SS Leaders 7-17-22.mp4

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SS Leaders 07-17-22

CLASS ANNOUNCEMENTS:
Senior Adult (55+) VBS – July 17-20
– Bible Study, Food, Activities
– Sunday – 12:00-3:30
– Mon-Wed – 8:30-12:30

Mexico City Mission Trip – July 16-22
– Please pray for safety & effective ministry
– Galvans, Chris, Trudy Rollison, Hayden & Aliyah Rochell, Karsyn Scott, Valicia & Kyann Vargas

Business Meeting – Sun, July 24 at 6pm

Explore the Bible – July 17 – 1 Kings 19:9-18

Last Week: Only God is worthy of worship – Elijah challenging the prophets of Baal

This Week: Focusing on God’s purposes brings hope out of despair

Opening Questions: ?? Do you easily get discouraged or depressed ?? What brings these feelings on ??
– Things not going the way you expected
– Not seeing a clear path for the future
– Losing faith & hope in God’s Goodness
– Faith is assurance in what we do not see (Heb 11:1)
– We can’t lean on our own understanding & knowledge
– God has things worked out & His Love will carry us through

CONTEXT:
– After God sent fire from heaven, Elijah put to death all the prophets of Baal
– God also sent rain on the land after 3 years of drought
– But King Ahab went home & told Jezebel everything Elijah did
– Queen Jezebel vowed to kill Elijah for opposing them
– This scared Elijah, so he ran & hid in a desert cave at Mount Horeb, praying for God to take his life

READ 1 Kings 19:9-10
?? Why did Elijah travel over 300 miles to hide in a cave ??
– He was afraid for his life – feared the queen & her power
– Trying to escape & keep from being hunted down

?? In addition to fear, what else was Elijah feeling ??
– Alone, without help or support
– He believed that he was the only one truly serving God
– Didn’t see that his work was making any difference
– Discouraged, depressed – he wanted to give up
– In fact, he asked God to take his life (v.4)

?? Why did God ask the question he did ??
– To get Elijah to evaluate his thoughts & actions
– His thoughts were not right
– He needed to be in a different headspace

?? Can our time alone with God change the way we think & feel ??
– We can easily get off track from where God wants us
– God re-centers us when we listen to His Words
– He speaks directly to our hearts & knows what we need
– We desperately need regular time to listen to Him

READ 1 Kings 19:11-14
?? What does God ask Elijah to do next ??
– “Stand in My Presence”
– “Learn Who I Am”
– Just like Moses did on that mountain (Ex 33:12-34:8)
– God wants Elijah to know Him better – in a new way
– With a deeper relationship, Elijah will better understand his job

?? How did God describe Himself to Elijah ??
– He is NOT a mighty wind that tears things apart
– He is NOT a destructive earthquake
– He is NOT a consuming fire
– God is a gentle whisper
– The Lord’s message to Elijah is that He is being PATIENT
– Patient with sinners so they can repent
– Patient with Elijah to get over himself & his fears
– He is not going to kill Elijah or Jezebel (just yet)
– Elijah needs to be still & know that God’s got this

?? Why does God ask Elijah the same question again ??
– To continue to let Elijah evaluate himself
– Maybe even give him a chance to revise his answer
– To see if he has learned anything yet

?? Has anything changed in Elijah’s thinking ??
– Nope, not yet – same exact answer
– Elijah still feels alone, discouraged, & fears for his life
– His heart needs to be humble & teachable

?? Are we sometimes stubborn as God tries to get our attention ??
– Our hearts can be hard & resistant
– We can be selfish & blind to what God wants to do
– We can give into fear & stop trusting God
– But thankfully, God’s Love is persistent
– He gives us multiple chances to grow & serve Him

READ 1 Kings 19:15-18
?? What things did God want Elijah to know ??
– 1) I still have things for you to do – you’re not done
– 2) I have future plan for kings & ministry
– 3) You are not alone

?? Why did God tell Elijah to anoint these people ??
– God is in control of kings & nations
– These new kings would eventually replace the current kings
– They were acts of judgment from God against the kings
– Jehu would exterminate King Ahab’s royal line
– They also revealed God’s sovereignty over the future
– Elisha would continue Elijah’s ministry for another 50 years

?? How many people were serving God in Israel ??
– 7,000 people who had not bowed to Baal
– God preserved a remnant that Elijah knew nothing about
– God wanted to give Elijah hope

?? Is God doing things that we are unaware of ??
– All the time
– Just because we don’t see Him at work doesn’t mean He has abandoned us
– Our faith can’t rely on our limited understanding
– Trust that God’s Words & promises are true
– Rest in His Goodness & Faithfulness

Focusing on God’s purposes brings hope out of despair