LOYALTY MATTERS!
Notes
Transcript
So Ahab sent for all the children of Israel, and gathered the prophets together on Mount Carmel.
And Elijah came to all the people, and said, “How long will you falter between two opinions? If the Lord is God, follow Him; but if Baal, follow him.” But the people answered him not a word.
Then Elijah said to the people, “I alone am left a prophet of the Lord; but Baal’s prophets are four hundred and fifty men.
Therefore let them give us two bulls; and let them choose one bull for themselves, cut it in pieces, and lay it on the wood, but put no fire under it; and I will prepare the other bull, and lay it on the wood, but put no fire under it.
Then you call on the name of your gods, and I will call on the name of the Lord; and the God who answers by fire, He is God.” So all the people answered and said, “It is well spoken.”
Now Elijah said to the prophets of Baal, “Choose one bull for yourselves and prepare it first, for you are many; and call on the name of your god, but put no fire under it.”
So they took the bull which was given them, and they prepared it, and called on the name of Baal from morning even till noon, saying, “O Baal, hear us!” But there was no voice; no one answered. Then they leaped about the altar which they had made.
And Elijah took twelve stones, according to the number of the tribes of the sons of Jacob, to whom the word of the Lord had come, saying, “Israel shall be your name.”
Then with the stones he built an altar in the name of the Lord; and he made a trench around the altar large enough to hold two seahs of seed.
And he put the wood in order, cut the bull in pieces, and laid it on the wood, and said, “Fill four waterpots with water, and pour it on the burnt sacrifice and on the wood.”
Then 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.
So the water ran all around the altar; and he also filled the trench with water.
And it came to pass, at the time of the offering of the evening sacrifice, that Elijah the prophet came near and said, “Lord God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, let it be known this day that You are God in Israel and I am Your servant, and that I have done all these things at Your word.
Hear me, O Lord, hear me, that this people may know that You are the Lord God, and that You have turned their hearts back to You again.”
Then the fire of the Lord fell and consumed the burnt sacrifice, and the wood and the stones and the dust, and it licked up the water that was in the trench.
Now when all the people saw it, they fell on their faces; and they said, “The Lord, He is God! The Lord, He is God!”
Introduction: During a bitter time, when life punch her in the gut and cause her to loose the breath of hope, a message entered into the ears of Naomi like a ray of sunshine on a cloudy day. Hearing the despondency in the voice of her mother in law, Ruth the Moabites rejected the word of isolation the dripped from the lips of Naomi who responded by saying
But Ruth said: “Entreat me not to leave you, Or to turn back from following after you; For wherever you go, I will go; And wherever you lodge, I will lodge; Your people shall be my people, And your God, my God.
Where you die, I will die, And there will I be buried. The Lord do so to me, and more also, If anything but death parts you and me.”
When chains awaited him and death was a looming possibility, this man rejected the warnings concerning loss of his freedom and loss of his life from men and women he prayed with, wept with, worked with, and journeyed with. Paul responded with a determined confidence saying
But none of these things move me; nor do I count my life dear to myself, so that I may finish my race with joy, and the ministry which I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of the grace of God.
Ruth the Moabites and Paul the Apostle both modeled something for us to emulate. They refused to allow situations to stop THEM.. OR …problems to paralyze THEM. They were determined not to ALLOW obstacles to overcome THEM. They exhibited unswerving or constant allegiance to the Almighty Creator God. The word they modeled is called loyalty. All these years later we can still Hear and See their Loyalty. Yet, this morning, I want to know if you who have entered into a covenantal relationship with God through Jesus Christ life is described by those outside the church and inside the church as being loyal.
In our passage today, Elijah reiterates for us that LOYALTY MATTERS!
Look at
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.”
Don’t you see that Elijah courageously stood before King Ahab and told him that it would not rain for years except at his word (1 Kings 17:1). He did not allow the fact that Ahab was the king deter him from standing for the LORD. Also look at
And Elijah said to her, “Do not fear; go and do as you have said, but make me a small cake from it first, and bring it to me; and afterward make some for yourself and your son.
For thus says the Lord God of Israel: ‘The bin of flour shall not be used up, nor shall the jar of oil run dry, until the day the Lord sends rain on the earth.’ ”
Elijah stood before the widow despite her explaining her desperate situation. He did not waver in being faithful to the LORD. What about you?
Is Your Loyalty to God Visible?
Is Your Loyalty to God Visible?
Will you Stand for God and be loyal to Him in the even if it means not standing with your family?
Will you Stand for God and be loyal to Him in the even if it means not standing with your friends?
Will you Stand for God and be loyal to Him in the even if it means not standing with your employer? Can people see that you are loyal to the LORD? Will the LORD say that you are loyal to Him? Listen to what God said about Moses in Numbers 12:7
Not so with My servant Moses; He is faithful in all My house.
But My servant Caleb, because he has a different spirit in him and has followed Me fully, I will bring into the land where he went, and his descendants shall inherit it.
Are you able to say that you are loyal to God? King Hezekiah prayed after receiving the news that he would die.
and said, “Remember now, O Lord, I pray, how I have walked before You in truth and with a loyal heart, and have done what is good in Your sight.” And Hezekiah wept bitterly.
I stand before you
Let your heart therefore be loyal to the Lord our God, to walk in His statutes and keep His commandments, as at this day.”
I stand before you like David before his son Solomon
“As for you, my son Solomon, know the God of your father, and serve Him with a loyal heart and with a willing mind; for the Lord searches all hearts and understands all the intent of the thoughts. If you seek Him, He will be found by you; but if you forsake Him, He will cast you off forever.
Not only is your loyalty to God visible but is it vocalized?
Is Your Loyalty to God Vocalized?
Is Your Loyalty to God Vocalized?
Elijah called the northern kingdom with the king and the 450 prophets of Baal and the 400 prophets of Asherah to Mount Carmel. There the prophet vocalized his loyalty to Yahweh by calling into question the crowds loyalty
And Elijah came to all the people, and said, “How long will you falter between two opinions? If the Lord is God, follow Him; but if Baal, follow him.” But the people answered him not a word.
He did not stop there. Hear him verbalize that old gospel song. He told them that he will go if he had to go by himself. Look at verse 22
Then Elijah said to the people, “I alone am left a prophet of the Lord; but Baal’s prophets are four hundred and fifty men.
Not only did he vocalized Criticism because of their indecisiveness, he also demonstrated and vocalized his Conviction when he told them to fill the waterpots with water and pour it on the altar 3 times in verses 32-35. To culminate it all he stated in verse 36
And it came to pass, at the time of the offering of the evening sacrifice, that Elijah the prophet came near and said, “Lord God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, let it be known this day that You are God in Israel and I am Your servant, and that I have done all these things at Your word.
Let it be known, “I am Your servant, that I have done all these things at Your word!”
Throughout history this has been the sentiment of genuine God followers
When Moses stood before Pharoah, he was telling the world I am God’s servant!
When David stood before Goliath in a physically unfair fight, he was telling the world I am God’s servant!
When the Hebrew boys stood before King Nebuchadnezzar in face of a fiery furnace, they were telling the world We are God’s servants!
Loyalty has an object or focus. Some people are loyal to a cause, others to a philosophy, others to an entity like a nation or a country, and still others are loyal to a group or a person. THE CAUSE OR PHILOSOPHY OR GROUP IS OR HAS BEEN A BENEFIT TO THEM IN SOME WAY.
SAINTS ARE LOYAL TO HIM BECAUSE HE HAS BEEN LOYAL TO US. WE LOVE HIM BECAUSE HE FIRST LOVED US.
WHEN LONELY HE LOVED US
WHEN CONDEMNED HE SHOWED COMPASSION TO US
WHEN A SPIRITUAL FUGITIVE HE PROVIDED FORGIVENESS TO US
WHEN SATAN ACCUSED US, HE STILL ACQUITTED US
WHEN DOOMED BY SIN, HE STILL DELIVERED US
WHEN REBELLIOUS AND ROTTEN TOWARD GOD, HE STILL PROVIDED REDEMPTION FOR US
LOYALTY MATTERS
LOYALTY MATTERS
Loyalty is not just a practice, it is a principle
it is not just a duty, it is a delight
it is not just an obligation, it is opportunity to let the world know that for God we live and for God we are willing to die!
Brothers and sisters in Christ
BE LOYAL TO A MOVEMENT: THE CAUSE OF CHRIST
For the which cause I also suffer these things: nevertheless I am not ashamed: for I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day.
BE LOYAL TO A MESSAGE: THE MESSAGE OF THE CROSS
For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.
BE LOYAL TO A MISSION: THE WORK OF THE LORD
Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord.
BE LOYAL TO OUR MASTER: GOD IN HUMAN FLESH
CHRIST, HE IS
THE ANCHOR THAT SECURES US
THE REFUGE THAT CONSOLES US
THE CONFIDENCE THAT ASSURES US
CHRIST IS
THE ABUNDANCE THAT SUPPLIES US
THE WEALTH THAT ENRICHES US
THE PROVISION THAT SATISFIES US
CHRIST IS
THE ATONEMENT THAT JUSTIFIES US
THE DEFENSE THAT KEEPS US
THE EXAMPLE THAT INSPIRES US
CHRIST IS
THE PROVIDER THAT SUSTAINS US
THE SAVIOR THAT RESCUES US WHEN SOILED BY SIN CHRIST
He DIED A GRUESOME DEATH ON FRIDAY
HE DIED FOR EVERY LIE YOU TOLD
HE DIED FOR EVERY CRIME YOU COMMITTED
HE DIED FOR EVERY DITCH YOU DUG
HE DIED FOR EVERY HEART YOU BROKE
HE DIED FOR EVERY CHARACTER YOU ASSASSINATED
HE DIED FOR EVERY SIN YOU COMMITTED
AND ON THAT THIRD DAY, ON SUNDAY MORNING
HE GOT UP
IN ORDER TO MOVE YOU WORST TO FIRST
IN ORDER TO MOVE YOU SINNER TO SAINT
IN ORDER TO MOVE YOU MAD TO GLAD
IN ORDER TO MOVE YOU WRONG TO RIGHT
IN ORDER TO MOVE YOU VICTIM TO VICTOR
IN ORDER TO MOVE YOU CHUMP TO CHAMPION
IN ORDER TO MOVE YOU TRAGEDY TO TRIUMPH
IN ORDER TO MOVE YOU HELL TO HEAVEN
YES, LOYALTY MATTERS
THE ROAD GETS ROUGH AND THE GOING GET TOUGH
YES, LOYALTY MATTERS
I’LL GO IF I HAVE TO GO BY MYSELF
IF MOMMA, FATHER, SISTER, OR BROTHER WON’T GO
YES, LOYALTY MATTERS
HE STOOD FOR ME WHEN I COULD NOT STAND FOR MYSELF
AND NOW YOU DO THINK I’M NOT GOING
TO GO, AND MAKE DISCIPLES OF ALL THE NATIONS
WALK BY FAITH AND NOT BY SIGHT
WALK WORTHY OF THE VOCATION I HAVE BEEN CALLED
WALK IN THE SPIRIT
WALK IN THE LIGHT
WALK IN THE NEWNESS OF LIFE