Elijah was a man just like us and he got a bad message from Jezebel. Just like that he was running away and wanting to die. But God met him and fed him and he was able to stand and prophecy again. Peter did not walk on water on a whim. Jesus called him out of his boat. (1 Kings 19:1-8)

Speaker(s): Pastor Thomas Schaller
Sermon # 11410
6:30 PM on 1/28/2018

P. Schaller

His great name. Did we get the Arabic? Beautiful. George. Thank you. Who are the folks that speak Arabic? Which country are you from? Syria.

First subject was the morning message. Anyone have a testimony? Living by whims or God’s mind. Testimony on the morning message?

Andy: A verse for me before coming in was Prov. 25:8. I was thinking about how people have spiritual bondage. The woman you referenced from the gospels being bent over. The thought we can have rule over our own spirit which gives us the ability to govern our lives properly in a godly manner.

Cynthia: The woman received her healing in the church and we don’t know how long she would continue to go.

P. Schaller: I can’t help but comment on it. The woman in Luke 13 was bent over like a hairpin. She went in the synagogue and we said what would keep you from going to the church. I could say I’m bent over. I can’t go to the church. I’m ashamed. This is a bondage to me. I’m not going to go there. I’m disappointed. God is not showing up for me. Nobody cares about me. How easy it would be to check out and say it won’t mean anything but 18 years later she meets Christ in the synagogue and he heals her. After healed the leadership is unhappy about it. The leadership is saying to Jesus you can heal on six days but not on the Sabbath. What would keep me from living in faith and believing God has something for me? The Round Table last night was a great success. 30 people, great fellowship. Anyone there? Testimony on that one. Anybody see the work of God happen this week? God is working. Water baptism, 7 people.

P. Veader – A man lost both of his parents in less than year. He ended up in prison. It wasn’t from bank robbery or hurting the innocent. Lot about it has to do with anger with God. We can’t find out the ways of God. He said I’m going to go to Bible college. I’m sure his mother and father were on the edge of the cloud when they heard. How far God has brought him in a short period of time.

Pastor Steve M.: We met this family from Syria and they invited us in and we had tea. We asked if they would like to come to church and no hesitation. Pleasure to have them here tonight.

Tracy: Five new kids in Sunday school. Teaching on the life of Paul and taught them the Great Commission and what the gospel is. One girl stayed longer and I asked her if she learned anything. She said I learned you can be a sinner and still go to heaven.

Dave’s wife: My husband and I went last night and the place was packed. We sat with Adam and Anastasia and Lizzie and her husband. We all shared at the table. We were married the longest so we shared what we went through. I shared part of my testimony but Dave shared how deep he had to go to find God. It wasn’t an easy task for Dave to go through. He stood there and clung to God’s words. He kept encouraging me. He shared this with the couples. They were so blessed and we had a great time.

Charity – For the past two and half year’s main thing was fatigue. I’ve been going to the hospital and they ran tests but tests come out negative. I’m thankful for the tests being negative but the other side that really wears me down. What is wrong, God? Few knew what I was going through and were friends to me. One of the greatest things God taught me not to be familiar with anyone brought my way. God brought so many people my way and told me do this and that. I’d try and worked a little and stopped. Really frustrating. 3.5 months ago I was diagnosed with [?], a bacteria in the stomach. For two weeks I took [the medicine] and a weight lifted off my shoulder. That was in the end. I wasn’t super strong but God kept bringing into my remembrance people that told me things to do. Today I’m strong and able to work, able to cook and take care of my family. I’m so thankful for God healing me and teaching me not to be familiar with people. If I would not listen, maybe I would be strong but not able to do other things. In the body of Christ when it says every joint supplies, it’s true. I work at a place for three weeks and I was so thankful to God. I know I’m a Christian and secure in Christ but its familiarity. We don’t value what we have until we step out there. I keep seeing God glorifying himself. Just being here for six weeks I have seen the beauty of Christ through me and I stand here to glorify God and say thank you.

P. Steve A. – You don’t know the blessing you bring by association. We have a bakery we have our Bible study at. You can probably tell! Amazing marshmallow donuts. Matt Clark blame this all on because he prays bless this business. And they got a 2,000 pie order from Amazon. They are so happy! Where you have your Bible study you may be helping their business.

P. Schaller

(1 Ki 19) This is a message living in faith. An order on Amazon and they never got that before. Brand new and it’s because P. Steve is praying for them. What do you think about that? We were at Eurocon and a woman couldn’t have children. She went to Pastor Steve and he prayed and next year she came back and said I had twins. She said I don’t want you to pray for me anymore! That’s a true story. God’s work.

The room is filled with things we could say we have heard or experienced in the last weeks. God is moving because he answers prayer. God is moving because we have focus and we are people of faith.

1 Ki 18 we see Elijah as a mighty man. In James 5 if you could put this on the screen,

vs. 17 (KJV). What is another way of saying that? Elijah was a man with a nature like ours. Elijah was emotional just like you and I are. We go back to the text.

1 Ki 18 he called fire down and in 19

vs. 1-2. What did she do? Send an email? Sent a posted letter? A messenger went to Elijah. Jezebel said it through the messenger. You are toast. You are done. You’re going to be killed like my prophets were. What did Elijah do?

vs. 3. Whims. That happens to people. We had the list of synonyms we used today to describe the word: fancy, impulse, urge, craze, passion, bent, inclination, fickleness, volatility. There are people who make major decisions based on a reference that is small. My emotions. I don’t get enough sleep so I make a major decision on a whim.

Three categories: 1) finances, buy and sell and start a business on a whim. 2) Social media, communication, telephone. Groucho Marx said I get a great education by TV. When anyone turns on TV I go to the other room and read a book! People post a picture on social media they will have to live with it the rest of their life. They do it on a whim. They send an email or post an opinion. They are feeling pretty high and mighty, pretty capable. They think so highly of themselves and critical of their brothers and sisters and doing it on a whim. Too many cups of coffee. Too big for their own britches. Pollute the hearts and minds of people with their criticism and their spirit.

When spies went in the land, they gave their report and God was angry about it. Three friends of Job gave counsel and God said I’m angry with you.

Everything you are saying on social media and all those pictures you are chronicling a private life. Why are you doing it? Needs to be some thought in it. I saw a You Tube video of a guy in Sweden on a diving board and people go to have the opportunity to jump off 45 feet. There is a camera there and I’m watching the people how they are reacting to it. There has to be thought about jumping off a cliff, an airplane, a diving board, starting a business, having a friendship with an attractive woman or some guy somewhere.

There needs to be a way I process what I am doing. I can’t live on a whim. I have to make decisions way back here in my meditation. Being thoughtful, reflective, meditative, contemplative, attentive, caring, deep, serious, prudent, careful and cautious. I wonder what Elijah should have done if he had his wits about him. If he had the H.S. speaking to him or had some meditation there. Having received the threat from Jezebel how he could process it. Watch, give heed, understand, and see through the threat. I could care less. She’s a queen but God is protecting me. God is bigger than her threat or this problem. I am relating to God. He is like us. Man of like passion or feeling so he ran. He panicked. I think we all could say I know that feeling. I know what that is.

Many years ago in Finland I did a Bible study with these medical students and we were walking out and it was dark out and I picked up a wet snowball and threw it and it went through a window. It shattered glass. Like a missile! I went to run away! These Finnish people are standing there! Very responsible. He did it. I’m not talking about being spontaneous. Peter walked on water and he did not walk on water on a whim. But he was spontaneous. It was Christ that called him to walk on the water. He went out there and had the experience of a lifetime. What we mean is people do things without thinking about it, without thinking about where it will bring me. How one thing can lead to another. Proverbs is about that kind of wisdom. In closing, about 30 minutes from now!

vs. 3-4. 1 Ki 19:3-4 I don’t know why he was comparing himself to his fathers but that’s what happens. When God uses you, you may be comparing yourself and have a reference and in that comparison you find yourself lacking. I’m a coward. I want to die.

vs. 5-6. Got up, ate and went back to sleep.

vs. 7. The journey is too great for thee. It really is. The Christian life is too great for me. What we do in our lives is too great for any of us. It’s too great for us to live a righteous life, live in faith and find God’s grace. It’s amazing. Ministering to him and understanding his disappointment and discouragement and that empty or shallow thing that happens to every one of us. We collapse on the inside, get depressed, go to sleep, eat more. We are depressed and discouraged. The Lord is so good. It’s ok. The journey is too great for you but I care about you. I want to minister to you.

vs. 8. You know how long spiritual food can last. How many years it can take you. How long you and I can serve God when we are getting spiritual food.

I remember when we were in Finland and they wanted to know where we came from as a team. We said from the Bible Speaks. What is that? Our church in Maine. Why come here? To preach the gospel. Who is your pastor? What theology do you follow? Are you a cult or sect or something? You are from America so there must be something strange about you guys. We said you can come to America and meet our pastor. We would like you to come and hear the preaching. In 1979, we charted an airplane and 127 people came to Lenox. We rented buses and even took all of them to Rome, New York to meet my mom and dad. We preached in Franklin Park in the city of Rome. My dad got the barbeque out. He said, where are they from? Finland. Where is that? We had an amazing time. I love the orientation of the ministry. The orientation is openness.

The angel came with food and that food gave Elijah strength to go as an honest man in the way of God and find the grace of God. He went to Horeb looking for God. He was in the still small voice. We have nothing to hide in our lives. We are open books. Come and see. They met Jesus the first time and he said where do you dwell? Come and see. Open and read. Obey it. When obey it, you find the Spirit of God in your life. God is real. That is what this world is lacking. They talk about God but do they have the reality of God. I believe in Jesus but has Jesus been showing up and anointing you and answering prayer? Has Christ been motivating you? Have you been moved by the Spirit of God in your life? When we live by our whims and feelings and notions and impulses. – He hurt me, I’m confused, and I don’t want to go there or do this. I don’t understand. I’m all confused. Elijah was frightened by the message from Jezebel and wanted to check out. The opposite should happen. I’m in the fight. I’m in the battle. I got the doctrine. Greater is he that is in you than he that is in the world. Whatever country in Europe or in the world or Afghanistan or Pakistan there is nothing to hide here. There is only the presence of God you and I are part of. We get into that doctrine, that faith, that love and we will not be ashamed. Peter did not walk on water by a whim. Christ called him. Paul did not go to the mission field on a whim. The church prayed and fasted and laid hands on them and sent them out. Timothy didn’t go to Bible school on a whim. I am the disciple of the Apostle Paul and will do this and believe it because God says it in his word. I will build my life on what he says. People jump in bed with a stranger on a whim. Spend money on a whim.

We are visited by God and want to build our life on something deeper. Sometimes it hurts. You build on what I say Christ said and build your house on a rock it will not fall down. It will stand. The church is not built on a whim but on Christ. The whole ministry worldwide, Greater Grace, people listen to these messages and walk in faith and look to you as examples of faith. People live by faith and serve in ways God has called them into. We recognize the value of it and see the influence in drawing people. A church service should go this way. It’s not too long or short. We are not after money but people’s hearts. We want to hear a passionate, conflicting, persuasive message. For people like P. Renaldo, Charity and Linda to be part of a team and take the message out there. Christ is coming back but not on a whim but in a plan. It’s going to happen. It’s surer than the little green apples falling from the tree. Surer than anything on this earth. The WOG cannot pass away. Heaven and earth will pass away before this. Not one little letter of this book. We build our life on it and not ashamed. Every Monday night we have an ABD class and Monday night I teach for an hour and it’s open. You can come in if you want to at 6 p.m. and get a message and take a hold of something. It’s good.

Please enjoy these sermon notes from the messages preached at Greater Grace Church in Baltimore. These notes are provided to aid in your study and understanding of the Word. Note that these notes do not represent complete, word-for-word transcriptions. Also, they may contain omissions as well as some errors in spelling and structure, etc., as we attempt to provide them as soon as possible. Our hope is that these notes serve as a way to help you search and connect with messages on related subjects and passages. Thank you for your interest in the ministry of Greater Grace.