God Finishes Restoration of Elijah

Introduction: Elijah's Dejection and God's Restoration

0:05 As we announced this morning, we are returning this evening to our studies in the life and ministry of the Prophet Elijah.

0:18 It hardly seems possible that four Lord's Day evenings have intervened since we last considered our good friend Elijah and the lessons concerning the ways of God with his servants that are so wonderfully and clearly set forth in this portion of the Word of God. But that much time has intervened, and so tonight we want to resume our studies in 1 Kings chapter 19, particularly focusing upon verses 15 through 18.

0:53 You remember the general setting of this portion. The Prophet has come from the conquest of Carmel to the depths of dejection, even to praying that God would take away his life. It wasn't worth living anymore. The success?

1:08 In the great reformation that he expected to see did not come, and because of the weariness of his body, the blurring of his spiritual vision, the dashing of his fondest hopes and expectation, because of loneliness and all of these factors together, he reaches this great state of dejection and prays for God to take his life as he runs from the presence of this wicked woman, Jezebel. And then the Lord undertakes to begin to restore his dejected, discouraged servant. And we come now in the place of our studies where that work of restoration is just about complete. Verse 15 of chapter 19. And the Lord said unto him, Go, return on thy way to the wilderness of Damascus, and when thou comest, thou shalt anoint. And Jehu, the son of Nimshi, shalt thou anoint to be king over Israel, and Elijah, the son of Shaphat of Abel-mehulah, shalt thou anoint to be prophet in thy room. And it shall come to pass that him that escapeth from the sword of Hazel shall Jehu slay, and him that escapeth from the sword of Jehu shall Elisha.

2:37 Yet will I leave me seven thousand in Israel, all the knees which have not bowed unto Baal, and every mouth which hath not kissed him. Let us once again unite in prayer, asking the blessing and assistance of the Holy Spirit as we seek to handle the word of truth together. Our Father, we thank you for the fresh reminder, even tonight, that when we handle this book, we are dealing with you, the God who gave it.

3:18 And by your grace, we would be conscious of that, both in our speaking and in our hearing of this word. For you have said to this man, Will I look even to him who is of a poor and contrite spirit, and who tremblet at my word? O Lord, take from us every trace of that cursed sin of irreverence, that terrible sin of indignation. O Lord, take from us every trace of that cursed sin of indignation.

3:44 And enable us to listen to your truth as those who do believe indeed that this is the very word by which we shall be judged in the last day, and assist him who speaks it to speak it as the very oracles of the living God. Hear us in this our cry, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. As we have already intimated, God has understood that we are not the only ones who are in the midst of this.

Five Principles of God's Initial Restoration

4:21 We have undertaken to restore his dejected prophet, and we have focused upon five of the principles that come to light in the how of God's restoring of his servant. First of all, the Lord assured, dejected, discouraged Elijah, assured him of his love and his concern. He did not come immediately with rebuke, but he sends an angel so that Elijah can't miss the message. God is saying, I see you here in your dejection, in your discouragement, in your weariness, and I love you in spite of your dejection and your weariness, and I'm concerned for you in the midst of your dejection and your weariness.

5:07 The second thing God did was to meet his basic physical needs. The angel prepared food, and God allowed him to sleep. Before he probes his conscience, he restores him physically. Wonderful lesson of the concern of God for the whole man, for he made us body and spirit, and having made us, he regards us as such and treats us accordingly.

5:36 Then he gave him a token of his presence and his power. He goes forty days in night in the strength of that one meal that he has eaten from the hand of the angel. God giving him, as it were, a taste of his former self when he ran before the chariot, under the anointing of God, and when he was the instrument through which the cause of God was vindicated, he allows him a little taste of his former strength in the Lord to encourage him and how often God does this with his dejected servants. And then in the fourth place, he began to probe his conscience, and make him face his attitudes and the pattern of life that bought into his present state.

6:20 What doest thou here, Elijah?

6:23 Then, in the fifth place, he showed him through that unusual parable, or living parable, object lesson, something of the true nature of his ways of working. That strange dealing of God when there was that earthquake and the fire and then the still small voice. God is showing his servant that he must not expect to see his working only in the awesome scenes of Mount Carmel when the noonday sky is rent with this fire of heaven and when the river is made red with the blood of false priests and false prophets. But there is the working of God in that voice of a gentle stillness. This brings us to the focus of our studies tonight, verses 15 to 18, as God completes that work of restoration. And how did he do it? I would suggest, in the first place, God gave...

Restoration Principle 1: A Specific Task to Accomplish

7:23 He gave his prophet a specific task to accomplish, and in the second place, he imparted a threefold encouragement for the faith of his servant. He gave him a specific task to accomplish. Up until now, during this period of dejection, the prophet has been in a place of seclusion. He has been reflected.

7:49 He has been in solitude. For at least a period of 43 weeks, or 44 days, and perhaps much longer. Verse 9 is a very indefinite verse of chapter 19. And he came thither after that walk of at least two days into the wilderness.

8:07 He came thither to a cave. Two days walk into the wilderness, 40 days journey to Horeb. And it says, having come to the cave, he lodged there. It doesn't say how long he was lodging there before the word of the Lord came to him.

8:21 So there is a period of at least 40 some odd days, perhaps it stretched even longer than that. At least a period of a month, a month and a half, possibly two months. And he is not involved in any active way in the advancement of the work of reformation in the kingdom of Israel. He is in a period of reflection.

8:42 A period when God is probing the conscience. And such periods are necessary.

8:48 But if the prophet is to be restored to a place of spiritual virility, he must once again be found in the place of, of activity in the work of the kingdom of Christ. And so God gives him a job. He says unto him in verse 15, Return thy way to the wilderness and anoint Hazel, Jehu, and Elisha. And he didn't do that in a day.

9:13 There was a distance factor and the time factor. And now the prophet has before him as he leaves this place of seclusion in Mount Horeb, a specific task from God. So that when he wakes the next morning making his way out of that wilderness, he has before him in that day that which he knows to be the will and purpose of God for his life. He isn't wandering aimlessly into a wilderness, swallowed up in his dejection, just going whichever way his sad and discouraged heart may lead him.

9:47 No. There is set before him a specific task by divine revelation. And to that task he can gear, all of his energies and focus and discipline, his time and his interest. Now this is part of the Lord's restoration of his servant.

10:04 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.

10:39 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.

11:10 But a running stream has the power of purging itself, not only of frogs, but of noxious weeds and smells. And so it is in the life of the child of God. 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 and more polluted with the stench of his or her own spiritual stagnancy. And so as a means of grace, God in restoring his servant gives him a specific task to accomplish in the work of his kingdom.

11:55 Arthur Pink quotes from one of the old writers commenting on this subject.

12:02 The prophet was bemoaning the failure of all his efforts to glorify God and the obstinate determination of his people to continue in their apostasy. It was thus he spent his time in the cave at Horeb, brooding over his disappointment and lashing himself by reflecting upon the conduct of the people. A solitary place with nothing to do, might be congenial with such a disposition. It might foster it but would never heal it.

12:31 And thus Elijah might have succumbed to a settled melancholy or raving madness. The only hope for persons in such circumstances is to come out from their lonely haunts and to be actively employed in some useful and benevolent occupation. This is the best cure for melancholy. To set about doing something which will require muscular exertion in which will benefit others. Hence God directed Elijah to quit this present lonely abode which only increased the sadness and irritation of his spirit and he gave him a commission to execute a long way off. Now that sounds very unspiritual doesn't it? But that's how God restored his prophet.

13:19 Right from the heels of that unusual revelation of the presence of God so real to the prophet that he goes out to the mouth of the cave and covers his face he feels God is out there and if I see him it will consume me.

13:34 That same God who in restoring his prophet gives him such a revelation of his person knows that that revelation of itself is not sufficient to bring full restoration. He moves right from that to giving him a job. Now we look at the first and say, wouldn't that be spiritual? And the other, oh that's very mundane.

13:55 Don't you ever stand as judge on the ways that God restores his people. And don't despise the second causes that God uses in accomplishing his plan and his purpose for his children. He gives him a specific task to accomplish and now by way of application let me press this principle in your own conscience. Are you having problems with this Elijah-like depression and oppression and discouragement?

Application: The Necessity of God-Given Responsibility

14:24 Think back at the times when you had. You had a you will find almost invariably either that which led you to it, one of the factors, or that which kept you enmeshed in it was that you got your vision and your area of concern narrowed down to I, me and mine, to yourself. Whereas if you were actively involved in the concerns of the kingdom of Christ and of others you couldn't have afforded the luxury of those long periods of dejection. That's a luxury of personalization.

14:58 You cannot afford who's involved in the needs of others. A mother who has her little ones dependent upon her for their daily bread and for an atmosphere of warmth and love in the home, she can't afford the luxury of retreating into a self-constructed juniper tree or under one and there pining away her days. She can't afford it. So you mothers who at times get weary with all the pressures and responsibilities of your family, thank God at least those pressures and responsibilities can keep you from going out and making some juniper tree and sitting under it.

15:41 Others of you, there are other responsibilities that at times you wish you could just throw them off. It gets weary, but it's a wonderful means of grace. You who are not mothers or fathers and have these responsibilities, there is some aspect of responsibility in the work of Christ's kingdom that God would have you get so identified with that you can't afford this luxury. I would say by way of personal testimony, many a time the thing that has jarred me loose of my first few steps out in the direction of some juniper tree is the fact that I knew I had to face you people on Sunday and if I came before you with a heavy, dejected, discouraged spirit and had no measure of holy repose and joy in God, what in the world would I have to you? I couldn't have afforded the luxury of retreating into that state of dejection and despondency. My responsibility to you for that is a principle of God's dealings. And oft times that very involvement in the work of the kingdom becomes the means by which we are refreshed and renewed.

16:53 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.

17:16 The disciples go off to get food and when they come back they don't find a wearied Savior. Made more weak and weary for lack of food but they find Him strengthened and refreshed and they say how come? Here's some food. He said no I don't need that.

17:29 I have meat to eat that ye know not of. My meat is to do what? To do the will of Him that sent me and to finish His work. And in doing that work He was refreshed and renewed.

17:43 Not only in body but in spirit. And our Lord is the great pattern as the true man. He that saith he abideth in him ought himself so to walk even as he walked. If you'd spend your hours picking over the garbage of your own heart that's poor business. There's a proper place for self-reflection and the prophet knew this. God probed his conscience. But he didn't stay there in probe nor did he continue to give him overpowering revelations of himself. He gave him a job and said now get with it.

Restoration Principle 2: Threefold Encouragement for Faith

18:20 And as the prophet got with it once again he knew that blessing refreshing upon his own soul. So as God restored his prophet the sixth thing in the process of restoration is that he gave him a specific task to accomplish and then in the second place he imparted a three-fold encouragement as he moved out to do that work. Notice in the first place he tells him that the work of judgment will be completed. As he goes on his way to anoint these three men, one to be king over Syria, one to be king over Israel, one to be prophet in Israel, notice the promise that he gives in connection with that task. Verse seventeen and it shall come to pass that him that escapeth from the sword of Hazel shall Jehu slay and him that escapeth from the sword of Jehu shall Elisha slay. Now what led to the prophet's discouragement? You remember that one of the factors was this.

Encouragement 1: The Work of Judgment Will Be Completed

19:27 He came down from Carmel where the four hundred prophets of Baal, four hundred fifty prophets of Baal had been slain, ran before the chariot of Ahab to the very gate of the palace, and to pray to him, saying, And apparently expected that the king would now cooperate with him and call upon him to work together in completing this reformation and this purging of the nation of all the last remnants of Baal worship. But instead, a messenger comes from the court saying, Elijah, Jezebel is sworn by her gods that tomorrow your blood will be mixed with the blood of those prophets whose lives you've taken. And as the prophet has his hopes for complete reformation dashed by the threat of Jezebel, this led in part to his state of dejection and discouragement. And it looks as though God has, as it were, died. The God who vindicated himself upon Carmel now seems silent when a wicked woman says, no, Baal worship will not be purged from Israel. And I'll sweep out of my way anyone who attempts to complete that work of purging.

20:38 And because it seemed that the judgment of God against evil was delayed and apparently God was indifferent to this affront to his own holiness and to the purity of his worship, the prophet entered that state of dejection. And now in bringing him out of it, God assures him in no uncertain terms that the work of judgment would be completed through these three men. First of all, Haziel, who would be king of Syria. And you will notice in chapter 10 of 2 Kings in verse 32 that that prophecy and promise was fulfilled.

21:23 And in those days the Lord began to cut off from Israel and Haziel smote them in all the borders of Israel.

21:33 Then in the same book, 2 Kings 13 and verse 22, and Haziel, king of Syria, oppressed Israel all the days. Of Jehoahaz.

21:46 Here's a heathen king with no knowledge of Jehovah whatsoever, no desire to love and serve Jehovah. But God is once again affirming that truth taught from Genesis to Revelation that he stands as sovereign over the nations of men, wicked nations, unprincipled nations. He is head over the kings of men. And when he wants to raise up a heathen king to be his instrument of judgment upon his own people, he is free to do so.

22:14 He can do so at his own pleasure. And so through the prophet Elijah, Haziel is anointed king of Syria and he becomes the oppressor of the professing people of God as part of God's judgment upon them for their sin of idolatry. And what about this fellow Jehu? What was his particular function?

22:35 Well, this man Jehu, you can read about in 2 Kings 9 and 10, who was almost filled with what we'd call a mad passion to be a king. To blot out the house of Ahab. And he became the instrument through which Jezebel was eaten by the dogs. And the one through whom the entire house of Ahab was completely obliterated.

22:56 Jehu was this instrument of God within Israel to carry out God's judgment against Ahab and Jezebel and their lineage. And then Elisha, the only meaning I can see in these words that him that escapes from the sword of these shall the sword of Elisha slay. There is no record to my knowledge that Elisha took the sword to slay literally. And all I can do is letting Scripture interpret Scripture.

23:25 God is using a play on words and saying that the prophetic ministry of this prophet will be one that will cut and wound and will expose sin and slay evil. For God used this analogy in other places. I have slain them with the words of the prophet. With the words of...

23:44 And so God assures the prophet that the work of judgment will be complete. Ah, but you say, what's that have to do with restoring the prophet? Well, it has everything in the world to do with that. If you lived where Elijah lived and you saw a work of judgment against evil begin and your hopes are raised and then suddenly those hopes are dashed and you wonder what's going to happen to have God come along and assure you you may not see the completion of this work, but Baal worship will be driven from Israel.

24:18 And you remember how Jehu tricked all the Baal worshipers to come into the temple and while they had them all there, he slew every last one of them and Baal worship was driven from Israel forever.

24:30 At least in its outward form. To know then that that work of judgment against evil was certain and sure, you could then face all of the bastions of evil and all of the areas where evil seemed to be as entrenched as the earth itself. And you could then face all of the bastions of evil. And with confidence look at all of those great fortresses of evil and say they shall yet fall.

24:52 My God has pledged it.

24:55 We've been reading through the book of the Revelation for our Sunday morning scripture reading. How did God encourage those suffering saints at the turn of the first century as the first century was phasing out and entering the second century? How did God encourage them in the midst of persecution and suffering? John is in the Isle of Patmos for the testimony of Christ.

25:15 The Christians there in Asia Minor many of them suffering sealing their testimony with their own blood. He says be thou faithful unto death. How does God encourage them? One of the great themes that runs through the entire book of the Revelation is what?

25:31 Jesus Christ as judge will conquer. Every last enemy shall be crushed beneath his feet. And you have some of those pictures like those in Revelation 19 that if you can't read them and at least have a hallelujah come up this far. You're just now reading them.

25:50 He comes forth upon that white horse. His name is the word of God and his vesture is dipped in blood and the armies of heaven follow. And he comes forth conquering and to conquer. What's the purpose of all this?

26:04 So people can get nice big charts and make people who sit at conferences feel nice? No, no, no, no. Remember this was written to suffering saints who looked out at a world where it seemed that the forces of paganism were not only entrenched but conquering. Their brethren are being put to death for their stand in the gospel of Christ.

26:28 What do such people need to know? They need to know exactly what Elijah needed to know. The work of judgment will be complete. Elijah, you saw the blood of 450 false prophets mingled with that brook.

26:42 One day every last false prophet and those who follow them in Israel shall be gone. Take courage, my child.

26:51 I submit to you that this is precisely what we as God's people need in those times when we feel ourselves retreating to some juniper tree as our expectations and hopes for a visitation of God in mighty purging power that will throw down these great bastions of wickedness as those hopes seem to be dashed. We need to turn to books like the book of the Revelation and as it were look through and beyond and over all of these imprenchments of evil. And know that one day Jesus Christ will sit as king. The scripture says the earth shall be filled with the knowledge of the glory of God as the waters cover the sea.

27:35 It shall come to pass. The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our God and of his Christ and he shall reign forever and ever.

27:49 I can preach that. But until as you meditate upon it and the spirit of God makes it real to your own heart you'll just go park in the a juniper tree.

Encouragement 2: The Prophetic Ministry Will Be Continued

28:01 God encouraged his prophet by assuring him in the first place that the work of judgment would be completed. Then the second assurance he gave him by way of encouragement was this that the prophetic ministry would be continued. You remember that one of the other factors that led to the prophet's dejection is he said I'm the only prophet left. When God was dealing with him there in chapter 19 what are you doing here Elijah?

28:32 He said I only am left and I don't believe he meant he felt he was the only true worshipper of Jehovah left. I interpret those words in the light of what he had said in chapter 18 where he clearly states that he felt he was the only prophet left in Israel, 1822. Then said Elijah to the people I, even I only, am left a prophet of Jehovah but Baal's prophets are 450 men. Because Elijah had met this fellow Obadiah who was obviously a true worshipper of Jehovah.

29:09 He apparently had some previous acquaintance with Elisha for when God said go anoint Elisha he seems to speak as though he already knows about him and he certainly was no Baal worshipper. So I don't believe it's right as many of the commentators seem to infer that Elijah is saying when he says in chapter 19 I only am left that he was the only prophet left. The only true worshipper of Jehovah left. But he is acknowledging that as far as he knew he was the only true prophet left.

29:38 And if any of those that were kept in the cave were still alive we don't know where they were and they certainly weren't speaking the truth of God they weren't standing in the midst of all of this Baal worship crying out against it. And so a man who has the awesome responsibility of being the only mouthpiece for the living God in order to preserve the purity of worship and as a result of worship as a result of that the honor of Jehovah that was the passion of a prophet. He wasn't just out to say some things to get some kind of an itch satisfied. He stood in the name of God to proclaim the truth of God seeking to preserve the purity of the worship of God in order that there might be glory rendered to that great God. And so as the prophet surveys the whole scene in Israel and sees himself the only prophet and now this wicked woman about to slay him he cannot help but wonder what's going to happen to Israel. If they're in this mess with at least one prophetic voice still speaking what will it be like when the sun sets on the prophetic voice and there's no more utterance in the name of Jehovah. No one to stand as a troubler in Israel.

30:54 Is it now my enemy troubler of Israel? That's what Ahab called him.

31:00 And so God's going to encourage him. And he says in essence when he gives him this commission you go and anoint Elisha to be prophet in thy room. Elisha I want to encourage Elijah I want to encourage you not only by assuring you that the work of judgment will be completed but the prophetic ministry will be continued and will be extended. I will preserve my glory in preserving the office of the prophet and in maintaining the ministry of the prophet and the faith of the people of the people of the people of the people of the people of the people of the people of the people of the people Now by way of application I'm sure there are times when we feel not that there is one left but so few.

31:46 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 team to get the doctor on their bandwagon, you see. He stood firm, refused to compromise, and gave the impression that, well, we're all for the same thing when on that very platform are men who deny the truths for which he'd let out his blood. That gets lonely. And when you see men like that falling by the way and living out their three score and ten, the A.W. Tozers fall by the way, at times you wonder, Lord, what are we coming to?

32:58 What do we need to know at such times as that? We need to know that God will preserve. He will preserve the proclamation of his truth. We need to be assured because the Lord Jesus said, I will build my church and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.

33:16 And how does he build his church? Well, he brings people into that church as living stones when they're begotten again. How? By the word of truth.

33:26 And how are they built up when once they are made members of that great living temple, they are sanctified by. The truth, they are cleansed by the washing of water through the word. So 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. For it's by truth that men are begotten unto life and by the truth that they are built up in that light.

33:57 And so at the end time, when evil is raised to such a pitch, the Lord Jesus. Has promised that he shall yet have his elect confessing him and being faithful, even unto death, enduring to the end. And for their sake, those days will be shortened. He's encouraging us that the prophetic ministry, that is true anointed preaching, exposition and application of the scriptures will be maintained.

34:26 There is no prophetic ministry in the sense that Elijah was a prophet speaking directly in the name of God. But. As we've considered often from this pulpit, the extension of the old prophetic ministry in the present hour is that exposition and application of the written scriptures under the anointing of the spirit. That's the extension of the prophetic ministry.

34:50 Without that, there will be no preservation of life in the church. There will be no impartation of life. But the Lord Jesus has assured us that there will be both. And so we may take encouragement.

35:02 And one of the. The greatest encouragements to me is to see the Lord not only preserving the status quo, but giving a new passion in the hearts of young men. It's as though he's bypassed the generation,

35:18 giving them a passion for a ministry of prophetic unction,

35:23 bringing them to the place where they're ready to go, wherever the hand of scripture leads them and longing not only to be scribes who transfer the letter of scripture, but longing to be prophets in the sense that they speak. That. That message with a life that embodies it and with lips touched with coals from off the altar of God.

35:44 This encouraged Elijah. Can you imagine what it was like to know when I go? Elisha is there in my stead as God's people. This should be a great encouragement to us.

35:57 And as we pray for our own assembly, one of the things for which we should plead and one of the promises that we should lay hold of before the Lord is that God has committed himself to the. Preservation of his truth right to the final hour for when the Lord comes, he will have his elect in the four corners and let's plead with him that it might please him to continue to use the ministry of the Trinity Church to be the instrument through which that work is accomplished. Then the third area of encouragement that he gives to his prophet is this. The work of judgment will be completed.

Encouragement 3: A Believing Remnant Will Be Preserved

36:33 The prophetic ministry will be continued. And then he tells them that there. Will. Be a preserve of a believing remnant.

36:43 The preservation of a believing remnant was pledged by the Lord himself. I read from the American Standard Version verse of the entire section, and you notice that verse 18 is rendered a bit different than it is in the King James. And perhaps your marginal reading has it the same way. Yet will I leave me not?

37:02 I have left me as though it were in the past, and it's a legitimate rendering to put it in the future. Yet. Will I leave me 7,000 in Israel, all the knees which have not bowed unto Baal and every mouth which hath not kissed him. When God assured his prophet that the judgment would be complete, the prophet might have wondered, now, wait a minute.

37:26 Whoever escapes from the hand of Hazel, Jehu will get him. And whoever escapes from Jehu, Elisha will take care. What's left? The Lord says, I'll tell you what's left 7,000.

37:38 And again, I don't press. The number literally. I won't fight you if you do. I don't believe.

37:43 My own conviction is that the Lord is saying the number seven certainly has great significance. I'm not a biblical numerologist finding a type in every number, but certainly the number seven has great significance in Scripture. And the number of thousands speaks of largeness with indefiniteness. A day is with the Lord is a thousand years.

38:02 A thousand years is a day. Whether God is saying literally 7,000 or what I believe he is saying is, I have many more than you have any idea that haven't bowed the knee nor kissed Baal. And when my work of judgment is complete, it will bypass the remnant according to the election of grace. You say, how do you get election of grace in there?

38:29 Well, that's how Paul interpreted it. Now you turn to Romans 11 and letting Scripture be its own infallible interpreter. How does Paul regard this statement? In fact, in first Kings chapter 19 beginning with verse one of chapter 11, I say, then did God cast off his people?

38:49 God forbid. For I also am an Israelite at the seat of Abraham of the tribe of Benjamin. God did not cast off his people, which he foreknew or know ye not what the Scripture saith of Elijah, how he pleaded with God against Israel. Lord, they have killed thy prophets and dig down mine altars and I am left alone and they seek my life.

39:12 But what saith the answer of God unto him? I have left for myself seven thousand men which have not bowed the knee to Baal. Even so, then at this present time also there is a remnant according to the election of grace. What's the explanation for this seven thousand Paul says?

39:38 Well, it's obvious in the midst of that great national election. The election of Israel, election understanding and privilege. There was a peculiar election of grace and those seven thousand were the objects of that election of grace and God preserved them from the Baal worship. Even Paul says as he has done to this present day so that within national Israel as a nation having rejected Messiah, as a nation having been brought to the place where judgment is pronounced upon them, God has a remnant.

40:11 When judgment is to fall temporally upon Jerusalem in 70 AD there is a bypassing of those believers who by an unusual providence escaped even that temporal judgment by the mercy and grace of God. So he encourages his prophet by letting him know that a believing remnant would be preserved. You see it's a hard lesson to learn that we must not measure God's working. By our knowledge of his working.

40:45 See one of Elijah's problems was he was measuring what he thought God was doing by what he knew of God's doing and that will always lead you into problems. Elijah had it all figured out. Nobody or maybe an Obadiah here and an Elisha there but for the most part the whole nation is still enmeshed in Baal worship. If not, why don't they rise up?

41:15 And seek to carry out the reformation? Why is there no voice of complaint when Jezebel orders my death? God says Elijah you're measuring the temple of God with the wrong rod. I measure it with an infallible eye and with an infallible measuring rule.

41:37 We think that unless we know where there's powerful preaching there must not be any. Well since when did you become omniscient? Maybe there are places this night where there is a powerful prophetic utterance of truth and you and I know nothing about it. I forget what happened to me a few months ago when I sat in the meeting and I heard a prophetic utterance.

42:01 Someone preached with unction and power and accuracy according to scripture and I've been so tickled I haven't been able to get over it since. It's been another, it's been four or five months but I said Lord there's another prophet in the woods somewhere and I didn't know it. Well God wasn't obligated to let me know it. This is what Elijah had to do.

42:18 He said I'm not going to do it. I had to learn. I have preserved and reserved to myself those who have not bowed the knee. Unless we know of it we feel it's not there.

42:30 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.

42:57 Someone takes care of them. But you know there are flowers just as beautiful way out in the middle of deserts where nobody sees them but God and nobody planted them but God. And nobody knows about them but God. You see?

43:11 And what's true in the realm of nature, if I may use that word in that context, God's ordering and providential concern of his creation is true in the realm of grace. There are those plants where we know the human instruments that were used under God to see them planted in the kingdom of God. And we've been able to see them grow and flourish under the normal means of cultivation. But what a surprise it's going to be when we see all those beautiful desert flowers that God himself has planted and cared for and God sets them in the court of heaven and we stand back.

43:47 I didn't know. No we didn't, did we? And if we begin like Elijah. To measure the extent of God's working by the measure of our knowledge of that working, we're going to hit rock bottom in discouragement.

Application: Trusting God's Unseen Work

44:03 Now bless God for the times when he pulls back the veil and lets us see and does such a work that even the masses of unconverted men have to, as it were, be rocked back on their heels and say, this is the Lord's doing. And it's marvelous in our eyes. Blessed be God for those times and for them we should pray and plead. But until they come.

44:24 You're in danger of great discouragement if you think because you can't see what he's doing God must not be doing it. And I think it's one of the most necessary balancing truths when people begin to get stirred up for revival and make God stir us up for it. But I've seen people driven to despair because they've said, we've cried to God, we've fasted, we've prayed and still there's no breakthrough from heaven. Wickedness abounds.

44:49 God's not doing anything. How do you know? Do you look down from his way? Do you look down from his way?

44:56 Do you look down from his way? Do you look down from his way? Do you look down from his place of perfect knowledge and see all that he's doing? One of the great thrills and perhaps maybe the Lord gives me that privilege to keep me from juniper trees, at least more than I have, is when I'm privileged to get out in different places and I meet like I did a couple of weeks ago a missionary.

45:15 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?

45:28 She said every Sunday morning, there's just two missionary families. There's no church established yet. We've seen very few converts. They're living in an Arab situation, a Muslim situation.

45:38 And she said every Sunday we come together and we sing hymns and our Sunday morning message is one of your tapes and it's overhauled our lives and our ministries. I didn't have to know that. That's none of my business. The Lord once in awhile pulls the veil back, see?

45:56 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 read something from old Mr. Krumacher by the way if you can ever pick this up in a used bookstore somewhere Krumacher on Elijah you ought to do it but wait till I finish preaching the series please however low may be the present state of the church we have reason to conclude that it's not so poor and destitute of persons influenced by divine grace as we're ready to imagine I believe that if it pleased God to lift the veil we might be surprised with the discovery of such numbers it would seem like a tremendous resurrection scene we doubt not but the prince of the host has still many an ambush of reserve in this world and that he needs

47:25 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 from their state of concealment what happened up there in Massachusetts Fred Huberton went up and preached in two dead New England dead and that's dead New England dead churches thinking they're nothing but filled with a bunch of people strangers to grace and yet God had some people some of his sheep untaught many of them ill schooled in the truth but when they heard the voice of Christ to a relatively humble babe in Christ their hearts responded and now there's a church established whereas if prior to Fred's going there you say any Christians up in there if there are we don't know where they are no but God knew and he sent them a shepherd after his heart and there's some of the fruits of it here tonight now that's just in our little circle what we know think of all the places where God's doing

48:54 and we don't know a thing about it now we need to be encouraged this is what Krumacher's saying and this is true this man's not just theorizing he found this by experience probably talking about himself you go preach somewhere in a situation and you think certainly there's no life here and yet you preach and some people come up out of tears in their eyes and they shake your hand and say oh brother I've prayed for years that I might hear this the Lord had his plans there see how surprised should we be in eternity when the veil should be removed to find there from quarters where we least look for them among the multitude whom no man can number standing before the throne many who were never known as the Lord's people in this world whom circumstances or local situation or outward defects and infirmities or their retiring humility and modesty had concealed from our view and not only in eternity but in this world such a joyful surprising disclosure of the hidden church awaits us and who knows how near its time may be and the Lord will call forth all of his own to shine as he quotes then from canticles from the song of Solomon who is he that looketh forth as the morning fair as moon clear as the sun and terrible as an army with banners granted he doesn't have any of his people where the gospel is not preached don't let anyone misunderstand me I believe scripture clearly teaches men who are without the gospel are without grace there will not be

50:23 people found who are strangers to regeneration by the spirit to repentance and faith don't let anyone misunderstand that I'm talking of a larger hope that somehow God will sneak multitudes in and bypass the gospel and the work of Christ and the work of the spirit we have no biblical grounds to expect the salvation of any apart from the preaching of the word regeneration of the spirit repentance and faith but that gracious work is going on in many places where we have no knowledge of it God has some hidden away amidst all the trappings of the errors of Rome who through all that mess have seen through saints and penance and have looked upon a pierced savior in faith in liberal churches in places where apostasy reigns now granted we should pray and long that God would call them out and see them established in biblically oriented churches where there is an unembarrassed confession of truth and pure worship granted but remember things are not all what they ought to be in your own life are they they are not in mine we must wait God's time and plead that that time may hasten when he will so move that there will be that precipitation of God's people out of concealment

Encouragement from Abounding Lawlessness

51:52 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 different in our day why any situation in society in the outpourings of God's judgment that makes the line of cleavage between the sheep and the goats clearer is to be welcomed by the people of God I'm thankful that I could spot most of our women in any street anywhere because they've got sense enough to keep their skirts at a decent length and I want to tell you I'm pleased I am I'm grateful to God that you'd far rather be three or four inches out of style than be an unnecessary provocation to lust and I'm grateful for that many of us are coming to see in the realm of education it's taken this terrible

53:20 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 had most power with the world with the church and she's been most unlike it and for two or three spiritual generations we've been so much like it we've had no power over it or with it now for the sake and the honor of God's name surely we should cry out that God would move to turn back the tide of lawlessness yes that's the other side of the coin we should call upon him to vindicate his name but I can't feel sad that they've kicked the Bible out of the public school it was kicked out long ago in fact and in reality it was kicked out and this was just some kind of a little religious rigmarole tacked on to salve the conscience God was booted out of the science books God was booted out of the history books

54:50 God was booted out of every other realm it was an insult to tack a little prayer onto that pagan mess they're just being consistent now don't get angry with me that's the fact and it's taken this to shake some Christians out well thank God for that and in the midst of all of this we need to know what Elijah had to know that God will preserve and carry on his work amongst the election of grace Jesus Christ shall see of the travail of his soul and be satisfied and when you know this 1 Corinthians 15 58 be ye steadfast unmovable always abounding in the work of the Lord why? for as much as you know that your labor is not in vain in the Lord he will accomplish your work his saving goodness well this is how God brought his prophet out of those doldrums of discouragement and despondency and if you're there tonight may the Lord be pleased to do with you what he did with his prophet first of all he gave him a job to do maybe that's the problem with some of you you've just got too much time to sit around and pick over your own miseries maybe that's your problem I'm sure you fellas in seminary this is why a lot of guys get bogged down in seminary

Conclusion: Overcoming Discouragement with God's Faithfulness

56:18 they just get involved with some real life people real life sinners and try to understand them and meet their needs and sympathize with them and help them and solve a lot of problems some of you is that your problem? you've just got too much time to sit around and pick over your own misery God helped his servant Elijah by giving him a job you ask the Lord Lord what job do you have for me? then he encouraged him in that threefold manner he first of all assured him the work of judgment would be complete and childhood God you ought to take encouragement that evil will not reign forever I got in the last part of Jerry's lesson this morning this is what he was talking about see standing in the present you know in the past evil did not reign before the fall and out there evil shall not reign a new heaven a new earth are coming wherein dwelleth righteousness that gives you nerve and fiber to face every form of wickedness with confidence one day my God shall throw it all down that'll get you out from under your juniper tree then be encouraged that the prophetic ministry shall be extended and continued and be encouraged that the Lord himself is pledged to preserve a believing remnant and whether we see it or not he's preserving it whoever would have thought that there in the confines

57:46 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 succeed but if he cannot fail and I'm aligned with a God like that I have cause to be encouraged and to be steadfast unmovable abounding in the work of the Lord may God grant that his greatness and his faithfulness shall fill our hearts with praise and that we shall abandon ourselves in new way in a new measure to him and to the work of his kingdom let us unite in prayer