This final sermon of a 9-part series on the life of Elijah is taken from 2 Kings 2—the account of the LORD taking Elijah up to heaven by a whirlwind. Too often, we allow death to limit or cloud our views of life, its meaning, and eternity. This sermon is not only an historical study of Elijah’s final earthly steps, but an encouragement to recognize that the same God who took Elijah has also promised to return and take us one day as well.
But we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about those who are asleep, that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope. For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep. For this we declare to you by a word from the Lord, that we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord. Therefore encourage one another with these words. (1 Thes 4:13-18)
Amen. Come, Lord Jesus! (Rev 22:20)
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Jesus of Nazareth is presented in the New Testament of the Bible as the Christ, the Lamb provided by God, the Son of God, and Himself deity. To validate those great claims, John’s gospel documents seven key “I AM” statements of Jesus.
- “I am the bread of life” (John 6:22-40)
- “I am the light of the world” (John 8:2-18)
- “I am the good shepherd” (John 10:1-30)
- “I am the resurrection and the life” (John 11:1-27)
- “I am the way, the truth, and the life” (John 13:36-14:6)
- “I am the true vine” (John 15:1-8)
- “Before Abraham was, I AM” (John 8:48-59)
Each of these statements carry implications—if they are true, they naturally imply certain things about Jesus, God, and the meaning of life.
Because they carry implications, our acceptance or rejection of Jesus and his claims carry natural consequences. “Who do you say that I am?” (Matthew 16:15) A serious question worthy of our utmost attention. This sermon is an examination of Jesus’ claims and an encouragement to build your life on them.
For more interactive outlines and mp3 recordings, be sure to visit the Sermons archive.
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Thanks to the efforts and sacrifices of some very talented people, our Sunday morning adult Bible class at Laurel Canyon on The Life and Times of Jesus the Christ is freely available to watch online. Most recently available is:
- Week 24 — Peter confesses that Jesus is the Christ (Matthew 16; Mark 8; Luke 9)
- Week 25-26 — Jesus is transfigured on a high mountain (Matthew 17; Mark 9; Luke 9)
- Week 27 — The parable of the lost sheep and a lesson in forgiveness (Matthew 18)
- Week 28 — “Now the Feast of Booths was at hand” (Luke 9; John 7)
- Week 29 — An adulterous woman is brought before Jesus (John 8)
- Week 30 — Jesus heals a man born blind (John 9-10)
For the archive of previous Bible classes in this series, be sure to check out the Video page.
In Psalm 16:11, David wrote of God, “You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.” There is a path defined by God that leads to abundant life and eternal hope. But God’s “path of life” is, by no means, the only path human beings can travel.
This sermon explores some of the well-worn paths that promise us fulfillment and satisfaction but, in fact, lead to heartbreak and destruction (Matthew 7:13-14). It encourages the simple recognition that paths lead where paths lead, regardless of who is traveling them. When we discover that we have wandered into the far country of sin and rebellion and are suffering as slaves of unrighteousness, we don’t just have problems that need to be “fixed,” we have a direction that needs to be changed. The paths we travel and their trajectory in relationship to God will determine our ultimate destination. Therefore, the wise walker adopts and lives by the motto of Psalm 119:105, “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.”
For more interactive outlines and mp3 recordings, be sure to visit the Sermons archive.
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A worthless person, a wicked man, goes about with crooked speech, winks with his eyes, signals with his feet, points with his finger, with perverted heart devises evil, continually sowing discord; therefore calamity will come upon him suddenly; in a moment he will be broken beyond healing. (Prov 6:12-15)
God is good, patient, merciful, compassionate and longsuffering. But God is also just. God can reach the end of His patience with human beings. In the language of Proverbs 29:1, “He who is often reproved, yet stiffens his neck, will suddenly be broken beyond healing.” There comes a time when God says to those who stubbornly refuse to listen: “That’s enough!”
In 1 Kings 21, God reached that point with King Ahab and Queen Jezebel in the wake of their brutal murder of Naboth for his vineyard. Through his prophet Elijah the Tishbite, God said to those who continued to stiffen their necks, “That’s enough!” Often reproved, perpetually stubborn, this wicked pair would finally be broken beyond healing.
Such stories have been recorded and preserved “for our instruction” (Rom 15:4). We would do well to pay attention and learn the lessons of those who insisted on learning the hard way.
For more interactive outlines and mp3 recordings, be sure to visit the Sermons archive.
NOTE: Advertisements on the above player are randomly generated by the service provider and do not necessarily imply endorsement of the material advertised. Readers are always encouraged to apply the “Berean test” (Acts 17:11) to all that they see and hear.
I occasionally use this simple illustration in sermons or Bible classes. Today I ran across a video version of the modern parable. It ought to provoke honest reflection on the mission of our local churches. I’ve included the audio and outline from a sermon delivered in 2008 below.
What happens when a church loses sight of its greatest goal? What happens when believers completely forget why they have been redeemed? This lesson reminds us that we are to serve as servants through whom others might be brought to Jesus. It reminds us of the urgent need to get the greatest of messages out to the world. We are God’s fellow workers and it’s time for us to fulfill His commission in our own generation.
For more interactive outlines and mp3 recordings, be sure to visit the Sermons archive.
NOTE: Advertisements on the above player are randomly generated by the service provider and do not necessarily imply endorsement of the material advertised. Readers are always encouraged to apply the “Berean test” (Acts 17:11) to all that they see and hear.
It’s not uncommon to hear people say things like, “I want Jesus, but not the church.” “I’m spiritual, but not religious.” “I’m interested in the Bible, but not in organized religion.”
One of the goals of this sermon is to help you grow in your love for and commitment to the local church. Why is this difficult? Because sometimes, the church doesn’t meet our expectations. Sometimes, our brothers and sisters in Christ disappoint us.
The church and her leaders should be willing to ask the tough, honest, revealing questions that are raised when criticism is leveled about being unloving and unconcerned:
- Do we personally know “the flock, in which the Holy Spirit has made us overseers”? (Acts 20:28)
- How are we doing when it comes to recognizing and responding when a member of the flock is showing signs of weakness or has wandered away altogether? (Matthew 18:12)
- How can we confront and dispel cliquishness within the local church? (James 2:9)
- Have we communicated to the shy, the non-go-getters, the more reserved that we value them and want them to get involved? (1 Corinthians 12:21-22)
- Is it possible that we are more at fault than we think? (James 1:19)
So also, the hurting and the disappointed, before they criticize, should ask themselves some tough, honest, revealing questions.
- Am I adorning the gospel by my manner of life? (Titus 2:10)
- Am I nurturing the familial aspect of congregational life? (Ephesians 2:19)
- Have I yet to ask for help? (Ecclesiastes 4:9-10)
- Have I overlooked opportunities to become more connected? (Proverbs 18:24)
- If I really want to be loved and noticed, is creating distance between myself and my brethren the wisest course of action? (Hebrews 10:24-25)
- Could I be more at fault than I realize? (James 1:22-24)
Disappointment in the church is bound to happen from time to time because every single member of the church is a justified sinner. And yet, the church is an indispensable part of God’s eternal plan for mankind. This study is about how we, as justified sinners, can continue to grow closer together and closer to God’s ideal, for God’s glory.
For more interactive outlines and mp3 recordings, be sure to visit the Sermons archive.
NOTE: Advertisements on the above player are randomly generated by the service provider and do not necessarily imply endorsement of the material advertised. Readers are always encouraged to apply the “Berean test” (Acts 17:11) to all that they see and hear.
Elijah was a heroic prophet of God, no doubt. He was a man of great humility. But Elijah was also just a man—a human being, like you and me. He battled discouragement, despondency, and depression. And on one occasion, he couldn’t shake it.
Ahab told Jezebel all that Elijah had done, and how he had killed all the prophets with the sword. Then Jezebel sent a messenger to Elijah, saying, “So may the gods do to me and more also, if I do not make your life as the life of one of them by this time tomorrow.” Then he was afraid, and he arose and ran for his life and came to Beersheba, which belongs to Judah, and left his servant there.
But he himself went a day’s journey into the wilderness and came and sat down under a broom tree. And he asked that he might die, saying, “It is enough; now, O Lord, take away my life, for I am no better than my fathers.” (1 Kings 19:1-4)
Thank God that 1 Kings 19 gives us a glimpse into this dark (and relatable to) period in Elijah’s life, because it provides godly insight we can use on the darker days of our own journey. Elijah fell into the pit of depression. But why?
- Elijah was not thinking realistically.
- Elijah separated himself from strengthening relationships.
- Elijah was caught in the backwash of a great victory.
- Elijah was physically exhausted and emotionally spent.
- Elijah was lost in self-pity.
Thank God that he has also preserved his prescription plan for Elijah’s complete recovery (1 Kings 19:5-21).
- God allowed Elijah a time of rest and refreshment.
- God communicated wisely with Elijah.
- God gave Elijah a close, personal friend.
- The key? Elijah had to get his eyes back on God!
When difficult days come and the pit of depression looms near on the horizon, remember Elijah, and remember to look up!
Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change. Of his own will he brought us forth by the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures. (James 1:17-18).
For more interactive outlines and mp3 recordings, be sure to visit the Sermons archive.
NOTE: Advertisements on the above player are randomly generated by the service provider and do not necessarily imply endorsement of the material advertised. Readers are always encouraged to apply the “Berean test” (Acts 17:11) to all that they see and hear.
“It is my eager expectation and hope that I will not be at all ashamed, but that with full courage now as always Christ will be honored in my body, whether by life or by death. For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain. If I am to live in the flesh, that means fruitful labor for me. Yet which I shall choose I cannot tell. I am hard pressed between the two. My desire is to depart and be with Christ, for that is far better.” (Philippians 1:20-23)
What would be more tragic at the end of your life than looking back and saying, “I wasted it”? Five minutes after death, no one will look back and say, “I sure am glad I watched as much TV as I did.” Five minutes after death, no one will rejoice by saying, “I’m so thankful that I was able to get my average golf score so low.” Five minutes after death, the only thing that will matter—the ONLY thing—is what you did with the time your Creator provided you. Did you waste it?
With those truths in mind, the aim of this series of sermons is to help you develop a passion to avoid wasting your life. It is built on faith that there is a Reason, a Purpose, a Why behind life that we did not create. If we do not discover and submit to this Reality, we will waste our lives.
There are three sermons in this series:
PART 1: The Basis of the Unwasted Life — presents Jesus as the ultimate Reality of the universe, reflects on Bible passages which clearly affirm that life can be wasted, establishes the reason for everything: to magnify Christ.
PART 2: Images of the Unwasted Life (1) — encouragement to avoid wasting in ten practical areas of life: suffering, money, passion, enemies, diversity, parenthood, marriage, singleness, prayer, and God’s invitation for forgiveness.
PART 3: Images of the Unwasted Life (2) — encouragement to avoid wasting in ten practical areas of life: youth, recreation, gifts, position, sexuality, frailty, tragedies, aging, retirement, and death.
For more interactive outlines and mp3 recordings, be sure to visit the Sermons archive.
NOTE: Advertisements on the above player are randomly generated by the service provider and do not necessarily imply endorsement of the material advertised. Readers are always encouraged to apply the “Berean test” (Acts 17:11) to all that they see and hear.
In James 5:16-18, Christians are encouraged,
Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working. Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed fervently that it might not rain, and for three years and six months it did not rain on the earth. Then he prayed again, and heaven gave rain, and the earth bore its fruit.
This sermon, the sixth in a series on the life of Elijah, is drawn from 1 Kings 18:41-46, where Elijah boldly claimed God’s promise to once again send rain upon the earth (1 Kings 18:1). It explores how modern readers of the Bible ought to approach and apply the thousands of promises contained in the Bible. And it seeks to draw practical lessons from the historical text that can help us in our own prayers.
- Elijah made an effort to separate himself that he might focus on communicating with God.
- Elijah humbled himself under the mighty hand of God.
- Elijah was persistent in his approach to God’s promise.
- Elijah fully expected the fulfillment of the promise based on the faithfulness of God.
Remember, the prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working!
For more interactive outlines and mp3 recordings, be sure to visit the Sermons archive.
NOTE: Advertisements on the above player are randomly generated by the service provider and do not necessarily imply endorsement of the material advertised. Readers are always encouraged to apply the “Berean test” (Acts 17:11) to all that they see and hear.
