Mountain Moving Faith:
“Mt. Carmel”
1 Kings 18
I’ve never gotten to see a shuttle launch live, but I have got to see it on TV. They begin to countdown and as the countdown hits zero, smoke drifts from the pad and then the main engines and the solid rockets lifted the shuttle into the sky. It’s a sight to see and even just by watching it on TV you can see the power of the rockets as it lifts the shuttle into the sky. The explosion of energy required to lift the shuttle beyond the chains of gravity provides a contemporary picture of God’s power severing the chains of complacency that held the nation of Israel in bondage. Chapter eighteen of 1 Kings contains the story of Elijah’s bold stand against the 450 evil prophets of Baal who assembled to challenge his faith in the one true God. It is a story that has captured the attention of the saints of God for generations. Some love to cheer for the outnumbered underdog. Others are intrigued by the awesome display of God’s power as fire rains down from heaven.
Mount Carmel is described in Scripture as a symbol of beauty and fertility. The prophet Isaiah and King Solomon used Mount Carmel as an expression of divine blessing (Is. 35:2; SS. 7:5). The Hebrew word Karem El means God’s vineyard or fruit of God. The mountain is really a thirteen mile ridge along the coast of the Mediterranean Sea with the highest peak of only 1,742 feet. Its location by the sea, not its height, is of major significance for this battle with the prophets of Baal. “Here is where the effects of the drought would be least apparent and the power of Baal to nurture life would seem to be the strongest.”1 In the midst of a severe drought, Mount Carmel stood as the lone testimony promoting fertility worship. It was Baal’s “ace in the hole.” Mount Carmel provided the 450 evil prophets with a home field advantage, but the prophet of God was ready for the challenge.
This event is more than a Super Bowl contest between God and the false god, Baal. It is a challenge for God’s people to move off of the fence of complacency. Elijah is not fighting the prophets of Baal. He is fighting the lack of conviction from God’s people. Baal was the agricultural god. The context of this story reveals that the word of God came to Elijah saying, "It will not rain for three years." Through the lack of rain, God had already proven that Baal was powerless. The challenge on this mountain provides an illustration for a powerful message preached by Elijah. A contemporary political term that accurately describes the condition of Israel is “mug wump.” The term pictures a person seated with his coffee mug on one side of the fence and his wump on the other. Elijah’s message is simple and straightforward, “God is putting an end to mugwumps. No longer will you be allowed to put your mug on one side of the fence and your wump on the other in an attempt to worship two gods.”
Almighty God is holy. God demands complete allegiance. The first of the Ten Commandments states, “You shall have no other gods before me” (Exodus 20:3). Throughout Scripture, the fire of God reveals His judgment, His power, and His glory. When the fire fell at Mount Carmel, it was a fire of judgment upon the people. It was a call for immediate repentance. Israel knew that they would receive the same fiery judgment if they did not honor the one true God.
Before proposing a strategy for effective change, we must examine what causes us to sit on the fence. Why do we fail to stay committed? One of the greatest obstacles to fulfillment in life and experiencing the joy and peace that God desires for His people is the tendency to drift toward mediocrity or complacency. God did not create you and I for mediocrity. He created you for extraordinary contribution in the kingdom of God. Most achievement has been inaccurately measured by academic grades, athletic awards, or acquiring possessions. While those may be accepted standards of accomplishment, they are not measures of genuine success. For example, Steven Spielberg was a failure as student, and Rush Limbaugh dropped out of college; yet both men have been incredibly successful in their chosen field. Mother Teresa made very little income, yet her achievements surpassed those of the world’s richest men. The extraordinary achievement that God desires brings an extraordinary amount of benefit to others. He calls people to get off the fence, to stop selfish indulgence, and to start honoring God by adding value to others.
The saints of God who gathered on that historic day at Mount Carmel failed to realize that almighty God had far better things to offer them than the gods of this world. They settled for what was easy, what was comfortable, and what was complacent, instead of choosing commitment to the LORD. The text of 1 Kings 18 identifies several chains that kept God’s people stranded on the launch pad of life, and the Scripture reveals powerful engines that enable the saints to blast-off on an incredible journey of faith. Read I Kings 18:20-39.
I. IDENTIFY THE CHAINS
A. Intimidation - One of the chains that contributed to Israel’s complacency was intimidation. 1 Kings 18:4 says, “While Jezebel was killing the LORD’s prophets.” Why were the people uncommitted to God? They were intimidated. They were afraid of what Jezebel might do to them. After all, if she would kill the LORD’s prophets, she might kill anyone who pledged their allegiance to the LORD. I do not want to belittle the dilemma that exists at this time under Ahab and Jezebel’s leadership. The people were afraid for their lives, but we are often intimidated by lesser threats.
Maybe you are afraid that you could lose your job if you took a strong stand for Christ. There was the fear of not being accepted by the king and the royal court. The power brokers of the nation had turned their backs on God. Those who enjoyed wealth and abundance rejected God’s standard of righteousness to pursue personal gain. If you wanted to be part of the wealthy class; if you wanted abundance; if you wanted popularity, then you had to reject God in order to please the leaders.
The Bible says, “God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but of power, love, and self-control” (2 Tim. 1:7). We need to read the comfort and the challenge that God gave Joshua to be strong and courageous. Nehemiah exhorted the people to serve the LORD knowing that “the joy of the LORD will be your strength.” Listen to David in Psalm 27 cry out, “The LORD is my light and my salvation, whom shall I fear? The LORD is the stronghold of my life, of whom shall I be afraid?” Who or what makes you afraid? The great heroes of the faith knew that God was a source of supernatural strength to overcome fear.
B. Inconvenience - A second chain was inconvenience. Ahab and Jezebel were two of the most wicked leaders described in Scripture. Under their leadership, Israel had embraced Baal worship and the false god, Asheroth. Both false religions encouraged immorality, but Asheroth worship included the horrible practice of child sacrifices. It is difficult to imagine how Israel could have drifted so far from devotion to the one true God by allowing these religions into their culture. We find a clue to their fall in the twelfth chapter of 1 Kings when Jeroboam established places of worship in the cities of Dan and Bethel. Jeroboam was afraid that the people would declare their allegiance to the king in Judah if they continued making pilgrimages to Jerusalem and offering sacrifices at the temple. Jeroboam convinced the people saying, “It is too much for you to go up to Jerusalem” (1 Kings 12:28). The Scripture says in verse thirty, “This thing became a sin.” It was inconvenient to march all the way to Jerusalem. They could sing songs in Dan and Bethel. They could offer sacrifices at new places of worship instead of the temple. They could choose their own priests instead of having to follow the descendants of Aaron. Under Jeroboam’s leadership, worshiping God would be easier.
It did not take long before compromise led to corruption and complacency. We see the same thing happen in our churches. Why get up and come to Sunday School? Why come to church on Sunday morning and Sunday night? It is much easier to stay at home and turn on the TV than to attend every week. Do we really need to give financially or serve in the church every week? Work schedules, ball games, school activities, and weekends at the lake take up a lot of our time. Some have suggested that we should make following Christ more convenient so that it does not interfere with other activities.
God never calls for half-hearted commitment. Jesus said, “If any one would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me” (Luke 9: 23). He did not say to follow when you feel like it or when it is convenient. The greatest commandment calls us to love the Lord with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength. The people of Israel had two options. They could strive to meet God’s standard, or they could compromise God’s commands to fit their preferences. The twins of ease and comfort rarely lead to fulfillment. Many convenient choices become chains that strangle productivity and joy.
C. Immorality - Immorality is another chain. Baal was an agricultural god. By engaging in sexual immorality with temple prostitutes, worshipers believed they could stimulate Baal to make their crops grow. The Word of God says that Moses chose to endure the scorn of the people rather than enjoy the pleasures of sin for a short time (Hebrews 11:25). There is no denying the lustful appeal offered by some of the world’s activities. When Israel considered serving God with holiness and purity, or engaging in immorality, they chose to indulge their lust with immorality. Sin may bring immediate gratification, but the Bible says serving God brings lasting joy and pleasure. Psalm 16:11 says, “You will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand.” Immorality may satisfy for a season, but it will eventually enslave you.
D. Indifference - The greatest chain of all is not intimidation. It is not inconvenience or immorality. 1 Kings 18:21 states Elijah asking the people how long they will waiver between two opinions, “but the people said nothing.” It is difficult to emphasize the significance of their response. I am convinced that the greatest chain that binds us to the launch pad of life is indifference. As a pastor, I have the responsibility to equip, encourage, and exhort others to follow Christ. I have found many who claim to know Christ as their Savior and Lord, but they are bound by indifference. They have correct doctrinal beliefs. They live morally acceptable lives. They are not afraid to express their faith, but many just don’t care! They don’t care about the power of Christ in their lives. They don’t care about honoring Christ on a daily basis. They don’t care if lost souls go to hell.
A quote attributed to President Theodore Roosevelt exposes the sad plight of “timid souls” who don’t care. “It’s not the critic who counts; it’s not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles or where the doer of deeds could have done better. The credit belongs to the man in the arena, whose face is marred by sweat, dust and blood, who strives valiantly, who errs and comes up short again and again. There’s no effort without error and shortcomings, who knows the great devotion, who spends himself in a worthy cause, who at best knows in the end the high achievement of triumph, but at the worst if he fails while daring greatly, knows that his place shall never be with those timid, cold souls who know neither victory nor defeat.” Jesus delivered his harshest rebuke to the church at Laodicea. He said, “You are neither cold nor hot” (Revelation 3:15). The church’s indifference caused Jesus to say he would spit them out of his mouth. God hates indifference. Our Lord is sickened by our indifference the way we would be sickened by a crime committed against an innocent child.
II. IGNITE THE ENGINES
Having identified the chains, we must ignite the engines that can enable us to break free. When NASA accepted the challenge of space travel, engineers did not focus exclusively on the obstacle of gravity. They did not blame their parents for the strong force of gravity in their lives. The genius of NASA was that they developed resources to overcome the obstacles. They designed engines that triumphed over the chains of gravity and propelled a spacecraft into orbit.
To defeat complacency and the chains that accompany it, we must adopt NASA’s approach. I love the scene from the movie Apollo 13 where Gene Krantz assembles his team to asses the status of the Apollo 13 crew and their mission. Members of the team share reports. Then, Krantz says, “That’s the problem, so how do we get the crew home?” He reminds the team that NASA has never lost a crew on “his watch,” and they are not going to lose one now. Once a problem has been identified, energy must be spent on developing solutions. Most of us are aware of the chains in our lives, but we need to develop resources or engines that empower us to break free.
A. Recruit Partners - The first engine that we need to ignite is recruiting partners. The assembling of the nation together for this incredible display of divine power illustrates a significant principle of effective change. We need God’s help, but we also need the support of other believers to encourage, to guide, and to hold us accountable. Corporate worship provides a dynamic opportunity to experience the presence and the power of God with and through other believers. God can manifest His provision any way He pleases, but the Bible consistently reveals that God longs to pour out His blessing on groups who gather in His name. In 2 Chronicles 7:14, God promises to heal a nation that collectively calls out for divine blessing. Jesus promised to answer prayers offered by two or more who pray in agreement (Matt. 18: 20). A personal relationship with Christ is critical to knowing God, but we must not neglect the corporate aspects of our faith.
The gathering at Mount Carmel reveals that breaking chains and igniting engines is not a solo act. You are not going to wake up one day and say, “I’m going to get serious; I’m going to serve God and do it with my whole heart. Nothing is going to hold me back.” That is a good thing to say, but without necessary support, you will stumble and fall. The Bible says, “Two are better than one for they have a good return for their labor. If one falls down, the other will pick him up, but pity the man who when he falls has no one to pick him up” (Ecc. 4:9-10). God is not looking for lone rangers. There may be times, like this time with Elijah, when you must be willing to stand alone. But, if you serve God long enough, God will gather the saints to uphold you, affirm you, encourage you, and strengthen your commitment to God.
In Steven Scott’s book mentioned earlier, he has a chapter entitled “Steven Spielberg Partnering.” Spielberg is without question one of the most gifted storytellers in the world, but his greatest strength is his ability to recruit partners that contribute to his films. Spielberg would be the first to recognize actors, filming crews, special effects teams, and musicians who have combined their expertise with his dream to make unforgettable movies. Even though most of us will never win an academy award, we can learn to recruit partners who increase our faith and commitment in serving Christ.
B. Review Prophecy - The second engine we need to ignite is reviewing prophecy. Verse thirty-one of 1 Kings 18 says that Elijah chose twelve stones to place on the altar. Each stone represented one of the original tribes of Israel. These stones became visual aids as Elijah reminded the nation of its godly heritage. The Scripture does not record what Elijah said about the stones, but we can use our imagination to speculate what he might have said.
I believe that Elijah reminded the nation of some of the great deeds of faith demonstrated by members of each tribe. Perhaps he spoke of Joshua from the tribe of Ephraim who once assembled the nation together to challenge them to choose whom they would serve. His choice was clear, “As for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.” Elijah took another stone and said, “This is for the tribe of Judah. The Messiah is going to come from the line of Judah. One day, God has promised to take all our sins and remove them as far as the east is from the west. Our salvation is coming from the tribe of Judah.” Elijah could have preached about the faithfulness of Caleb or David’s battle with Goliath. Both of these great servants were descendants of Judah. Stone after stone, tribe by tribe, Elijah reminds the nation of God’s power and blessings. If we are going to break the chains of complacency, we must review the promises of God. When we see God’s blessing of faithful servants, it encourages us to make bold changes for our future.
C. Repent of Sin - A third engine to ignite is repenting of sin. 1 Kings 18:39 says the people cried out, “The LORD is God.” After this faithful confession, they attacked and killed the evil prophets of Baal. Their response to God’s judgment is more than recognizing divine power. They repented of sin. Repentance is more than stopping a particular behavior. Repentance involves turning to God as much as turning from sin. One could stop smoking cigarettes because he is afraid of the consequences. We commend the decision, but repentance is more than quitting. To repent means that you stop one behavior and start behaving differently because you desire to honor God. A fresh awareness of the holiness of God inspires the people to move off the fence and follow the one true God.
Repentance is specific. The nation of Israel had failed to acknowledge the uniqueness of God’s existence. They embraced a belief system that promoted multiple gods for any conceivable desire. Their repentance focused on their specific failure. They returned to the doctrinal confession established by Moses in Deuteronomy 6: 4-6, “Hear O Israel: The LORD our God is one. Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and all your strength.” In our churches and in our personal journey of faith, we often make the mistake of treating repentance as a generic concept instead of making specific confession of sinful actions. Israel repented through confession and demonstrated their repentance by eliminating the false prophets. We can ignite a powerful engine by practicing biblical repentance with specific confession and removing negative influence from our lives.
D. Request Through Prayer - Verse thirty-six of chapter eighteen reveals the final engine. After the failure of Baal’s prophets to produce fire, Elijah takes center stage and prays. Requesting or seeking God through prayer is a mighty engine that releases the power of God in your life. Elijah could have clapped his hands, raised his staff, or danced like the other prophets. But, Elijah prayed. In James 5:17, we read that Elijah was a “man just like us” who received powerful results from his prayers. Many of the chains that hold people down are spiritual strongholds which can only be destroyed with spiritual weapons as described in 2 Corinthians 10: 3-5. After the apostle Paul described individual pieces of spiritual armor in Ephesians 6:10-18, he concluded by saying, “And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep praying for all the saints.” A wise saint once said, “God, in His sovereignty, has chosen to limit His divine activity upon the earth to answering prayer.” The Bible says, “You do not have because you do not ask God” (James 4:2). Jesus rebuked the disciples for their failure to cast out demons. He informed them that some strongholds could only be destroyed by prayer (Mark 9:29).
III. LIFTOFF
The nation of Israel experienced a powerful transformation from sitting on the fence and “saying nothing” to confessing their allegiance to the LORD and killing false prophets. Our battles may never appear on a national stage with dramatic displays of supernatural power, but the battles we fight for our families, our churches, and our personal destiny are just as significant. Elijah’s challenge still calls out to us today. Will we be content to live life stranded on the launch pad or blast off on an incredible journey of faith? The subtle bondage of complacency steals our desire for greatness.
During the difficult days of the Civil War, President Lincoln attended the evening services at New York Avenue Presbyterian Church. After the service, a young aide asked the president about Dr. Gurley’s sermon. Lincoln said, “It was well organized, powerfully delivered, and eloquent.” The aide said, “Sir, then would you say it was a great sermon?” Lincoln responded, “Oh no, it failed because Dr. Gurley did not ask us to do something great.”4
We serve an awesome God who has gone to incredible lengths to communicate His love toward us. Nothing that the world or false gods offer compares to the surpassing riches of knowing Christ. His amazing love compels us to faithful service. When complacency threatens our commitment, we should follow the advice of the missionary pioneer William Carey who said, “Attempt great things for God; Expect great things from God.” If Carey were alive today, he might say, “Ignite the engines; it’s time for liftoff!”
