Age of Elisha, part 4: Triumph and Tragedy

History is the story of the war between good and evil, and two things are certain: God's sovereign purpose will prevail, and Satan will do all he can to deceive people into self-destruction.  We finish the series on Elisha with the dramatic stories of Jehu and Joash--stories full of heroes, villains, blood, intrigue, and, ultimately, both triumph and tragedy.

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Age of Elisha, part 3: The Chariots and Horsemen of Israel

Being a father means being strong for your family, and the type of strength that's most important (and available to everyone) is spiritual strength. This week we looked at Elisha, a little bald guy who took on an entire army by himself and won. He was called the "chariots and horsemen of Israel." How can you be the "chariots and horsemen" for your family?

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Age of Elisha, part 2: The God of the Unexpected

(Part 1 of the Elisha series was cut off due to microphone failure.  You can listen to the first half of it here.)

Life rarely turns out as you expect that it will.  Sometimes there are unexpected surprises.  Oftentimes, there is disappointment.  But nothing that happens is unexpected to God, and we can rarely anticipate how God is going to work in our lives.  Today we look at a story where God defies expectations at every turn, and we see His goodness and wisdom shine through.

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Age of Elijah, part 5: Chariot of Fire

The story of Elijah being taken to heaven in a whirlwind with a chariot of fire is a cool story.  What can we learn from it?
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The Age of Elijah, part 4: The Baal Generations

During the time of Elijah, Baal worship had taken over in the North (Israel) and it had taken root in the royal palace in the South (Judah).  What happens when a generation turns to idolatry?  And are we in danger of raising up another Baal generation in the church today?

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Age of Elijah, part 3: Spiritual Leadership in an Idolatrous Age

When you think of Mothers Day and church, you don't immediately think "King Jehoshaphat."  (In fact, I can't really think of anything that would prompt you to immediately think "King Jehoshaphat," for that matter).

But when I was planning out this series (trying to get through the rest of the Old Testament story by Christmas), I had to make some tough choices.  One was to continue the series on Mothers Day, rather than prepare a special Mothers Day message, hence my text for Mothers Day is the reign of King Jehoshaphat.

So I prayed as a prepared my message for God to either tell me to throw my plan out and tell me to preach something else or to show me something appropriate for the occasion.  And I believe God showed us something directly from the text that speaks in a very relevant way to the modern task of the Christian parent.  I hope you will hear God as much as you listen as I did as I prepared.

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The Age of Elijah, part 2: Discouragement

With all the promises in the Bible, a person could say that a believer has no right to be anything but filled with hope, joy and optimism. But we often do get discouraged, even in times when it seems we ought to feel the strongest. 1 Kings 19 tells the story of the discouragement of God's "prophet of power," Elijah. What brings discouragement even to God's most faithful people? What does God do in response?

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