Episode Transcript
[00:00:00] Does anybody know what this meeting is supposed to be about besides the pastor? Anybody know what the little flyer says? Anybody know, what's that?
[00:00:08] Soul refresh. All right, so we're going to look at refreshment. And, you know, refreshment. Refreshment's something that takes a long time to be able to accomplish. And so today's message, pastor told me he quits between twelve and 1215. I hope we get up by about 1245 today.
[00:00:30] But if you were refreshed, it would be worth it. Here's what I'd like you to do. I'd like you to start off in Exodus chapter 31, if you would. Exodus chapter 31. There is a great principle in studying the Bible called the first mentioned principle and the first mentioned principle. When you think about the word refresh, there are all kinds of definitions for the word refresh. If you look it up in the dictionary, and I'm sure that you can later on, words like renewing and replenishing, replenishing, restoring, reviving the re, the back, you're turning back to something, back to life.
[00:01:06] So the idea of renewal, restoration is sort of a, that's a dictionary word. That's the way we would define it in English. But if you look in the Bible, the first occurrence, now, this isn't the first time it occurs, but it's the first occurrence of someone being refreshed. And in Exodus chapter 31. And then if you, while you've got that, grab Genesis two that way. Now you'll know exactly what I'm going to read. So Genesis two, Exodus 31, the Bible says, speaking about God, verse number two, genesis two. Two. And on the 7th day, God ended his work, which he had made, and he rested on the 7th day from all the work which he had made. So God worked six days, created the heaven and the earth and everything that's in that. And I don't think it needs any really mention in this crowd today. We do not believe in evolution. We do not believe that everything just happened somehow to come to pass. And the human body declares that there is a designer. You know, if you read a book, there was somebody that wrote that book. If you go into a building, somebody built that building. To think that we have such a complex earth and a complex body, and to think that it just happened is really just ludicrous.
[00:02:24] But God made everything six literal days work, the Bible says, and then he rested. All right, now look at where I told you just a moment ago. Exodus 31.
[00:02:35] Exodus 31. Speaking of the same event, look in verse number 17. Speaking the Bible says it is a sign between me and the children of Israel forever talking about the Sabbath day. For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth. And on the 7th day he rested. And now there's three words that are added. Can you say them for me together?
[00:02:54] Goddess was refreshed.
[00:03:00] Now that's not what I expected to find when I began to try to study refreshment in the Bible.
[00:03:07] When I think of refreshment, I think of somebody that's weary, somebody that's tired, somebody that is worn out, somebody that's overwhelmed, you know, something that's out of place, something that's broken down. And yet none of those words would describe our goddess. God has no deficiencies, God has no lack. God is not broken in any way. And yet the Bible says that on that 7th day he was refreshed. When he rested, he was refreshed. Can I ask you this question? If God rested and was refreshed, how many of you think that we probably really have a big need to rest and refresh? Would you say amen to that? I mean, if God get God, why did God rest? Well, he gave us an example and then he shows that it was something that refreshed him. So God is working, God is laboring six days, 7th day he rests, and out of that rest comes a refreshment to the God of glory. Now I don't claim to understand all that, but I do believe it, and I believe it's given for an example for you and I. Now that being said, I want you to go to the next place where we'll be for the remainder of the service. If you go to one kings chapter 19 one kings, 19 1st kings 19 1st kings chapter 19 tells the story of Elijah after hes been on top of Mount Carmel, won a great victory. Good night. Theres been so much that goes on in Elijah's life, and what I'm going to do this morning, I'm really, I'm not going to preach specifically on the word refreshment, but I am going to start out by preaching on spiritual emptiness, spiritual emptiness.
[00:04:57] If you go back and you look in chapter 18, you find the prophets of Baal that are there and they are crying out to their God and they're setting up altars and they're even going to extremes, they're cutting themselves, they're crying out and cutting themselves, even jumping on the altar as a sacrifice, trying to get their God to respond. But their gods don't respond. And I would like to say this, we heard testimony already this morning. Just because you have religion does not mean that you have spiritual fulfillment.
[00:05:31] You can have religion and be as spiritually empty as somebody that has no religion whatsoever. And I believe that's the case here. They had religion, they had a form. I believe Aries said that he was. Did you say you were raised Catholic? I just see that in the test. So he was Catholic, he had all of the things, raised French, understood Catholicism. I don't know how much of a practicing Catholic he was, but he had this religion, and yet he never had a God that answered him and fulfilled his life. Boy, aren't you glad, aren't you glad we've got a God that is a living God, that answers your prayers, that actually interacts in your life? Well, these people, the prophets of Baal, they're spiritually empty. They're sacrificing themselves, cutting themselves. They get nothing from their God. But then you have another group of people. You have God's people there, God's people are there, and the Bible says they're halt between two opinions. They don't know if God is God or if Baal is God. They're not really actively engaged in the worship of God and they're spiritually empty. How many of you think that you know somebody that's spiritually empty? Could you say amen to that?
[00:06:32] No, somebody spiritually empty. I'm talking about somebody that knows God. They've been born again. Maybe they're even in church. I think you can sit in church and be spiritually empty.
[00:06:42] I think you could be a deacon and be spiritually empty. I think you could teach a Sunday school class. I think you could be involved in ministry and still be spiritually empty. The emptiness is not dictated by the fact that you're God's child. That is my position. I'm glad that that position can never change. I've been born again, God's my father. That's never going to change. But I can become empty. And again, thinking about refreshment. If you're empty, then you need to be refreshed. And then we have God's man, his prophet. And I really believe in the passage that Elijah hits, a place of spiritual emptiness.
[00:07:21] You say, why do you say that? Well, chapter 19, he's called down fire. He's laboring, he's prayed and begged God to send rain, and God has, he's ran before the chariot to the palace and outran the chariot. He has extended himself. He's been very busy for the Lord. Verse number one. And Ahab told Jezebel all that Elijah had done and with all had slain all the prophets with the sword. Then Jezebel sent a messenger unto Elijah saying, so 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. And when he saw that, he arose and went for his life, and he came to Beersheba, which belongeth to Judah, and left his servant there. But he himself went a day's journey in the wilderness and came and sat down under a juniper tree. And he requested for himself that he might die. And he said, it is enough now, o Lord, take away my life, for I am not better than my fathers. And as he lay and slept under a juniper tree, behold, then an angel touched him and said unto him, arise and eat. And he looked, and behold, there was a cake, bacon on the coals, and a cruse of water at his head. And he did eat and drink and laid him down again. 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 thee. If you're looking at what I'm looking at, here is a man that has been just serving God with all of his heart. He has been expending energy. He's been battling the prophets of Baal, by himself, I might add, on the mountain. And he's taken and he's won a victory for God. God is called. He sent fire down, and then he's prayed. He's carried a burden. God, please send the rain. And he's been busy. But how did we get then to chapter 19 where he's sitting under a juniper tree asking, God, take my life?
[00:09:11] That is a huge, huge step in a different direction. I mean, when you win a victory, you're cheering, you're rejoicing. I mean, this is great. We've won a great victory, and now he's not. That's not it at all. Look, if you prayed and it began to rain, how many of you would be excited about that?
[00:09:28] Come on now. Y'all looking at me really angelic right? Now. If you. Today, if you went home and said, God, if you don't mind, you send a little rain to our house today. And when you got home, got out of your car and went inside your house, and all of a sudden it started raining, how many of you get excited about that? What about if you did this, God, what if it was raining? You said, God, would you please stop the rain? It just dried up. How many be excited about that? Don't you wish you could do that with all the traffic on the road?
[00:09:51] Yeah.
[00:09:52] He should be excited. So excited. Listen, he outran a chariot at work. They're trying to convince me to be part of this thing. It's called a spartan race or something. 20 obstacles, and you run 5. When I was in the military, I did a lot of running. Didn't enjoy it. Ran with a ruck on my back. I didn't enjoy any of that. Didn't enjoy that. And they're wanting us to run. And, you know, I already know this. I'm old now. Old now I'm not going to try to win a race. I'm just going to try to finish. And if I finish, it'll be a feat. I don't even know that I'm gonna do it. So don't quote me on that. I don't know that I'm gonna do it. My name's in the pot right now.
[00:10:30] He outran a chariot.
[00:10:33] Who thinks you're fast in here?
[00:10:36] Are you fast? You think you could outrun a car if we went outside? And he said, yes, I can, and he outran a car. How many of you be impressed?
[00:10:45] Elijah outran the king's chariot to the palace in a rainstorm.
[00:10:54] What I'm telling you is he is expending energy, and he has been serving God. Now, listen to me. Are you listening? And I'm telling you, it's as sure as I'm two inches tall this morning. He's spiritually empty.
[00:11:10] He's empty. I look back in pastoring so many pastors. If you preach your past, appreciate your pastor, could you say amen this morning? Amen. So many pastors doing a job, visiting the hospitals, preparing sermons, making certain that the church is tended to properly and all. And expending, and expending, and expending. And so many of them, they get up one more, and they say, I'm done. I'm putting in my resignation. I'm not doing this anymore the rest of my life. Because they've gotten to a place of emptiness. They expend themselves constantly. And then praying. How many of you have prayed to the point where you didn't think you could pray anymore? Maybe for a grandchild, maybe for a son, maybe for a daughter or a spouse. And you have poured out your soul and prayed day after day after day. That's spiritual work. That's a lot of work.
[00:11:57] And what I'm telling you this morning is I'm convinced that Elijah is spiritually empty at this point. And I don't think he knows it. I don't think he knows it. Oh, me. Ladies. Somebody help me. How many of you have a husband that is never lost as long as he has gasoline in the car? Would you say amen to that?
[00:12:19] I'm not lost. I don't know where I'm going.
[00:12:22] And that needle keeps getting a little bit farther and a little bit farther down. And listen, you just keep pushing a little bit farther, and I'm going to get a little bit closer. Empty. But I'm not empty yet because the gauge actually says, I have six more miles, and then please refuel.
[00:12:37] Well, still got the engine still running. And I really believe this. Can I get off this pulpit for just a second? I mean, thank you.
[00:12:46] I believe this. So many of you and I know, teaching Sunday school, trying to be a mother, trying to be a dad, running a business, going to work, paying bills, making certain that your house is taken care of. All these different things in life, serving God, reading your bible, trying to pray, trying to be a witness, trying to carry the gospel outside these doors. And you get to a point, and that needle. That needle is down almost at the e. But you're still pushing the limit.
[00:13:13] You're still pushing. Cause you're not. You hadn't hit empty yet, but you're still pushing. You're born again. You're on your way to heaven. You're not like those people on top of Mount Carmel that don't have a God that's alive. Your God is living, and you know that. But your needle is right down here, and you're still pushing. And really, when you hit empty, you don't know it.
[00:13:33] Come on. Anybody here ran out? A few.
[00:13:37] Let's just see how many people. Be honest this morning. If you've ever run out of fuel on the road, would you raise your hand?
[00:13:44] Look at that. Now, there's some people don't have their hand up.
[00:13:47] If you've run out of fuel and you didn't raise your hand, I hope you run out of fuel on the way home today.
[00:13:53] You come back night and say, pastor, I should raise my hand.
[00:13:58] When you hit that point, it's embarrassing, especially if it's late at night and you're in the middle of nowhere and you don't have a. You have a gas can? Well, no, I have a gas tank.
[00:14:12] Yeah.
[00:14:13] So, Elijah, when he hits spiritual emptiness, what happens to him?
[00:14:21] And unfortunately, I think it's what happens to a lot of us. So first, I want you to see the effect of spiritual emptiness. The effect of spiritual emptiness. You're expending yourself. I'm serving God. I'm trying to be active. I'm trying to raise my family right. I'm trying to be a good husband, be a good wife. I'm trying to do all of these things. The first thing I want you to note there in verse number one, or, excuse me, in verse number two, the Bible says, then Jezebel sent a messenger unto Elijah saying, so 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, when you get spiritual empty. When you get spiritually empty, you start seeing the greatness of your problems and not the greatness of God.
[00:15:01] Come on. How many of you think that one woman is no match for 850 prophets?
[00:15:07] I don't care if her name is Jezebel.
[00:15:10] Jezebel. She is not greater than all of those prophets. But that is not true in his mind. In fact, in his mind, he does what we sometimes do. Look at verse number three. And when he saw that, what did he see?
[00:15:22] Well, he saw her taking his life. Something that hadn't even happened yet. Have you ever thought about something that has not happened yet and start acting like it has?
[00:15:33] Oh, yeah. He starts looking not at the greatness of God, but at the greatness of his problems. Cause he's worn out.
[00:15:41] I'm empty. Didn't know I was empty. But I'm at the zero point in my spiritual life. I'm an empty soul on the inside. And all I can see is my problem. And. But when you start looking at your problems and you don't see the greatness of God. Oh, it just makes it harder to put another foot in front of the other foot and to live life, it makes everything more difficult. Look at the second thing that happens.
[00:16:04] The Bible says in verse number four. Verse. Excuse me. Verse three. But when he saw that, he arose and went for his life and came to Beersheba, which belongeth to Judah and left his servant there. I want you to underline that in your Bible. Left his servant there. Verse number four. But he himself went a day's journey into. Can you say the next word? The what?
[00:16:22] He went a day's journey in the wilderness.
[00:16:26] A day's journey.
[00:16:29] Who do I have in here that hunts? Anybody in here hunt?
[00:16:33] Brother York, do you like to hunt close to the road or 80 miles away from the road?
[00:16:40] So when you do that, you got a long way to get out there, right? That's not something you. Just. Me personally, I like to hunt right next to the road. In fact, I like to hunt out of my car. No, I wouldn't say that. That's it.
[00:16:52] Elijah's made the decision. He's got a servant with him, and he says, you stay here, and I'm going to go. A day's journey, 12 hours, that direction in the wilderness.
[00:17:05] So what he did first, he started seeing the greatness of his problems. Second thing he did is when you're spiritually empty, you'll start isolating yourself. You'll separate yourself from people that love you and care about you. Why? Because at the churches where I'm doing all the work, and I just don't think I can do it anymore, and you start cutting yourself off from other people. This morning it was so good to hear the church singing. I love congregational. How many of you love congregational music? I love congregate. When you come together and sing the praises of God, what a joy and blessing that is. Well, people, when they get spiritually empty, they start cutting themselves off from people that they really need to be around. That would help them. They start retreating. They start withdrawing. They go into the. He could look, it says he went into the wilderness. Oh, my goodness. The wil. What's in the wilderness?
[00:17:57] Nothing cold to drink in the wilderness.
[00:18:00] No place to have any comfort in the w. Nobody out there, he said. But because he's spiritually empty, he begins isolating himself, separating himself. And that's true of a man that is given as an example of prayer in the book of James. That's where he is, because his tank is on zero. Look at the third thing that happens. The Bible then says this, verse number four. But he himself, on a day's journey of the wilderness, came and sat down under the juniper tree, requested for himself that he might die, and said, it is enough now, o Lord, take away my life, for I am not better than my father's.
[00:18:38] He started comparing himself.
[00:18:41] You know, when you get spiritually empty, you start comparing himself. There's a verse in the Bible, a great verse. They that compare themselves among themselves are not. What? Come on. If you start comparing yourself to somebody else, you are making a mistake.
[00:18:56] I was in Northern Ireland while I was in Bible college, and I was pastoring and for a missionary that was coming home on furlough to raise money, and while I was there, they had a lot of sheep in Northern Ireland, I mean, and then they have fences, but they're not fences like we have. Their fences are made out of like bramble, like bushes or whatever they're called. And then they might be made out of rock, but everywhere you look, there's all these sheep everywhere. And then there's these fences to kind of keep them separated. And one day I was looking out the. Oh, my goodness. I didn't start my timer. Okay, excuse me. We'll have to start over again.
[00:19:33] I'm looking out the window and I see this big bunch of line of sheep, and I'm looking and all these. And you have to understand, Northern Ireland, when they say it's 30 shades of green, they are not saying something that is not true. There's all kinds of green in Northern Ireland. I mean, it's a lush green place. Rains all the time. And so I'm looking out there and there's this big line of sheep. And then on the other side of this, like, rock bramble fence, there's a few sheep on the other side. And I'm thinking, well, they must be going the other side. And I got to looking a little closer, and you know what? I found a bigger sheep. Male or female? I do not know, is stuck in the fence, and all these other sheep are back behind it waiting for it to finally get through. And there's a handful of sheep on the other side, and they're just kind of eating whatever's over there. And all these other sheep, they stopped eating, standing in line, waiting for this sheep to finally make it on the way through because they thought the grass was greener on the other side. You know what? The sheep in the middle found out?
[00:20:40] I probably need to stay back where I was.
[00:20:44] They're mine now. Look, it happens to all of. I've done the same. I've done the same. I tried never to compare and look at what other churches were doing, because those were not my responsibility. I had a responsibility for the church that I pastored. I tried to do the same thing with my family. I did not try to compare my family to somebody else's family, because that was the one I was responsible for. When you start comparing yourself to somebody else, you're really not doing yourself a favor. And what you'll do is you'll begin believing something that's not true. Well, they just got it all together. They've got. Man, that church has got it going on. Oh, but I tell you what, that guy right there, he's sharp, I'm telling you. By the way, how many unmarried young ladies do we have in here? Would you raise your hand if you're unmarried and you're a young lady? All right, that's good. I see a lot of hands there.
[00:21:28] He may look the part.
[00:21:32] And after you get to know him, you'll find out not only is he not the part, he's worse than anything you could imagine.
[00:21:40] There are people that leave their wife, leave their husband thinking the grass will be greener on the. Can you imagine the last guy that married Elizabeth Taylor?
[00:21:51] I'm gonna be different. Yes. She's had I don't even know how many. She had. 1213 husbands. I'm number 13. I'm gonna. No, no. You're gonna be just like all the rest of them. And all I'm just saying is this. When you get spiritually empty, you start making comparisons and listen to. That is not a good thing for you to do.
[00:22:09] That is not. That is not why. When you're spiritually empty, you'll start looking at somebody else, at something else.
[00:22:16] And that's exactly what Elijah did. And then look what else happened in the passage and just show you how serious this is. Same verse we're reading, the Bible. Says he requested of himself that he might. What?
[00:22:29] Come on, look at it again. Verse number four. He requested for himself that he might what?
[00:22:37] Wait.
[00:22:38] You're asking God to take your life after you just.
[00:22:42] Just tilted a whole nation toward God called down fire, prayed, and God restored rain that had not been there for three and a half years. You outran the King's chariot to the palace and now you're sitting there saying, God, I just can't take it. Why don't you just take my life?
[00:23:08] I'd say that's a pretty dangerous place to be.
[00:23:12] He's gotten so low that he's saying, it would be better if I weren't alive.
[00:23:19] Because he's spiritually empty.
[00:23:23] The emptiness in his soul has led him to an improper thought. It would be better if I'm not here.
[00:23:31] And the reason he thinks that is because he's got this big problem.
[00:23:34] And we start looking at those big problems, we get spiritually empty. We start comparing ourselves, and the next thing you know, you're gonna be saying, I can't take it. I can't deal with it. It's just better if I weren't living at all. Not at all.
[00:23:46] And that is where the effect of spiritual emptiness is so, so dangerous. It's one thing to be born again, but when your tank gets down to empty, then now you're putting yourself in a very difficult way. And I just wonder, am I preaching to anybody this morning that might be empty?
[00:24:06] I didn't say you're not saved. I didn't say you're out drinking. I didn't say you're involved in immorality. In fact I'm saying just the opposite. There may be somebody here that you don't know who God is and you're spiritually empty because you just have religion. By the way, I'd recommend this. I'd recommend getting saved today and finding out there is a real God that can give you real life. I'd recommend that. Or you may be a Christian that's far away from God and you're spiritually empty. It doesn't really matter how you get there. That's the wrong place to be. It would be better to forsake that sin, have a little reviving in your life, repent of that. Walking with God's always better than walking away from God. Can you say amen to that?
[00:24:44] But hear this man, this man serving God and he is just empty. Well what's the solution then? How many of you like know the solution?
[00:24:53] How many of you would not like to know the solution? I'll just close it down right now.
[00:24:58] What's the solution then to spiritual emptiness?
[00:25:01] Going to a seminar? Changing churches?
[00:25:05] No. Look in the passage.
[00:25:08] The Bible says in verse number five. And as he lay, he slept under a juniper tree. First thing I'm going to tell you, this doesn't sound very spiritual but this is true. When your tank is when you're spiritually empty, one good thing be good for you to do is just go to sleep for a little while.
[00:25:28] Go sleep for a while.
[00:25:30] Rest you say, I'm thinking of how many of you have a hard time sleeping when you're thinking about your problems.
[00:25:38] How do I do that? Go get your big bottle of Nicholas. No, that's not what I said.
[00:25:47] You need to stop what you're. Jesus looked at those. They were so busy in Mark chapter six. They're so busy. They are healing people. They're helping people with the truth. There's so much going on. They are active and he says you guys need to come apart for a little while.
[00:26:05] We need to go and we just need to finally just go and rest. May I make a recommendation to you? When you go on vacation, don't put a list of 55 things you have to do in four days.
[00:26:16] Go rest.
[00:26:18] Just go rest. Well, no, we want to go see. Well maybe you just need to go to sleep.
[00:26:23] I see some of you are taking my advice during service. I understand that you need to rest. Need to sleep.
[00:26:32] And you know, I've got people I pastored and I know they're, you know. I know what you're thinking right now. I know what you're thinking. Well, you didn't.
[00:26:40] Yeah, and look where I am.
[00:26:46] There's a cost that comes along with that.
[00:26:49] Burn it at both ends.
[00:26:51] Yeah, I was almost proud of that.
[00:26:54] I was proud that I could burn at both ends and sleep 3 hours a night, get up the next day, and still function at a high level, and I felt like, boy, the military taught me that. And now I'm practicing in the ministry. And you know what happens when you do that? The same thing that happens when you're not in the ministry. You go days without sleep, and you start cutting all that down, you're thinking it's gonna get in a bad place.
[00:27:13] You're not gonna think clearly.
[00:27:16] So what I'm just gonna recommend to you. I know it doesn't sound spiritual. Just rest. Some of y'all just need to go to sleep. Say, how do I do that? Quit looking at all the stuff on your phone at night.
[00:27:26] Amen, preacher. That's good preaching right there.
[00:27:28] Yeah. Turn off the tv.
[00:27:31] Yeah, well, I gotta find out what's going on with Helene and Wilbur or whoever the next guy that was coming up the cuff, and we gotta find out about all of that.
[00:27:41] Stay up all night?
[00:27:43] Well, I gotta binge watch whatever show you binge watch and just keep. It was a great ball game last night. It went to overtime.
[00:27:53] Turn it off.
[00:27:56] Go to sleep.
[00:27:59] That doesn't sound very spiritual. Well, try it.
[00:28:02] That's what Elijah did.
[00:28:05] He finally got to the place. He's thinking about this woman chasing him down and killing him, and he is spiritually empty. His problem is so big, and his God now has gotten so small, and then finally, he just sleeps. I marvel every time I read it in the book of acts. When they're telling, they just cut off James head.
[00:28:23] Come on. There's a lot of ways I wouldn't want to die. That sounds a real fast way. But the anticipation about a thing dropping down on your head or something.
[00:28:33] Die of a heart attack in my sleep. Let's don't.
[00:28:36] And I don't know if Peter saw that, but the Bible says in acts that he is sleeping between two soldiers.
[00:28:43] He's next. You're next tomorrow, not me. I've seen enough. I've seen enough mission impossibles. I gotta figure out some way to take my shoelace, unlock this thing. I gotta get out of here.
[00:29:00] He's just sleeping.
[00:29:02] How could he do that?
[00:29:05] He must have found something in God that he felt as if you know what?
[00:29:12] I know that it turned out bad for James yesterday, and I'm just gonna resolve myself that God's got this handled and I'll just trust him anyway. So I'm just gonna go ahead. I can't do anything about it. I'm just gonna go to sleep.
[00:29:27] I can't do anything about it. He rested. Second thing. How many still with me?
[00:29:32] I'm just watching.
[00:29:35] Just watching. Second solution. The Bible says, verse number five. And as he lay and slept under a juniper tree, behold. Then an angel touched him and said unto him, arise and eat.
[00:29:50] Woke him up and said, listen, you need to eat. Look at verse six. He looked and behold, there was a cake. Bake it on the coals and a cruise of water at his head. And he did eat and drink and laid him down again.
[00:30:01] I've eaten at some fine restaurants. I've had some people cook food for me that was just remarkable. I had some ladies in church. Oh, my goodness. That made unbelievable desserts. But I have never had an angel cook for me.
[00:30:17] I have to. I'm sorry. Abby. If you're watching my wife, she cooked for me. Amen.
[00:30:21] Now, this is being fed by God.
[00:30:27] God is defeating the feeding that's taking place here of Elijah is not the hand of a man.
[00:30:34] It's the hand of God. I'm not against devotionals. My mother reads daily bread. Still, every day. I recommend you do it. Whatever you need. Charles Spurgeon's morning and evening. If you want to read that, that's great. Whatever streams in the desert by the lady, I can't remember. If you want to read that, go ahead. All that. There's nothing wrong with that. But I'm going to tell you what. That's still written by a man. You know what we have right here? We have something that was written by God.
[00:30:56] And when you're spiritually empty, you need God to feed you. Think about this. God fed Elijah with ravens at a brook. How many of y'all believe that God did that? God fed him meat and bread. He fed him with a widow woman at Zarephath that had just a little bit of meal. That's all she had. And yet he was able to feed him. And sometimes God can take small things. Listen, he can take small things in this book, and he can make a big difference in your heart. And I'm just going to encourage you, if you want to be spiritually full, there is no shortcut. You have got to let God feed you from this book.
[00:31:29] That's the only way the Bible is compared to meat. How many of you men like meat? You like meat? How many of you like medium rare steak? Let me see your hand. You like that? Yeah. Medium rare. How many like it burnt? Let me see your hand. I'm so sorry.
[00:31:42] It's compared to meat. It's compared to milk. It's compared to honey. For all those people that say we shouldn't be eating sugar, hey, God says, this is like honey, all right? This is not artificial. This is not bad for you. It's. You know what? It's not. It's not compared to vegetables. Praise the Lord for that.
[00:31:56] It's compared to bread. What I'm telling you is. I know we know what I'm saying right now, but the Bible is the place that you get spiritual food. And listen, I'm guilty of it. Oh, I'm trying to be transparent. I'm guilty. I'm guilty of checking off the box. I got to get through it for the third time this year. Got to make sure that I've got all my chapters read.
[00:32:19] I got to make sure I got proverbs read. And I'm not saying all that's wrong, but there's a difference between just going through the motions and God actually feeding your soul.
[00:32:28] I had a lady in Alabama. Her name was Louise Hogan. She had a third degree education, and that lady could make anything grow. Oh, my goodness. And she. She was not afraid of snakes. Anytime a snake showed up in her yard, she'd call me and say, preacher, I got a copperhead up here if you want to come look at it. She'd kill it. I mean. I mean, the lady was 8th. Listen, third grade education. I went up one day, and I'm looking at the Bible and there's xs by the chapters, and I say, miss Hogan, what is this range? She said, oh, pastor, every time I finished reading the chapter, I just put an x by it and I counted it up.
[00:33:05] There's eight x's here.
[00:33:08] A lady that's got a third grade education has read it through eight times.
[00:33:14] She doesn't have a chart. I can imagine her getting up in the morning saying, okay, God, here we are. We'll start right here. And taking her time to read through that, and she's not doing it to check the box. She's doing it to hear from heaven. And I'm this. Listen, listen. God wants to feed your soul, but he can do it with this where nobody else can. There is no substitute to that.
[00:33:38] Take some time. I'm not going to ask you this morning. How many of you have read your Bible every day this week? I'm guilty. I understand the busyness of life. Grabbing something on the way out, saying a quick prayer here and there. But, goddess, God took the time to make a cake and put that right there in front of Elijah and he said, listen, the journey's too great for you. Would you look at that? You need to see that verse number seven. And the angel of the Lord came again the second time, touched him and said, arise and eat because the journey's too great for you. The busyness of life is too great for you. The opposition's too great for you. You need, you need this bread from heaven. And I'm so glad God doesn't charge for that.
[00:34:14] You go to a fine restaurant, you're going to pay big money. You're going to pay a lot of money to eat well. You can eat well every day from the God of heaven right here.
[00:34:23] And if you're spiritually empty, go to this book and be honest with God. God help me today and just read. I remember I read one time, I'd read. I'd read my Bible reading for the day and I didn't get anything out of it.
[00:34:39] And so I told the Lord I didn't get anything out of that. And he said, we'll read it again.
[00:34:44] Well, I already did read it and I need to go to the next chapter. He said, no, go ahead and read that again.
[00:34:52] So I read it again. Have you ever found that God's got a whole lot more in here than you can find out?
[00:34:57] If you're spiritually empty, you have got to let God feed you.
[00:35:06] So many people ministering don't have time to give their heart to the feeding that they need from heaven, because all they have time for is what's next.
[00:35:20] What's next?
[00:35:21] The last thing is this. I notice it's beautiful. It says it in here. Now, a couple of times, the Bible says that the angel of the Lord, he spake to him, look what verse five says. And said unto him, rise and eat. He said, listen, you need to get up and go. He tells him, the journey's too great for you. And then we're not going to take the time and look at it. But the rest of the chapter, he goes out and God meets with him and he speaks to him. Look what the Bible says. It's just, the Bible says in verse number 15, and the Lord said unto him, go, return on thy way to the wilderness of Damascus. And he gives him a list of things to do and here's the third thing.
[00:35:52] Spiritual emptiness is dangerous, but it can be resolved if you'll rest your body, if you'll take time, and let God feed you. And then, thirdly, let God fix your thinking.
[00:36:05] He changes Elijah's thinking. Because what does Elijah think about? Somebody help me. What's Elijah thinking about?
[00:36:12] Come on. What's he thinking about? Dying at the hand of who he thinking about? Jezebel. How many think it's an unpleasant thing to think about? Jezebel. I don't want to think about Jezebel. That's what he's thinking about. Jezebel. Jezebel. Jezebel. Jezebel.
[00:36:26] She's coming. Oh, she's ugly. She's painted. Oh, she's coming.
[00:36:30] How's she going to kill me? He's thinking about Jezebel and dying. I'm going to die. I'm going to die. I'm going to die.
[00:36:37] He finally goes to sleep. God feeds him. And then God changes his thinking.
[00:36:45] He says, I need to speak to you to get your thoughts pointed the right direction.
[00:36:53] Boy, so many things in the Bible talks about what we ought to think about. Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee because he trusteth in thee.
[00:37:06] You get to think about God. Jezebel just looks like a little small thing that you can just let go by. I mean, how many of you think we have a great God? This morning? I'm gonna test you. How big is your. Is your God big enough to fill your thoughts all day long?
[00:37:19] Can he fill him with something bigger and more important than what's on tv?
[00:37:24] I love sunrises and sunsets. God paints things and I look at them, I'm just amazed. And he does it every day, every night. There's no problem with him. And I'm just saying God can check. You gotta let God change your thinking. And he did it with a messenger and speaking to him directly.
[00:37:41] So maybe when you get spiritually empty and you find yourself wanting to be isolated, or you find yourself seeing the problem bigger than goddess, maybe it'd be good to say God. I'll tell you what I need, man. I need some refreshing. Can you help me with my mind and my thinking? How many think God can do that? If God could take away Nebuchadnezzar's mind and give it back to him, he can definitely do it for one of his children. He can give you your mind. He can help you think, right? Come on. That maniac of Gedera, they found him seated and clothed and in his what?
[00:38:09] In his right mind? I've met christians that aren't in their right mind.
[00:38:14] Absolutely. I've probably been one of those.
[00:38:19] Get spiritually empty. God says, I'm gonna do something for you. Let me change your thinking. Let me feed you spiritually. And once you get some rest and let's see if we can't go ahead and change this emptiness that's pushing you right now.
[00:38:34] So again, anybody empty in here today?
[00:38:41] I didn't think so. I mean, I thought. Anybody empty?
[00:38:45] If you are, I would recommend. I'd recommend there's an altar here. I'm going to be on it. Just because I'm preaching myself, too. I'm not preaching to you. This is where I've lived.
[00:38:55] I need to be refreshed.
