Faith Has Ups And Downs | 6.1.25

Sunday, June 1

The Fabulous Life Of Elijah #1- Ups And Downs, Participant Notes, 1 Kings 17

 

Through his ups and downs ELIJAH DISCOVERED THAT: “GOD IS BIGGER THAN MY CIRCUMSTANCES!”

  • Many People Have This Assumption That Once They Become A Christian—All Things Will Smooth Out And Go Their Way.

 

This Life On Earth Is A Test—Not Heaven.

  • As Christians We’re Going To Have Ups and Downs.
  • Many Of Us Think To Keep Life On The Up We Have To Impress God And Improve Our Performance.

 

God Is Walking You Through A Journey That Is Forging And Forming In You A Faith That Is Greater Than Your Circumstances!

 

WHERE DO WE MEET ELIJAH?

  • Many, many years after Moses and the Exodus from Egypt.
  • Israel begged God for a king, many years after they took the promised land.
  • After King Saul things went well with King David And Solomon.
  • After Solomon and a succession of evil kings, the people fell away from God to false gods and things went down.

 

Elijah’s name literally means: ‘Yahweh is my God.’ (The Lord Is My God!)

  • Elijah’s name will define him in a land of people who have completely fallen away from God and chosen every other (false) god but Yahweh.
  • God Tells Elijah To Confront King Ahab For All His Evil And For Turning Judah Away From the True God To Pagan (False) gods!

 

1 Kings 16:30-33 And 1 Kings 17:1

AHAB WAS MORE EVIL THAN ALL THE KINGS BEFORE HIM:

  • Worshipped the false god Baal and led the people to worship this false god.
  • Married Jezebel, a satanist.
  • He built a temple to Baal, right in the middle of God’s kingdom.

 

God is doing more than punishing Ahab and Judah for worshiping a false god.

  • God Is Calling Out A Preemptive Strike Against The False god Baal.
  • Baal was known as the fertility god AND also the god of rain.
  • God’s showing the people Baal is a false god with no power!

 

1 Kings 17:2-6

Elijah goes from a moment of a faith high—into hiding.

  • Up And Down, Up And Down.
  • Part Of What God Is Saying, “Let’s Have Some Time, Just You And Me!”
  • God Promises To Take Care Of Elijah During This Down Time.

►God has unclean animals bringing Elijah food, so Elijah had to trust God in this.

  • Even in this low point Elijah sees that God is good.

 

1 Kings 17:7

ELIJAH HAS TO WRESTLE WITH THE QUESTION: ‘WHAT DO I DO WITH GOD NOW?’

  • One Of The Tough Intersections Of Faith—Is To Lose A Blessing You’re Sure God Brought Into Your Life!
  • The Next Question: ‘Why Would You Allow That To Happen God?’

 

WHY? Because God Loved Elijah Enough—To Not Allow Him To Put His Faith In His Circumstances!

  • If You’ve Lost A Blessing Of God—It’s Not The End—It’s The Beginning Of Greater Things!
  • God Has Something Greater Around The Corner—But That Only Comes Through Faith In God, Not In Circumstances!
  • The blessing could be a new relationship, financial blessing etc.—OR it could be God using you to build His church and change someone’s life or needed personal spiritual growth.

 

1 Kings 17:8-9

Zarephath is Over 100 Miles Away.

  • Zarephath is in the province of Phoenicia, which is basically the birthplace of Baal worship.
  • God uses the lowly to help Elijah, first Ravens, then a widow.
  • Circumstances couldn’t be any worse for this widow.

 

1 Kings 17:10-16

AT THIS MOMENT—ELIJAH COULDN’T HAVE HAD A BIGGER ASK!

  • Elijah Gives This Woman A Glimpse Of Hope By Promising That God Will Meet Her Needs.

Philippians 4:19, ‘My God shall supply all your needs according to His riches and glory.”

  • Trust God to take care of you and your needs!

►Before God meets your need—you must take a step of faith and obedience!

 

1 Kings 17:17-23

BOTH ELIJAH’S AND THE WIDOW’S FAITH IS TESTED.

  • God allows bad things to happen, but he doesn’t cause bad things to happen.
  • For the first time in history, a person is raised from the dead.
  • Good works good out of—even bad—for those who love God.

Romans 8:28, “God takes ALL things, whether they be good or bad, and He works them for the good of those who love Him.”

 

1 Kings 17:24

Because Of Elijah’s Faith—This Woman Becomes A Follower Of Yahweh, The only true god!

  • Who Are You Seeking To Point To Jesus?
  • Pray for unbelievers, build a Friendship with them and Invite them to Sunday worship.

2 Timothy 4:5b, “Work at bringing others to Christ.”

 

Think About The Journey Of Faith God Has Elijah On.

  • We tend to assume that for people in the Bible, or for good spiritual people everything always goes up, but that’s not always the case.

 

It’s In These Peaks And Valleys Where Real Faith ______________________. 

Add A Note

  • Faith is choosing God when things are at their greatest—and still choosing God when things are at their absolute worst!
  • It’s in the peaks and valleys—that we have the greatest possibility to forget about God.

 

God Has Invited Us Into: Is A Faith That’s Bigger Than Our Circumstances!

WHY? Because God’s Bigger Than My Circumstances—And He Loves Me!

Email my notes