Title: Man Enough to Stand Alone
Text: 1 Kings 18:16-24
Series: The Prince of Prophets, Elijah
A woman getting onto a ski lift was given instructions that the moment the lift’s chair touched her backside she was to sit down and lift her feet from off the ground. Instead when the chair came against her she sat down but was nervous about the height of the lift. Her hesitation caused her to keep her feet firmly planted on the platform. (pause) She wanted to see the magnificent view from the top of the lift, but also wanted to be firmly attached to the ground. With her feet on the platform, the seat began to wind back and then like a slingshot hurled her off the platform causing severe injury to her legs and back. Indecision is a dangerous thing. Straddling between two positions can be hazardous to your health.
I warned you last week that this message would be for men. I want to talk to you about being willing to stand alone. There are two examples that I want to focus on; one is Elijah, whose life we are studying. The other is Jesus. No one was more of a man; no one was more willing to stand alone than Jesus was.
First let me summarize this phenomenal story of Elijah and his confrontation with the prophets of Baal.
The first we see of Elijah is in 1 Kings 18. He is told by God to go and announce that there will not be rain on the land until he says so. Baal worship had become common and Baal was thought to be the god of rain, so what better way to put that to rest than to stop all rain.
Elijah makes his announcement and then leaves. After a couple of years, the wicked King, Ahab sends another prophet Obadiah, a good prophet, in one direction while he goes another. Obadiah runs into Elijah. Elijah tells Obadiah to go tell Ahab that Elijah is here. Listen to this passage which shows how strongly Ahab was looking for Elijah:
1 Kings 18:9-46
"What have I done wrong," asked Obadiah, "that you are handing your servant over to Ahab to be put to death? [10] As surely as the LORD your God lives, there is not a nation or kingdom where my master has not sent someone to look for you. And whenever a nation or kingdom claimed you were not there, he made them swear they could not find you. [11] But now you tell me to go to my master and say, ’Elijah is here.’ [12] I don’t know where the Spirit of the LORD may carry you when I leave you. If I go and tell Ahab and he doesn’t find you, he will kill me.
Obadiah did not want to take the chance on giving Ahab this good news, only to find that God had called Elijah away. I think he assumed that Ahab would kill Elijah, so God might call him away to save Elijah’s life.
But Elijah convinces him that he will be there when he comes back. This is what Ahab says:
I Kings 18:17
When he saw Elijah, he said to him, "Is that you, you troubler of Israel?"
Elijah debates that point briefly but then sets up a challenge to prove who is the true God. This is what happens:
1 Kings 18:19
Now summon the people from all over Israel to meet me on Mount Carmel. And bring the four hundred and fifty prophets of Baal and the four hundred prophets of Asherah, who eat at Jezebel’s table."
[20] So Ahab sent word throughout all Israel and assembled the prophets on Mount Carmel. [21] Elijah went before the people and said, "How long will you waver between two opinions? If the LORD is God, follow him; but if Baal is God, follow him."
But the people said nothing.
Elijah was looking for someone man enough to stand up with him, but no one would. The story is a great story, one of my favorites in the Bible, so I encourage you to read it later, but right now I want to discover how Elijah was able to stand alone. What made him man enough to do this?
Personal dangers didn’t matter to Elijah. The mob may have been ready to lynch him when he came, but he didn’t care. Elijah was God’s man, in God’s place, at God’s time. Do you have the same attitude as Elijah? Do you want to be God’s man in His place and in His time?
We live in a society that wants to neuter manhood. People want you to believe that there is really no difference, it is all learned. Because of that, we are raising a generation of men that do not know what it means to be a real man.
I am going to tell you what I believe to be the traits of manhood in the life of Elijah and especially in the life of Jesus. Men and boys, I want you to know that if you want to be a real man, you will have these traits.
These four traits come out of a book called “Raising a Modern Day Knight” by Robert Lewis.
The first trait of a man is …
I. A Real Man Rejects Passivity.
Elijah was told to go and present himself to Ahab. He knew that was not a safe thing to do, but he could not be passive. He does so and sets up this challenge with the prophets of Baal. But there were others that day that were passive, sitting on the sideline, seeing what would happen.
I Kings 18:20-21
So Ahab sent word throughout all Israel and assembled the prophets on Mount Carmel. [21] Elijah went before the people and said, "How long will you waver between two opinions? If the LORD is God, follow him; but if Baal is God, follow him." But the people said nothing.
Did you hear the passivity? “But the people said nothing.” Elijah was man enough to stand alone, but passivity kept others from joining him.
Anyone who has been around boys knows that they seem to possess a natural aggressiveness to initiate, to explore, and to achieve. They are much more apt to trip their younger brothers, tackle their sisters and punch each other in the arm.
Though it varies from man to man, this inbred aggressiveness – both physical and psychological – is not a learned behavior; it is innate. It is part of being a man.
But, for some reason, men of every age become passive when it comes to initiating this action in their homes, with the families, and in their communities. Why? The reason is found in the biblical headwaters of Genesis.
In Genesis 3, the serpent approaches Eve with a tantalizing proposition. He convinces her that the forbidden fruit is actually the path to life. Satan coaxes Eve with the promise that if she takes one bite, she “will be like God" (Genesis 3:5)
The stage is set for Adam to intervene. After all, Adam has been given responsibility of the garden; the prohibition against eating fruit was spoken to him. God has given the first man a will to obey (“don’t eat the fruit”), a work to do (“cultivate the garden”), and a woman to love (Eve). These are his explicit responsibilities as a man.
You fully expect Adam to come running with a garden hoe, cut off the serpent’s head, and end this heinous approach of evil. But confronted with his social and spiritual responsibilities, Adam becomes, of all things, passive.
Have you ever wondered what Adam was doing while Eve was being propositioned? Most people assume that he was absent at the time, communing with nature or tilling the soil. Not true. He was right there, watching his wife contemplate moral and spiritual suicide. Genesis 3:6 tells us so:
Genesis 3:6
When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it.
Did you hear it? The text says she gave “some to her husband, who was with her.” As naturally aggressive as Adam was, when the moment of authentic manhood arrived – when he was called upon to act responsibly, to take charge spiritually, and protect his woman – Adam just stood there. He went flat. He became passive.
Men have been imitating Adam’s example ever since. Have you ever wondered why the Bible constantly calls men to love their wives, spiritually instruct their children, and responsibly lead their homes?
The reason is because men have a fallen nature that actually bends away from these responsibilities. It comes with maleness. It comes from Adam.
Yale sociologist Stephen B. Clark says flatly, “men have a natural tendency to avoid social responsibility.” Without a vibrant, spiritual solution, this pattern of passivity grows effortlessly. It is now more and more prevalent in American men and it is breeding death to our culture.
Families cry out for men who will do more than “tune out” when they come home from work. Kids want dads who are involved, dads who provide moral and spiritual direction, dads who are affirming and life giving. Women want men who will protect them, not use them. Society needs men who will stand for moral absolutes. But we must stop and ask, “where are these men?” And “what will come of our families in their absence?”
Paul’s answer is almost too painful to bear: “In Adam,” he says, “all die.” (1 Cor. 15:22).
But there is a second Adam – Jesus! Unlike the first Adam, who stood flatfooted in the face of evil, Jesus initiated. He refused to do nothing when sin encroached upon the created order. He was spiritually and socially aggressive.
In fact, I would argue that we see more manhood in the manger of Jesus than we do in the garden with Adam. Why?
Because in the manger we find Jesus, having rejected His divine right as God, initiating toward the world as a man … a real man! Listen for the action words in Philip. 2:5-8
Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: [6] Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, [7] but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. [8] And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death--even death on a cross!
Real manhood begins with a decision to reject social and spiritual passivity when “nothing” is the more comfortable and natural option.
In verse 21 of our text Elijah literally says, "How long will you limp between the two opinions." Men, passivity makes us lame.
Rev. 3:15-16
I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! [16] So, because you are lukewarm--neither hot nor cold--I am about to spit you out of my mouth.
What is that passage talking about? That is written to the church of Laodicea and it has become passive. They aren’t taking a stand or leading in any way.
Why should you be more involved? Why should you reject passivity? Studies say children with involved fathers are:
--More confident and less anxious in unfamiliar settings
--Better able to deal with frustration
--Better able to gain a sense of independence
--More likely to become compassionate adults
--More likely to have higher self-esteem
--More likely to have higher grade-point averages
--More sociable
A real man rejects passivity.
II. A Real Man Accepts Responsibility.
What did Adam do? He blamed Eve and God. Genesis 3:12
The man said, "The woman you put here with me--she gave me some fruit from the tree, and I ate it."
He blamed Eve. Don’t you just feel sorry for Adam? He had no choice in the matter … or so he wants us to believe.
This is the most common excuse today; “it is not my fault.” It is my parents’ fault, or my school’s, or my boss’ – he doesn’t pay enough. We want to blame everyone.
Like Adam, Jesus was also given three specific responsibilities from his Father. Our Lord was entrusted with a will to obey (His Father’s), a work to do (redeem the lost), and a woman to love (the church). According the Psalm 40:7-8, a passage that is decidedly Messianic, Jesus accepted those responsibilities with great enthusiasm.
Psalm 40:7-8
Then I said, "Here I am, I have come--it is written about me in the scroll. [8] I desire to do your will, O my God; your law is within my heart."
What an incredible contrast with the first Adam, who rejected God’s will, said no to God’s work, and refused to love God’s woman. On all three counts, Jesus Christ did the exact opposite. Jesus accepted responsibility and so should you.
Men, I challenge you to accept the responsibility of making your marriage the best it can be. Do whatever you have to do, pay whatever price you have to pay to make your marriage work.
You say, “you don’t know my wife. She is just unbearable at times. You see her here when she puts on her happy face.”
Yes, that is true, but I do know that you accepted that responsibility when you said, “for better, for worse” standing before a preacher. You said, “I am going to stay faithful regardless.”
Now, are you man enough to do it? Will you accept the responsibility?
Also, accept the responsibility for your children. Statistics show that children are far less apt to remain faithful to God if their father is uninvolved in the things of God. It is not your wife’s responsibility to raise your kids, it is yours. Now does that mean she does nothing? No, but this is not a message to women. This is a message to men. I challenge you to accept the responsibility.
Reject passivity, accept responsibility and
III. A Real Man Leads Courageously.
1 Kings 18:21
Elijah went before the people and said, "How long will you waver between two opinions? If the LORD is God, follow him; but if Baal is God, follow him." But the people said nothing.
Elijah was leading courageously whether anyone was following or not.
The people wanted the Baals to be right. No one stood with Elijah. If fire had fallen he would have been killed on the spot! He would not even have been given the opportunity to call on God.
There were 450 prophets of Baal AND 400 prophets of “the groves” (ASHORAH). 850 to ONE; how would you like those odds?
Let me tell you something men. I love those odds. Standing alone is one of the most enjoyable things you can do when you are standing with the truth. Now standing alone with a lie, or standing alone with sin is no fun, but it is a great feeling to stand alone with the truth. Some of my best memories are times that I stood alone with the truth.
In the last days there will be a lot of people sportin’ a brand of Christianity that looks and sounds good but will be powerless. We are living in those last days. The world has seen enough fakes. They’ve seen enough weak-kneed, empty-headed, two-faced, finger-pointin’, big talkin’, no walkin’, wimpy actin’, church-playin’, Godless-livin’, non-givin’, doubt’n, pout’n, gossip-spoutin’, 3 strikes and you’re out’n, “I got problems big as a mountain”, cussin’ on Friday but Sunday morning shoutin’, Christians!
Elijah’s about to teach us a lesson we should already know: “that kind of Christianity won’t cut it!” When the chips are down, you’ve gotta’ have something real or you’ll be exposed as a fraud. A watered-down gospel will never light anyone’s fire for Jesus. And a thousand wishy-washy Christians will never have the impact of one man that’s on fire with the genuine power of the living God! If you’re serving God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength; be encouraged. You’re making an impact even when you can’t see it. If you’re faking it - you look like a Christian on the outside, but inside you know all the power’s gone out of your life, pay attention. God wants to light your fire again. I hope and pray we all walk out of this place on fire!
Authentic men were designed to lead, not follow. In 1 Corinthians 11:3 Paul states it this way: “Now I want you to realize that the head of every man is Christ, and the head of the woman is man, and the head of Christ is God.”
Men were created to lead. Adam relinquished his leadership in the garden when he refused to step forward with God’s word and lead his wife. This inaction is precisely what many men are doing in our generation, passively yielding to the feelings and emotion of the moment instead of aggressively leading with God’s truth.
After fasting for 40 days, Jesus was taken by Satan to a high mountain and shown all the kingdoms of the world. He then offered our Lord this promise: "All this I will give you," he said, "if you will bow down and worship me" (Matthew 4:9). This, of course, compares to Satan’s similar pattern of temptation to Eve and to Adam: “Eat and you can have it all!” For 40 days, the Father had led His Son into desolation; in one moment, Satan has shown Him delicious realms of glory. The contrast could not be stronger, and the contest between passions and principle within Jesus’ heart and mind could not have been more powerful.
Yet, this second Adam possessed a courage the first Adam lacked. Like Adam, Christ’s emotions cried out for surrender to the seductive glory being offered Him. But His will was resolute. His reply energetically resonates with the fiber of authentic manhood:
Jesus said to him, "Away from me, Satan! For it is written: ’Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.’" Matthew 4:10
“Away from me” is a commanding cry of manly leadership. The Old Testament quotation Jesus then recites from Deuteronomy 6:13 illustrates His embrace of truth. The courage to lead with truth rather than surrender to feelings always separates the men from the boys.
Joshua also decided to lead courageously.
Joshua 24:15
But if serving the LORD seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your forefathers served beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD."
Men, let’s make that our theme! Reject passivity, accept responsibility, lead courageously and
IV. A Real Man Expects the Greater Reward, God’s Reward.
The Baal prophets had prayed at least 6 hours and nothing had happened. Elijah stepped up to his altar and prayed a 63-word prayer. His prayer was constructed to accomplish three things.
A. That God be glorified.
B. That the power and presence of God be shown through Elijah.
C. The people recognize that God was stirring in their hearts.
Elijah could have prayed for rain, but he did not. Why? He knew that as badly as rain was needed, the people needed to understand God even more! We may think we know what we need in our lives, but, in truth, the greatest need we have is to get exactly where God wants us and serve Him. That was the heart of Elijah and it should be our heart as well!
Manhood is challenging. It can be interpreted as work only: another burden to carry, devoid of joy and satisfaction. The first Adam believed this – and defected for another “glory” being offered him. Clearly, many modern men are defecting for the same reason.
But biblical manhood was never intended to be burdensome. Instead, real manhood was designed by God to be liberating and a means of great reward.
Jesus has set the example as a truly authentic man. Listen to Hebrews 12:1-2
Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. [2] Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.
What kept Jesus in the race? What internal motivation carried Jesus to the cross? The anticipation of joy! Great reward. It was the “joy set before Him” that allowed Christ to finish strong. Every man needs to have this same perspective if he is to succeed.
Moses was certainly motivated by this principle. “By faith Moses, when he had grown up, refused to be known as the son of Pharaoh’s daughter. [25] He chose to be mistreated along with the people of God rather than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a short time. [26] He regarded disgrace for the sake of Christ as of greater value than the treasures of Egypt, because he was looking ahead to his reward. (Hebrews 11:24-26).
The lawgiver of Israel pursued authentic manhood because it promised great reward.
If you think the call to manhood is a call merely to heavy responsibility and dutiful sacrifice, then you have completely missed the example of the second Adam. Yes, real manhood is at times rigorous; it demands courage and requires sacrifice. But, it is primarily a call to life!
John 10:10
I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.
1 Cor. 2:9
However, as it is written: "No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him"--
1 Tim. 4:8
For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come.
Men, I submit to you that my own quest for authentic manhood – to whatever degree I have achieved it – has been accompanied by great gains and rewards.
No one does anything for nothing. I believed from the start that the way of Christ is life. I believed all along that the manhood found in Him would be fulfilling and rewarding … and I was right. The manhood of Christ is a manhood of reward.
Men, let me put it this way. If the only reward you strive for is a paycheck on Fridays, you are a pitiful dude. In fact, I feel sorry for you. There is so much more than that. But that is why men aren’t involved in their homes. That is why men don’t take the responsibility for their marriages. That is why men don’t get involved in the church. The greatest reward they see is their paycheck and they don’t get paid for any of those things. But men, listen carefully to this. There are lots of rewards much more gratifying and more satisfying than a paycheck. When you get involved in the things of God, it is amazing what you see happen. Then things happen that you could never pull off on your own. You start to make a difference. And it is not just a difference here on earth; it is a difference for eternity!
How many living sacrifices were offered in the Old Testament? None! Now God wants us to live for Him; that means everyday I’m to put my body on the altar and die to self so I can live for God. God and self both can’t be on the throne of my heart at the same time…to receive God’s help I must put Him number one.
Ephes. 5:25-28
Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her [26] to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word, [27] and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless. [28] In this same way, husbands ought to love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself.
I have thought over the last couple of years about what would make a man fly a plane into a building or blow up a car at a checkpoint. At first I thought those men were brainwashed, maybe even a little crazy.
But when I think about how we are as men, I think about how much that fits into who we are. I think most men would love the challenge of giving themselves to something bigger than themselves. They just haven’t found what that thing is yet.
I gave you some negative examples, but there are some positive ones. I know you have heard the phrase “remember the Alamo.” It is a story that illustrates what we, as men are all about. 187 men against the Mexican army of over 6000. They were extraordinary men, but they knew they couldn’t win with those odds. They had sent out pleas for help, but they had gone unanswered. At some point Captain William Barrett Travis realized that reinforcements would not arrive in time and they were sure to be defeated. In a stirring speech he explained to his men the gravity of the situation. He told them that they could surrender or fight and face certain death. He drew a line in the dirt and said, “as for me, I have decided to fight until I die. Anyone who wants to join me, step across this line.” All but one crossed the line. Those included Davy Crockett, and even Jim Bowie, the man who had commanded the volunteers, but had to step aside because he was suffering from pneumonia. He asked to be carried across the line on his cot.
They knew they couldn’t win. They fought anyway. And they all died. Because of that they are all heroes and thousands visit the Alamo every year.
Why did they do it? Why didn’t they all like that one, slip out the back during the night and get away? I’ll tell you why. Because a man loves that challenge. A man loves to give himself to something greater than himself if he can just find it.
Do you realize that is how this country was founded? When those men signed the Declaration of Independence, they weren’t sure we could defeat England. But they were sure that it was worth dying to try.
Men, I have a challenge for you today. Like William Barrett Travis, I am going to draw the line in the sand. But I am not asking you to cross the line to die. I am asking you for something greater and tougher. I am asking you to step across the line and give yourself, but live.
Rom 12:1-2 Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God-this is your spiritual act of worship.
Rather than die for your wife, why don’t you live for her? Rather than die for your children, why don’t you live for them? Rather than die for Christ, why don’t you live for him?
Perhaps the day will come when we have to die for one or more of those things. Maybe we will see persecution in our lifetime.
Maybe one of us will have to give our life for our wife or children in the midst of some crime. Maybe one day that will happen. When it does, if it does, I pray that I am ready and willing to stand alone. I pray that you will be willing too.
But that day is not today. Today we are called to step forth and live.
The invitation today is a little different. Men, I am challenging you to come up to the front and say, “I am going to follow all four of those traits.” I am not asking to work on one, or even the one where you are weak, that would be too easy and I don’t want to give you an easy challenge. I want you to come up and say, “I am going to do all 4.” Will you come and live?
