Elijah, Who Stood Before God
Notes
Transcript
Church, today we begin a brand-new series that I have simply called “The Prophets.”
Over the coming weeks, we are going to meet some incredible men.
Some were bold.
Some were broken.
Some stood before kings.
Some stood before entire nations.
Some performed miracles.
Some wept.
Some ran.
Some became discouraged.
Some saw visions of Heaven.
Some saw valleys filled with dead men's bones.
Some preached to thousands.
And some preached for years and all the while it seemed nobody was willing to listen.
But there is one thing that connected every genuine prophet of God.
They all heard from God.
And once they had heard from God, they could not remain silent.
These prophets were not celebrities.
nor were they motivational speakers.
They were definitely not politicians.
And they certainly weren't trying to win any popularity contests.
Rather, they were men upon whom the hand of God rested, and God placed His Word in their mouths.
Sometimes that Word brought people comfort.
Sometimes it brought people hope.
But sometimes it brought people a warning.
And sometimes that Word thundered into a sinful generation shouting:
“Thus saith the LORD!”
Brothers and Sisters, I believe we desperately need to hear those prophets again.
Not because we need new revelation.
We already have the completed Word of God.
But rather because we desperately need that courage they had to proclaim the revelation God has already given us.
We live in a generation drowned out by voices.
Thanks to the advent of social media,
Everybody idiot has an opinion.
Everybody has a platform, regardless of how absurd or outrageous their views seem to us.
Everybody has a social-media account.
Everybody has a podcast now, because it seems like everybody has something to say.
Even our phones talk to us,
AI bots want to be our new friend
Our smart televisions talk to us.
Politicians talk to us.
Influencers talk to us.
Algorithms study us, then feed us more of whatever will keep us staring at the screen.
And somewhere in the middle of all that noise, there is still that ancient voice crying out:
“Thus saith the LORD!”
The question I have for this generation is:
Are we still listening?
So, as we go forward in our walk through this new series simply titled, “The Prophets”
There may be no better man to begin with than the strange prophet who suddenly
walked onto the pages of Scripture during one of Israel's darkest hours and through ons of Israels darkest kings.
His name was Elijah.
But, Before we meet Elijah, you need to understand the world Elijah walked into.
First Kings chapter 16 introduces us to King Ahab.
And Scripture says something devastating about him.
29 In the thirty-eighth year of Asa king of Judah, Ahab the son of Omri became king over Israel; and Ahab the son of Omri reigned over Israel in Samaria twenty-two years. 30 Now Ahab the son of Omri did evil in the sight of the Lord, more than all who were before him. 31 And it came to pass, as though it had been a trivial thing for him to walk in the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, that he took as wife Jezebel the daughter of Ethbaal, king of the Sidonians; and he went and served Baal and worshiped him. 32 Then he set up an altar for Baal in the temple of Baal, which he had built in Samaria. 33 And Ahab made a wooden image. Ahab did more to provoke the Lord God of Israel to anger than all the kings of Israel who were before him.
Think about that.
Israel had already had some terrible kings up to this point.
But God says, of all that came before him, he;
Ahab — was the worse of them.
Then Ahab married Jezebel.
And Jezebel brought with her the worship of Baal.
Baal wasn't jus simply another religious option in those days.
It was thee worship of the day, and it began infecting the spiritual bloodstream of Israel.
Altars were built every where.
Prophets of Baal were financially and politically supported and protected.
The worship of the true God was pushed aside, and even outlawed by the queen of the day — Jezebel.
And slowly the nation that once belonged to Jehovah now began living as though Jehovah didn't matter anymore.
And here is what scares me:
Israel didn't necessarily stop believing in God.
They just simply began adding other gods to go alongside Him.
You see, they wanted Jehovah—and Baal.
They wanted the covenant—and the culture.
They wanted God's blessings—But without God's authority.
They wanted enough God to be saved, but not enough God to control their lives.
Does that sound familiar?
Because I believe one of the greatest dangers facing Christianity in 2026 isn't necessarily that America is suddenly becoming atheistic.
It is something far more subtle that
We keep God in the equation of life—but instead, we move Him to the margins.
Then, we claim we want Jesus as Savior but our lives testify that we struggle allowing Jesus to be our Lord.
You see, we want Christianity when it comforts us, but not when it contradicts us and/or our desires.
We want Scripture when it agrees with what we already believe.
But when Scripture confronts our
—sexuality—
—our pride—
—our greed—
—our bitterness—
—our marriages—
—our money—
—our habits—
—our politics—
—our un forgiveness—
—our secret sins—
suddenly we begin looking for another biblical interpretation.
Anna First Baptist Church, and those watching me on a screen, hear me:
A God who is only allowed to agree with you is not your God.
You are.
or so says
Russian Orthodox Philosopher—Fyodor Dostoevsky
Arguing that if God and immortality are removed,
it would follow that man would elevate himself to the status of a "man-god" to take His place.
But remember,
Israel in the time of Elijah, hadn't completely abandoned religion
They had simply learned how to worship God while bowing to Baal.
And then—almost without introduction—
This strange man walks onto the scene.
1 And Elijah the Tishbite, of the inhabitants of Gilead, said to Ahab, “As the Lord God of Israel lives, before whom I stand, there shall not be dew nor rain these years, except at my word.” 2 Then the word of the Lord came to him, saying, 3 “Get away from here and turn eastward, and hide by the Brook Cherith, which flows into the Jordan. 4 And it will be that you shall drink from the brook, and I have commanded the ravens to feed you there.” 5 So he went and did according to the word of the Lord, for he went and stayed by the Brook Cherith, which flows into the Jordan. 6 The ravens brought him bread and meat in the morning, and bread and meat in the evening; and he drank from the brook. 7 And it happened after a while that the brook dried up, because there had been no rain in the land.
I love this.
There is no long biography.
No résumé.
No genealogy telling us how important his family was.
No explanation of his education.
Elijah just shows up.
And the first thing we see him doing is standing before the most powerful man in Israel.
Ahab has soldiers.
Elijah brings words.
Ahab has a palace.
Elijah has a word.
Ahab has political authority.
Elijah has a word.
Ahab has Jezebel.
Elijah has a word.
And armed only with that Word, Elijah walks into the presence of the king and essentially says:
“King Ahab, God is still in Israel.”
Look carefully at his words:
That's where Elijah begins.
1 And Elijah the Tishbite, of the inhabitants of Gilead, said to Ahab, “As the Lord God of Israel lives, before whom I stand, there shall not be dew nor rain these years, except at my word.”
God is alive.
Ahab may have forgotten Him.
Jezebel may have rejected Him.
The nation may have ignored Him.
Baal had his temples.
Baal had his priests.
Baal had government support.
Baal even had public acceptance.
But Jehovah still lives!
And somebody, nah the world needs to hear this in 2026:
GOD IS STILL ALIVE!
Now — The church may change.
—Culture may change.
—Governments may change.
—The definition of Morality may change.
—Technology may change.
And even Artificial intelligence may change how we work, communicate, learn, and live.
—Nations may rise in our lifetime .
—Nations may even fall in our lifetime.
—Our economy may shake.
—Our institutions may disappoint us.
—People we trusted may fail us.
But there is still a throne in Heaven!
And there is still Somebody sitting on it!
God is alive!
Look at your neighbor and tell them.
God is alive!
And then Elijah says something at the end of that first verse,
that I believe is the secret to his entire ministry:
Don't miss that.
Elijah is physically standing before Ahab.
But spiritually Elijah says:— “I stand before God.”
1 And Elijah the Tishbite, of the inhabitants of Gilead, said to Ahab, “As the Lord God of Israel lives, before whom I stand, there shall not be dew nor rain these years, except at my word.”
Basically he is saying, Ahab, & Jezebel, you may be the Kings.
But I answer to someone higher than you
The crowd may hate me.
But I answer to someone higher than you
“And I live my life before God.”
Church, Let me ask you,
what would happen in our own lives, if we started living like that again?
What would happen if before
you posted it on Social Media,
Before you Said it
Before you entered that website:
Before you cheated that customer:
Before you spoke to your spouse that way:
Before you held onto that grudge:
Before you compromised because everybody else was doing it:
What would happen if before
You reminded yourself by saying,
“I stand before God”
That realization will change a person.
Because when you know who you're standing before,
you stop being controlled by who you're standing with.
Digress!
But you going back to Elijah,
There is something we sometimes forget about Elijah.
We remember the fire he called down.
We remember the epic scene on Mount Carmel.
We remember the prophets of Baal.
But God didn't send Elijah directly from Ahab's palace to Mount Carmel.
God sent him somewhere else first.
3 “Get away from here and turn eastward, and hide by the Brook Cherith, which flows into the Jordan.
Wait a minute.
God just raised up this bold prophet—
and now God tells him to hide?
Yes.
Because before God used Elijah publicly, God had to prepare Elijah privately.
And somebody needs this today.
You want the miracle of Mt. Carmel.
God may give you first the Brook Cherith.
You want the miracle everybody sees.
God may send you through the wilderness first.
You want God to use you?
God says: — “First, I need to shape you.”
At Cherith, Elijah had to trust God every day.
depending on the Ravens that brought him food.
The brook or stream that gave him water.
Until one day—that brook dried up.
Now, imagine Elijah looking at that shrinking stream thinking:
“God, You sent me here.”
“You told me to come here.”
“I obeyed You.”
“So why is the brook drying up?”
Have you ever been there?
God, I did what You told me to do.
I have!
Lord,Why did the relationship still fall apart?
Why did the door still close?
Why did the money still run out?
Why did the person still leave?
Why did the prayer seem unanswered?
Why don’t I have Joy in my life,
Why do I still feel like this?
Why did the brook dry up?
Listen carefully:
Sometimes a dried-up brook does not mean you missed it
Sometimes it means God is moving you.
Remember, The brook was not Elijah's source.
God was.
And when one source dried up, God already had another provision waiting.
Some of us have been staring at a dried-up brook so long
that we've forgotten who sent the water in the first place.
Your job isn't your source.
Your bank account isn't your source.
Your feelings aren’t your source
God is your source!
After, Three years passed.
The land is devastated by drought.
God sends Elijah back to Ahab.
And when Ahab sees him, Ahab says:
17 Then it happened, when Ahab saw Elijah, that Ahab said to him, “Is that you, O troubler of Israel?”
Isn't that something?
Ahab abandoned God—but Elijah is the troublemaker.
Ahab embraced idolatry—but Elijah is the problem.
The nation rebelled against God—but blame the preacher who points it out.
And Elijah doesn't back down, rather speaking with authority, he said:
18 And he answered, “I have not troubled Israel, but you and your father’s house have, in that you have forsaken the commandments of the Lord and have followed the Baals.
Elijah says:
“Ahab, I'm not the problem. Your Sin is the problem.”
And church, sin is still the problem.
We have become very good at diagnosing everybody else's problems.
We blame Washington.
We blame culture.
We blame Hollywood.
We blame social media.
We blame the schools.
We blame the previous generation.
We blame the next generation.
We blame Republicans.
We blame Democrats.
We blame the economy.
We blame our upbringing.
We blame our circumstances.
And I'm not saying there aren't real problems in every one of those places.
But before we point our finger at everybody else, perhaps we need the courage to stand before the mirror of God's Word and ask:
“Lord...what about me?”
Because before God changes a nation—
He changes people.
Before God changes a church—
He changes people.
Before God changes a family—
He changes people.
And sometimes before God changes my circumstances—
God wants to change me.
Ahab wanted Elijah to be the problem because if Elijah was the problem, Ahab didn't have to repent.
And that's still one of the oldest tricks of the human heart.
If I can blame somebody else, I don't have to deal with me.
If my anger is always somebody else's fault—
I don't have to repent of my anger.
If my bitterness is always somebody else's fault—
I don't have to forgive.
If my marriage problems are entirely my spouse's fault—
I never have to examine myself.
If my distance from God is the church's fault—
or the pastor's fault—
or my schedule's fault—
or my family's fault—
then I never have to ask the uncomfortable question:
“Have I walked away from God?”
Church, there comes a moment when we have to stop blaming Ahab—
stop blaming Jezebel—
stop blaming Baal—
and let God search us.
David prayed in Psalm 139:
“Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts.”
That's a dangerous prayer.
“Search me.”
Not my neighbor.
Not my spouse.
Not my children.
Not the person sitting three rows behind me.
Me.
Lord, is there something in me that shouldn't be there?
Is there bitterness in me?
Is there pride in me?
Is there unforgiveness in me?
Is there lust in me?
Is there dishonesty in me?
Is there an idol in my life that I've learned to excuse?
Have I allowed something to become more important to me than You?
Have I become comfortable with something that once broke my heart?
Lord, search me.
Because here's the good news:
Elijah wasn't sent to Ahab simply to announce judgment.
God was confronting Israel because God wanted Israel back.
Don't miss that.
The confrontation was evidence that God had not abandoned them.
God could have remained silent.
God could have let them continue worshiping Baal.
God could have allowed them to destroy themselves.
Instead—
God sent a prophet.
And sometimes the most loving thing God can do is confront us.
Sometimes grace doesn't whisper,
“Everything is fine.”
Sometimes grace cries out,
“You're going the wrong way! Come back!”
Conviction is not God saying:
“I don't want you.”
Conviction is God saying:
“Come home.”
And maybe that's why God brought somebody here today.
Not so you could hear a sermon about a prophet who lived nearly three thousand years ago.
Maybe God brought you here because somewhere along the way—
your brook dried up.
Maybe you've drifted.
Maybe you've compromised.
Maybe outwardly everything looks fine.
You still come to church.
You still know the songs.
You still know when to stand.
You still know when to sit.
You still know Christian language.
But deep inside you know:
Something has changed.
You don't pray like you once prayed.
You don't hunger for God's Word like you once did.
Sin doesn't bother you like it once bothered you.
Your heart has grown cold.
And perhaps today the Holy Spirit is saying:
“Come back.”
INVITATION
INVITATION
Would you bow your heads with me?
I don't want you thinking about Ahab right now.
I don't want you thinking about Jezebel.
I don't want you thinking about what is wrong with America.
And I don't want you thinking:
“Boy, I wish so-and-so had been here to hear this.”
Forget everybody else for just a moment.
This is between you and God.
Elijah said:
“As the LORD God of Israel liveth, before whom I stand...”
And someday every one of us will stand before Him.
So let me ask you:
If you stood before Him today, are you ready?
Do you know Jesus Christ?
Not—
“Do you go to church?”
Not—
“Were you baptized?”
Not—
“Are you a good person?”
I am asking:
Have you surrendered your life to Jesus Christ?
Because our greatest problem isn't political.
It isn't economic.
It isn't cultural.
Our greatest problem is sin.
And the wonderful news of the Gospel is that God has already provided the answer.
Jesus Christ came into this world for sinners.
He lived the life we could not live.
He took our sin upon Himself.
He went to the cross.
He shed His blood.
He died in our place.
They buried Him.
And on the third day—
He rose again.
And today He offers forgiveness to anyone who will come.
You don't have to clean yourself up first.
You don't have to fix everything first.
You don't have to pretend anymore.
Just come.
Maybe you're already a Christian—
but you know there is something between you and God.
Maybe you've wandered.
Maybe you've compromised.
Maybe there is something you've been defending that God has been telling you to surrender.
Then today—
stop defending it.
Stop blaming.
Stop running.
Stop pretending.
And come back to God.
The altar is open.
If you need to pray—
come.
If you need to repent—
come.
If you need somebody to pray with you—
come.
If today you need to receive Jesus Christ as your Savior—
come.
Don't worry about who's watching.
Don't worry about what somebody might think.
Remember Elijah:
“Before whom I stand.”
There is only One whose opinion ultimately matters.
So while we sing—
if God is dealing with your heart—
come.
Because Ahab wasn't the problem.
Elijah wasn't the problem.
The drought wasn't the problem.
Sin was the problem.
And thank God—
Jesus Christ is still the answer.
Come to Him today.
Amen.
