April 19th 2020 Sermon Notes:

Speaker: Apostle Dr Lucille Baird
Theme: The God of the mountains is still the same in the valley
Text: 1 Kings 20: 28-30

28 The man of God came up and told the king of Israel, “This is what the LORD says: ‘Because the Arameans think the LORD is a god of the hills and not a god of the valleys, I will deliver this vast army into your hands, and you will know that I am the LORD.’”
29 For seven days they camped opposite each other, and on the seventh day the battle was joined. The Israelites inflicted a hundred thousand casualties on the Aramean foot soldiers in one day. 30 The rest of them escaped to the city of Aphek, where the wall collapsed on twenty-seven thousand of them. And Ben-Hadad fled to the city and hid in an inner room.

Whatever valley you have been i or are walking through today remember God is still the God of the valley.

He is with you, He promised He would never leave you or forsake you.

The devil will try and convince you that you are in the valley because you did something wrong, but put him behind you, this is a test to give you a testimony.

Stay connected to God in the valley, praise him and rejoice He is there.

1. Moses
Exodus 19: 20
The LORD descended to the top of Mount Sinai and called Moses to the top of the mountain. So Moses went up

Moses was on the mountain top and God’s presence was so strong that the Israelites were afraid, but Moses was enjoying the mountain top experience.

This was before the cross, and at Moses’ time the Holy Spirit only came on people for special occasions but now the Holy Spirit lives in us. Moses loved it on the mountain top, enjoying the experience but right there the devil was hatching plans.

Meantime Aaron turned rogue and was down in the valley undermining Moses, setting up another god for the people to worship.

When Moses came down from the Mountain top, the people were doing their own thing. But keep praising God, worship God more when you have to go down to the valley.

Remember the God on the mountain, is still the God in the valley

Don’t be frustrated when you are in the valley, don’t give up, Jesus said on this rock I will build our church. This too will pass, this test will develop character and eventually God called Moses up on the mountain again

The LORD is a God of the hills and a God of the valley.

Moses did make it into the Promised land he came down on the Mount of Transfiguration and talked with Jesus. In his glorified body

2. Elijah
Now summon the people from all over Israel to meet me on Mount Carmel
I will call on the name of the LORD. The god who answers by fire—he is God

John 1: 1- 5
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was with God in the beginning. 3 Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. 4 In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. 5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.

1 Kings 18: 31-39
31 Elijah took twelve stones, one for each of the tribes descended from Jacob, to whom the word of the LORD had come, saying, “Your name shall be Israel.” 32 With the stones he built an altar in the name of the LORD, and he dug a trench around it large enough to hold two seahs[a] of seed. 33 He arranged the wood, cut the bull into pieces and laid it on the wood. Then he said to them, “Fill four large jars with water and pour it on the offering and on the wood.”
34 “Do it again,” he said, and they did it again. “Do it a third time,” he ordered, and they did it the third time. 35 The water ran down around the altar and even filled the trench.
36 At the time of sacrifice, the prophet Elijah stepped forward and prayed: “LORD, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Israel, let it be known today that you are God in Israel and that I am your servant and have done all these things at your command. 37 Answer me, LORD, answer me, so these people will know that you, LORD, are God, and that you are turning their hearts back again.”
38 Then the fire of the LORD fell and burned up the sacrifice, the wood, the stones and the soil, and also licked up the water in the trench.
39 When all the people saw this, they fell prostrate and cried, “The LORD—he is God! The LORD—he is God!”

Elijah was on the mountain top, but even so when Jezebell threatened him he ran to the valley.

1 Kings 19: 1-2
Now Ahab told Jezebel everything Elijah had done and how he had killed all the prophets with the sword. 2 So Jezebel sent a messenger to Elijah to say, “May the gods deal with me, be it ever so severely, if by this time tomorrow I do not make your life like that of one of them.”

Elijah was in a place of despondency he went into the wilderness alone with no food.

1 Kings 19:3- 5
3 Elijah was afraid[a] and ran for his life. When he came to Beersheba in Judah, he left his servant there, 4 while he himself went a day’s journey into the wilderness. He came to a broom bush, sat down under it and prayed that he might die. “I have had enough, LORD,” he said. “Take my life; I am no better than my ancestors.” 5 Then he lay down under the bush and fell asleep.

In your valley in the wilderness God will send an angel to feed you. God will feed you in the mountain but He will feed you in the valley.

1 Kings 19: 5b- 6
All at once an angel touched him and said, “Get up and eat.” 6 He looked around, and there by his head was some bread baked over hot coals, and a jar of water. He ate and drank and then lay down again.

In the valley, God will lead you and feed you with His outstretched hand under an open Heaven.
The God on the mountain, is still God in the valley
When things go wrong, He'll make them right
The God of the good times, is still God in the bad times
The God of the day, is still God in the night

In Elijah’s wilderness situation, God fed and sustained him.
God wasn’t in the strong mighty wind
Or the earthquake, or the fire, but God is speaking to you today in a still small voice encouraging you.

It's not hopeless, Jesus is the Hope of the earth and He will give you victory. Don’t be discouraged or dismayed.

After this valley experience Elijah ended up on the mountain again.

This valley situation will also pass, He will bring us out, more committed us to Him, totally surrendered to the Everlasting Prince of Peace.

3. The Disciples on the Mount of Transfiguration
Matthew 17 :1-4
1 After six days Jesus took with him Peter, James and John the brother of James, and led them up a high mountain by themselves. 2 There he was transfigured before them. His face shone like the sun, and his clothes became as white as the light. 3 Just then there appeared before them Moses and Elijah, talking with Jesus.
4 Peter said to Jesus, “Lord, it is good for us to be here. If you wish, I will put up three shelters—one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah.”

Don’t build on the Mountain top, you can’t stay there, we must come down to learn in the valley. If we can’t serve God and worship Him in the valley we will repeat the valley over and over until we learn how to dance in the valley.

From their mountain experience they met a madman.
Matthew 17 :14- 18
14 When they came to the crowd, a man approached Jesus and knelt before him. 15 “Lord, have mercy on my son,” he said. “He has seizures and is suffering greatly. He often falls into the fire or into the water. 16 I brought him to your disciples, but they could not heal him.”
17 “You unbelieving and perverse generation,” Jesus replied, “how long shall I stay with you? How long shall I put up with you? Bring the boy here to me.” 18 Jesus rebuked the demon, and it came out of the boy, and he was healed at that moment.

The anointing is not just for shaking but for breaking.

Many situations take us into the valley, broken marriages, backslidden children, bankruptcy all take us into the valley

When life is easy, when you’re up on the mountain
And you’ve got peace of mind, like you’ve never known
But things change, when your down in the valley
Don’t lose faith, for you’re never alone

Remember we are heirs and joint heirs with the Lord.

If you are in the valley of sin, God can forgive you.

For the God on the mountain, is still God in the valley
When things go wrong, he'll make them right
The God of the day, is still God in the night
We talk of faith way up on the mountain
But talk comes easy, when life’s at its best
Now its down in the valleys, trials and temptations
That’s where your faith is really put to the test

For the God on the mountain, is still God in the valley,
When things go wrong, he'll make them right
And the God of the good times, is still God in the bad times
The God of the day, is still God in the night
The God of the day, is still God in the night

Mount Zion’s Missions EVENTS 2019