Elijah calls for a meeting with Ahab: because of the sins of Ahab and the nation of Israel (God at the prayer of Elijah had shut up the heavens and there had been a 3 and a half year drought.
DROUGHT = dryness, emptiness, famine, desolation, destruction, death
Ahab the king of Israel meets Elijah with these words: Art thou he that troubeleth Israel?
Trouble=) stir up, disturb To agitate; 2. To afflict with pain or discomfort. 3. To cause mental agitation or distress
This shows you how far Israel had fallen from Gods divine presence and calling: this king who was suppose to lift the standard and was to lead Israel into their divine destiny, and relatinship with God, was so backslidden that the very presence of Elijah with his commitment and his consecration and his love for God (disturbed, agitated, even caused Ahab such distress that he called Elijah (he that troubeleth Israel)
You might as well know this: That when you get serious about serving God, when you consecrate yourself to live a holy seperated sanctified life ) You will be viewed as a trouble maker,
why? Because most people are satisfied to live around the altar, i mean satisfied to be religious, look the part sound the part, (but When you have chosen to live on the altar= A living sacrifice ) you will upset this worlds system and you will disturb religious people.
(Rom 12:1)I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.
Elijah called the nation of Israel back to the altar.
Elijah is not known through the scriptures as a great preacher, but when the bible shines the spotlight on elijah, we see him on the ground with his head between his knees (praying)
He showed us what the altar looks like:
The great need of this hour is for men and women who will rebuild the altar:
The altar is the meeting place with God, It’s where You climb Mt Moriah and give your Isaacs up to God, it is a place of sacrifice, (death to self) it is a place of consecration.
It's the place where we wrestle with God for a changed life, (it's the place where Jacob the deceiver, the liar, the usurper and the suplanter dies and Israel the prince with powrer is born.
Elijah took 12 stones= the 12 tribes) Also = divine order or divine Government- He was building a picture of Isreal back under Gods divine government = Living according His Word.
He Rebuilt the altar. He knew that if he could bring Israel back to the altar, and the altar back to Israel, that he would bring Israel back to God.
I want you to know that the only hope for America today is to come back to the altar: There's no president, no politician, no legislation that can turn this country around.
The only hope for change in America is God.
God back in the home, God back in the schoolhouse, God back in the whitehouse, God back in the church house.
if we can get America back to the altar, we can get America back to God.
Malacai 3:7 Return unto me, (and I will return unto you) saith the Lord of hosts.
This is where were at in America right now.
The greatest structure that we can build in America is not to rebuild the world trade center, It’s not in new york.
It’s In every city, and in every church and in every Home
It’s the structure called the altar.
It wasn’t torn down by terrorists attack, There is no terrorist that could destroy the altar, It was torn down through neglect, and decay, and rejection, in favor of a more comfortable and less painful and humiliating way,.
(Only Humble people can pray) (Only weak people can pray) (Only Poor people can pray) Only Helpless people can pray. Only needy people can pray.
Only people who are willing to admit they need help can pray
The Greatest sin of America is not (homosexualty ) the greatest sin of America is pride.
It’s not national pride that we need in America today, It’s national humility and total dependence upon God.
2 Chron 7:14
If (my people), which are called by my name, shall (humble themselves), and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.
I know there are some wicked, evil things happening in the world, there are gross and horrible things being done in the world, the world is a very dark and dangerous place, but God is not speaking to the world
(wickedness and evil and darkness belong to the world, a sinner sins by nature)
But God is speaking to the church (my people) those who identify themselves with me, those who go by my name)
God says: if my people will humble themselves and pray, if my people will repent, if my people will turn from their wicked ways. (Then God says I will hear from heaven and forgive (their sin) and heal their land.
Revival doesn't come to deliver us from sin, Revival comes because we have delivered ourselves from sin ( in otherwords) Revival comes because we have repented, because we have torn down the idols in our hearts, because we have circumcised our own hearts before God, because we have hated sin and loved righteousness.
Revival comes because we rend our hearts and not just our garments, Revival comes because we break up the fallow ground and seek God till he comes and rains righteousness down on us.
2 Chr 6: 26-27 When the heaven is shut up, and there is no rain, because they have sinned against thee; yet (if they pray) toward this place, and confess thy name, and turn from their sin, when thou dost afflict them; [27] Then hear thou from heaven, and forgive the sin of thy servants, and of thy people Israel, when thou hast taught them the good way, wherein they should walk; and send rain upon thy land, which thou hast given unto thy people for an inheritance.
The stones were whole stones, no tool lifted up on them, for that would pollute the altar before God.
Exe 20:25 for if thou lift up thy tool upon it, thou hast polluted it.
(This means)
#1 this speaks self effort, the activity of the flesh, (no flesh, no talent, no skill, no ability is ever a substitute for the anointing.
Exodus 30:32 KJV
Upon man's flesh shall it not be poured, neither shall ye make any other like it, after the composition of it: it is holy, and it shall be holy unto you.
#2 ( God doesn’t want fragments of our lives
I will dress the other bullock= I will present as God has required.
Contrary to popular opinion, God will not accept any old offering or sacrifice.
Ro.12:1 That ye present your bodies, a living sacrifice holy and acceptable to God
1Pet 5:5 God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace to the humble.
Ps 51:17 The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise.
*Elijah called for an investment of the people,.
If you don’t ever make an investment in anything you don’t care about it.
(Pursuit is the proof of Desire)
If you really want something you will spend time in the pursuit of it.
You know the importance of a thing by the time you are willing to give to it.
How much time do you give to really seeking God?
How much time do you spend on your face (compared to how much time you spend on facebook?)
We live in a technology information age ( we're connected to everything and everyone except the one who matters most)
so many people feel like they would die if they lost their phone or had to go without their phone for a day, but many of those same people can go days and even weeks without talking to God.
*The 12 barrels of water in time of drought and famine was a tremendous sacrifice.
The point is this: If we really want to experience a move of God it is going to cost us something.
There will never be fire from heaven without an investment of water,.
Water: in the time of famine. 12 barrels of water, during a drought
The title of this message is: the drought of dry eyes) there is a drought in the land today and I'm not speaking of natural rain) I'm speaking about the drought of dry eyes.
It seems today that the church is in a spiritual drought,. (the drought of dry eyes)
People don't want to cry anymore, the women don't want their makeup to run and the men don't want to sound undignified
We used to call the altar the mourners bench for a reason; it's because we poured out our hearts with our tears on it, and because we greived over our sins and knew we needed Gods help
We don’t see many tears on the altar anymore.
( It is still true, The fire will fall when the wood is wet.)
Elijah had them dig a trench around the altar,.
If we are going to see the power of God manifested, there has to be more work around the altar, If we don’t have any time to pray then we should not think it strange that we are powerless, and that there is no supernatural fire in our midst.
Prayer is hard work. (hard on the flesh, hard on pride, hard on the carnal mind).
Notice how the scripture says: and he made a trench about the altar:
*This shows us how vitally connected the preaching of the word is with prayer, If we would see preaching that results in changed lives we must saturate the word with prayer.
Ac 6:4 But we will give ourselves continually to prayer, and to the ministry of the word.
Then as the water covered the altar and sacrifice, it filled the trench round about.
(This is speaking of a deep work of the spirit, more than a touch, (transformation)
Soaking saturation of the word of God. You can’t just hear the word preached
You have got to let it soak into your life, you have to let it break up the fellow ground.
After Elijah had done all he could do from the earth side: He calls on God. Not just any God but the God who answers by Fire
AND HEAVEN BENT LOW TO HEAR THE VOICE OF THE OLD PROPHET
AND SUDDENLY THE FIRE OF GOD FELL FROM HEAVEN
The fire consumes the sacrifice, the altar, the stones of the altar, licks up the water in the trench, and licks up the dust.
The supernatural Fire of God always falls on the Divine Order of God.
If we desire the divine supernatural fire of God in our lives we have to get back to the altar, we have to get our lives in order.
THE FIRE OF GOD FALLS ON A PRAYING CHURCH
My Prayer for the Local Church and the American Church is (Lord Send The Fire)
I want to tell you: The most beautiful sound I have ever heard in a church is not the sound of great preachers preaching and is not the sound of great singers singing: It is the sound of the church praying
There is something beautiful about the church in travail (in her weakness, in her laying aside all of her regal robes and religious pride) she is clothed in majesty and strength and power.
When the church as Elijah bows her head down between her knees and begins to pray, something happens in the spirit realm ( hell goes on high alert, demons go to shaking, chains start breaking, yokes are destroyed, captives are delivered and set free and sons and daughters are birthed into the kingdom of God.
Everything that satan has ever done to the church or against the church has one prime objective ( Get them off their knees) (keep them off their knees) because the Devil knows: it's the church on her knees that is going to plunder hell.
The greatest gift that God can give to us: is not big churches, is not better preachers, is not more money or nicer houses or fancier cars)
The greatest gift that God can give to the church is a travailing spirit:
Zechariah 12:10 KJV
And I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of supplications:
I feel something happening tonight: I feel a drought busting anointing) I feel the Holy Spirit is breaking the drought of dry eyes.
In fact I feel like I hear the abundance of rain and it's the sound of tears falling on the altar.
I wonder as I'm closing tonight: Is there anyone here who would be honest enough to admit I've been in a drought (my eyes have been dry too long)
Now let me get real personal: Is there anyone here tonight who would admit (I need a move of (God)
I need to get back to the altar
I need to repent
I need to get the sin out of my life
I need to rebuild the altar in my life
I need Revival
I need some people in here tonight who know what it is to travail in the spirit! And i need some people in here tonight who will cry out to God for the rain.
COME ON: ALL OVER THIS HOUSE (THANK GOD FOR BRINGING AN END TO THE DROUGHT OF DRY EYES)
I need some people who don't care if your makeup runs or your hair gets messed up or your clothes get wrinkled, i need some people who aren't ashamed of groaning in the spirit, and letting the spirit make intercession through you.
I need some people in here who refuse to let the spirit of homosexuality take over our children and our churches, i need some people that refuse to let drugs and alchohol destroy our children.
I need to people who will interceed for your children, your grandchildren, for your church, for your city, for your state, For America.
CAN SOMEONE LIFT UP YOUR VOICE AND CRY OUT for the rain.
Before the rain fell from the sky on Israels drought stricken land ( the rain of tears of repentance fell from their eyes).
