Our God Answers With Fire
Notes
Transcript
Text: 1 Kings 18:16-24
Sermon in a Sentence: The only answer to a world in crisis is the fire of the Holy Spirit empowering Christians and convincing people to follow Christ.
Purpose: To see people filled with the Holy Spirit and empowered to witness.
Text: 1 Kings 18:18-40
Introduction
Almost 3,000 years ago, fire from God fell on Mt. Carmel.
It fell in a time of indecision about just who God was.
The fire of God settled the indecision of Elijah’s time.
Then the fire of the Lord fell and consumed the burnt offering and the wood and the stones and the dust, and licked up the water that was in the trench.
When all the people saw it, they fell on their faces; and they said, “The Lord, He is God; the Lord, He is God.”
Indecision is gone.
The fire of God consuming the sacrifice that Elijah had prepared had clarified the situation — it suddenly became crystal clear to people who had been “continuously limping on 2 crutches” — is Baal god or is Jehovah God?
Is Baal, whose worship includes everything that satisfies the flesh (sex, money, power) — the one we WANT to worship — is he god?
Or is the One who delivered our ancient predecessors from slavery in Egypt, who gave them glorious victories that enabled us to occupy the land under our feet — but who is also the One who demands we DENY the flesh, Who demands we NOT become slaves to sex, money and power — is He God?
Fire!
Boom! Clarity!
“Yahweh is Elohim!”
That was almost 3000 years ago.
Almost 2000 years ago the fire of God fell on a gathering of 120 people gathered together in prayer in Jerusalem.
Once again, it was a time of indecision.
Was this Jesus who was crucified the Messiah?
Yes, we know the claims of His resurrection, but did it really happen?
Then we read in:
And there appeared to them tongues as of fire distributing themselves, and they rested on each one of them.
The people’s response?
Now when they heard this, they were pierced to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Brethren, what shall we do?”
Peter said to them, “Repent, and each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.
“For the promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off, as many as the Lord our God will call to Himself.”
And with many other words he solemnly testified and kept on exhorting them, saying, “Be saved from this perverse generation!”
So then, those who had received his word were baptized; and that day there were added about three thousand souls.
They were continually devoting themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.
Everyone kept feeling a sense of awe; and many wonders and signs were taking place through the apostles.
When the fire of the Holy Spirit fell, conviction of sin came and led people to a place of repentance and life-change.
That’s still the impact when the God of Spirit-fire sends the fire of the Holy Spirit today.
Since the Day of Pentecost 2000 years ago there have repeated instances of the Spirit-fire of God falling.
During indecisive times like the Days of Elijah.
During indecisive times like the Day of Pentecost AD 33
Maybe YOU are facing a time of indecision in your life.
Is Yahweh the One true God?
Is Jesus the Son of God, the Messiah sent to save us?
I pray the fire of the Holy Spirit falls on us.
That the fire will lead us FROM a place of indecision and rebellion against God to a place of
conviction
repentance
life-change
In his time, Elijah was witness to a nation that was far from God
A nation that had abandoned God — rebelling against the God they had been taught by the priests and prophets of old
It was a nation that worshiping idols
Following idolatrous, pagan practices that satisfied the flesh but left the soul completely empty.
Even sacrificing their children to pagan gods.
It was a nation undergoing judgment from God, drought and famine, but refusing to repent
Yes, in the time of Elijah, God’s people were going through a great crisis.
a. It was a physical crisis: They had abandoned God, and, as a result, He had stopped the rain resulting in famine.
b. It was a spiritual crisis: They had abandoned God for idols.
Today, our society--and even many believers in the church--are experiencing the same crises:
A physical crisis:
the pandemic and its continuing fallout
The political weakness and chaos — provoking wars and advancing the destruction of this country
Economic problems: pipeline hacking, inflation, the deficit that has (not is, but already has ) bankrupted this nation, we’re seeing lumber shortages, paint shortages, labor shortages, and on and on
It is, at the same time, a spiritual crisis, just like Israel in the days of Elijah.
Abandoning God, rejecting, hating the Word of God — in fact, it is more than just abandonment — it is outright, in-your-face rebellion (how amazing God’s patience!).
What Rep. Gerold Nadler said in response to Rep. Greg Steube back in February is typical of that arrogant rebellion. You may recall me referring to it on a Wednesday night:
How that during the House debate over the [so-called] Equality Act, a measure that would accelerate the U.S. down the highway to destruction through lies about human sexuality, Rep. Greg Steube accused Democrats of ignoring Biblical values.
In his argument against this heinous legislation Rep. Steube (R-Fla.) resorted to the ultimate authority: the Bible. During an intense debate on the House floor, the Florida representative said it was time for his colleagues to hear the truth about the transgender issue, so he read from the Bible.
"'A woman must not wear men's clothing nor a man wear women's clothing, for the Lord your God detests anyone who does this,'" Steube read from Deuteronomy 22:5. But let's be clear, he said. "It's not clothing or personal style that offends God, but rather the use of one's appearance to act out or take on a sexual identity different from the one biologically assigned by God at birth." What's happening when men, women, and children do that, Steube said, is that "they're making a statement that God didn't know what He was doing when he created them." And if Congress supports that -- by passing extreme transgender bills like the Equality Act -- then this country is "go[ing] directly against what is laid out in scripture."
That provoked what should have been (and WOULD have been in years past!) a shocking comment from Rep. Nadler of New York, who said:
“What any religious tradition describes as God’s will is no concern of this Congress.”
What Nadler was saying was, “We don’t care what God says. we are going to do what WE want to do. Forget God! We will serve Baal!”
In our Bible account (this actually happened), God’s answer to the crises of Elijah’s day came by fire.
The same is true today, the answer to our problems will come by the fire of the Holy Spirit.
As we pray for the fire of God to fall in our day, I think we can learn four important lessons from this account of Elijah:
I. First Lesson: THE BIBLE IS CLEAR: SPIRITUAL CRISIS COMES WHEN PEOPLE ABANDON GOD.
A. Israel had abandoned the one true God to serve Baal and Ashera.
1. Their worship involved idolatry and sexual immorality.
B. The names have changed, but these gods are still worshiped today.
1. In our society idolatry and free sex are still rampant.
C. The church needs God’s power, the fire of God, to convince the world to leave their idolatry and sexual slavery and serve the one true God.
3. Only the fire of the Spirit in our lives can bring the answer.
II. Second lesson: WE LEARN THAT WE CANNOT SERVE TWO GODS AT THE SAME TIME.
A Israel was vacillating between two ideas (v. 21).
They were vacillating between Baal and Yahweh.
The Hebrew word speaks of “limping.”
They were stuck in between a bad decision (Baal) and the right decision (Yahweh), but they tended towards Baal — and trying to do both.
That is, they were limping between false and true, light and darkness, superstition and truth.
B. Just as God would not allow Israel in the days of Elijah to limp between these choices, so today God declares like Jesus did in:
“How could you worship two gods at the same time? You will have to hate one and love the other, or be devoted to one and despise the other. You can’t worship the true God while enslaved to the god of money!”
Neither can WE serve two masters.
And our wavering, our indecision, our rebellion has greater consequence than just the ones WE face.
1. When WE waver we cause others to stumble.
Our children, our grandchildren, our coworkers, our other family members
Our indecision can cost people eternal life — it can be part of the influence that sends them to hell
Do we want that on our account?
God help us!
I pray not!
2. But, to those, who like Elijah, stand firm, God has promised the fire of His His Spirit .
III. Third Lesson: IN TIMES OF INDECISION, GOD'S ANSWER DOES COME BY FIRE (v. 24).
A. In Scripture, fire is a symbol of God's presence:
1. God manifested Himself to Moses by fire (Ex. 3:2).
2. God guided Israel by a pillar of fire (Ex 13:21; Nu 14:14).
3. The fire of God consumed Israel’s sacrifice (Lev 9:23-24).
4. Here in our text fire from God came and consumed Elijah’s sacrifice (1 Kg 18:38).
5. Deuteronomy 4:24 (NASB95) “For the LORD your God is a consuming fire, a jealous God.
In times of indecision, God’s answer comes by FIRE.
B. That was Old testament — the old covenant between God and humanity.
1. But in the New Covenant instituted by Jesus, in Luke 3:15 John the Baptist said that Jesus would baptize believers with the Holy Spirit and fire.
2. And that’s what happened on the day of Pentecost in 33 AD
3. Tongues of fire appeared over the believers at Pentecost (Ac 2:3).
C. When the fire falls, people are changed and the Holy Spirit brings revelation, purity, freedom from sin and slavery, and power to fulfill the mission of God.
D. We need this fire today more than ever in order to fulfill God's mission.
1. We need it to be freed from bondages, from sin and vice, from idolatry, and from the pleasures of the world.
2. When this fire from God comes into our life, we will not be the same.
3. We need the fire of God!
As we pray God WILL answer with Spirit-fire!
IV. Fourth Lesson: BUT, WE MUST PREPARE OURSELVES FOR THE FIRE.
A. Elijah prepared for the fire by repairing the altar of the Lord (1Kg 18:30).
1. Under the New Covenant WE are God’s temple, indwelt by God’s Spirit (1Co 3:16-17, 6:19).
Do you not know that you are a temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?
If any man destroys the temple of God, God will destroy him, for the temple of God is holy, and that is what you are.
2. We must repair the altar of our hearts by repenting of our sins and surrendering our lives to God (Ac 2:38).
B. Elijah then prayed to God (1 King 18:36).
1. Prayer is vital to preparing us to receive the fire of God.
2. God sends His Spirit in response to earnest prayer.
C. After Elijah prayed, the fire fell from heaven.
1. In the same way God will send the fire of the Spirit from heaven.
2. He will cleanse us and fill us with His power.
Conclusion and Altar Call
A. David Wilkerson said:
1. “When you strip it of everything else, Pentecost stands for power and life. That's what came into the church when the Holy Spirit came down on the day of Pentecost.”
2. Folks we desperately need that power!
3. We need that fire in our lives.
B. So, let’s place ourselves on God’s altar.
1. Through prayer, let’s seek God’s power and life.
Let’s surrender to the sacred flame
2. Let’s commit ourselves to His mission and His will and in doing so, let’s get ready to experience the fire of His Spirit.
3. Let us believe that God will fill us with His Spirit today.
C. Prayer
D. Invitation to accept Jesus.
To rededicate your life. to Him.
The Lord’s Supper
A. Tie-in to sermon
Preparing for God’s presence whether it be Holy Spirit-fire or partaking of the Lord’s Supper together calls for preparation.
In our text, Elijah brought the people near.
He repaired the altar
he laid a sacrifice on the altar
He prayed.
B. Self-examination
1. Before we partake, let us prepare our ourselves.
Let us examine ourselves.
2. 1 Corinthians 11:27-31 speaks of self-examination before partaking of the Lord’s Supper
3. Romans 12:1 (NASB95) Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship.
4. Prayer
C. Distribution
1. You do not have to be a member, just please partake according to 1 Cor. 11:27-31 in a worthy manner.
2. We will all come and take up the elements.
3. If you are comfortable with standing here at the front, please do so.
If you need to sit in these front chairs, please feel free to do so.
4. We will hold the elements and partake together.
D. Bread
John 6:48–51 (NASB95) “I am the bread of life. 49 “Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, and they died. 50 “This is the bread which comes down out of heaven, so that one may eat of it and not die. 51 “I am the living bread that came down out of heaven; if anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever; and the bread also which I will give for the life of the world is My flesh.”
2. Prayer
3. End prayer with prayer from Seder:
Blessed are you, O Lord our God, who brings forth bread from the earth.
E. Cup
1. John 6:54–56 (NASB95) “He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day. 55 “For My flesh is true food, and My blood is true drink. 56 “He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood abides in Me, and I in him.
2. Prayer
3. End prayer with prayer from Seder:
Blessed are you, O Lord our God, King of the Universe, who creates the fruit of the vine.
F. Jesus is Coming
1 Corinthians 11:26 (NASB95) For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until He comes.
Jesus is coming!
Closing chorus:
Closing Prayer