Let The Fire Fall!
INTRO: I want you to see this picture (show picture on screens). This is the world famous fire falls of Yosemite National Park. This spectacular show and amazing feat was cancelled by the park services back in 1968, and has never been seen since. But my mother saw it once before it was discontinued and she remembers the awe and majesty of watching the fiery flow plummet down hundreds of feet as the night slowly enveloped the grand landscape of Yosemite. She recalls the group of visitors growing still and quiet as the park ranger would direct their gaze toward the dimly outlined mountain side. Finally, when everyone’s attention was directed toward him, he would turn and hold the megaphone to his lips and cry out, “Let the fire fall!” At which moment the glow on the hillside would flare and and cascade would begin, taking the breath away of every person so blessed to witness its awesome visage. But despite the incredibleness of this man-made spectacle, it cannot hold up against the awesomeness of the Fire that God can pour out for His people!
1 Kings 18:20-39 So Ahab sent word throughout all Israel and assembled the prophets on Mount Carmel. 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. Then Elijah said to them, "I am the only one of the Lord's prophets left, but Baal has four hundred and fifty prophets. Get two bulls for us. Let them 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. 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." Then all the people said, "What you say is good." 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." So they took the bull given them and prepared it. Then they called on the name of Baal from morning till noon. "O Baal, answer us!" they shouted. But there was no response; no one answered. And they danced around the altar they had made. 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." So they shouted louder and slashed themselves with swords and spears, as was their custom, until their blood flowed. 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. Then Elijah said to all the people, "Come here to me." They came to him, and he repaired the altar of the Lord, which was in ruins. Elijah took twelve stones, one for each of the tribes descended from Jacob, to whom the word of the Lord had come, saying, "Your name shall be Israel." With the stones he built an altar in the name of the Lord, and he dug a trench around it large enough to hold two seahs [about 13 qts] of seed. He arranged the wood, cut the bull into pieces and laid it on the wood. Then he said to them, "Fill four large jars with water and pour it on the offering and on the wood." "Do it again," he said, and they did it again. "Do it a third time," he ordered, and they did it the third time. The water ran down around the altar and even filled the trench. At the time of sacrifice, the prophet Elijah stepped forward and prayed: "O Lord, God of Abraham, Isaac and Israel, let it be known today that you are God in Israel and that I am your servant and have done all these things at your command. Answer me, O Lord, answer me, so these people will know that you, O Lord, are God, and that you are turning their hearts back again." Then the fire of the Lord fell and burned up the sacrifice, the wood, the stones and the soil, and also licked up the water in the trench. When all the people saw this, they fell prostrate and cried, "The Lord—he is God! The Lord—he is God!"
1. The Need For Rain
a. Because of Israel’s sin there had been no rain for three years
i. They had turned their back on God and followed Baal
1. The god of sensuality of natural forces (weather)
2. Their focus was on hedonism (if it feels good) and theatrics (if it looks good)
ii. They tore down the altars of God
1. These altars were a place of remembrance (Joshua 4:4-7 So Joshua called together the twelve men he had appointed from the Israelites, one from each tribe, 5 and said to them, “Go over before the ark of the Lord your God into the middle of the Jordan. Each of you is to take up a stone on his shoulder, according to the number of the tribes of the Israelites, 6 to serve as a sign among you. In the future, when your children ask you, ‘What do these stones mean?’ 7 tell them that the flow of the Jordan was cut off before the ark of the covenant of the Lord. When it crossed the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan were cut off. These stones are to be a memorial to the people of Israel forever.)
2. They forgot who God is and what He had done for them in the past—no wonder they could say nothing when Elijah asked them if the Lord was God!
b. There was no voice or leadership for God
i. Elijah (the Tishbite—wherever that is) was the only voice for the Lord at that time! (or so he thought)
1. The people would not hear from God—even when He spoke and cursed them with famine and draught.
a. By removing the rain, God was showing His power over Baal—the god of thunder!
b. God wanted the people to know that He is the source of the “show of nature” and not some false god/priest (preacher)
2. They clamored for the prophets of Baal—all 400+ of them
a. They longed for a message of “prosperity” even when reality showed them poverty
b. They delighted in the false thunder even though they desperately needed the fresh rain!
ii. The King (Ahab) bent to the whim of his Queen (Jezebel)
1. Jezebel means “daughter of Baal”
a. She was a woman after power and sensual control
b. She manipulated the kingdom through the throne of her husband
2. She despised the God of Israel
a. She was personally responsible for the death of many of Elijah’s colleagues.
b. She insisted on Baal Worship (which she brought from her home land)
c. There was no harvest in the land
i. The fields and stream were dried and unfruitful
ii. The crops were literally dead in the field
2. The Time For A Showdown
a. God was ready to reveal Himself to the people
i. He had already shown His power over Baal, the god of thunder
1. He prevented the rain from falling
2. He even removed the clouds from the sky
ii. He wanted to show His power over the hearts of the people
1. They needed to see His direct intervention
2. The lies of the enemy needed to be shown false once and for all
b. The people needed to choose whom they would serve!
i. Joshua 24:15 But if serving the Lord seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.”
ii. It is time for a decision to be made on who will be God!
1. Like Israel, we—the church of God—need to decide who will have first place: ourselves, and our selfish nature and desires, or the one, true God?
2. We have long been following the call and prophets of the world disguised as shepherds of the sheep leading to trust in what we feel and buy into the “big show” that they bring week after week…but they never bring the rain we so desperately need!
a. We’ve traded true anointing for a few “Holy Ghost Heebee Jeebies!”
b. We’ve lost the fresh rain that we once had in abundance!
c. Our crops and harvests are dried and withered—our churches are shallow and full of hot, dry air!
3. The Priority of Preparation
a. The confidence of knowing what God will do
i. We may KNOW that their god will fail, but how much FAITH do we have that our God will come through?
ii. When our faith is weak (from lack of spiritual exercise) we falter at the altar!
b. Elijah took the time to prepare!
i. First, he REBUILT the altar
1. He restored the properness and priority of prayer
2. He honored the foundation of his relationship with God by building again with the stones that represented his heritage!
ii. Second, he ENTRENCHED himself
1. He dug in and opened himself up to the overflow of God’s miracle!
2. He removed the spectacle of doubt by taking that extra step of faith
iii. Next, he OFFERED the proper sacrifice
1. He arranged the wood and bull as was pleasing to God
a. What sacrifice does God require?
b. (Romans 12:1 Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship.)
2. He waited until it was the “time” for sacrifice
a. It wasn’t coincidence that it was evening when Elijah’s turn came
b. It was the TIME of the evening sacrifice—it was according to God’s plan! (Ecclesiastes 3:1 There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens)
iv. He BATHED the site in water!
1. He purified the offering, the wood, the stones, even the very ground to God!
2. He sanctified everything through baptism—not just once, but repeatedly!
3. The whole area was saturated with the preciousness of the water—something the people were missing and was in short supply throughout the country!
a. John 12:3 Then Mary took about a pint[Matt. 26:7 alabaster jar/box] of pure nard, an expensive perfume; she poured it on Jesus’ feet and wiped his feet with her hair. And the house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume.
b. It’s not just the sacrifice that was offered, but the most precious gift was given to God! A sweet fragrance filling the house!!
v. Finally, He PRAYED.
1. Unlike the shouts and insanity of the prophets of Baal, Elijah’s prayer was astoundingly simple!
a. He knew who God was
b. He acknowledged his relationship as obedient servant
c. He asked God to show Himself
i. So the people would believe and turn back to God!
ii. He never prayed for the drought to end or for rain to come—he knew that would happen when the people worshiped God again from their hearts!
2. He never prayed for the fire to fall. He only sought the salvation of the people, and a restoration of Israel’s faith!
a. The purpose of the revival was not the fire (the show)
b. The purpose of the revival was not relief from the drought (hell insurance)
c. The purpose of the revival is to see the hearts of the people turn once again to God!
4. The Outpouring of the Fire!
a. The fire fell from Heaven!
i. This was a heavenly, holy fire! Untouched and unsullied by the hands of men!
1. True revival fire falls from above, not manipulated from below!
2. True revival fire comes freely in answered prayer, not forced in emotional hype!
ii. This fire was all consuming! (Deut. 4:24 For the Lord your God is a consuming fire, a jealous God.)
1. True revival fire removes all doubts, all fears, all sin, and all self-centered propaganda
2. True revival fire burns through to the bones! (Jer. 20:9b …his word is in my heart like a fire, a fire shut up in my bones. I am weary of holding it in; indeed, I cannot.)
iii. This fire was a drawing fire!
1. When the people saw it, they fell on their faces before God in worship!
a. Their hearts, which had been far off were drawn close again by the holy fire of God!
b. It drew out their sins and replaced it with a zealousness for their God!
2. It signified the presence (Shekinah) of the Lord and His holiness!
a. Exodus 24:17 To the Israelites the glory of the Lord looked like a consuming fire on top of the mountain.
b. Exodus 3:2b-5 Moses saw that though the bush was on fire it did not burn up. 3 So Moses thought, “I will go over and see this strange sight—why the bush does not burn up.” When the Lord saw that he had gone over to look, God called to him from within the bush, “Moses! Moses!” And Moses said, “Here I am.” “Do not come any closer,” God said. “Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy ground.”
3. Momma always said “Set the house afire and folks’ll come for miles around to watch it burn!”
a. We found that out quite literally last week! All the neighbors came to see the back garage burn!
b. People are hungry for the real, and there is nothing more real than the genuine power and fire of God falling on His children!
5. The Sound of Rain!
a. The purpose of the Fire falling was to restore Israel so that rain would fall!
i. Our story doesn’t end with the fire consuming the altar or even the brutal slaughter of the prophets of Baal.
ii. v. 41 “And Elijah said to Ahab, “Go, eat and drink, for there is the sound of a heavy rain.” So Ahab went off to eat and drink, but Elijah climbed to the top of Carmel, bent down to the ground and put his face between his knees. “Go and look toward the sea,” he told his servant. And he went up and looked. “There is nothing there,” he said. Seven times Elijah said, “Go back.” The seventh time the servant reported, “A cloud as small as a man’s hand is rising from the sea.” So Elijah said, “Go and tell Ahab, ‘Hitch up your chariot and go down before the rain stops you.’” Meanwhile, the sky grew black with clouds, the wind rose, a heavy rain started falling and Ahab rode off to Jezreel. The power of the Lord came on Elijah and, tucking his cloak into his belt, he ran ahead of Ahab all the way to Jezreel.
b. When true revival comes to burn in the hearts of God’s people, there will be a refreshing outpouring of the Spirit to wash over us!
i. It involves a step of faith (hear the sound!)
ii. It requires an anticipation (look for the cloud!)
c. The rain will sweep over you before you realize what is happening!
i. The blessings of the Lord will overwhelm you! (Heb. 6:7 [The] Land that drinks in the rain often falling on it and that produces a crop useful to those for whom it is farmed receives the blessing of God.)
ii. The rain of God’s Spirit will refresh the land, and produce good fruit and a bountiful harvest!
CONCLUSION: Do you want to hear the sound of the rain of the Spirit? Do you want to see the Fire of revival fall? Is your all on the altar? Are you poured out before the Lord as a sacrifice? Are you open and obedient to Him? Are you hungry for the real power of God in your life? LET THE FIRE FALL!
