I Hate It Up Here I Robert Madu I Social Dallas

Summary

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Podcast Summary: "I Hate It Up Here" | Robert Madu | Social Dallas Podcast

Date: August 17, 2025
Host: Social Dallas Church (Lead Pastor: Robert Madu, Assistant: Taylor Madu)
Episode Theme: Honest Conversations on Mountaintops, Success, Vulnerability, and the Nearness of God

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Episode Overview

In this powerfully honest sermon episode, Pastor Robert Madu explores the contrasting realities of spiritual "mountaintop" moments, diving deep into Scripture and human experience to reveal how achieving "the top" can leave us isolated, tired, and unfulfilled. Drawing from 1 Kings 19 and the story of Elijah, Pastor Madu ties biblical insights to modern struggles with success, disappointment, and spiritual exhaustion. Throughout, the tone is raw, humorous, and compassionate, inviting listeners and the church body to embrace vulnerability, wait for God’s “whisper,” and make authentic choices in their walk with Christ.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Central Theme: Mountaintops Are Not What We Imagine

• Scripture Foundation: Psalm 92:13-15 (“Those who are planted in the house of the Lord shall flourish…”).
• Series Context: Second week of the "Mountains" series, examining biblical mountain experiences as both triumphs and struggles.
• Core Message: Many strive for mountaintop moments, only to find that “the air is thinner up here”—success can be lonely, stressful, and unfulfilling.

2. Modern Parallels: "I Hate It Up Here" Moments

Pastor Robert draws real-life analogies to illustrate how dreams and goals fulfilled can still lead to emptiness or suffering:

• Olympic athletes’ hidden struggles (e.g., Michael Phelps’ depression after winning gold) [07:09]

  “At a mountaintop moment, he said...‘I was at the top, but I did not know who I was when I wasn’t in the water. Translation: I made it, but I hate it up here.’”

• Career, marriage, parenthood, and ministry: Each success has potential shadows—loneliness, jealousy, a sense of isolation, or disappointment [10:09–12:36].

  “What do you do when the weight of success feels worse than the weight of failure?” [09:09]

3. Biblical Example: Elijah’s Despair on the Mountaintop

• Reading: 1 Kings 19:1–13 [05:25–05:45; 13:42–15:20]
• Context: After Elijah’s triumph on Mount Carmel, calling down fire and turning Israel’s hearts back to God, he flees, broken and exhausted, after Jezebel threatens his life.
• Key moment: Elijah prays for death under a broom tree, displaying utter vulnerability.

  “This brother is suicidal, and the Bible did not edit that out.” [02:57]

4. The God of Fire is Also The God of The Whisper

• Contrast between two mountains:
  • Mount Carmel: God appears in fire—dramatic, undeniable victory.
  • Mount Horeb: God is not in the fire, wind, or earthquake, but a gentle whisper [43:13–46:30].
• Key Insight: God doesn’t just work through the spectacular; he is closest in the quiet, the whisper—especially when we are broken, hungry, exhausted, and empty.

  “If God is whispering, it’s because he’s close. The challenge is, many of us won’t wait for the whisper.” [47:49]

5. Exposing Half-hearted Devotion & The Need to Choose

• Elijah’s challenge: Stop straddling the fence between God and idols (specifically Baal).

  “‘How long will you waver between two opinions? If the Lord is God, follow Him; but if Baal is God, follow him.’… Half-hearted devotion is worse than open idolatry.” [27:41–29:44, 30:40]

• Application: True devotion means making an honest, all-in choice—not living with split loyalties or fake commitments.

6. Honesty, Practicality, and Community in Spiritual Battles

• Physical Needs Matter:
  • God meets Elijah’s depression with practical care first: food and rest before spiritual instruction.

    “Sometimes we’re too heavy on the spiritual that we negate the practical… Elijah, you are hungry.” [42:30–43:34]

• The Danger of Isolation:
  • Elijah pushes others away in his depression.
  • “That’s the trick of the enemy: to get you in isolation before he takes you out.” [43:34]
• It’s Okay to Be Honest:
  • Many biblical heroes (Moses, Jonah, Jeremiah, Paul, even Jesus) had “I hate it up here” moments.
  • Vulnerability is not weakness; it’s part of the faith journey.

7. Waiting For The Whisper — An Invitation for Renewal

• The enemy shouts, but God whispers.

  “The enemy loves to shout at you… but Our Father always comes in the whisper… Wait for the whisper.” [47:49]

• Empty doesn’t mean ‘the end’; it means it’s time to be filled by God again.

  “Empty is not a sign to quit. Empty is a sign to come to the One who can fill you.” [47:58–ending]

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On unattainable satisfaction:

  “You could go down any industry… got to the pinnacle of their career… only to get there and find out the air is thinner when you get up here, only to get to the top and find out it’s lonelier up here than it looked when I was down at the bottom…” [08:39]

• On life’s unmet expectations:

  “What do you do when you deal with the trauma of success and you made it to the top but winning doesn’t feel like winning?” [09:19]

• On spiritual exhaustion:

  “Sometimes we’re too heavy on the spiritual that we negate the practical.” [43:10]

• On idolatry and decision:

  “Half-hearted devotion is worse than open idolatry… I’d rather you be honest in your rejection of God than fake in your devotion to him.” [29:44]

• On the function of emptiness:

  “Empty is not a sign to quit. Empty is a sign to come to the One who can fill you.” [47:58]

• On God’s nearness:

  “If God is whispering, it’s because he’s close.” [47:49]

• On honesty in faith:

  “Elijah, the one who called fire down from heaven, says, ‘I don’t have anything else to give. God, I hate it up here, because you didn’t show up the way I thought.’” [41:34]

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Important Timestamps

• 00:00–02:48: Introduction; Word for the year “Planted”; setup for mountain metaphors
• 05:25–05:45: Announcement of message title: “I Hate It Up Here”
• 07:09–10:26: Michael Phelps analogy and the crisis of the mountaintop
• 13:42–15:20: Unpacking Elijah’s "I hate it up here" moment and biblical examples of despair
• 17:26–20:06: Elijah’s credentials and the significance of his legacy
• 22:16–26:19: Context for Elijah’s ministry and the problem of idolatry (Jezebel & Ahab)
• 27:32–29:44: Elijah’s call to make a decision on Mount Carmel; the exposure of duplicity
• 33:18–35:03: The showdown on Mount Carmel: “cut the bull” and the fire from God
• 37:49–39:13: The people’s repentance, the return of rain, and the connection between surrender and God’s blessing
• 43:10–45:10: God addresses Elijah’s physical and emotional needs first
• 46:12–47:49: God reveals Himself in the whisper; the importance of closeness, not just big moments
• 47:49–end: Call to respond, prayer for those struggling, and invitation to surrender to Jesus

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Conclusion: Invitation to Respond

Pastor Robert closes with a raw and hopeful invitation: It’s okay to admit, “I hate it up here,” when life at the top isn’t what you expected. God does not shame our exhaustion or emptiness. Instead, He invites us to draw close—to wait for His gentle, restoring whisper. The episode ends with prayer for those dealing with spiritual suffocation, depression, and an altar call to surrender to Christ, reminding listeners and the church:

“Yes, He’s the God of Mount Carmel, but He’s also the God of Mount Horeb, who whispers… Are you close enough for the whisper?”

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For listeners who haven’t heard the episode:
This message offers deep honesty, scriptural wisdom, humor, and hope for anyone who has found disappointment or isolation at the heights of achievement. It’s an invitation to drop the mask, deal with both the practical and spiritual, and let God fill us again—this time, close enough to hear His gentle whisper.

Transcript

[Lead Pastor]

I'm glad you're here today. God's gonna do something awesome in this house. You look good. You look like you're flourishing. Think you're flourishing because you're planted. You're planted, and that's a buzzword around here at social if you're new. Our word for the year is planted, and it comes straight out of Scripture. Psalms 92, verses 13 through 15, our verse of the year. We've declared it every single Sunday. We ought to do it today. Y' all ready? Come on, let's read it as a family together. 1, 2, 3. Those who are planted in the house of the Lord shall flourish in the course of our God in old age, fresh and flourishing, to declare that the Lord is upright in him. Y' all sound good. Y' all sound good.

[Assistant Pastor]

Y' all sound like y' all slept in.

[Lead Pastor]

Sound like you had brunch. Oh, so glad that you're here. Remain standing. We're gonna jump in our text for today. But last Sunday, I kicked off a brand new series that I'm still excited about called Mountains. Mountains. I told you last week that when you look at mountains in the Bible, it is not just a geographical location. It is a sacred holy space where God met with his people. And I told you, you might be in a valley, but don't get it twisted. You were made for the mountain. God has always wanted to commune with his people on the mountain. So every single Sunday, lace up your boots, put on your backpack. It's time to climb. We mountain climb in it. Every week we'll look at a different mountain. And I want to do that today. Let's look at 1 Kings, chapter 19. Want to look at verses 1 through 13, 1st Kings 19, starting at verse 1. And we'll read down to verse number 13. And it declares. Now, Ahab told Jezebel everything Elijah had done that and how he had killed all the prophets with the sword. 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. And Elijah was afraid and ran for his life. And when he came to Beersheba in Judah, he left his servant there, while he himself went a day's journey into the wilderness. He came to a broom bush and sat down under it and prayed that he might die. Oh, I love the Bible because the Bible keeps it real. The Bible to me, is realer than church people. Because sometimes y' all act like you're in a Witness protection program going through hell.

[Assistant Pastor]

Oh, no, I'm blessed. Oh, God is good all the time. I know he good.

[Lead Pastor]

Are you good? But I love that we get this real vulnerable moment from a prophet who.

[Assistant Pastor]

Is not praying for revival.

[Lead Pastor]

This brother is suicidal, and the Bible did not edit that out. It kept it in there.

[Assistant Pastor]

He said, I've had enough, Lord, take my life.

[Lead Pastor]

I'm no better than my ancestors. Then he lay down under the bush and fell asleep.

[Assistant Pastor]

All at once, an angel touched him.

[Lead Pastor]

And said, get up and eat. 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. The angel of the Lord came back a second time and touched him and said, get up and eat, for the journey is too much for you. So he got up and ate and drank. Strengthened by that food, he traveled 40 days and 40 nights until he reached Horeb the the of God. There he went into a cave and spent the night. And the word of the Lord came to him. What are you doing here, Elijah? He replied, I have been very zealous for the Lord God Almighty. The Israelites have rejected your covenant, torn down your altars, and put prophets to death with the sword. I'm the only one left, and now they're trying to kill me too. The Lord said, go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the Lord, for the Lord is about to pass by. Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind. After the wind, there was an earthquake, but the earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. After the earthquake came a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentleman whisper. When Elijah heard it, he pulled his cloak over his face, went out and stood at the mouth of the cave. Can you say amen? Ooh, that is good stuff. That is good stuff. I want to tag a title to this text and talk to you from this thought. I hate it up here. I hate it up here. I need you to help me preach. Look at your neighbor. For what might be the last time, I ain't making no promises. Look at your neighbor. Say neighbor, can I be honest? I hate it up here. Find you another neighbor. Find you another neighbor and talk to them like you at that job you don't like and say, other neighbor.

[Assistant Pastor]

I gotta keep it 100. I hate it up here. If you believe God is gonna speak.

[Lead Pastor]

To you today, would you give him some praise in advance for it.

[Assistant Pastor]

Come on.

[Lead Pastor]

A real praise social. Lord, give me strength to preach it the way you gave it to me. Amen. You may be seated in the presence of the Lord. I hate it up here. Has nothing to do with my message.

[Assistant Pastor]

But y' all like my new podium?

[Lead Pastor]

It's dope, ain't it? Looks like it was carved out of a yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah social fam. There is a documentary that I watched a while back that had a profound impact on me. The title of the documentary is called the Weight of Gold. The Weight of Gold. In it, it followed the lives of Olympic athletes, and it did not just follow them on the moments that we all see where they're doing incredible exploits or they're standing on the podium getting the gold medal while everybody's cheering for them, but it actually showed the moments when the cameras were off and showed the vulnerability of some of the mental challenges of these Olympic athletes. What intrigued me as much as the documentary was the person that was the executive producer of the documentary and was a major voice in the documentary, y'. All, it was Michael Phelps. Michael Phelps, the most decorated Olympian of all time, Michael Phelps, the dude who has not five, not 10, not 15, not 20, but 23 gold medals to himself. Michael Phelps.

[Assistant Pastor]

Michael Phelps, the dude who swims faster.

[Lead Pastor]

Than Nemo, Dory, Ariel and Aquaman, that is, who was the voice of this documentary. And yet in it, he said that when the Olympic Games were over, he found himself in a deep depression. He would sit in silence, sinking into suicidal ideation. Think about that for a moment. At the very height of his success, at a mountaintop moment, he said, and I quote, I was at the top, but I did not know who I was when I wasn't in the water. Translation, I made it, but I hate it up here. Oh, we could talk more than just Michael Phelps. You could go down any industry, in any field, any sphere of influence, and I could give you name after name after name of a person who climbed the heights, got to the pinnacle of their career, got to the mountaintop of success, only to get there and find out the air is thinner when you get up here, only to get to the top and find out it's lonelier up here than it looked when I was down at the bottom, only to climb and reach the top and to find this weird feeling that it felt better when I was climbing towards my goal than it did when I actually got up here and reached it. That part. Isn't it crazy how you could be climbing up a mountain your Mountain. If you say of trying to reach a goal, trying to reach some pinnacle of. And there's actually a good feeling you get when you are fighting for the climb, because as long as the goal is up there, you're like, okay, I'm almost there. I almost got the raise. I almost got the position. I almost got whatever it is. Only to find out when you get up there and get it, you go, is this all that it is? I thought it was gonna feel better than this.

[Assistant Pastor]

What do you do when the weight.

[Lead Pastor]

Of success feels worse than the weight of failure? What do you do when you're dealing not with the trauma of suffering that people can relate to?

[Assistant Pastor]

What do you do when you deal.

[Lead Pastor]

With the trauma of success and you made it to the top but winning doesn't feel like winning?

[Assistant Pastor]

What do you do when you get.

[Lead Pastor]

To the room or the position that you've been waiting to get in?

[Assistant Pastor]

And all of a sudden, once you.

[Lead Pastor]

Get up there, you realize, I hate it up here. I hate to hit you this hard when it's just the second message in the series, but we cannot talk about mountains and not talk about altitude sickness. Any mountain climbers in here? I'm not, but they tell me that.

[Assistant Pastor]

Whenever you are climbing a mountain, one.

[Lead Pastor]

Of the things you have to deal with is altitude sickness. It is inevitable when you have altitude sickness. It is the reality that your body has gotten higher than your lungs have the capacity to sustain you. And so you're up at the top, and you made it, but you're suffocating.

[Assistant Pastor]

You're up at the top, and you.

[Lead Pastor]

Made it, but you're dizzy.

[Assistant Pastor]

You're up at the top, and you.

[Lead Pastor]

Made it, but you can't breathe. Have you ever been there?

[Assistant Pastor]

Have you ever gotten to the mountaintop.

[Lead Pastor]

Of something and realized, I hate it up here? Oh, y' all gonna be phony in this service just like the other ones. Okay.

[Assistant Pastor]

Have you ever been climbing the mountaintop.

[Lead Pastor]

Trying to get to marriage?

[Assistant Pastor]

I mean, you've had single night after single night saying, God, please just give me a spouse. Please, God, at this point, I don't.

[Lead Pastor]

Even care if they ain't got all their teeth.

[Assistant Pastor]

Just give me somebody. I'm tired of being by myself. Oh, Only to find the person, get married, go to Jamaica on your honeymoon, and here you are three years in the marriage and can't even admit, I.

[Lead Pastor]

Hate it up here. I had more freedom when I was single.

[Assistant Pastor]

I didn't know it was gonna be like this. No, I know you can't say anything because they sitting Right next to you. So just keep looking straight ahead. This is a real reality. When you reach the height of something and internally, it doesn't feel, feel like a win. What do you do when you started in the cubicle and made it all the way to the corner office? Look at you started from the bottom, now you here, you made it to the top. You got your corner office, got the dream job you wanted, you in the C suite.

[Lead Pastor]

And nobody told you that when you got up there, you were going to deal with the jealousy and the hating.

[Assistant Pastor]

And the rejection of the people you used to hang out with. Meanwhile, you don't have the full access, acceptance of the people that are in the new position you're in. So here you are eating chipotle by yourself in your corner office, wondering, was it better when I had the cubicle?

[Lead Pastor]

Cause I hate it up here.

[Assistant Pastor]

I'm gonna keep talking to somebody says, amen. What do you do when you finally got the baby you were dreaming for? You thought that little bit of humor was gonna heal the hole in your soul, only to get that baby. And now you can't sleep at night and saying words that you can't say in church. And you're going, this baby is cute.

[Lead Pastor]

But I, I, I, I just, I, not the baby. I hate it up here.

[Assistant Pastor]

What do you do? What do you do when you're at.

[Lead Pastor]

The summit and you're suffocating? What do you do when you started the church not because you wanted to, but because God told you to. And it did not start with thousands. It started with a couple hundred. And in four years it's gone to thousands and thousands of people who all.

[Assistant Pastor]

Want to be discipled and all want.

[Lead Pastor]

To be fed and all want to be led.

[Assistant Pastor]

And you went to 14 different venues praying and asking God, please give us a building. And then God blesses you and gives you a building, and then you start finding out how many millions it's going to take to make the building a sanctuary. And you still need millions to meet in the place while you're waiting on the sanctuary and pay the staff and be a dad and preach a new message every single Sunday while people sitting up there with their arms folded don't really want to say amen because they're like, I came last week, it better be good this week. Oh, what, is that too real? Maybe I should just be phony and fake. But I'm trying to tell you I'm thankful for the harvest. I'm thankful what God is doing. But there have been some Sunday mornings. One Thing. God, I can't handle the weight of this thing. I hate it. Up, up. Can I sit out there? You got a word? Come take the mic. I didn't think it was that good. Please come. Do better. I don't hate the call of God.

[Lead Pastor]

It's just. It's hard sometimes to breathe up here. This is why I love the Bible, because the Bible gives us the full story. Elijah is not the only one that said this. We could be here all day. Of people throughout your Bible who were powerful and anointed and had I hate it up here moments. Oh, people. People like Moses, powerful, who split the Red Sea, told Pharaoh, stutter problem at all.

[Assistant Pastor]

Let my people go. And they went.

[Lead Pastor]

But that same Moses had I hate it up here moment and said, God, these people complain about everything. Take my life. I don't want to pastor them anymore. People like Jonah, you know, the dude that got swallowed by the well because God did a revival to the people he couldn't stand.

[Assistant Pastor]

You do know that God has the.

[Lead Pastor]

Right to save your hater? And Jonah couldn't stand it.

[Assistant Pastor]

And he said, lord, take my life. What about the prophet Jeremiah who made it up here? He was a mouthpiece for God.

[Lead Pastor]

But the prophet Jeremiah said, I cursed the day I was born. This is too difficult, trying to be the voice of the Lord to people who don't want to hear what he has to say. What about the apostle Paul who said, I got so bad that I despaired of life itself.

[Assistant Pastor]

And yes, I'm apostle, and yes, I'm.

[Lead Pastor]

Writing letters that people going to read later, but can I just have a moment of honesty and vulnerability and go, yo, I hate it up here. Oh, I hear you.

[Assistant Pastor]

Can we get a more spiritual example?

[Lead Pastor]

Yes. Jesus, the son of the living God, had a moment, coincidentally, after he came off of a mountain. We'll get to that later in the series where he said, how long do I have to be with this unbelieving generation? I multiplied fish and bread. They saw it go from two fish and five loaves, and they ate the fish and they ate the bread. They saw the miracle, tasted the miracle, and they still got the nerve, audacity, and unmitigated gall to go, are you really the son of God? I hate it up here. What do you do when you're having a I hate it up here moment? I'm so glad that you asked. Come with me in our text today because I want to introduce you to a Tishbite in our text. Yeah, he's a Tishbite, and his Name is Elijah. Let the church say Elijah. Say it with your chest. Say Elijah. Elijah. You gotta put some respect on Elijah's name because this dude is in a category all by himself. I don't know if they give gold medals in heaven. I don't think they will because they're streets of gold. So the streets of gold, what a little metal gonna do? That's gold. It's just a street in heaven. But if they did, and if they are giving gold medals in heaven, please believe your boy Elijah is getting more gold medals than every single one of us. Don't get it twisted. I don't care how spiritual you are. I don't care if you graduated from Sunday school and floated in here today. You ain't got nothing on this Old Testament prophet, Elijah. Elijah was not a weakling. Elijah was not small. Elijah was massive in the kingdom of God. He was powerful. He's arguably the greatest and the most formidable prophet of the Old Testament. I love his name because his name means. Watch this. My God is Yahweh. I love that. I love that. I had church when I found that out. Elijah's name means, my God is Yahweh.

[Assistant Pastor]

Not your God is Yahweh, not My.

[Lead Pastor]

Grandmama'S God is Yahweh, not my daddy's God is Yahweh, but my God is Yahweh.

[Assistant Pastor]

Every once in a while, you gotta get some Elijah on you and make.

[Lead Pastor]

It decision and say, my God is Yahweh.

[Assistant Pastor]

I'm not serving God just because my mama and my daddy told me to. I'm not serving God because I'm in the Bible belt. I'm serving God because I know who he is. I've got relationship with him. His name meant my God is Yahweh. Every time he stepped into a room, his name was preaching that I believe.

[Lead Pastor]

In the true and living God. His name is Yahweh. Allow me just to give you Elijah's highlight reel.

[Assistant Pastor]

This is a dude that.

[Lead Pastor]

You don't get his childhood, you don't get his birth. You don't know where he really grew up.

[Assistant Pastor]

You don't know anything about that.

[Lead Pastor]

He just shows up in First Kings.

[Assistant Pastor]

17, right in Ahab's palace and says, guess what? It's not gonna rain. And there won't be dew in the ground until God says it. And until I say it, he just shows up out of nowhere. He explodes on the scene. This is Elijah who prophesied and said, it's not gonna rain until I say it. And even in the drought, God took care of him. Oh, before there was Doordash or Uber Eats, God said, I got you ravens. Bring Elijah some food, because I'm gonna take care of him. Elijah was powerful. This is a dude that went to a widow's house, and the widow was about to die. She didn't have much but just a little water and a little oil. And Elijah had the nerve and the gall to tell a widow, hey, would you make some bread for me first before you feed your family? She said, I'm about to die. He said, as sure as I am a prophet of God, if you'll do this, your cupboard will never be dry. God's gonna provide. And she just went by faith, just like some of y', all, trusting God, and it doesn't even make sense. And watch how God was faithful. She had everything that she needed. In the middle of a drought. Is that Elijah? You do know he has the first recorded resurrection? The first resurrection. Cause that widow's boy died. And she goes to Elijah and say, well, you made bread and oil and water keep reappearing. What you gonna do about my son who's dead? Elijah said, give him to me. Takes him to an upper room, stretches out on the boy and says, God, put your life back in him. And the first recorded resurrection in Jesus, calling out Lazarus. It is Elijah bringing a young boy from death to life. I feel like preaching. Y' all ain't gonna help me preach. This is alive, powerful, powerful man of God. This dude didn't even taste death. Oh, read the Bible.

[Lead Pastor]

When you get to the crib, a.

[Assistant Pastor]

Chariot just scooped him up. He just left.

[Lead Pastor]

And if that wasn't enough, centuries later, when Jesus is on Earth and is with his motley crew, his 12 homeboys, he asks them, hey, real quick, who do men say that I am? What they saying out there in them streets? I know they talking because I'm doing stuff. What they say? He said, well, some say you are Elijah, not Abraham, not Moses, not David. Elijah. You know you're doing it big. When people look at Jesus and go, are you Elijah? He's powerful. He's full of faith, full of authority, and yet he finds himself under a tree praying for God to take his life. What would make a prophet with that power pray for God to take his life? It sounds crazy until you get some context of where Elijah is living. Which, by the way, everything sounds crazy until you get some context for the crazy. So can we get some context for this crazy prayer that Elijah prays? The context of the Book of Kings? Is that the people of God have turned their backs on Yahweh. Their hearts have drifted away from him. It is a culture of great apostasy and idolatry. What is intriguing about the Book of Kings is the children of Israel always had idols around. But this was different. Because in Kings, idols are not just in the culture. Idols have been institutionalized. The wickedness is so pervasive. And this all happens under the leadership of a king by the name of Ahab. Ahab. And the Bible says something very strange about Ahab. It says that he did more evil in the eyes of the Lord than any king before him. What a resume that you did more evil than anybody else before you. What would make this king do more evil than any of his predecessors? I tell you, is who he said I do to matrimony magnified his evilness.

[Assistant Pastor]

I want to warn some of y'.

[Lead Pastor]

All who are in these dating streets. Be careful who you say I do to. Do not rush into marriage.

[Assistant Pastor]

Do not take some time. Get some references. Talk to some people that have seen them in highs and lows. Do your due diligence. Check them posts back from 2,012. Be careful who you say I do too. I'm telling you, he made the mistake of marrying a woman who was evil. It's intriguing to me. Of the 19 kings that are mentioned throughout Israel's history, we don't get any of their wives names except for one. There is one woman who makes the list. She is so evil that nobody has her name today. And if you do have her name, please find one of these eight exits and leave the building. I'm talking about Jezebel. You know you evil when nobody has your name today. Roll call. Any Judases? Any Lucifers? Huh, Lucy? Huh? No Lucifers? Any Jezebels?

[Lead Pastor]

This is how wicked this woman was.

[Assistant Pastor]

This is who Ahab said I do to. Why do we get her name?

[Lead Pastor]

We get her name because she's the queen. But she is really running the throne. She's working in secret, connects herself to Ahab. She only has power because she has connected herself to the authority of Abraham of Ahab. And because Ahab has no spine and will not stand up against her. And connected to her, she's able to rule and to reign and to institutionalize the idolatry of baal.

[Assistant Pastor]

Oh, if I had time. But that's another message. For another time I would talk about.

[Lead Pastor]

The spirit of Jezebel. She's mentioned again in the book of Revelation.

[Assistant Pastor]

This spirit of Jezebel is not so.

[Lead Pastor]

Much about being seductive. It's more about control, manipulation.

[Assistant Pastor]

It's not just in women, it'll be in men too. It's the people that have to connect themselves to power so they can have power. You'll see them in church. If you don't give them a title, they'll leave. If you don't give them a position, they won't stay. They have to have the microphone. They have to have a place where they get to tell people what to do. They. And. And if you really wanna see their spirit rise up, tell them no. Tell them it ain't gonna happen. And watch how they lose their mind.

[Lead Pastor]

And they'll dress it up in spiritual language. Well, I had a word from God, really. So Jezebel institutionalizes the idolatry of BAAL who watch this, they thought was the God of rain, thunder and fertility. The God of. They thought BAAL was the God of rain.

[Assistant Pastor]

Ooh, now I know why Elijah walked in in first K. And the first thing he said was, it's not gonna rain until I say so. That's not a coincidence. That was a direct assault and attack and letting them know that my God is the real God. If you think BAAL controls the rain, it ain't gonna rain till I say so. Because I know the God that really makes it rain and his name ain't baal. His name is Yahweh. Y' all recording this?

[Lead Pastor]

I'm gonna watch it later.

[Assistant Pastor]

It's blessed me.

[Lead Pastor]

And so it doesn't rain for three years because Elijah said so. Not a drop, not a nothing. Bring those prophets back. That when they say something, it actually happens. So finally Elijah goes to King Ahab, says, ha ha, how you like this drought? Told you it wasn't going to rain. He says, uh huh. He said, enough is enough. He said, I want you to get the 450 prophets of Baal and I want us to have a showdown. Yeah. He says, meet me on the. Ooh, y' all read your Bible. Meet me on the mountain. It is Mount Carmel. This is the greatest showdown in Bible history. Why Hollywood has not done a movie about this showdown on Mount Carmel baffles me. Matter of fact, there's some producer watching this. Where's my camera?

[Assistant Pastor]

If there's some producer and you want.

[Lead Pastor]

To do a movie, I just want to suggest. I can play Elijah.

[Assistant Pastor]

Okay. I'll grow out my beard, I'll do whatever I. I want to do this part right here. To be so gangster with it. I mean, that's Samuel L. Jackson vibes. Meet Me on the mountain. We gonna find out. We gonna find out who the real God is. Pull up on the mountain and let's see who the real God is. Let's see the God that's gonna answer by fire. Pull up on Mount Carmel. Everybody show up, get the word out. We having a showdown tonight on Mount Car. Y'.

[Lead Pastor]

All.

[Assistant Pastor]

If this was today, this would be streaming on Netflix.

[Lead Pastor]

It would break every record.

[Assistant Pastor]

This would be on cnn, on fox, on abc, NBC, hijk, lmnop. Everybody would be watching this camera set up perhaps thousands of people all on.

[Lead Pastor]

The mountain, trying to figure out, all right, let's see who is the real God. Elijah said, pull up. Let's see what's gonna happen. And Elijah waits till he has captivated the attention of everybody. And then he makes this powerful statement that you cannot miss. Here's what he says. I'm in. First Kings 18, verse 21.

[Assistant Pastor]

How long.

[Lead Pastor]

Will you wait? Somebody woke up. Good. This a wake up message.

[Assistant Pastor]

How long will you waver between two opinions? If the Lord is God, follow him. But if BAAL is God, follow him. Huh, I'm confused. How long will you waver between two opinions? If the Lord is God, he is. Follow him. But if BAAL is God, follow him.

[Lead Pastor]

Hold up, Elijah, you must have missed prophet school. You ain't supposed to say that.

[Assistant Pastor]

You are not supposed to get up in front of people and say, yo, if God is God, follow him. If BAAL is God, follow baal. That's not what a prophet is supposed to say. A prophet you would think would say, hey, God, he is God. He's the only God. You better reject the other God. He does not say that. He says, look, we have reached a place where you need to make a decision. If God is God, follow him. And if BAAL is God, follow baal.

[Lead Pastor]

What is Elijah saying?

[Assistant Pastor]

Please don't get it twisted. He is not confused. He knows that BAAL is a false God. He knows that Yahweh is the real God. Don't forget his name means my God is Yahweh. He knows who God is. So he's not really giving them two options. What he is doing is exposing their duplicity.

[Lead Pastor]

He's saying, the problem with y' all is you want to ride the fence and you don't want to make a decision.

[Assistant Pastor]

The problem with y' all is you have one. One foot in the camp of BAAL and one foot in the camp of Yahweh. And Yahweh refuses to have any other gods, any other idols before Him. So I'd rather you make a decision. If you're gonna serve God, serve God. If you're gonna serve baal, then serve baal. But you cannot ride the fence. Make a decision. It's as if he's saying what James will say later. I would rather he. I'm sorry, the book of James, it says that a double minded man.

[Lead Pastor]

Is what? Unstable in all of his ways. Oo he says, make a decision. He's saying the problem with the people of God is that you have half hearted devotion. And half hearted devotion is worse than open idolatry. He said, I would rather you be be honest in your rejection of God than fake in your devotion to him. Say one more time for the people in the back. I would rather you be honest in your rejection of God than fake in your devotion to him. Make a decision. And people do the same thing today, and I feel the spirit of Elijah on your boy today to tell you, make a decision. If you're gonna serve God, serve him. If you're gonna serve the world, then serve the world.

[Assistant Pastor]

See, the problem is not the atheist that says I don't believe in God. The problem is the person that's in church every single Sunday, but you sleeping around on Monday. That's the problem. The problem is not the person that mocks God and says, I don't believe him. The problem is the person that says, I trust God, but you don't ever give your pocketbook. Don't say that you trust him. The problem is not the person that says I don't believe in God. It's the person that says, oh no, I love God. I post it on my stories all the time. But you give God time when you feel like it. He's an addition to your life. The problem ain't the person out in the street that's a prostitute. That ain't the problem. It's the person that got the scriptures on their Instagram page, but also showing everything else on your Instagram page. Make, make a decision. It's not the backslider, it's the fence rider.

[Lead Pastor]

That's the problem. That's the problem. Make a decision.

[Assistant Pastor]

Ooh, y' all didn't like that? That made somebody mad right there. Oh, I saw it. I saw it in your face. You got mad about that. Put it on the screen.

[Lead Pastor]

Yeah, big mad.

[Assistant Pastor]

You big mad. That's all right though, because I want you to get mad. Cause mad to me is make a decision. Make a decision. If you gonna serve him, then serve him. If you gonna worship, then Worship. But if you want to be in the world, then just be in the world. But make a.

[Lead Pastor]

Good decision. Half hearted worship. Half hearted worship is worse than idolatry. Ooh. Come here. Scripture Church of Laodicea. I'd rather you be hot or cold instead of Luke while warm. It makes me sick. So Elijah on the mountain says, enough is enough. And I know the people were mad. They were big mad. You know how I know they were mad? Because they didn't say nothing. He said, make a decision. Look what the people said. The people said, nothing. That's how you know you hit somebody with some truth. But they're like big math. They said nothing. And Elijah said, I don't care if you don't say nothing. Enough is enough. It's time to quit playing. Some of y' all been playing. Church. Quit playing. He says, cut the bull. That's essentially what he says, cut the bull. You think I'm being cute, but I'm. In my text. Put it up there. Yeah, get two bulls for us.

[Assistant Pastor]

Cut the bull. That's what he said. Get two bulls for us. Let Baal's prophets choose one for themselves.

[Lead Pastor]

And let them cut it into pieces and put it on the wood, but.

[Assistant Pastor]

Not set fire to it. I will prepare the other bull and.

[Lead Pastor]

Put it on the wood, but not set fire to it.

[Assistant Pastor]

Then you call on the name of.

[Lead Pastor]

Your God, and I will call on the name of the Lord. The God who answers by fire. He is God. Then all the people said, well, it sounds good to me. Let's do it then. Let's do it. I love Elijah. He's polite. He goes, okay, pagans go first. So they start calling on the name of BAAL dancing around the altar.

[Assistant Pastor]

Oh, baal, I don't know how they did it.

[Lead Pastor]

I wish the Bible had audio, but it doesn't. So you're welcome.

[Assistant Pastor]

Oh, baal, send the fire. Baal, we need your BAAL going on and on nothing. Now this is where Elijah becomes one.

[Lead Pastor]

Of my favorite characters in the Bible. Because Elijah could have just sat there and been quiet. You know that God ain't gonna answer by fire.

[Assistant Pastor]

So just let them do their thing.

[Lead Pastor]

And then take your spot and do your thing. But he does not do that. He's from the south side of Israel.

[Assistant Pastor]

If you needed some scriptural evidence for trash talking, it's right here in First King. He sees them crying out to BAAL and ain't nothing happening. And this dude starts trolling them on Mount Carmel. He's like, maybe you should be a little louder Maybe he can't hear you. Maybe he's on vacation. Maybe BAAL is in the bathroom. Maybe BAAL bailed on you. What's wrong? Cat got you God's tongue? What's wrong? Messing with him.

[Lead Pastor]

I love that he's like that type of petty. Nothing happens. They have cut themselves, crying and shouting, which I just want to pause here. I didn't give this to any other service. I love that our God doesn't have you cut yourself for him. He was cut for us. I just, just want to parenthetically park right there and thank my God that I don't have to cut myself here. Was cut and bled for me. Nothing happens. Elijah goes, my turn. First thing he does is he repairs the altar of the Lord. Jezebel tore the altar of the Lord down. Elijah says the first thing we must do is repair what has been torn down, and he repairs the altar of the lord. He takes 12 stones representing the 12 tribes of Israel to remind them that the same God who's been faithful before is the same God who is faithful now. Read your Bible. It is a love story of a God who's just always wanted to redeem his people. They keep going after idols, and he keeps chasing after them and chasing after them, saying, come back to me. Elijah repairs the altar. I love it. He wants to make sure that when the fire falls, nobody can get the glory or the credit, but he pours water three times on the altar. He's like, I don't want y' all to get it twisted. Don't leave here and say, well, it was so dry, and I think just the sun hit it in the right spot. No, I want you to keep pouring water on that altar because I want to let you know that when that fire comes, it is going to be from God. There are some things in your life where God will not just show up, but he will show off and let you know that I am the only one that could have made this happen. I love it because once he repairs the altar, pours water on it, sets up the sacrifice, y', all, it's like a 22nd prayer. They went for hours. Elijah didn't even break a sweat. Said, oh, God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, let these people know that everything I've done, you told me to do it, answer by fire and return the hearts of your people to you. That's it. Fire falls, takes up the whole sacrifice, burns the stones. And I love it, because when the fire fell, the people fell and they said, the Lord is God, the Lord is God. Yahweh is God. Yahweh is God. Yahweh is God.

[Assistant Pastor]

Oh, I'm praying that somebody today would.

[Lead Pastor]

Repent of the idols that you've set up in your heart and just bow before him and say, God, you are God. I love Elijah. Because he must have saw the prophets of BAAL trying to sneak out. He said, come back, sees them, kills. 450 prophets, all of them. That sounds harsh. You don't tolerate sin. You destroy it. Killing kills all the prophets and then says, I hear the sound of an abundance of rain, and before you know it, the clouds. Clouds get black, and all of a sudden it starts raining. I love it. Because once they repented, then the rain came. The rain did not come before the repentance, but once they fell down and repented, then came the rain. I don't know who this is for today, but you have been in a drought. You've been in a dry season, and God's saying the drought is connected to the idols that you have set up in your life.

[Assistant Pastor]

And God says, I'm giving you this message for you to turn your heart back to me. If you would let go of those idols and say, God, I repent. God, I'm sorry. I'm coming back to you. You would experience an abundance of rain. But the rain does not come until there is repentance.

[Lead Pastor]

Rain comes, and Elijah outruns a chariot. This is a mountaintop moment.

[Assistant Pastor]

Elijah, you should be doing The Holy Ghost 2 step. You should be excited.

[Lead Pastor]

How does Elijah find himself in the depths of depression saying, God, kill me? It's because of a message that was sent to him. Notice the tactic of the enemy. Jezebel doesn't come to him herself. She just sends a message. But put your feet in Elijah's shoes. The people have repented. Fire has come down from heaven. Rain has come. He did everything he was supposed to do. He did everything right. He repaired the altar. Surely Elijah's thinking, oh, a message from Jezebel. He's thinking, oh, I know what this messenger's gonna say. This message is gonna say, jezebel has repented. Jezebel is coming off of the throne. Jezebel is turning her heart to God. Come on, messenger, what message you got for me? I did everything I was supposed to do.

[Assistant Pastor]

God showed up. Come on. When fire comes down from heaven, it.

[Lead Pastor]

Don'T get no bigger than that. He's thinking, revival's about to break out, only to get a message that Jezebel says, by this time tomorrow, I am going to Kill you. By this time tomorrow, you will be just like the prophets you destroyed. And Elijah breaks down. Have you ever been there before? Where in a moment of vulnerability, when you dealt with. Watch this. Unmet expectations, you say, God, I can't take it anymore.

[Assistant Pastor]

God, what else am I supposed to do? I did everything right. I called fire down from heaven, I repaired the altar. You mean to tell me that my life is still being threatened? God, I have nothing left to give. I know you can't say anything, but somebody in here today is dealing with the pain of unmet expectations because you said, I did everything I was supposed to do. God, I prayed, I fasted for that loved one to be healed and they still didn't get healed. God, I did everything I was supposed to do. I raised my kids in church, I took them to vacation Bible school, and now they don't want anything to do with God. God, what else can I. You didn't show up the way I.

[Lead Pastor]

Thought that you would. Elijah, the one who called fire down from heaven, says, I don't have anything else to give. God, I hate it up here because you didn't show up the way that I thought. Take my life. I'm glad God didn't answer his prayer. Instead, God, in his kindness, ministers to a depleted prophet. I don't have time to fully unpack it, but I want you to see what God does. He sends an angel to Elijah and has the angel bake some bread for him. I love that. Because your boy loves some bread and not gluten free.

[Assistant Pastor]

Doesn't that seem odd to you?

[Lead Pastor]

That here's a man who says, lord, take my life, who's in depression, and God sends an angel not to say, thus saith the Lord God Almighty. Yahweh, how darest thou be depressed? Cheer up. O Elijah sends the angel to bake some bread. Why? Because Elijah's hungry. Hungry. This is the danger of many of us who walk with God, is sometimes we're too heavy on the spiritual that we negate the practical. Elijah, you are hungry.

[Assistant Pastor]

You're so busy calling down fire from.

[Lead Pastor]

Heaven, you haven't eaten, so you don't.

[Assistant Pastor]

Need a word right now.

[Lead Pastor]

You need some food. I don't know who this is for, but there's somebody in here. You are over spiritualizing the thing. There are things that are spiritual, but some things are just practical.

[Assistant Pastor]

You are hungry. You've not taken care of your physical body. You're hungry, Elijah. So I'm sending an angel to bake you some bread and bring you some water. Eat and drink.

[Lead Pastor]

He's hungry. Not only that, he's alone. Maybe that's why the angel. Angel touches him. Remember, he told his servant, you stay here. I want to go by myself into the wilderness. I've had enough. Just like some of you who always isolate yourself from community. And that's the trick of the enemy. To get you in isolation before he takes you out. He is alone, and God will not leave him alone. An angel doesn't just bake bread. The angel touches him because he is alone. What else did he do? Oh, bro went to sleep twice. Why? He's tired. He's tired. And if the enemy cannot extinguish you, he'll just exhaust you. Some of you have been in a fight for so long that you're just tired. And God's word for you is, you need to rest in his presence. He's tired. He's hungry. He's alone. He's tired. Oh, and he's empty. He's empty. Not for physical food. This is the spiritual part. He needs an encounter with God that did not happen on Mount Carmel. He needs an encounter on Mount Horeb. He says, I need you to go to another mountain. Elijah, you experienced my fire falling down on Mount Carmel. And yes, I'm God, and I can do that. But. But you need to experience something else on this mountain called Horeb. And I can see Elijah saying, God, I'm the only one left. I can't believe that it didn't turn out the way I wanted.

[Assistant Pastor]

God, this is messed up.

[Lead Pastor]

I hate it up here. Do you hate it, Elijah, or are you just hungry? Are you just alone? Are you just tired, and are you just empty?

[Assistant Pastor]

Next time you start opening up your mouth, talking about I hate it. Maybe it's just that you're hungry. You need bread from heaven. Maybe it's just you're alone. You need a touch. You need community. Maybe it's just you're tired, you need to rest in his presence. Maybe it's just you're empty and you need to go to another mountain. And whenever you're empty, how many know there is a God that says, I have enough to fill you up again? I have enough to restore you. When your soul is empty, don't you dare kill yourself. Don't you dare take your life, because your life is not over. Come on, Elijah. There's another mountain. There's another place I got for you. Climb again. Come up to the mountain of Horeb. I got something for you. Elijah. You see, Elijah, on the mountain where Are you God? Are you in the wind?

[Lead Pastor]

No.

[Assistant Pastor]

Are you in the earthquake? No. Are you in the fire? Because that's how you moved last time. Don't put me in a box, Elijah. Yes, I moved on that mountain and fire, but. But I'm trying to do something different on this mountain. No, I'm not even in the fire.

[Lead Pastor]

What are you in, then, Lord? Wait for it. Elijah, wait. I'm in the whisper. What? Elijah, just real soft. I'm in the whisper. When you are, Elijah, and you're used to fire from heaven and Mount Carmel moments, the tendency is to believe. That's the only way that God will speak. Don't put him in a box. He does Mount Carmel, but he does Mount Horeb, too. And Mount Horeb is the mountain of God, where God says, yes, I've shown myself in times past through earthquakes, wind, and fire. But now I'm revealing another dimension of who I am. I am a God who whispers. What do you do when you want to give up? What do you do when you hate it up here? Wait for the whisper. The power of the whisper is it can only be heard when you are close. The enemy loves to shout at you.

[Assistant Pastor]

You should give up. You're never enough. You're gonna be just like your father. You should just kill yourself.

[Lead Pastor]

The enemy shouts, but our father always comes in the whisper. I'll never leave you or forsake you. I've not given you a spirit of. Of fear, but of power, love, and a sound mind. If God is whispering, it's because he's close. The challenge is many of us won't wait for the whisper. I came to tell somebody who's suffocating and says, I hate it up here. Wait for the whisper. You know how many times I've been at that place where the pressure is too much? I'm saying, God, I can't do it. But I'll wait for the whisper and he'll speak. Son, I put my word in your mouth. Declare the word of the Lord. My prayer is that God would give somebody a whisper today. I know that you're dealing with the pain of the unmet expectation. You thought Jezebel. Jezebel was going to fall because you brought fire down from heaven, which, by the way, spoiler alert, Jezebel did fall, but just not in the time and the way that Elijah thought. And God is showing and revealing. I'm not just the God of the fire, I'm the God of the whisper. The fire shows you that God is real. The whisper shows you that he's near. He's near. I'm gonna ask if your head be bowed and eyes closed today because somebody needs a whisper. You're hungry, you're alone, you're tired, and you're empty. Empty is not a sign to quit. Empty is a sign to come to the One who can fill you. Yes, he's the God of Mount Carmel, but he's also the God of Mount Horeb, who whispers, I want to know, are you close enough for the whisper, or have you given up under the broom tree? God's calling you up this mountain so that you can have a relationship of closeness. Where he whispers. It's about, how's it close today? But if you'd be so honest to say, hey, P.R. this message is for me. I feel like I'm up here and I'm suffocating. I feel. I feel like giving up. I feel like throwing in the towel, But I need to wait for the whisper. If that's you, would you just lift up your hand high enough and long enough to where I could see it today? Thank you, Lord. Thank you. Hands are going up all over this place today. Anybody else? Heads are still bowed, eyes are still closed. If you're here today and you've never surrendered your life to this Savior, today is a day to make a decision. Give him your life. You can keep climbing those other mountains of career and success, and you can get to the top only to find out the air is thinner and the wind felt like a lost oar. You can say, I'm gonna meet with God on the mountain and let his whisper sustain me. If you're here and you've never surrendered your life to Jesus, I want to give you that opportunity today. Would you lift up your hand high enough and long enough to where I could see it today, saying, I'm giving it my life today. Thank you, Lord. Would you just stand to your feet real quick all over this place, please? Nobody, Nobody moving. Just honor this moment, God. I come against every lie of suicide, every lie of depression that makes us feel like our story will never change. God, we will wait for the whisper. Thank you that there's another mountain. God, we refuse to put you in a box. You can show up in the fire, you can show up in the wind. You can show up in the earthquake. You can show up with a whisper. God, thank you for the whispers that remind us that you are near. We are not forsaken. You're close. We will not die here. We were made for the mountain. We trust you as about how's it closed today? Those of you who said, hey, I need to surrender my life to Jesus, I just love the opportunity to lead you in this prayer. I'm going to give you the words, but you just say this from your heart. Can we all say it as a family, but especially those of you who responded. Would you say this, Jesus, I need you. I cannot do life without you. You are my life, Jesus. I believe that you are the son of God. You live the life that I was supposed to live and you died the death and I was supposed to die. So Lord, I repent. Forgive me of my sins, make me brand new. From this moment forward, I am walking with you, Lord. I choose to come close because I know you're a God who whispers, speak to me. Fill me up in Jesus name. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. If you meant what you prayed, can you give King Jesus just the best praise that you God for them? Oh, come on, you can do better than that. You ought to praise him like you're thankful and grateful for what he's about to do in your life.