LET THE FIRE FALL

THe Great Showdown

Throughout history there has been a struggle that started some time in eternities past. it is a cosmic war that made it to Earths shores from the very beginning. It is a war of powers, and principalities. It is a war between light and darkness, a war between sin and sanctification. And the God of the bible is wanting to speak to us this morning, He is saying to us don’t let appearances deceive you. We can get it confused when you look around and see how evil is on the march. How things that used to slink in the alley ways are not strutting down main street. But the God of Angel Armies is saying this morning that at any moment the tide of the war can change. It can change dramatically and it can change quickly. When the God of Heaven stands up from his throne, when the powers of the heavens are shaken, when the Seraphim angels are commanded to take coals from the altar of heaven and commands that they be hurled at Earth, then my friend things can change dramatically. I think God is just looking for a man a woman, a church that takes Him seriously, that trembles before His word

I don’t know what God has planned but what I do know is what I hear and experience. And people around me that have gotten serious about their relationship with God have been experiencing opposition in ways they have not experienced before. I believe that out city and nation are experiencing spiritual battles like we have never seen before . We need revival or we will get judgment. I believe we are seeing the flickering of a great Awakening a Spiritual revival. But correspondingly Satan is letting loose with all the artillery of Hell.

Francis Shaffer who was a great man of God who is now in heaven, warned that one day we would wake up and find the America that we once knew is gone. Well let me tell you we are here. We are in the midst of a crisis, and the battle for Americas soul is on the brink of utter failure

Now many believe that we are past the point of no return. That revival is something that is impossible, something that may of happened in former times, in days that seems far removed and ancient, but the same God who was on the throne then, is the same God that is on the throne now. He is not dead, He has not grown old. He is not lost one ounce of his Almighty power. This is the God who says a thousand years are as a day, the one that says He is the First and the last, the Alpha and the Omega, who was and is and is to come!!

Such were the days of the nation of Israel in the passage that we are about to read. Open your bibles up to the book of 1 Kings. The nation of Israel, the nation that was set apart to God, the nation that had seen the powerful hand of God deliver them time and time again from their enemies, the same nation that had seen God split the Red Sea and deliver them from the most power Kingdom on the face of the Planet, had seen the Mighty supernatural hand of God drive out their enemies when they came into their promised Land. They were a special people who had seen the mighty works of God,

But in this particular time of Israels history, its a time of apostacy, the people have not just turned away from God but they have turned away and have turned to other other false God’s. The once united nation of Israel is now torn apart into two separate kingdoms. There is a wicked King and Queen upon the throne named Ahab and Jezebel.

And Jezebel is a vile and wicked woman, that has brought abominations into the land. She has killed hundreds of the Prophets of the Lord. And she has raised up almost a thousand false Prophets who serve these False Demon Gods., the God of Baal and Asherah.

The people have turned from the God of their fathers, and are serving demons. God has brought a famine into the land, and it has not rained for over three and a half years.

Judging by appearances it would see that the devil has won. By all appearances hope was lost. By all appearances Darkness had finally snuffed out the light, There is death across the Land. No sign of God anywhere. Everywhere you turn people have turned away from God. And you have these psycopaths sitting on the throne. But God is about to bring fire....

Now let me say this, the times in history when revival has broken out across the land, it is usually during a time of great conflict, a time of great distress. It usually comes when it seems like things cannot possibly get any darker...

Today America is unrecognizable. Last year in 2020more people died of drug overdoses than any other time in history. The stock market is heading towards disaster, the Fed is reporting that the dolar is experiencing massive inflation, while they are trying to pass a 3.5 trillion dollar energy bill. I heard a report that

More than 93,000 people died from drug overdoses in 2020, according to provisional data released by the CDC’s National Center for Health Statistics. That’s a 29.4% increase from the 72,151 deaths projected for 2019.

“Overdose deaths from synthetic opioids (primarily fentanyl) and psychostimulants such as methamphetamine also increased in 2020 compared to 2019. Cocaine deaths also increased in 2020, as did deaths from natural and semi-synthetic opioids (such as prescription pain medication),” the NCHS said in a statement.

“This is the highest number of overdose deaths ever recorded in a 12-month period, and the largest increase since at least 1999,” Dr. Nora Volkow, director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), part of the National Institutes of Health, said in a statement.

And Like America, Israel is in a time of crisis. There is a food shortage, there is a famine across the land, there has been no rain from heaven, there has been no spiritual rain either. THe rain stopped when the idolatry began. Rain reflects the goodness of God, the provision of God that came from the heavens above and produced productivity below.

They were going through social chaos because of a spiritual decision. And we have seen that in our own history. Between wrecked homes, absent fathers, high school shooting and dropouts, to a nation that used to be number one in everything, is now mediocre at best. America has been coing down hill because of its spiritual decisions

This is a nation in crisis and nation that is at a Crossroads. A nation who spiritual fires once burned with the power of Yahwee, but now they are deselate, they are compromised and they are overran with demonism.

1 Kings 18:1–4 ESV

1 After many days the word of the Lord came to Elijah, in the third year, saying, “Go, show yourself to Ahab, and I will send rain upon the earth.” 2 So Elijah went to show himself to Ahab. Now the famine was severe in Samaria. 3 And Ahab called Obadiah, who was over the household. (Now Obadiah feared the Lord greatly, 4 and when Jezebel cut off the prophets of the Lord, Obadiah took a hundred prophets and hid them by fifties in a cave and fed them with bread and water.)

God is about to initiate a showdown. The powers of the heavens are about to be shaken. The darkness is about to be overran with the Light but there must be a choice first from the People.

And in the third year of the drought God tells Elijah Go show yourself to Ahab and I will send rain.

Rain is the symbolic sign of revival. Of water from Heaven that will come down on the people and revive the land, revive the economy, revive the produce, but it represents more than that, it represents revival. Revival is when the people turns their hearts back to God and God turns back to them.

And the first man that the Prophet Elijah encounters is a man named Obadiah.

And the text says that Obadiah feared the Lord greatly, He took a hundred of the Lords prophets and hid them when the murderous Jezebel ordered them to be put to death.

But There is a problem with ol Obadiah. And that is Obadiah is a compromising Christian, He is a compromised believer. He is a believer is is being ruled by fear, he is being ruled by silence. He may fear the Lord but he fears Ahab and jezebel more...

ENEMIES OF SPIRITUAL REVIVAL

THE COMPROMISED

1 Kings 18:7–8 ESV

7 And as Obadiah was on the way, behold, Elijah met him. And Obadiah recognized him and fell on his face and said, “Is it you, my lord Elijah?” 8 And he answered him, “It is I. Go, tell your lord, ‘Behold, Elijah is here.’ ”

1 Kings 18:13–14 ESV

13 Has it not been told my lord what I did when Jezebel killed the prophets of the Lord, how I hid a hundred men of the Lord’s prophets by fifties in a cave and fed them with bread and water? 14 And now you say, ‘Go, tell your lord, “Behold, Elijah is here” ’; and he will kill me.”

The land is full of compromise. They are teetering between the Lord and their idols. And Obadiah was such a man. WHo feared God secretly but was silent publicly. Who feared the sword of a wicked woman, instead of the word of the Lord. He feared the ord but was yoked with oen of the most wicked Kings the world has ever known.

hes out looking for grass instead of praying for rain

he is like Lot living in Sodom, who has become so spiritually dull that he could not sence the winds of change. /

He is like most Christians today, living powerless, unfruitful and defeated lives. We come to what we view as a broken down altar. An altar that deep in our hearts we don’t believe has any more power to change and transform.

We go to the altar on Sunday and set at the table of Jezebel the rest of the week.

Compromise will always lead to unbelief and unbelief will always lead to defeat. It will always lead to the absence of God manifesting himself among his people.

We have traded the altar for a production, because after all this thing hasn’t worked since the 1950’s

Remember in the Movie Elf when Buddy finds out that Santas sleigh n longer works on Christimas Spirit but Santa has installed a Jet motor on the bottom. Thats how most treat the altar today. Compromised believers living under constant fear, living secretly not wanting to be seen as to commited, to spiritual

That is a silly example but that is what churches have done today. When the show gets uninteresting. When the Worship team is no longer filled with rock artists, when the church no longer has flashy lights and glittering messages.

The Kingdom of Heaven is inside of you, the Kingdom of heaven is not flashy lights and smooth hip preachers, the Kingdom of God is power, and glory, and God himself the Living and Awesome one making himself known

THE CORRUPTER- THOSE WHO ARE WORKING TO CORRUPT

Then You have the Wicked- THE ONES ARE ARE CORRUPTING THE PEOPLE, who are not silent like Ahab

1 Kings 18:16–17 The Message

16 So Obadiah went straight to Ahab and told him. And Ahab went out to meet Elijah. 17 The moment Ahab saw Elijah he said, “So it’s you, old troublemaker!”

Ahab is one of the original Spin Doctor. He goes to meet Eljah and makes sure he is the one that speaks first and speaks the loudest. He says it is you, the troubler of Israel!

Today those in power in America are looking at Christians and saying, you are the problem in America. When Churches refused to close last year, they were vilified, some were arrested. All were made to look like they don’t really care about people. Why don’t yall just get with the program. Many folded, but many did not

if you would just be more accommodating, more open minded. You are the ones causing the problems with America today. You need to quite all that bible nonsense, you need to wrap your arms around all these other god’s, these other ways of life, People are born a certain way you need to broaden your perspective, and if you don’t compromise, you will be shouted down, you will be put on blast, you will be hated by everyone.

AND THIS MAN AHAB, this King was a corrupter, and He had a wicked wife named Jezebel.

And what made this man so dangerous is that He used religion. He made out like He was a believer

1 Kings 16:30–33 ESV

30 And Ahab the son of Omri did evil in the sight of the Lord, more than all who were before him. 31 And as if it had been a light thing for him to walk in the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, he took for his wife Jezebel the daughter of Ethbaal king of the Sidonians, and went and served Baal and worshiped him. 32 He erected an altar for Baal in the house of Baal, which he built in Samaria. 33 And Ahab made an Asherah. Ahab did more to provoke the Lord, the God of Israel, to anger than all the kings of Israel who were before him.

if you would have asked Ahab at the time to write an autobiography, it would have been filled with all the great things he did. He would have painted himself as a modern saviour of religion.

But God’s biography of Him is he did evil in the sight of the Lord more than any before Him.

And Israel spiritually has become like THE BABYLON THAT I READ ABOUT IN REVELATION LAST WEEK.

The nation instead of being light to the world, is filled with spiritual darkness.

People are being controlled and led by dark and defiling spirits.

It has become home to all sorts of filthy and foul spirits who were keeping the people in constant fear, constant darkness

THEN YOU HAVE

THE CONFUSED

1 Kings 18:19 ESV

19 Now therefore send and gather all Israel to me at Mount Carmel, and the 450 prophets of Baal and the 400 prophets of Asherah, who eat at Jezebel’s table.”

1 Kings 18:20–21 ESV

20 So Ahab sent to all the people of Israel and gathered the prophets together at Mount Carmel. 21 And Elijah came near to all the people and said, “How long will you go limping between two different opinions? If the Lord is God, follow him; but if Baal, then follow him.” And the people did not answer him a word.

Now all the people f Israel are gathered together. And they are a confused people.

And Elijah speaks to these confused people, who have become spiritually darkened by these false gods. and He says how long will you go limping between two different opinions. Elijah says listen If Yahweh is God follow Him, if Baal is god, then follow him.

Why were these people so confused? Because of a spirutal decision that led to a real world situation.

I can’t tell you how many times I have talked with someone who is lost or far away from God and do you know what is usually there? Confusion. All of a sudden when I begin to speak to them abou the Lord, it is like a veil closes up over their mind.

They cannot hear what I am saying.

2 Corinthians 4:4 ESV

4 In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.

The Greeks used to think that before the gods overthrew a city he first made people insane, but the God of the Bible before he otverthrows a city or nation, he always blinds first.

Sodom and Gomorrah. He blinded them

When Jonah was sent to Nineveh, Jonah got mad because God spared the city, God said to jonah was it not right that I should spare over 120 thousand persons who cannot discern their right hand from the left?

Now lets talk about the church for a moment...

Who was the catalyst for all of this spiritual blindness? Well Ahab but more specifically it happened when he married a woman named Jezebel

Now in chapter 16 we read that when Ahab came to power he married Jezebell

“he took for his wife Jezebel the daughter of Ethbaal king of the Sidonians, and went and served Baal and worshiped him”

Jezebel… This woman was a wicked demon possesed woman.

She is the one that had all the prophets of God slaughtered

She is the One that implemented these 850 false prophets that all ate at Jezebels table.

This woman was possesed by a religious demon. And by the way that is what the devil wants, he wants to be worshipped. he wants people to sing his praises and worship him as god.

Now you need to understand something about this woman Jezebel. We still have her with us today. Not the physical person, but the Spirit that was at work in her.

Oh yeah this Spirit is till with us. It is a manipulative, cunning and deceptive spirit that seduces and then destroys people.

This woman served the God’s of baal and Asherah . Now let me tell you why they did that, because they were the fun gods’. They were the gods of fertility

Asherah: Worship to her included sexual immorality, prostitution, divination, and fortune telling

But Jesus warned the church about Jezebel in Revelation 2

Revelation 2:20–23 ESV

20 But I have this against you, that you tolerate that woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess and is teaching and seducing my servants to practice sexual immorality and to eat food sacrificed to idols. 21 I gave her time to repent, but she refuses to repent of her sexual immorality. 22 Behold, I will throw her onto a sickbed, and those who commit adultery with her I will throw into great tribulation, unless they repent of her works, 23 and I will strike her children dead. And all the churches will know that I am he who searches mind and heart, and I will give to each of you according to your works.

Jesus warned the church about this same spirit, a spirit of Jezebel that was operating within the church. When People come into the church with this spirit. They wil pretend to be followers of the true God, but they will come in and begin to cause all kinds of problems.

I have dealt with jezebel Spirits a couple of times in the ministry. And I can tell you that ever time they do tremendous damage to the body of Christ.

Notice this woman calls herself a prophetess, She claims to have this standing with God, that she hears God, and goes on about her relationship with God. She calls herself a prophetess.

3. It is a religious spirit, that will act all high and mighty, super spiritual when the church meets, but she will manipulate, controls and sread disinformation in the dark.

4. This spirit is a master at manipulation, when you are around it, it will make you feel sorry for it. That the problem is not them but it is others, it is the pastor, it is another persons fault.

5. Even when you have your guard up this demon has a way at making you feel sympathy forthe person its controlling. You will start to feel sorry for that person. And even when it starts showing its colors again it will make others fearful of even confronting it.

6. Jesus commands the church to not tolerate it but to stand up to it and drive it from the church, because if allowed to continue it will just spread more and more poison

1 Kings 18:23–24 ESV

23 Let two bulls be given to us, and let them choose one bull for themselves and cut it in pieces and lay it on the wood, but put no fire to it. And I will prepare the other bull and lay it on the wood and put no fire to it. 24 And you call upon the name of your god, and I will call upon the name of the Lord, and the God who answers by fire, he is God.” And all the people answered, “It is well spoken.”

THE GOD WHO ANSWERS BY FIRE- do you know why Elijah challed these 450 false prophets to fire. That the God who answers by fire, he is God. Because of everything else baal was the fire God, he was the sun God. So fire shouldnt be a big thing for him.

I mean fire is supposed to be hHIs thing.

But Our God is not the God of Fire, God is a consuming fire, who is about to consume the chap, the confusion, the spiritual adultry in his peoples lives and cleanse them, give them a new heart to see with.

Soi the Prophets of Baal start first all 450 of them from morning until noon. are chanting

They are chanting, they are doing thier sayonces or whatever they are doing… and it says in verse 26 there was s4no answer

Verse 26

English Standard Version Chapter 18

“O Baal, answer us!” But there was no voice, and no one answered. And they limped around the altar that they had made. 27 And at noon Elijah mocked them, saying, “Cry aloud, for he is a god. Either he is musing, or he is relieving himself, or he is on a journey, or perhaps he is asleep and must be awakened.” 28 And they cried aloud and cut themselves after their custom with swords and lances, until the blood gushed out upon them. 29 And as midday passed, they raved on until the time of the offering of the oblation, but there was no voice. No one answered; no one paid attention.

Elijah starts mocking these guys, maybe he is musing, maybe he is relieving himself.... maybe he got stuck on the pot somewhere....

And they begin to cut themselves, until blood gushed out, but therre was no voice, no one answered, no one paid attention...

That is the tragedy when someone gets caught up in false religion.... they get ensnared by a spirit tht all they can do is harm, but they cannot answer. They cannot deliver, not like My God can.

My god is able to turn the addicts life around. My God is able to part the seas and the mountains that are glaring us in the face.

1 Kings 18:30 ESV

30 Then Elijah said to all the people, “Come near to me.” And all the people came near to him. And he repaired the altar of the Lord that had been thrown down.

Let me give you some points if you need revival this morning… first Elijah says come near to me.... That is the first step in salvation… Quite running away from God

Quite hiding like Adam did in the garden, God wants intamacy with you He wants fellowship with you.

Do not fear, do not turn away but draw near

Second step

v 30. And he repaired the altar of the Lord that had been thrown down.

HERES THE SECOND STEP, REPAIR THE ALTAR. Has your household gotten out of whack… You vered off somewhere and now you are far from God. Draw near, but then repair the altar.

Repair the altar in your homes. Make serving god a priority in your life,

Come back to the place of the cross, were you yourself are a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to the Lord

reafffirm, that as for me and my house we are going to serve the Lord.

yes I know that I could sleep in on Sundays, but its important for my family to be with the household f God. yes I know that

1 Kings 18:33 ESV

33 And he put the wood in order and cut the bull in pieces and laid it on the wood. And he said, “Fill four jars with water and pour it on the burnt offering and on the wood.”

1 Kings 18:34–35 ESV

34 And he said, “Do it a second time.” And they did it a second time. And he said, “Do it a third time.” And they did it a third time. 35 And the water ran around the altar and filled the trench also with water.

a third time

Adrian Rogers Sermon Archive C. The Sacrifice of Jesus

C. The Sacrifice of Jesus

Now, here’s the third element of revival, and it is the sacrifice of Jesus Christ—the sacrifice of Jesus. Look, if you will, in chapter 18, verse 33: “And he put the wood in order”—this is Elijah—“and cut the bullock”—that is, “the calf”—“in pieces, and laid him [upon] the wood, and said, Fill four barrels with water, and pour it on the burnt sacrifice, and on the wood” (1 Kings 18:33). Every sacrifice in the Old Testament was a prophecy and a picture of the Lord Jesus Christ, who would die on the cross. When you see this sacrifice, don’t think of the blood of a bull; think of the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ, for that is what it represents.

Brothers and sisters, there is power in Calvary. There is power in the shed blood of our Lord Jesus Christ, and it is the blood that is the basis of our warfare. Don’t you sally forth against the enemy in your own strength and your own wisdom. There is a fountain. Oh friend, “[there’s] a fountain filled with blood drawn from Emmanuel’s veins” (William Cowper); it’s in the power of the blood of Jesus Christ that we conquer.

Over in Revelation, the Bible speaks of the great dragon, and it says of God’s people, “they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb” (Revelation 12:11). You say, “How is that real?” Friend, turn your eyes upon Calvary. Look to Jesus. Understand that when Jesus Christ died upon that cross, He said, “Now is the … prince of this world … cast out” (John 12:31). Satan’s back was broken at Calvary

there is power in Calvary… there is power in the name of jesus.

You know that god started this process with Elijah saying that if He would go he would send rain. And He prayed and the rain came, but not before the fire fell

1 Kings 18:37–38 ESV

37 Answer me, O Lord, answer me, that this people may know that you, O Lord, are God, and that you have turned their hearts back.” 38 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.

you say I have been waiting for rain, I have been praying for rain. Listen it is very easy for us to get the Promise and then pray. But if you don’t sumbit to the process thats in between the promise and the prayer, the rain will not come. The altar had to be repaired, the people had to turn their hearts back to God and when they did that the fire fell down and then Elijah prayed and the rain came. But without thi