Sermon Central
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He Reigns Series
Contributed by John Dobbs on Nov 3, 2023 (message contributor)
Summary: The setting of this familiar story relates to a drought! It has not rained for three years (18:2 “the famine was severe”). It was a time of conflict and killing.
Reconnect With God: HE REIGNS
Introduction
This month we will be focused on four iconic stories in the Bible, each one pointing us to reconnect with God when we have wandered away. Each one of these stories has a prophet or king at center. Each one an element or image that helps us understand. Each one calls back to God and invites us to reconnect. Today’s image is FIRE and the message is He Reigns.
The setting of this familiar story relates to a drought! It has not rained for three years (18:2 “the famine was severe”). It was a time of conflict and killing.
-Jezebel is killing the prophets of the Lord (18:4) Her father was a king who won his crown by murder. He was a priest of one of the Baal idols of that day. She made Baal worship predominant in Israel. Ruthless, urged Ahab to kill Naboth, steal his land.
-Obadiah, Ahab’s palace administrator and a believer, has hidden away 100 prophets of God and supplied them with food and water) (18:4) Ahab and Obadiah are searching for grass to keep their
livestock alive.
-During that search Obadiah meets Elijah, who requests an audience with King Ahab (a frightening request for Obadiah, but he does comply).
It is a time of … Conflict, Suffering, Compromise. God’s people are heavily influenced by the Baal culture and are falling away from following the God they know. It is also a time of Challenge - a challenging question that calls for a decision - to reconnect with God or not!
In this time of challenge - God uses FIRE to demonstrate his power and supremacy through Elijah. He Reigns!
1. FOCUS: HOW LONG WILL WE WAVER? (1 Kings 18:17-21 )
“I have not made trouble for Israel,” Elijah replied. “But you and your father’s family have. You have abandoned the Lord’s commands and have followed the Baals. 19 Now summon the people from all over Israel to meet me on Mount Carmel. And bring the four hundred and fifty prophets of Baal and the four hundred prophets of Asherah, who eat at Jezebel’s table.” 20 So Ahab sent word throughout all Israel and assembled the prophets on Mount Carmel. 21 Elijah went before the people and said, “How long will you waver between two opinions? If the Lord is God, follow him; but if Baal is God, follow him.”
But the people said nothing.
Complex times can lead to divided loyalties. It was true in Israel’s time - they were compromised over and over by the culture that surrounded and influenced them. In the OT there are about 89 references to Baal, just one of the gods the Canaanites worshiped. Baal himself is the storm and fertility god - which gives an interesting perspective to what happened next.
Many things cause us to waver in our commitment.
-Temptation - from within
- Pressure - from without
- Discouragement - health, finances, relationships
- Slow progress in our spiritual life
- Difficult people
- Prayer - waiting on God to act
All of these can cause us to waver - to be uncertain - to fall into sin’s traps - and we have all been there. Elijah urges them to make a choice … But the people said nothing. So Elijah engages in a fight against the false god Baal. (1 Kings 18:22-24)
Then Elijah said to them, “I am the only one of the Lord’s prophets left, but Baal has four hundred and fifty prophets. 23 Get two bulls for us. Let Baal’s prophets choose one for themselves, and let them cut it into pieces and put it on the wood but not set fire to it. I will prepare the other bull and put it on the wood but not set fire to it. 24 Then you call on the name of your god, and I will call on the name of the Lord. The god who answers by fire—he is God.”
2. IGNITE Your Fight for Faith (1 Kings 18:25-38)
Elijah challenges the prophets of Baal (18:25-29 Elijah said to the prophets of Baal, “Choose one of the bulls and prepare it first, since there are so many of you. Call on the name of your god, but do not light the fire.” 26 So they took the bull given them and prepared it. Then they called on the name of Baal from morning till noon. “Baal, answer us!” they shouted. But there was no response; no one answered. And they danced around the altar they had made. 27 At noon Elijah began to taunt them. “Shout louder!” he said. “Surely he is a god! Perhaps he is deep in thought, or busy, or traveling. Maybe he is sleeping and must be awakened.” 28 So they shouted louder and slashed themselves with swords and spears, as was their custom, until their blood flowed. 29 Midday passed, and they continued their frantic prophesying until the time for the evening sacrifice. But there was no response, no one answered, no one paid attention.)
