as we wrap up. 00:27:52.000 --> 00:27:54.240 When I was in college, I interned at a church. 00:27:54.480 --> 00:27:58.400