The Elijah Revolution

A Nation on the Downslide

What is a revolution?

a forcible overthrow of a government or social order, in favor of a new system.

Scripture Reading:

1 Kings 16:29-34 “In the thirty-eighth year of Asa king of Judah, Ahab the son of Omri began to reign over Israel, and Ahab the son of Omri reigned over Israel in Samaria twenty-two years. And Ahab the son of Omri did evil in the sight of the Lord, more than all who were before him. 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. He erected an altar for Baal in the house of Baal, which he built in Samaria. 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. In his days Hiel of Bethel built Jericho. He laid its foundation at the cost of Abiram his firstborn, and set up its gates at the cost of his youngest son Segub, according to the word of the Lord, which he spoke by Joshua the son of Nun.”

Israel was in a back slidden sate

They have killed the prophets

Worshipped on foreign altars

began worshipping other gods

Elijah was called to confront the most evil King in Israels history. 1 Kings 16:30 “And Ahab the son of Omri did evil in the sight of the Lord, more than all who were before him.”

Can we relate to this at all?

Yes we can

Is the church of God doing everything it can for the lost?

Much of the church these days are too busy following the teachings of men , based on a tradional and or false context.

“you are gods” false teaching

is the Church preparing for the return of Jesus?

During the 1970’s new christians were so overtaken by the possibility of the rapture happening at anytime, they stopped pursuing their destiny.

Has morality in the church fallen?

The sanctioning of same sex marriage

United Methodist

Lutheran

Episcopalian

Some baptist/Non-denomination

A Long Obedience in the Same Direction

Scripture Reading

1 Kings 17:1-7 “Now Elijah the Tishbite, of Tishbe in Gilead, said to Ahab, “As the Lord, the God of Israel, lives, before whom I stand, there shall be neither dew nor rain these years, except by my word.” And the word of the Lord came to him: “Depart from here and turn eastward and hide yourself by the brook Cherith, which is east of the Jordan. You shall drink from the brook, and I have commanded the ravens to feed you there.” So he went and did according to the word of the Lord. He went and lived by the brook Cherith that is east of the Jordan. And the ravens brought him bread and meat in the morning, and bread and meat in the evening, and he drank from the brook. And after a while the brook dried up, because there was no rain in the land.”

Quite often in our christian walk God requests/demands/expects us to walk in complete obedience to Him

Its never typically easy to do

Elijah was commanded to confront the King of Israel and then go into hiding for 3 years

His faith was tested, God Came through

being fed by ravens

the miracle of the widows last bit of food

the ressurrection of her son

1 Samuel 15:22-23 “And Samuel said, “Has the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to listen than the fat of rams. For rebellion is as the sin of divination, and presumption is as iniquity and idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the Lord, he has also rejected you from being king.””

The Showdown

Quote

“All tyranny needs to gain a foothold is for people of good conscience to remain silent.”

Edmund Burke

There will come a time that all of the testing and trials and obedience will intersect in your life and demand that you make a decision, good or bad, to follow the Lord or follow the world

We have been asleep for far too long

Now is the time to choose

no one can serve two masters

Joshua 24:15 ESV

And if it is evil in your eyes to serve the Lord, choose this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your fathers served in the region beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”

Matthew 6:24 ““No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.”

1 Kings 18:17 “When Ahab saw Elijah, Ahab said to him, “Is it you, you troubler of Israel?””

The Faith You Live By Better be Good Enough to Die By

If your faith doesn’t bring you hope and help you in your crisis, it’s not of much value to you.

God built up the faith of Elijah in the quietness of a brook, the confines of a widow’s home, and walking in the wilderness. So when he needed his faith in the big moment, when he drew a line in the sand and chose a side, his faith came through because he truly trusted God.

So which side are you going to be on? Are you going to live for God and be His follower?

Or are you going to keep living for the other things that motivate you in your life?

That’s the challenge from this story to all of us, and I hope we will hear it.