Protect Your Blindside Series

Angels & Demons: protect your blindside

1 Kings 19:1-10

Welcome (Secret Service Escort- unexpected noice- SS go to protect me then move out to the side to stand for remainder of the service

“Expect the unexpected!” I played tight end in high school and I remember one play where we were playing a team that had a linebacker who signed to play at the University of Missouri. I ran a crossing pattern in the middle of the field ten yards deep and I was open and looking for the pass I got completely leveled. I stayed on the ground and was taken out of the game. When I got off the field and the coach grabbed me and yelled, “What were you doing?” and all I could say was “I didn’t see him coming.” In many automobile accidents, when the officer questions those in the accident, the response often is “I never saw it coming.” 96% of victims who have been scammed said they never saw it coming. Say this with me…”expect the unexpected.” David didn’t see Bathsheba coming. Samson didn’t see Delilah coming. Judas didn’t see the devil coming. And all of them were taken out of the game. In fact, Scripture and Christian history are littered with people who were blindsided and knocked out of the game.

Today we’re going to talk about PBS, protecting your blindside. The Blind Side is a movie about Michael Oher, a homeless and abandoned boy who became an All American football player at Ole Miss and first-round draft pick of the Baltimore Ravens, all with the help of a caring woman and her family who took him in. Michael Oher plays the most important position in football, left tackle whose job is to protect the quarterback’s blind side. That’s why left tackle is one of the highest paid positions in football. But protecting the blind side is about more than just football. When you’re driving down the highway and changing lanes, protect your blind side! If it sounds too good to be true, protect your blind side! Everything that glitters isn’t gold. So every day, be intentionally proactive and protect your blind side. Because there is an adversary giving 100%, using everything at his disposal including people, places and things trying to take you out of the game. In this series, we’ve been talking about angels and demons. Angels play for God and the demons play for Satan, and there is a battle going on between the two. Here’s the good news: the outcome has already been pre-determined. God wins! So you want to be on the winning team right? If you do, choose God! But then start protecting your blindside because there’s going to be attacks and hits when you least expect it.

In our Scripture today, we have the story of the prophet Elijah. He was one of God’s star players. He was following God’s playbook running every play that God sent to him as a prophet. Let me tell you how the story began…there was a King of Israel named Ahab. Ahab was playing from two books: God’s and the pagan god Baal. Ahab worshipped and followed both, doing whatever was most convenient. Finally, God had had enough, so he calls Elijah in and says, “I want you to go to King Ahab and tell him there is going to be a drought. Tell him God says, ‘Maybe I can get your attention that way.’” Well, Elijah goes to King Ahab and tells him there will be a drought for three years. Then God tells him to get out of town ASAP because the drought made Elijah a wanted man. You know the old saying, kill the messenger.

At the end of 3 years, God sends Elijah back to King Ahab to tell him that He was ready to end the drought but there’s just one condition: you can’t keep worshipping both gods and playing from both books. To prove he was the one true God, Elijah was to summon the people of Israel for a showdown between the prophets of Baal and Elijah. 450 prophets of Baal were to prepare an offering to their gods and then ask their god to bring down fire on it. Elijah was to do the same. Whosever god brought fire will be declared the one true God. 450 prophets of Baal gather the wood and the meat from the bull, and began praying to their god Baal but there was no fire. Elijah cried out, “Where is your god? Maybe you need to pray louder, maybe he’s hard of hearing or maybe he’s gone to the bathroom!” So they pray louder but nothing happens. Elijah then prepares his altar and puts meat on it and then steps back and prays to God to provide the fire. And God sent fire from Heaven, consumes everything, even the rock altar. And it is declared that God Jehovah is the one true God.