Difference Makers-Part 6- Elijah

Introduction

Elijah was a man that made a significant difference in the nation of Israel during his generation and also left a lasting legacy behind.

It was Elijah who confronted the wicked king Ahab and his wife Jezebel on multiple occasions.

It was Elijah who defeated the prophets of Baal upon Mt. Carmel and caused the people to cry out “the Lord he is God”

It was Elijah who would select Elisha as his successor at the instruction of the Lord. It was Elijah who would make such an impact on Elisha that he would ask for a double portion of his spirit.

There is no question that Elijah was a difference maker but what was it that allowed Elijah to make such a tremendous impact?

Elijah’s life was marked by:

Bold Action ( I Kings 17:1)

Elijah was a man who loved God and hated evil. This love for God and hatred of evil often motivated him to take bold action for God and against the enemies of God.

Elijah was not afraid to confront the wicked- The first time we see Elijah, he is boldly confronting King Ahab, the most wicked king in Israel’s history. Elijah was not afraid to confront evil even at the highest levels of power in Israel.

As we follow Elijah’s life, it becomes obvious that Elijah simply could not tolerate the shame and reproach that was being brought upon the name of God by Ahab and others like him.

Elijah was not afraid to follow God by faith- I Kings 17:2-16- Elijah allowed God to lead him from place to place and was willing to trust God to sustain him as he went.

Elijah moved as God directed and each step of the way God would use everything from birds to widows to see that he was provided for.

Elijah was not afraid to confront false religion- I Kings 18:17-35 - now we find Elijah again confronting Ahab and not only Ahab, but also the 450 prophets of Baal and the 400 prophets of the groves.

Elijah was intent on proving to the people that Baal was a false God and that the Lord Jehovah was the one and only true and living God.

We see him once again take bold action by arranging the competition which would prove once and for all in observance that the Lord is God and that Baal is nothing but a figment of the imaginations of men.

You and I ought also to be willing to take bold action to confront the enemies of God and to defend the name of Christ and of God against those who would attack and slander them.

We ought to defend Christ from the accusations that he was somehow less than God, that he was married to Mary Magdalene, even some who make the claim that he was homosexual. When our culture or those in power attack Christ we ought to be willing to take action.

Elijah’s life was also marked by:

Bold Praying (I Kings 17:1)

Elijah was a man who was willing to boldly ask God to do supernatural things.

Elijah pronounced to Ahab that it would not rain and we find out further details from the book of James that it did not rain at all for three and a half years! Then Elijah prayed again and the rains returned.

While in the house of the widow, the widows son dies and Elijah boldly prays for his restoration to life (I Kings 17:20-22)

Later we find another bold prayer from Elijah on Mt. Carmel as the competition with the prophets of Baal comes to a conclusion.

The prophets of Baal have cried out for as much as 9 hours for Baal to answer and yet nothing happened. Then it was Elijah’s turn to call upon his God.

I Kings 18:36-37- Elijah prays a bold prayer and requests God to show himself. The answer comes immediately and fire falls from heaven consuming the sacrifice, the wood, the stones, the dust, and the water.

Elijah time and time again was willing to call upon God with the expectation that God would answer in a miraculous way. His desire was that everyone would know that the God he served was the one true and living God.

When Elijah prayed his prayers were not self serving but rather were motivated by his desire for God to be glorified.

When is the last time that you and I asked God to do something that only He could do? Are our prayers motivated by a desire that God would be exalted and that others would recognize His power and glory?

If we desire to make a real difference in this world, we must get back to bold praying! Where are the men and women who will believe God for impossible things and who will be willing to cry out to Him until they receive an answer?

The results of Elijah’s bold praying are nothing short of miraculous. At the end of the day those who were once Baal worshippers are now crying out “THE LORD HE IS THE GOD, THE LORD HE IS THE GOD” and the prophets of Baal who had led the people astray are rounded up and slain.

Should we not desire the same result to see those who believe in false gods or who do not believe at all cry out “THE LORD HE IS THE GOD”

As we look at Elijah’s life, we may begin to feel that he was somehow superhuman and that he was not like the rest of us but the last thing that we need to see is that Elijah, for all his bold action and his bold praying was still just a man who was really not so different from you and I.

Elijah’s life was also marked by:

Human Frailty (I Kings 19:1-19)

Lest we look at Elijah and begin to believe that we could never make such an impact and that the works that God did in his life are beyond our reach we must be reminded that Elijah was a man that was not different than you and I. James 5:17- subject to like passions as we are

We read this portion of scripture and though we may not see ourselves in Elijah’s bold action or his bold praying we can certainly relate to him here.

Elijah was subject to the same feelings that you and I feel.

Fearful- Elijah is now on the run for fear of what Jezebel has promised to do to him.

You and I can certainly understand the fear that sometimes overcomes us when the enemies of God threaten.

Ready to Give Up- Elijah had faced so much pressure and persecution and now he has come to the point that he literally believes it would be better to die than to continue to live under such conditions.

Yet in the midst of his discouragement and despair God sends an angel to care for him and to encourage him.

Felt as though he was all alone- he was sure that he was the only one who was willing to fight for what was right.

You and I have certainly at times felt as though we were alone in the fight for what is right and that there was no one to stand alongside us.

The transparency of scripture is wonderful for in this passage we see that Elijah was not so mightily used because of his superhuman strength or courage but that he was a man filled with doubts and fears just like the rest of us!

The impact Elijah’s life made upon the nation of Israel and upon Elisha had very little to do with Elijah and everything to do with Elijah’s God!

II Kings 2:14- Elijah has now been carried into the presence of God and Elisha is left standing by himself but Elisha does not cry out for Elijah’s return but instead he cries out to Elijah’s God!

The same God that used Elijah in such a miraculous way is the same God that you and I serve today! Just like he was able to use Elijah, so also is he able to use you and me!

Conclusion

Just like Elisha in faith cried out to Elijah’s God so also must we do the same. The same God that Elijah and Elisha served wants to have a personal relationship with you today.

The problem is our sin which separates us from God. The solution is Jesus Christ who died for our sins and made it possible for us to be reconciled to God through faith in Him.

If you want a relationship with God, would you come this morning and let someone show you from the Bible how you can begin that relationship today?

We may often look at scripture and as we read of the men and women that God has so mightily used we may begin to get a false sense that they were somehow different and that we could never be used in such a miraculous fashion but we would be absolutely wrong.

We must remember that the men and women that God has so greatly used throughout history were just ordinary men and women, not unlike you and me, who served an extraordinary God.

Let us remember the God that we serve is still the same today, and let us be men and women who are willing to take bold action and willing to pray bold prayers in spite of all of our doubts, our weakness, and fears.