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Welcome/Prayer
You ever wonder what is necessary in order to experience the grace of God in your life?
How do we live, better yet, how do we know and experience the grace of God first hand?
1 Kings 18 is going to help us to answer that question
In doing so, we’ll break up the chapter into four sections...
1-16, 17-19, 20-40, 41-46....
With the third section, the event on Mt Carmel, 20-40, getting most of our attention
Verses 1-16 are going to get us started by giving us the setting of our main event as well as introducing us to a faithful man by the name of Obadiah
Setting -
Verse 1 - in the 3rd year of the drought Elijah is commissioned to go to evil Ahab
verse 2 - Samaria, severe drought
Obadiah v. 3 - not the minor prophet
Oversees the house of Ahab… yet feared Yahweh greatly
Even Nero’s house had faithful saints serving in it
Hid the faithful prophets from evil Jezebel (4)
Meets Elijah as he’s searching for grass
Elijah, v8, tells him to go tell Ahab he wants to meet
Obadiah doesn’t want to… he knows how the story goes… note his response… verse 9-14
9 And he said, “How have I sinned, that you would give your servant into the hand of Ahab, to kill me? 10 As the Lord your God lives, there is no nation or kingdom where my lord has not sent to seek you. And when they would say, ‘He is not here,’ he would take an oath of the kingdom or nation, that they had not found you. 11 And now you say, ‘Go, tell your lord, “Behold, Elijah is here.” ’ 12 And as soon as I have gone from you, the Spirit of the Lord will carry you I know not where. And so, when I come and tell Ahab and he cannot find you, he will kill me, although I your servant have feared the Lord from my youth. 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.”
Elijah in the next verse, makes a vow to encourage Obadiah to go… so he does… and let’s read verses 17-19 of the exchange between Ahab and Elijah
17 When Ahab saw Elijah, Ahab said to him, “Is it you, you troubler of Israel?” 18 And he answered, “I have not troubled Israel, but you have, and your father’s house, because you have abandoned the commandments of the Lord and followed the Baals. 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.”
This is like a typical exchange on Twitter nowadays… one person calling the other a troublemaker…
Ahab thought Elijah was the troublemaker… he brought the drought...
But Elijah responds and is clear in how Ahab is the source of trouble
He’s abandoned the commandments of Yahweh and followed other false gods
The act of calling out unrighteousness is not the source of trouble… the one who desires to commit the unrighteousness is the troublemaker...
It’s like saying, if people want to riot, burn down buildings, and loot, let them… why stop them or speak out against it?
And this is often how righteous judgment is presented… especially within the “church...
To call out evil, to call out false teachings, idolatry, and the like is to cause trouble… is to cause division…
And those who faithfully do it are often called troublemakers…
But take heart if that happens… Lk 6:26
26 “Woe to you, when all people speak well of you, for so their fathers did to the false prophets.
Elijah after correcting Ahab’s gross misjudgment tells him (the king) to gather the people and meet at Mt Carmel… with the prophets of Baal and the prophets of Asherah… those who have fellowship with his evil queen...
Let’s now look to the next section of text, verses 20-40...
The scene
Mt Carmel - around 1700 feet above sea level - and part of a range of mountains - borders Phoenicia & Israel (possibly a holy site for both nations)
450 prophets of Baal & King Ahab (the 400 Asherah prophets apparently decided not to show)
And note v. 22 in how Elijah describes himself 1 Kings 18:22
22 Then Elijah said to the people, “I, even I only, am left a prophet of the Lord, but Baal’s prophets are 450 men.
1 prophet of Yahweh… so many against one...
Often is the case when you stand for righteousness… the masses aren’t often on your side
But when He who numbered the stars in their hour of creation is on your side, you are never in the minority.
Verse 21, we get the question at hand- “How long will you go limping between two different opinions?”
Either Yahweh is God, and if so, then Baal is nothing… or Baal is god and Yahweh is not…
But Elijah has been commissioned… so he is confident in the moment that is before him
And note, Elijah has been tasked with this… this is not Elijah randomly testing God
So, Elijah proposes a way to determine which opinion is right… that of Elijah and the fathers of Israel… or that of Jezebel and the prophets of Baal
Verses 23-24, Each party will get a bull to prepare upon wood and offer it to their respective God… whichever one answers with fire is God
The prophets of Baal get to go first (25)… Elijah is in no rush and wants to give the false prophets as much opportunity and time they need to show themselves
They start some time in the morning… probably around 9ish and go until noon...
And note their behavior… (26-29)
Crying aloud...
Limping (dancing around)
For hours
Elijah mocks them (27)
They increase their chaos, their disorder...
They cut themselves as pagans do (28)
They “raved” (29)
When you see this kind of behavior in Christian churches it ought to bring to mind this event… and this godless behavior… this raving, shaking about, crying aloud… is becoming more and more popular as more churches fall prey to the theology of Hillsong, Bethel, and Steven Furtick’s church Elevate
And especially youth and college conferences… people wanting to “experience God”… to “feel” His presence
As if, by limping around as pagans… as crying aloud like Baal worshipers, or “raving in the Spirit” will manipulate Yahweh into doing anything...
There is only one way for us to “experience” God… to experience His grace… and it’s not a mystery… so let’s look at what Elijah does to see...
Elijah gave the Baal prophets until it was time for the evening sacrifice (29)… so all day they did this insanity...
Elijah asks the people to come near (30)
He has nothing to hide...
Repairs the altar, gathers 12 stones to represent the 12 tribes of Israel
Digs a trench that holds 2 seahs = 3.5 gallons of water
The water that Elijah asks them to pour on the bull and wood three times… (33)
Wait… water? In the midst of a drought? (Possibly sea water)
Then what does Elijah do?
Does he sing perfectly practiced praise songs in with a spontaneous break for instruments to perform and allow the “Spirit” to move?
Does he rave like the Baal lunatics?
Does he start giggling and laughing with holy laughter?
Does he start to shake, tremor, and speak in tongues or in a “prayer” language so that God can hear him?
No… he does what every other man of God in all of Scripture does when in need… prays.
And he prays simply… Let’s read it 1 Kings 18:36-37
36 And at the time of the offering of the oblation, Elijah the prophet came near and said, “O Lord, God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, let it be known this day that you are God in Israel, and that I am your servant, and that I have done all these things at your word. 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.”
Yes, with the dead boy he was more “animated”...
But his animation then was not an attempt to manipulate the will of God… but simply a reflection of Elijah’s emotive state
The prophets of Baal danced and moved in order to catch the eye of Baal.
Elijah, here offers a short prayer with confidence...
He prays that Yahweh would be glorified
And that His people would be edified
No magic tricks...
No secret knowledge or insight needed
No special background music, lighting or fog machines...
Faith… and an appeal to the will of God
Yahweh responds (38)…
And with quite the heat… everything is consumed… not just the water… but the stones themselves
This leads to the people of Israel, at least for a moment, confess Yahweh, not Baal as God...
Elijah then commands the people in their whole hearted devotion to slay the false prophets (40)… to mortify the idolatry within their presence...
Once the slaughter is finished, Elijah prays again… let’s look at the remaining verses
Before he prays, Ahab is commanded to eat (41)
Elijah goes to the top of Mt Carmel and prays (42)
His servant, (43-44) goes 7 times… and on the 7th time sees the rain
Ahab is then told go, lest he gets stuck
Meanwhile, Elijah, on foot, by the power of Yahweh outruns him to Jezreel (21-22 miles)
Thus the grace of God returns upon the land of His people… having dealt with their sin, with their idolatry, God once again opens the skies and allows the rain to fall...
So, back to our original question… How do we live, better yet, how do we struggle so that we can know and experience the grace of God first hand?
We must stop limping between two different opinions....
Some of you are unable to feel, better yet, know the grace of God because you are limping between opinions… between worldviews… and in essence between gods… whether God of Israel or the gods of your lusts or insecurities
We must remember that Our God is one… Deut. 6:4-5
4 “Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. 5 You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might.
Ex. 20:2-3… 1st Commandment
2 “I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery. 3 “You shall have no other gods before me.
No other gods, no other ideologies before Him or next to Him
He is our safety
Psalm 4.8
8 In peace I will both lie down and sleep; for you alone, O Lord, make me dwell in safety.
He is our comfort
Isaiah 51:12
12 “I, I am he who comforts you; who are you that you are afraid of man who dies, of the son of man who is made like grass,
He is our satisfaction
Ps 145.16
16 You open your hand; you satisfy the desire of every living thing.
And yet, some of you struggle in experiencing and knowing that...
And it’s for the same reason the people of Israel experience the drought as long as they did… they failed to keep from idolatry
They tolerated their iniquity and sins and until they mortified those sins...
Through confession and literally mortifying the priests...
God withheld the rain of His grace...
Psalm 66:18
18 If I had cherished iniquity in my heart, the Lord would not have listened.
Isaiah 59:1-2
1 Behold, the Lord’s hand is not shortened, that it cannot save, or his ear dull, that it cannot hear; 2 but your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God, and your sins have hidden his face from you so that he does not hear.
If you think that you can serve the church faithfully and harbor sin in your life consider the words of Jeremiah 14:10-12....
10 Thus says the Lord concerning this people: “They have loved to wander thus; they have not restrained their feet; therefore the Lord does not accept them; now he will remember their iniquity and punish their sins.” 11 The Lord said to me: “Do not pray for the welfare of this people. 12 Though they fast, I will not hear their cry, and though they offer burnt offering and grain offering, I will not accept them. But I will consume them by the sword, by famine, and by pestilence.”
Is God not the one who delivered you from your sin?
Is He not the one who sent His Son to be born of a virgin to ransom you as His own… which this Advent season celebrates?
Is Christ not the Son of God who died on the cross for your sin, so that you may have everlasting life and know peace and joy that knows no bounds?
If so, then why do you tolerate the lies that lead to Hell?
Why do you allow yourselves and others to limp through life between two worlds?
You want to get back to a life wholly devoted to God? Then do what Israel did here...
Mortify the sin...
John Owen - Be killing sin or the sin will kill you...
Slaughter it… Don’t take it to an accountability group… slaughter it.
Chase it down and with the Sword of the Spirit, slay it...
Take no prisoners… don’t lock it up… burn it… l
Take your lusts and crucify them
1 Thess 4:3-5
3 For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you abstain from sexual immorality; 4 that each one of you know how to control his own body in holiness and honor, 5 not in the passion of lust like the Gentiles who do not know God;
Take your greed and crucify it
Heb 13:5...
5 Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for he has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.”
Take your pride and burn it
Isaiah 66:1-2
1 Thus says the Lord: “Heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool; what is the house that you would build for me, and what is the place of my rest? 2 All these things my hand has made, and so all these things came to be, declares the Lord. But this is the one to whom I will look: he who is humble and contrite in spirit and trembles at my word.
James sums it up for us in James 4:4-10…
4 You adulterous people! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God. 5 Or do you suppose it is to no purpose that the Scripture says, “He yearns jealously over the spirit that he has made to dwell in us”? 6 But he gives more grace. Therefore it says, “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.” 7 Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. 8 Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. 9 Be wretched and mourn and weep. Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom. 10 Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you.