- Everybody loves a good showdown. A tough battle... mano e mano, one on one. And since it’s the beginning of the new year which means there are hundreds of lists out there. I though I would take us down memory lane and come up with what I think are the top ten showdowns, or battles in American History.
#10 The USA Hockey Team versus the Russians in the 1980 Winter Olympics.
#9 The "Thrilla in Manilla." The highly touted and hyped boxing match between Muhammed Ali and George Foreman.
#8 Pepsi vs. Coke. Have you taken the taste test? My wife claims she can tell the difference.
#7 The famous Gun Draw between Alexander Hamilton and Aaron Burr. Do you remember that one from your US History class?
#6 The Gunfight at the OK Corral. You probably saw that in the movies.
#5 For you college basketball fans... the Battle of the Border, The Fighting Illini vs. Missouri Tigers.
#4 And who as a kid didn’t run around their neighborhood with cap guns playing Cowboys and Indians.
#3 The North versus the South and I don’t mean North Fulton and South Fulton.
#2 Al Gore verses George W. Bush (Round 1) and then Al Gore versus George W. Bush (Round Florida). And who knows maybe there will be a Round 3 in 2004.
#1 And of course, without question, the number one showdown in American History according to Damien’s Associated Press poll is the 2000 World Series featuring the New York Mets and the New York Yankees.
- Well, if you were to add a second number one battle of all time, I think it would have to be battle that all of us face in our lives. The battle between right and wrong, between good and evil, moral and immoral. And some times the battle lines are clear, and we know exactly what we should do and what we shouldn’t... we just have to make a choice. But, then there are those other times when the battle line is a little bit hazy, and we want the best of both worlds. We want the assurance of heaven, we want the good standing with God, but we also want to live how we want to live, do what we want to do, without any repurcusions, without any consequences, without any concern for what God would have us to do.
- We want God’s approval, but we also want man’s approval. We want God to provide and protect us, but we don’t always want to trust him with everything. We want to say that God is the most important person in our life, but we don’t always live as if he is. We want the best of both sides, we stand in the middle, right in the middle of the battlefield. And so, the battle wages on!
- And what a battle it must have been! The Battle of the Ages! The Battle of the Gods! Of course, the battle I am now referring to is found in I Kings 18. Elijah has been preparing for this moment for the past 3+ years. He has gone to the wicked king of the Northern Kingdom, King Ahab. He delivered the message that there would be no rain or dew. He has been in seclusion for about a half a year, with the ravines providing meat and the brook providing water. After the brook went dry, he went north to Zarephat where he stayed with a widow and her son. God provided for them by giving them an unlimited amount of oil and flour. And now it is time for Elijah to once again face his nemesis. To face his enemy, not really his enemy, but God’s enemy.
- After all, the Scripture says in a number of places (I kings 16:30,33; 21:25) that King Ahab was the most wicked King Israel had ever had. He was blatantly evil, and outright enemy of God. And so with fire in his eyes, Elijah sends his servant Obadiah to set up a meeting between he and Ahab. It reminds me of the movie "Braveheart" when William Wallace the fiery leader for the Scots goes out to the middle of the battlefield to meet with the leaders of the opposing armies. Well, you can just picture King Ahab facing the man who delivered the deadly words 3 and a half years ago, "no rain, no dew." And so Ahab says to Elijah (16)... "Is that you, you troubler of Israel?"
- The real troubler of Israel was not Elijah, it wasn’t really even the Lord, though he’s the one who caused the drought. It was Ahab and his wife Jezebel. Due to their sinful leadership, and immoral lifestyles they had caused great trouble in the land, which is exactly what Elijah reminds him of... (17-18).
- But now Elijah is ready to set up a showdown. But this battle would not be fought between mere mortals, it would not be fought with swords and spears. This battle would be a battle between the gods. On one side of the battle line stands Ahab and the hundreds of prophets who served the false gods of Baal. And on the other side of the battle line stands Elijah and the Lord.
- Listen to what happens... vss 22-39
- The battle was a winner take all, undisputed heavyweight match.
* The playing field was Mt. Carmel, located in the northern part of the Kingdom, just off the Mediterranean Coast.
* The rules – each side gets a bull, an altar and a prayer. The god that answers by fire truly is God!
* The Baal worshippers went first, picking the bull, setting up their team of 450 prophets. They prayed and danced around the altar, howling, pleading and cutting themselves in an effort to get there god to answer by fire. NADA.
* It was then Elijah’s turn. In an effort to display the power of God, Elijah had stacked the deck in the favor of the Baalites.
* The odds were 450 to 1 (Ironic, those are the odds on the Cubs winning the World Series!)
* It was on a mountain – the very place Baal was worshipped and thought to live.
* Baal’s 450 prophets got first shot at the fire, but when they failed, it was Elijah’s turn.
* Elijah had his sacrifice drenched 3 times with water and the result was incredible. God answered by fire, consuming the bull, lapping up the water, and melting the stones of the altar.
- The Battle of the gods ended up being really no battle at all. There was no contest. It was like the highly touted heavyweight fight between boxers Michael Spinks and Mike Tyson. After months and months of hype and build up, the two fighters faced each other in Atlantic City on June 27th, 1988. Millions of dollars on the line, a seat costing thousands of dollars, everybody expecting a long hard fought battle between two heavyweight champions. But, a right uppercut knocked Spinks flat on his back, and only 91 seconds into the 1st round Mike Tyson had knocked his opponent out. And it was all over, in 91 seconds.
- Well, that’s a lot like the battle of the gods which took place on Mt Carmel. The highly touted battle, ended up being no battle at all. And after it was all said and done, the people who had assembled, the spectators that were there fell on the ground and began crying out, "The Lord- he is God! The Lord- he is God!"
- And do you know what Elijah did after the battle had finished. He commanded the people to seize all of those prophets, throw them in the Kishon valley which was just east of Mt Carmel and have them slaughtered, and the people obeyed.
- And then Elijah went to Ahab and told him that soon rain would be coming and the drought would end. And the one who would end the drought was the one who started, the one who answered with fire, the one who truly is Lord. What a battle it was!
- There’s a part of the story I skipped over. It’s a very telling aspect of the story. One that clearly states the condition of the people of Israel. You see after Elijah had summoned all of the prophets of Baal and Asherah (all 850 of them), and after they were all assembled on Mt. Carmel, Elijah went before the people, and listen to what he said to them... 20-21
- And listen to how the people responded... "And the people said nothing." They said nothing. They stood in the middle of the battlefield, the line clearly drawn by Elijah. The Lord on one side, the false gods on the other side. Knowing the commandment... "You shall have no other gods before me." They stood their on the line, and they said nothing. It was as if they had one foot on one side, and the other foot on the other side... and they spoke not a word.
- What a sad place to be. How do I know that it is a sad place to be? Because I have been there. I know what it’s like to want to be in both places at once. I know what it’s like to want the best of both worlds. To want God’s satisfaction and approval, to want the peace and hope he can offer, but to still be doing things which God disapproves of, to still be placing God down low on my priority list. I know what it’s like to want God to provide for me and my family, but still be clinging to and trusting in physical and monitary possessions. I know what it’s like to say one thing on Sunday, to give off one image, but then turn around on Monday and Tuesday and live something else. Do you know what that’s like? It’s a sad place to be.
- But God desires for his people to not be partially sold out for him, to not be somewhat dependent on him. God wants his people to be fully living for him in every aspect of their life. To trust him on Sunday and every day of the week. To honor him with their work, with their family, with their money. To trust him in the good times and the bad times. To profess him among believers and nonbelievers.
- You see the people were silent before the battle began. They wavered between two opinions, they were leaning on two crutches. They were silent. But then after the battle was over, after the battle was proven to be not battle at all. The silence turned into worship. Those silent mouths after seeing fire come pouring down from heaven, became words of praise... "The Lord, he is God. The Lord, he is God."
- And we say, "Well sure, that’s an easy one. I mean if I saw God send fire down from heaven, I’d be bowing down to him also. That’s a no brainer." Why I would imagine there’s not a one of us here, even the most skeptical and hard hearted among us, wouldn’t be moved to our knees if we didn’t see God send fire from heaven. Such an awesome display of power demands a response.
- It caused these spectators to respond, that’s for sure. But what about us? What would it take for us to respond? What would take for us to declare with our lives the Lord is God? What display of power would God have to perform in order for us to be moved to total commitment? Really, this morning, what would God have to do in order for you to say I am ready... I am ready to fully and wholeheartedly give my life to God? What would it take?
- Well, here’s the crazy thing. God has done all that he can possibly do to display not only his power, but his love for you and for me. What more could he do? He sent his son Jesus Christ to die on a cruel cross. And three days later with power and might, Christ overcame death and declared to the world that he is alive. Perhaps God did not send fire from heaven for us to see, but he sent a savior to die and to rise again. Such an awesome display of love and power demands a response? Will you sit quietly or will you respond by committing your whole life to God?
