Mal 4:5-6 Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord. 6 And he will turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the hearts of the children to their fathers, Lest I come and strike the earth with a curse." NKJV
This week I want to look at Elijah’s life because this scripture promises that before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord, He is going to send Elijah the prophet. This scripture is really talking about the Spirit of Elijah. When I began to meditate on this scripture, it dawned on me to take a closer look at Elijah’s life in scripture. But first let’s look at this scripture because it outlines the mission of the Spirit of Elijah. First let me back up a few scriptures and see what the season looks like when he comes to prepare the way of the Lord.
Mal 4:1-2 "For behold, the day is coming, Burning like an oven, And all the proud, yes, all who do wickedly will be stubble. And the day which is coming shall burn them up," Says the Lord of hosts,"That will leave them neither root nor branch. 2 But to you who fear My name The Sun of Righteousness shall arise With healing in His wings; And you shall go out And grow fat like stall-fed calves. NKJV
In the day that the Spirit of Elijah comes, it is going to be a day burning like an oven. What this speaks of is a day that is very intense. If you were to look around this world right now, I think we are beginning to qualify for intense and hot. With the earthquake in Japan followed by a tsunami and then a nuclear meltdown of their reactors, for them it is about as intense at it is ever going to get. Here in our own country, Recent Tornado's in the south that officials are now saying has done more damage than Hurricane Katrina. Also Tornado's in Missouri practically destroying Joplin. Flooding and earthquakes on the East coast! And the worldwide economies including the United States on the verge of collapse. Things are rapidly changing to a state of “beyond human remedy.” This reveals the proud and all of his great ideas. The world will quickly find out that God is the only one that can fix this. Those that won’t let go of their pride will be the first judged in this time.
A while back I was up very early one morning and I heard the voice of the Lord speak to me and he asked this question: “Do you know what pride is?” Now as I have been saying for years, when the Lord asks you a question, it’s not because he doesn't know the answer. I have also learned (from experience…LOL!) that it’s not a good time to prove how smart you are. I answered Him this way, "I thought I did, but please tell me." He said: “It is worship of self.” When He said that to me, I realized how true that really was and I got to tell you it affected me very deeply. If you trust in self and what you can do, instead of the one who created you and gave you everything you have, this indeed is the most basic form of pride. Our society has continually looked for a way to try to say there is no God and man is the captain of his own ship and the master of his own fate. All who are proud will be the first ones to see that this has been a lie and either be delivered or be destroyed. This may sound hard, but this is the very scripture we are looking at. However if we humble ourselves under the mighty hand of God we will be exalted in due time or the right time. It says in the above scripture: Those that fear His name, the Sun of righteousness will arise with healing in His wings, and you shall go out and grow fat like stall-fed calves. So no matter how hard it gets, if we fear His name we will have healing and provision.
Now let’s look at the mission or goal of the Spirit of Elijah. He will turn the hearts of the fathers to the hearts of the children and the hearts of the children to the hearts of the fathers. God who is our Father has always had a heart of restoration. Jesus who is His Son paid with His own blood, the penalty for sin that had made a separation between the Father and us, His children. We now have access of fellowship with our Father. When we understand how much the Father loves you and I and the entire world, we will begin to see how far the Father will go to bring the lost in. He gave the best that he had, His own Son. His heart is turned toward us! Is our heart turned toward Him?
Matt 11:9-15 But what did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I say to you, and more than a prophet. 10 For this is he of whom it is written: "Behold, I send My messenger before Your face, Who will prepare Your way before You.' 11 "Assuredly, I say to you, among those born of women there has not risen one greater than John the Baptist; but he who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he. 12 And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and the violent take it by force. 13 For all the prophets and the law prophesied until John. 14 And if you are willing to receive it, he is Elijah who is to come. 15 He who has ears to hear, let him hear! NKJV
Now let's look at John the Baptist who Jesus said if they would receive it, was Elijah or the Spirit of Elijah that was to come. According to Mal 4:5-6.
Elijah’s primary mission is to turn the hearts of the Fathers to the children and the hearts of the children to the Fathers. This is a very interesting and powerful revelation as to the primary mission of the Spirit of Elijah. What is in a lot of cases is misunderstood about how this works, let’s look a little closer at John the Baptist’s ministry.
Matt 3:1-3 In those days John the Baptist came preaching in the wilderness of Judea, 2 and saying, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!" 3 For this is he who was spoken of by the prophet Isaiah, saying: "The voice of one crying in the wilderness: 'Prepare the way of the Lord; Make His paths straight.'" NKJV
John was a voice of one crying in the wilderness. That means he was loud! His voice was loud and clear as to be heard over all the other voices of that day. This is very important because one of missing ingredients in the way the gospel is presented is the loud voice. This is not to be critical of how one presents the gospel. However if we overlook this or don’t think it’s necessary or are critical of those that do have loud voices, we may be rejecting what may be the primary element for preparing the way of the Lord. Let’s define the word.
Crying: NT:994 GREEK(bo-ah'-o); apparently a prol. form of a primary verb; to halloo, i.e. shout (for help or in a tumultuous way):(Biblesoft's New Exhaustive Strong's)
He was loud and tumultuous! I’ve heard people over the years become very critical about people whom God uses that are loud. Jesus himself was able to speak to masses of people without the benefit of a P.A. system. If your critical of loud or offended with it just consider the voice of the Lord as used in Psalms 29!
The next critically important part of John’s ministry was the message. It was repentance. Let’s define this word.
Repent: NT:3340 GREEK metanoeo (met-an-o-eh'-o); from NT:3326 and NT:3539; to think differently or afterwards, i.e. reconsider (morally, feel compunction):KJV
Repent, latterly means to change your way of thinking about something. God’s word is Truth. We must line up with God’s way of thinking. In fact we are told not to lean on our own insights and understandings. Many people have opinions and understandings as well as doctrines that may not line up with Gods way of thinking and will have to be repented of. Going right along with the message of repentance is “Make His paths straight.” The message that we are called to preach is the message of the cross. This is where the real power is and passiveness and fear of rejection may try to soften this message.
Now let’s look at some of the instruction concerning what John said to the religious people of the day as to what they must do to prepare for the way of the Lord.
Matt 3:4-12 Now John himself was clothed in camel's hair, with a leather belt around his waist; and his food was locusts and wild honey. 5 Then Jerusalem, all Judea, and all the region around the Jordan went out to him 6 and were baptized by him in the Jordan, confessing their sins. 7 But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to his baptism, he said to them, "Brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? 8 Therefore bear fruits worthy of repentance, 9 and do not think to say to yourselves, 'We have Abraham as our father.' For I say to you that God is able to raise up children to Abraham from these stones. 10 And even now the ax is laid to the root of the trees. Therefore every tree which does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 11 I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance, but He who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. 12 His winnowing fan is in His hand, and He will thoroughly clean out His threshing floor, and gather His wheat into the barn; but He will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire." NKJV
John was sent to prepare the way of the Lord. It is obvious that John did not fit the mindset of the religious system with all of its customs and traditions. He did not dress the way they most likely expected. This in itself was probably very offensive to many and they could not near his message because of their offense of the way he dressed and what he ate. The message was a very serious one and still is, but can be minimized by pride that will accompany the religious mindset. The religious mindset is actually always looking for the messenger to have something wrong with him so they can be critical. Because of the way he was, some were probably thinking he was "wounded" and this was just outward manifestations of rebellion because of the wound. Or here’s another one: "John was just looking to get attention from people."
Now let’s look at the way Jesus described this religious mindset.
Matt 11:14-19 14 And if you are willing to receive it, he is Elijah who is to come. 15 He who has ears to hear, let him hear! 16 "But to what shall I liken this generation? It is like children sitting in the marketplaces and calling to their companions, 17 and saying: 'We played the flute for you, And you did not dance; We mourned to you, And you did not lament.' 18 For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, 'He has a demon.' 19 The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, 'Look, a glutton and a winebibber, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!' But wisdom is justified by her children."NKJV
The Spirit of Elijah is going to deal with the religious mindset by coming straight at it. Many people are offended very easy and walk away in offence. A healthy vital church life will deal with these issues. But most have stayed offended about things, severed relationships and have walked away from the very person that God may be using in their life to break off wrong thinking. Would God be in that? Yes, but one that is that way will usually have what they think is a spiritual reason, when it is just natural reason rooted in the flesh. Of course I’m sure that this is what was going on in John’s case and people were offended with the messenger and the message. Are you an accuser of the brethren and thinking you’re being lead of the Lord?
1 Kings 16:29-34 In the thirty-eighth year of Asa king of Judah, Ahab the son of Omri became king over Israel; and Ahab the son of Omri reigned over Israel in Samaria twenty-two years. 30 Now Ahab the son of Omri did evil in the sight of the Lord, more than all who were before him. 31 And it came to pass, as though it had been a trivial thing for him to walk in the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, that he took as wife Jezebel the daughter of Ethbaal, king of the Sidonians; and he went and served Baal and worshiped him. 32 Then he set up an altar for Baal in the temple of Baal, which he had built in Samaria. 33 And Ahab made a wooden image. Ahab did more to provoke the Lord God of Israel to anger than all the kings of Israel who were before him. NKJV
Let's look at the real Elijah and begin to understand his lives calling and mission. After all if the Spirit of Elijah precedes the coming of the Lord, we should find out some things about him. First let’s look at the season and the circumstances that Elijah showed up in. Ahab had just become king of Judah and was a very bad king! In fact the Word of God makes it a point not just once, but says twice of him being worse than any king before him and did more to provoke the Lords anger than all the kings of Israel! He had a very trivial attitude concerning the sins of Jeroboam. What were the sins of Jeroboam? He introduced false gods to the people and taught them to follow them and set up alters to them in the high places.
Ahab married Jezebel and went and served her gods which were the gods of Baal. However he went farther than that and built a temple and alters to Baal. This indeed is what provoked the Lord to anger. It also brought people to a place of much confusion as to who the true God was. What was the one and only true God’s response? He sent the Prophet Elijah to tear down this kingdom of false gods.......Continued Next Week!
Mal 4:1,5-6 1"For behold, the day is coming, Burning like an oven, And all the proud, yes, all who do wickedly will be stubble. And the day which is coming shall burn them up," Says the Lord of hosts, "That will leave them neither root nor branch. 5 Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet Before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord. 6 And he will turn The hearts of the fathers to the children, And the hearts of the children to their fathers, Lest I come and strike the earth with a curse."NKJV
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