Reformation Training: Be an Elijah: Confront the Demonic (PT.3)

It is time to move from passivity to activity.

Passivity: acceptance of what happens, without active response or resistance; lacking energy or will; the tendency to not take an active or dominant part

Activity: characterized by action (a thing being done) rather than contemplating or speculating; producing or involving movement

Passivity…

Doesn’t act independently of itself

Goes with the flow of the environment around it

Demonstrates chameleon-like behavior, it likes to blend in and not stand out.

Lacks power

Activity…

Gets things done

Acts independently of its environment

Doing > Thinking

Possesses the energy necessary to produce involvement/movement, which requires taking a dominant/active role in making things happen

James 1:2–8 “Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles of any kind come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing. If you need wisdom, ask our generous God, and he will give it to you. He will not rebuke you for asking. But when you ask him, be sure that your faith is in God alone. Do not waver (doubt), for a person with divided loyalty (doubt) is as unsettled as a wave of the sea that is blown and tossed by the wind. Such people should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. Their loyalty is divided between God and the world, and they are unstable in everything they do.”

Unchecked doubt can lead to a life of passivity.

Faith is active. Faith moves forward, faith walks into the face of fear (not away), faith overpowers doubt.

Doubt is passive. Doubt stays stuck, does everything it can to avoid fear (runs away), and unresolved doubt drowns out faith.

You will have doubt (fear), but you do with it will determine the course of your spiritual life. The result? Instability in EVERYTHING you do (V8)

Up to this point…

The evil King Ahab and his evil Queen wife Jezebel has been ruling Israel and leading the people further and further away from God

Elijah directly challenges them and their faith in these demon gods they serve

Elijah has been prepared and refined in his faith to be able to make the stand against the demonic forces working through this king and queen

Elijah has exercised his faith to do miracles

1 Kings 18:1–2 “Later on, in the third year of the drought, the Lord said to Elijah, “Go and present yourself to King Ahab. Tell him that I will soon send rain!” So Elijah went to appear before Ahab. Meanwhile, the famine had become very severe in Samaria.”

Elijah continues being obedient to whatever God asks Him to do

1 Kings 18:3–6 “So Ahab summoned Obadiah, who was in charge of the palace. (Obadiah was a devoted follower of the Lord. Once when Jezebel had tried to kill all the Lord’s prophets, Obadiah had hidden 100 of them in two caves. He put fifty prophets in each cave and supplied them with food and water.) Ahab said to Obadiah, “We must check every spring and valley in the land to see if we can find enough grass to save at least some of my horses and mules.” So they divided the land between them. Ahab went one way by himself, and Obadiah went another way by himself.”

Obadiah: servant of God

Obadiah’s working for one of the most evil kingdoms in Israel’s history and is still a devoted follower of God

When the government (his earthly authority) had challenged God (his spiritual authority), He chose to be obedient to God and help protect the prophets of God

Remember that Jezebel wanted the worship of Baal to rule Israel and the prophets fought against that. Jezebel wanted to destroy all of God’s people.

Obadiah was a faithful follower. He continued to stay in his place of work, but also continued to be devoted to the work of God above his earthly duties.

1 Kings 18:7–14 (NLT)

As Obadiah was walking along, he suddenly saw Elijah coming toward him. Obadiah recognized him at once and bowed low to the ground before him. “Is it really you, my lord Elijah?” he asked. “Yes, it is,” Elijah replied. “Now go and tell your master, ‘Elijah is here.’ ” “Oh, sir,” Obadiah protested, “what harm have I done to you that you are sending me to my death at the hands of Ahab? For I swear by the Lord your God that the king has searched every nation and kingdom on earth from end to end to find you. And each time he was told, ‘Elijah isn’t here,’ King Ahab forced the king of that nation to swear to the truth of his claim. And now you say, ‘Go and tell your master, “Elijah is here.” ’ But as soon as I leave you, the Spirit of the Lord will carry you away to who knows where. When Ahab comes and cannot find you, he will kill me. Yet I have been a true servant of the Lord all my life. Has no one told you, my lord, about the time when Jezebel was trying to kill the Lord’s prophets? I hid 100 of them in two caves and supplied them with food and water. And now you say, ‘Go and tell your master, “Elijah is here.” ’ Sir, if I do that, Ahab will certainly kill me.”

So this same Obadiah, who was called a devoted follower of God, whose literal name means “servant of God”, encounters a moment of fear and doubt in a choice of obedience to God.

Obadiah begins to make excuses of doubt as to why he shouldn’t follow through on God’s ask of him

Obadiah states fear of governmental authorities and death as reasons that he shouldn’t follow through on this ask. He even goes on to boast of what obedience steps he has taken by hiding the prophets during Jezebel’s threats and time of mass murdering prophets.

See Obadiah was stuck on the obedience of the past and was not seeing that their was another step of obedience in his present.

Obedience is a staircase, not a stair step.

Nowhere is Scripture does it say after the obedience of faith step in Christ for salvation do we just get to stop being obedient.

2 Peter 3:14 “And so, dear friends, while you are waiting for these things to happen, make every effort to be found living peaceful lives that are pure and blameless in his sight.” 2 Peter 3:17–18 “You already know these things, dear friends. So be on guard; then you will not be carried away by the errors of these wicked people and lose your own secure footing. Rather, you must grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. All glory to him, both now and forever! Amen.”

Colossians 2:6–7 “And now, just as you accepted Christ Jesus as your Lord, you must continue to follow him. Let your roots grow down into him, and let your lives be built on him. Then your faith will grow strong in the truth you were taught, and you will overflow with thankfulness.”

Obadiah was confronted with another choice of obedience: stay complacent in the obedience of your past or march forward in obedience in the present

The obedience of the past can turn into the disobedience of the present if we don’t move forward.

Obadiah had followed God’s Word before. He hid the prophets of God when he could’ve sided with Jezebel and killed them. Obadiah was obedient to God.

However, God wanted Obadiah to move beyond that obedient step to the next. For Obadiah to stay in the same place and not move onto the next challenge would’ve been considered disobedience for him.

Obadiah had a choice: Will fear keep me stagnant or will faith push me forward?

1 Kings 18:15–16 “But Elijah said, “I swear by the Lord Almighty, in whose presence I stand, that I will present myself to Ahab this very day.” So Obadiah went to tell Ahab that Elijah had come, and Ahab went out to meet Elijah.”

Obadiah chose to face his fears of death and governmental authority to do the right thing for God.

1 Kings 18:17–18 “When Ahab saw him, he exclaimed, “So, is it really you, you troublemaker of Israel?” “I have made no trouble for Israel,” Elijah replied. “You and your family are the troublemakers, for you have refused to obey the commands of the Lord and have worshiped the images of Baal instead.”

You will be called names for standing up for what God desires.

You will be called a troubler when you begin to take a stand against the demonic agendas of our day like abortion, homosexuality, transgenderism, sexual purity, and more that all have one goal: to steal, kill, and destroy the life God has promised to give all of humanity that comes to Him.

Troublers for the Kingdom of God have no room for doubt.

If you want to be a troubler for the Kingdom….

You’ve got to get a holy backbone

You’ve got to get lost in the presence of God

You’ve got to get rooted in God’s Word

You’ve got to get the Word of God in your mouth

You’ve got to get ready to move when God calls

1 Kings 18:18–19 ““I have made no trouble for Israel,” Elijah replied. “You and your family are the troublemakers, for you have refused to obey the commands of the Lord and have worshiped the images of Baal instead. Now summon all Israel to join me at Mount Carmel, along with the 450 prophets of Baal and the 400 prophets of Asherah who are supported by Jezebel.””

PRAY IT OUT

ANNOUNCEMENTS: CONNECT CORNER FOR SONIC DRINKS AND ADDRESS FOR THIS SATURDAY’S HANGOUT