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Bibleline Bibleline, here God’s word on Bibleline, here God’s truth on Bibleline. Welcome to Bibleline with Dr. Ralph Yankee Arnold, pastor of Calvary Community Church in Tampa, Florida. Clearly declaring the gospel of Jesus Christ through the radio and the internet. Your regular prayers and monthly support make it possible for Bibleline to continue on the air. You can reach us toll free at 1-800-576-3771. Online donations may be made by clicking on the donations link on the BibleLineMinistries.org homepage. We pray that you will enjoy our commitment to the clear gospel of Jesus Christ and that today’s first part of this two-part message will be a blessing to you and your family.

So turn in your Bible to the book of first kings, we go to first king. The book of first kings. We just studied last week about Elijah. How that he met the 450 prophets of Baal, won against 450. No, it was two against 450. Who was it? God and Elijah. God uses a man. I don’t know if God uses committees. God uses a man. God’s looking for a man. So you may be the man that God’s looking for, or the woman that God’s looking for.

He doesn’t usually work through committees and stuff. But individuals who are right with the Lord God can use you and bless you. So he’s always looking for somebody that he can show himself strong on their behalf. God always likes using somebody who think they can’t be used. because he gets all the honor and glory, because whenever it’s all over, he’s like, what the Lord did that? Lord did that. And when you try to take too many vows of how great you are, God says, you just stole the honor from me.

And I’m gonna pick you. God is a jealous God. It really is. And Elijah had problems with the Ahab and Jezebel. Have you ever noticed how many people named their little girls Jezebel? somebody told me last week, they knew of somebody, it was named Jezebel. But Ahab was a bad man, and he was the king of Israel. He already had been split, you know. And he married this woman, and she’s not Jewish. And she worshiped the God Baal, and then brought in 450 false prophets, and they had to grow in high places where they would worship, and they are altars and so for it.

I think it made God angry. Is it possible for us to upset God? Make God mad angry? You know, when you read the stories in the Old Testament and you see how people angered God. But even though they don’t think it’s that bad, you know, just like whenever Joshua went in there to take the place of Jericho and they had a great victory, wall cities, and then they go up against a little old place like AI. And there was a man there that stole something.

He just stole some garments and some silver and got headed into tent. Nothing serious. It just stole. And so when they went up, they lost a lot of stuff. People died. Joshua said, well, we don’t need a lot of people to take them, and yet God allowed them to lose. one man in camp did something he should have done and it cost a victory. So what did they do to him? They killed him. It’s a family. It’s more of a household.

And what they don’t think is that bad, God says that’s really bad. And so sometimes we don’t think things are as bad unless you see what God does because of it. Ooh, that must have been pretty bad. If you’ve ever done something that gives mom and dad, and you didn’t think it was that bad, and they almost kill you, I almost got killed because I gave my dirty look one time. I just looked at my dad’s strange. That’s not a wise thing to do.

It wasn’t that bad! Oh, I’ve gotten hooked for a lot of things that I didn’t think, I didn’t deserve that. You know, I come to the conclusion, I didn’t deserve any spank of that ever, God. I was such a good kid. I mean, look at God in an honest face. He was in a more honest face. Well anyway, as we’re right here, he’s had a great victory, says he’s going to be some rain and there was some rain. Almost a flood.

19 of First Kings. Look in verse 1, Ahab told Jezebel all that Elijah had done and with all how he had slain all the prophets with the sword. Well, that would make Jezebel mad, wouldn’t it? Those were hers. Then Jezebel sent a messenger under Elijah saying, go let the gods do to me and more also if I make not thy life as the life of one of them by tomorrow about this time, I’m going to kill Elijah. So here’s Jezebate, no way, way, way.

God just gave Elijah a great victory. Great victory, 450 of them were slain. He won. But sometimes your defeat comes right after a great victory. But his was because of depression. You ever get depressed? There’s a lot of people who have depression. Teenagers are depressed. People want to commit suicide. All kinds of things that can happen to you. so discouraged. But you see, his problem was he thought, I’m the only one. Poor, poor Israel. I’m the only one left.

Well, he wasn’t the only one, but that’s what he thought in his own mind. Now this woman threatened to kill him. Well, he asked to die. He said, that’s God. Why don’t you just take my life? Well, if you’d have stayed here, maybe Jezebel would have. It’s kind of like I told I told the kids they care. I walked into this room one day, and there was my friend hanging from the ceiling with a rope tied around his wrist.

So what are you doing? He said, I’m committing suicide. He said, why didn’t you put it around your neck? Well, I couldn’t breathe. So some people are, you know, I want to die, I don’t want to die. Y’all do it, don’t, I don’t. And I told him to hear him. I don’t want to die. I want to live. I enjoy living. Living is so much better for me. I just get a kick out of it. But anyway, he ran and ran.

So in verse three, and when he saw that, he arose and went for his life and came to Bersheba, which belonged to Judah and left his servant there. But he himself, when a day journey into the wilderness came and sat down under a juniper tree, and he requested for himself, Lord, I gotta request. Oh, what’s your request? I wanna die. And he says, it is enough. Now, oh Lord, take away my life, for I am not better than my father.

I am no better. I ought to just take my life. He’s already had a great victory, and God did it. He prayed for rain, rain came. At his prayer, it hadn’t rained in over three years. You would think, well man, this guy’s got it together. This is really a truly godly spiritual-minded man. But you know the Bible describes these people as men of light passion. just like us. Aren’t there days when you are on cloud nine and then you can go down so fast?

And so you may be spiritually minded today and carnally minded tomorrow. Now, I start the way God wants, but it does happen. So when you read these stories, just throw, here’s somebody just like me. You know what this man needed? This man needed a sidekick. You see, he doesn’t feel like, No, I have paid my dues. My time is up. I didn’t fill my quota. It’s time for me to check out of here. But, see, God wasn’t through with him yet because he needed to train somebody and prepare somebody to take his place.

So God was going to do that. So he makes a statement here in verse 5, and he, as he lay and slept under a juniper tree, he then an angel touched him and said unto him, Arise and he looked and behold, there was a cake baked on the cold and a cruise of water at his head and he did eat and drink and laid him down again. You know, sometimes the way when you don’t feel good and things are just not right.

If you go to sleep, time passes. But you wake up with the same problem. It didn’t go away. Sometimes people run from things by getting involved and doing something else so they don’t have to think about it. And sometimes just going to sleep, you hope you’ll wake up and it’ll be a new world. And it’s the same world and it didn’t help at all. Oh, you may feel a little bit better, but sometimes the problem just doesn’t go away just because it’s taken that.

It makes time pass faster. So he says here in verse 7, and the angel of the Lord came again the second time touched him and said, arise and eat because the journey is too great for the… In other words, God had a job for him to do. Something more to do. And so he says here in verse 8, and he arose and did eat and drink and went in the strength of that meet forty days and forty nights on the the Mount of God.

Now, how would you like to eat a meal that’s good for 40 days and 40 nights I have never had that happen. I’ve had enough to last me one day. The next day I want to eat again. Have you ever ate so much as man I don’t need to eat for a week and in about four or five hours man you read Ram sack the whole refrigerator. I’ve done that I go out and when Betty will get something to eat and then by the time I get home walk in the house, put down on the stuff, open the refrigerator and see what we got.

And do it and not even be hungry. It’s just a habit. But isn’t eating a wonderful habit? Don’t you like it? SetTextColor That’s one of the greatest inventions God ever made. Eating. I love it. But anyway, God had something for him to do. But he But he wanted the Lord to take his life. So he says in the last part of verse 10, I, even I only am left and they seek my life to take it away. I’m the only one left and they want to kill me.

And so in verse 11, and he said, go forth and stand upon the mount before the Lord. And behold, the Lord passed by in a great and strong wind, rent the mountain and breaking pieces of the rocks before the Lord. But the Lord was not in the wind. And after. earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. And after the earthquake, a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire, a steel small voice.

Sometimes we’re looking for some earth-shattering thing to lead in the guidance. Tell us what to do. Speak to me. And sometimes it’s just a quiet steel voice of something that you read in the Word of God. It consists, this is what what you ought to do. And the Holy Spirit leads and guides you. And sometimes it’s not always the most exciting adventure or something, but that quiet type of courage that you need day by day. You know, not the shooting star, not that plane, but just that quiet courage that you need day by day to face the problems you got.

So anyway, he says here in verse 13, And it was so when Elijah heard it that he wrapped his face in his mantle, went out and stood in the end and end of the cave. So here’s a man of God living in a cave. There’s a caveman. But he wasn’t on the end of all or a crowman, a Heidelberg man, Pythaganthesis, he wrecked this man. There were all the Australopithecine men. He was just a man living in the cave.

And he knows what he says here. a voice that came to him and he says, what doest thou hear? He like, oh, what are you doing here? What are you doing? Do you know who you are? Do you know where you are? Do you know what you’re supposed to be doing? Sometimes God had to slap us back into reality. And so he says in verse 14, and he says, I have been very jealous for the Lord God of hosts.

I am so jealous for the Lord because the children of Israel have forsaken thy covenant Thrown down by an altar, slain thy prophets with the swords, and I, even I, only am left, and they seek my life to take it away. Why should not be discouraged? Why shouldn’t I wanna just die? But he wouldn’t take his life. He wanted God to do it for him. He just wanted to check out of here. Now, if you’re in a place like that, somebody’s after you and you’re living in a cave and having eight for 40 days and 40 nights, You might be a little discouraged, Sita.

You ever been down and out? Didn’t have anything. Well, read the Bible. It’s amazing these stories are in the Bible. And you’d be surprised how it can affect your thinking and make you feel so bad, so lonely, poor, poor me. I’m the only one. Well, God saw all of that. In verse 15, and the Lord said unto him, go return on thy way to the wilderness of Damascus. And when thou comeest anoint Haysil to be king over Syria. And Jehu the son of Nimshai, he says, Shout thou anoint to be king over Israel.

And he lyshed the son of Shapat of Abel Mahola, shout thou anoint to be prophet in thy room. And it shall come to pass that. Him that escaped the sword of Azeel shall Jehu slay, and him that escape it from the sword of Jehu shall elisha inevites. Now look in verse 18, very important, yet I have left me seven thousand in Israel, all the knees which have not bowed on the Baal, and every mouth which have not kissed him.

So, he said, look, the best is yet to come. Now, how many miracles did God use to work through Elijah? Seven miracles. Number of perfection, seven miracles. You know what he needed? He needed a sidekick. God was preparing somebody else, but somebody else didn’t know it. And he says, do you know what I’ve done? So he goes past this young man and he puts his mantle and puts it on him. He says, do you know what I have done?

Do you know what I’m saying to you? Do you hear me? So look what he says there in verse 19. This is how God called Elisha. Now is Elijah and Elisha. See, Elijah is an older man now, and God’s going to bring along a young man. young man. So in verse 19, so he departed thence and found Elisha, the son of Shephat, who was plowing with twelve yoke of oxen before him. And he with the twelve, and Elijah passed by him and cast his mantle upon him.

And he left the oxen and ran after Elijah and says, let me I pray the kiss my father and my mother and then I will follow the evidently lie understood why he did that. In other words he was passing the mantle from him to Elijah. So God had somebody that he was supposed to anoint because you see back there in verse 16 verse 16 where the last part and Elijah the son of Shabbat, he said of the able Mahola shall thou anoint to be prophet in thy room in your stead.

In other words, I want you to go and get him and he’s going to take your place. So God is going to prepare some mercy. When God had Moses, well he was also preparing Joshua. So whenever Moses died, God said as I was with, Moses I will be with you. And as I was with this one, I will be with you. And as I am with Elijah, I will be with Elijah. So it’s interesting that he says here in verse 21, and he returned back from him and took a yoke-a-boxin, slew it, and they sit down and they all ate.

But he knew what that meant. So here’s a man that’s out there, mind and his own business, in the field plowing and a man of God walks by and puts his man along him. He said, let me go kiss my mom and daddy and say goodbye to him. So he takes one of those oxes and kills it. You know, Yokel Jackson killed everybody eight. I guess I’ll have a big party. You know, it might have been some great encouragement to the older man of God to have somebody else.

He’s got a train and so he went with him and everywhere he went and later on there’s a story that He didn’t want Elijah to get out of his sight Because they found out that he was gonna be taken up In a chariot of fire that he’s gonna just know go up in the sky and so he says you got to watch him and see him when he goes up and Get a double portion He said, if you see that happen, you’ll get a double portion.

So Elisha did see that happen. And Elijah kept telling them, you stay here. He says, I will not. He went to another and said, you stay here, I will not. Elisha says, you’re not getting out of my sight. Because not only what he did, he wanted to do more. This is why you should never limit yourself by your own limited thinking. or limit yourself by, well, I wanna do what they did. You know, God may have something He wants to do that’s more than what somebody else did.

You don’t know how much. Men, I wanna double portion. I want a triple portion. I want as much as I can get. I guess I’m a little greedy, but no, notice. He says in the last part of verse 21, He arose and went after Elijah and ministered unto him. So now he got somebody to minister to him, to help him, encourage him, whatever. But the Bible says this is what was going on. Now, turn to chapter 21. Chapter 21.

Time is moving on, miracles are done. In chapter 21, we have a very interesting little story. You see, there was some property that was kind of next to Ahab’s place. And he wanted it. he wanted that piece of land. Well, they were not supposed to sell their land because that was going to their ancestors on down the road, see. So Ahab says, look, I’ll give you this and this and this. And I’ll give you some land that’s even better than what you have right here.

So in verse one, and it came to pass after these things that neighbor of the Jesuit light had a vineyard, which was in Jezreel, hard by the palace of A.F. King of Samaria. In other words, up against it. And A.H.A.M. spake unto neighbor, saying, give me thy vineyard that I may have it for a garden of herbs, because it is near unto my house and I will give thee for it a better vineyard than it or if it seemed good to thee, I will give thee the worth of it in money.”

So hey, you can’t lose. But the only problem was it wasn’t for sale and that really made old Ahab depressed. Now here’s Ahab the king of all that he does have he’s not satisfied. He wants that one piece of property that belonged to this man. So is he going to just say, okay, well, okay, we’ll just forget about it. No, no, no, no. He just goes home and winds to his wife. Now you know what kind of a woman Jezebel is.

Hey, you’re the king. Don’t you know who you are? You’re the king. And you’re going to let that little people squeak till you know you’re the king. You can do whatever you want. You think he would listen to Jezebel? He did. So he says down through here in verse 3, and they have said unto Ahab, the Lord forbid it me that I should give the inheritance of my fathers unto thee. Ahab came into his house heavy and displeased. You’re not on the line that.

In other words, when you don’t get what you want, you have expectations. You have a little dream. Well, what if you have the death of a dream. Ever have one? You have visions of grandeur. Oh, how are you gonna do this or do that in a ministry or you know something is great and it doesn’t work. You ever get a little discouraged? Well, if you don’t plant something you’ll never see anything grow. So you may plant a lot and maybe on a little bit grow.

So it’s better to do something than nothing. Dr. Lee Robertson came out with a little statement, better to aim at something and miss, than aim at nothing and hit it. I’d rather aim at something and miss than aim at nothing and hit it. At least you aimed at something. You shot for something. But anyway, now here’s a man who’s the king and he’s very down discouraged, depressed. He says, because the word which neighbor, the Jezilai had spoken to him, for he had said, I will not give thee the inheritance of my fathers.

And he laid him down upon his bed and wind or turned away his face and would not eat any bread. You taught my depression. I love you. I didn’t get my way. You taught my throne. A tantrum. This is a grown man. King. Thrown a tantrum because he didn’t get what he wanted. And that’s the end of the story, right? No, that’s not the end of the story. He still has a darling life. But in verse 5, but Jezebel, his wife, came to him and said unto him, What’s a matter of booksy?

You don’t do good. Why are you so sad? And you’re not eating your dinner. Well, he said unto her, because I spake in the name of the Jesuit, I said, give me the avenured for money or else if it plays the I will give the another vineyard for it. And he answered, I will not give thee my vineyard. Now, Jezebel, his wife, says, well, honey, you have enough. You don’t need it. That’s be fine. It’s okay, booksy. That’s not what she said.

So in verse seven, and Jezebel, his wife said unto him, thus thou not govern the kingdom of Israel, arise, eat bread, and let thine heart be married. I will give thee the vineyard of the Jazulites. You just listen to me. You don’t you worry. I’ll get it for you. So she wrote letters in Ahab’s name. Hmm. Is that forgery? And seal them with his seal and sent the letters unto the elders and to the nobles that were in his city, dwelling with neighbor.

And she wrote in the letter saying, Proclaim a fast and set neighborth on high among the people and set two men, sons of Baal, that’s the son of the devil, before him to bear witness against him saying, Thou this blaspheme God and the King and then carry him out, stone him that he may die. So she got it all planned out. You bring from charges against him that he has defied the God of Israel and the King of Israel.

And then you take them out, she’s already got the verdict down. And execution, already figured everything out. Isn’t it wonderful I have a wife like that? They really stand by your man. She’s a help me. Oh, me. God pity every man that’s married to a Jezebel. But He says here in verse 11, and the men of His city, Even the elders and the nobles who were the inhabitants in the city did as Jezebel had sent unto them and as it was written in the letters which she had sent unto them.

They proclaimed a fast set, and they both on high among the people, and there came in two men, children of Bel-El, and sat before him and the men of Bel-El. He says, witnessed against him, even against the neighbors in the presence of his people, saying, neighbor did blaspheme God and the king. Then they carried him forth out of the city and stoned him with stones and he died. You see anything wrong here? Is this government gone awry? I mean just taking what they want, doing what they want.

That doesn’t look very good. I’m glad we don’t have a government like this. I notice it. In verse 14, then they sent to Jezebel said, the name of his stone and his dead. And he came to pass when Jezebel heard that the name of was stoned and was dead, that Jezebel said that they have a rise take possession of the vineyard of the name of the Jezebel, which refused to give the for money. For the name of is not alive, but he’s dead.

And he came to pass when they have heard that name of was dead that he rose up to go down, he finally got out of bed. Rose up to go down to the vineyard of the name of the Jezebel said to take possession of it. end of the story. No, it’s not the end of the story yet because God saw what happened and God tells His prophet and His prophet as a meeting. See there in verse 70 and the word of the Lord came to Elijah the Tishbite saying, rise, go down to meet Ahab, king of Israel, which is in Samirah, Behold, he is in the vineyard of neighbor, whether he is gone down to possess it.

Somebody knows what’s going on. You see, why didn’t God stop it from happening? God doesn’t stop all the evil that people do. He’ll let people do wrong things. But it doesn’t mean that God didn’t see him. But God is not going to allow things to go unchecked. There’s a payment to be made. There’s judgment from God coming. See, God is patient. He’s long suffering, but His judgment is sure. Hello friends. Thank you for listening to Bibleline, and thank you to those who write in and tell us how Bibleline is making such a big impact in your lives.

It’s such an encouragement when we receive your letters and emails. Can I ask, how is your prayer life? Does it need some help? Most Christians think of prayer as a secondary or last resort, do you realize that Jesus spent hours upon hours in prayer to his Heavenly Father, and yet we so often fail to practice prayer as a priority in our lives? Well, during this month, for a gift in any amount, we’re going to send you Dr. Arnold’s Four Sermon Series on the Power of Prayer.

Perhaps prayer is a shortcoming in your life, And this teaching is surely able to help. Our mailing address is 4811 George Road, Tampa, Florida, 33634. And don’t forget to include your mailing address as well. God bless you and thank you again for supporting Bibleline. Thanks for joining us on Bibleline. If you are in the area, we welcome you to visit us. The address for Calvary Community Church is 4811 George Road, Tampa, Florida, 33634. now a closing thought from Pastor Arnold.

Friend, one day it will happen. The trumpet will sound, and we will be changed. Caught up to meet the Lord in the air. So live today and every day. Believing that the Lord is coming soon, just keep looking up.