Turning The Hearts of God’s People
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1 Kings 18:36–37 (NKJV)
36 And it came to pass, at the time of the offering of the evening sacrifice, that Elijah the prophet came near and said, “Lord God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, let it be known this day that You are God in Israel and I am Your servant, and that I have done all these things at Your word. 37 Hear me, O Lord, hear me, that this people may know that You are the Lord God, and that You have turned their hearts back to You again.”
38 Then the fire of the Lord fell and consumed the burnt sacrifice, and the wood and the stones and the dust, and it licked up the water that was in the trench. 39 Now when all the people saw it, they fell on their faces; and they said, “The Lord, He is God! The Lord, He is God!”
Still in the sermon series: Great Prayers in the Bible
Title of my message is “Turning People’s Hearts to God”
Prayer of Elijah the Great Prophet of God
We live in a cruel and dangerous world.
Last week, the CEO’s of social media platforms META or Facebook, X, Discord, TikTok and Snapchat faced a senate committee in a hearing about the safety of children who use their platforms. Among the many dangers to children in these platforms were pornography, child trafficking and shaming that led to suicides. One issue that was brought up was fentanyl poisoning.
I checked this out and it has been reported that on average 22 teens die ever week from fentanyl disguised as pain killers that kids buy from someone on these social media platforms.
While it is good that there is a moral outrage against this issue, it is still alarming to think that children die because of overdose from a drug disguised as something else.
Yet many people in using these social media platforms seem oblivious, or unaware or simply indifferent to the fact that these platforms are a dangerous place especially for our children.
Such is the state of the nation of Israel in the prophet Elijah’s time. They were oblivious, unaware or simply indifferent to the danger of idolatry (like deadly poison) to them and to their children …… they haven’t completely abandoned worship of the One True God.. but they go ahead and recognize other gods and dabble on these things.
I talked about the deadly influence that social media can have on our kids but in the time of Elijah, there was an evil influencer, the king of Israel, Ahab and he himself is influenced by his wife Jezebel that have brought the spiritual dangers of idolatry to the nation.
To shutdown this idolatry Elijah prayed for a drought, and it did not rain on the land for 3 and a half years.. and this is to wake this nation up. and in verse 21…
21 And Elijah came to all the people, and said, “How long will you falter between two opinions? If the Lord is God, follow Him; but if Baal, follow him.” But the people answered him not a word.
People’s hearts are away from God
Background Elijah: A Mighty Prophet of God
Elijah - “My God is Yahweh”
Showdown on Mount Carmel (give background)
Picture of Mt. Carmel here.
Elements of Elijah’s Prayer: (A Prayer that Turns People’s Hearts to God)
1) A Reverent Fear of God
2) A Stand for God’s Word
3) A Heart for Spiritual Revival
The First Element of Elijah’s Prayer is
A Reverent Fear of God
“Lord God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, let it be known this day that You are God in Israel and I am Your servant”. (1 Kings 18:36a)
An acknowledgement of Who God is and that only He is God.
Elijah had to be very specific, the God that I worship and serve is the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Because the people of Israel had recognized a false god - Baal.
Idolatry is not just images people bow down to “it is anything or anyone that turns people’s hearts aways from God” - celebrity figures, kids nowadays don’t memorize scripture but they know the lyrics of Taylor Swift’s songs by heart.
It should be our collective desire for God to turn the hearts our children to God
The enemy is subtle, in changing the hearts of the children. Who’s a parent here? For parents of adult kids, who misses the times when they were little?
Pray for Our next generation — Dad’s jokes I notice become less and less funny to them, fade in popularity, and acceptance— mom she is always the best.. story of Mango’s medicine and Jeri
Our role as a church is to intercede for our children because they are the next generation .. pray for the world and serve God by leading people back to the worship of the one true God.
We as a church should answer the call of our times and say like Elijah - “You are the One true God, The God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ —-— and we are your servants.”
Reverent Fear leads to true humility
The second element of Elijah’s prayer is:
A Stand for God’s Word
“I have done all these things at Your word” (1 Kings 18:36b)
Can we say this like Elijah, I have done all things according to Your word.
When we approach God when things are not going well.. we ask God why? how could You? (expand)
Questioning Him To the point of blaming God.
Instead of blaming God, plead your case before Him!
I have obeyed You Lord, I stood on the truth of Your word!
Like Nehemiah, we can pray, remember me with favor God, for all I have done for Your people!
Like David, we can pray “vindicate me o God, according to my integrity, plead my case against an ungodly nation”!
We can only pray that if we truly obey God’s word.
We cannot plead our case if and pretend we are the victims if we actually do wrong.
Do you feel rejected? It is better to be persecuted to be ganged upon for doing the right thing.. are you in trouble at the workplace, maybe because you are a troublemaker?
15 But let none of you suffer as a murderer, a thief, an evildoer, or as a busybody in other people’s matters. 16 Yet if anyone suffers as a Christian, let him not be ashamed, but let him glorify God in this matter.
busybody = meddler
“The Word of God is the fulcrum upon which the lever of prayer is placed, and by which things are mightily moved.” (E.M. Bounds)
The Third Element of Elijah’s Prayer is:
A Heart for Spiritual Revival
“Hear me, O Lord, hear me, that this people may know that You are the Lord God, and that You have turned their hearts back to You again.” (1 Kings 18:37)
We need that spirit that was in Elijah, a spirit that turns people’s hearts back to God.
There is an evil counterpart to this spirit, a spirit that turns the hearts of people away from God and that is the spirit of Jezebel.
King Ahab, married to Jezebel (joke about Jezebel)
The Jezebelian spirit lures people away from worship of God.
Through Distraction
Through Deception
through Division
through Denial
Let us pray for the Spirit to work in our generation.
When you reach out to the world today, you will encounter indifference and sometimes opposition to God and His word.
Jesus called his generation and evil and adulterous generation.. we live in such a generation..
The spirit of this age pushes denial of the existence of God.
“Why is their evil in the world”?
“Why was Jesus hanging on the cross”?
Someday there will be an Elijah figure that will turn the hearts of people:
5 Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet
Before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord.
6 And he will turn
The hearts of the fathers to the children,
And the hearts of the children to their fathers,
Lest I come and strike the earth with a curse.”
Lessons from today’s message and Elijah’s story:
You are never alone in God’s work of turning people’s hearts.
2. God will honor and vindicate you when you honor and obey Him.
3. Keep pointing people to Jesus and His finished work on the cross.
Lessons from today’s message and Elijah’s story:
You are never alone in God’s work of turning people’s hearts.
Twice, Elijah complained “I alone am left. First to the people. Then to God.”
It is not about you.
God will honor and vindicate you when you honor and obey Him.
verse, seek the honor that comes from God (John 5).
It is easy to just do nothing or even acquiesce so that there will be peace
Keep pointing people to Jesus and His finished work on the cross.
