“And Elijah the Tishbite, of the inhabitants of Gilead, said to Ahab, ‘As the Lord God of Israel lives, before whom I stand, there shall not be dew nor rain these years, except at my word.’” 1 Kings 17:1, NKJV
A. INTRODUCTION
1. Tishbite means, stranger or one alone or solitary.
2. Gilead means rocky, we say, hillbilly or country.
3. “According to My word.” Could talk to God in prayer. “Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed earnestly that it would not rain; and it did not rain on the land for three years and six months. And he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth produced its fruit” (James 5:17-18, NKJV).
4. Fiery disposition. “Look, I am sending you the prophet Elijah before the great and dreadful day of the Lord arrives. His preaching will turn the hearts of fathers to their children, and the hearts of children to their fathers. Otherwise, I will come and strike the land with a curse” (Malachi 4:5-6, NLT).
5. Some thought John the Baptist was Elijah (Matthew 11:14). Some thought Jesus (Matthew 16:14).
6. Elijah and Moses on Mount of Transfiguration (Matthew 17:3). Remember he could return; he did not die.
7. King Ahab made Baal the new state religion:
a. “Began to bow down and worship Baal” (16:31, NLT).
b. “Built a temple and an altar for Baal” (16:32, NLT).
c. “Did more to provoke the anger of the Lord … than any … other kings … before him” (16:33, NLT)
8. Evil overflows. “When the enemy comes in like a flood,
The Spirit of the Lord will lift up a standard against him.” (Isaiah 59:19)
9. No rain or dew. “Elijah, a man with a nature like ours … prayed earnestly … did not rain … three years and six months” (James 5:17, NKJV).
10. Where did Elijah find faith?
a. Obedience.
b. Immediate obedience.
c. Life threatening.
11. Elijah’s miracles/supernatural intervention, seven perfections, eight new beginnings.
a. Shut up heaven for three years.
b. Fed by ravens.
c. Multiplied widow’s meal and oil.
d. Raise widow’s son to life.
e. Sacrifice consumed by fire.
f. Fifty soldiers consumed by fire.
g. Part Jordan’s waters to cross on dry land.
h. Taken to heaven in chariot of fire.
B. TEN APPLICATIONS FOR YOUR LIFE
1. Let God use you as a witness, as He used Elijah. “He did not leave himself without witness” (Acts 14:17).
2. Unannounced and unattended and in plain clothes, Elijah gave God’s message to the king. If you are an average person, to whom can you witness?
3. His claim of authority and power was not a lifeless idol. The LORD, the God of Israel liveth” (v. 1).
4. Elijah’s authority to Ahab. “The God I serve.”
5. Elijah predicted three (more) years of drought. Why so long? “Even though God has the right to show His anger … He is very patient with those on whom His anger falls” (Romans 9:22, NLT).
6. Elijah did not rely on ordinary moral strength, but he trusted the God he served.
7. Elijah was “subject to like passions as we are, but trusted God who created the earth and controls its weather.
8. The faith of Elijah was demonstrated. “He prayed earnestly that it might not rain” (James 5:17).
9. Elijah’s faith not based on weather patterns, but on His trust in God. They had gone through the cycle of drought. He asked God to reverse weather cycles “these years” (1 Kings 17:1). “Three years and six months” (James 5:17).
10. Elijah’s faith not based on public opinion but on his consciousness of Divine presence. “The LORD … before whom I stand” (17:1).
If you have never really accepted Jesus as your personal Savior, would you do it right now? Do not delay or put it off. If you would like to receive Christ by faith, pray this simple prayer in your heart:
Dear Lord, I acknowledge that I am a sinner. I believe Jesus died for my sins on the cross, and rose again the third day. I repent of my sins. By faith I receive the Lord Jesus as my Savior. You promised to save me, and I believe You, because You are God and cannot lie. I believe right now that the Lord Jesus is my personal Savior, and that all my sins are forgiven through His precious blood. I thank You, dear Lord, for saving me. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
If you prayed that prayer, God heard you and saved you. I personally want to welcome you to the family of God and rejoice with you.
Dr. Towns’ email is eltowns@liberty.edu.
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