Sermon notes from Sunday 19 November 2017
1 Kings 18 verses 19 - 39
Here was a man standing before the God of heaven. That prayer he offered shook a nation, brought a nation back to God again. Sometimes we feel so insignificant in this world. Like the days of Nehemiah. The people said to Nehemiah about the building of the walls "surely a fox could run up against it and it would be knocked down." Elijah we are told in James was " a man like us and he prayed." He ascended Mount Carmel, he didn`t look at the evil prophets but he looked heavenward. When all men had forsaken him the Lord stood with him. Thank God he is in our presence today. "When my people are gathered together there am I in the midst." Maybe you feel everyone has turned their backs on you." Maybe there are difficulties all around you and you are standing all alone. No-one else understands. The day Elijah ascended the Mount God was watching over him. Chapter 18 verse 38 "then the fire of the Lord fell and consumed the burnt sacrifice", the very sacrfice he was praying about. Proving the God of heaven was the God of Israel. Verse 39 "when all the people saw it." People are looking for the truth today - someone or something that is genuine. They are fed up with everything else. When the people saw it, when they cast their eyes on it they saw something real, that God was working and they fell on their faces. "The Lord he is the God;.the Lord he is the God." If ever there is a day when you need the folk of God praying it is this one. I believe we can still shake a nation for God today.
Notice firstly the atmosphere of the day. Elijah sends out the challenge - verse 19. He says to King Ahab, "now therefore send and gather together to me all Israel unto mount Carmel and the prophets of Baal four hundred and fifty and the prophets of the groves four hundred which eat at Jezebel`s table." Elijah was facing a vast crowd, such a godless society. A people who had no time for the God of Israel, no time for the things of God, had turned their backs on God. King Ahab was king, was the wickedest king who ever sat on the throne of Israel. He married Jezebel who was from an ungodly family. Ahab built a house for the worship of Baal, turned the people to worship Baal, turning the whole society away from God. Isn`t there a great move today to turn society away from God? This people were well warned. Moses warned them when they came into the land God was giving them, they were not to get involved in the spirituality of the land. The Canaanites were a godless society. They believed in spirits, believed in talking to the dead. Moses warned them to be careful. We are saved yes and filled with the Holy Spirit but the devil is always trying to bring us down, to amalgamate with godless society all around us today. The day was far spent on Mount Carmel, Elijah felt he was the only one left but he wasn`t, there were 7000 left to praise God. Sometimes we think we are the only ones to praise and worship God, to bring his word. We aren`t but sometimes it feels like that. Don`t give up hope. It may be dark in the day but keep praying, seeking God, holding onto God. We can still claim this province for God. See the dangers here. Joshua 24 verse 14 "now therefore fear the Lord and serve him in sincerity and in truth and put away the gods which your fathers served on the other side of the flood and in Egypt and serve ye the Lord." Holding onto old traditions. When God gives us something we have to be prepared to set all the other things we believe in aside. Verse 15 Joshua set the example that day. Verses 16, 17 that is what God did for them. Judges 2 the emotion was high that day when Joshua spoke to the people. This is the Lord that brought us through the Red Sea and into the land of Canaan. Judges 2 verse 3 the great leader was now dead. Verse 10 "and also all that generation were gathered unto their fathers and there arose another generation after them which knew not the Lord nor yet the works which he had done for Israel. And the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the Lord and served Baalim." Baalim means they were serving many gods of the Canaanites now. Verses 11 and 12. We can see the change faced - a people that one time loved the Lord knowing they have grown cold. Is it possible today as Christian people that we could forget that great delivery? He has saved us, blessed us time and time again so much but now serving another god? Is it possible that this province is saying "we don`t know him any more."
The attention to the detail this man gives. This man is facing a powerful challenge. 400 prophets of Baal and 400 prophets who sat at Jezebel`s table. No doubt as looked on Elijah, as he challenged them to come to him that day, I`m sure they laughed and mocked him. When these 850 stood and looked at one man they saw something different about him. When Jehosophat was going to battle he formed an alliance with Ahab. Ahab called in all the people he knew to boast but Jehosophat asked "is there no word from the Lord?" Elijah sets out to challenge - verse 25 - to call on Baal. Here was the most powerful of the gods. They called on Baal but there was no answer. They cut themselves until there was blood gushing down. They were self harming themselves. There is a problem today to get involved in all sorts of darkness, self harming, taking their own lives. This man was up against this. You challenge your god Elijah told them, maybe he is having a sleep, or talking to someone. Call on him more. They continued to call until the evening sacrifice. Verse 30 Elijah told them to come near unto him. Now they had watched the prophets of Baal. Nothing happened. Now they are going to watch this man of god. He repairs the altar of the Lord. The altar had been something forgotten about. The altar of God had been set aside. The altar had been broken down. He repairs the altar. That is the first thing he does. Sometimes that is what happens in our lives. We let things go a bit. Things need to be repaired and united. Maybe the family altar needs to be repaired. He built it up again. It is not too late to repair it. Elijah built the altar of 12 stones representing the 12 tribes of Israel. Israel was scattered by this time but Elijah was still going on. Verse 32 "he made a trench about the altar as great as would contain 2 measures of seed." The altar would be filled with water not once or twice but three times. I am sure the prophets of Baal wondered what was happening. Elijah was setting every hindrance aside before God would act. He knew of a greater power to do a mighty miracle. He was coming to the God of heaven in faith. Whenever we believe he is God and he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him, we will prove him in our lives and in the lives of those who do not believe in our society today.
An approval God gave. God gave the fire from heaven and it consumed the altar. God had performed a mighty miracle. The nation was turned back to God. Everyone fell on their faces before him. We can still shake this world for God. He is still looking for people that will look to him in faith to do a mighty work today
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