Samuel Rodriguez - I Am Here! Here Comes Trouble!
It's an amazing story of Elijah and Elisha. My assignment, meaning what God has ordained pastor Samuel Rodriguez to accomplish in this season, is to activate the Elijah's and Elisha's around the world. That's our assignment. So in this church it's not a typical Sunday morning church service. We don't do kumbaya Christianity here. We don't do placating. We don't do politically correct Christianity. We're coming in here because we are living in some precarious times. We're coming in here because we without a doubt this officially not only cuckoo for coco puffs season. Hell has released the Krakens. And we have seen darkness, darkness, darkness, darkness. But even with all of that, God is still on the throne. The church is still alive and well. The Holy Spirit is still moving and there is still power in the name of Jesus, right?
So that's what ignites us to be here today. And we have been unfolding the narrative of this amazing legendary prophet named Elijah. We began with 1 Kings 17. And now we're in 18 today. We're gonna introduce chapter 18. If you don't know who Elijah is, great prophet, one of the two most important prophets in the old covenant. How do we know they were the two most important? Because Jesus crossed referenced Moses and Elijah as the two most important. Now this Elijah prophet was very unconventional. Outside the norms of orthodoxy as it pertains to his presentation, his demeanor. Very courageous but he struggled. He likewise had human frailties. So he fought with anxiety and depression. How about that? This was before all the commercials were out there for the pills you can take. So he didn't have that.
You know he just basically fought with that. He was human yet he was holy. He was anointed and yet vulnerable. And does it sound like anyone? Anyone here? Like those two things. And it's not like one cancels the other. They're part of the same collective reality. That's Elijah. So here it is, this guy, we've covered the story for those who are here for the first time. I just wanna give you a synopsis. We're introduced to this man he encounters the king of Israel, Ahab. Ahab. Somebody say Ahab. So he enters the king of Israel, Ahab, just terrible man who was married to even a worse wife. And her name was what? Jezebel. We call her Jessie.
So Ahab was married to Jessie and, all the Jessie's here don't be offended here please. So he married Jessie. She's like even worse she's killing all the prophets. She's going around going, are you a prophet? Great you're dead boom. So she kills all the prophets. He comes up and he looks at the king and says, hey king here's the word. I'm tired of you serving your Gods I'm gonna show you who God really is. The real God watch this. It's not gonna rain until I say so. So his declaration, his prayerful declaration authorized by heaven prompted a drought. Three years, just drought. Amazing. So then he goes and God hides him and actually prepares him. He goes you know the story about the ravens. He ends up with a widow and her son. And they take care of him. And now after three years, here comes the encounter, after three years of exile this is what happens.
Now the rest of the story in words of Paul Harvey, 1 Kings 18, "Later on in the third year of the drought, the Lord said to Elijah, go and present yourself to king Ahab and tell him that I will send rain! Soon the rain will come. So Elijah went to appear before Ahab. Meanwhile the famine had become very severe in Samaria. So Ahab summoned Obadiah, who was in charge of the palace. Obadiah was a devoted follower of the Lord". What does this mean? The guy in charge of the palace was a closet believer. It was a closet believer. See he's serving king Ahab and Jezebel, they serve another God. They don't serve the God of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and Joshua. They're worshipping Baal.
So Obadiah was a closet believer. We're about to see the closet believers come out of the closet. Very few people will ever focus on Obadiah. I'm gonna focus on Obadiah for a moment here. We're about to see the Obadiah, see God has placed you strategically in areas that are counter to our Christian world view. That are counter to righteousness and justice, truth and love. But he placed you there. And you're asking God why am I in this hostile environment? Why am I in an environment where everything around me is counter to who I am in Christ? And God says because I am about to use you in that environment. That environment is not gonna change you. But I'm gonna use you to change the environment around you. I am releasing that word upon someone here. God is going to use the anointing on you to influence the people around you. You will be the greatest influence where you are. Somebody say amen.
So Obadiah this guy was a closet believer. Today we would call him a closet Christian. He was there and here it is. "Once when Jezebel had tried to kill all the Lord's prophets," Jezebel oh Jessie you're so sweet, "Obadiah had hidden 100 of them in two caves. He put 50 prophets in each cave". One in Granite Bay and one in Lodi. "Ahab said to Obadiah: we must check every spring and valley as a pivot here in the land to see if we can have enough grass to save our horses". So there's a drought for three years. The king looks to Obadiah and says I can't lose my horses. It's priority with my horses. Of course, politicians are great. So he goes out there his priority is to feed the horses not the people who are dying from the drought right. So they go out there, "They divided the land".
So he goes Obadiah look for a source of water. I go this way you go that way. "As Obadiah was walking along, he suddenly saw Elijah coming toward him. Obadiah recognized him at once and bowed low to the ground and said is it really you my Lord Elijah? Yes it is Elijah said". And here it comes. "Now go tell your master, go tell king Ahab, Elijah is here". That's a boss right there. You got to put this in perspective. You'll get it in a second. "Oh sir, Obadiah protested, what harm have I done to you that you're sending me to die in the hands of Ahab? For I swear by the Lord your God that the king has searched. I swear. That king has searched every nation and every kingdom on this planet to find you. And each time he was told Elijah isn't here. And the king would force the king of that nation to swear the truth to that claim".
They were looking for you buddy and it wasn't for a cuddle. And now you say go tell him the man who has been, that man and his wicked wife have been looking for you for three years. And they didn't want to cuddle with you. They've been looking for you. They killed the rest of your prophets. I was able to hide a 100 in two different caves. Now you want me to tell him that you're here? Yeah, right and then verse 11. "Go tell your master I'm here". And then Obadiah says, "But as soon as I leave you, the spirit of the Lord will carry you away to who knows where". Obadiah is saying: how about this? I could leave right to do what you're telling me to do, you're fine. Cause like the Holy Ghost got you. He'll protect you. You got the Holy Ghost protection clause. He'll pick you up and take you somewhere. Yet I've been a true servant of the Lord all my life. Look what I've done for the prophet and yet he's going to end up killing me.
Verse 14. Verse 15, Elijah says "I swear by the Lord God that this is the day," in other words hey Obadiah chill out, relax, drop it. This is the day I'm gonna meet your king. So just tell him I'm here and you're not gonna die. And here it is. "So Obadiah went to tell Ahab that Elijah had come and Ahab went out to meet him". And here's the verse. "When Ahab saw him," three years of not seeing him, the guy who ushered in the drought, almost destroyed his system. Here it is. "King Ahab looks at the prophet and says this, is it really you, you troublemaker of Israel"?
So I'm gonna speak to you on the subject matter. I have about 22 minutes here. I am here, actually last 17 minutes. I am here, here comes trouble. I need you to touch your neighbor and tell them I am here. And tell your other neighbor, here comes trouble. Tell your other neighbor, no I am here, here comes trouble. I am here, somebody say I am here. No say it like you are Elijah coming out and say I am here. That first point is I am here. Elijah replied go tell him Elijah is here. I am here. Three dangerous words. Three life altering words. Three words the enemy of your God ordained purpose, your Christ purchased destiny, and your spirit empowered faith does not want to hear come out of your mouth. I am...
After three years of exile. After three years of Ahab and Jezebel looking for him. And it wasn't for a cuddle. Elijah steps out from under the shadow to declare what? He showed up and he said what? So here it is do you want everything to change around you? Do you want to be more than an inspiration? Do you wanna see transformation? Are you tired of going around in the desert of mediocrity and conformity? Is it for someone here? Do you want real measurable and permanent change? It begins with one simple step. You have to show up. You must show up. In your family, you must show up. With your children, you must show up. In your church you must show up. In this culture, you must show up. In the school board meeting, you must show up. In the things that matter most to you, you must show up.
Every generation success or failure hinges upon when God's children show up. When God's people show up everything changes. Let me repeat that when God's people show up everything changes. When God's people show up everything changes. History is made by men and women who dared to show up. When the Israelites took captive in Egypt, Moses showed up. When it was time to occupy the Promise Land, Joshua showed up. When the marauders stole the harvest, Gideon showed up. When the Babylonians demanded the worship of the false ideology, the Hebrew boys showed up. And when heaven required a perfect, holy sacrifice for the forgiveness of your sins and my sins, Jesus showed up. How many are grateful? How many are grateful that Jesus showed up? It's time to show up. I said it's time to show up.
Now I need to put a little footnote here, it's important to know, if you have your iPhone take it out or your android. I'm gonna stop making android jokes I'm tired of the hate emails. Pastor you're discriminating against android phones. What's you're problem with androids. It's an android, that's my problem. It's just not apple. Alright just take out your phones. I need to make something clear here, don't get offended with this. In the age of that, in the age of what you have in your hands. In the age of this iPad right here. In the age of technology. Even what's emerging is now artificial intelligence and virtual reality in the next five years. The world's about to change even more radically with nano-technology, virtual reality and artificial intelligence.
Things are about to change. Things are gonna go crazy even to the next level. In the age of so many technological distractions, showing up no longer means physical presence. Because you can be physically present and not show up. You ever been at a dinner table, some people who have been on their phones. And even though they are physically there, they're not there. If you've been there raise your hand. If you're single and you're dating and you go to a date and that happens, you don't even need to pray. Don't do the, Lord give me a word is this the guy for me? Is this the girl for me? If that person is more obsessed with their phone than they are with your face, that's not the person for you. You can be physically present and distracted. You can be, showing up requires you to be present physically, spiritually, emotionally, intellectually and even financially.
The prophet Elijah teaches us that there will never be change unless we show up first. Change begins when you show up. Life begins when you show up. The culture will change when the church shows up. It's time to show up. Somebody say it's time to show up. Oh man I sense something powerful here. Just like Elijah had many forces that did not want him to show up, there are hostile thoughts and spiritual principalities that do not want you to show up. Covid does not want you to show up. Fear does not want you to show up. Depression does not want you to show up. Anxiety does not want you to show up. Your past does not want you show up. Sin does not want you to show up.
There are, believe it or not, whether you want to believe it or not its real. There are demons, legions, principalities and powers of darkness. Evil rulers in the high places. Ephesians 6:12. That do not want you to show up. But praise be the Lord. I feel it on a Sunday morning. Just like Elijah driven by the spirit of the living God. This is not just any other day. This is like the day of fall back whatever day. This is not just any day. This is the day where you are about to utter the same words that Elijah uttered. Cause 2.800 years ago you're about to look at every one of your haters, every force that stood up against you, every lie of the enemy. You're about to look at all the hell that you've been through.
I feel the Lord. You're about to look at every hostile force. Every adversary of reality. Every pain you suffered. All the hell you've been through. Every war you have fought. Every battle you have survived. Every valley you have crawled through. And every flood you had to overcome and you're about to open up your mouth and just like Elijah you're about to say. Somebody praise like you're here. Somebody lift up your hand like you're here. Worship like you're here. Shout like you're here. Rejoice like you're here. Somebody say I am here. I am here. They thought they got rid of me. They thought they would never see me again. They thought my best days were behind me. They talked about me. They trolled me. They posted about me. They cancelled me. I am here. Somebody praise like you're here.
Raise your right hand, repeat after me this is called the Elijah moment. Say repeat after me just repeat it. Say, "Hey COVID, I am here. Hey depression, I am here. Hey anxiety, I am here. Hey temptation, I am here. Hey failure, I am here. Hey sin, I'm here. Hey generational curses, I am here. Hey suicidal thoughts, I am here. Hey abuse, I am here. Hey old me, I am here. Hey hell, I am right here". Somebody praise like you made it. Praise like you shouldn't be here, but the blood of Jesus says you are here. Praise like you should never have made it here, but the will of God said you are here. Anybody here? By the grace of God I am what I am and I'm here. 1 Corinthians 15:10. Paul said that. By the grace of God I'm here. By the grace of God I'm here you try to get rid of me. You thought I was never gonna be seen again.
If you only, this is your season. This is your, you're about to come out and just like with the spirit of Elijah you're about to emerge and say... And the world's gonna go where have you been? You go no where have you been? I am here. I've been crucified with Christ meaning I no longer live but Christ lives in me. And the life I now live in the body I live by the faith and the Son of God who love me and gave himself for me, Galatians 2:20. I am here. You're here, you're here, you're here. You're here, you're here, the holy courage to look at everything that attempted to hold you back. To sit you down and to shut you up and to keep you away from living out God's holy and beautiful purpose in your life. Enough to open up your mouth today and shout.
Oh wow. I don't know if you understand that. Some of us have been through hell. Some of us have been through some of the most difficult seasons of our lives. Some of us have lost loved ones in this pandemic. Some of us have lost so many things. Some of lost our hair, I'm not pointing to anyone here right now. And yet you're here. Why are you here? Why did God permit you to be around? You think you're alive by coincidence? You think you made it here because, oh, you had the, I took a lot of vitamin D and that's why I'm around here right now. Because somehow that's what makes, it was Zinc. Zinc did it. The Zinc did it I promise you.
You know why you're here because God has the purpose... I feel the Lord. You know why you're here because God has the purpose that hell cannot stop. I wish you would get this right now. God has a purpose for you that hell cannot stop. God has a purpose for you that Jezebel cannot stop. God has a purpose for you that Ahab cannot stop. God has a purpose, I'm gonna say it, for you and your children and your children's children. And you're children's, children, children, children that Baal cannot stop. Somebody shout I am here. I am here. So pray like you're here and shout like you're here and live like you're here. Give like you're here, serve like you're here. So why are you here? Why are you here?
By the way I'm not just here to occupy space. Why are you here to? I'm not here to post on social media. I'm not here to take selfies. And I'm not here to whine about the world. I'm here, you and i, when I say this is your I and my i. I'm here to pray down heaven and crash the gates of hell. Look one more time this is a little bit more interactive than usual Sunday morning. I wished I had a hankie. George where are you, George? Somebody find George on my behalf please. And just look at your neighbor that you like the most. Look at your neighbor please and tell your neighbor, neighbor, oh thank you and you're getting married yup, I know what he'll be saying next week. I am here.
Alright raise your right hand just say it. I'm here to do the will of God, live out the Word of God and walk perfectly in the way that is God. Jesus Christ. I'm here to live an abundant life. I sense the Lord right now. Some of us have been, all joking aside we've been through so much hell. Just the fact that you dare to come out. And this is a coming out season for you to say I'm here. You try to stop me here. I'm here. I'm gonna say, I'm gonna raise my holy hand say, I'm here to live an abundant life. The life that Jesus purchased for me. I'm here to thrive through the finished work of Jesus. I'm gonna raise both hands now watch this. I'm here to see my entire family saved. I'm here to occupy all of God's promises.
Oh somebody should repeat that. I feel the Lord in that. I'm here to occupy all of God's promises. One more time. I'm here to occupy, not some of God's promises, but all of God promises. I'm here to show you Ahab, show you Jezebel, show you Baal that the old, even show the old version of me that greater is he that is in me than he that is in the world. I am here. I'm here. Let the church arise with the spirit of Elijah. That through the finished work of Christ is now the spirit of the risen Christ, Romans 8:11. Let the church arise and say we're here. We have to stop hiding as Christians. We have to stop being in this sort of clandestine, somewhere outside of margins role where we don't dare to come out and just confront with love and this idea Jesus went through an I am here moment.
Herod was out to kill him just like Ahab and Jezebel were out to kill Elijah. There came a moment when they said the same thing. And then Jesus said this in Luke 13:32, his I am here moment. Oh they're looking for me, they telling me to stop doing what I'm doing. "Go tell that fox". So every time we hear this version of Jesus, oh Jesus is all love. He was but he was a truth teller. We got to stop - we got to put these in sound balance. He was love, but Jesus told people off when he needed to tell people off. No I'm tired of this Hippy depiction of Jesus, floating on a cloud, looking like Fabio, walking around going like oh it's okay, it's okay.
The Jesus I serve is love but he's the one that flipped the tables. He's the one that says go tell that fox I'm gonna continue to preach, I'm gonna continue to heal the sick for on the third day my work will be done. Somebody say I am here. If you're a believer raise one hand. If you're part of the collective church raise both hands. We are here to lay hands on the sick and cast out demons. We are here to declare that Jesus is the only way. We are here to preach the word in and out of season. We are here to confront every lie with the truth. We are here to replace hatred with love. We are here to change the world. If you agree with that raise both hands.
We are here. Troublemaker. You're a troublemaker. Here comes trouble. Here comes trouble. Every demon in Sacramento is gonna say here comes trouble. When you walk into temple coffee, they're gonna say, the spiritual powers are gonna say here comes trouble. When you walk, when you step into whole foods, they're gonna say here comes trouble. Are you with me right now? Here comes trouble in the Book of Acts. In the Book of Acts do you know what the politician said about the disciples? They were troublemakers. Wherever they stepped in they would start trouble. Oh absolutely. I believe we're about to see a church of troublemakers rise up in Los Angeles and in Sacramento. But even around the world. Are there any holy troublemakers in the house? We're done. I'm done. Alright. We're finished. Are there any questions? All the troublemakers raise your hands.