Repair The Broken Down Alter
1 Kings 18:30
Pastor Greg Mc Donald
This morning if you look in your bulletin you will see that one of our prayer request is our nation. Today we live in a world felled with nothing but sin, rott, and filth. We live in a nation that excepts abortion, homosexuality, drugs and alcohol as just a way of life.
Here are some of the excuses for these, Abortion, well it’s my body and I’ll do what I want with it, Homosexuality, it’s just a way of life, if that’s what you want to do and if that’s what you like, than that’s your business, Drugs, once again it’s my life I’ll do what I want, besides show me were it’s wrong, Then there’s that one so many think it’s O.K. to drink, or I’m just a social drinker.
Where do all the people get these ideas? When did all these things start to become a way of life? If you don’t know, I’m going to tell you. It’s when we started taking God out of everything. He’s been taken out of the school’s, people are trying to take Him out of Christmas and Easter, and there are Churches that are even trying to avoid the issue of God the Father, Jesus the Son, and the power of the Holy Spirit.
Today people have a way of taking God’s word and sugar coating it so it will fit the needs of their wants in their life and they only believe what they want to believe another words they end up taking God’s word totally out of context so it will fit their way of life. We need to quite using bits and pieces of God’s word and putting them together to suite our dirty deeds.
Let me share with you what God’s word has to say about some of these in (Isaiah 5:20-25).
v.20 Woe to those who call evil good and good evil; who put darkness for light and light for darkness; who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter!
v.21 Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes and bright in their own sight!
v.22 Woe to those who are mighty to drink wine, and men of strength to mix
strong drink;
v.23 who justify the wicked for a bribe, and take away the righteousness of
the righteous from Him!
v.24 Therefore as the fire devours the stubble, and the flame burns up the chaff, so their root shall be like rottenness, and their blossom shall go up like dust -- because they have cast away the law of the Lord of hosts; and despised the word of the Holy One of Israel
v.25 Therefore the anger of the Lord is kindled against His people, and He has stretched out his hand against them, and has stricken them; and the hills trembled, and their died bodies were torn in the midst of the streets. For all this His anger is not turned away, but His hand is still stretched out still.
It only took one person to change peoples minds about Bible’s in the schools,(Madeline O’Hara). If you think one person can’t make a difference, look at what she did. All it took was one person to fight for what they believed in to make a change. That is the same way it work’s in the life of a obedient child of God. One person being obedient to God and being a faithful servant can make a difference.
This morning I would like to take a look at Elijah. Elijah is a colorful character in the Old testament. Not much history is given about him, it just says in ( 1 kings 17:1) Elijah the Tishbite. Now he was around for quite a while, but we probably know most about his ministry during the reign of King Ahab in Israel.
Ahab was a king who knew about God, but became very lax in his faithfulness to God. We also know a lot about his wife...a woman from the city of Tyre named Jezebel.
Jezebel was a person who was very religious...she was very devout in her war- ship...the problem was that the "god" she worshiped was Baal. Now, you may remember that Baal was the Canaanite god of the storm and fertility.
And Jezebel made no apologies for her worship practices. Right in Israel she openly worshiped this false god...she erected a temple in his honor...she even supported a college to train his prophets.
Now, it would have been bad enough for his wife to be doing these things in Israel...but Ahab joined right in and worshiped Baal to. In fact, in Chapter 16 it says that Ahab did more evil in the eyes of the Lord than any king before him.
And he provoked the Lord to anger.
Our main text is found in 1 Kings Chapter 18:30. But lets go back a Chapter in 1 Kings so we can get a picture of what is taking place here in our story. During this time there came a great drought in the land of Israel...but it wasn’t just a freak of nature that caused this drought.
READ 17:1 ...So because of the horrible, grievous sins of Ahab and Jezebel, the heavens were closed and there was no rain. Now look at 18:1 (READ)
So shortly after this Ahab and Elijah meet again. And when they do...it ends up that Elijah challenges the 450 prophets of Baal and 400 prophets of Asherah to a contest. It is this event here, that took place on top of Mount Carmel, that I want to take a look at today.
Lets take a look at what was said between the two of them, in ( Chap. 18:17-18).
v.17 And when Ahab saw Elijah, Ahab said to him Are you he that troubles Israel?
v.18 And he answered, I have not troubled Israel but you and your fathers house have, in that you have forsaken the commandments of the Lord, and you have followed Baal.
How many here have ever seen or like to watch the old western movies, were the bad guy comes riding into town and the next thing you know there is a shoot out in the middle of the street between the good guy and the bad guy. Of course we all know the ending, the good guy always wins.
Now picture this seen between these two men. It reminds me of an old western show down. Like an old Clint East wood movie. You could almost picture it in your mind, an old western town with people all over the streets and on the side walks, and all of a sudden a man dressed in white rides into town (Elijah). Then a man dressed in black comes out through the swinging doors of the local Salon.
All of a sudden everyone in town scatters into all the buildings, and the two men meet on the street in the middle of town. Ahab looks at Elijah and says to him, are you the one who is causing all the trouble in Israel. Elijah looks him straight in the eyes and says to Ahab, No not me But you and your father’s house have because you have forsaken the commandments of the Lord.
In picturing this in your mind like an old western seen, you could here Ahab say to him...So what are you going to do about it. Elijah looks at him and says to him, go gather all the people in Israel and your 450 prophets of Baal, and your 400 prophets Asherah, the ones who eat at your wife Jezebel’s table and meet me at the top of Mount Carmel at sunrise for a show down.
So Ahab sent word to all the people of Israel and to all the prophets to meet at the top of Mount Carmel for this show down against Elijah. The next morning comes and everyone is standing on the top of this mountain, and Elijah looks at all the Israelites there and says to them...How long will you hesitate between two opinions?
He says to them...If Jehovah is God, follow Him. But if Baal is God, follow him.Then he turns to the prophets and tells them, pick two bulls to be sacrificed. Pick one for yourselves and cut it into pieces and lay it on the wood. But do not put any fire under it. And I will do the same with the other one.
Then he tells them you call on your gods and I will call on the name of Jehovah. And the one who answers by fire, let him be God. Now being the gentlemen that he was, Elijah allowed them to go first. In verses 26-37 of chapter 18 we can see event that took place.(Tell story of what took place in vv.26-37)
Here in these verses we see these prophets calling on their god from morning til noon..but nothing happened So Elijah began to taunt them..."Maybe your god is busy...or maybe he’s traveling somewhere on vacation. Come on shout a little louder maybe your god fell asleep".
Then they really got frantic..and they started cutting themselves with knives and spears, making the blood flow...and they carried on like this til evening...but their god never answered.
Finally Elijah had stopped them and he gathered all the people around. I wonder what He said to them, maybe it was something like this... O.K. all you so called prophets with this great god of yours, step aside and watch what my God can do.
Elijah went and built an altar out of 12 stones and dug a trench around it. Then he arranged the wood, put the sacrificed bull on it...but then had them pour water on it. Three times they filled 4 large pots with water and poured it on the altar...
until it filled the whole trench.
And after calling on the Lord, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob...the fire fell and burned up not just the sacrifice, but the wood, the stones, and even the soil...and dried up the water in the trench.
The people immediately recognized who the only true God was...and they fell on their faces before Him. Many people on that day who witnessed this event confessed God as their God...and man, was Elijah flying high Talk about a mountain top experience. He had to have been completely overwhelmed with joy and enthusiasm.
Let me ask you a question, are you looking for something to help you recognize this same God? If your are looking for a mountain top experience like Elijah had, than maybe you need to do the same thing he did. He was obedient to God and went and repaired the broken down altar. What I’m saying here?
There were three steps that Elijah took in chapter 18 that I would like us to take a look at this morning. I want to show you this morning that the same thing that Elijah did on that day, still applies to us today. lets take a look at them.
FIRST
The first thing Elijah did was be obedient To God and Repaired the Broken Down Altar. Take a look at verse 30 (READ) this is our main scripture for today This is the same thing we need to do. Some of you might be asking what do you mean? What I mean is that we need to repair the broken down altar of our hearts.
Let me ask you a question, What’s an altar for? (Sacrifice) It’s for something to die on. Let me ask you another question, What is it that is to die? (Self) Old rotten sinful self. Some might be saying that, I’m not that bad of a person. And if your one of those people than I challenge you to ask the Holy Spirit to shine a light on your soul, you will be amazed at what He’ll point out.
How many can recall a time in their life and maybe it might be right now. When everything hits you at once and your whole world is crashing in on you. Your hurting and depressed, your body is in pain and you feel like you have no one to turn to. You have even got to the point that you feel God has turned His back on you.
Then it’s at times like these that you need to Repair the Broken Down Alter! And ask the Holy Spirit to shine a light on your soul...And when you do you will not only be amazed at what He’ll point out, But also at what He will help you get through.
I’m not saying that everything from that moment on is instantly going to be alright. Why? Because being a Christian is a 24 hour, 7 day a week fight. There’s going to be times when you don’t feel like your going to make it. Satan might be telling you it’s no use give up, besides if God loved you, then why are you having all these problems.
But that’s when you get to an altar of prayer somewhere and the Holy Spirit speaks to your heart and says, you need My help and I’m going to give it to you. But let me tell you, Victory probably won’t come at that moment, not because it takes the Holy Spirit any time, it takes us a while, while He works on us.
Just like a potter. The Potter doesn’t put his hands to the clay and it instantly becomes a vessel. It Takes Time ! And sometimes, the clay gets marred in his hands and he has to start all over again.
The something is true in our lives. Just when you think you’ve got it and you think you got it made, then old Satan we’ll knock you flat on your back, and he tells you it’s no use. Well let me tell you something, the Holy Spirit doesn’t back up and walk off, He’s the hound of heaven. He’ll just pick you up and start remolding you again.
He never gives up until He has present you a finished product before God.
SECOND
The second thing I would like to look at is that Elijah dug a trench all the way around the altar. Why do you think he dug a trench around the altar? I’m sure the people standing there were probably wondering why. It was because he was saying, from that ditch to here (Altar) is God’s and out there is nothing but
TRASH!!!
He was saying one thing. (SEPARATION) Once you repair the broken down altar the Holy Spirit will separate you from them and will say to you. Come out from among them and be ye separate, and touch not the unclean things of this world, and I will receive you to Myself.
Today it is getting to be that you cannot tell the difference between the none Christian and the Christian. Why? Because a lot of them are living the same lifestyle. Some say I asked God for forgiveness, and they most likely did. But my question is if you asked God for forgiveness, then why is it the next day you turn around and do the something that you asked forgiveness for the day before.
We are to be separate from the ways of this world. We are God’s children and
we are to follow His commands. Lets take a look at Romans 12:1,2.(Read)
I’m full of questions today and I have some more that I would like to ask. Some of these movies watch by Christians, are they renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what is good and pleasing and perfect will of God? How about that little dirty joke? Or what ever else people will do in secret, away from their brothers and sisters in Christ.
Yah, maybe your brothers and sisters in Christ don’t see you, but Christ Himself sees everything you do. So the next time you sit down to watch TV ask your self would I watch this if Christ was sitting here in person beside me. Or the next time you tell a joke, ask yourself is this a joke I would tell my heavenly Father, or whatever you may do in secret, would you do it with Christ present.
Remember one thing as a Child of God, we are in the world, but not of the world. We are just pilgrims passing through. Yes at times the roads are going to be rough, but with God’s help we will get through.
THIRD
Now the third thing Elijah did was he had them pour water over the sacrifice. This water flowing down over the sacrifice and surrounding it , is the same way Christ works with us when we lay our sacrifice on the altar. Our sins are washed away by the blood of Jesus Christ
Then Elijah called on the Lord and when he did I’m sure the Lord looked down on that sinful generation and then looked ahead in time to when His only begotten Son would die on the cross for the sins of this world. He poured out His wrath on that sacrifice by sending fire down from heaven. (Read v.38)
Elijah being the faithful servant to God made a Difference that day. Elijah went there that day to show them who their God was. One child of God against 450 prophets of Baal made the difference. (Read v.39)
Repair the Broken Down Altar, This is what God’s children need to do, this is what our Churches need to do, and this is what our nation needs to do. Elijah went there to show them who their God was. I want to ask you this morning, who is your God this morning? Remember to ask yourself, what’s this altar for?
CLOSING
Song (The Altar)
