How Long

How Long 1 Kings 18:20 So Ahab sent unto all the children of Israel, and gathered the prophets together unto mount Carmel. 21 And Elijah came unto all the people, and said, How long halt ye between two opinions? if the LORD be God, follow him: but if Baal, then follow him. And the people answered him not a word.

To begin with brothers and sisters, Christian friends, Well Wishers, and Saints of God there are a plethora of plum pleasing principles in this powerful potent prophetic text. And God is saying through Elijah How Long. There are some things in our lives that we say How Long this got to keep going on?

How Long before we stop killing each other? We can’t even go to funeral without killing our own blood sister. Blood Brothers and sisters. How Long does there have to be over 170 mass murder shooting in America this year alone and it’s still April? How Long? And the good Lord is speaking but we’re not listening. Somewhere along the way we’ve lost our Moral compass lost our ethical compass and most importantly lost our Spiritual Compass.But! don’t be too hard on yourself because from 1 Kings Chapter 16 -18 there were sad occasions in biblical history where the Kings of Israel were more wicked than the people the swore to serve. If your leader is wicked, chances are that the people will follow that wickedness. There were too many wicked kings. Listen to me After Solomon’s reign as the wisest king the bible say his children became kings and each one was worse than the one to come before them. In other words things got more worse as time went on. God told Solomon I don’t like how you let your wives influence you to go after other gods and as a result Solomon’s children are defiling the Lord to unprecedented levels especially King Ahab, he was

more wicked than the last than his daddy king Omri. Brothers and sisters, Ahab took wickedness to another level. Yeah 3x. King Ahab went and married (godless Jezebel) She was pretty but she was a heathen queen from Sidon. ( you’ll remember Sidon and Gomorrah). Not only that but she influenced King Ahab worshipped Baal. And Ahab he went and built a temple for Baal -Melqart the idol god of sidon. where Jezebel was from. What??? A Hebrew King built a pagan temple to and idol god named Baal… Say it ain’t so. But that ain’t all, to make matters worst Jezebel ordain 450 false prophets for Baal the weather god, and 400 more false prophets for the goddess Asherah the fertility god. There are 850 false prophets eating at Jezebel’s table. which means that Baal worship had now become the official state religion.

OO OOO you’ll know that made God Almighty mad don’t you? Can I tell the story, In 1 Kings 17 the Lord God Jehovah sent Elijah the Tishbite to go and tell King Ahab about his wickedness. Elijah told Ahab you’re more out of order than all of your wicked forefather kings that came before you. And Elijah said God told me to tell you that there would not be any rain for three and a half years at my word. And brothers and sisters King Ahab couldn’t say nothing.

And The Lord told Elijah to leave and go eastward by the Brook called Cherith. At Cherith Brook the spring water in the brook was clear and clean, So Elijah had water. And then God commanded the Ravens to bring Elijah food. In the morning the black birds brought Elijah Meat and Bread. Then in the evening the Ravens brought Elijah meat and bread. In other words God took care of His Child.

I’m a Child of God, and I don’t mind humbling myself before the mighty hand of God because I know that My God! is going to take care of me.

Tell your neighbor: My God is going to take care of me too. Listen the bible says that Brook dried up! That means seasons change. And a savvy church realizes that things change, and makes the appropriate adjustments. The bible says in 1 Kings 17:9 that God told Elijah to go down to Zarephath and a widow woman is going to be at the gates of the city. I have commanded that she will take care of you.Long story short Elijah see the widow ask her for water and food and She gave her last to the preacher. And because she was obedient to the word of the Lord God!!! fixed so that Her handful of meal and her little thimble of oil never ran out. Somebody ask me why? Because Jehovah Jireh is the Lord our Provider. God will take care of you if you’re obedient because obedience is better than sacrifice.

Brothers and sisters we’ve got to count our blessings and thank God for them… God performed miracle after miracle for Elijah. God sent the black birds to feed him in the morning and the evening right? God sent Elijah to Zarephath and the widow fed him there for many days right?

But then the widow woman’s son suddenly dies. And God told Elijah take the boy upstairs to your room and breath the Holy Spirit on him and the bible says that the boy came back to life. The boy’s mama said in 1 Kings 17:24 Now I’m sure that you’re a man of God and that the word of the Lord is truly in your mouth. Hallelujah!!!

Meanwhile in 1 Kings 18 Jezebel and King Ahab has brought the religious life of the Northern Kingdom to an all time low. And the Lord speaks to Elijah and says in essence It’s time, go show your face to Ahab and tell him that I’m going to send rain upon the land at your word Elijah.

And the story go that while Elijah is going to showing himself to King Ahab that he runs into the prophet Obadiah. I’ve got to mention Obadiah because Obadiah hid 100 righteous preachers from Jezebel. If that Godless Jezebel would have found them they would have been killed immediately. And Obadiah sees Elijah and falls to the ground and Elijah say no no no don’t worship me, but go get your boss King Ahab. Go get your boss 3x. Long story short Obadiah goes and get King Ahab.

When King Ahab comes he starts accusing Elijah of being a trouble maker. Elijah say hold up there now it’s not me that has troubled the promised land, Ahab it’s you and your fathers before you and God is sick and tired of it!!! King Ahab you abandoned our God, and had the nerve to build a temple to Baal Melqart because your wife told you to do it. In 1 Kings 18:19 Elijah said King Ahab call all of Israel to come to Mount Carmel and bring all 850 false prophets who eat at Jezebel’s table.

And up on Mount Carmel we gon find out which god is real which god. Elijah is saying I’m going to show all ya’ll who is true and Living God. I’m going to show you whose God is All Powerful.

Brothers and sisters I oftentimes wondered why Elijah chose Mount Carmel. Why not choose the temple that Jezebel had made Ahab build? Here’s why, research suggest that the reason why Elijah chose Mount Carmel, is because Mount Carmel is a mountainous range that extended from Samaria all the way to the Mediterranean coastline. Mount Carmel is 470 ft tall and so the Canaanites worshipped Baal up there because Baal was their weather god. So Elijah knew their history and Elijah brought the Challenge to the core of Baal.

I don’t want to keep you too long but when everybody got there, When the multitude got there, and when all of the Congregation of Israel got there, The bible says in 1 Kings 18:21 And Elijah came unto all the people, and said, How long halt ye between two opinions? if the LORD be God, follow him: but if Baal, then follow him. And the people answered him not a word.

Elijah said let’s have a sacrifice. Each one of us will have their turn. Each one of us will prepare an altar. Each one of us will dress and prepare an bull. And each one of us will ask our God to set the sacrifice on fire.Elijah said No human flesh can set their sacrifice on fire only your God can answer by fire. Brothers and sisters the stage is set.

Elijah said you’ll can go first. Go head 2x you’ll go first. You’ll got from the morning till noon. go head! So the false prophets of baal began to danced around the altar to baal. They began to shouting and faking like they were falling out for baal, But no baal. So Elijah began to taunt them Y’all got to shout louder, Y’all got to holler some mo. Surely he’s a god right? Elijah said oh oh maybe he didn’t get the memo about this meeting and maybe baal is gone on vacation. Shout louder y’all maybe baal is sleeping and must be awakened. Brothers and sisters it got so bad until the false prophets of baal started cutting themselves and jumping into the sacrifice. And legend has it that one of them tried to sneak under the altar to light it with fire and the altar collapsed and killed him. And tell tell me that we’ve got to be on the Lord’s side.

Start Closing slowly And so now it’s noon time And Elijah said Israel y’all come here let’s repair and prepare this altar for the Lord’s service. Um Um And Elijah said get me 12 stones that represent the 12 tribes of Israel um um um Yes

And Elijah got a shovel and dug a trench about 18” wide and about 12” deep and they put the sacrifice upon the altar

And Elijah said go get me 4 big buckets and fill them with water um um Then pour the water on top of the sacrifice on top of the wood on top of the stones and on top of the altar and pour the the water until the little ditch overflows with water. Oh Lord and The I want y’all to stand back because I’m going to talk to my God yes Elijah prayed to the Lord um um I imagine in my mind that Elijah said Father I stretch my hand to thee, no other help I know. If thou withdraw thyself from me whether shall I go. Oh Lord and The bible says that God sent down a whirlwind of fire Oh Lordy

And fire burnt up the sacrifice burnt up the wood burnt up the stones and licked up thee water Oh Yes it did. And I heard all of Israel fell down on the ground and cried out The Lord he is God. Is there anybody in here that know that He is the Lord. MY GOD IS ABLE. He’s able to make a way out of no way. He’s able to open doors that’s been closed in your face. Ain’t He Alright! 3x

SING I WONDER

I wonder, do you 5th love the Lord, like I do

5th7 For He gave His life for me and for you

Ooh I wonder, I wonder about you, do you praise the Lord like I do

5th7 What he gave for me 1st was given to you

Are you stayed in death content

would your soul repent,

Would you do a little good each day,

would show a child the way and to know you’ve done your best.

Would you praise God even in distress

I’ll tell Jesus I’ve been blessed

I wonder do you

Even though sometimes I get so discouraged seems like all of mine works is in vain

Lord when I don’t bother nobody, seems like everyone want to pick on me.

But I know I’m really God’s child, and I’m gone serve God the best that I know how,

I love the Lord, I love the Lord, I wonder do you

Bridge

Ohh He died on the cross Ohh He died for one and all.

I love Him with my soul

Ohh my God makes me so whole,

I love Him this I know

I’ve got to tell it, I’ve got to tell it everywhere I go

I need Jesus, I tell you --- I need Jesus 2x By my side and I wonder do you