Sermon Notes March 20, 2016 Blindsided:

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3 Sermon Notes March 20, 2016 Blindsided: All Our Problems Are Bigger When We re Tired 1 Kings 19 Big Idea: Application:

4 Discussion Questions When in your life were you most tired? What led to this exhaustion? What are the warning signs in your life that you are running on empty? What do you think it would have been like to see what Elijah saw? What impact would those miracles have on your faith? Why did Elijah go from such an incredible spiritual high to the depths of depression in such a short time? How have you seen your view of God decrease as your tiredness increased? On a scale of 1 to 10, how close are you to being blindsided by exhaustion? What are some practical ways you can prevent and overcome exhaustion in your life? Bible Reading Plan Bible Reading Plan OT, NT & Poetry: Week 12 Monday Exodus 20:22-21:32 Matthew 24:15-35 Psalm 48 Tuesday Exodus 21:33-23:9 Matthew 24:36-51 Psalm 49:1-7 Wednesday Exodus 23:10-24:18 Matthew 25:1-13 Psalm 49:8-20 Thursday Exodus 25 Matthew 25:14-30 Psalm 50:1-9 Friday Exodus 26 Matthew 25:31-46 Psalm 50:10-23

5 Monday Running on Empty By Kel Cunard It is enough; now, O Lord, take away my life... 1 Kings 19:4 Take three friends, mix in a few firearms, and you ve got yourself a hunting trip. When Wisconsin native Frank Allegretti invited Thomas Boos and Malcolm McMillan to join him on his expedition to South Dakota, they quickly accepted and took off in his 1968 Piper PA-28 single-engine airplane. The 650-mile trip was uneventful until just outside of the small town of Sheldon in northwest Iowa. Witnesses reported the engine sputtered and the plane was flying low before it crashed into a cornfield and eventually collided with an embankment along a gravel road. All three men were killed in the crash. Allegretti had been flying for more than 20 years. He was a meticulous pilot, and his wife said, It s hard for me to believe it at all. Like everybody has told me, he was the most cautious [and safe] pilot they ever knew. The weather had been clear and the service records for the plane were up to date. The cause of the crash was a mystery until the National Transportation and Safety Board concluded the tragedy was due to a simple and all too common mistake. Like 238 crashes each year, the plane had simply run out of gas. Tom Haueter, the director of the NTSB s Office of Aviation Safety, said, It's surprising to me that there's a group of pilots who will knowingly push it, thinking 'I can make it the last couple of miles' and come up short. There's a certain group of accidents out there that are inexplicable. You just go 'What are you thinking? What are you doing?' They're hard for us to get a handle on. It seems like it's an easily preventable accident. Some of the crashes in our personal lives are just as preventable. Nothing makes us more susceptible to being blindsided than allowing our tanks to run dry. When we run out of gas, we get overly tired and utterly stupid. Our verbal filters fail us, we make poor decisions, and we eventually crash and burn. As bad as these outcomes are, the effects of exhaustion run even deeper. The less we rest the more our problems grow, and as our problems get bigger, our God gets smaller. We will never live rightly when we don t see Him clearly, and there is nothing like exhaustion to skew our vision. The prophet Elijah experienced some of the most amazing miracles recorded in the Bible. By the power of God at work in him, he saw the weather respond to his commands, the dead revive through his prayers, and the heavens rain down fire on cue. But his mountaintop experiences quickly became a valley of despair. As we conclude our Blindsided series, read 1 Kings 19:1-4. Elijah was so tired he went right past stupid to suicidal. If Elijah the prophet ran out of gas, why do we think we d fare any better? Are you getting closer and closer to a crash? If so, there is still time to stop and refuel. Jesus said, Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. (Matthew 11:28) Jesus didn t die for us so we could die of exhaustion. What are some practical ways you can guard against running on empty?

6 Tuesday Be Still By Cathy Slusser Be still, and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth! Psalm 46:10 Until my diagnosis with M.S., I didn t fully realize what it meant to be still and know that I am God. I was always a doer. My Sunday School class motto is Be Doers of the Word and Not Hearers Only (James 1:22), and I was chief of the doers. Working on committees, chairing events, organizing programs, teaching Bible Study, writing encouragement notes, serving in ministry, if someone asked me to help, I said Yes! Most of the time, I didn t have to be asked, I volunteered! I was a doer. Then, M.S. struck with its crippling fatigue and pain. I quit teaching, quit serving, quit volunteering. I learned to say, No. Along with my ability to say no, came the realization that even before M.S., I was doing too much. While as Christians, we frequently encourage fellow believers to Say Yes to God, I think we need to be just as willing to admonish each other to Just Say No. It is not that we are being stubborn and refusing to obey God. We are learning to care for ourselves, our bodies, our minds, our families and our spiritual well-being. In her book, An Altar in the World, Barbara Brown Taylor relates that we can see God s character and work in everyday events and scenes. She also includes a chapter called The Practice of Saying No, where she describes missing God s revelation of Himself as we frantically rush from one activity to another. In order to know God, we must be still. Being still means to free our mind of worry and fear as much as it means to physically stop and rest. If we refuse to do so, we may never fully understand Who God is and how He can be exalted in our lives and in our world. Of course, the reverse side of never saying no, is never saying yes. In most churches, 20% of the people do all the work while 80% coast. If you are one of the 80% who has nothing on your to do list, how about picking up some of the slack? You might just save a doer from exhaustion! If everyone does something, no one has to do everything! How do we prioritize responsibilities in a community full of compelling needs and service opportunities? Above my desk at work, I posted this quote, There are many things in life that will catch your eye, but only a few will catch your heart. Pursue those. Contrary to what our world tells us, we can t have or do it all, but, we can do a few things well. When we do, God is glorified. Ask Him to help you evaluate your to do list and narrow it down or enlarge it to only the things He has given you a passion to follow. Read Psalm 46 and list all the things that God accomplishes. What is on your own to do list? Does it include time for rest, relaxation and spending time alone with God? How are you spending your time? Evaluate your to do list and put a check by the ones that truly pull at your heart or that you feel are part of God s purpose for you. Now, ask God what he wants you to eliminate or what He wants you to add. It may take time, but start making being still a priority.

7 Wednesday Under the Influence By Keith Thomas He only is my rock and my salvation... Psalm 62:6 The National Highway Traffic and Safety Administration reports that over the past decade an annual average of 83,000 car crashes are attributed to this one thing. This average includes 886 fatal crashes, 37,000 crashes with injury, and 45,000 crashes that resulted in property damage. In each case, the drivers were under an influence that is unable to be detected by law enforcement. Each driver exhibits slow reaction time, decreased awareness, and impaired judgment, but there is no breathalyzer test or objective way of determining what has influenced the driver. So what is this one thing? It s called Drowsy Driving. Drowsy drivers are twice as likely to make performance errors as compared to those drivers that are not fatigued. Under the influence of fatigue and exhaustion we re prone to make poor choices. This is true for all areas of our lives, not just driving. Our life-styles can drain us to the point of near collapse. Do any of these sound familiar? Being a student takes work. The homework, the quizzes, the test, the book reports, the exams and all the community service hours it s exhausting. (Psalm 119:9) Marriage takes work. Communicating properly, putting your spouse before yourself, encouraging each other, maintaining the family budget, giving, forgiving it s challenging. (Eph 5:22-28) Parenting takes work. The diapers, the laundry, soccer, basketball, ballet, baseball, piano, volleyball, slumber parties, science fair, driving, dating, and college it s overwhelming. (Deuteronomy 11:18-21) Work takes work. Deadlines, managing employees, dealing with your boss, coworker issues, reports, traveling, customer demands it s draining. (Colossians 3:23) Elijah was at a point in his life (1 Kings 19) where he was so exhausted that fear began to rule his life. He was ready to throw in the towel. This great hero of our faith was once strong in the power of God, productive, victorious, and confident. He then became weak, non-productive, depressed, and a scaredy cat with a bad attitude. Elijah lost his focus. He became problem oriented with people at the center, rather than being a man of the Word and prayer, with God at the center. God refreshed, renewed and revived Elijah, and He wants to do the same for you. God s inspired Word is alive and powerful. Read it and listen to God speak to you. Under the influence of God you will be refreshed, renewed and revived. You can count on this one thing - His love never fails. What issue in your life is taking your focus off God? Read Psalm 62:5-6.

8 Thursday Know Your Enemy and It Might Be You By Nick Molick For I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate. Romans 7:15 C.S. Lewis once wrote a letter to the editor of the London Telegraph referring to an editorial that the paper had published about what is wrong with the world. His simple idea of a reply was, Dear Sir, as to your question about what is wrong with the world it is me. That is something I can relate to all too well. The conversion story of C.S. Lewis is remarkable to read about, but it is not that different than many of our own. It just happens to be written by one of the greatest Christian apologists of all time. Our stories are of highs and lows, struggles and pain, death and loss, and through all of this, God is still who He says He is and the Hound of Heaven still calls all those whom He will. Our simple reply is to Be still and know that I am God. I m not good at being still. There, I said it. It s now out in the ether, and I cannot deny it. I like to plan, control and/or scheme to make things happen, hopefully to the glory of God. Recently in our Bible study class I asked the class to read through an entire chapter before we talked about it. This was a true test of my ability to be still and silent which are both things that aren t at the forefront of my limited skill set. As everyone diligently read through the requested chapter, I found myself looking at my notes and realizing one of the points I wanted to bring up is that we can be too comfortable and complacent about the simple, timeless truths found in the Bible. I was going to ask the class what is something that you have found yourself growing complacent or numb to in God s word? However, I found myself hit over the head by my own note of what I struggle with. Psalms 46:10 still says "Be still, and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations; I will be exalted in the earth!" My struggle with this at times comes down to my want for control and, more condemningly, a lack of the required faith to know that God keeps His promises and is who He says He is. Elijah had been part of one of the most awesome movements of God in the Bible. He literally had people drench an offering and the altar three different times and then asked God to set it all on fire, and God did it, much to the amazement of the Baal followers. But just a few short verses and hours later we see Elijah tired and asking for God to end it all for him. How does he go from that peak spiritual experience to asking the Lord to end it all for him? Because Elijah allowed his circumstances to overtake his faith. We all can fall into this trap; our current circumstances on this planet do not diminish who God is and what His promises entail. Let us have ears to hear and eyes to see who God is. We need to remember we can get in the way of our own faith when we focus on ourselves and not Him. Read Psalm 27:14. Wait for the Lord; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the Lord! How can focusing on who God is and what His promises are help you through tiring and troubled times?

9 Friday Time to Rest By Mackenzie Ridenour Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Matthew 11:28 Writing on rest is not so easily done when the one writing struggles with making rest a priority. Resting is necessary and biblical, but not always an action practiced by most people. Time is valuable in our lives, and oftentimes rest is not high up on the to-do list. In fact, it may not even be on there at all. We get so caught up in the busyness of work, school, family, ministry, and more that we forget to take time to simply rest and sit in the presence of God. 1 Kings 19 begins with Elijah fleeing Jezebel. He is so burnt out and exhausted that he asks the Lord to take his life instead of having to make the long journey to safety. In the previous chapter of 1 Kings, God has used Elijah to do mighty and powerful miracles for His glory, so why now does Elijah suddenly become very doubtful, depressed, and discouraged? In verse 4, Elijah has travelled a day into the wilderness and sits under the shade of a tree. Essentially he begins to try and reason with God on why to end his life. After some pleading, he eventually falls asleep. An angel proceeds to awaken him and give him food, he falls back asleep, awakens a second time and eats food, and then is able to travel in strength for the next forty days. God was faithful in meeting Elijah s needs in that moment. But before the provision came, Elijah complained and doubted God would take care of him despite the Lord s previous faithfulness to him. Elijah was operating out of a place of exhaustion and not rest, which made his mind weak and open to doubts, depression and deception from the enemy. We tend to do this in our own lives don t we? We get caught up in so many tasks, responsibilities, activities, and commitments. It is good and healthy to be involved, and to have responsibilities! However, when we become involved in too much that we have no time left to rest and spend time with God, that s when a problem develops. Jesus said in Matthew 11:28 to come to me all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Not only do our bodies need physical rest, but also spiritual rest. Jesus says to come to Him, and He will give us the rest we need. Take some time this morning to sit in the presence of God. Get rid of all distractions, and anxieties that you may have for the day. Let His Spirit refuel you through prayer and the reading of His word. Yes, God delights in work, and in ministry, but He also loves when we simply spend time alone with Him sharing our hearts, and meditating and praising who He is.

10 Weekend Unlikely By Kel Cunard You are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church... Matthew 16:18 Perfection. We all strive for it, and we love when we see it. Undefeated seasons are rare. The Miami Dolphins were undefeated in 1972, and the 1971 and 1972 UCLA Bruins Men s Basketball team had untarnished records in back-to-back seasons. But for most of us, reading these stats is about as close as we will come to perfection. No one is undefeated. Our lives have been filled with a few moments of thrilling victory but many more moments of crushing defeat. Based on our records, none of us are likely candidates to be used by a holy God. Thankfully, our usefulness is not based on our perfection. Our Heavenly Father is in the business of using unlikely people to do unbelievable things. Our God can use anyone. If you don t believe it, consider the highs and lows of Peter s life. He was anything but undefeated, but the Lord still used him to change the world. Over the next few weeks, we are going to explore the power of God at work in the utterly imperfect person of Peter. This week we turn to Matthew 16:13-23 to discover there s still hope for all of us who are anything but undefeated. Prepare for Worship As you prepare your heart for worship on Sunday morning read Psalm 106 and give thanks to the Lord for His goodness. Pray for the World: Cambodia The Kingdom of Cambodia is a fertile, forest-covered state in Southeast Asia. In this predominantly Buddhist nation, less than two percent of the people are Evangelical Christians. The Cambodian Church has survived against all odds. Beginning in 1923, missionaries labored for 47 years before breakthrough began. Then the Church was nearly extinguished during the slaughter of the 1970s; 90% of Christians died or fled to Thai refugee camps where a great harvest was reaped for the Kingdom. During the 1990s, churches spread to all 19 provinces. Pray for: Continued freedom of religion. The constitution guarantees it, but the government has re-affirmed the ban on door-to-door evangelism and on public distribution of tracts. Pray for continued freedom to wisely and appropriately spread the good news. Freedom and deliverance from past sin, hatred, suffering and abuse through the blood of Jesus. Deep healing is required for many who suffered acute trauma. Many of the former Khmer Rouge have become believers; receiving God s forgiveness for past crimes is essential. Children and young people to be effectively discipled in the churches and shown how to live in healthy family structures; few are equipped for this. But this generation must begin to lead the Cambodian Church now.

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