Grace Bible Church
Pastor Teacher
Robert R. McLaughlin
Sunday July 7, 2019
Six questions found in the Bible, and one question from me = All seven reveal where we are in our relationship with our Lord.
Elisha was the successor to Elijah. Elijah is known as “the prophet of fire.” Elisha, in contrast, is called “the prophet of water.”
- “When you get to where you’re going, where are you going to be”
- The first question is that in Gen 3:9 Then the Lord God called to the man, and said to him, “Where are you?”
This was a question to Adam who really did not know where He and Ishshah were, especially where they were spiritually.
Our Lord asked this question “Where are you” not because He didn’t know where Adam was and He wanted them to rebound and get back in fellowship with the Him.
Our Lord had to teach them how to rebound or how to get back in fellowship with our Lord; GEN 3:21.
Our Lord asked the question, “Where are you” because He wanted Adam to examine himself as to where he was spiritually.
The first question that our Lord asked Adam, “Where are you” is a question that the Lord would ask someone who is living in sin and hiding from the Lord.
The Lord would want you to consider the answer to the question concerning “where you are” because recognizing where you are spiritually is the beginning of recovery.
The question “Where are you” is designed by our Lord not for us to become introspective but for us to be honest with ourselves and to examine whether or not we are in fellowship with our Lord.
2CO 13:5 Test yourselves {to see} if you are in the faith; examine yourselves! Or do you not recognize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you‑‑ unless indeed you fail the test?
If the Lord asks you the question “where are you,” which He can ask you from the written pages of the word of God, then you will be able to say that doctrine has been your daily delight.
I’m not talking about unbelievers but believers being used by Satan to discredit doctrinal teaching and the believer’s commitment to the daily intake of doctrine.
In Neh 8:18, a revival was taking place in Israel because of the desire for doctrine from their teacher, Ezra, the priest.
Neh 8:18 And he read from the book of the Law of God daily, from the first day to the last day.
Pro 8:30 Then I [doctrine] was beside Him [THE LORD JESUS CHRIST], as a master workman; and I was daily His delight, rejoicing always before Him,
Doctrine also promises blessings to those who listen to it daily in Pro 8:34 Blessed is the man who listens to me, watching daily at my gates, waiting at my doorposts.
The Lord Jesus Christ made it crystal clear that we would need the word of God daily to survive in Mat 4:4 and Luk 9:23.
Luk 19:47 And He was teaching daily in the temple; and the chief priests and the scribes and the leading men among the people were trying to destroy Him,
Luk 22:53, I was with you daily in the temple,
Act 16:5 So the churches were being strengthened in the faith, and were increasing in number daily.
Psa 145:2…“Everyday will I bless thee”
Psa 61:8…“I will perform my vows or my responsibilities daily”
Psa 72:15… “Daily shall He be praised”
Psa 119:164 Seven times a day I will praise Thee because of your righteous judgments.
Psa 1:2 “But his delight [the mature believer] is in the Law of the Lord, and in His law he meditates day and night.”
Isa 8:9 “My Lord, I have called daily upon you.”
Acts 20:31 “Therefore be on the alert, remembering that night and day for a period of three years I did not cease to admonish each one with tears.
2CO 4:16 Therefore we do not lose heart, but though our outer man is decaying, yet our inner man is being renewed day by day.
In ACT 2:46 the early church continued daily with one accord in the temple, ACT 2:46 And day by day continuing with one mind in the temple,
ACT 5:42 And every day, in the temple and from house to house, they kept right on teaching and preaching Jesus as the Christ.
In 2Ch 8:14, The Levitical priests would praise and minister daily.
In 2Ch 31:16, They would enter the house of the Lord for their daily obligations.
In Ezr 3:4, they offered burnt offerings daily, according to the ordinance, as each day required.
Jer 7:25 “Since the day that your fathers came out of the land of Egypt until this day, I have sent you all my servants the prophets, daily rising early and sending them.
Prin: Do not be deceived by individuals who are sent to try and stop your momentum in the PPOG which only comes from your consistent intake of Bible doctrine.
GEN 4:9, after Cain murdered his brother Able, we read; Then the Lord said to Cain, “Where is Abel your brother?” And he said, “I do not know. Am I my brother’s keeper?”
- The second question is asked to a man (Cain) who was jealous, evil, hateful of his brother, but most of all, he committed murder by slitting the throat of his brother Able.
If you are guilty of murder, physically or spiritually, the Lord will ask you something like He asked Cain which reveals the hatefulness of Cain,– the Lord said, Where is Abel your brother?”
This is a question our Lord may ask you to reveal whether or not you love or care for your brothers and sisters in Christ.
Knowing where they are is not the problem, it is loving them that is the problem.
Here one of the main principles that our Lord reveals is that if we do not love our fellow believers, we will be under a curse until the Lord comes back! 1Co 16:22.
MAT 25:40 “And the King will answer and say to them, ‘Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did it to one of these brothers of Mine, {even} the least {of them,} you did it to Me.’
“Do you even care where they are?
Cain said, “I do not know. Am I my brother’s keeper?”
The answer to that is yes we are our brother’s keeper.
JOH 15:13 “Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends.
- In GEN 16:8, where our Lord spoke to “Hagar, Sarai’s maid, and He asked where have you come from and where are you going?”
Where have you come from and where are you going?”
Sometimes it’s good to remind ourselves where we have come from just like it is good to know where we are going.
This two-fold question is a great measuring stick as to where you are in the spiritual life that God has ordained for you and me to live in.
In EPH 2:1, we use to be dead in our trespasses and sins.
We use to formerly walk according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, of the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience.
EPH 2:3 Among them we too all formerly lived in the lusts of our flesh, indulging the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, even as the rest.
1JO 3:2 “Beloved, now we are children of God, and it has not appeared as yet what we shall be. We know that, when He appears, we shall be like Him, because we shall see Him just as He is.
Hagar was honest when the Lord asked her a question and she said; “I am fleeing from the presence of my mistress Sarai.”
Honesty – the best policy, especially when you are face to face with the Lord through living the spiritual life.
In GEN 16:9, because Hagar did not lie but instead admitted the truth we read, Then the angel of the Lord said to her, “Return to your mistress, and submit yourself to her authority.”
Do you even know where have you come from and where are you going or are you fleeing away from the calling of God upon your life.
- The fourth question came from NUM 22:9, where God came to Balaam and said, “Who are these men with you?”
Do we hang around those who have PVTD or are we with them because of what we can gain through our acquaintances?
PRO 13:20 He who walks with wise men will be wise, But the companion of fools will suffer harm.
- The fifth question comes from 1KI 19:9, Elijah came to a cave and he was depressed and so the Lord said, “What are you doing here, Elijah?”
It’s either doctrine or human viewpoint!
The mind of Christ which is Bible doctrine or the thinking of the Cosmic system which is satanic viewpoint.
- 2KI 5:25 Elisha said to his servant, one whom he depended upon, “Where have you been?”
The sad thing but the good thing is that Elisha’s servant was honest with Elisha when he said, “Your servant went nowhere.”
No one can really say that they are going nowhere:
To go nowhere is to go somewhere because nowhere is somewhere.
The real truth is that we are either going forward to what lies ahead, which is toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus or we go backwards into reversionism.
- “When you get to where you’re going, where are you going to be?”