Elijah's Confrontation

b. Now we see Elijah’s prayer in vv. 36-37 Elijah prays the Covenant Name of God and he prays it with a purpose, that the people might repent and turn to God. This prayer was brief. It was pointed. It was powerful. The pagans had been praying for hours. Elijah offers a few sentences. It is not so much the words of our prayer as it is the Person to Whom we pray!

2. After Elijah’s Prayer the Fire of God Falls!

a. Illust: Can you imagine this happening! That altar was drenched! The oxen section were soaked. The wood was soaked. The soil was soaked. No problem for God! The fire of God falls on the altar!

b. When it was about the time for the evening sacrifice, Elijah stopped the bleeding and defeated prophet of paganism and called down fire to consume the altar. He had the spiritual intelligence on the events of that hour and knew that he would gain victory for God at that time (1 Kings 18:36-39). Friend, there was a greater evening sacrifice than even Elijah’s on Carmel. We read in Mt. 27:46 "And about the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani? that is to say, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?" Jesus the perfect and highest sacrifice of God released His Spirit at the time of the evening sacrifice.

c. C. Applic: God is the God of the impossible! He answers with fire. He is alive. He hears. He acts! He will share His glory with no idols!

III. The People Drop – I Ki. 18:39

A. Witnessing God’s Power the People Fall on their Faces.

1. This is an act of contrition.

a. This is a visible sign of repentance, humility, prostration. Illust: When we say “I fell flat on my face” we’re usually speaking figuratively. We use the phrase to indicate embarrassment. But in the bible, falling on one’s face is always literal.

b. Illust: In the Bible we see Moses and Aaron, and David, and 24 elders in heaven, Abram, Ashdodites, Ezra and Nehemiah and the people, we see Ezekiel, the wise men, the Disciples, lepers, Joshua, Balaam, Manoah and his wife, women at the tomb, as well as others when they were confronted with the power or holiness of God. And we see it again here! V.39. “The Lord, He is God!” Literally they are saying: “Yahweh is Elohim”

2. When Sinful Men see the Power of God prostration is the only option.

Illust: On July 8, 1741, Jonathan Edwards started a sermon that he would not finish. The fires of Great Awakening revival were burning brilliantly throughout New England. Iain Murray notes, As spring passed into summer 1741 no one could well keep track of the number of places which were also witnessing the revival. Churches, which in some cases had been cold and dry at the beginning of the year, were transformed before the end. Edwards had already preached his famous sermon: “Sinners in the Hands…” at his home church of Northampton with little or no visible effect. Now he was preaching it at Enfield a hardened church that was opposed to the revival burning over New England. The congregation that day was somewhat sullen and disrespectful. Contrary to popular notions, Edwards was not a “hell-fire preacher”. But let me tell you, the fire fell that day! People were convicted, souls turned to Christ! People lay prostrate on the floor and in the pews. They had become aware of the holiness and power of God and how miserable they were by comparison.