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Communion…

Create Tension

We just had communion, knowing and understanding the value of the sacrifice of Jesus, what should we be compelled to do?

I want to discuss the thing that most Christians know they should do, but fail to do it!

Provide Solution

1 Kings 18:20–39

20 So Ahab summoned all the people of Israel and the prophets to Mount Carmel. 21 Then Elijah stood in front of them and said, “How much longer will you waver, hobbling between two opinions? If the Lord is God, follow him! But if Baal is God, then follow him!” But the people were completely silent. 22 Then Elijah said to them, “I am the only prophet of the Lord who is left, but Baal has 450 prophets. 23 Now bring two bulls. The prophets of Baal may choose whichever one they wish and cut it into pieces and lay it on the wood of their altar, but without setting fire to it. I will prepare the other bull and lay it on the wood on the altar, but not set fire to it. 24 Then call on the name of your god, and I will call on the name of the Lord. The god who answers by setting fire to the wood is the true God!” And all the people agreed. 25 Then Elijah said to the prophets of Baal, “You go first, for there are many of you. Choose one of the bulls, and prepare it and call on the name of your god. But do not set fire to the wood.” 26 So they prepared one of the bulls and placed it on the altar. Then they called on the name of Baal from morning until noontime, shouting, “O Baal, answer us!” But there was no reply of any kind. Then they danced, hobbling around the altar they had made. 27 About noontime Elijah began mocking them. “You’ll have to shout louder,” he scoffed, “for surely he is a god! Perhaps he is daydreaming, or is relieving himself. Or maybe he is away on a trip, or is asleep and needs to be wakened!” 28 So they shouted louder, and following their normal custom, they cut themselves with knives and swords until the blood gushed out. 29 They raved all afternoon until the time of the evening sacrifice, but still there was no sound, no reply, no response. 30 Then Elijah called to the people, “Come over here!” They all crowded around him as he repaired the altar of the Lord that had been torn down. 31 He took twelve stones, one to represent each of the tribes of Israel, 32 and he used the stones to rebuild the altar in the name of the Lord. Then he dug a trench around the altar large enough to hold about three gallons. 33 He piled wood on the altar, cut the bull into pieces, and laid the pieces on the wood. Then he said, “Fill four large jars with water, and pour the water over the offering and the wood.” 34 After they had done this, he said, “Do the same thing again!” And when they were finished, he said, “Now do it a third time!” So they did as he said, 35 and the water ran around the altar and even filled the trench. 36 At the usual time for offering the evening sacrifice, Elijah the prophet walked up to the altar and prayed, “O Lord, God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, prove today that you are God in Israel and that I am your servant. Prove that I have done all this at your command. 37 O Lord, answer me! Answer me so these people will know that you, O Lord, are God and that you have brought them back to yourself.” 38 Immediately the fire of the Lord flashed down from heaven and burned up the young bull, the wood, the stones, and the dust. It even licked up all the water in the trench! 39 And when all the people saw it, they fell face down on the ground and cried out, “The Lord—he is God! Yes, the Lord is God!”

God called someone to stand up against this evil culture and speak HIS Truth!

Prior to this passage we read in the 1 Kings 18:1 “1 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!””

At this time King Ahab reigned in Samaria over the northern nation of Israel. To get a full understanding of Ahab lets go back a couple chapters to 1 Kings 16:29–33

“29 Ahab son of Omri began to rule over Israel in the thirty-eighth year of King Asa’s reign in Judah. He reigned in Samaria twenty-two years. 30 But Ahab son of Omri did what was evil in the Lord’s sight, even more than any of the kings before him. 31 And as though it were not enough to follow the sinful example of Jeroboam, he married Jezebel, the daughter of King Ethbaal of the Sidonians, and he began to bow down in worship of Baal. 32 First Ahab built a temple and an altar for Baal in Samaria. 33 Then he set up an Asherah pole. He did more to provoke the anger of the Lord, the God of Israel, than any of the other kings of Israel before him.”

So Ahab was an evil king, one who did more evil than any king before him, he even considered it trivial to follow the sinful example of Jeroboam.

We also find out in chapter 18 vs 13 that “Jezebel killed the prophets of the LORD.” Not only did Ahab do evil things he sought to kill the prophets of the LORD!.

It was not small thing for Elijah to go to King Ahab for it might cost him his life.

There is a man in the NT who was called to be a voice in the wilderness…his name was John the Baptist.

Matthew 3:1–3 “1 In those days John the Baptist came to the Judean wilderness and began preaching. His message was, 2 “Repent of your sins and turn to God, for the Kingdom of Heaven is near.” 3 The prophet Isaiah was speaking about John when he said, “He is a voice shouting in the wilderness, ‘Prepare the way for the Lord’s coming! Clear the road for him!’ ””

Like the Israelites in 1 Kings 18, the people of God had fallen away from following after God and let sin control their lives. John the Baptist, as with Elijah, was a voice of truth in the mist of evil.

The SAME GOD that called Elijah and John to be a voice of truth in the midst of evil, has also called us to be a light in the Darkness.

Matthew 5:14–16 “14 “You are the light of the world—like a city on a hilltop that cannot be hidden. 15 No one lights a lamp and then puts it under a basket. Instead, a lamp is placed on a stand, where it gives light to everyone in the house. 16 In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father.”

Let me ask you, “As a light, where do you stand and shine the light of Jesus?

Does your light get put on a stand at home?

Does your light get put on a stand at work?

Does your light get put on a stand when your with your friends?

Does your light get put on a stand when life is good?

Does your light get put on a stand when life is hard?

Does your light get put on a stand when you feel like it and when you don’t feel like it?

Even if you are just one candle shining in the dark, you can bring light into someone’s world!

God is not calling you to light all the World, just your part!

What does light do, it reveals the truth! We are not the truth so we can not make truth, but we can reveal truth!

When God called Elijah to speak the truth in the midst of evil, he didn’t just call him…he taught him to trust!

Before the boldness to speak at Mt Carmel God taught Elijah to trust!

To see how God prepared Elijah, we have to go back a chapter in our reading. Back to chapter 17.

We know the end of chapter 16 tells us how wicked King Ahab was, chapter 17 tells us what Elijah was to do.

1 Kings 17:1 “1 Now Elijah, who was from Tishbe in Gilead, told King Ahab, “As surely as the Lord, the God of Israel, lives—the God I serve—there will be no dew or rain during the next few years until I give the word!””

In vs 3 God told Elijah to do something interesting…

1 Kings 17:2–4 “2 Then the Lord said to Elijah, 3 “Go to the east and hide by Kerith Brook, near where it enters the Jordan River. 4 Drink from the brook and eat what the ravens bring you, for I have commanded them to bring you food.””

I want to note something important, when God tells Elijah to hide, it is to prepare him for something greater. This does not give us permission to hide behind our fear. It was a strategic move because Jezebel was killing all of the LORD’s prophets. This is where God was going to teach Elijah a valuable lesson in trust!

Elijah had to trust God for food…interestingly enough even in trusting God, the food ran out! God told him to do another crazy thing.

1 Kings 17:8–12 “8 Then the Lord said to Elijah, 9 “Go and live in the village of Zarephath, near the city of Sidon. I have instructed a widow there to feed you.” 10 So he went to Zarephath. As he arrived at the gates of the village, he saw a widow gathering sticks, and he asked her, “Would you please bring me a little water in a cup?” 11 As she was going to get it, he called to her, “Bring me a bite of bread, too.” 12 But she said, “I swear by the Lord your God that I don’t have a single piece of bread in the house. And I have only a handful of flour left in the jar and a little cooking oil in the bottom of the jug. I was just gathering a few sticks to cook this last meal, and then my son and I will die.””

God sends Elijah to a woman, a widow with a child none the less, who was about to die, to keep him alive.

We find that God did come through, showing his faithfulness and kept them alive.

1 Kings 17:13–16 “13 But Elijah said to her, “Don’t be afraid! Go ahead and do just what you’ve said, but make a little bread for me first. Then use what’s left to prepare a meal for yourself and your son. 14 For this is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: There will always be flour and olive oil left in your containers until the time when the Lord sends rain and the crops grow again!” 15 So she did as Elijah said, and she and Elijah and her family continued to eat for many days. 16 There was always enough flour and olive oil left in the containers, just as the Lord had promised through Elijah.

God again through another twist in the story…

1 Kings 17:17–23 “17 Some time later the woman’s son became sick. He grew worse and worse, and finally he died. 18 Then she said to Elijah, “O man of God, what have you done to me? Have you come here to point out my sins and kill my son?” 19 But Elijah replied, “Give me your son.” And he took the child’s body from her arms, carried him up the stairs to the room where he was staying, and laid the body on his bed. 20 Then Elijah cried out to the Lord, “O Lord my God, why have you brought tragedy to this widow who has opened her home to me, causing her son to die?” 21 And he stretched himself out over the child three times and cried out to the Lord, “O Lord my God, please let this child’s life return to him.” 22 The Lord heard Elijah’s prayer, and the life of the child returned, and he revived! 23 Then Elijah brought him down from the upper room and gave him to his mother. “Look!” he said. “Your son is alive!””

Why in the world would God send Elijah into hiding? To show Elijah that when God saids go, do, speak, he can be trusted!

The final verse in chapter 17, the final line of this story is, I believe, the turning point for Elijah…

1 Kings 17:24 “24 Then the woman told Elijah, “Now I know for sure that you are a man of God, and that the Lord truly speaks through you.””

Knowing the LORD speaks thought him…Elijah is now ready to face the task ahead! To speak Truth!

Luke 24:35–49 (NLT)

35 Then the two from Emmaus told their story of how Jesus had appeared to them as they were walking along the road, and how they had recognized him as he was breaking the bread. 36 And just as they were telling about it, Jesus himself was suddenly standing there among them. “Peace be with you,” he said. 37 But the whole group was startled and frightened, thinking they were seeing a ghost!

38 “Why are you frightened?” he asked. “Why are your hearts filled with doubt? 39 Look at my hands. Look at my feet. You can see that it’s really me. Touch me and make sure that I am not a ghost, because ghosts don’t have bodies, as you see that I do.” 40 As he spoke, he showed them his hands and his feet.

41 Still they stood there in disbelief, filled with joy and wonder. Then he asked them, “Do you have anything here to eat?” 42 They gave him a piece of broiled fish, 43 and he ate it as they watched.

44 Then he said, “When I was with you before, I told you that everything written about me in the law of Moses and the prophets and in the Psalms must be fulfilled.” 45 Then he opened their minds to understand the Scriptures. 46 And he said, “Yes, it was written long ago that the Messiah would suffer and die and rise from the dead on the third day. 47 It was also written that this message would be proclaimed in the authority of his name to all the nations, beginning in Jerusalem: ‘There is forgiveness of sins for all who repent.’ 48 You are witnesses of all these things.

49 “And now I will send the Holy Spirit, just as my Father promised. But stay here in the city until the Holy Spirit comes and fills you with power from heaven.”

Just like Elijah, the disciples had to learn to trust in God, in Jesus, to fulfill the task God had called them to!

The Same God that taught Elijah and the Disciples to Trust, is teaching us to Trust him!

Trust is built through trials, the hard times in life, not the easy ones.

Anyone can say God is in control when things are going good, but trust is built when we believe God is in control when things are going sideways!

One of the greatest things you can do to be a light of Jesus is to trust him, remain obedient to him, and tell others about his faithfulness when things seem out of control and difficult.

Don’t think because you ave made it through Karith and Zarephath that it’s all easy coasting from now on!!!

Mt Carmel was a Great Battle won but not the only Battle Elijah would have to fight!

1 Kings 19:1–2 “1 When Ahab got home, he told Jezebel everything Elijah had done, including the way he had killed all the prophets of Baal. 2 So Jezebel sent this message to Elijah: “May the gods strike me and even kill me if by this time tomorrow I have not killed you just as you killed them.””

Even though God won at Mt Carmel over the prophets of Baal, Elijah would still face those who wanted him dead!

Acts 23:12 “12 The next morning a group of Jews got together and bound themselves with an oath not to eat or drink until they had killed Paul.”

Paul at the end of his life, after all the great things he did for God found himself the victim of a conspiracy to commit murder!

If this teaches us anything it is to know as long as we are trying to be a light for Truth here on earth, there will be battles to fight!

Encourage Change

Two things we are responsible for:

Lighting our part of the world!

Sending out those who will light the part of the world we can’t get to!