There is a lot that we can take from the life of Elijah. There is a lot to encourage the believer, to challenge the believer, and a lot for us to think about. Israel was a divided kingdom for about 60 years. The northern kingdom was made up of 10 tribes, Israel. The southern 2 tribes, Judah. The northern kingdom was ruled by kings who did not follow God. The southern kingdom had some good kings but mostly bad. The worst of the northern king was Ahab and his wife Jezebel. Jezebel turned Ahab's heart away from God. She turned them toward the Sidonian gods Baal and Ashtoreth. They were the god and goddess of fertility, crops, and rain. God revealed to the people that the Sidonian gods were helpless by sending a drought to the region. God did this through Elijah. Elijah m1/2 ade an announcement that God was going to "close up the sky" until he returned and then left. The drought began, but God provided for Elijah by sending him food and water by a brook. When it dried up God sent Elijah into Sidonia where Baal and Ashtoreth were the gods of that land. He was sent to live with a widow where God used Elijah to raise the woman's son from the dead. God provided for the widow, Elijah and her son during the drought. The drought lasted for about 3 1/2 years the Elijah returned.
1 Kings 18:1-6 (ESV) "After many days the word of the LORD came to Elijah, in the third year, saying, 'Go, show yourself to Ahab, and I will send rain upon the earth.' So Elijah went to show himself to Ahab. Now the famine was severe in Samaria. And Ahab called Obadiah, who was over the household. (Now Obadiah feared the LORD greatly, and when Jezebel cut off the prophets of the LORD, Obadiah took a hundred prophets and hid them by fifties in a cave and fed them with bread and water.) And Ahab said to Obadiah, 'Go through the land to all the springs of water and to all the valleys. Perhaps we may find grass and save the horses and mules alive, and not lose some of the animals.' So they divided the land between them to pass through it. Ahab went in one direction by himself, and Obadiah went in another direction by himself."
I. You are never alone.
If you are in Christ Jesus, you are never alone. Elijah at times believed that he was the only one who was faithful to God, the only one who cared what God thought. But he was not, Obadiah who was working in the kings palace believed in God and was helping and hiding a hundred prophets of God from Ahab and Jezebel. Obadiah risked a lot to serve God. Even if Elijah was alone God never left him alone.
1 Peter 5:9 (ESV) "Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world."
II. God is working. Be patient when you don't see it.
Even when it doesn't seem like it, God is working. For 3 1/2 years Elijah thought what was happening, but God was bringing judgement on Ahab, on Jezebel and the kingdom of Israel through the drought and famine. But God was also going to bring about salvation, God was going to restore and bring back the things that were lost. Obadiah was also doing God's work and there were others that are not mentioned in the Bible.
2 Peter 3:9 (ESV) "The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance."
"Many of this earth's little nobodies are going to be somebodies in heaven." Adrian Rogers
God sees your effort and he blesses faithfulness.
1 Kings 18:17 (ESV) "When Ahab saw Elijah, Ahab said to him, 'Is it you, you troubler of Israel?'"
Ahab accused Elijah of something he was. Ahab was the "troubler of Israel".
III. The Wicked Hate the Righteous because darkness hates the light
Light exposes darkness for what it is. When you are living a righteous life people will hate you. Why did they hate Jesus? Because he exposed their darkness...their sin.
John 15:18 (ESV) "If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you."
If you act like Jesus. there are people in this world who hate you.
Psalms 37:12-13 (ESV) "The wicked plots against the righteous and gnashes his teeth at him, but the Lord laughs at the wicked, for he sees that his day is coming."
The goal of the Christian faith is not to please the world. We should live in peace, but we don't compromise the truth or our integrity so that the world will be pleased with us. We need to be slow to condemn who the world condemns. The goal of Christianity is not to please the world, but to please God, to fear God. We need to let man's opinion take a backseat.
1 Kings 18:18-26 (ESV) "And he answered, 'I have not troubled Israel, but you have, and your father's house, because you have abandoned the commandments of the LORD and followed the Baals. Now therefore send and gather all Israel to me at Mount Carmel, and the 450 prophets of Baal and the 400 prophets of Asherah, who eat at Jezebel's table.' So Ahab sent to all the people of Israel and gathered the prophets together at Mount Carmel. And Elijah came near to all the people and said, 'How long will you go limping between two different opinions? If the LORD is God, follow him; but if Baal, then follow him.' And the people did not answer him a word. Then Elijah said to the people, 'I even I only, am left a prophet of the LORD, but Baal's prophets are 450 men. Let two bulls be given to us, and let them choose one bull for themselves and cut it in pieces and lay it on the wood, but put no fire to it. And I will prepare the other bull and lay it on the wood and put no fire to it. And you call upon the name of your god, and I will call upon the name of the LORD, and the God who answers by fire, he is God.' And all the people answered, 'It is well spoken.' Then Elijah said to the prophets of Baal, 'Choose for yourselves one bull and prepare it first, for you are many, and call upon the name of your god, but put no fire to it.' And they took the bull that was given them, and they prepared it and called upon the name of Baal from morning until noon, saying, 'O Baal, answer us!' But there was no voice, and no one answered. And they limped around the alter that they had made."
Ahab was looking for Elijah to kill him. When Elijah shows up he says lets have a contest and Ahab goes along, so do the people and the prophets of Baal. Why did Elijah choose a bull to sacrifice? In Leviticus 4 it says that when the entire congregation sins the offering is a bull. The false god Baal is portrayed as a bull head. Why Mount Carmel? There have been several archeological finds on Mount Carmel that show that this was a sacred site for Baal. It was "homefield advantage". The prophets of Baal were at "home", they got to pick the first bull and they got to "go first". The had everything going their way, they have no excuses. Mount Carmel was depicted as a lush place, but after 3 1/2 years of drought it was probably still lush. There were also 450 prophets verses 1.
Elijah makes a point that they could not serve both God and Baal. God is a jealous god. He knows what best for you. He cuts to the heart of the issue. We have a problem in America...we sprinkle Jesus and "Coexist" with the world. We love our sin and Jesus.
IV. How long will you try to serve 2 masters?
Be the opposite of Ahab
1 Kings 18:27-35 (ESV) "And at noon Elijah mocked them saying, 'Cry aloud, for he is a god. Either he is musing, or he is relieving himself, or he is on a journey, or perhaps he is asleep and must be awakened.' And they cried aloud and cut themselves after their custom with swords and lances. until the blood gushed out upon them. And as midday passed, they raved on until the time of the offering of the oblation, but there was no voice. No one answered; no one paid attention. Then Elijah said to all the people, 'Come near to me.' And all the people came near to him. And he repaired the alter of the LORD that had been thrown down. Elijah took twelve stones, according to the number of the tribes of the sons of Jacob, to whom the word of the LORD came, saying, 'Israel shall be your name, ' and with the stones he built an altar in the name of the LORD. And he made a trench about the altar, as great as would contain two seahs of seed. And he put the wood in order and cut the bull in pieces and laid it on the wood. And he said, 'Fill four jars with water and pour it on the burnt offering and on the wood.' And he said, 'Do it a second time.' And they did it a second time. And he said, 'Do it a third time.' And they did it a third time. And the water ran around the altar and filled the trench also with water."
V. Remember what God has done
In Exodus 24 after the law was given and agreed to an altar was built with 12 pillars to the Lord, one for each tribe. In Joshua 4 when the people crossed the Jordan river on dry land into the Promised Land they built a memorial to the Lord using 12 stones to remember what God had done for them. It is good for us to remember what God has done for you. How many times have we forgotten and gone after other things.
1 Kings 18:36-40 (ESV) "And at the time of the offering of the oblation, Elijah the prophet came near and said, 'O LORD, God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, let it be known this day that you are God in Israel, and that I am your servant, and that I have done all these things at your word. Answer me, O LORD, answer me, that this people may know that you, O LORD, are God, and that you have turned their hearts back.' Then the fire of the LORD fell and consumed the burnt offering and the wood and the stones and the dust, and licked up the water that was in the trench. And when all the people saw it, they fell on their faces and said, 'The LORD, he is God; the LORD, he is God.' And Elijah said to them, 'Seize the prophets of Baal; let not one of them escape.' And they seized them. And Elijah brought them down to the brook Kishon and slaughtered them there."
VI. God is a merciful and forgiving God
The bull was a sacrifice for the sins of the people. All that Elijah did made it more difficult (adding 4 jars of water X 3 which equals 12 tribes of Israel) for God. God didn't need help. This showed that God loved them and He is going to forgive you. You didn't earn it.
Isaiah 55:7 (ESV) "let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; let him return to the LORD, that he may have compassion on him, and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon."
Rain is going to come, forgiveness is coming, refreshing is going to come. Judgement came too for the prophets of Baal.
VII. At some point your time will run out
Matthew 18:7 (ESV) "Woe to the world for temptations to sin! For it is necessary that temptations come, but woe to the one by whom the temptation comes!"
1 Kings 18:41-46 (ESV) "And Elijah said to Ahab, 'Go up, eat and drink, for there is a sound of the rushing of rain.' So Ahab went up to eat and to drink. And Elijah went up to the top of Mount Carmel. And he bowed himself down on the earth and put his face between his knees. And he said to his servant, 'Go up now, look toward the sea.' And he went up and looked and said , 'There is nothing.' And he said, 'Go again,' seven times. And at the seventh time he said, 'Behold a little cloud like a man's hand is rising from the sea.' And he said, 'Go up, say to Ahab, 'Prepare your chariot and go down, lest the rain stop you.'' And in a little while the heavens grew lack with clouds and wind, and there was a great rain. And Ahab rode and went to Jezreel. And the hand of the LORD was on Elijah, and he gathered up his garment and ran before Ahab to the entrance of Jezreel."
Stand for what is right, repent what is holding you back, remember what God has done.
Closing Scripture:
Psalm 145:8-10 (ESV) "The LORD is gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love. The LORD is good to all, and his mercy is over all that he has made. All your works shall give thanks to you, O LORD, and all your saints shall bless you!"
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