Some notes from Jon’s message on Sunday 29th August 2021

Elijah was a man just like us.

Really?                

I’ve heard people say, “I’m no angel…” or, “I’m no superman…” meaning they don’t have those qualities

You might think about bible characters and say, ‘I’m no Elijah, I’m no Moses, I’m no king David’ but the word of God tells us that Elijah was a man just like us.

He was a human being just like you and me.

I can tell you that with authority from both the old and new testaments.

In the new, it simply tells us in James 5 that very fact – Elijah was a man just like us.

What does that mean though?

It means he was very human.

He didn’t have superpowers.

He didn’t wear a cape.

And he wasn’t an angel!

But he did some amazing things.

How?

He didn’t do great exploits because he was more spiritual than other people. No, he simply listened to God and he obeyed. He was chosen by God to do certain things and he did as he was told. He was human.

OT Proof

But to prove he was human you just have to look at some of the stories in the old testament.

Do you ever think of yourself as a little outspoken? Maybe say one or two things more than are needed?

Or do you have a heart for seeing God’s name upheld in society? Do you hate it when God’s word and God’s ways are ignored?

Elijah was just like you.

If we just pick up the story in 1 Kings 18 we find him telling the king – who could have had him killed at any point – that he (the king) was a trouble maker. He has already declared that it won’t rain anymore until he says so, and there is a drought.

After calling the king a trouble-maker, Elijah then challenged the king and his wife and all their false prophets and idol worshippers to a contest on mount Carmel. The god / God who could send fire on his respective altar would be agreed to be the true God.

He saw a great victory there and 450 prophets of Baal were slaughtered. Soon afterward, the drought ended and rain was falling.

Do you consider yourself to be a little bit cheeky? Elijah was just like you.

While the prophets of Baal were worshipping this block of wood – their idol – and while Baal was not responding with fire, he teased them with words like, perhaps Baal is on vacation or relieving himself. Cheeky!

He was human.

Do you struggle with fear and anxiety? Elijah was a man just like you.

Despite this great victory on Carmel, as soon as he hears that Jezebel, the king’s wife, is on to him, he runs for his life. Literally.

He wants to die. God has to send an angel to sustain him. He continues running and ends up in a cave. God then has to ask him,

“What are you doing here, Elijah?”

Elijah ran for his life in fear. He was human after all. Don’t judge him – he was just like us!

Do you ever feel sorry for yourself?

It’s not a pretty sight when someone is in a mood because of the sob-story they are telling.

But Elijah was a man just like us.

Once he’s run away, he tells God that he is the only one of the Lord’s prophets left and it’s all going horribly wrong. He’s been zealous and everyone else has turned away from God.

It’s not fair! Is basically Elijah’s compliant. I deserve better!

Do you ever have mood swings?

See why he comes across as bi-polar to me at this point? A page or two before, he was on fire for God, turning the nation around. Now he’s isolated himself (he left his servant behind) and telling God how it’s all gone pear shaped for him.

Elijah’s mood has completely swung from victor to victim.

So do we sometimes. How does the ‘you’ on Sunday midday compare with the ‘you’ at 9am on Monday morning? How does your mood fluctuate with external events? If you’re feeling awkward about that question, don’t worry.

Elijah was just like us.

Do you ever get caught up in your own head, so much that you don’t get the message that we are to ‘look beyond’ your current circumstances?

Elijah in his self-pity thought he was the only one of the Lord’s prophets left. That wasn’t true as previous chapters tell us so.

But God is gracious and despite Elijah’s self-perception swinging from powerful to pitiful, God still has more for Elijah to do and sends him on his way, back the way he came, with a mission to invest in the next generation.

Elijah saw things from his own perspective, but God already had a plan for a new generation of leaders. “And by the way Elijah, you’re not actually the only one left worshipping me. It’s not as bad as it seems to you. I can name 7000 others who have not bowed the knee to Baal.”

Elijah was a man just like us.

So why don’t we look at the part of James which says this about Elijah.

James 5:13-18

¹³ Is anyone among you in trouble? Let them pray. Is anyone happy? Let them sing songs of praise. ¹⁴ Is anyone among you sick? Let them call the elders of the church to pray over them and anoint them with oil in the name of the Lord. ¹⁵ And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise them up. If they have sinned, they will be forgiven. ¹⁶ Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.

¹⁷ Elijah was a human being, even as we are. He prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the land for three and a half years. ¹⁸ Again he prayed, and the heavens gave rain, and the earth produced its crops.

The context of this reference to Elijah then is prayer.

How many references to prayer can you see in that passage?

It was Elijah’s closeness to God in prayer that meant that, even though he was just as human as you are, he was able to discern the voice of God and willing to act on it.

Elijah prayed.

He knew God’s voice.

About a year ago we introduced the idea of God’s Neighbourhood Watch. We still believe that it is God’s key evangelism strategy for our town. It’s not a system of verse memorization or sales-style witnessing.

God’s neighbourhood watch revolves around relationships. First, your relationship with God. Renew your prayer time. Talk to him honestly, daily, hourly if you can. Not long-winded prayers necessarily but prayers that acknowledge who he is and that he is with you. Don’t wait to feel like it. Create a habit.

In that relationship with God, bring your neighbours to him. Pray that he would bless him, for it is his kindness that leads us to repentance.

God’s neighbourhood watch revolves around relationships.

So identify who your neighbours are. Then show them some love. Build relationships in a natural way and ask God to bless your friendship.

As you build your relationship with God and then with your neighbours, they will begin to see God in you without you needing to try. One without the other won’t work. If you build your relationship with God but cut out your neighbours how will they hear about God or see him in your everyday persona? Or if you build your relationship with your neighbour but are far from God all they will see is another great person who is spiritually no different from them.

God is doing something new and it revolves around relationships and pivots on prayer.

Some verses I brought to a zoom meeting back in the early months of this year still hold true.

The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me,
    because the Lord has anointed me
    to proclaim good news to the poor.
He has sent me to bind up the broken-hearted,
    to proclaim freedom for the captives
    and release from darkness for the prisoners.

(Isaiah 61:1)

That was the prophet Isaiah, perhaps speaking of himself but definitely speaking about Jesus. But it also is true for us too now that the Holy Spirit has come to us.

The Spirit of the Lord is on you because he has anointed you to proclaim good news to the poor.

You might not feel like that could possibly be a verse about you because you think you’re not spiritual enough. But remember Elijah who caused a drought to start and stop was just as human as you are.

The second verse I wanted to bring back to our memories that I shared probably in February was Isaiah 55:11

so is my word that goes out from my mouth:
    it will not return to me empty,
but will accomplish what I desire
    and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.

This verse was sent to us this week by one of our members as they felt prompted to share it.

How will people hear if no one speaks the word? The word that causes faith to arise in the listener?

Jesus often used parables where the Word was likened to a seed.

My challenge is for us to sow one seed per day.

To wake up asking the Lord, where can I sow a seed today?

He’s not asking you to preach a sermon over the garden fence, but he might prompt you to quote a verse or idea from the bible, or may even have just a Spirt-inspired word of encouragement. You might not live to see that seed grow into a full healthy plant but that’s not your responsibility. Just keep sowing.

We believe we are about to see God do something new in our neighbourhoods. But it won’t happen if the workers in the vineyard have their arms folded.

Pray so that you can be close to God.

Pray for your neighbours.

Sow a seed as he leads.