God Finishes Restoration of Elijah

Driving home: The child of God, who comes to the place where for one reason or another has entered this Elijah-like state of dejection and refuses to get involved in some active responsibility in the kingdom of Christ, becomes more an…

A friend who lost his wife found that changing scenery did not heal his deep dejection; only returning to his pulpit and shouldering pastoral responsibility brought restoration, illustrating the grace found in active service.

To give him this specific task. For often this very matter of having a God-given task and having to shoulder that responsibility becomes a means of grace to restore a discouraged, downcast servant of Christ. In one of the books I was reading, on the life of Elijah, the writer made mention of a dear personal friend whom he knew, who had lost his wife and went into a deep period of spiritual dejection and discouragement. And friends said, well what you need is a change of scenery.

10:04 - 10:39 Read in full sermon

Driving home: The child of God, who comes to the place where for one reason or another has entered this Elijah-like state of dejection and refuses to get involved in some active responsibility in the kingdom of Christ, becomes more an…

A standing pool pollutes, while a running stream purges itself, illustrating how spiritual stagnancy pollutes a believer, while active involvement in Christ's kingdom brings cleansing and vitality.

You've got to get away from all of those things that will remind you of your wife. And so he went from place to place and still that heavy cloud was upon him. And it was the testimony of this man that it wasn't until he returned to his pulpit and began to shoulder the responsibility of, of shepherding a flock of God, that once again he knew something of that vital, vibrant relationship with his Lord. As one has very aptly said, a standing pool pollutes and breeds croaking frogs.

10:39 - 11:10 Read in full sermon

The point: Do not judge God's ways of restoring His people or despise the 'second causes' He uses.

A quote from an old writer, cited by Pink, explains that Elijah's solitary brooding fostered his melancholy and that active, benevolent occupation is the best cure, reinforcing the need for a specific task.

Arthur Pink quotes from one of the old writers commenting on this subject.

11:55 - 12:00 Read in full sermon

The point: If you lack family responsibilities, identify some aspect of Christ's kingdom work to get involved in, so you cannot afford the luxury of dejection.

Jesus, wearied at Sychar's well, was refreshed not by food but by doing the Father's will, serving as a classic example of how active service renews the spirit.

And of course the classic example of that is with our Lord Himself. So weary physically, as was the prophet, that he finds he needs the support of a well in Sychar in the middle of the day. Hadn't even come to quit in time yet. Noon whistle just about blowing and it says being wearied in his journey he rested by a well.

16:53 - 17:16 Read in full sermon

Driving home: When the Lord Jesus said, I will build my church, he is telling us, I'll preserve the purity of the preaching and exposition and application of my truth.

The example of Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones standing against shallow evangelicalism and refusing compromise, even when lonely, illustrates the need for assurance that God preserves His truth and prophetic ministry.

When I see a man like the doctor who has stood for 30 years in Great Britain many times almost a lonely voice and has cried out against the shallowness in evangelicalism who has cried out against the importing of the theater into the church and the church into the church and entertaining Christianity and shallow preaching and Hollywood evangelism and all the rest. A man who's dared to stand against the whole of Billy Graham juggernaut when it came to England and refused to be found on the platform identified with these liberals in spite of all the pressure of the Billy Graham Association and t...

31:46 - 32:58 Read in full sermon

The point: Do not measure the extent of God's working by the measure of your knowledge of that working, or you will hit rock bottom in discouragement.

Cultivated flowers are seen by many, but equally beautiful desert flowers are seen only by God, illustrating that God's work and His people exist in many places unknown to us.

Unless we hear of crowds pressing into the kingdom we assume they're not pressing into the kingdom. There are some flowers that are planted by men, cultured and cultivated by men and seen by multitudes like the flowers that may adorn a central square in a large metropolis or even like that beautiful bed of tulips over there at Grover Cleveland Park. Everybody who goes by sees those tulips. Somebody planted them there.

42:30 - 42:57 Read in full sermon

The point: Do not fall into despair, thinking God is not doing anything because you don't see a breakthrough; you are not omniscient.

A missionary in the Middle East shared how Martin's sermon tapes were a blessing to her and another family, illustrating how God's work extends to unseen places, often without the preacher's knowledge.

Never met her. Never knew she existed on God's earth. And here she sits there in the home and she says, you know Brother Martin, I just want to share with you what a blessing your ministry has been to us over there in the Middle East. Middle East?

45:15 - 45:28 Read in full sermon

The point: Pray and long for God to call His people out of concealment in apostate churches and establish them in biblically oriented churches.

A lengthy quote from Krummacher on Elijah, asserting that the church has more hidden believers than we imagine, and that God will reveal them, encouraging trust in God's unseen work.

Some of you who have found this, you thought you were the only Christian in your whole family line. you met a third cousin and lo and behold you hadn't been with them three minutes when they talked the language of Zion and you said well I didn't know I had any relatives yeah that's right you didn't know that's right and because you didn't know you thought you didn't have any see hasn't this happened I'm sure to many of us here now we ought to learn from that God's work going on out of sight to us but not out of sight to him he's tenderly caring for those plans that he himself has planted to re...

45:56 - 47:25 Read in full sermon

The point: Pray and long for God to call His people out of concealment in apostate churches and establish them in biblically oriented churches.

Fred Huberton preached in 'dead' New England churches, only to find hidden believers whose hearts responded, leading to a new church, demonstrating God's preservation of a remnant even in unexpected places.

only to sound the trumpet as he will do in due time according to Zechariah ten, eight and then we shall be surprised at beholding troops of Christians about us as Elisha's servant was surprised at beholding troops of angels covering the mountains of Dothan how often has it happened that in a church where for many years the word of God had been seldom heard and of which it was a matter of doubt whether such a church contained in it one real believer a single occasional discourse delivered from its pulpit by a stranger has proved the signal for calling forth all at once numbers of timid sheep fr...

47:25 - 48:54 Read in full sermon

The point: Welcome situations that make the line of cleavage between sheep and goats clearer, even if they are outpourings of God's judgment.

The example of Christian women dressing modestly, even if 'out of style,' illustrates how increasing lawlessness can clarify the distinction between believers and the world, which is ultimately a welcome development.

even as the time came in Israel Elijah could not be in Israel Elijah could not be in Israel God said but I have them their mind though conceived and when judgment comes and bypasses them it will be judgment upon others that will reveal my true people and frankly this is what encouraged me with a terrible mess we're moving in in western civilization believe it or not I'm encouraged by the abounding lawlessness I'm encouraged by the open humanism and rejection of God and of truth I'm encouraged by the fact that even in something as mundane as styles of clothing Christians are going to have to be...

51:52 - 53:20 Read in full sermon

The point: Welcome situations that make the line of cleavage between sheep and goats clearer, even if they are outpourings of God's judgment.

The removal of the Bible and introduction of sex education in public schools, while seemingly negative, is presented as a catalyst for awakening Christians to be radically different, clarifying the church's unique identity.

terrible tidal wave of sex education and secularization to wake some up to the fact that we ought to provide for our children a God-centered perspective for the total educational situation but thank God if they booted the Bible out of school thank God if they brought in sex education from this standpoint if it's awakening the people of God to see we must be totally radically different in every area of life for it's a church that's recognized that and committed to that that will be able to confront that world with power and with authority and see something happen isn't that true the church has ...

53:20 - 54:50 Read in full sermon

The point: Rejoice that God's work will triumph, and let this perspective give you desire to throw yourself into His work.

The example of Martin Luther's wrestlings in a monastery, unknown to the world at the time but leading to the Reformation, illustrates God's unseen work that triumphs in due time.

of some monastery a young Augustinian monk was having wrestlings with God that would result in the shaking of the whole empire of Rome we are not we didn't know about it but God did and what God is doing tonight we may know but an infinitesimal part but let us rejoice that his work will triumph and when that's your perspective that gives you some desire to throw yourself into his work you see the idea God's failing if you don't get with it and help him things will come to a mess that motivation is the thing that drive me to commit suicide because if God's failing what hope is there for me to s...

57:46 - 58:57 Read in full sermon