If you've been with us for the past 7 weeks then you know that we took a journey to visit the seven churches that Jesus wrote letters to in the Book of Revelation. We found that those messages still apply to our individual lives and our churches today.
Now we're going to change gears for the next 6 weeks as we take a look at the life of the prophet Elijah.
No matter who we are or where we are in life, we all have the tendency to choose the path of least resistance. We choose what's easy and comfortable. But serving God is not an easy job. You may have already witnessed that serving God involves opposition, sacrifice, heartache, headache, and struggles.
But still I think we would all agree that serving God is the greatest job we could ever have with the longest lasting reward. When we serve God over the long haul of our life, we find that we have to step outside our comfort zone and sometimes get our hands dirty. As we look at the life of Elijah, I think we will see a resemblance of what he went through and what we go through today as we serve our Savior. Prayer.
Today as we step out of our comfort zone to serve God, we're going to talk about how it takes courage for us to serve Him.
You might remember in 2001 Pat Tillman, the football player for the Arizona Cardinals with a $3.6 million contract. But then on 9/11 Tillman reassessed his priorities. He left his NFL career to enlist in the US army.
Before the terrorist attacks on our country, sports were Tillman's world. But he said that after the attacks he realized how shallow and insignificant his role was. It no longer became important. After several tours of duty as an army ranger, Tillman was killed in Afghanistan on April 22nd 2004. Later, investigations determined that Tillman's death had been a tragic result of friendly fire.
Pat Tillman sacrificed a lot. He gave up a well-paying career and took on the task of serving his country. It took courage for him to do that. In this world that we live in that opposes God, we need to decide: will we have the courage to stand for God and declare his truth? Elijah set an example for us to follow.
The story that we will use today is found in 1 Kings chapters 16 and 17. Under King Solomon, Israel was at the height of her glory. He fulfilled his father David's vision and built a magnificent Temple as the center of worship to God. But at the same time Solomon led the nation into the practice of idolatry by marrying women from foreign lands where idol worship flourished. That failure paved the way for the religious decay and Israel's decline. Let's get into our story.
1 Kings 16: 29-33 – “Ahab son of Omri became king over Israel in the thirty-eighth year of Judah’s King Asa; Ahab son of Omri reigned over Israel in Samaria twenty-two years. But Ahab son of Omri did what was evil in the Lord’s sight more than all who were before him. Then, as if following the sin of Jeroboam, son of Nebat, were not enough, he married Jezebel, the daughter of Ethbaal king of the Sidonians, and then proceeded to serve Baal and bow in worship to him. He set up an altar for Baal in the temple of Baal that he had built in Samaria. Ahab also made an Asherah pole. Ahab did more to anger the Lord God of Israel than all the kings of Israel who were before him.”
After Solomon's death, the nation of Israel split into two monarchies. Israel was the northern kingdom and Judah was the southern kingdom. A whole string of unrighteous Kings led the Northern Kingdom of Israel. Among these Kings who failed to obey God, Ahab distinguished himself as the most wicked and displeasing to God. Verse 33 says that he did more to anger the Lord God of Israel than all the kings of Israel who were before him.
You might remember me talking about Jezebel a few weeks ago. Ahab married Jezebel. Jezebel followed the false god Baal. She fought to completely get rid of the worship of Yahweh, the Lord God of Israel, and replace it with Baal worship. She had hundreds of people assassinated who stood in her way. They joined Jezebel in worshiping Baal and promoted Baal worship as the state religion.
Ahab proceeded to build a temple in Samaria where Jezebel could make sacrifices to her god. Among The Phoenician gods, Baal was revered as the god of fertility. Followers believed Baal controlled fertility of crops and reproduction among animals and people.
Because they believed they all followed a seasonal cycle of dying in the fall and resurrecting in the spring, they responded with religious rights of mourning in the autumn. And in the spring, they celebrated. This celebration included indulging in sacramental sex acts with male and female Temple prostitutes. So, you can see the wickedness of Jezebel.
Everything about Baal worship conflicted with the worship of God. The Israelites remembered that God's first commandment was to not have any other gods besides Him. Baalism attacked that authority of God. Through it all, Ahab and Jezebel refused to bow to God's sovereignty.
1 Kings 17:1 – “Now Elijah the Tishbite, from the Gilead settlers, said to Ahab, “As the Lord God of Israel lives, in whose presence I stand, there will be no dew or rain during these years except by my command!” When the Kingdom of Israel divided, the northern kingdom began to suffer under the leadership of all the immoral Kings who practiced idol worship and forgot their covenant with God. When this happened, God commissioned Prophets to call his people back to Him.
These prophets were a bright light in the darkness. So, when Israel strayed away from God under the reign of King Ahab and wicked Jezebel, God sent one of His brightest lights.
Elijah enters the picture. We don't know a lot about Elijah's background. But we know that Elijah was courageous. He definitely took a minority stance to expose the lies of the false belief system of Baal worship. I guess we could say that to oppose Baal worship was politically incorrect. It was an invitation to opposition, but Elijah made it his fight. As he fought, he made a pretty outrageous claim: there would be no rain until he commanded it. When you make a claim, you need to be able to back it up.
For instance, Volkswagen once advertised its diesel cars as environmentally friendly when they had actually rigged their vehicles to cheat on the emissions tests. Their false claim has cost the company billions of dollars.
Along the same lines Lumos labs claimed their luminosity app would help prevent memory loss, dementia, and even Alzheimer's disease. They received a $2 million fine from the Federal trade commission.
Dannon advertised that their Activia yogurt was scientifically proven to help regulate digestion and boost the immune system. When a judge ruled the claim unproven, Dannon had to pay $21 million.
What I'm saying in this is that these claims couldn't be backed up by the truth. Sometimes individuals make outrageous claims too. But no claim has ever been more outrageous than Elijah's claim that he could stop the rain. His claim wasn't based on an overblown self-confidence, though. Elijah placed his confidence in God. Elijah knew God alone had the power to give and withhold rain.
Elijah believed that God could do this. His actions showed his confidence in God. Did you know that your actions reveal what you believe about God? Elijah had a special relationship with God, and he was able to understand God's Will and speak for Him. That's why Elijah could be so bold as to declare it was not going to rain until he said so.
Stopping the rain was a slap in the face on the foundation of Baalism. Baal worshipers believe their God came back to life each spring to bring the rain that sustained their agricultural life. Elijah declared that only God controlled the life-giving rain and was in essence saying, your idol is a fake, and your religion is based on lies.
This is a challenge for us as believers. We need to ask ourselves, “Do we trust God enough to declare what He says without a doubt, knowing He will back up His word?” In our culture today where it seems to be politically incorrect to say one religion is better than any other, will I stand up and proclaim that Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life, and no one comes to the Father except through Him? In a society that believes you shouldn't impose your religious views on others, will I still witness eagerly about what Jesus means to me? Do my actions demonstrate my faith in God?
My question is, “Does your actions reveal that you are Christian without others having to ask?” If not, ask God to help you know Him better so that you can trust Him more completely. I think we slight God. If we would ever give God the chance, we will see how powerful God is. But I think we slight God because deep down, we have doubt.
1 Kings 17:2-4 – “Then the word of the Lord came to him: “Leave here, turn eastward, and hide at the Wadi Cherith where it enters the Jordan. You are to drink from the wadi. I have commanded the ravens to provide for you there.”
Have you ever wondered, if I go out on a limb for God, will He support me there? God never calls us to do something courageous for Him only to let us fall flat. Throughout scripture, God proved Himself faithful time and again:
- When God told Noah to build an ark before the Earth had ever seen rain, he brought the promised flood.
- When God commanded Abraham to offer up Isaac, He provided the sacrificial ram.
- When Jesus invited Peter to step out of the boat and come to Him, Jesus empowered Peter to walk on water.
- When God instructed Barnabas to visit Saul, the great persecutor of Christians, God protected Barnabas and forged a partnership to evangelize the world.
- And when God sent His Son to die for the world, He did not leave Jesus in the grave.
So after commissioning Elijah to proclaim there would be no rain, God protected and provided for his obedient servant.
- God kept his promise. He withheld the rain. God did what He said He would do.
- God cared for Elijah by sending him into hiding. The prophet was placed in an area that was safely out of reach from Ahab and Jezebel.
- But then notice that God cared for Elijah by miraculously sending him food during the drought. God didn't lead Elijah to stop the rain only to let His prophet die of hunger and thirst.
God is always faithful to provide. While those around him suffered from the drought, Elijah dined on free food delivery every day. God also provided drinking water from the brook, and bread and meat brought by Ravens twice a day. The original Grub Hub, or Door Dash.
1 Kings 17:5-6 – “So he proceeded to do what the Lord commanded. Elijah left and lived at the Wadi Cherith where it enters the Jordan. The ravens kept bringing him bread and meat in the morning and in the evening, and he would drink from the wadi.” Wadi is a brook. You have probably heard the phrase “set up to fail.” Someone might say, “I was set up to fail” when the boss assigned a task that he couldn't possibly succeed at doing. Maybe you have been in that situation before. But God won't do that to you.
The key is for us to listen to God and do what He says. God will not protect us from our own foolishness when we make unwise decisions based on our own thinking or emotions. So, when you insist on getting into trouble even when you know better, remember that God will not protect us from our own foolishness when we make unwise decisions based on our own thinking and emotions. But when we see God's Will and follow the direction of His word, God will always back us up.
After God led Elijah to declare there would be no rain, God sent him into hiding where he was protected from being assassinated, and provided food and water.
On the one hand, God was faithful to provide for Elijah. On the other hand, Elijah was willing to obey God. God gave Elijah specific instructions about where to go and what to do. So, verse 5 says that “he proceeded to do what the Lord commanded.” And being obedient, Elijah found God's provision.
Here's the key. We don’t make a deal with God. We don’t obey God's commands only so He will bless us with all we need and protect us from harm. But Scripture makes it clear that when we courageously stand to honor Him as God, He will always prove Himself on our behalf.
Is there some fear that might be holding you back from taking steps of obedience to follow God? Elijah's courage came from his knowledge of God. Is there something that you know about God that gives you courage? Just keep that thought in mind as you face decisions and situations that require courage. Yes, it takes courage to serve God. It takes stepping out on a limb sometimes. It takes getting our hands dirty. It takes sweat and tears sometimes. But God will back you up every time.
It was Hudson Taylor that said all God's giants have been weak men and women who have gotten hold of God's faithfulness. If you have never relied on the faithfulness of God, why not start today by drawing closer to Him by accepting His Son Jesus Christ.
