Introduction:
A. On Friday, this past week, I was still working out at Camp Hunt, and I sent Mike a text message with the title and text for today’s sermon: “Standing Alone in the Gap.”
1. Mike quickly texted me back: “Is the sermon about shopping alone at the Gap for clothes?”
2. No, Mike, the sermon is not about shopping at the GAP store alone.
3. The sermon is about Elijah the prophet standing in the gap.
B. I’m excited to spend the summer with you studying the life of Elijah.
1. Character studies are always fun, and there are some great resources for studying the lives of biblical characters, like Charles Swindoll’s book series Great Lives From God's Word: Profiles in Character. I will be using the one on Elijah for this sermon series.
2. As we will see, Elijah’s life shows us what the Lord desires from His people.
3. But before we learn about Elijah, I want to discuss someone else for a moment.
C. I must confess, I’ve never been a Dallas Cowboy fan, but for a long time I was a fan of their long-time coach Tom Landry.
1. Tom Landry was born in Mission, Texas in 1924, and cast an unforgettable shadow along this earth’s landscape for 75 years (He died Feb. 12, 2000).
2. Tom Landry was a class act and he left a wonderful legacy.
3. Like other famous heroes, Tom Landry lived his life in the public spotlight.
a. He worked in an arena few in their right mind would choose – the high-powered and enormously pressurized National Football League.
b. Head coaches in the NFL are not known for their long-term tenure with any team.
c. To borrow a line from Bum Phillips, one of the more colorful NFL past coaches: “There’s only two kinds of coaches – them that’s been fired, and them that’s gonna be.”
4. Amazingly, for 29 consecutive years, Tom Landry coached the Dallas Cowboys.
a. His 20 consecutive winning seasons with the same team form a record that is likely never to be broken.
b. Landry left such an indelible mark on his players that they still scramble to find the right words to describe their profound feelings of appreciation.
C. Here are some things you may not have known about Tom Landry:
1. He played college football for Texas, and then played professional football for the AAFC New York Yankees (not one of the teams later absorbed by the NFL) and then the New York Giants.
2. He was a bomber co-pilot in WWII, completing 30 combat missions, and even survived a crash landing in Belgium after his bomber ran out of fuel.
3. He was a great family man, being married 51 years to his high school sweetheart, and they had three sons.
4. Tom Landry was also a person of faith.
a. Landry taught Sunday school and would sometimes arrive at the stadium for home games only moments before a noon kickoff after teaching his adult Bible class that morning.
b. He was active in the Fellowship of Christian Athletes.
c. Landry was a friend of the Billy Graham and spoke at many of his crusades.
d. He also sat on the board for Dallas Theological Seminary for 23 years.
e. Landry’s priorities were: God first, family second, and football third.
5. In addition to all that…Tom Landry was a great man, because he wore great hats!
D. Unfortunately, many heroes look better from a distance.
1. Up close, however, they sometimes surprise and disappoint us.
2. Not so with Tom Landry – the better you knew him, the more you admired him.
E. Most of us long to find authentic heroes who, when examined closely, are actually better than we expected.
1. Our longing is even more greatly satisfied when we discover that these heroes have remained humble in heart.
2. Such unique individuals stand alone in the gap. Nothing moves them.
3. They are not intimidated by the opposition they face and they are not afraid of the challenges that loom before them.
4. Exit Coach Tom Landry and enter the Hebrew prophet Elijah.
I. The Story
A. We are first introduced to him simply as “Elijah the Tishbite.” (1 Kings 17:1)
1. You talk about stepping out of nowhere!
2. If you think Tom Landry’s birthplace of Mission, Texas, seems like some remote place, just try to locate Tishbeh in the ancient Middle Eastern land of Gilead.
3. The site is unknown. The sands of time have completely hidden it.
4. Nevertheless, Elijah came out of this insignificant place – out of nowhere – to make a significant contribution to God’s plan for His people.
B. When we study the lives of individuals, we must also study the history of their time.
1. We cannot separate people from the context of their times.
2. Charles Swindoll wrote: “The steel of inner character is hammered out on the anvil of time and forged in the context of history.” (pg. 3)
3. For that reason it is important for us to understand the difficult times during which Elijah came on the biblical scene.
C. Let’s set the stage.
1. For well over a hundred years the Israelites had lived under the reign of three kings: Saul, then David, and finally Solomon.
a. These three rulers of the Jews were great and famous men in many ways, although not one of them was without sin and failure.
2. At the end of King Solomon’s life, a civil war broke out in the kingdom, and the nation was divided into a northern kingdom, most often called Israel, and a southern kingdom, usually referred to as Judah.
a. This division remained until both kingdoms were led away into captivity by foreign invaders.
3. The northern kingdom was in existence for over two hundred years.
a. It had 19 monarchs and all of them were wicked.
b. Imagine that…19 national leaders in succession and all of them “did evil in the eyes of the Lord.”
c. That environment of evil prevailed in Israel until the Assyrians invaded in 722 B.C.
4. The southern kingdom, on the other hand, was under the leadership of 17 rulers for well over 300 years.
a. Eight of the 17 of these monarchs “followed the Lord their God,” but 9 of them were wicked men who did not serve or walk with God.
b. The southern kingdom of Judah ended with the destruction of Jerusalem in 586 B.C. and the subsequent 70 year Babylonian captivity.
c. The southern kingdom was later revived when men such as Nehemiah, Ezra and Zerubbabel returned from exile and rebuilt the temple, and restored the worship of the one true God.
5. During the period of the northern and southern kingdoms, God sent various prophets to call both the rulers and the people to repentance.
a. Being a prophet wasn’t an easy calling.
b. Most of the kings wanted nothing to do with God’s anointed messengers.
c. They disdained their warnings, ignored their rebukes, and sometimes treated them even worse.
D. As I mentioned earlier, the northern kingdom was led by ungodly men more often than the southern kingdom.
1. The very first king of the northern kingdom, Jeroboam, deliberately planted the seeds of idolatry among the people of Israel.
2. 1 Kings 13:33 records: Even after this, Jeroboam did not change his evil ways, but once more appointed priests for the high places from all sorts of people. Anyone who wanted to become a priest he consecrated for the high places.
a. The term “high places” generally refers to pagan altars used for the worship of pagan gods and idols.
3. So right out of the chute, we learn that the first king of the northern kingdom ordained priests for the worship of false gods – and not just from the Levites, but from all sorts of people.
4. As I said, all of the northern rulers were bad, and some of them were worse than others.
a. One murderer gave way to another murderer; one assassin killed another assassin.
5. Then came Omri, of whom the Bible says: “But Omri did evil in the eyes of the Lord and sinned more than all those before him” (1 Kings 16:25).
E. Then after Ormi came his son Ahab.
1. The Bible says this, “Ahab son of Omri did more evil in the eyes of the Lord than any of those before him.” (1 Kings 16:30)
a. How in the world could Ahab have done worse than those who went before him?
2. The clue is in the next verse: 31 He not only considered it trivial to commit the sins of Jeroboam son of Nebat, but he also married Jezebel daughter of Ethbaal king of the Sidonians, and began to serve Baal and worship him.
3. It is interesting that up until this point in the biblical chronicles of the northern kingdom, we are never told the names of the wives of the kings.
4. Why did God have the writer pause and linger over the marriage of this monarch?
a. First, because Jezebel will prove to be the dominant partner in this marriage (when Ahab married Jezebel it was like going from Jesse James to Bonnie and Clyde).
b. Second, because she was the one who initiated Baal worship among God’s people.
5. Baal was worshiped as the god of rain and fertility who controlled the seasons, the crops and the land.
a. When Baal worship entered the kingdom of Israel it brought with it its heathen practices and barbaric sacrifices, including the sacrifice of children.
6. In spiritual terms, the chasm between God and His people had reached its widest breadth.
a. The Bible says: 32 He set up an altar for Baal in the temple of Baal that he built in Samaria. 33 Ahab also made an Asherah pole and did more to provoke the Lord, the God of Israel, to anger than did all the kings of Israel before him (1 Kings 16:32-33).
F. It was at that low point in Israel’s history that God called into service the prophet Elijah.
1. J. Oswald Sanders writes: “Elijah appeared at zero hour in Israel’s history…Like a meteor, he flashed across the inky blackness of Israel’s spiritual night” (from Robust in Faith).
2. Nobody could have handled a couple like Ahab and Jezebel better than Elijah.
3. This rugged, gaunt prophet from Tishbeh became God’s instrument of confrontation.
4. The very next chapter from 1 Kings begins: Now Elijah the Tishbite, from Tishbe in Gilead, said to Ahab, “As the Lord, the God of Israel, lives, whom I serve, there will be neither dew nor rain in the next few years except at my word.” (1 Kings 17:1)
5. A quick analysis of this introduction to Elijah reveals three important things: his name, his origin, and his style.
G. The first thing that commands our attention is Elijah’s name.
1. The Hebrew word for God in the Old Testament is Elohim, which is occasionally abbreviated, El.
2. The word jah is the word for “Jehovah” which means “Lord.”
3. Thus, in Elijah’s name we find the word for “God” and the Word for “Jehovah.”
4. Between them is the small letter I, which in Hebrew has reference to the personal pronoun “my” or “mine.”
5. Putting the three together, then, we find that Elijah’s name means “My God is Jehovah” or “The Lord is my God.”
6. Ahab and Jezebel were in control of the land, and Baal was the god they worshiped.
7. But when Elijah burst on the scene, his very name proclaimed: “I have one God. His name is Jehovah. He is the One I serve, before whom I stand.”
8. So as the spiritual chasm between God and His people had reached its widest breadth, Elijah stood alone in the gap.
H. The second point of significance is Elijah’s place of origin.
1. Elijah was from Tishbeh; therefore, he is called “Elijah the Tishbite.”
2. As I said earlier, we know very little about Tishbeh and we don’t even know its’ exact location.
3. The text does indicate that is was in Gilead, which was an area on the eastern side of the Jordon River (notice the map on the screen).
4. Gilead was a place of solitude and outdoor life.
5. People from there were often rugged, muscular and leathery.
6. Gilead was never a place of polished sophistication, and diplomacy, which explains the last thing we want to notice about the way Scripture introduces us to Elijah – his style.
I. Right from the get-go, he was in the king’s face.
1. It seems that without a moment’s hesitation and with no apparent fear or reluctance, Elijah stood before Ahab the king and got right to the point with him.
2. Now remember, the kingdom of Israel had known sixty or more years of unbelief, idolatry, political coos, and cutthroat rulers.
3. Furthermore, the present king, Ahab, and his dominating partner, Jezebel, are the worst of the lot.
4. Onto this stage stepped a prophet from nowhere.
5. He followed no protocol, made no introductions, rather he simply announced: “As the Lord, the God of Israel, lives, whom I serve, there will be neither dew nor rain in the next few years except at my word.” (1 Kings 17:1)
6. This was an ominous pronouncement: “No rain – not even dew – for years, unless I say so.”
7. Elijah basically said: “Baal or no Baal, you’re not getting any rain. And without rain, you don’t have crops. Your cattle will die. People will die. It’s curtains!”
J. Elijah was a stand-in-the gap messenger.
1. He was uniquely anointed and used by God.
2. He traveled solo for many years.
3. He sounded the alarm.
4. He delivered the “goods.”
K. Many years ago, God put these words on the lips of another great prophet, Ezekiel: “I looked for a man among them who would build up the wall and stand before me in the gap on behalf of the land so I would not have to destroy it, but I found none.” (Ez. 22:30)
1. I believe that God is still looking for those who will stand in the gap.
2. And what does it mean to stand in the gap?
a. An online dictionary defined standing in the gap as “to expose one's self for the protection of something; to make defense against any assailing danger; to take the place of a fallen defender or supporter.”
b. To stand in the gap simply means to see something that needs to be done and to step forward and do something about it.
c. To stand in the gap means to see someone who is in need and to serve them.
d. Standing in the gap may involve intercessory prayer, or cooking a meal for someone, or teaching a Bible class, or giving someone a ride to church.
e. Standing in the gap may involve seeing a great injustice or evil and standing against it.
3. Our Lord is still searching for people who will make a difference.
4. God hopes to find people with the courage to stand alone for God.
5. I hope we won’t let His search come up empty.
II. The Application
A. As we close today’s sermon, I want us to consider three lessons we learn from this introduction to Elijah.
B. First, We learn that God looks for special people at difficult times.
1. It is when the days become the blackest that God looks for someone who can shine the brightest.
2. Elijah was the bright light in his nation’s dark day.
3. Would you agree with me that we find ourselves in one of our nation’s spiritually darkest days?
4. In times like these God looks for special people who will promote the things of God, who will stand tall, stand firm, and if necessary, stand alone.
5. Are you becoming that kind of person?
6. Will you allow God to tap you on the shoulder and send you on a special assignment or send you into the game?
7. I hope so!
C. Second, We learn that God’s methods are often surprising.
1. God didn’t raise up an army to destroy Ahab and Jezebel.
a. Neither did He send some royal prince to argue His case or try to impress their royal majesties.
b. Instead, God sent an obscure, unusual character like Elijah.
2. When God taps you on the shoulder for one of His assignments, you might think: somebody else must be better qualified, or is more experienced, is more special or is more talented.
a. But the truth of the matter is that God often doesn’t call those people.
b. Rather, God often calls the humble, obscure ones that we would least expect.
3. We also might be surprised not only by who God choses, but the method God choses for them to employ to get the job done.
a. Who would have thought that God would chose David…after all; he was the youngest in his family and only a lowly shepherd.
b. And who would have thought that God would have David go up against the giant with just a sling and 5 smooth stones?
c. And who would have thought that God would have Joshua take the city of Jericho by marching around and around and around the city?
4. God’s methods then and now are often surprising.
5. I often marvel at how I see God working in and through the lives of people in ways I would never have imagined.
D. Finally, When We Stand in the Gap, We stand before God.
1. No matter what role we fill, whether big or small, we stand before God.
2. And if we stand alone in the gap, we are not really alone for God is with us.
3. What an encouragement it is to know that God sees us and is pleased with us when we stand in the gap.
4. Knowing that we stand before God and that God is working through us in His own unique way should give us courage, and confidence, and endurance.
E. Elijah stood before God in the gap.
1. He was a gaunt, rugged figure who strode out of nowhere to carry out God’s call.
2. His life is a clear witness of the value of one life completely committed to God.
3. He was called to stand against evil in the most turbulent and violent and decadent of times.
F. Look at the world around you.
1. The need is still great...there are many “gaps” to be filled…God is still searching…will you take your stand in the gap?
