StSq2 2.60 Amen, stand up, stand up for Jesus, and I trust that you're standing where God's planted you, and God said, haven't done all, just keep standing, and let's keep standing for the Lord till he comes back again, and if you'd like to find your place in 1 Kings chapter 19, I'd like to welcome those that are joining us by the way of the internet, for those that are here, we thank God for your presence, and we're looking forward to what God has for us tonight in his word, and we need to be challenged in these days. And this is another message in the series of unnamed saints and servants in the Bible. There's many in the Bible. Many of the pages of the Bible is filled with stories of people that we don't know their name, but God knows them. They were known to someone and they made a difference. They made a difference right where they were at and they just fulfilled God's plan for their life. That's what you and I are called to do, and to do exactly what He wants for us. And the title of the message is, Are You One of Them? Are you one of them? There's gonna be many thems that are mentioned here. Some are gonna be mentioned by name, then there's gonna be some that aren't mentioned by name. And you want to say, just let the Lord speak to your heart about which one are you. And which one of them are we talking about here, and which one are you? Very familiar passage here, and we'll be getting our text out of verse 18, but we're going to read up until verse 18. Let's start in verse 1. And Ahab told Jezebel all that Elijah had done, and with all how he 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 came to Beersheba, which belongeth to Judah, and left his servant there. But he himself went a day's journey into the wilderness, and came and sat down under a juniper tree, and he 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. 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 baking on the coals and a cruise 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 and touched him and said, Arise and eat, because the journey is too great for thee. And he arose and did eat and drink and went in the strength of that meat 40 days and 40 nights unto Horeb, the mount of God. And he came thither into a cave and lodged there, and behold, the word of the Lord came to him, and he said unto him, What doest thou hear, Elijah? And he said, I have been very jealous for the Lord God of hosts, for the children of Israel have forsaken thy covenant, thrown down thine altars, and slain thy prophets with the sword, and I, even I only, am left, and they seek my life to take it away. And he said, Go forth and stand upon the mount, before the Lord, and behold, the Lord passed by, and a great and strong wind rent the mountains, and break in pieces the rocks before the Lord. But the Lord was not in the wind, and after the wind an 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 still small voice. And it was so, when Elijah heard it, that he wrapped his face in his mantle and went out, and stood in the entering in of the cave, and behold, there came a voice unto him, and said, What doest thou hear, Elijah? And he said, I have been very jealous for the Lord God of hosts, because the children of Israel have forsaken thy covenant, thrown down thine altars, and slain thy prophets with the sword, and I, even I only, am left, and they seek my life to take it away. And the Lord said unto him, Go, return on thy way to the wilderness of Damascus, and when thou comest, anoint Hazael to be king over Syria. And Jehu the son of Nimshi shalt thou anoint to be king over Israel. And Elijah, the son of Shaphat, of Abel-mihalo, shalt thou anoint to be prophet in thy room. And it shall come to pass that him that escapeth the sword of Heziel shall Jehu slay, and him that escapeth from the sword of Jehu shall Elisha slay. Yet I have left me 7,000 in Israel, all the knees which have not bowed unto Baal, and every mouth which hath not kissed him. Can I ask you the title of the message again? Are you one of them? There's many characters. Again, there's several people here that are mentioned in this chapter, but which one best suits you? Which one of them are you tonight? The first group that's mentioned here in this chapter is Ahab and Jezebel, and I hope there's none of those here tonight. I've only met one person in my life named Jezebel, and if you're named Jezebel, then I'm not talking bad about you, I'm not talking bad about your name at all, but Jezebel in the Bible is known as an influencer. We hear a lot about that today. We hear about influencers. that they're all over TikTok, they're all over YouTube, and other platforms, and parents, can you be careful, because these influencers are paid to push other people's agendas. And we need to be careful who we allow to influence us in this life, and especially who's influencing our children. I've heard people say, well, my child knows better. You know, or my little Johnny, or my little Betty, they'd never listen to anybody who wasn't right. Hey, you better wake up, and you better get involved, influence your children and your grandchildren, because if you don't, I promise you someone else is already doing it. The Bible says that the flesh is weak. That ain't just talking to adults, that's children, teenagers, that's young adults and older parents as well and grandparents. The flesh is weak and God says that our heart is desperately wicked. That's little Johnny, that's little Betty, that's little Susie, that's the little Jezebel out there. and others, but it's an adult, but I'm just saying this, that our hearts are desperately wicked. Who can know it? You can't even know your own heart how bad it is. Young person, mom, dad, grandparents, you can't even know your own heart, let alone say something like, well, I know my little Johnny wouldn't do nothing like that. Jesus said there's none good but God. My children ain't perfect. My children aren't perfect. In Romans 6, 16 it says, know ye not that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey, whether of sin unto death or of obedience unto righteousness? Hey, you better know who you're listening to and who those in your house are listening to. You better be careful who you allow your children to form friendships with. because the Bible says that Jezebel caused Ahab to do worse than any other king that came before him. You say, well, you know, that little boy, that little girl that they're seeing, you know, they're a good Christian boy, they're a good Christian girl, you know, but can I ask you, are they saved? Do you even know his testimony of salvation? Can he take you back to a place? Can he take you back to a day where he called on the Lord, he was under conviction of sin, and he got saved by God's grace? Hey, do they go to church? And we got to be careful these days using that term church, but where do they go to church? How about that? That's better. Where do they go? Hey, is that church they go to King James only? Or do they tolerate the King James, but they prefer using other versions? You better be careful. What kind of music they listen to at their church? Well, what kind of music do they listen to on their phone? Hey, when's the last time they read their Bible? Do they have a close relationship with Jesus? Do they walk with him? Do they have devotions every day? How about this one? Are they faithful to go to church? The Bible says that a man ought to love his wife as Christ loved the church and gave himself for it. If a young man or a young lady can't be faithful to church, then what makes you think they'll be faithful to you? Here's another good one. Who else have they dated? How many have they dated? How long did those relationships last? And what were they looking for? I mean, if you're number 10 on the line, that ought to make you feel real special. It says that Jezebel caused Ahab to do worse than any before him. Look at chapter 21 and verse 25. But there was none like unto Ahab, which did sell himself to work wickedness in the sight of the Lord, whom Jezebel his wife stirred up." Jezebel was an influencer. She influenced Ahab and a whole nation to sin against God, to turn from God, and she sought out to destroy the people of God. Look in chapter 18. Chapter 18 and verse 4. For it was so when Jezebel cut off the prophets of the Lord that Obadiah took a hundred prophets and hid them by fifty in a cave and fed them with bread and water. Hey, you better be careful who you allow to influence your life or the life of your children and your grandchildren because they may not just be out there to benefit your family. The devil may be even using them to break up your family and to draw your family away from God. Old Jezebel had Naboth killed. According to 2 Kings 19, it says that his sons were killed also. They had to be. Why? So that nobody else could lay claim on that inheritance that Ahab wanted. You see, Jezebel was after anybody that would hinder her agenda. The world, the flesh, and the devil are after anyone. It makes no difference who will hinder their agenda. Jezebel, the influencer, she was out to destroy families. She cut off the prophets of the Lord. And in our passage, Jezebel is making empty promises though, based on an empty premise. Look at first Kings 19 with me again in verse two. 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 came to Beersheba, which belongeth to Judah, and left his servant there. All of Jezebel's threats were as empty as the false gods that she swore on. God had just showed himself strong on behalf of Elijah and Israel, and that all power belonged unto him, but even Elijah, the man of God, is going to let himself be influenced by Jezebel's lies. That's why people say, well, I can't, it ain't going to happen. It happened to Elijah, and I don't see any Elijahs in here. It can happen to anybody. That's why we need to be careful who we allow to influence, who do we listen to? Especially in a time of weakness, in a time where some things are unsettled and things are changing, you better be careful who you lend your ear to. You say, well, that's just the Old Testament. Well, I'll tell you what, let's turn to Revelations chapter two. Revelations chapter two, turn with me. Revelations chapter two and verse 20. God's writing to the church of Thyatira. It's New Testament, Revelations chapter two, and verse 20. It says, notwithstanding I have a few things against thee, because thou sufferest that woman Jezebel, which calleth herself a prophetess, to teach and to seduce my servants, to commit fornication, and to eat things sacrificed unto idols. And I gave her space to repent of her fornication, and she repented not. Behold, I will cast her into a bed, and them that commit adultery with her in the great tribulation, except they repent of their deeds. And I will kill her children with death, and all the churches shall know that I am he which searches the reins and hearts, and I will give unto every one of you according to your works. If you keep on to read there, it says, but unto you I say and unto the rest in Thyatira, as many as not this doctrine and which have not known the depths of Satan as they speak, I will put upon you none other burden. Jezebel, can I just say, is still alive and well in the last days that we're living in. We're in the last of the last days. But just like the Jezebel of the Old Testament, these Jezebels of our day, these evil influencers, I promise you are not gonna survive because God said they wouldn't. This Jezebel that's mentioned in Revelations, she wasn't out in the world. She wasn't like the Jezebel that was out there influencing Ahab to do worse than anybody that ever came before him. No, this Jezebel, where was she operating? She was operating inside the church walls. Here's the sad truth though. The Bible says those that don't repent and continue to let themselves be influenced by Jezebel, their children will pay the price. Parents, you better be careful. Letting your children who live under your roof form relationships with others who don't believe like you do, who are not King James only, who are following after the course of this world and have embraced the contemporary Christian movement. Can I just say it's no longer acceptable just to say, well, to ask, well, are you a Christian? That don't mean nothing anymore, almost. Or at least they go to church. That don't mean nothing anymore. There's a lot of organizations out there that call themselves churches, but they're not. Well, you know, just as long as they're saved. That's all that matters, as long as they're saved. Can I say salvation is important, but it ain't all that matters. It ain't all that matters when it comes to relationships and forming relationships with someone. You know, people, I've heard people say, well, you know, as long as they're religious, you know, as long as they go to church, then it makes no difference, you know, what kind of music they listen to or whatever Bible version they want. You know, just as long as they're a good person, they take good care of them, you ain't gonna find that in the Bible. You know, that type of belief comes from a Jezebel. It comes from an influencer that has seduced so many into believing a lie. Can I ask you this? Are you one of them? I hope not. One of those that's been seduced by Jezebel? You may say, well, that can't happen to me. That ain't gonna happen to my family. That ain't gonna happen to my children. Can I just remind you Elijah? Elijah fell for the words of this influencer and he went into depression so bad that he came to the point where he said, what's the use? I'd be better off dead. You better be careful who you listen to, because up until now, Elijah only listened to one person, and that was the Lord. And God had taken care of him through that whole time of famine, that whole time of drought. God had protected him, he listened to God, he did everything that God had said. God had just given him a great victory and showed himself strong on his behalf. But all of a sudden, for some reason, in a time of weakness, In a time where these things were unsettled in his life, he listened to an influencer. Look at 19 here with me. Let's go back to 1 Kings 19 and verse 3. It says, And when he saw that, he arose and went for his life, and came to Beersheba, which belongeth to Judah, and left his servant there. But he himself went a day's journey into the wilderness, and came and sat down under a juniper tree, and he 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. How did Elijah wind up in the wilderness under a juniper tree? It wasn't God that told him to go there. You see, his first mistake he made was when he ran away from God's direction. That was his first mistake. You know, the first thing many Christians will do when they wound up listening to the wrong person and are getting under the influence of somebody other than the Lord is that they're gonna run away from God's clear direction for their life. One of the first things they do is they run away from church. They'll leave God's perfect, clear will and direction for their life. Demas, what'd he do? He ran to Thessalonica. Jonah ran toward Tarshish. Peter said, I go a-fishin'. God had directed Elijah's steps for the last three and a half years, and God's word had never failed him. What made him think that it would fail him now? Boy, the second thing many Christians do is they'll do like Elijah, the same mistake Elijah made right here, is they'll forsake the servants of God. It says right here in our verses we just read that he left his servant. You know what he did? He removed any godly influence out of his life. I just don't want to hear what that preacher that God put in my life has to say. I just go on the internet and I'll find me someone who agrees with me because I like their style or I like this or I like that. Can I just remind you that God did not put the internet preacher out there to look after your soul and look after your family? He only put one in your church to look after you. Hey, you go ahead and call that internet preacher when you're in a time of need to pray for you or to intervene for your family and see how he responds. You know, if he's a godly pastor, I'll tell you what he'll do, he'll call your pastor and he'll say, hey, you got a family out there, they need some help. Why is that? Because you ain't part of his fold. I hear people say, well, I'm part of the cloud church or the internet church, you know, the metaverse church, if you would. Hey, that's just a Laodicean mentality right there. I'm just looking for something that'll soothe my conscience and I'll listen to the messages I think that I like, that please me. I've got them itching ears the Bible talks about in the last days. Hey, can I ask you something? Are you one of them? The third thing that Elijah did, and a lot of Christians do, is he lost his sense of God-given purpose. Remember, all this is happening because Elijah listened to an influencer named Jezebel. What did Elijah say in verse four? He said, it is enough now, O Lord. Take away my life, for I am not better than my father's. When you give ear to the wrong person, you're gonna get out of God's will and direction for your life. You're gonna wind up getting out of church. You're gonna get away from God's people, and I promise you that you'll lose your God-given purpose for this life. You'll be just like Elijah and you'll get to a point where you just say, what is the use? I'll tell you what happened, Jezebel got to you. You allowed yourself to be influenced and seduced. Well I hope there's nobody here, I hope there's nobody underneath the sound of my voice that would say you're one of them. But it happened to Elijah, it can happen to you. I hope you don't become one of them. Because you may be just fine right now, but you may become one of them. Because there's been plenty of people who listened to an influencer and they got out of the will of God. Hey, if you're not one of them right now at this particular moment, you ought to thank God for his grace and his mercy in your life. And you better start taking inventory of who you're listening to. Who's your family listening to? And you better ask God to help them not fall prey to a Jezebel. You know, I've heard people say, well, you know, I pray all that, that ain't for me and my family. Well, who was Jesus writing to in Revelations chapter two and verse 20? when he warned them of the dangers of the influences in there. Who was he talking to? You think he'd make a mistake? You think Jesus didn't know who he was writing to when he wrote to the church in Thyatira? In verse 29, it says, He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches. You say, well, this don't apply to me. Well, Jesus says, if you've got an ear, you better listen. You better hear what God has to say. Because if not, you're going to listen to somebody else. In 1 Corinthians 10, 12 it says, Wherefore let him that thanketh, he standeth, take heed, lest he fall. You better be careful. Well, that's not for me. No, it's for anybody that's got an ear. God said you better listen. If you haven't fallen prey to an influencer, you ought to thank God that you have it and ask God to keep you from doing it. These are warnings about what happens when you do that. Have you ever thought about this? God prepares the message and the preacher delivers it. That's how it happens. You know what? That message is for every member of the church. Every member. Whether they're present or not. Those who have an ear. It's for everybody that's got an ear. And do not hear, but those that don't hear what the Spirit saith. That person will have more to give an account to than those that were here present and heard it. You see, a preacher, a pastor got no idea who's gonna walk through the doors. He has no idea who's gonna make it or be in any particular service. The message has got nothing to do with that. It's God's Word and God's Word needs to be preached. It needs to be heralded. It's for everybody. But because they chose not to come or they chose not to listen, they chose not to hear what Jesus says and what the Word of God says, that's not the pastor's responsibility. That falls on them. every service, whether it's Sunday morning, Sunday afternoon, or Wednesday night, or special meeting times that we have. Hey, I pray for everybody to come. I'd like to see on a Sunday afternoon everybody that was here on a Sunday morning show back up on a Sunday afternoon, because the message I preach is just as much for them as it was that Sunday morning. I'd like to see everybody that comes on a Sunday morning show up on a Wednesday night. I feel like revival broke loose. But you know what? That message is just as much for them as it was for those that don't show up. It's for everybody. When Elijah fell for the influencer of his day, you know what happened? He got his eyes off the Lord. God took Elijah to a cave. Why? He had to get him away from all this other stuff that was going on in his life. He had to get him to a place where he could get his attention. And God got him away from the influencer and he got him to where he would still listen for that still small voice that he had heard before. When he got to a place where he could hear from the Lord, God informed Elijah that he wasn't done with him. He informed Elijah that he wasn't alone as well. Look at verse 13 with me. And it was so when Elijah heard it that he wrapped his face in his mantle and went out and stood in the entering end of the cave. And behold, there came a voice unto him and said, What doest thou hear, Elijah? And he said, I have been very jealous for the Lord God of hosts. because the children of Israel have forsaken thy covenant, thrown down thine altars, and slain thy prophets with the sword, and I, even I only, am left, and they seek my life to take it away. And the Lord said unto him, Go return on thy way to the wilderness of Damascus, and when thou comest, Hazael to be king over Syria, and Jehu the son of Nemshi shalt thou anoint to be king over Israel, and Elisha the son of Shaphat of Abelmeholah shalt thou anoint to be prophet in thy room. And it shall come to pass that him that escapeth the sword of Hazael shall Jehu slay, and him that escapeth from the sword of Jehu shall Elisha slay, and then God finishes up and addresses Elijah's concern that he was the only one left. First he gave him his purpose back. First he got his attention. Then he gave him his purpose back, and now he's gonna remind him of where he made a mistake. He said, yet, oh, and by the way, Elijah, I have left me 7,000 in Israel, all the knees which have not bowed under Baal, and every mouth which hath not kissed him. Hey, God told Elijah, he said, I've got 7,000 who have not bowed the knee. Hey, Elijah, you don't have to fall for the voice of the influencer. Hey, there were still 7,000, they were living for the Lord. They were following the will of God and the word of God for their life. They had not compromised. Well, that gives me great hope for the day that we're living in. God will always have a remnant of faithful servants, but right here's the question. Which one of them will you be known as? Which one? The faithful who haven't compromised and doing the will of God and listening to the word of God? Or are you gonna be known as one that fell for an influencer? In Thyatira there were some who hadn't fallen. There were some in Thyatira who hadn't been seduced. Then there was those that tolerated Jezebel. Well, you better be careful being one of them. And thank God there was some They were just holding on to the truth. That they were some who had fallen. They were some that were tolerating. But thank God they were some that were just holding on to the truth of God's word. Can I just remind you, we're living in the last days. There are many who are slowly drifting away because they've given ear to an influencer of our day. They're no longer standing with the truth of God's Word. Jesus said, repent or perish. Repent or else. I thank God for the many visitors that we get here. on a weekly basis. Being right here in Myrtle Beach is such a blessing. We get so many repeat visitors, people that when they come to Myrtle Beach, this is where they come to church. Why? They want to be here because they're part of those who have not bowed the knee. They come here because of our beliefs and because of our stand for the Lord. They're not looking for a crowd that's bowed the knee to the influencer of our day. Hey, there's untold numbers of people who have left the walls of this church being encouraged by what they saw and what they heard. Our music is God-honoring and scriptural and we've got the right stand on the Bible. Oh, people have left encouraged. They've told me by our efforts to just reach the lost and the soul winning and gospel mailers and bus ministry and nursing home and missionaries we support. I've heard people walk out the door, man, it was good to be in the house of God. Oh, man, it was good to be here among God's people. There was a person here just this past Sunday texting me after they left So they felt right at home. It's like being at home even while they were on vacation. And they encouraged me so much by some kind words that they left for me. And I could look at their life and see they hadn't changed. They're still holding on to the truth. They ain't been influenced by someone else. You know what Elijah did when God finally got his attention and he listened to that still small voice? He left out of that cave and he ain't running for his life no more. He's not running scared of Jezebel anymore. No, he left that cave doing God's will and obeying God's Word. He left out of that cave with a renewed desire to serve the Lord and not bow the knee to an influencer. And right here's the question, here's the title of the message. Which one of them in our passage best represents you tonight? Are you one of them?