1 00:00:00,320 --> 00:00:03,280 Pastor Dale Tunnell: And can you see what that is? 2 00:00:03,280 --> 00:00:08,000 Pastor Dale Tunnell: Some of you on the pop front row may have to help some of those in the back so that they can uh 3 00:00:10,059 --> 00:00:11,180 Pastor Dale Tunnell: Yeah. 4 00:00:11,180 --> 00:00:17,340 Pastor Dale Tunnell: I saw this in the lobby this week and I thought I should put it in Lost and Found. 5 00:00:17,440 --> 00:00:22,400 Pastor Dale Tunnell: And I said, ah, I'll use that as a sermon illustration this week. 6 00:00:22,400 --> 00:00:27,520 Pastor Dale Tunnell: Um few of you know what a compass is for, don't you? 7 00:00:29,560 --> 00:00:32,120 Pastor Dale Tunnell: Yeah, finding your directions. 8 00:00:32,120 --> 00:00:37,320 Pastor Dale Tunnell: Uh those under eighteen probably don't know how to do that anymore with a compass. 9 00:00:38,840 --> 00:00:48,280 Pastor Dale Tunnell: When I was sixteen I was in Pathfinders and I joined orienteering and my friend and I thought we were 10 00:00:48,820 --> 00:00:53,140 Pastor Dale Tunnell: Going to win the orienteering competition at Camperie. 11 00:00:53,140 --> 00:01:01,220 Pastor Dale Tunnell: All I can say is three hours later, the search teams found us. 12 00:01:06,360 --> 00:01:08,520 Pastor Dale Tunnell: As we were trying to find our way home. 13 00:01:10,840 --> 00:01:20,520 Pastor Dale Tunnell: So I was excited when I when I got uh the cell phone and they had this thing, you know, that maps and I was really excited that I came back from Mongolia my 14 00:01:20,939 --> 00:01:31,259 Pastor Dale Tunnell: daughters gave me the the phone and they said, Dad, use this and uh I learned how to use the maps and I was going to show my parents how smart it was. 15 00:01:31,720 --> 00:01:39,560 Pastor Dale Tunnell: And we were traveling on a road that we had traveled for years and we knew where the hotel was that we were going to stop at. 16 00:01:39,560 --> 00:01:45,160 Pastor Dale Tunnell: We weren't in the habit of stopping at hotels, but I said, Hey, I'm gonna have my GPS find the hotel for us 17 00:01:45,220 --> 00:01:50,900 Pastor Dale Tunnell: And when it got off early at the wrong exit, I wondered what was wrong with my GPS. 18 00:01:50,900 --> 00:01:55,780 Pastor Dale Tunnell: And I said, Oh, maybe there's something happened on the interstate that it's taken me around and uh 19 00:01:56,320 --> 00:02:09,520 Pastor Dale Tunnell: going to bypass a traffic problem or something and uh so I followed the GPS and it was getting late and late at night and I followed the GPS and I followed the GPS 20 00:02:10,340 --> 00:02:16,420 Pastor Dale Tunnell: And finally we were in the middle of the middle of nowhere and it said, you have arrived at your destination. 21 00:02:16,420 --> 00:02:22,580 Pastor Dale Tunnell: And my parents were following me in their car, and I went back and I told them, We have arrived at our destination. 22 00:02:23,580 --> 00:02:31,900 Pastor Dale Tunnell: And they laughed and I s told 'em how smart my GPS was and I said, Well it 23 00:02:33,280 --> 00:02:38,800 Pastor Dale Tunnell: I was trying to delete somebody that didn't pass their orienteering honor, so what should I expect? 24 00:02:39,040 --> 00:02:47,760 Pastor Dale Tunnell: Um You know, sometimes we rely on some things to get us some places. 25 00:02:48,900 --> 00:02:58,099 Pastor Dale Tunnell: And even when we rely on the GPS that we think is really, really, really, really smart and accurate. 26 00:02:58,379 --> 00:03:08,299 Pastor Dale Tunnell: And most of the time it seems to be until I use it, or until I rely on it for something really, really important. 27 00:03:08,440 --> 00:03:19,160 Pastor Dale Tunnell: And then when it gets me those places that I want to go, you know, 98% of the time, you kind of put confidence in it. 28 00:03:19,160 --> 00:03:21,319 Pastor Dale Tunnell: And then what does it do? 29 00:03:24,780 --> 00:03:26,459 Pastor Dale Tunnell: Yeah. 30 00:03:26,459 --> 00:03:32,220 Pastor Dale Tunnell: What do you use to guide you in day-to-day life? 31 00:03:39,019 --> 00:03:41,980 Pastor Dale Tunnell: Which leads me to our story today. 32 00:03:42,840 --> 00:03:49,560 Pastor Dale Tunnell: We sing the song about Elijah, and for the next several weeks we're going to be talking about Elijah. 33 00:03:49,560 --> 00:03:54,200 Pastor Dale Tunnell: And just me saying that, you're going to say, I know the story of Elijah. 34 00:03:54,060 --> 00:03:55,019 Pastor Dale Tunnell: And that's okay. 35 00:03:55,019 --> 00:03:59,980 Pastor Dale Tunnell: You know the story of Elijah, but I'm going to tell you, these are the days of Elijah. 36 00:04:03,800 --> 00:04:09,240 Pastor Dale Tunnell: Elijah is one of those oh fantastic stories. 37 00:04:09,240 --> 00:04:12,280 Pastor Dale Tunnell: I mean he's right up there with with 38 00:04:13,260 --> 00:04:25,180 Pastor Dale Tunnell: Moses, he's right up there with with Peter and John the Baptist and and Paul and and and and Joshua and and I mean Elijah is 39 00:04:26,480 --> 00:04:31,040 Pastor Dale Tunnell: I'm just going to tell you Elijah was quite a prophet. 40 00:04:31,040 --> 00:04:32,400 Pastor Dale Tunnell: He was he was 41 00:04:34,120 --> 00:04:36,199 Pastor Dale Tunnell: Quite a man of God. 42 00:04:36,199 --> 00:04:41,400 Pastor Dale Tunnell: He was the kind of person that you could you could easily look up to 43 00:04:42,199 --> 00:04:54,840 Pastor Dale Tunnell: But the days of Elijah, when he came into to his responsibility, when he came into his his prophethood, when he came into the responsibility that God had called him for 44 00:04:55,060 --> 00:05:00,340 Pastor Dale Tunnell: Let me tell you, those were not good days. 45 00:05:00,340 --> 00:05:06,979 Pastor Dale Tunnell: When you think about the people of Israel, we tend to like to think about them at their at their zenith 46 00:05:07,340 --> 00:05:13,260 Pastor Dale Tunnell: For a hundred years they seemed to go what we thought was was what we think is pretty good. 47 00:05:13,260 --> 00:05:18,620 Pastor Dale Tunnell: They had three kings that led them for their first hundred years during kingship. 48 00:05:19,540 --> 00:05:22,740 Pastor Dale Tunnell: Now during kingship, who were those first three kings? 49 00:05:24,419 --> 00:05:26,259 Pastor Dale Tunnell: Saul, David, and Solomon. 50 00:05:26,259 --> 00:05:31,460 Pastor Dale Tunnell: And it got so high that what we tend to refer to as the zenith of Israel 51 00:05:31,560 --> 00:05:43,160 Pastor Dale Tunnell: When Solomon was there and he was having people from other nations come to him to learn about what Israel was doing right. 52 00:05:45,520 --> 00:05:51,680 Pastor Dale Tunnell: The beauty of what God had designed and desired for his people. 53 00:05:51,680 --> 00:05:54,640 Pastor Dale Tunnell: It was moving in the right direction. 54 00:05:55,560 --> 00:06:01,720 Pastor Dale Tunnell: But then Solomon's heart began to be tempted and began to to fall away. 55 00:06:02,200 --> 00:06:04,200 Pastor Dale Tunnell: And after Solomon 56 00:06:04,980 --> 00:06:06,820 Pastor Dale Tunnell: It didn't go so well. 57 00:06:06,820 --> 00:06:08,820 Pastor Dale Tunnell: There was a civil war. 58 00:06:08,820 --> 00:06:11,380 Pastor Dale Tunnell: It became a divided kingdom 59 00:06:12,460 --> 00:06:13,979 Pastor Dale Tunnell: We know the divided kingdom. 60 00:06:13,979 --> 00:06:15,500 Pastor Dale Tunnell: Boy, I try and read that back there. 61 00:06:15,500 --> 00:06:16,780 Pastor Dale Tunnell: Can I read it up here? 62 00:06:16,780 --> 00:06:18,220 Pastor Dale Tunnell: A little bit better. 63 00:06:18,220 --> 00:06:20,379 Pastor Dale Tunnell: Israel and and and Judah. 64 00:06:20,699 --> 00:06:22,220 Pastor Dale Tunnell: Israel the kingdom of the north. 65 00:06:22,220 --> 00:06:24,300 Pastor Dale Tunnell: Judah the kingdom of the south. 66 00:06:24,240 --> 00:06:27,520 Pastor Dale Tunnell: Yeah, I need to go get my eyes checked, don't I? 67 00:06:27,520 --> 00:06:30,160 Pastor Dale Tunnell: Uh the uh 68 00:06:33,300 --> 00:06:40,500 Pastor Dale Tunnell: And if you read through Kings and Chronicles, if you're like most people 69 00:06:41,680 --> 00:06:46,080 Pastor Dale Tunnell: If you're like me, you tend to get confused. 70 00:06:46,080 --> 00:06:50,240 Pastor Dale Tunnell: Because there were there were kings of the north and kings of the south and and 71 00:06:50,539 --> 00:07:02,139 Pastor Dale Tunnell: They tend to say, and so and so became the king, and so and so was the king of the south, and and so and so was the king of Judah, and so and so was the king of Israel, and they kind of overlap and they christen cross 72 00:07:02,440 --> 00:07:09,080 Pastor Dale Tunnell: And when they write them in Kings and and Chronicles, it's easy for us to get confused. 73 00:07:09,080 --> 00:07:13,400 Pastor Dale Tunnell: I kind of put it up here on the I found uh something that had it printed out this way. 74 00:07:13,400 --> 00:07:14,920 Pastor Dale Tunnell: I don't know if you can read it 75 00:07:14,700 --> 00:07:17,660 Pastor Dale Tunnell: If you come up front here, you can kind of read it. 76 00:07:18,700 --> 00:07:22,140 Pastor Dale Tunnell: Talks about the Northern Kingdom and you can see those names at the top. 77 00:07:22,620 --> 00:07:24,300 Pastor Dale Tunnell: Is there a light on here? 78 00:07:25,699 --> 00:07:29,139 Pastor Dale Tunnell: If there is, I'm not getting it to work. 79 00:07:30,259 --> 00:07:31,300 Pastor Dale Tunnell: That's okay. 80 00:07:31,300 --> 00:07:36,340 Pastor Dale Tunnell: At the top there you can read all of the or if you can't read it, all those names at the top. 81 00:07:36,960 --> 00:07:44,400 Pastor Dale Tunnell: Kings of uh Israel, they were all bad kings. 82 00:07:44,400 --> 00:07:49,680 Pastor Dale Tunnell: Israel, from the time that they split, did not have any good 83 00:07:50,500 --> 00:07:52,820 Pastor Dale Tunnell: kings. 84 00:07:52,820 --> 00:07:56,180 Pastor Dale Tunnell: In Judah they had seventeen kings. 85 00:07:56,180 --> 00:07:59,140 Pastor Dale Tunnell: Oh I should say kings of of Israel, they had nineteen 86 00:07:59,539 --> 00:08:01,860 Pastor Dale Tunnell: Kings of the the south there, Judah. 87 00:08:01,860 --> 00:08:06,340 Pastor Dale Tunnell: And that Judah is the area where Jerusalem is, seventeen kings. 88 00:08:06,340 --> 00:08:07,620 Pastor Dale Tunnell: Eight of them were 89 00:08:08,240 --> 00:08:14,080 Pastor Dale Tunnell: We call them good kings, but some of those, if you are looking at this, are in the written in the gray. 90 00:08:14,080 --> 00:08:16,880 Pastor Dale Tunnell: That means they're partially good, partially bad. 91 00:08:16,880 --> 00:08:20,160 Pastor Dale Tunnell: But they had eight that were good dish. 92 00:08:20,940 --> 00:08:25,900 Pastor Dale Tunnell: Uh the rest of them, the other nine, were what we call bad kings. 93 00:08:27,979 --> 00:08:29,979 Pastor Dale Tunnell: Right in the middle of this 94 00:08:30,220 --> 00:08:39,820 Pastor Dale Tunnell: Right in the middle of the kings of Israel, there, uh king of the north, Israel, uh you'll find Ahab 95 00:08:41,040 --> 00:08:50,080 Pastor Dale Tunnell: Ahab is there in the middle and he is a king of Israel and he was not a good king. 96 00:08:50,520 --> 00:08:55,240 Pastor Dale Tunnell: But I'm going to show you how bad it was. 97 00:08:55,240 --> 00:09:02,120 Pastor Dale Tunnell: If you could turn in your Bible, uh or if you don't want to turn your Bible, I think I have it on the screen, 1 Kings 13, 33. 98 00:09:02,120 --> 00:09:03,240 Pastor Dale Tunnell: After uh 99 00:09:05,160 --> 00:09:15,880 Pastor Dale Tunnell: Solomon when the kingdoms split, first Kings thirteen, verse thirty-three 100 00:09:19,160 --> 00:09:22,840 Pastor Dale Tunnell: See if I can find it here in my Bible. 101 00:09:22,840 --> 00:09:24,200 Pastor Dale Tunnell: I like to write it here. 102 00:09:24,200 --> 00:09:29,320 Pastor Dale Tunnell: It says, and and after this event Jeroboam did not turn from his evil way. 103 00:09:29,459 --> 00:09:34,260 Pastor Dale Tunnell: But again he made priests from every class of people for the high places. 104 00:09:34,260 --> 00:09:39,779 Pastor Dale Tunnell: Whoever wished, he consecrated him, and he became one of the priests of the high places. 105 00:09:42,199 --> 00:09:45,880 Pastor Dale Tunnell: This was just after Solomon. 106 00:09:45,880 --> 00:09:48,440 Pastor Dale Tunnell: Begin worshiping on the high places 107 00:09:48,560 --> 00:09:50,960 Pastor Dale Tunnell: Now sometimes we ask what are the high places. 108 00:09:50,960 --> 00:09:58,560 Pastor Dale Tunnell: I'd often ask that question myself, until I went to the country of Mongolia and I discovered what the high places were. 109 00:09:59,560 --> 00:10:03,560 Pastor Dale Tunnell: The high places were those places up on the mountaintops. 110 00:10:04,040 --> 00:10:08,280 Pastor Dale Tunnell: And up on almost every mountaintop they would have a mound of rocks, something like this. 111 00:10:08,280 --> 00:10:11,080 Pastor Dale Tunnell: There would be a stick stuck in that mound of rocks. 112 00:10:10,700 --> 00:10:16,540 Pastor Dale Tunnell: and there would be the blue flag or blue pieces of cloths wrapped around it. 113 00:10:16,540 --> 00:10:21,180 Pastor Dale Tunnell: And this uh w was happening on the high places 114 00:10:22,240 --> 00:10:29,279 Pastor Dale Tunnell: And should a place become more a established high place, they may 115 00:10:30,640 --> 00:10:32,160 Pastor Dale Tunnell: build a building there. 116 00:10:32,160 --> 00:10:41,440 Pastor Dale Tunnell: And should it become even more established, it was enlarged and enshrined and made white and gold and it uh 117 00:10:41,940 --> 00:10:44,340 Pastor Dale Tunnell: The people liked these high places. 118 00:10:44,340 --> 00:10:47,620 Pastor Dale Tunnell: The people there in Mongolia were always going up to the high places. 119 00:10:47,620 --> 00:10:48,900 Pastor Dale Tunnell: Now it's funny 120 00:10:49,540 --> 00:10:56,899 Pastor Dale Tunnell: As Christians, as Seventh-day Adventists, with the young people there, I would ask the young people, what are we going to do on Sabbath afternoon? 121 00:10:56,899 --> 00:10:59,140 Pastor Dale Tunnell: And they'd say, let's go for a hike. 122 00:10:59,140 --> 00:11:01,140 Pastor Dale Tunnell: And you know where they want to hike? 123 00:11:01,740 --> 00:11:04,699 Pastor Dale Tunnell: The same place you want to hike. 124 00:11:04,699 --> 00:11:08,139 Pastor Dale Tunnell: Don't you like climbing to the mountaintop? 125 00:11:08,139 --> 00:11:10,139 Pastor Dale Tunnell: That's what they wanted to do. 126 00:11:09,860 --> 00:11:12,020 Pastor Dale Tunnell: They wanted to climb to the high places. 127 00:11:12,020 --> 00:11:16,020 Pastor Dale Tunnell: And so every time we'd climb up to a high place, you would see something like this. 128 00:11:16,020 --> 00:11:20,580 Pastor Dale Tunnell: And if it was a high place that was not used very often, 129 00:11:20,720 --> 00:11:27,520 Pastor Dale Tunnell: Not frequented by a lot of people, you would all still always see some stone stacked up 130 00:11:30,520 --> 00:11:40,200 Pastor Dale Tunnell: And when people got up there, they would tend to walk around the stones because that's what their culture had taught them to do 131 00:11:40,980 --> 00:11:44,180 Pastor Dale Tunnell: As a way to worship at the high places. 132 00:11:45,620 --> 00:11:53,700 Pastor Dale Tunnell: Oftentimes I would see people up on the high places, they were offering offerings of their food, offerings of milk. 133 00:11:53,820 --> 00:11:56,700 Pastor Dale Tunnell: To the gods on the high places. 134 00:11:56,700 --> 00:12:02,700 Pastor Dale Tunnell: That's the kind of thing that was happening during the time. 135 00:12:02,700 --> 00:12:05,020 Pastor Dale Tunnell: Who are we talking about here? 136 00:12:05,020 --> 00:12:06,140 Pastor Dale Tunnell: Jeroboam 137 00:12:08,800 --> 00:12:16,480 Pastor Dale Tunnell: That kind of thing was happening up on the high places, the the ridges of the mountaintops. 138 00:12:16,480 --> 00:12:18,320 Pastor Dale Tunnell: But it even got worse 139 00:12:20,260 --> 00:12:24,100 Pastor Dale Tunnell: We keep reading here, First Kings fifteen twenty-six 140 00:12:34,660 --> 00:12:39,620 Pastor Dale Tunnell: Oh, I see I missed uh a couple of kings there. 141 00:12:39,620 --> 00:12:42,660 Pastor Dale Tunnell: That's okay, I'll go to first Kings fifteen, twenty-six 142 00:12:44,720 --> 00:12:50,800 Pastor Dale Tunnell: And Nadab, the sub 25 says, and Nadab the son of Jeroboam became king over Israel. 143 00:12:50,800 --> 00:12:52,959 Pastor Dale Tunnell: In the second year of Asa, king of Judah. 144 00:12:52,959 --> 00:12:53,440 Pastor Dale Tunnell: That's why we 145 00:12:53,660 --> 00:12:55,580 Pastor Dale Tunnell: Have a hard time remembering who does what. 146 00:12:55,580 --> 00:13:05,100 Pastor Dale Tunnell: And he reigned over Israel two years, and he did evil in the sight of the Lord, and he walked in the way of his father, and in his sin by which he had made Israel sin 147 00:13:07,360 --> 00:13:10,160 Pastor Dale Tunnell: Do you see what's happening here? 148 00:13:10,160 --> 00:13:13,280 Pastor Dale Tunnell: The sins continue. 149 00:13:13,280 --> 00:13:15,520 Pastor Dale Tunnell: The next one comes along. 150 00:13:16,600 --> 00:13:19,800 Pastor Dale Tunnell: Did I have that one twice? 151 00:13:19,800 --> 00:13:22,120 Pastor Dale Tunnell: The next one comes along, Basha. 152 00:13:25,019 --> 00:13:34,940 Pastor Dale Tunnell: Verse 34 says, And he did evil in the sight of the Lord and walked in the way of Jeroboam, and in his sin by which he had made Israel commit. 153 00:13:38,040 --> 00:13:44,440 Pastor Dale Tunnell: The sins were continuing and continuing and continuing 154 00:13:47,600 --> 00:13:52,960 Pastor Dale Tunnell: He did what was evil in the sight of the Lord. 155 00:13:53,120 --> 00:14:00,880 Pastor Dale Tunnell: Continues in Omri did evil in the eyes of the Lord, and did worse than all who were before him. 156 00:14:00,880 --> 00:14:06,080 Pastor Dale Tunnell: It's almost as if the the one before him, they said, oh, he was that bad. 157 00:14:06,080 --> 00:14:11,680 Pastor Dale Tunnell: I can I can do it but I can do bad better. 158 00:14:12,540 --> 00:14:13,820 Pastor Dale Tunnell: Is that what they'd say? 159 00:14:15,020 --> 00:14:18,380 Pastor Dale Tunnell: I I I can be worse. 160 00:14:18,380 --> 00:14:21,900 Pastor Dale Tunnell: I I I can I can go a little bit further 161 00:14:22,940 --> 00:14:31,260 Pastor Dale Tunnell: I can see how how far away from the Creator God can I get? 162 00:14:32,280 --> 00:14:41,560 Pastor Dale Tunnell: Sometimes we I read through these verses and I'm thinking about this and you wonder how they could do this. 163 00:14:41,980 --> 00:14:49,020 Pastor Dale Tunnell: This was the people that a hundred years before, they were the pinnacle of the world. 164 00:14:49,020 --> 00:14:50,860 Pastor Dale Tunnell: They were on top of things. 165 00:14:50,860 --> 00:14:55,100 Pastor Dale Tunnell: They were the world was coming to them to see how to do things right 166 00:14:55,240 --> 00:15:08,120 Pastor Dale Tunnell: and now they were so far you would kind of expect this from the people of the world around them, from the from the Canaanites, from the Phoenicians 167 00:15:08,360 --> 00:15:17,880 Pastor Dale Tunnell: from the the the the countries that are you would expect it from those people but these are God's people 168 00:15:19,780 --> 00:15:25,220 Pastor Dale Tunnell: These are God's people that have the sanctuary in their midst. 169 00:15:25,220 --> 00:15:26,900 Pastor Dale Tunnell: They are connected to 170 00:15:28,420 --> 00:15:33,460 Pastor Dale Tunnell: By family, by blood, by relation to the people in Jerusalem. 171 00:15:33,460 --> 00:15:35,700 Pastor Dale Tunnell: They have the Word of God. 172 00:15:35,700 --> 00:15:39,860 Pastor Dale Tunnell: They have been sent prophet after prophet after prophet after prophet 173 00:15:40,040 --> 00:15:44,519 Pastor Dale Tunnell: to them, to give them the word of the Lord. 174 00:15:44,519 --> 00:15:47,240 Pastor Dale Tunnell: And yet it seems like what's it say? 175 00:15:47,240 --> 00:15:53,320 Pastor Dale Tunnell: Omri did evil in the eyes of the Lord and did worse than all who were before him. 176 00:16:00,020 --> 00:16:02,660 Pastor Dale Tunnell: How bad does it have to go? 177 00:16:12,080 --> 00:16:18,640 Pastor Dale Tunnell: You wonder, would it be possible for this that kind of thing to happen in the Seventh-day Adventist Church? 178 00:16:19,899 --> 00:16:22,699 Pastor Dale Tunnell: How long have we been around as a church? 179 00:16:27,980 --> 00:16:32,300 Pastor Dale Tunnell: Just over oh I'll just say a few years, right 180 00:16:33,180 --> 00:16:39,580 Pastor Dale Tunnell: About in the same time prophecy as we're talking about from Solomon to we get to Omri or Ahab. 181 00:16:43,440 --> 00:16:50,880 Pastor Dale Tunnell: Do we see shifts in our church that are for the worse? 182 00:16:51,440 --> 00:16:56,720 Pastor Dale Tunnell: See us as a church becoming more worldly. 183 00:16:56,720 --> 00:17:01,680 Pastor Dale Tunnell: See us as a church adapting to the culture around us. 184 00:17:03,440 --> 00:17:09,120 Pastor Dale Tunnell: Sometimes I read this and I just want to shake my head and say, how can they do this? 185 00:17:09,120 --> 00:17:10,480 Pastor Dale Tunnell: How could it happen? 186 00:17:10,480 --> 00:17:14,320 Pastor Dale Tunnell: How could they go so low, so far, so 187 00:17:14,600 --> 00:17:18,520 Pastor Dale Tunnell: And when I think about it so fast. 188 00:17:18,520 --> 00:17:20,360 Pastor Dale Tunnell: But I don't have to ponder it long. 189 00:17:20,360 --> 00:17:22,439 Pastor Dale Tunnell: I understand how it happens. 190 00:17:22,439 --> 00:17:25,000 Pastor Dale Tunnell: It happens one step at a time. 191 00:17:25,660 --> 00:17:28,860 Pastor Dale Tunnell: It happens little by little. 192 00:17:28,860 --> 00:17:31,820 Pastor Dale Tunnell: I mean that's the way it happens in our lives, isn't it 193 00:17:33,060 --> 00:17:41,540 Pastor Dale Tunnell: I mean, some of the things we say when we were were children, I will never, and you can fill in the blank. 194 00:17:42,559 --> 00:17:46,080 Pastor Dale Tunnell: Of what it is you're never going to do. 195 00:17:46,080 --> 00:17:54,640 Pastor Dale Tunnell: And now you look at yourself as a little older and well, what I thought I would never do has now become habit. 196 00:17:57,039 --> 00:17:59,840 Pastor Dale Tunnell: How does it happen? 197 00:18:03,360 --> 00:18:05,679 Pastor Dale Tunnell: One step at a time. 198 00:18:07,900 --> 00:18:08,940 Pastor Dale Tunnell: One step? 199 00:18:08,940 --> 00:18:11,260 Pastor Dale Tunnell: Uh uh maybe we don't like looking at ourselves. 200 00:18:11,260 --> 00:18:20,780 Pastor Dale Tunnell: We'd rather look at, you know, our brother or our sister, or we'd rather look at aunts or uncles, or we'd rather look at our cousins or or classmates or 201 00:18:21,280 --> 00:18:25,520 Pastor Dale Tunnell: or those people, we can see how did it happen? 202 00:18:31,340 --> 00:18:36,060 Pastor Dale Tunnell: Makes you wonder how it could happen 203 00:18:40,100 --> 00:18:42,100 Pastor Dale Tunnell: That's Omri. 204 00:18:42,340 --> 00:18:43,780 Pastor Dale Tunnell: Say, how could it get any worse? 205 00:18:43,780 --> 00:18:45,540 Pastor Dale Tunnell: The degradation of society 206 00:18:48,040 --> 00:18:58,440 Pastor Dale Tunnell: It's almost as a there there seems to be a rush in their mind to see how bad they can they can make themselves, how evil can they become 207 00:19:04,419 --> 00:19:11,140 Pastor Dale Tunnell: Now Ahab, the son of Omri, did evil in the sight of the Lord. 208 00:19:11,140 --> 00:19:13,299 Pastor Dale Tunnell: What's that last phrase say? 209 00:19:15,500 --> 00:19:18,540 Pastor Dale Tunnell: More than all that were before him 210 00:19:22,580 --> 00:19:25,299 Pastor Dale Tunnell: How can they handle such things? 211 00:19:25,299 --> 00:19:32,740 Pastor Dale Tunnell: How can they they they they get themselves to the place where they are where they are are are are that low 212 00:19:35,460 --> 00:19:45,860 Pastor Dale Tunnell: I mean I I I I try and and wrap my mind in this is this is not just lifestyle activities 213 00:19:46,679 --> 00:19:50,760 Pastor Dale Tunnell: This is is not just uh what they're doing at home. 214 00:19:50,760 --> 00:19:53,480 Pastor Dale Tunnell: This is worship 215 00:19:57,020 --> 00:20:01,180 Pastor Dale Tunnell: I mean this is what their worship has become 216 00:20:03,440 --> 00:20:12,799 Pastor Dale Tunnell: Not their their their activities, not their their sporting events, not their what they are are are watching and ab observing in their in the sporting arenas. 217 00:20:12,799 --> 00:20:13,919 Pastor Dale Tunnell: This is their 218 00:20:14,440 --> 00:20:15,880 Pastor Dale Tunnell: Worship services. 219 00:20:15,880 --> 00:20:22,919 Pastor Dale Tunnell: Their worship services have gone worse and worse and worse and worse. 220 00:20:22,919 --> 00:20:24,760 Pastor Dale Tunnell: And it gets to the place where 221 00:20:26,160 --> 00:20:40,559 Pastor Dale Tunnell: thirty one And it came to pass as though it had been a trivial thing for him to walk in the sins of Jeroboam, the son of Nebot, that he took his wife Jezebel, the daughter of Ethbal, king of the Sidonians, and he went and served Baal and worshipped him. 222 00:20:43,539 --> 00:20:46,260 Pastor Dale Tunnell: Do we understand what's happening here? 223 00:20:49,700 --> 00:20:52,580 Pastor Dale Tunnell: Remind ourselves who is Baal? 224 00:20:52,580 --> 00:20:58,500 Pastor Dale Tunnell: That's the god of rain and the god of fertility. 225 00:21:01,100 --> 00:21:09,820 Pastor Dale Tunnell: That's the God that they have started worshiping, the God of rain to to make things grow upon the earth, and the God of fertility to cause them to have children. 226 00:21:09,820 --> 00:21:12,700 Pastor Dale Tunnell: And the worship of that had become so that 227 00:21:12,940 --> 00:21:18,380 Pastor Dale Tunnell: sexual activity happened during worship service. 228 00:21:18,380 --> 00:21:27,659 Pastor Dale Tunnell: You can you know, in your your imagination you can almost kind of understand how you could how how how God's people could get to a place like that. 229 00:21:28,140 --> 00:21:34,060 Pastor Dale Tunnell: Well or can you understand how God's people would get to a place like that? 230 00:21:35,820 --> 00:21:45,980 Pastor Dale Tunnell: Maybe that's okay for the for the for the bar rooms, or that's okay for the the dance halls, or that's okay for the the out there, but in worship service? 231 00:21:47,580 --> 00:21:54,700 Pastor Dale Tunnell: This is what they have brought in to their worship service as the people of God. 232 00:21:56,620 --> 00:22:00,940 Pastor Dale Tunnell: This is the desire has become the desire of their heart. 233 00:22:10,299 --> 00:22:17,980 Pastor Dale Tunnell: It's interesting, those other one kings that we read about, their spouse is not mentioned 234 00:22:19,140 --> 00:22:25,300 Pastor Dale Tunnell: The wives are not listed there, but Jezebel is listed there 235 00:22:27,820 --> 00:22:31,340 Pastor Dale Tunnell: I think there are a few reasons for that. 236 00:22:31,340 --> 00:22:34,700 Pastor Dale Tunnell: One is what's it say? 237 00:22:36,760 --> 00:22:42,120 Pastor Dale Tunnell: She kind of led in this Baal worship. 238 00:22:42,120 --> 00:22:50,760 Pastor Dale Tunnell: If you read in scripture there, she was a prophetess of Baal, which means she kind of participated in that worship. 239 00:22:54,179 --> 00:22:58,660 Pastor Dale Tunnell: That's who he chose for a spouse. 240 00:23:00,620 --> 00:23:01,980 Pastor Dale Tunnell: I'm gonna give you a commercial. 241 00:23:01,980 --> 00:23:04,460 Pastor Dale Tunnell: Are you ready for a commercial? 242 00:23:05,740 --> 00:23:10,060 Pastor Dale Tunnell: If you are not married, listen carefully. 243 00:23:10,060 --> 00:23:13,180 Pastor Dale Tunnell: Choose your spouse carefully 244 00:23:16,440 --> 00:23:18,600 Pastor Dale Tunnell: I don't think everybody heard me. 245 00:23:18,600 --> 00:23:22,520 Pastor Dale Tunnell: If you are not married, listen carefully. 246 00:23:22,520 --> 00:23:25,560 Pastor Dale Tunnell: Choose your spouse carefully 247 00:23:26,340 --> 00:23:29,700 Pastor Dale Tunnell: Life has a lot of problems in it. 248 00:23:29,700 --> 00:23:33,380 Pastor Dale Tunnell: Marriage has a lot of challenges to it. 249 00:23:34,980 --> 00:23:36,659 Pastor Dale Tunnell: Choose right. 250 00:23:38,200 --> 00:23:41,640 Pastor Dale Tunnell: Choose carefully. 251 00:23:41,880 --> 00:23:47,240 Pastor Dale Tunnell: Or you may end up like Ahab did with someone that leads you astray. 252 00:23:48,220 --> 00:23:51,340 Pastor Dale Tunnell: Now, we we kind of think, well, maybe he would be led astray anyway. 253 00:23:51,500 --> 00:23:52,140 Pastor Dale Tunnell: Yeah, that's true. 254 00:23:52,140 --> 00:23:56,460 Pastor Dale Tunnell: Maybe he would have been led astray anyway, because that's the example that he had from his father 255 00:23:56,460 --> 00:23:59,020 Pastor Dale Tunnell: That's the example that he had from his grandfather. 256 00:23:59,020 --> 00:24:01,500 Pastor Dale Tunnell: That's the example he had from his great-grandfather. 257 00:24:01,500 --> 00:24:04,700 Pastor Dale Tunnell: That's the example they had there in Israel. 258 00:24:05,179 --> 00:24:14,860 Pastor Dale Tunnell: So, yes, maybe he would have been led astray anyway, but he did not choose well. 259 00:24:14,860 --> 00:24:17,340 Pastor Dale Tunnell: Choose carefully. 260 00:24:20,480 --> 00:24:25,280 Pastor Dale Tunnell: Have people sometimes come and ask me, Pastor, will you give me counseling? 261 00:24:25,280 --> 00:24:26,720 Pastor Dale Tunnell: I want to get married. 262 00:24:28,960 --> 00:24:32,240 Pastor Dale Tunnell: But I'm marrying someone that's not a Seventh-day Avenist. 263 00:24:34,799 --> 00:24:37,200 Pastor Dale Tunnell: What do you say in an instance like that? 264 00:24:42,400 --> 00:24:44,880 Pastor Dale Tunnell: Don't get married to them. 265 00:24:44,880 --> 00:24:46,799 Pastor Dale Tunnell: Oh, Pastor, but they're a good Christian. 266 00:24:46,799 --> 00:24:50,000 Pastor Dale Tunnell: They're uh and you can add the denomination that they are. 267 00:24:50,000 --> 00:24:54,559 Pastor Dale Tunnell: And my response is, don't get married to them. 268 00:24:55,640 --> 00:24:59,240 Pastor Dale Tunnell: Oh, but Pastor, I love them so very, very much. 269 00:24:59,240 --> 00:25:01,400 Pastor Dale Tunnell: And I say, Yeah, that's what my Bible says. 270 00:25:01,400 --> 00:25:05,400 Pastor Dale Tunnell: Be not unequally yoked to someone unless you love them very, very much. 271 00:25:06,080 --> 00:25:08,400 Pastor Dale Tunnell: Is that what your Bible says? 272 00:25:11,600 --> 00:25:15,679 Pastor Dale Tunnell: Sometimes we don't think this thing through 273 00:25:19,279 --> 00:25:25,519 Pastor Dale Tunnell: We need to to read the scriptures and and see what it says here. 274 00:25:25,519 --> 00:25:30,559 Pastor Dale Tunnell: And these things are written down for us as an example to us. 275 00:25:32,200 --> 00:25:38,440 Pastor Dale Tunnell: as an example to us, something that we can can can learn from. 276 00:25:38,440 --> 00:25:41,080 Pastor Dale Tunnell: Something that we can can grow from. 277 00:25:48,000 --> 00:25:50,880 Pastor Dale Tunnell: Prophets and Kings, page one fourteen. 278 00:25:51,039 --> 00:25:53,039 Pastor Dale Tunnell: Says under the leadership of Jezebel 279 00:25:53,840 --> 00:26:02,160 Pastor Dale Tunnell: He erected heathen altars to many high places, where in the shelter of surrounding groves the priest and others connected 280 00:26:02,460 --> 00:26:13,580 Pastor Dale Tunnell: with this seductive form of idolatry, exerted their baleful influence until well nigh all Israel were following after Baal 281 00:26:23,980 --> 00:26:28,460 Pastor Dale Tunnell: She's mentioned because she helped lead astray. 282 00:26:30,420 --> 00:26:41,940 Pastor Dale Tunnell: She's mentioned because 1 Kings 21, 25, but there was no one like Ahab who sold himself to do wickedness in the sight of the Lord, because Jezebel his wife stirred him up. 283 00:26:45,220 --> 00:26:51,220 Pastor Dale Tunnell: She she was a leader in this relationship. 284 00:26:51,220 --> 00:26:52,820 Pastor Dale Tunnell: She was the one that uh 285 00:26:54,659 --> 00:26:57,139 Pastor Dale Tunnell: motivated him. 286 00:26:57,139 --> 00:27:00,019 Pastor Dale Tunnell: She was the one that in encouraged him 287 00:27:03,540 --> 00:27:13,700 Pastor Dale Tunnell: I know sometimes I'm still on the commercial here, sometimes people think that if they can overcome this, it's okay to be unequally yoked. 288 00:27:17,279 --> 00:27:19,279 Pastor Dale Tunnell: Say, but they're a good Christian, okay? 289 00:27:19,279 --> 00:27:21,279 Pastor Dale Tunnell: Think about some things. 290 00:27:21,279 --> 00:27:23,120 Pastor Dale Tunnell: When you have children, 291 00:27:23,540 --> 00:27:25,940 Pastor Dale Tunnell: Oh, Pastor, we're not gonna have any children. 292 00:27:25,940 --> 00:27:29,620 Pastor Dale Tunnell: Yeah, lots of people have said that and it doesn't turn out that way. 293 00:27:29,620 --> 00:27:36,580 Pastor Dale Tunnell: When you have children, are you going to take them to church two days? 294 00:27:37,400 --> 00:27:39,160 Pastor Dale Tunnell: A week? 295 00:27:39,160 --> 00:27:42,600 Pastor Dale Tunnell: Those of you that have children, how long is that gonna last? 296 00:27:43,799 --> 00:27:47,400 Pastor Dale Tunnell: How many of your children want to go to church twice a week? 297 00:27:49,200 --> 00:27:50,960 Pastor Dale Tunnell: Doesn't usually last very long. 298 00:27:52,720 --> 00:27:56,320 Pastor Dale Tunnell: What are they going to do? 299 00:27:56,320 --> 00:27:58,720 Pastor Dale Tunnell: Where are they going to choose? 300 00:28:01,799 --> 00:28:05,960 Pastor Dale Tunnell: They go to grandma's funeral. 301 00:28:05,960 --> 00:28:10,200 Pastor Dale Tunnell: They hear the phrase from the pastor, oh, she's looking down from us in heaven 302 00:28:12,100 --> 00:28:16,180 Pastor Dale Tunnell: God needed someone else to sing in the choir. 303 00:28:17,140 --> 00:28:20,820 Pastor Dale Tunnell: She's become an angel that she's going to look after us. 304 00:28:23,160 --> 00:28:27,640 Pastor Dale Tunnell: You can talk to her in heaven now because she's taking care looking after you. 305 00:28:29,320 --> 00:28:31,640 Pastor Dale Tunnell: What do you what are you gonna say? 306 00:28:32,700 --> 00:28:40,380 Pastor Dale Tunnell: I mean these are are are real problems for this kind of marriage 307 00:28:44,640 --> 00:28:46,880 Pastor Dale Tunnell: I'll go on here. 308 00:28:46,880 --> 00:28:50,640 Pastor Dale Tunnell: Prophets and Kings, it says Ahab was weak in moral power 309 00:28:51,120 --> 00:29:01,920 Pastor Dale Tunnell: His union by marriage with the adulterous woman resulted in disasterly both to himself and to the nation, unprincipled and with no high standard of right 310 00:29:02,580 --> 00:29:08,419 Pastor Dale Tunnell: doing his character was easily molded by the determined spirit of Jezebel 311 00:29:16,820 --> 00:29:20,660 Pastor Dale Tunnell: Some commentators say that Jezebel was the woman of the hour. 312 00:29:22,340 --> 00:29:29,380 Pastor Dale Tunnell: The woman of the decade, as they ruled together there. 313 00:29:29,380 --> 00:29:36,659 Pastor Dale Tunnell: Baal worship, with its its seductive ways, was sucking Israel dry. 314 00:29:36,260 --> 00:29:38,899 Pastor Dale Tunnell: Spiritually. 315 00:29:38,899 --> 00:29:47,620 Pastor Dale Tunnell: Oh, they were worshiping the God of rain, they were worshiping the God of fertility, and and things seemed to be moving along, but 316 00:29:51,640 --> 00:29:59,160 Pastor Dale Tunnell: The picture that I've given to you right now, I want you to recognize, these are the days of Elijah. 317 00:30:03,240 --> 00:30:04,840 Pastor Dale Tunnell: Look outside your church. 318 00:30:04,840 --> 00:30:06,520 Pastor Dale Tunnell: What do you see? 319 00:30:10,440 --> 00:30:13,000 Pastor Dale Tunnell: I'm hoping you don't see it inside the church 320 00:30:15,400 --> 00:30:24,520 Pastor Dale Tunnell: I'm telling you, the days of Elijah are not just back in First Kings chapter sixteen. 321 00:30:25,160 --> 00:30:32,840 Pastor Dale Tunnell: But they are very much alive today, in our day and age. 322 00:30:32,840 --> 00:30:39,559 Pastor Dale Tunnell: Oh, and it breaks my heart to say it, but it is true, even in the church. 323 00:30:43,840 --> 00:30:46,000 Pastor Dale Tunnell: Sometimes I feel like 324 00:30:49,000 --> 00:30:55,480 Pastor Dale Tunnell: We've lost our compass. 325 00:30:55,480 --> 00:30:59,080 Pastor Dale Tunnell: We've forgotten where North is. 326 00:31:00,559 --> 00:31:07,919 Pastor Dale Tunnell: We've forgotten how God wants to lead us. 327 00:31:07,919 --> 00:31:10,000 Pastor Dale Tunnell: All right, that's by way of introduction. 328 00:31:10,000 --> 00:31:12,799 Pastor Dale Tunnell: Yes, it is 1204. 329 00:31:14,440 --> 00:31:16,120 Pastor Dale Tunnell: You want the good news? 330 00:31:17,240 --> 00:31:23,720 Pastor Dale Tunnell: The meat of the the the message is just verse one of chapter 17. 331 00:31:24,440 --> 00:31:32,920 Pastor Dale Tunnell: The bad news is, one verse can be stretched a long ways. 332 00:31:35,100 --> 00:31:41,020 Pastor Dale Tunnell: Our scripture reading was chapter 17 verse 1. 333 00:31:41,020 --> 00:31:42,220 Pastor Dale Tunnell: Oh, let's see. 334 00:31:42,220 --> 00:31:43,500 Pastor Dale Tunnell: I'm going to keep going here. 335 00:31:43,500 --> 00:31:45,580 Pastor Dale Tunnell: Chapter 17, verse 1 336 00:31:45,760 --> 00:32:00,000 Pastor Dale Tunnell: And Elijah the Tishbite, of the inhabitants of Gilead, said to Ahab, As the Lord God of Israel lives, before whom I stand, there shall not be dew nor rain these years except at 337 00:32:00,840 --> 00:32:05,320 Pastor Dale Tunnell: My word. 338 00:32:05,320 --> 00:32:09,240 Pastor Dale Tunnell: Can you imagine going in to the king to say something like 339 00:32:09,279 --> 00:32:17,360 Pastor Dale Tunnell: Can you imagine going into the president to say something like Can you imagine going into the governor of the state of Arizona to say something like that? 340 00:32:19,840 --> 00:32:22,880 Pastor Dale Tunnell: I mean just just imagine yourself. 341 00:32:22,880 --> 00:32:24,480 Pastor Dale Tunnell: What would provoke you? 342 00:32:24,480 --> 00:32:30,560 Pastor Dale Tunnell: What would make you strong enough to go in and do something like that? 343 00:32:31,980 --> 00:32:34,059 Pastor Dale Tunnell: And I know what you're thinking. 344 00:32:34,059 --> 00:32:40,780 Pastor Dale Tunnell: There is nothing, nothing in the world that would cause me to do such. 345 00:32:41,260 --> 00:32:43,740 Pastor Dale Tunnell: I know I skipped a slide, I'm going to go back here. 346 00:32:43,740 --> 00:32:55,659 Pastor Dale Tunnell: Amos eight one says, Behold, the days are coming, saith the Lord, that I will send a famine on the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the Lord. 347 00:32:55,300 --> 00:32:58,740 Pastor Dale Tunnell: What kind of famine was going on in the days of Elijah? 348 00:33:01,380 --> 00:33:02,340 Pastor Dale Tunnell: What was it? 349 00:33:03,220 --> 00:33:04,340 Pastor Dale Tunnell: A famine. 350 00:33:04,980 --> 00:33:08,660 Pastor Dale Tunnell: They were not studying the words of the Lord. 351 00:33:08,660 --> 00:33:12,100 Pastor Dale Tunnell: They were not reading the scriptures that had been given to them. 352 00:33:12,100 --> 00:33:16,740 Pastor Dale Tunnell: They were not practicing what they were being taught in the sanctuary message. 353 00:33:16,360 --> 00:33:21,159 Pastor Dale Tunnell: They were not understanding what God had called them to do. 354 00:33:21,159 --> 00:33:29,799 Pastor Dale Tunnell: They they just had gotten so far off base they were turned around and headed the wrong direction. 355 00:33:29,799 --> 00:33:30,120 Pastor Dale Tunnell: And 356 00:33:31,799 --> 00:33:37,480 Pastor Dale Tunnell: Elijah saw that. 357 00:33:37,480 --> 00:33:41,000 Pastor Dale Tunnell: Elijah saw that in those days and in that time. 358 00:33:41,000 --> 00:33:44,120 Pastor Dale Tunnell: Elijah saw what was happening. 359 00:33:44,840 --> 00:33:48,919 Pastor Dale Tunnell: Now yes, it says Elijah the Tishbite. 360 00:33:48,919 --> 00:33:52,919 Pastor Dale Tunnell: You know what a Tishbite is? 361 00:33:52,919 --> 00:33:54,360 Pastor Dale Tunnell: Somebody from Tishba 362 00:33:55,740 --> 00:33:59,580 Pastor Dale Tunnell: Do you know what a where Tishba is? 363 00:33:59,580 --> 00:34:00,539 Pastor Dale Tunnell: Yeah, it's on the screen. 364 00:34:00,539 --> 00:34:02,780 Pastor Dale Tunnell: It's open book test. 365 00:34:02,780 --> 00:34:03,740 Pastor Dale Tunnell: Gilead. 366 00:34:03,740 --> 00:34:05,419 Pastor Dale Tunnell: Do you know where Gilead is? 367 00:34:08,659 --> 00:34:10,899 Pastor Dale Tunnell: Yeah, I had to go look for it also. 368 00:34:10,899 --> 00:34:15,300 Pastor Dale Tunnell: Gilead is part of that northern kingdom up there. 369 00:34:15,300 --> 00:34:18,580 Pastor Dale Tunnell: Part of uh where the tribe of Manasseh was. 370 00:34:19,080 --> 00:34:22,200 Pastor Dale Tunnell: Uh it's a mountainous region. 371 00:34:22,200 --> 00:34:24,680 Pastor Dale Tunnell: You're out in the hills. 372 00:34:24,680 --> 00:34:27,080 Pastor Dale Tunnell: Not a lot of people out there. 373 00:34:27,839 --> 00:34:34,480 Pastor Dale Tunnell: Elijah was probably homeschooled or didn't go to school, spend his time out in nature 374 00:34:38,020 --> 00:34:41,379 Pastor Dale Tunnell: That's where Elijah came from 375 00:34:45,160 --> 00:34:54,120 Pastor Dale Tunnell: But yet he saw what was happening to the northern kingdom, and it was overwhelming for him 376 00:34:54,639 --> 00:35:06,720 Pastor Dale Tunnell: I didn't put it on the screen here, but Spirit of Prophecy says his whole life was devoted to the work of reform, to rebuke sin, and to press back the tide of evil. 377 00:35:07,420 --> 00:35:11,100 Pastor Dale Tunnell: That was his whole life to press back the tide of evil. 378 00:35:11,100 --> 00:35:13,820 Pastor Dale Tunnell: Now some of you have been to the beach, right? 379 00:35:13,820 --> 00:35:16,300 Pastor Dale Tunnell: You know how the tide works, don't you? 380 00:35:21,860 --> 00:35:24,420 Pastor Dale Tunnell: How do you press back the tithe? 381 00:35:26,960 --> 00:35:29,360 Pastor Dale Tunnell: Can you press back the tide? 382 00:35:29,680 --> 00:35:31,520 Pastor Dale Tunnell: I mean, you can try. 383 00:35:31,520 --> 00:35:40,320 Pastor Dale Tunnell: You can you see the waves coming in, and if there's going to be a storm, you may put out a few sandbags, and what are those sandbags going to do? 384 00:35:41,420 --> 00:35:44,300 Pastor Dale Tunnell: Their help a little bit. 385 00:35:44,300 --> 00:35:48,060 Pastor Dale Tunnell: And you may say, I need more sandbags 386 00:35:48,640 --> 00:36:00,559 Pastor Dale Tunnell: And if you had a few more sandbags, they might could help a little bit more, and then you realize that even that little bit more is not going to save your property, and you say, I need more people. 387 00:36:01,160 --> 00:36:05,880 Pastor Dale Tunnell: To help me put out more sandbags. 388 00:36:05,880 --> 00:36:14,280 Pastor Dale Tunnell: It says his whole life was devoted to the work of reform, to rebuke sin, to press back the tide of evil. 389 00:36:18,440 --> 00:36:23,160 Pastor Dale Tunnell: He sees the tide of evil, he uh views the apostasy of Israel 390 00:36:26,100 --> 00:36:29,700 Pastor Dale Tunnell: And his heart breaks. 391 00:36:29,700 --> 00:36:31,380 Pastor Dale Tunnell: He's spending time with God. 392 00:36:31,380 --> 00:36:33,300 Pastor Dale Tunnell: He's having his devotional life 393 00:36:33,260 --> 00:36:36,140 Pastor Dale Tunnell: And he he he's talking to the Lord about it. 394 00:36:36,140 --> 00:36:44,700 Pastor Dale Tunnell: James five seventeen says, Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed earnestly that it would not rain 395 00:36:45,320 --> 00:36:49,480 Pastor Dale Tunnell: And it did not rain on the land for three years and six months. 396 00:36:49,480 --> 00:36:52,600 Pastor Dale Tunnell: Now I know very few of you have read that text 397 00:36:53,140 --> 00:36:56,900 Pastor Dale Tunnell: Because when if I ask you, is Elijah a man of prayer? 398 00:36:56,900 --> 00:37:05,220 Pastor Dale Tunnell: And you would say yes, and I ask you, give me an example of Elijah praying, and you would give me the example of when he prayed. 399 00:37:06,020 --> 00:37:13,700 Pastor Dale Tunnell: On Mount Carmel for Oh, you'd probably say for fire to come down from heaven first. 400 00:37:13,700 --> 00:37:17,220 Pastor Dale Tunnell: And then the second one you would say Elijah prayed for 401 00:37:18,740 --> 00:37:22,580 Pastor Dale Tunnell: But we forget this prayer. 402 00:37:22,580 --> 00:37:26,740 Pastor Dale Tunnell: James tells us that he was a man with a nature like ours. 403 00:37:26,740 --> 00:37:28,980 Pastor Dale Tunnell: What kind of nature do you have? 404 00:37:30,140 --> 00:37:36,140 Pastor Dale Tunnell: A nature like ours, and he prayed earnestly that it would not rain. 405 00:37:38,920 --> 00:37:40,520 Pastor Dale Tunnell: Think about that. 406 00:37:40,520 --> 00:37:51,560 Pastor Dale Tunnell: Why in the world would a man looking at the days of Elijah, looking at the times in which he lives, why would he pray for it not to rain? 407 00:37:54,880 --> 00:37:58,160 Pastor Dale Tunnell: He's jealous for the name of God. 408 00:37:58,160 --> 00:37:59,520 Pastor Dale Tunnell: All of his people 409 00:37:59,760 --> 00:38:00,640 Pastor Dale Tunnell: All of them. 410 00:38:00,640 --> 00:38:09,920 Pastor Dale Tunnell: He looks at them and he says, they are praying to the Baal God, and when rain falls, they are glorifying Baal. 411 00:38:11,060 --> 00:38:16,980 Pastor Dale Tunnell: Not the Creator God, not the Creator God that gives rain. 412 00:38:16,980 --> 00:38:23,460 Pastor Dale Tunnell: They are doing acts, uh atrocious acts in their worship service, and they are excited when they get 413 00:38:23,640 --> 00:38:32,440 Pastor Dale Tunnell: get pregnant and have so many children and this is they they give glory to to Bael God when children are a gift from Yahweh 414 00:38:35,940 --> 00:38:39,540 Pastor Dale Tunnell: And Elijah's heart breaks. 415 00:38:39,540 --> 00:38:44,420 Pastor Dale Tunnell: He sees what is happening, and it says, What's the text say? 416 00:38:44,420 --> 00:38:45,620 Pastor Dale Tunnell: He prayed 417 00:38:46,640 --> 00:38:51,920 Pastor Dale Tunnell: Earnestly that it would not rain. 418 00:38:51,920 --> 00:38:53,600 Pastor Dale Tunnell: Come on, Elijah 419 00:38:57,160 --> 00:39:02,520 Pastor Dale Tunnell: Is that really the kind of prayers we ought to be praying? 420 00:39:02,520 --> 00:39:04,760 Pastor Dale Tunnell: I mean, you think about that. 421 00:39:04,760 --> 00:39:07,720 Pastor Dale Tunnell: What's going to happen if it does not rain? 422 00:39:09,660 --> 00:39:10,380 Pastor Dale Tunnell: Drought. 423 00:39:10,380 --> 00:39:13,100 Pastor Dale Tunnell: What's gonna happen when there is drought? 424 00:39:14,140 --> 00:39:15,500 Pastor Dale Tunnell: What's gonna happen? 425 00:39:16,700 --> 00:39:18,460 Pastor Dale Tunnell: Famine. 426 00:39:18,460 --> 00:39:20,460 Pastor Dale Tunnell: Crops are gonna die. 427 00:39:21,339 --> 00:39:23,420 Pastor Dale Tunnell: Animals are going to die. 428 00:39:23,420 --> 00:39:28,780 Pastor Dale Tunnell: If crops die and animals die, that means people are going to die. 429 00:39:28,780 --> 00:39:34,460 Pastor Dale Tunnell: Elijah, why in the world are you praying for no rain? 430 00:39:40,080 --> 00:39:43,120 Pastor Dale Tunnell: You ever pray for something bad to happen to somebody? 431 00:39:43,920 --> 00:39:52,160 Pastor Dale Tunnell: I mean, Elijah's heart is such that he is praying the kind of prayer that parents pray for their children. 432 00:39:52,940 --> 00:39:54,700 Pastor Dale Tunnell: We pray those prayers. 433 00:39:54,700 --> 00:39:58,220 Pastor Dale Tunnell: God, my child has gone so far away from you. 434 00:39:58,220 --> 00:40:02,860 Pastor Dale Tunnell: Please do anything to draw them back. 435 00:40:02,860 --> 00:40:04,940 Pastor Dale Tunnell: Well, what does anything include? 436 00:40:05,220 --> 00:40:12,020 Pastor Dale Tunnell: Well, you know, blush them in such a way that they'd be drawn back. 437 00:40:12,020 --> 00:40:13,700 Pastor Dale Tunnell: I've tried that. 438 00:40:14,060 --> 00:40:19,020 Pastor Dale Tunnell: You know, send them a prophet to tell them the good news of salvation. 439 00:40:19,020 --> 00:40:22,220 Pastor Dale Tunnell: God says, I've tried that. 440 00:40:22,220 --> 00:40:28,460 Pastor Dale Tunnell: Well, you know, make them hit their head on the cross so it hurts. 441 00:40:28,060 --> 00:40:33,180 Pastor Dale Tunnell: Are you willing for them to hit their head on the cross so it hurts? 442 00:40:33,180 --> 00:40:35,980 Pastor Dale Tunnell: I mean, these are agonizing prayers. 443 00:40:36,839 --> 00:40:39,480 Pastor Dale Tunnell: That that the Elisha is praying here. 444 00:40:39,480 --> 00:40:41,800 Pastor Dale Tunnell: He's praying for God. 445 00:40:41,800 --> 00:40:45,000 Pastor Dale Tunnell: Oh, do I say this in a in a cruel way? 446 00:40:44,920 --> 00:40:52,600 Pastor Dale Tunnell: He is saying this so that, say, God twists their ear to turn them in the right direction. 447 00:40:52,600 --> 00:40:54,520 Pastor Dale Tunnell: Do you ever have to do that with your 448 00:40:55,420 --> 00:41:02,380 Pastor Dale Tunnell: With the cows when you worked in the dairy to try and get the cows to go where you wanted them to go? 449 00:41:02,380 --> 00:41:03,500 Pastor Dale Tunnell: I mean that's 450 00:41:04,360 --> 00:41:12,120 Pastor Dale Tunnell: One of the methods we used in the dairy to to motivate cows to turn when they were not going where they were supposed to go. 451 00:41:12,120 --> 00:41:14,920 Pastor Dale Tunnell: Would you ever pray that prayer for your children? 452 00:41:16,200 --> 00:41:18,760 Pastor Dale Tunnell: God twist their ear? 453 00:41:18,760 --> 00:41:21,400 Pastor Dale Tunnell: God get their attention? 454 00:41:21,400 --> 00:41:24,359 Pastor Dale Tunnell: God do something? 455 00:41:24,359 --> 00:41:27,000 Pastor Dale Tunnell: You ever pray for them to end up in the hospital? 456 00:41:27,420 --> 00:41:30,460 Pastor Dale Tunnell: So they're flat on their back and they have to look up? 457 00:41:31,020 --> 00:41:33,900 Pastor Dale Tunnell: I mean what do we have to do to get them to look up 458 00:41:36,420 --> 00:41:41,619 Pastor Dale Tunnell: I mean, this is the prayer that Elijah is praying. 459 00:41:45,359 --> 00:41:48,400 Pastor Dale Tunnell: According to James five. 460 00:41:48,400 --> 00:41:50,720 Pastor Dale Tunnell: Testimonies to the Church, Volume three. 461 00:41:50,720 --> 00:41:59,359 Pastor Dale Tunnell: Says Elijah's faithful soul was grieved, his indignation was aroused, and he was jealous for the glory of God. 462 00:42:00,819 --> 00:42:07,779 Pastor Dale Tunnell: He realized that Baal was getting the glory that only God deserved 463 00:42:07,820 --> 00:42:12,460 Pastor Dale Tunnell: He was trying to to push back the tide of uh of evil. 464 00:42:12,460 --> 00:42:16,460 Pastor Dale Tunnell: He was trying to put up the sandbags to protect Israel 465 00:42:19,940 --> 00:42:23,060 Pastor Dale Tunnell: He was jealous for the glory of God. 466 00:42:23,060 --> 00:42:26,340 Pastor Dale Tunnell: Oh, we studied about that in the Sabbath school lesson, didn't we? 467 00:42:26,340 --> 00:42:27,940 Pastor Dale Tunnell: Okay, I won't go off there 468 00:42:29,260 --> 00:42:35,740 Pastor Dale Tunnell: He was singular of mind in purpose. 469 00:42:35,740 --> 00:42:38,620 Pastor Dale Tunnell: That was important to him. 470 00:42:38,620 --> 00:42:40,060 Pastor Dale Tunnell: The glory of God 471 00:42:42,020 --> 00:42:44,740 Pastor Dale Tunnell: He wanted God's glory to be exalted. 472 00:42:44,740 --> 00:42:47,539 Pastor Dale Tunnell: He wanted God's glory to be to be held up. 473 00:42:47,539 --> 00:42:49,700 Pastor Dale Tunnell: He was jealous for the glory of God. 474 00:42:49,700 --> 00:42:52,099 Pastor Dale Tunnell: He was jealous for his reputation. 475 00:42:51,660 --> 00:42:53,980 Pastor Dale Tunnell: He was not jealous for his own reputation. 476 00:42:53,980 --> 00:42:56,140 Pastor Dale Tunnell: He was not jealous for his own livelihood. 477 00:42:57,580 --> 00:42:59,740 Pastor Dale Tunnell: He was not jealous for the life of ease. 478 00:42:59,740 --> 00:43:04,220 Pastor Dale Tunnell: He was jealous for God's glory. 479 00:43:08,680 --> 00:43:16,680 Pastor Dale Tunnell: Says Elijah's faithful soul was grieved, his indignation was aroused, and he was jealous for the glory of God. 480 00:43:22,020 --> 00:43:28,660 Pastor Dale Tunnell: This is what uh we might call tough love. 481 00:43:36,280 --> 00:43:39,000 Pastor Dale Tunnell: Elijah had been reading. 482 00:43:39,440 --> 00:43:42,000 Pastor Dale Tunnell: Book of Deuteronomy, what does it say there? 483 00:43:42,000 --> 00:43:53,520 Pastor Dale Tunnell: Chapter eleven says, And this shall be that if you earnestly obey my commandments, which I command to you today, to love the Lord your God and serve him with all your heart. 484 00:43:53,040 --> 00:44:05,520 Pastor Dale Tunnell: with all your soul, that I will give you rain for your land and its season, the early rain and the latter rain, that you may gather in your grain and your new wine and your oil 485 00:44:06,180 --> 00:44:08,420 Pastor Dale Tunnell: Hallelujah. 486 00:44:08,420 --> 00:44:12,900 Pastor Dale Tunnell: We say, What an awesome God we have. 487 00:44:12,900 --> 00:44:19,060 Pastor Dale Tunnell: And I will send grass in your fields for your livestock that you may eat and be filled 488 00:44:19,140 --> 00:44:27,539 Pastor Dale Tunnell: Take heed to yourselves, lest your heart be deceived, and you turn aside and serve other gods, and worship them. 489 00:44:27,539 --> 00:44:32,260 Pastor Dale Tunnell: The warning sign is there Take heed, do not go off the path 490 00:44:36,960 --> 00:44:38,320 Pastor Dale Tunnell: Did it say here? 491 00:44:38,320 --> 00:44:45,760 Pastor Dale Tunnell: Lest the Lord's anger be aroused against you, and he shut up the heavens, so that there be no rain. 492 00:44:45,559 --> 00:44:54,119 Pastor Dale Tunnell: And the land yield no produce, and you perish quickly from the good land which the Lord is giving you. 493 00:44:54,119 --> 00:44:56,359 Pastor Dale Tunnell: What had Elijah been reading 494 00:45:00,340 --> 00:45:03,780 Pastor Dale Tunnell: It looks like he had been reading Deuteronomy chapter 11. 495 00:45:03,780 --> 00:45:05,380 Pastor Dale Tunnell: It looks like he had been studying it. 496 00:45:05,380 --> 00:45:07,540 Pastor Dale Tunnell: It looks like he had been praying about it. 497 00:45:07,620 --> 00:45:17,380 Pastor Dale Tunnell: It looks like he had been he he had the grasp the understanding that he wanted God to be glorified and not Baal to be glorified 498 00:45:17,100 --> 00:45:26,860 Pastor Dale Tunnell: He had grabbed the understanding that God was willing to do anything to get his people 499 00:45:28,740 --> 00:45:37,060 Pastor Dale Tunnell: To be in a relationship with him and to love him and to care for him and to be in a relationship with him so that they could could grow together 500 00:45:37,160 --> 00:45:43,720 Pastor Dale Tunnell: He did not want them off worshiping other gods because he knew that those other gods were not good for them. 501 00:45:43,720 --> 00:45:50,360 Pastor Dale Tunnell: And he knew what we studied in our Sabbath school lesson that those other gods were worshiping demons. 502 00:45:53,320 --> 00:45:56,600 Pastor Dale Tunnell: And that was not in his people's best interest. 503 00:45:57,800 --> 00:46:02,600 Pastor Dale Tunnell: He said that he wanted to bless his people 504 00:46:03,420 --> 00:46:08,700 Pastor Dale Tunnell: But Elijah understood that he was willing to do anything. 505 00:46:08,700 --> 00:46:10,940 Pastor Dale Tunnell: And so Elijah prayed 506 00:46:16,840 --> 00:46:18,840 Pastor Dale Tunnell: Have you been reading scripture? 507 00:46:21,720 --> 00:46:25,320 Pastor Dale Tunnell: Do we do we do we get into the to God's word? 508 00:46:25,260 --> 00:46:29,500 Pastor Dale Tunnell: I mean, if I were to ask how many of you have a Bible, all your hands would go up. 509 00:46:29,500 --> 00:46:35,420 Pastor Dale Tunnell: If I were to ask how many Bibles do you have, there would be some of you that could not count how many Bibles you have. 510 00:46:36,060 --> 00:46:45,660 Pastor Dale Tunnell: But if I were to ask how many of you read your Bible every day, it's not enough just to have a Bible 511 00:46:47,500 --> 00:46:51,020 Pastor Dale Tunnell: And it may not even be enough just to read your Bible. 512 00:46:55,960 --> 00:46:58,280 Pastor Dale Tunnell: We know what Scripture says. 513 00:46:58,280 --> 00:47:02,280 Pastor Dale Tunnell: Revelation chapter 14, verse 12, here is the patience of the saints. 514 00:47:02,280 --> 00:47:05,240 Pastor Dale Tunnell: Here are those who keep the commandments of God. 515 00:47:05,240 --> 00:47:06,600 Pastor Dale Tunnell: And the faith of Jesus. 516 00:47:06,600 --> 00:47:08,840 Pastor Dale Tunnell: This is talking about in the last days. 517 00:47:08,840 --> 00:47:11,160 Pastor Dale Tunnell: This is talking about at the end of time. 518 00:47:11,560 --> 00:47:15,560 Pastor Dale Tunnell: God is going to have a people that have patience. 519 00:47:16,339 --> 00:47:20,420 Pastor Dale Tunnell: God is going to have a people that are our commandment-keeping people. 520 00:47:20,420 --> 00:47:25,300 Pastor Dale Tunnell: God is going to have a people that have faith of Jesus. 521 00:47:33,760 --> 00:47:36,480 Pastor Dale Tunnell: Are we praying about such things? 522 00:47:40,320 --> 00:47:47,360 Pastor Dale Tunnell: The Elijah message Malachi chapter five, four, verse five 523 00:47:47,359 --> 00:47:53,200 Pastor Dale Tunnell: says, Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord. 524 00:47:55,040 --> 00:47:56,960 Pastor Dale Tunnell: What's this talking about? 525 00:47:59,339 --> 00:48:01,900 Pastor Dale Tunnell: Yeah, we'll talk about this later. 526 00:48:01,900 --> 00:48:03,980 Pastor Dale Tunnell: In detail. 527 00:48:03,980 --> 00:48:10,539 Pastor Dale Tunnell: But I'm going to tell you in the last days, it says God's going to have a people that are Elijah. 528 00:48:13,380 --> 00:48:15,620 Pastor Dale Tunnell: Do you want to be in Elijah? 529 00:48:16,260 --> 00:48:20,900 Pastor Dale Tunnell: Oh, be careful how you said that because we just described the days of Elijah. 530 00:48:20,900 --> 00:48:23,860 Pastor Dale Tunnell: You remember our description of the days of Elijah? 531 00:48:26,320 --> 00:48:29,440 Pastor Dale Tunnell: Do you want to go talk to those people? 532 00:48:29,440 --> 00:48:30,560 Pastor Dale Tunnell: Now come on. 533 00:48:30,560 --> 00:48:39,600 Pastor Dale Tunnell: They're they're if they're church people and they just have the minor sins, I might be willing to be a prophet and go and talk to those so that I can correct 534 00:48:39,559 --> 00:48:43,319 Pastor Dale Tunnell: You know, they just need a a a a a friendly nudge. 535 00:48:43,319 --> 00:48:46,920 Pastor Dale Tunnell: They don't don't require too much. 536 00:48:46,920 --> 00:48:48,760 Pastor Dale Tunnell: I might could be an Elijah to the 537 00:48:49,120 --> 00:48:57,680 Pastor Dale Tunnell: But to be an Elijah to a church that has drastically. 538 00:48:57,680 --> 00:48:59,840 Pastor Dale Tunnell: Would you say it was drastic? 539 00:49:01,220 --> 00:49:04,660 Pastor Dale Tunnell: In how far astray they had gone. 540 00:49:04,660 --> 00:49:08,660 Pastor Dale Tunnell: To be an Elijah to people like that, that would be that 541 00:49:11,480 --> 00:49:14,359 Pastor Dale Tunnell: I don't know if I can do that. 542 00:49:14,359 --> 00:49:16,119 Pastor Dale Tunnell: We might say. 543 00:49:18,620 --> 00:49:31,020 Pastor Dale Tunnell: Ezekiel twenty two, verse thirty says, So I sought for a man among them who would make a wall and stand in the gap before me on behalf of the land, that I should not destroy 544 00:49:31,760 --> 00:49:35,839 Pastor Dale Tunnell: But I found no one 545 00:49:44,060 --> 00:49:47,100 Pastor Dale Tunnell: God's looking for a person. 546 00:49:47,100 --> 00:49:49,980 Pastor Dale Tunnell: God's looking for a people to stand in the gap 547 00:49:50,839 --> 00:49:57,560 Pastor Dale Tunnell: God's looking for a person to to be the Elijah for the for the days of Elijah today 548 00:49:59,600 --> 00:50:03,360 Pastor Dale Tunnell: Now I know we like this other text better, Isaiah 6, verse 8. 549 00:50:03,360 --> 00:50:08,400 Pastor Dale Tunnell: It says, I heard a voice of the Lord saying, Whom shall I send, and who shall go for us? 550 00:50:08,960 --> 00:50:10,640 Pastor Dale Tunnell: And Isaiah answered. 551 00:50:12,460 --> 00:50:14,700 Pastor Dale Tunnell: Here am I, send me. 552 00:50:14,700 --> 00:50:17,500 Pastor Dale Tunnell: Isn't that much better? 553 00:50:17,500 --> 00:50:21,340 Pastor Dale Tunnell: Would you rather hear that one or would you rather hear this one? 554 00:50:21,340 --> 00:50:23,900 Pastor Dale Tunnell: And I found no one 555 00:50:26,620 --> 00:50:30,460 Pastor Dale Tunnell: I mean, that requires for somebody to to to step up. 556 00:50:30,460 --> 00:50:33,340 Pastor Dale Tunnell: It requires for somebody to step up. 557 00:50:33,340 --> 00:50:39,980 Pastor Dale Tunnell: It requires for somebody to help pack the sandbags and stem the tide. 558 00:50:43,460 --> 00:50:46,740 Pastor Dale Tunnell: Friends, these are the days of Elijah 559 00:50:56,980 --> 00:50:58,579 Pastor Dale Tunnell: These are the days 560 00:51:00,460 --> 00:51:03,500 Pastor Dale Tunnell: That we are living in. 561 00:51:03,500 --> 00:51:09,980 Pastor Dale Tunnell: These are the days that God is looking for an individual. 562 00:51:11,300 --> 00:51:20,580 Pastor Dale Tunnell: To stand and to say there is only one true Creator God 563 00:51:22,780 --> 00:51:29,100 Pastor Dale Tunnell: These are the days that God is looking for somebody to say, Come out of Babylon, my people 564 00:51:32,500 --> 00:51:39,619 Pastor Dale Tunnell: These are the days God is looking for someone to prepare the way in the wilderness 565 00:51:40,760 --> 00:51:47,480 Pastor Dale Tunnell: Will God find someone to stand in the gap? 566 00:51:47,480 --> 00:51:49,640 Pastor Dale Tunnell: I hope we. 567 00:51:49,640 --> 00:51:53,400 Pastor Dale Tunnell: I hope you I hope I will be that person 568 00:51:56,539 --> 00:52:08,779 Pastor Dale Tunnell: Our Father God, we understand that these are the days of Elijah, and I ask, Lord, that you would help us to stand in the gap. 569 00:52:08,640 --> 00:52:19,600 Pastor Dale Tunnell: so that you might be lifted up, so that you might be exalted, so that you might be glorified, and so that the world might be drawn to you 570 00:52:21,380 --> 00:52:24,100 Pastor Dale Tunnell: I pray this in Jesus' name. 571 00:52:24,100 --> 00:52:25,380 Pastor Dale Tunnell: Amen.