IN TODAY'S SERMON, I come to speak concerning giving out and taking in. I Kings 19.11b-13a. In the setting forth of this Truth, there are two things. I. How the Prophet gave out. II. How the Prophet took in.

I. How the Prophet gave out. In I Kings 18, the Prophet gave out. The whole Chapter consists of the Prophet giving out. And I am persuaded, very few people have lived in this world and given out in one day what the Prophet gave out that day. That day was an unparalelled day of giving out, only to be surpassed by JESUS and the Apostles. I would have you to mark the two aspects of the Prophet's giving out. From Verse 1 to Verse 19, the Prophet preached before the ungodly king. In his Sermon, the Prophet was plain, spoke the Truth, and did not back down. He did not twist things. He spoke things just the way they were. What THE LORD said, that is what he preached. Then from Verse 20 till Verse 46, the Prophet preached before the entire Country of Israel. There was his Sermon. There was his Sacrifice, as contrasted to the sacrifice of the false priests. During the Prophet's Sacrifice, THE LORD sent down fire from Heaven. It is the highlight of the Chapter. For a moment at least, it looked like that the whole Country turned to THE LORD.

From these two parts of I Kings 18, I would have you to see that the Prophet gave out. In the first part of the Chapter, the Prophet gave out to the king. He preached to him a Sermon. In the second part, the Prophet gave out to the entire Country of Israel. He preached to them a Sermon. He offered Sacrifice in their sight. Through these things, it is apparent that the Prophet gave out. He did not take in. He gave out. He exerted himself. He was actively involved in the Service of GOD. And what precious things the Prophet gave out! He gave out what was good, true, and wholesome. If only those who were there that day would have been receivers, as the Prophet was the giver, it would have done them much spiritual good.

Before I proceed to the second main point of my Sermon, I would give you Two Instructions. 1. The First Instruction is there are times in life when you give out. You may be a Father, Mother, Brother, or Sister. You may be a Teacher, Preacher, Boss, or Worker. You may be old or young. But there are times in life when you give out. You say words. You do deeds. By words and deeds, you give out. You have an influence. You put things into the hearts of those with whom you live. 2. The Second Instruction: What you give out should be good. As for the Prophet, he did not just give out. But what the Prophet gave out was good. His words were good. His deeds were good. Whether he spoke or acted, it was all the same thing. It was all good. Which speaks that giving out is best done when it is well done. And I say to you: strive that what you give out is good. This is to influence people in the greatest way. And one day you will give an account to THE LORD. And what will you give an account for but all the things that you gave out?

II. How the Prophet took in. In I Kings 19, the whole Text consists of the Prophet taking in. I would have you to mark some of the central features. First: It is said that "the Lord passed by." When THE LORD passes by, the soul takes in the best of things. There was the wind, the earthquake, and the fire. The Prophet learned from these things what THE LORD was not in. There was the "still small Voice." In the sound of the Voice, the Prophet heard from THE LORD. He was told what he should do. He received Light and courage. In all these things, in one way or another, the Prophet took in. In this part of the Chapter, the Prophet did not give out to the king. He did not give out to the Country. Instead, he took in from THE LORD.

From whence spring Three Instructions. 1. The First Instruction is there are times in life when you take in. In the Text, what the Prophet did is not singular to himself. It is something you do too. For taking in is not done by some. It is done by all. When you might not think you take in, you still may be taking in. If you are alive and have some degree of the use of your mind, you take in. This is when you consider the words and deeds of others. This is when you think on these things. They impress you. This can be done simply when you hear the news or watch a show. This can be done more solemnly and profitably when you hear a Scriptural Sermon. These are precious times in life. These are times when you take things inside yourself. 2. The Second Instruction: It is important what you take in. In the Text, the Prophet only took in good things. To show something of the importance of this, I would have you to think about how not a few of us were raised. Our Parents did not want us constantly around those who curse and swear all the time. Our Parents knew good and well that when you are constantly around cursing and swearing, you yourself will soon curse and swear too. O if I might this day encourage you! Be careful what you take in. Keep in mind that you have a soul. Therefore take in good things. If you take in bad things, they will influence you to be bad. If you take in good things, there is hardly anything greater you can simply do to encourage yourself to be good. Taking in good things leads to good thoughts, good words, and good deeds. 3. The Third Instruction: Be on guard that you do not only give out. In today's Sermon, I showed from I Kings 18 that the Prophet gave out. Yet in I Kings 19, I showed that the Prophet took in. Therefore the Prophet did not only give out; he took in too. Among these Facts, it stands out in the first part of I Kings 19 that after the Prophet gave out so much, he was weary. He was weary in mind and body. To repair these things, he took in. And when he did, he was renewed. He went forth again in strength. The problem with many people today is they only give out. They give out at their jobs. They come Home and give out in caring for their Children. They give out all day. In a word, giving out is all they do. But in life when you do not take in as well as give out, you run dry. There is a real and a deep spiritual weariness that will show itself. For we are not GOD. We cannot just go and go. Therefore I say to you: be on guard that you do not only give out. Be sure to take in. Be sure to take in good things. Take time with the Scripture. Spend time in Prayer. Cherish the old Church Service. All this is the Christian's food. Isaiah 40.31 says: "They that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength." Amen.