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210612 - Troublemaker -- Elijah and Us 4 - Hart
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Listen to 210612 - Troublemaker -- Elijah and Us 4 - Hart by Laconia Seventh-day Adventist Church MP3 song. 210612 - Troublemaker -- Elijah and Us 4 - Hart song from Laconia Seventh-day Adventist Church is available on Audio.com. The duration of song is 41:15. This high-quality MP3 track has 238.685 kbps bitrate and was uploaded on 13 Jan 2024. Stream and download 210612 - Troublemaker -- Elijah and Us 4 - Hart by Laconia Seventh-day Adventist Church for free on Audio.com – your ultimate destination for MP3 music.
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The speaker reflects on the sense of peace and unity that can be found in a church. They express excitement about the prospect of singing songs of peace in heaven. The speaker welcomes visitors and acknowledges a familiar face among them. They then transition to discussing the sermon topic, "Troublemakers," and ask the audience if they have ever been called a troublemaker. They reflect on their own experiences and express the desire to have a good reputation as adults. The speaker suggests that while the world has enough troublemakers, it actually needs more "Elijah kind of troublemakers." They then explore Elijah's interactions with the ravens and the widow, noting that he was a blessing to them. Finally, they discuss how Elijah challenged the people of Israel to choose between following God or Baal, and conclude that he was a troublemaker to them initially, but ultimately brought them closer to God. There's something about a church that sings peace like a river, not just a nice sound of that. Him that tune just makes us all feel like we're sitting around a campfire, like we're family, doesn't it? Amen. I can't wait until we're, we're sitting around the fiery throne room of God in heaven singing that song, and that will be a time when we can sing peace like a river in a totally different way. We'll be sitting, perhaps, by the river of life. Can you imagine that? What a great thought. Well happy Sabbath to you all, and once again, welcome to our visitors. Ezra, I don't mean to put you on the spot, but for some reason you and your wife just look so familiar. I don't know why, but maybe we've known each other in the past somehow. I don't know. Maybe we haven't. But you look familiar. Glad you two are here with us today. No, but I've had a lot of Brazilian friends, and maybe, I don't know, maybe there's a connection somehow. Welcome. Our sermon title today is called Troublemakers. Before we share anything or consider anything, let's have a word of prayer this morning, all right? Father, we thank you so much, once again, for this beautiful Sabbath day that you have given us. Thank you for the opportunity to come and worship in your house. Thank you for the opportunity to pray for each other, to try and lift the burden of each other by encouraging one another, and thank you so much for songs that lift our hearts to your throne room of grace, songs that remind us that we're family, and songs that remind us that there is a kingdom coming, a beautiful kingdom coming, when peace will be the only thing we know. We look forward to that time, and bless our time together as we consider your word and consider troublemakers. In Jesus' name, amen. How many of you would agree that the world is full of troublemakers? No shortage of troublemakers, right? Just a couple. The world is not, doesn't have any shortage of troublemakers. Now let me ask you, how many of you have ever been called a troublemaker? And I'm assuming, John, I knew you were going to raise your hand, okay. And I'm assuming that when you were called a troublemaker, it was during your younger years, hopefully, not too recently, right? Now let me ask you a question, for those of you who raised your hand because you were called troublemakers, and those of you who didn't raise your hand and were called troublemakers, how many of you earned that title? I know I earned the title in my teen years when I was called a troublemaker. I know I deserve that title. I didn't like the title, but I knew I had earned it at a couple of those schools that told me they didn't really want me staying. Yes, some of us have been called troublemakers before, and usually when we were younger. Now when we become adults, it's really not the nickname we want to have. Isn't that right? We don't want to be called troublemakers. We want to have a good reputation. We want to be good citizens of society. And troublemakers is just not the nickname we want. It doesn't look good on our resume, does it? Troublemaker. The world has enough troublemakers. Troublemakers sometimes are easy to spot, and sometimes they're not easy to spot. Some people, you can see a troublemaker a mile away, and what do you say? Here comes trouble. I think my parents thought that. They didn't always say that, but I shared about my friend Jed when I was growing up. He was a troublemaker, and I was always getting into trouble with him when we were younger. And it was probably good that he had moved away, but when he was coming down the road, I'm pretty sure my parents were thinking, here comes trouble. And he had earned the right for that title. The world has enough troublemakers. Does the world need any more troublemakers? I want to suggest to you this morning, the world needs a lot more troublemakers. A whole lot more than what we see. The world needs troublemakers. The Elijah kind of troublemakers. And we're kind of finishing our series on Elijah, and it's kind of tough. You know, I mean, conquered one Sabbath and then here and then, but we're going to kind of wrap things up. We've learned a lot about Elijah from the past several messages that I gave. I hope we've learned some things and maybe studied and learned some more things. But I just want to wrap up on this last note about Elijah, that we really need to be troublemakers in this world. The Elijah kind of troublemaker. So let's ask ourselves a question. What kind of troublemaker was Elijah anyway? And who saw Elijah as a troublemaker? Was Elijah a troublemaker to everybody? Or just some people? Well, let's take a look. How many of you have seen or used to watch the game show Family Feud? Survey says, right? We're going to do a little Family Feud this morning. So let's consider the first relationship, if we could call it a relationship, Elijah had with something. And then we'll ask if he was a troublemaker to that thing. And I call it a thing because in 1 Kings chapter 17, you can turn in your Bibles there, 1 Kings chapter 17. We're going to look at one relationship Elijah had with another living organism, if you call it that way. 1 Kings chapter 17 and starting in verse 2. And the Bible says in 1 Kings 17 to the word of the Lord came to him saying, get away from here and turn eastward and hide by the brook Cherith, which flows into the Jordan. And it will be that you shall drink from the brook, and I have commanded the ravens to feed you there. So he went and did according to the word of the Lord, for he went and stayed by the brook Cherith, which flows into the Jordan. The ravens brought bread and meat in the morning and bread and meat in the evening, and he drank from the brook. And then the brook dries up. It may seem a silly question, but to the ravens, was Elijah a troublemaker? No, the ravens were happy to do God's bidding and feed his servants, right? Seems like a silly question, but I want to ask it anyway. You know, some kids, they don't appreciate birds. They are menaced to birds, right? Put a BB gun in their hand, probably not a good idea. Some kids don't appreciate the beauty of birds and they chase them away and this and that. Elijah didn't chase away the ravens. Elijah appreciated the ravens. He was not a troublemaker to the ravens, right? So survey says, troublemaker? No. Survey says, no troublemaker to the ravens. Let's look at verse 9. The brook dries up. It's time to move on. And in verse 9, the word of the Lord says to Elijah, Arise, go to Zarephath, which belongs to Sidon, and dwell there. See, I have commanded a widow there to provide for you. So he arose and went to Zarephath. And when he came to the gate of the city, indeed, a widow was there gathering sticks. And he called to her and said, Please bring me a little water and a cup that I might drink. And as she was going to get it, he called to her and said, Please bring me a morsel of bread in your hand. So she said, As the Lord your God lives, I do not have bread, only a handful of flour in a bin and a little oil in a jar. And see, I am gathering a couple of sticks that I may go in and prepare it for my son, for myself and my son, that we may eat it and die. Is Elijah a troublemaker to this widow? Well, it's her last meal. It's all she's got left. And Elijah's saying, Give me some of that. Maybe, right? But we've got to read on. So he said, As the Lord your God lives, I'm sorry, let's skip down to her. So Elijah said to her, verse 13, Do not fear. Go and do as you have said, but make me a small cake from it first and bring it to me and afterward make some for yourself and your son. For thus says the Lord God of Israel, The bin of flour shall not be used up, nor shall the jar of oil run dry until the day the Lord sends rain on the earth. So she went away and did according to the word of Elijah, and she and her household ate for many days. The bin of flour was not used up, nor did the jar of oil run dry, according to the word of the Lord, which he spoke by Elijah. Was Elijah a troublemaker to this widow? Survey says no, right? So far, Elijah is not a troublemaker. He was a huge blessing to this woman and her family, as we looked at in our first sermon, right? After a year, three and a half years of drought, God used him to minister to other people at a time when everything was falling apart. So Elijah was not a troublemaker to her? Absolutely not. Elijah was a blessing to her home. Let's consider if Elijah was a troublemaker to Israel. Let's hop over to 1 Kings chapter 18 and verse 20, because remember, Israel was living under the leadership of Ahab, and all of them had fallen into apostasy in the worship of Baal. Let's find out if Elijah was a troublemaker to them. Chapter 18, verse 20. So Ahab sent for all the children of Israel, and now we're kind of jumping into the big thing on Mount Carmel. And Elijah, and they gathered together on Mount Carmel, and Elijah came to all the people and said, How long will you falter between two opinions? If the Lord is God, follow him, but if Baal, follow him. But the people answered him not a word. If the story stopped right here, maybe Elijah could be a troublemaker to them, because they had switched over to the worship of Baal. They probably knew that what they were doing was wrong, and here comes the man of God to let them know that they're on the fence, right? That God is not happy. That being on the fence isn't a safe place to be. So maybe at that moment, Elijah was a troublemaker to them, but let's watch what happens in verse 36, and we've read this before. This is the end of the showdown at Mount Carmel. Verse 36. And it came to pass at the time of the offering of the evening sacrifice that Elijah the prophet came near and said, Lord God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, let it be known this day that you are God in Israel, and I am your servant, and that I have done all these things at your word. Hear me, O Lord, hear me, that this people may know that you are the Lord God, and that you have turned their hearts back to you again. Then the fire of the Lord fell and consumed the burnt sacrifice, and the wood, and the stones, and the dust, and it licked up the water that was in the trench. Now when all the people saw it, they fell on their faces and said, The Lord, he is God. The Lord, he is God. Is Elijah a troublemaker to Israel? Survey says no. No, right? They were probably appreciative of the fact that Elijah reminded them of something that they had become somewhat fuzzy as they were worshipping Dale. They had forgotten that God was God, right? And after the showdown at Mount Carmel, all Israel exclaimed with one voice, The Lord, he is God. They were probably so thankful that Elijah, because of his faith in God, right, had brought fire down from heaven, not by his might, but by God answering Elijah's prayer. So Elijah, we could not say, was a troublemaker to Israel. Israel knew where they were supposed to be spiritually, and they just stood silently and watched. But when push came to shove and God manifested his power, Israel got off of the fence. Amen. Right? Next question. Was Elijah a troublemaker to angels? Let's read this little part of the story in 1 Kings chapter 19, starting in verse 4. This is after Mount Carmel. Jezebel threatens to kill him, right? He takes off running because he gets depressed. Verse 4. But he himself went a day's journey into the wilderness and came and sat down under a broom tree. I don't even know what kind of tree that is. What kind of tree is that? Anybody know? Juniper tree. Thank you. Yeah, it's a good thing about having a different Bible translation. He sat under a juniper tree and he prayed that he might die. You know, sometimes you do get depressed when you're doing the Lord's work. It happens, right? Praise God we serve a merciful God who understands our weaknesses. As it says in Hebrews about our high priest, he prayed that he might die and said, it is enough. Now, Lord, take my life for I am no better than my father's. Then as he lay and slept under a broom tree, suddenly an angel touched him and said to him, rise and eat. Then he looked and there by his head was a cake baked on coals and a jar of water. So he ate and drank and lay down again. How cool is it that an angel showed up and cooked him a meal? Isn't that awesome? An angel from heaven cooks the prophet a meal. He's sleeping so deep. He doesn't even hear the pan frying, right? I think that is just so great. God's care for his people. Verse 7. And the angel of the Lord came back the second time and touched him and said, arise and eat because the journey is too great for you. So twice the angel shows up and makes him food, makes him a meal. Was Elijah a trouble to the angel, survey says? No, because angels love to minister to those who will be heirs of salvation, right? That's what it says in Hebrews. That angels are God's spirits, his ministering spirits, right, sent to minister to those who will inherit salvation. And that is you and that is I. God loves to help us in our time of need. Even when we're depressed, God cares about us. So he was no trouble to the angel. The angel probably was just smiling from ear to ear, right, that he could cook up a meal and he was just waiting for the meal to get done so he could say, Elijah, get up and have some food. Amen? Amen. So no, he was not a troublemaker to the angels. When we look at Elijah, it doesn't really seem like he's a troublemaker to very many people. But I want to tell you, there is two people that Elijah is certainly a troublemaker to. Definitely not those that we just talked about, but there are two people and perhaps one people type that Elijah is a troublemaker to. Who are those three? One, King Ahab, right? Because it was King Ahab who coined the nickname, are you the troubler of Israel, right? So definitely he was a troublemaker to Ahab. Why? Because Ahab was Jezebel's husband. Two, he was a troublemaker to Queen Jezebel, Ahab's wife. And I wanted to guess maybe he was a troubler, I should say definitely he was a troubler to the false prophets because they lost all their credibility on top of Carmel, right? Fortunately they didn't live long enough to really deal with the embarrassment. But that's what happened. He certainly was a troublemaker to those three people groups. Let's take a look at why. Because that's important. We have to ask ourselves, why was Elijah a troublemaker to Ahab? Now we do find that later on Ahab, give him a little bit of credit, he humbles himself just before he dies. He does humble himself, but he is just a bad character until that point, right? So during his view of Elijah as troublemaker, we want to understand why Elijah was so annoying to King Ahab. Anybody know why? Well, King Ahab was king of Israel, wasn't he? And King Ahab, as king of Israel, and we learned this in the first sermon, he was the spiritual leader of God's people. As king, he was not just king, supposed to be king to rule and to organize the kingdom. He was to be a spiritual leader, and we know this because right from the first king, King Saul, he failed miserably. So we know that being a spiritual leader is an important component of the leadership of being a king among God's people. Ahab was not a spiritual leader. Well, he was of Baal because he just followed the direction of his wife, right? And led Israel to worship Baal. So Ahab knew that what he was doing and what he was doing in his rulership was wrong. So every time Elijah shows up, it's almost like, here comes the rebuke, right? Here comes the annoying reminder of what I should be doing and I'm not doing. So Ahab calls Elijah a troubler of Israel. Now we know from the story, when the Lord tells him to go to Ahab, Elijah says two things to Ahab which indicate the issues that Ahab has. One was forsaking the commandments of God, right? We're not going to go back and read it all, we don't have time. One was forsaking the commandments of God and the other, anybody remember the other one? Following in the ways of? Yeah? And then there's a previous Old Testament figure used, starts with a B, Balaam, right? Walked in the ways of Balaam as his father did. So the two issues with Ahab is one, he's forsaken the commandments of God and when he's talking about commandments, he's referring to God's Decalogue, his law, right? As revealed on Sinai and two, he has followed and walked in the ways of Balaam. We know from the story of Balaam, Balaam was a compromiser. So in essence, Ahab is a commandment-breaking, compromising spiritual leader of Israel. And that gives us the insight as to why he was so annoyed when Elijah showed up. He was a walking rebuke of where King Ahab should have been but was not. So Ahab could never be comfortable when Elijah was around because Elijah was that thorn in his side reminding him that he had departed from God and he was not following his duty. We could say in some ways Ahab also was annoyed at Elijah because Ahab was kind of living the high life, wasn't he? He would get everything his wife wanted and Ahab himself was enjoying his kingdom, right? And we could say perhaps another component to that was that Elijah represented a threat to his comfort. You know, the truth is, there's a lot of people in the world who are very comfortable, right? And when you go to them with truth, they become very uncomfortable. Because it's a threat to their peace, their pseudo-peace, right? It's a threat to their false understanding of what true peace really is. And that's why some people hate Christians so much, not because they see us as bad in and of ourselves, but the message we bring when we share the gospel, they think or they feel that it's a rebuke to them. And we should do everything that we can to not come across that way. But even when we do our very best, some people just don't even want us to open our mouths because it's a threat to the peace and comfort they have in this life, right? They assume we're going to tell them to sell everything they have. They assume the God of the Bible is not pleased with people who have riches. A lot of assumptions. And so in some ways, I would guess that Ahab didn't like Elijah because he was a threat because he was missing the mark, and he was a threat to the comforts he was enjoying as king. What about Jezebel? Why did Jezebel hate Elijah so much? Why was Elijah a troublemaker to Jezebel? Well, Jezebel was the daughter of Ephbaal, the Phoenician king, who very much worships Baal, right? So Ahab marries a non-Christian woman, a pagan woman, and she's excited, probably because of previous connection of their family line. Anyway, she's excited because now she's in a position of power, and does she get converted to the truth? No, because Ahab has no spiritual backbone, and so she's the one who calls the shots. Ahab actually gets backslides, and Jezebel's calling the shots, and she loves being in that position. She's got her 400 prophets of Baal, all singing her praises, all proving that God is not God, right? And Baal is the true God. But Elijah shows up, and he makes this challenge, and ultimately she hates him for what happens. Because for Jezebel, the loss of her 400 prophets of Baal mean the loss of her credibility. Isn't that what happened on Carmel? They're all up there, all the prophets of Baal lose, and then Elijah orders for them all to be killed, because they didn't convert, and we don't want to deal with that at this moment. But Jezebel loses her credibility. She loses her circle of fame and praise among her false prophets, right? So it's no wonder that Jezebel hates Elijah. He is certainly a troublemaker to her, because she has lost all of her power, so to speak. And just like so many people in this world, some people are hungry for power. And God forbid some of those people get that power. It's amazing what people will go to do, what lengths they'll go to, to retain that power. We see it all the time in the news, people with power doing just unthinkable things, right? And then there's the millions of people who have power who get away with stuff in the world that we don't even know about, that God knows about. But the point is that some people, when they have power, if their hearts are not right with God, they're very dangerous people. And Jezebel was not about to lose that power, and so she tells Elijah, by this time tomorrow, you're done, right? You're dead. And that's why he runs. So he's certainly a troublemaker to Jezebel. What about the prophets of Baal themselves? I mean, honestly, they were probably smarter than the queen, smarter than Queen Jezebel, because being a false prophet, being in the circle of prophets, I'm sure, and this is an assumption, that they knew about some of Israel's history. I mean, come on. They were around Israel all the time, and even though Israel had apostatized, surely they had heard about what God had done in the past, right? And so Elijah was a troublemaker to them, especially on Mount Carmel, because they're doing everything they can to summon the manifestation of Baal, and nothing is working. And so every time Elijah was around, probably in the back of their minds at the guests, they were a little uneasy, because this God that I've heard about in the past, is something going to happen where we're going to lose our credibility? So I'm assuming, and it probably has good foundation for it, that Elijah was also a troublemaker to the false prophets. Would you agree with that? Yes. Survey says? Yes. Yes. Right? A troublemaker to Ahab? Yes. A troublemaker to Jezebel? Yes. A troublemaker to the false prophets? Yes. And there you go. Two people, two people, and one people group. Troublemakers. But I want to suggest to you today that there is another one to whom Elijah was a troublemaker. And I want to suggest to you today that there is another one to whom Elijah was a troublemaker. And I want to suggest to you today that there is another one to whom Elijah was a troublemaker. And I want to suggest to you today that there is another one to whom Elijah was a troublemaker. And I want to suggest to you today that there is another one to whom Elijah was a troublemaker. And this is the one that really counts. Elijah was a troublemaker to the devil. Elijah was a troublemaker to Satan. Elijah was a troublemaker to the enemy of our souls. Would you agree with that? Yes. And ultimately, he's the one that really counts because the actions of Jezebel and Ahab and the false prophets are just mere reflections of the enemy of our souls wanting to keep people in deception, right? So really, the one person who counts the most to whom Elijah was a troublemaker was the devil, the dragon. And always behind the face of those who persecute God's people and see them as troublemakers, it's always him, the great deceiver. In fact, Jesus called him the father of lies in John 8, 44. Jesus said he was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, key word, right? Not holding to the truth. For there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language. For he is a liar and the father of lies. So one thing about the dragon, the devil, and Satan, he is a liar, right? That is his nickname and it is an authentic nickname because that's the nickname God gave him because that's what he stands for, deception and error. Why does the devil lie so much? Why is he called the father of lies? Well, it must be because he hates truth, right? I mean, if that's what God calls him, it simply implies that he is a hater of truth. If he's the father of lies, he hates the truth. And why does he hate the truth? Because the truth sets people free from error. Amen? Jesus said, I am the way, the truth, and the life. He who believes in me shall not perish but have everlasting life, right? Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the father but through Jesus. So the devil hates truth because that is the avenue through which people find Jesus. Amen for this book we're going to hand out today, right? Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life. The devil also hates truth because truth leads people out of darkness. And as the father of lies and as the deceiver of our souls, he wants people to remain in darkness. Paul calls the enemy the prince of the power of the air. Isn't that right? He holds the whole world in sway. The whole world is enveloped in darkness. That is the devil. And he also leads people to Jesus, or people are led to Jesus through the truth, and that's why the devil hates the truth so much. So the reason we must ask ourselves, why is he such a deceiver? It's because he hates Jesus so much. Elijah was a troublemaker to the kingdom of darkness because Elijah represented God's intervention in mankind, God's intervention among his people. And the devil, above all else, did not want anybody to see the true and living God, right? He was just merely using Jezebel and Ahab as his pawns, and when the prophets of Baal were all expunged and expired, you can be sure that the devil was raving, flaming mad because he is the father of lies. There's another reason why he hates Jesus so much, and he hates those who share truth with others, because those who share truth with others are those who keep the commandments of God, right? And those who do not compromise truth. That was the issue of Ahab. So it only makes sense that those who the devil hates the most are those who do not compromise truth, and those who do not, or those who keep the commandments of God, and those who do not compromise truth. That is who the devil has in his scope, in his sights, right? That's who the devil hates so much. The troublemakers. Those who expose error. Those who are doing and living their lives to the glory of God. The devil sees them as troublemakers, right? Those who pray in public before they eat. You know, it seems like a very small thing to pray at your table before you eat. But we don't know who takes notice of that, and some people may laugh, and some people may chuckle under their breath, you know? But others may see us praying, and it stirs a thought in their mind, that there are people in this world who believe Jesus is real, answers prayer, right? And the devil hates even that. Something as small as that the devil hates because it is a reveal, it brings light into the world. So the devil hates anything that exposes error, anything that brings glory to God, and anything that can lead people to Jesus. You can be sure today that we're going to be troublemakers, right? I'm not sure if any of the bikers are going to think we're troublemakers. Probably not. I think they'll probably be kind and cordial, I would imagine. And we may get someone who's a little upset, but that's okay, right? Because we can endure that for Jesus. But most people are just going to accept the book, I would imagine, Joey, am I right? Without a big problem. But we can be sure that behind those, the devil is going to be very mad. We can be sure that he sees us as troublemakers because we're bringing light into the world, amen? And we should be okay with that, because that's what we're called to do, be lightbearers. We are called to bring the everlasting gospel to people. And so wrapping up, we must ask ourselves the question, why do we need to be troublemakers? And who are the real troublemakers in this world? Well, one of the identifying marks of the Seventh-day Adventist Church, and we're going to hear this time and time again, is Revelation chapter 14, verse 6 through 12, right? The three angels' messages, right? We are those who keep the commandments of God. Are we troublemakers? Yep. According to Elijah, being a troublemaker like Elijah, right? There is the indirect reference to the commandments of God, worship him who made the heavens and the earth and the sea and all that is, right? Reference to the fourth commandment. There's more troublemaking. And then even in the three angels' message, you've got the mark of the beast. Well, he certainly doesn't want that one known, does he? And you know, we need to be cautious and tactful in how we share these things, but it doesn't matter how we share these things, as tactful as we may be, we are troublemakers. Because if we're going to expose the face of the enemy, if the mask is going to be pulled away, we can be sure that he is not happy. But the world needs more troublemakers, doesn't it? The world needs more troublemakers like Elijah. I'm not suggesting that we go out, look for trouble. Some Christians almost want to invite persecution. I don't think that's what Jesus wants us to do. I think that's misguided. That's not a clear understanding of the gospel. But we should expect persecution to come when we choose to be a well-rounded Christian like Elijah, right? Remember, being a troublemaker doesn't mean we just show up when somebody's doing something wrong and we point it out and we say, this is wrong. We've got to look at the whole life of Elijah. We're a troublemaker when we're ministering to people, being a blessing to people, right? Because it makes the enemy mad, not them. We're a troublemaker when we go into people's homes and help them with food or we remind them of how the faithfulness of God, right? When we share a testimony of how God fed us, whether it be literally in the desert with ravens or whatever have you, when we share our story, we are being troublemakers. Not to those listening, perhaps, not to the homes in which we come visit, but we are being troublemakers to the enemy of our souls because he doesn't want truth to be known. And that's why the world needs more troublemakers, right? The world needs more troublemakers, the Elijah kind. So as we think about that today, let's not forget what being a troublemaker for God is and what it isn't. Being a troublemaker for God means blessing those in need. Amen? Being a troublemaker for God means living peaceful lives where we are respected by our neighbors and those in society. Being a troublemaker for God means sharing truth when we have opportunity to share truth. Being a troublemaker for God can be, like I said, something as simple as praying over your meal. It doesn't always mean confronting evil, standing on a street corner, telling everybody they're going to go to hell, as they do in Boston and Cambridge, Harvard Square. That's not what being a troublemaker is, right? Being a troublemaker means that we love the Word of God, we're in love with Jesus, our great high priest, and we want to share more about him with others, that they too can find hope, that they too can get off of the fence and declare, yes, the Lord is God. And the truth is, the time is coming, and it's already here, when Christianity will be less and less tolerated by the world, and even in the world of Christendom will be less and less tolerated by those who keep the commandments of God, right? So at some point, troublemaking may take on a form of a very acute nature. When we will be seen as Adventists, right, as commandment-keeping people, or anybody who keeps the commandments, even if they're not Adventists, when that doing that will mean it will excite the wrath and the anger of kings, false prophets, false spiritual leaders, even in Christendom. Why? Because Revelation chapter 12 and 9 reminds us, so the great dragon was cast out, that serpent of old, called the devil and Satan, who deceived the whole world. He was cast to the earth, and his angels were cast with him, and verse 17 tells him how he reacts to those who bring light and keep the commandments. And the dragon was enraged with the woman, and he went to make war with the rest of her offspring who keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ. Man, I hate troublemakers, don't you? The kind that really makes society a mess. The flip side of that is, the world needs troublemakers for Jesus, amen? We should all be a troublemaker for Jesus, peacemakers as far as possible. But troublemakers nonetheless, right? Because when we live for Jesus, to the ending of our souls and to the kingdom of darkness, it doesn't matter what we do, we will be called, you, troublers of Israel. Amen? So let's be troublemakers for Jesus. Lord Jesus, help us please, not to be the kind of troublemakers that look bad in society, but the kind of troublemakers that bring honor and glory to you, that bring blessing in the homes of those in need, that bring blessing to the lives of those who are searching for truth. And Lord, if it may be, and one day shall be, where we truly are under the wrath of others because of our love for your commandments, and our recognition that it's a reflection of your character, well then so be it, Lord, give us strength. Give us the faith of Elijah, and most importantly, may we have the testimony of Jesus, our Lord and Savior. For it is that story, his story, the work upon the cross, that will get us through. Because he is our King of Kings, and is coming for us soon one day. We thank you for these things today, and ask all of them in his precious name, amen. Have a beautiful Sabbath, be a troublemaker for the Lord. Our closing hymn is, oh no, I lost my bulletin. Closing hymn, what number is it? 159, thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.
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