Admonition Podcast

339-361.

At first, that number might not mean anything to anyone here, but that's the number of how
many people have committed suicide this year alone.

We face a problem in our world today.

A problem that is brought on by overwhelming sorrow, by feelings of loneliness, of
hopelessness, of people who look at life and they say there's just nothing left to live

for.

There's no reason.

And while that is a tragedy that is unable to be fully expressed, how many times do we see
Christians committing spiritual suicide?

How many times do Christians look at the world around them and they say, well, there's
just not enough Christians.

There's just no reason to keep going.

I'm all alone.

I have no one to support me.

As followers of God, it is hard at times to deal with life.

to face the world that is around us, a world that is full of sin, a world that is full of
those who wish for God to be dead.

but we're not alone in these feelings.

No one is alone in feeling alone.

We have many people in the text of scripture who felt alone, who felt as if there was no
reason left to live, who felt as if surely their life should be at an end.

this afternoon, we will consider three individuals.

Two of which prayed to God asking for death to come.

They wished for God to take their lives.

But then there was one, we'll close with him, who looked at death in a different way.

He longed for death, but he would not ask God to take his life.

We'll know more about that as we continue.

But as we look at these individuals,

As we consider their lives, what happened to them, why they were in this position, and
what God did to help them, I want you to keep one phrase, command, if you will, in your

mind.

Keep serving.

As you notice this first individual keeps serving when complaint surrounds and abounds.

Numbers chapter 11.

Turn with me there, Numbers chapter 11.

Here we find Moses as he's leading the people of Israel and he is taking them through this
wilderness and they find themselves in need of food.

Well God provides for them manna and gives them exactly what they need.

But as we open up the text of Numbers chapter 11, we find, when the people complained, it
displeased the Lord.

And the Lord heard it, and his anger was kindled, and the fire of the Lord burned among
them, and consumed them that were in the uttermost parts of the camp.

And the people cried unto Moses, and when Moses prayed unto the Lord, the fire was
quenched.

What we have here is the fact that the Israelites are complaining.

They...

Well, they do what comes naturally to them, it seems.

And God sends down fire to punish them.

And when they see the problem that they've caused for themselves, the punishment for their
complaint, they cry to Moses and they say, well, Moses beseech God on our behalf.

Get this fire out of the way.

Get this judgment out of the way.

And you would think that they would have learned their lesson.

Surely a miracle such as this of punishment would teach them not to complain.

But if we keep reading, we note in verse four that they began to complain once again.

They thought back to all the things they saw they had in Egypt.

verse 5, verse, end of verse 4, Who shall give us flesh to eat?

We remember the fish which we did eat in Egypt freely, the cucumbers and the melons and
the leeks and the onions and the garlic.

But now our soul is dried away.

There is nothing at all beside this manna before our eyes.

And the manna was as coriander seed and the color thereof is the color of bedlam.

And the people went about and gathered it and ground it in mills and beat it in mortar and
baked it in pans and made cakes of it.

And the taste of it was as the taste of fresh oil.

And when the dew fell upon the camp in the night, the manna fell upon it.

Brethren, what we're shown here is that God was providing for them miraculously.

They didn't have to go and work and toil and get grow crops or gather seed or anything of
that nature.

they had as soon as they walked out the door there's food there's exactly as much food as
they need and yet they sit there and they complain they say well we miss all the the fish

we had we missed we missed the cucumbers and the onions and the garlic because you know we
had it just so great in in egypt there was no reason that we had any issues there i don't

know why we left egypt it was just wonderful there

But yet if you remember they were crying out to God because of the pain, the oppression
they felt.

But all this is gone now that God has blessed them.

And how often is that the case?

When God takes us out of a trial, when God blesses us through a situation that's rather
difficult, we come out on the other side and we seem to forget that God provided for us in

the past, that God takes care of His own.

But it comes to a head in verse number 10.

And then Moses heard the people.

Notice this next word you're reading in the King James that says the people weep.

throughout the family.

They were in tears, crying their eyes out because God had provided for them, but it wasn't
what they wanted.

It wasn't what they wanted so of course the natural response is just to bawl your eyes out
and to cry.

They said it was for them.

Every man in the door of his tent and the anger of the Lord was kindled greatly.

Moses also was displeased.

when we give into complaining, when we begin looking at maybe things that other people
have that we don't.

Maybe we look at the blessings that God has given us and we say, well, it'll do, but it's
not what I want.

God provides us what we need.

Does that always mean we have exactly what we want?

No, of course not.

But what it means is that God takes care of us.

And when we fall into the same trap that the Israelites fell into of complaining, of
looking around at the blessings and seeing them as nothing but just dirt,

We spit in God's face.

It's like the child who looks at his parents after having a whole big meal put before him
and they say, you guys just never give me anything to eat.

I just can't eat anything.

And it starts crying to the parents and say, well, you just don't love me anymore.

I don't ever have what I want.

Meanwhile, the father was spending 12 hours trying to get that food, working hard in his
job.

The mother had to spend hours cooking.

It's kind of a slap in the face, isn't it?

And that's exactly what Israel was doing to God.

And Moses is angry too, because he's having to hear it.

He's having to listen to them complain.

But note what happens in verse 11.

And Moses said unto the LORD, Wherefore hast thou afflicted thy servant?

And wherefore have I not found favor in thy sight, that thou layest the burden of all this
people upon me?

Have I conceived all this people?

Have I begotten them, that thou shouldest say unto me, Carry them in thy bosom, as a
nursing father beareth the sucking child, unto the land which thou swearest unto their

fathers?

Whence should I have flesh to give unto all this people?

For they weep unto me, saying, Give us flesh that we may eat.

They were going to the wrong source.

They were complaining to Moses and saying, Moses, it's your responsibility, don't you
know?

It's your responsibility to miraculously produce flesh for us to eat.

That's all on you, Moses.

And Moses says to God, I didn't bring these people into existence.

They're not my children.

Why do I have to bear them?

Why do I have to bear the burden of leading them?

It's understandable where Moses is feeling, how Moses is feeling right now.

But what happens next?

It shows just how desperate Moses had gotten.

It shows how far he had fallen in listening and hearing this constant complaint.

Verse 14.

I am not able to bear all this people alone because it is too heavy for me.

And if thou deal thus with me, kill me.

I pray thee.

out of hand, I have found favor in thy sight, let me not see my wretchedness.

Moses looks at God.

And he says, I can't bear this burden alone.

I can't deal with this anymore.

Keep in mind that Israel had been complaining basically ever since they left Egypt.

And Moses says, I'm done, Lord.

I can't.

I can't do any more.

There's two things to note in these two verses.

Number one is the fact that Moses says, I am not able to bear this alone.

Now tell me, who told him he had to bear it alone?

When did God say, Moses, you have to bear this entire burden of leading these millions of
people by yourself?

When did God say that?

He didn't.

In fact, if you go back to when Moses is called in Exodus chapter 3 and chapter 4,
specifically chapter 4, God tells Moses that Aaron is going to help him.

That he's going to send Aaron to be a spokesperson for him after Moses says, well, I'm not
eloquent in speech.

God says, Aaron is coming.

I've already sent him to come and help you.

Let him be your spokesperson.

Do you think that Aaron just threw his hands up and said, well, you got this, Moses?

He might have.

But the fact is that God had provided for Moses assistance.

But Moses felt as though he had to bear this burden by himself.

And how many times does that same problem happen?

Where we feel an immense

need to help and that's a righteous thing.

That's a good thing to feel, but it gets to the point where we feel as though we are the
only one who can do everything.

When that is our mindset, brethren, when that is our mindset, brothers and sisters, we
will fall into the same depression, the same sorrow that Moses fell into.

Because mankind wasn't meant to serve alone.

We weren't meant to be alone.

The next thing we know in verse 15 is just how far.

Moses had fallen to where he looks at the Almighty and he says Lord if I have been
faithful in your sight if in your sight I am found righteous then please do me a favor and

kill me

That's a very serious request.

And it shows.

A man who feels as though he has nothing left to give.

But yet when Moses feels this way, what does God do?

Does he say, Moses, get over yourself?

Moses, you have no reason to feel this way.

Moses quit complaining.

There are times when we see that kind of response from God when it was necessary.

But here, God takes a different approach.

He looks at Moses and he tells him, verse 16, gather unto me 70 men of the elders of
Israel.

Whom thou knowest to be the elders of the people and officers over them, and bring them
unto the tabernacle of the congregation, that they may stand there with thee.

they may stand there with thee.

God says, hear you, Moses.

I hear that you feel alone.

So here's 70 men to help.

Moses, I know it's hard for you.

But here's some assistance.

And what do we see Moses doing?

He gets up and he does the work.

He keeps serving even though he felt all alone in his service.

He kept serving even though he felt as though complaint was all he could hear.

He kept serving even though complaint abounded.

Are we like Moses?

Will we resolve to keep serving even when all that fills our ears is complaint?

Even when we feel as though we're serving all by ourselves?

Number two, turn with me to 1 Kings chapter 19.

1 Kings 19, here we note, keep serving even when the enemy is behind you.

In first Kings 18, we have Elijah offering a challenge.

He says, here are these prophets of Baal.

Here's all this Baal worship and here's those who are worshiping God.

Why are you on the fence about this Israel?

How long haught ye between two opinions if Baal be God serve him, but if God be God serve
him.

And when he offers this challenge, he says, let's get to the bottom of

Let's truly prove once and for all who is the real God.

And so they have a sacrifice that's prepared and there's no fire that's to be lit.

The sacrifice is everything is ready for the fire, but there is no fire that's to be lit.

That's the responsibility of the God.

And so the prophets of Baal, they stand there and they cry out to Baal.

Even go so far as to cut themselves and to offer anything they can to get bail to burn
this offering and to show himself to be the true God and this goes on for hours Elijah is

even so bold as to begin to mock them say well, maybe he's on a trip Maybe he can't hear
you.

You you just cry a little louder.

Maybe he's a little deaf

But then Elijah, when it gets his turn to pray to God and ask God to send down fire to
consume the offering, not only does God's fire consume the offering, but also consumes the

altar and the barrels of water that have been dumped on top of the altar and the barrels
of water that had covered a trench around the altar.

God left no doubt, He is God.

And so after this great mountaintop of victory, this great spiritual high,

Elijah receives word that Jezebel heard about this and she heard about the prophets of
Baal being killed and she says, you see these prophets of Baal?

You see them Elijah?

Yeah, you'll be like.

It's understandable to be afraid when a queen of that power threatens you.

And so Elijah runs.

In verse three, we find that he runs of chapter 19.

We find he runs to Beersheba and left his servant there.

And in verse four, he went a day's journey further into the wilderness and he 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 fathers.

Elijah had let fear take hold to the point that he sits down under this juniper tree and
he looks at a praise to God and he says, Lord, I'm done.

Take away my life.

Now, it is interesting the fact that Elijah is running because he doesn't want to die at
the hands of Jezebel and then proceeds to ask God to take his life.

I figure we'll do some crazy things to the human mind.

But nevertheless, Elijah looks at this situation as being hopeless.

He sees no way out.

And he feels like a failure too because he says, I am not better than my fathers.

He thought he was going to be successful in turning Israel back to the Lord.

He thought surely after seeing this great victory on Mount Carmel, surely they'll turn
back to God.

But then when he sees this, he sees this threat, he says, I'm no better.

Just as these others who've gone before me tried, I'm going to fail too.

So what does God do?

Does he leave Elijah alone?

Does he ignore his prayer?

No.

He sends him an angel to minister to him, to give him what he needs, some food and water.

He tells him to rest and he does it again another day and then he sends him off to run
further where he'll talk to him.

And when he arrives at Mount Horeb, he came to a small cave, verse 9 tells us.

And God asks him when he arrives and he says, What doest thou hear, Elijah?

Elijah, why are you here?

Verse 10, Elijah responds, 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.

Elijah shows God or tells God what he's feeling, where he's at, that he feels as though
he's alone and that there's no hope.

God shows him power in sending a storm, of sending an earthquake, of causing a great fire,
but then he comes to him in a small, a still small voice.

You can almost hear that as the words of a friend.

the calm after a storm.

And he asks him again, what doest thou hear, Elijah?

Verse 14.

He says the same thing.

Elijah gives him the same response of feeling alone, feeling as though there's no hope.

And what does God say, verse 15?

Go return on thy way to the wilderness of Damascus, and when thou comest, anoint Haziel to
be king over Syria.

He goes through and tells him, get back to work.

You're not done yet, Elijah.

You've had your time to rest, but now it's time to get back to work.

and by the way, verse 18, yet I have left me seven

thousand in Israel all the knees which have not bowed into Baal and every mouth which have
not kissed him.

God tells Elijah, you might feel alone, but you're not.

You're far from being alone.

There are 7,000 that are still faithful.

And yet, how many times when we look at our lives of maybe our friends though, or
workplace, we see all these wicked people, and we feel as though we're all alone.

but then we come here.

We come here on Sundays and Wednesdays and we see all these brothers and sisters in
Christ.

Is there not some encouragement in that?

Of realizing I'm not alone.

We're not alone.

Brothers and sisters, as long as we are faithful to God, He has a whole army ready to help
us.

We just have to reach out.

We cannot abandon God and call it quits.

Even when fear is against us, even when we're afraid and the enemy's behind us, even when
we feel alone, brethren, keep serving.

Then finally, look with me at Philippians chapter three, or chapter one rather.

Philippians one.

With Paul we note, keep serving when the reward is before you.

In verse 21, Paul says, to me to live is Christ and to die is gain.

He looks at his life and he says, if I live, well, I'll give glory to God.

Christ will be manifest and that I will be teaching his gospel.

I will be sharing the truth.

I'll be spreading how to be saved.

I'll be helping those who are saved to be strong.

I'll glorify my God as long as I live.

but for me to die, for me to depart and go be with God, that's gain.

Excuse me.

Verse 22, but if I live in the flesh, this is the fruit of my labor.

Yet what I shall choose, I whatnot.

For I am in a straight betwixt two, having a desire to depart and to be with Christ.

Sorry.

One moment.

having a desire to depart and be with Christ, which is far better.

Don't miss that.

Paul understands that it is far better for him to be with God, to be with Christ, and at
the time of writing this, he's in a jail cell.

He's in prison.

But yet even in the midst of that he says...

I'm going to keep serving.

Even when looking at the reward that was before Him, He says, I'm going to keep serving.

Even though was far better to depart and to be with God, Paul says, I'm going to keep
serving as long as I'm in this body.

Do we have that same determination?

To where we look at persecution and we say, this is rough, this is hard, but you know
what, heaven's far better.

And as long as I'm here, I'm not going to do anything to jeopardize my home with God.

We take precautions, we gather insurance or we buy insurance.

We make sure electrical is where it's supposed to be because we don't want to lose our
home.

We don't want to lose our house, our houses.

If we care so much about a physical piece of property, ought we not to care about our home
and glory with God?

ought we not to show the same level of care about our home with the Lord?

There will be times when we want to depart.

When we say, I'm done.

I'm ready to go be with God.

I'm ready to go home.

This world is a crazy and sinful place.

I just want to be with my Lord.

But even when we feel that way, we need to remember as Paul does, that we're going to keep
serving.

God.

We need to resolve as does Paul that we're going to do what needs to be done because we
love our Lord.

We want to serve Him.

keep serving.

There are times when we want to stop.

When complaint abounds.

When fear besets.

There are times when we just look at this world and we say I am ready to go home.

Use that.

Use that desire to go be with God.

Use that love for the Lord, that longing for home and say, I'm going to do the best that I
can so that when I reach heaven's gates, I can hear my father in glory say, well done.

good and faithful servant.

Keep serving the Lord.

If you're here today and you find yourself not serving God as being a part of His church
but having abandoned Christ, having fallen away from the truth, it's not too late.

Correct your course.

Come back home to God.

If we can help you to be right with the Lord, let us know what we can do.

Come forward now as we stand