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The Man In The Arena · Bible Tract Echoes Podcast

• 0:00
  [SPEAKER_01]: Hey friend, welcome back to Bible Track.co.
• 0:02
  [SPEAKER_01]: So I'm Mike McCurray, your host.
• 0:04
  [SPEAKER_01]: We've got a good bit of message to squeeze into about 13 minutes.
• 0:10
  [SPEAKER_01]: All right, so fast in your seat belts.
• 0:12
  [SPEAKER_01]: Keep your hands and arms inside the vehicle at all times.
• 0:15
  [SPEAKER_01]: All right.
• 0:16
  [SPEAKER_01]: I'm going to ask you to go to St. King's chapter 2.
• 0:18
  [SPEAKER_01]: Need to read actually about 11 verses, but I'm going to get a set of stage.
• 0:22
  [SPEAKER_01]: So stick with me.
• 0:23
  [SPEAKER_01]: Sometimes when I say, you're going to read a little bit of scripture.
• 0:26
  [SPEAKER_01]: People zone out.
• 0:27
  [SPEAKER_01]: Don't do that.
• 0:28
  [SPEAKER_01]: All right?
• 0:28
  [SPEAKER_01]: The word of God is the most important thing that's going to happen all day to day.
• 0:32
  [SPEAKER_01]: So, St. King's chapter 2, look at verse number 5, with me if you would.
• 0:36
  [SPEAKER_01]: St. King's chapter 2, verse number 5, no wasted time, here we go, and the sons of the prophets.
• 0:43
  [SPEAKER_01]: That were at Jericho came to Alish, and said unto him, no is thou that the Lord will take away thy master from thy head today, and he answered,
• 0:53
  [SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, I know it.
• 0:54
  [SPEAKER_01]: Hold you your piece.
• 0:56
  [SPEAKER_01]: Now, this is the singing time, the sons of the providence have done this.
• 0:59
  [SPEAKER_01]: These are the sons of the prophets that were at Jericho and verse number three, the sons of the prophets that were at Bethel did this, verse number six, Elijah said unto him, Elijah was the mentor, Elijah is the protégé, the younger man.
• 1:11
  [SPEAKER_01]: Elijah, the old man, said unto him, Terry, I pray thee, here.
• 1:15
  [SPEAKER_01]: The Lord has sent me to Jordan, and he said, as a Lord lived, and as thy soul lived, I will not leave thee, and they too went on.
• 1:21
  [SPEAKER_01]: 50 men of the sons of the prophets went and stood to view a far off.
• 1:26
  [SPEAKER_01]: And they, too, Elijah and Elijah stood by Jordan.
• 1:29
  [SPEAKER_01]: And Elijah took his mantle and wrapped it together and smote the waters.
• 1:34
  [SPEAKER_01]: And they were divided, hither and hither so that they too went over on dry ground.
• 1:37
  [SPEAKER_01]: And it came to pass when they were gone over the Elijah, said unto Elijah, ask, what I shall do for thee, before I be taken away from thee.
• 1:45
  [SPEAKER_01]: And Elijah said, I pray thee, let a double portion of thy spirit be upon me.
• 1:50
  [SPEAKER_01]: And he said, thou asked, asked a hard thing, nevertheless, if thou see me when I am taken from thee, it shall be so unto thee, but if not, it shall not be so."
• 2:00
  [SPEAKER_01]: And it came to pass as they still went on and talked that behold they repaired a cherry to fire and horses of fire and parted them both asunder and Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven, and Elijah saw it.
• 2:13
  [SPEAKER_01]: And he cried, my father, my father, the cherry of Israel and the horsemen thereof,
• 2:17
  [SPEAKER_01]: And he saw him no more, and he took hold of his own clothes and rent them in two pieces.
• 2:23
  [SPEAKER_01]: He took up also the mantle of Elijah, that fell from him and went back and stood by the bank of Jordan and he took the mantle of Elijah that fell from him and spoke to waters and said, where is the Lord God of Elijah?
• 2:37
  [SPEAKER_01]: And that's our theme.
• 2:38
  [SPEAKER_01]: That's our thought for today.
• 2:40
  [SPEAKER_01]: And when he had also smitten the waters, they parted hither, and dither, and Elijah went over.
• 2:45
  [SPEAKER_01]: And when the sons of the prophets which were to view at Jericho saw him, they said, the spirit of Elijah, the rest on Elijah, and they came to meet him and bowed themselves to the ground before him.
• 2:58
  [SPEAKER_01]: and they sit unto him behold now.
• 3:00
  [SPEAKER_01]: There be with thee, with thy servants fifty strong men.
• 3:03
  [SPEAKER_01]: Let them go, we pray thee, and seek thy master, lest pair adventure the spirit of the Lord of taking him up, and cast him upon some mountain or into some valley.
• 3:13
  [SPEAKER_01]: And he said, ye shall not, send.
• 3:17
  [SPEAKER_01]: Now, we've talked this week about Elijah and Elijah, we've given some context.
• 3:23
  [SPEAKER_01]: While Elijah was alive, Elijah never discouraged the soul of Elijah.
• 3:28
  [SPEAKER_01]: He never departed from the side of Elijah and after Elijah was caught up, Elijah was very careful.
• 3:33
  [SPEAKER_01]: Nothing, nothing degrading was said about Elijah during Elijah's, the next generation of his ministry.
• 3:40
  [SPEAKER_01]: Nothing a lie should did showed up Elijah.
• 3:43
  [SPEAKER_01]: He would need a one-up the older man He never declined to stand like Elijah.
• 3:48
  [SPEAKER_01]: He did like Elijah did.
• 3:50
  [SPEAKER_01]: He stood with steel in the spine But he never duplicated the slump of Elijah.
• 3:55
  [SPEAKER_01]: He didn't have the same first King's 19 depressive
• 3:59
  [SPEAKER_01]: episode that Elijah had.
• 4:02
  [SPEAKER_01]: He learned from his mentor's mistakes maybe.
• 4:05
  [SPEAKER_01]: And he never dismissed the stories about Elijah.
• 4:08
  [SPEAKER_01]: I think he carried not just the mantle but the memories.
• 4:11
  [SPEAKER_01]: We've seen what Elijah this week did right.
• 4:14
  [SPEAKER_01]: He honored his mentor.
• 4:15
  [SPEAKER_01]: He stood as ground.
• 4:16
  [SPEAKER_01]: He fought his battles.
• 4:17
  [SPEAKER_01]: He stayed faithful.
• 4:19
  [SPEAKER_01]: But there's a sobering contrast standing right across the river that day.
• 4:25
  [SPEAKER_01]: On one side, you have Elijah and Elijah, and the mentor, the older man, the elder statesman, Elijah, he's caught up and Elijah's left behind.
• 4:37
  [SPEAKER_01]: But across the river, there were the sons, the prophets, those fifty men.
• 4:43
  [SPEAKER_01]: When Elijah was caught up, Elijah tore his clothes, picked up the mantle, and cried out where is the Lord God of Elijah?
• 4:49
  [SPEAKER_01]: And that's the right question.
• 4:50
  [SPEAKER_01]: That's the question of man who's not just looking for memories, asks.
• 4:54
  [SPEAKER_01]: It's a man who's looking for God.
• 4:56
  [SPEAKER_01]: But the sun's the providence?
• 4:59
  [SPEAKER_01]: They were asking a very different set of questions.
• 5:01
  [SPEAKER_01]: They weren't asking where is the Lord God of Elijah.
• 5:04
  [SPEAKER_01]: They were asking.
• 5:05
  [SPEAKER_01]: Maybe, maybe Elijah's body fell somewhere.
• 5:09
  [SPEAKER_01]: Maybe we should go search for him.
• 5:11
  [SPEAKER_01]: Maybe we can find the man we lost.
• 5:14
  [SPEAKER_01]: While Elijah looked upward, they looked outward and around.
• 5:22
  [SPEAKER_01]: And they missed it.
• 5:23
  [SPEAKER_01]: And sadly, many in our day, many with the right training, the right heritage, the right background,
• 5:31
  [SPEAKER_01]: Maybe we're missing it too.
• 5:33
  [SPEAKER_01]: If you read St. King's 2 carefully, you'll notice something about the sounds of the providence.
• 5:38
  [SPEAKER_01]: They're close enough to see what happens.
• 5:42
  [SPEAKER_01]: They probably saw the chair to fire.
• 5:44
  [SPEAKER_01]: The horses of fire, the...
• 5:46
  [SPEAKER_01]: They saw the whirlwind, they saw Elijah go, but they weren't close enough to experience it.
• 5:52
  [SPEAKER_01]: They stand afar off while Elijah walks with Elijah to the very brink of eternity.
• 5:59
  [SPEAKER_01]: They know something spiritual is happening.
• 6:02
  [SPEAKER_01]: They even tell Elijah, don't you know your match is going to be taken from you, but instead of staying close instead of stepping forward in faith, they settle for spectating.
• 6:12
  [SPEAKER_01]: After Elijah's taken, instead of crying out for God like Elijah did, they start organizing a search party.
• 6:18
  [SPEAKER_01]: They're not looking for the Lord.
• 6:20
  [SPEAKER_01]: They're looking for a leader.
• 6:22
  [SPEAKER_01]: They're not looking for their master, God, they're looking for a man.
• 6:27
  [SPEAKER_01]: And there's a world of difference.
• 6:29
  [SPEAKER_01]: Why is this, though?
• 6:30
  [SPEAKER_01]: I believe in one part because they esteemed their strength over the supernatural.
• 6:34
  [SPEAKER_01]: We've seen first number 16 behold now there be with thy servants 50 strong men.
• 6:40
  [SPEAKER_01]: What do their strength have to do with anything?
• 6:42
  [SPEAKER_01]: Did their strength help them find Elijah?
• 6:44
  [SPEAKER_01]: No, Elijah was gone.
• 6:45
  [SPEAKER_01]: He was in glory.
• 6:47
  [SPEAKER_01]: They had training, they had knowledge, skill, they were, they had strength, but they missed the most important thing.
• 6:52
  [SPEAKER_01]: They missed the power of God.
• 6:54
  [SPEAKER_01]: Zechariah 46, not by might nor by power, but by my spirit, say the Lord of hosts.
• 7:01
  [SPEAKER_01]: Talent, charisma, and cleverness, all of its useless, without the touch of heaven.
• 7:06
  [SPEAKER_01]: We are not God's gift to the ministry.
• 7:09
  [SPEAKER_01]: Jesus is God's gift to us, and without him we can do nothing, John 155.
• 7:15
  [SPEAKER_01]: We all know highly talented people that have fallen from ministry or fallen from the will of God because they relied on talent, ability without abiding.
• 7:26
  [SPEAKER_01]: It's food foolish.
• 7:30
  [SPEAKER_01]: They look for a man in seven master.
• 7:32
  [SPEAKER_01]: They were more concerned with recovering Elijah, rather than they were with a relationship with Elijah's God.
• 7:38
  [SPEAKER_01]: They wanted their hero back, but they didn't realize heroes are not the source of revival.
• 7:43
  [SPEAKER_01]: God is Jeremiah 175, thus say at the Lord cursed be the man that trusted in man.
• 7:50
  [SPEAKER_01]: and make it flesh his arm and whose heart departeth from the Lord.
• 7:55
  [SPEAKER_01]: I thank God for the great men that have invested in me, but if our loyalty stops with them and doesn't rise to God Himself, we're building on sand Psalm 1880, it is better to trust them Lord than to put confidence in man.
• 8:08
  [SPEAKER_01]: Of course, Hebrews 12 too, looking unto Jesus, the author, and finish of our faith.
• 8:13
  [SPEAKER_01]: They were interested in these sons of the prophets, they were interested in more in humanity instead of holiness or in divinity, methods, programs, strategies, charisma.
• 8:23
  [SPEAKER_01]: These are not substitutes for the power of God, the power of holy life.
• 8:28
  [SPEAKER_01]: Psalm 24, who shall ascend into the hill of the Lord, or who shall stand in his holy place, he that have clean hands and a pure heart, who have not lifted up his soul on divinity nor sworn deceitfully.
• 8:43
  [SPEAKER_01]: It's not our preparation, our polish, that brings power, it's prayer.
• 8:49
  [SPEAKER_01]: sanctification that brings the umption of God and don't confuse your function with his umption.
• 8:57
  [SPEAKER_01]: San Corinthians 129, and he said unto me, my grace is sufficient for thee, for my strength is made perfect in weakness.
• 9:05
  [SPEAKER_01]: It's not about what we can build to get up to God, it's about whether God is willing to descend.
• 9:13
  [SPEAKER_01]: Where is the Lord God of Elijah?
• 9:15
  [SPEAKER_01]: That's the question today.
• 9:17
  [SPEAKER_01]: It's not where is the next big name?
• 9:20
  [SPEAKER_01]: Where is the next cool movement?
• 9:22
  [SPEAKER_01]: Where is the next marketing strategy?
• 9:25
  [SPEAKER_01]: Where is the Lord God?
• 9:30
  [SPEAKER_01]: Elijah, he was gone.
• 9:33
  [SPEAKER_01]: But Elijah, he wasn't following Elijah as a spectator.
• 9:37
  [SPEAKER_01]: The sun's the prophets walked, watched him at distance.
• 9:43
  [SPEAKER_01]: He wasn't following a lie to just for a lie to you.
• 9:46
  [SPEAKER_01]: If your ministry can't outlive your fathers, who will you follow in the whole time?
• 9:53
  [SPEAKER_01]: If your ministry disintegrates when your mentors pass on, will you follow in God?
• 10:00
  [SPEAKER_01]: He wasn't following Elijah for the perks that come from being near God's man.
• 10:04
  [SPEAKER_01]: If we only follow God for the blessings, we've got it backwards.
• 10:07
  [SPEAKER_01]: If we follow man, if we follow man or men because of the shine that comes off of them, then we're in it for the wrong reason.
• 10:16
  [SPEAKER_01]: I thank God for all He's done.
• 10:21
  [SPEAKER_01]: I thank God for the fact that He has been so good to me.
• 10:25
  [SPEAKER_01]: Think of a song, a quaint in my throat, look what God has done.
• 10:30
  [SPEAKER_01]: I stand amazed to think of His love.
• 10:33
  [SPEAKER_01]: I don't deserve it.
• 10:34
  [SPEAKER_01]: There's no way I could earn it.
• 10:39
  [SPEAKER_01]: Elijah wasn't following Elijah to inherit a platform.
• 10:42
  [SPEAKER_01]: Some, today, want pulpits without paying a price.
• 10:46
  [SPEAKER_01]: Elijah poured water on Elijah's hands.
• 10:48
  [SPEAKER_01]: He was a servant.
• 10:49
  [SPEAKER_01]: Before he was ever.
• 10:51
  [SPEAKER_01]: High and mighty.
• 10:52
  [SPEAKER_01]: He served before he ever stood.
• 10:54
  [SPEAKER_01]: He wasn't following Elijah.
• 10:56
  [SPEAKER_01]: Elijah, the young man wasn't following Elijah because it was popular.
• 10:59
  [SPEAKER_01]: He followed because it was right, even when Elijah was hated, hunted, and alone.
• 11:03
  [SPEAKER_01]: Elijah stayed close and that's why he asked the right question.
• 11:08
  [SPEAKER_01]: Sengakings, 2014, where is the Lord God of?
• 11:12
  [SPEAKER_01]: Elijah.
• 11:14
  [SPEAKER_01]: That's the question my generation needs to ask again.
• 11:16
  [SPEAKER_01]: That's the cry of those who are not content to stand at a distance.
• 11:22
  [SPEAKER_01]: That's the cry of someone who wants to pick up the mantle and do something with it.
• 11:29
  [SPEAKER_01]: I wonder right now, where are the young men that will take a lie just place, not for platformer or for personality, but for the presence of God?
• 11:39
  [SPEAKER_01]: Will it be the sun's the prophets?
• 11:41
  [SPEAKER_01]: I don't think so.
• 11:42
  [SPEAKER_01]: They can kick rocks.
• 11:44
  [SPEAKER_01]: They asked dumb questions, they were too cautious, carefully and calculated,
• 11:48
  [SPEAKER_01]: They stood back just far enough to say they saw it, but not close enough to be changed to buy it, and nobody names their sons after the sons of the prophets, you know why?
• 11:56
  [SPEAKER_01]: Because we don't name people for spectators.
• 11:59
  [SPEAKER_01]: It's the man in the arena.
• 12:01
  [SPEAKER_01]: I know plenty of young men named Elijah and Elijah, though.
• 12:04
  [SPEAKER_01]: don't you?
• 12:05
  [SPEAKER_01]: Teddy Roosevelt said it is not the critic who counts.
• 12:08
  [SPEAKER_01]: Not the man who points out how the strong man's stumbles or the doer of deeds could have done them better.
• 12:14
  [SPEAKER_01]: The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood whose drives valiantly, who airs, who comes short and tight again and again, because there is no effort without air in short coming, but who does actually strike due to deeds?
• 12:32
  [SPEAKER_01]: Knows, great enthusiasm, to great devotions who spends himself in a worthy cause, who at the best knows in the end the triumph of higher achievement and who at the worst if he fails at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and
• 13:01
  [SPEAKER_01]: My prayer is always, is that you have a great day, for His glory.
• 13:06
  [SPEAKER_01]: Thank you for listening to Bible-track tackoes.
• 13:10
  [SPEAKER_01]: God bless.
• 13:16
  [SPEAKER_00]: Thank you for tuning in to Bible Tract Echoes, the radio ministry of Bible Tracts Incorporated.
• 13:23
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• 13:26
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• 13:40
  [SPEAKER_00]: Thanks again for listening.
• 13:42
  [SPEAKER_00]: May the Lord richly bless you as you live for Him.