Greg Laurie - The Battle of the Gods (02/09/2018)
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Pastor Greg Laurie preaches from 1 Kings 17 on "The Battle of the Gods," drawing parallels between ancient Israel's idolatry under Ahab and Jezebel and today's cultural battles over worldviews, morality, and truth. Through Elijah's bold stand, dramatic showdown on Mount Carmel, and God's powerful answer by fire, we see one faithful man making a massive difference, reminding us the battle belongs to the Lord—we win in the end when we stand firm in prayer, obedience, and fearless proclamation of truth.
The Battle for America's Soul
For this message we are going to be in 1 Kings chapter 17. And the title of the message is, The Battle of the Gods. I think we would all agree that there is a battle going on in America right now. And it is a battle for our very soul. A battle for right and wrong. A battle over the Bible. A battle over the family. Really what it is, it is a battle over world views.
And if you want to simplify it, here is the bottom line. It is a battle of the Gods. You see in the Bible there is only one God. It is not multiple choice. The Lord says, I the Lord am one God. There is no other God. Effectively there is a true and living God. The God of Scripture. The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. The God that loved us so much He sent His Son Jesus Christ to die on the cross. Then there are all the other gods. And I might spell that with a small g. And only one of these gods can be true.
And so the battle rages today. The battle of the gods. The battle of the world views. And sometimes as followers of Jesus Christ and believers in the Bible, doesn't it feel like we are losing ground in our country.
The Attitude We Need in Troubled Times
I read a story from the Korean War that illustrated the kind of attitude we ought to have as believers. As the story goes, as enemy forces were advancing, Baker Company was cut off from the rest of the regiment. For several hours no word was heard. Even through headquarters. Though they tried to repeatedly communicate with the missing unit. Finally, a faint signal was received. Straining to hear each word, a corpsman asked, Baker Company, Baker Company, do you read me? There is some static. This is Baker Company. What is your situation?
Baker Company replied, The enemy is to the east of us. The enemy is to the west of us. The enemy is to the south of us. And the enemy is to the north of us. There is a brief pause. And the voice from Baker Company comes back and says, and we are not going to let them escape this time.
Do you ever feel that way? Like you are besieged. The enemy is on the east and the west and the north and the south. Everywhere you turn it seems like you are losing ground. Well here is the good news. The battle belongs to the Lord. And I have read the last page of the Bible and you have too in our studies in Revelation. We win in the end. So we need to remember that as the battle rages on every single day.
Seeing God's Army in the Invisible Realm
I am reminded of the story of Elisha and his servant Gehazi. And they were surrounded by enemy forces and Elisha was so confident in the Lord. He took a little nap and his servant woke him up alarmed as the enemy forces were closing in. And Elisha said, Lord open his eyes. And that servant's eyes were opened and he saw the angels of the Lord all around. Listen. More on our side than there are on the enemy's side.
But listen. We do live in troubled times. Sexual promiscuity and perversion are rampant. Senseless and random acts of violence only continue to grow. Our nation has been rocked by terrorism. Listen. The war on terrorism is not over. And it is raging on unfortunately. And experts tell us that things may actually get worse before they get better.
So you might feel in some ways as though there is no hope. And you might even say there is nothing I could ever do to make a difference. Well I want to say there is something you can do. Because here in 1 Kings is a story of Israel's history that in many ways parallels our history today. Conditions back then were strikingly similar to our own. And in some ways they were even worse. And one man made a difference. And his name was Elijah.
Elijah Emerges in Israel's Darkest Hour
Elijah appeared at one of the darkest the most evil times on Israel's stage. Now his story, he is introduced to us rather in 1 Kings 17. But the chapters leading up to this show us how bad things had gotten. Israel had turned to full tilt idol worship. And here is the weird thing. They wanted to worship the Lord. But they wanted to worship their idols as well. Sort of the idea of having your cake and eat it too. You have heard that expression. You can't have your cake and eat it too. And I don't know. I have actually had cake and eaten it. So I am not sure what that means exactly. But you understand the idea. You can have it both ways.
And it is not that the people of Israel were atheistic. They just wanted to worship other gods along with the Lord. But the Lord would have none of this. And it would be like us today worshiping another god. Now you don't see a lot of idol worship at least outwardly in our culture. But I think in some ways maybe there is.
Modern Idols We Bow Before
To worship another god would be like, I don't know, somebody falling in love with a mannequin. Can you imagine that? You know maybe this guy leaves his wife and he takes up with a mannequin. And you know what a mannequin is, right? They hang the clothes on him in the stores. And so he is asked, Why did you do that? And he says, Well you know what? She is always smiling. She is always in a good mood. And I will tell you something else. She never nags me. I love this woman. He drives around with her, has his arm around her, you know. She is always the same.
Now that would be insane, right? Of course it would. Is it any different to worship another god besides the Lord? So you might say, Well I would never worship a false god. But wait a second. Anyone or anything that takes the place of the true and living God in your life can potentially become an idol. Everybody has an altar they bow before. Some bow before the altar of philosophy. Others bow before the altar of possessions. Others bow before the altar of their physique. It is all about how they look. But in time the greatest physique will fail. The most brilliant mind will fade. Others bow before other altars.
But here is the bottom line. When crisis hits, is that God going to save you? Can you cry out and say, American Express! Help me now! No I don't think American Express will come to your raid. Nor will your false gods. But the Lord will. So Israel's false gods could not help them either.
The Showdown at Mount Carmel
So it was time for a showdown at the Carmel Corral. You have heard of the thriller in Manila. Or the Rumble in the jungle. Well this is the ultimate conflict as Elijah faces off of the false prophets of Baal on Mount Carmel in the battle of the gods.
Now a little historical background will help. For over a hundred years Israel had lived under the reign of three kings. They were Saul, David, and then David's son Solomon. Each had their flaws. Some more than others. At the end of Solomon's life Israel had a civil war. And they broke into two kingdoms. The northern kingdom and the southern kingdom. And sin abounded.
And now a new king emerges to lead Israel. And he was the worst of the lot. The most sinful king to date. Ahab. And if he wasn't bad enough his wife was even worse. She was the power behind the throne. And her name was Jezebel. She was a full tilt idol worshiper.
Ahab, Jezebel, and Israel's Deep Apostasy
Listen. When you are thinking of names for your sons and daughters don't pick Ahab and Jezebel. These are the worst of the worst. In fact Jezebel's evil reputation was so notorious her name was used many years later by the apostle John to illustrate evil seeping into the church. In Revelation 2:20 He says you tolerate that woman Jezebel who calls herself a prophetess by her teachings. She misleads my servants into sexual immorality. So John actually uses Jezebel as a picture of evil. But there was a real person named Jezebel. And this is her.
So her and her husband Ahab set up a sacred grove of trees for the worship of Ashtoreth. They not only worship Baal as we will see it in a few moments. But Ashtoreth. Now Ashtoreth was the goddess of sex and violence. Do you think people still bow at the altar of Ashtoreth today? Maybe not by name. But I know some people are obsessed with filling their minds with sex and violence.
And the Bible tells us that God was not pleased with this. And 1 Kings 16 says Ahab made a grove and he did more to provoke the Lord God of Israel to anger than all the kings of Israel that were before him. So he effectively picked a fight with God. Guess what? If you pick a fight with God, you are going to lose. It has been said your arms are too short to box with God. So don't even try.
The Remnant Who Remained Faithful
Now during this time most of God's people were compromised. Of the thousands of Jews under the reign of Ahab only 7,000 remained who had not bowed the knee to Baal. And of those 7,000 they were primarily paralyzed by fear so their existence was unknown to the prophet Elijah.
So in this dark, dark background emerges this rough-hewn prophet. His very name sums up his mission and purpose. The word, or the name Elijah means, my God is Jehovah. Or, the Lord is my God. It is almost like his name was a rebuke to the wicked king and queen. Your God may be Baal, but my name is God is the Lord.
It is almost like, well it is actually, a name came from an original Hebrew word, nanny nanny Nana. And it is translated to... No, no, it is not. You are thinking, really? Nanny nanny Nana. You get the idea. You are worshiping a false God. His name alone said it all.
And where did he come from? Well the Bible tells us he was a Tishbite from Gilead. Now that means very little to us, but it is important for us to know that Gilead is east of the Jordan River. The people that lived there were rough-hewn, tanned from the sun, tough. Sort of like the Australian Outback. They would be dressed in animal skins. Elijah could have been one of the Robertson family on Duck Dynasty. You know what I am saying?
Elijah: A Man Just Like Us
Now when we think of Elijah we generally think of powerful miracles. And no doubt he was one of the greatest miracle working prophets of all. He raised the dead. He stopped the rain. He called fire down from heaven. By the way, a great guy to have at a barbecue. You know your meat is a little underdone. Elijah, could you torch this for me? No problem. How do you want it done? Well done good and faithful servant. There it is.
Now we know him as a man who was bold. He was courageous. He was fearless. So we hear a story like this and we say, well what does this have to do to me? But here is what the Bible tells us that we need to know. It tells us in the book of James, Elijah was a man subject to the same passions as we are. Or another translation, Elijah was a man just like us.
You know sometimes he seems like a Superman but he wasn't. In fact he had moments of great fear. And at one point he was so despondent he wanted to give up and die. Have you ever felt that way? So here is the good news. God can use flawed people. God can use imperfect people. God can use people who have weaknesses. In fact it seems as though he goes out of his way to find people like that. Why? Because if he only used super talented, beautiful, handsome people we would say well there is no hope for me. But he uses a person that is pretty much an idiot like we are. We say well there is hope. And God chooses the foolish things of the world the Bible says to confound the wise.
Elijah's Bold Confrontation with Ahab
So now here is the story of Elijah emerging on the scene. Maybe I could even say exploding on the scene. 1 Kings 17. I am going to read one verse. "Elijah the Tishbite of the inhabitants of Gilead said to Ahab the king, As the Lord God of Israel lives before whom I stand there will not be dew nor rain these years except at my word."
Let us stop for a word of prayer. Now Lord as we explore the life of this great prophet. This man that made a difference in his generation. May we find inspiration to make a difference in our generation. May we learn the principles that he operated by. So speak to us as we look in your word now. In Jesus name. Amen.
So here comes Elijah storming boldly into the court of the notoriously wicked King Ahab. He flings down the gauntlet of his challenge to the very nerve center of Israel. Now where did he get such boldness? Notice he doesn't follow any protocol. He makes no introductions. He doesn't defer to the king. This guy from the outback comes walking in. Someone probably asked, How did he get through security? He just walks right in like he owns the place.
Standing Always in God's Presence
What were his secrets? Here is one of them. He was aware that wherever he went, God was with him. Elijah was aware that wherever he went, God was with him. Look at verse 1. He says, As the Lord lives before whom I stand. You see Elijah served a living God. Not a dead one. Like Ahab and Jezebel. Like Job, he could say, I know my Redeemer lives.
This is an interesting expression. Before whom I stand. It meant that wherever he went, he recognized he stood in God's presence. He was in the Lord's presence. Do you understand that? Wherever you go. Whoever you are talking to. Wherever you are. If you are a Christian, God is with you. Jesus said, I will never leave you or forsake you. The believer is never alone. So we automatically become a majority of one. Because God is on our side you see.
And so Elijah recognized that. That he was always in the presence of the Lord. And listen to this. When you stand in the presence of God you will not bow before any man or woman. Because you will have courage. The Bible says that the righteous are as bold as a lion in Proverbs 28.
This awareness of God's presence gave Elijah the courage to stand his ground. He knew God was there. And we need to remember that as well. Are you willing to take a stand like this? See a lot of times Christians are afraid to stand out. We don't want to offend anyone. We want to get along with people. Most Christians I know are pretty nice people. Pretty pleasant people. And so you don't want to say to someone, well that is wrong. Or I disagree with that.
Refusing to Compromise in a Compromising Culture
So maybe they will tell a dirty joke. And you will laugh along. Because you don't want to come off like some kind of a prude. Or maybe someone will make that compromise. And you will go along with it as well. Or you won't speak up and say something that is wrong. Because that would be politically incorrect.
Well listen. Elijah was no compromiser. And God is looking for men and women today that will stand up for what is true. Ezekiel 22:30 God says, I sought for a man among them who could make up a wall and stand in the gap before me on behalf of the land that I should not destroy it. But I found none.
Are you willing to stand up in your family for Christ? Are you willing to stand up in your office for Christ? Are you willing to stand up in your neighborhood for Jesus Christ? Chuck Swindoll wrote, and I quote, Those who find comfort in the court of Ahab can never bring themselves to stand in the gap with Elijah. End quote. That is so true.
So number one, he was constantly aware that he was in the presence of God. That God was with him. Number two, Elijah was a man of prayer. He was a man of prayer. James 5:17 says, Elijah was a man just like us. He prayed earnestly that it would not rain and it did not rain in the land for three and a half years. Again he prayed and the heavens gave rain and the earth produced its crops.
You see it was Elijah's prayer in private that was the source of his power in public. He had a prayer life. And thus he had this boldness. In fact it is interesting there in James 5:17 it says, He prayed earnestly that he would not rain. And when we see him there on Mount Carmel facing off with the prophets of Baal. He prays with all of his heart. This is not some laid back prayer. Hey you know like dude Lord. Uh. Wow. Shoo. Heavy. Anyway Lord. That is not the way you pray. Now you call on the Lord with fervency and with passion. And that is how Elijah prayed.
Actually the word used there in James for earnestly is a word that means he prayed with prayer. I like that. He prayed with prayer. This was a heartfelt prayer. This was a passionate prayer. He put everything into this prayer.
Faithfully Delivering God's Difficult Message
So number one. He walked with an awareness of God's presence. Number two. He was a man of prayer. Number three. Listen to this one. He faithfully delivered the message. He faithfully delivered the message. And by the way he did not have an easy message to deliver. You know what his message was? Go tell Ahab it is not going to rain for a long time. You go tell Ahab there is going to be a drought. God. That was his message.
You know that is the kind of message you don't want to necessarily deliver. And I think in the same way God has given us a message that is not the easiest one to deliver. For instance to say to people that we believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God and the only way to God. You think that is a popular thing to say in our culture today? We believe that the Bible is the word of God. The only truly inspired book. Do you think that is a popular thing to say?
Because when I say that I am in effect saying these other religious books. Well they are not true. And that can sound very unloving to some. Well that is very judgmental of you. Or that is very prideful. And how could you say it? Well I am just saying it because the Bible says that. That it is inspired by God. And I am just saying it because Jesus said He was the way, the truth, and the life. Well that is too narrow minded. You can't say that. That is your truth. That is not my truth. Well whatever. This is what the Bible says.
I do not know what to say. It is like saying the only way to make this car run is to put fuel in it. Well I do not agree with that man. Why not? Well because I did. That is your truth. I think I can put water in it and it will run. Go for it. Well I think bird seed would work. Put the bird seed in if you want to. But I am telling you this car was made to run in gasoline. And that is the only thing it will run on.
Now that may seem narrow minded to you. But I am simply stating a fact. And when I tell you that Jesus Christ is the only way to the Father I am simply stating a fact. Don't shoot me. I am only the messenger. But listen to this. They will shoot you. They will shoot you.
Now you want to do this with as much compassion and grace as you can. Colossians 4:6 says let your conversation be gracious and attractive. So you will have the right response for everyone. But the bottom line is all that live godly in Jesus Christ will suffer persecution. And they are going to take it out on you.
Standing Firm Against Cultural Pressure
When I was back in Washington D.C. for the National Day of Prayer. I did not go back there to get into a fight with anybody. I went back there to pray. As I was asked to. To pray at the meeting there at the Cannon Office Building. And to pray in the Pentagon. And it was not my choice to get into this engagement with these activists. Homosexual groups that were calling me homophobic and all that.
But look. I mean the way I looked at it. It could have been on a number of issues. You see. I have a lot of controversial views. I don't know if you know this. I also think it is a sin to commit adultery. I think it is a sin to have sex before marriage. I think it is a sin to lie. I think it is a sin to steal. By the way. I did not come up with this stuff on my own. It is called the Ten Commandments. And to the point we build our judicial system on these teachings from Scripture.
But nowadays when you dare to say something is a sin because the Bible says it is. That is wrong in the minds of some. Well look. All we can do is just stand our ground. See what a lot of people are looking for is not tolerance. They say they want tolerance. But here is what they really want. They want acceptance and approval.
I think Christians are very tolerant people. I really do. Because you see I may not agree with somebody. But I will not try to censor them or silence them. In fact I will even say we are Americans. We have freedom of speech. You can express your views. Let's have a simple conversation about this. I would actually like to persuade you to believe what I believe. But if you choose not to believe what I believe you have that right. This is America. I won't try to stop you from having that view.
But there are people out there that would say to us you can't have that view. You cannot express that view. And not only that we want to silence you. And the only way we will be satisfied is when you come back to us and say Not only do we tolerate what you believe. But we accept it and we approve it. Then we will be happy. Sorry can't do that. Can't do that. Because to do that means to walk away from what the scripture says.
I am going to stand on the teaching of this book. So we all need to. And this fight is going to come to every doorstep of every believer in some way shape or form. Are we going to stand on the word of God or on the shifting sands of culture. It is not my job to edit God's word. To try in my mind to improve upon it. Or to remove things I think might be offensive. It is my job to declare the whole counsel of God.
Obeying God Even When It Doesn't Make Sense
So Elijah had a tough job. You go tell Ahab it is not going to rain. Oh man come on. You know we want to tell everyone God loves them. And it is true. God loves them. We want to tell them that. But you know the Bible also says that there is a final judgment. We don't want to tell them that. Because if I say that man they will never talk to me again. Well that may be true and it may not be true. But really it is just for us to deliver the message faithfully.
Number four. Elijah was a man of faith and obedience. He was a man of faith and obedience. I mean after such a moment delivering this message to King Ahab. Elijah might have said alright Lord. Let's get this thing going. Let's have the face off of the prophets of Baal up on Mount Carmel. Let's go for it.
This is really an interesting twist in the story. God says you know what. Let's paraphrase now. I have a different plan of mind for you Elijah. I want you to disappear from this scene for a while. In fact I want you to go over to this little brook of water called Cherith. Just hang out there. How am I going to eat? I will provide delivery. I will bring the food to you. Okay. Guess how God did that. Ravens. Birds. Birds. You know.
Now I don't think they are like flying through in and out burger and picking up you know little bags and dropping them off. I mean you know what. Ravens. They take little bits of food here and there in their beak and brought it to Elijah. And that is how he had to live. He went into a place of total obscurity.
It doesn't make any sense. And it makes total sense. Because sometimes God will use us. And then the Lord will say now I have to work on you for a while. Because what I have got next for you, you are not ready for it yet. I have got to kind of whip you into shape a little bit more. And that is what he was doing with Elijah.
Maybe something like that has happened to you recently. Maybe you had a successful career and you have pulled back. Because you felt I need to spend more time with my family. Or maybe there was a cutback at work and you were let go. Or maybe you had a ministry that was flourishing and suddenly it is not flourishing like it once did. Or perhaps sickness has altered your plans. Or you don't have the energy you once did. And you have had to make changes and it seems like the end. You don't get it. But maybe it is not the end at all. Maybe it is a new beginning. God closes one door to open another.
And maybe He has closed the door for you because He has another door ready to open at any time. So here is what you need to do. You need to just wait on the Lord and be faithful to the Lord. Because everything we go through in life is preparation for something else. God is preparing you for something in your future.
Look how long it took God to get Moses whipped into shape. He was eighty when He was ready to roll. Eighty. I mean people at eighty were thinking that is it for them. No, no. Moses was just getting going. He spent forty years in the Pharaoh's court finding out he was a somebody. Forty years in the back side of the desert finding out he was a nobody. Then he spent forty years finding out what God can do with a somebody who realizes they are a nobody.
So maybe you are in one of those places right now where God is prepping you. Well anyway. He waits. And the Lord gets him ready. And then the Lord comes to Elijah in 1 Kings 18 and says, Alright. Three years later. Go present yourself to Ahab and I will send rain on the earth.
Now remember after Elijah made that announcement to King Ahab he was not a popular guy. There were wanted posters all over town. Hanging on every post office wall. You ever stand in line at the post office. Look at those pictures on the wall. Then you look around behind you like... I don't see any of those people in here. I guess we are okay. His face was everywhere. He was wanted. Dead or alive. Preferably dead.
The Dramatic Showdown on Mount Carmel
Now he emerges on the scene again. And Elijah and Ahab have their confrontation. And the prophet throws down the gauntlet. 1 Kings 18 and 17. It happened when Ahab saw Elijah. Ahab said to him, Is that you, O troubler of Israel? Elijah says, I haven't troubled Israel. But you and your father's house have. In that you have forsaken the commandments of the Lord.
Now Elijah issues a challenge. Ahab, I want you to send and gather all Israel to me on Mount Carmel. 450 prophets of Baal. 400 prophets of Ashtoreth. Who eat at Jezebel's table.
You know it is interesting because Ahab calls Elijah a troubler. The word troubler could better be translated snake in the grass. Or a viper. You viper. You snake in the grass. I don't know if I would call a guy a snake in the grass who had the ability to call fire down from heaven on you. Oh yeah? Well you are toast baby. No Elijah didn't do that. He came right back at him and said, Hey I am not the snake in the grass. You are the snake in the grass. You brought this on yourself.
Because you turned to false gods. And it is always amazing to me how people will break God's commands over and over again. Resist His loving warnings. And then when hardship hits, often as a result of their own actions, they blame God. Why did God let this happen to me? My marriage has fallen apart. Why did God do this? Because you are a jerk. Because you were a lousy husband or a horrible wife. Maybe that had something to do with it.
Why have my children turned from me? Why has this happened? I mean I am not saying that is always the reason. But I am saying there is cause and effect. And sometimes we will do horrible things. And then we will reap the consequences and scratch our head and wonder why. Or even have the audacity to blame God for all of it. When in effect we are reaping what we sow.
And sometimes when people are facing hardship in life they lash out at God. And thus they will lash out at God's representatives. Have you ever had someone get mad at you just because you were a Christian? You know it comes up in the conversation. Well I believe in Jesus Christ. Let me tell you about Jesus Christ. And then they start ripping into you. You are like what? What? Hey try being a pastor.
But I accept I am a representative of the Lord. Not the only one. But I am one of them. And so people will kind of lash out at you at times. And so that is really what Ahab was saying. You troubler of Israel. You snake in the grass. Well I am just saying amen. You are the snake in the grass. You brought this on yourself.
But I will tell you what. Let us have this out. Let us get this over with. Let us have a fight. You bring your gods and I will bring my God. And let us see who wins. It is a showdown.
Amazingly Ahab agrees. And assembles the prophets of Mount Carmel. I think he was desperate. He just wanted some rain. And if Elijah's prayers would bring it so be it. But I think the fact is that God moved the king to step into this trap that Elijah set. The Bible says that God moves the king's heart wherever He wants. God is in control ultimately of our leaders. Even our leaders that are not godly. He can direct them in the way that He wants them to go. That is why we still need to pray for our leaders.
And so Elijah says, Okay here is the deal Ahab. Let us say that the God who is real should answer by fire. Hey that is a pretty sweet deal for you. Right? You worship Baal. And Baal was the Lord of the sun. He was the sun god. The God who was in control of the elements. So surely the sun god. The God in charge of the weather. Could bring a little precipitation. He could deliver some rain.
And so they get up there now on Mount Carmel. Here is all the prophets of Baal. And all the prophets of Asherah. The goddess of sex and violence. And they are all gathered together.
Now Elijah wants to say a word to the Israelites that are watching this. And he says in verse 21 to the people, How long will you falter between two opinions? If the Lord is God, follow him. If Baal is God, follow him. And the Bible says, And the people answered him not a word.
He is saying, Come on guys. It is time to take a stand for the Lord. Who is on the Lord's side? Everyone is like, I don't want to say anything. Why? Because they were afraid of Ahab and Jezebel. Who would persecute them. It was unpopular at this time to worship the Lord. As it is unpopular to worship Him today. These are people who are trying to live in two worlds.
The Prophets of Baal Fail Miserably
So now it is time for the contest to start. Elijah says to the prophets of Baal, You guys go first. 1 Kings 18 verse 26. So they prepared one of the bulls and placed it on the altar. This is the New Living translation. Then they called on the name of Baal all morning shouting, O Baal answer us. But there was no reply of any kind. Then they danced wildly around the altar they had made.
And around noon time Elijah began mocking them. Hey you will have to shout louder. I mean he is a God. Maybe he is deep in thought. Or he is relieving himself. Or he is away in a trip. Or he is asleep and needs to be awakened. So they shouted louder. And following their normal custom, They cut themselves with knives and swords until the blood gushed out. They raved all afternoon. So I guess they had raves back then too. They raved all afternoon until the time of the evening sacrifice. And still there was no reply, no voice, no answer.
I think Elijah is enjoying himself here. He is mocking them really. Hey man, yell louder. Maybe he is on a trip. Maybe he is relieving himself. You read right. Verse 27. Or as the Living Translation puts it, Maybe he is sitting on a toilet. Now of course they did not have toilets back then right? But that is actually what Elijah said in the original language. He said that. Maybe your God is out there relieving himself.
I mean it is kind of funny really. Right? He was mocking them. But really their own gods were mocking them. The emptiness of these gods that could not save them nor deliver them.
You know, God did a similar thing with the Pharaoh and the people of Egypt. The Egyptians worshipped pretty much everything. They worshipped frogs. They worshipped birds. They worshipped the water. They worshipped the Nile River. They worshipped plants. They worshipped trees. You name it. They worshipped it. They thought it was some kind of a god.
So the Lord in His plagues afflicted them with the very thing they worshipped. He was effectively saying, Hey, you guys want a worship service? I will lay some frogs on you. Worship away. And there are frogs everywhere. Frogs in their bed. Frogs in their ovens. Frogs on the floor. Frogs, you name it. There was a frog there. Go to sleep at night. Good night, honey. Ribbit. You know. So he kind of mocked them in that way. He was showing them the futility of that which they trusted in.
Sometimes God will let us see that too. You know we have our God. We don't call it a God. But it is what we trust in. Maybe it is a person. Maybe it is a bank account. Maybe it is a career. Maybe it is in our appearance. Maybe it is in something else. That is our identity. That is who we are. That is what we are all about. And then one day something happens and we are not all that anymore. You know. Something happens and we lose that money that was in that account. Something happens and we lose that position. Age happens. It is called gravity. And we are not the person we used to be. Somebody else comes along and takes our place.
And it is sort of a wake up call to realize that that was never a good thing to build your life on to begin with. And so these people are calling on their God who cannot deliver them. And this is really to me a perfect picture of the world in all of its glory and splendor. I mean these guys they start off calling out to their God. Next thing you know they are cutting themselves. They are bleeding. It is just like a grotesque mess.
You know the world can be so attractive at first when you don't know better. And you see generation after generation of young people buying into the same lies you know. And then you see what happens to people that live that life and life chews them up and it spits them out. And some people look old before their time because of the kind of lifestyle they have lived. A lot of people come to mind that I can name right now that are out there in the public eye. That they look like they could be their own mother or father because of the lifestyle they have chosen to live.
The world can be so attractive. But then you see really what it is all about. So here are these guys. They have been praying in quotes from morning to evening. Beaten bloodied bunch. Now they have come to their wits end. So Elijah is saying, okay, are you guys done? Yeah, we are done. Okay, let us clean this place up. He cleans up the altar. He puts everything back in its place.
Elijah's Preparation and Powerful Prayer
And he says, now I want someone to douse this sacrifice with water. Lots of water. So they dump water all over it. I want you to do it again. They do it again. I want you to do it a third time. Why was he doing that? Because he wanted to know there were no tricks here. This was not some little game he was playing. This was going to be God answering by fire. And there was no way that this sacrifice could ignite apart from supernatural fire coming from heaven.
So now the altar is rebuilt. It is doused with water. And Elijah prays. 1 Kings 18 verse 36. At the customary time for offering the evening sacrifice, Elijah the prophet walked up to the altar and prayed, O Lord, God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, prove today that you are God in Israel, and I am your servant. Prove that I have done all of this at your command.
Verse 37. O Lord, answer me. Answer me so these people will know that you are God. And that you brought them back to yourself. Immediately the fire of the Lord flashed down from heaven and burned up the young bull, the wood, the stones, the dust. It looked up all the water in the ditch.
And when the people saw it, they fell on their faces and cried out, The Lord is God! The Lord is God!
Yeah, right. So this is one of the greatest stories ever told. What do we learn from this man just like us? Elijah.
Number one. He was aware that wherever he went, God was with him. He stood continually in the presence of the Lord. He said to Ahab, as the Lord God lives, before whom I stand. Remember, when you stand in the presence of God, you will not bow before any man.
Number two. He was a man of prayer. He put it all on the line as he prayed earnestly, and God answered. It was Elijah's prayer in private. That was a source of his power in public.
Thirdly, he faithfully delivered the message. It wasn't an easy message to deliver, but he brought it. And we have been given our marching orders from our Commander-in-Chief to go into all the world and preach the gospel. It is not for us to update, popularize, or edit the gospel. Just deliver it. Theology without apology.
Number four. He was a man of faith and obedience. After his message was delivered, he disappeared in obscurity until God called him. So here is the message for us. Be faithful with what the Lord has set before you now. He is preparing you for something later. Do those little things faithfully for God, and he will open up greater opportunities for you.
Turning from False Gods to the True God
You know, maybe you have come to the end of your God, your idol, your passion in life. You used to get such a charge from it, but not anymore. It no longer satisfies you. It is empty. In a way it is even mocking you. Don't you think it is time to give the true and living God a chance in your life? He may answer you dramatically. By fire in a sense. Not literally of course. But there may be a surge of emotion. And then you may feel very little.
I remember the day that I gave my life to Jesus Christ. I was on the campus of Harbor High School. Seventeen year old kid. Not raised in anything even remotely resembling a Christian home. And as I heard the message of Jesus Christ, I looked around at the other Christians, and I thought, you know, I believe they believe this. And I am not one of them. And I don't know if I can believe this, though I would like to. Because I was very cynical because of the way I was raised. And the disappointments I had faced throughout my life thus far. at the ripe old age of seventeen.
And the guy who was speaking said, Jesus said, you are either for me or against me. You are with me or opposed to me. And I looked at the Christians and I thought, well they are for Him. And I am not one of them. So does that mean I am against Him? And I didn't want to be against Jesus. So he gave an invitation for people to come right there and pray and accept Christ into their life.
And I hung my head down. My hair was hanging on my eyes. Use your imagination. And I thought, I would like to go up there and pray that prayer. But I don't think this will work for me. I don't think I am the religious type. I can't see myself as a Christian. I am too cynical. I am too sarcastic. It won't work for me.
And the next thing I knew, I was up there praying. And I also remember that the people around me had an emotional experience. One person on my left was weeping. Another on my right was laughing with joy. And I felt nothing. And you know what I thought? Figures. God skipped me. Eh, nah.
But you know Christ did come into my life that day. But I didn't have a big emotional experience. And sometimes people think they have to feel something when it happens. You may feel something. You may feel nothing. It has nothing to do with feelings. It is all about fact. And when you turn from your sin, and you ask Jesus Christ to forgive you, He comes into your life.
Now since that day, I have had emotional experiences. But I have never built my faith on that. I have built my faith on what Jesus said, and what Jesus has done, and what the Bible says. And He has been faithful to me all these years. And He will be faithful to you.
So it could be a big emotional moment. And it is for some. It might be more subdued as it is for others. Myself included. But here is the good news. For whoever will call upon Him, the Bible says, they will be saved. Whoever will call upon the name of the Lord, they will be saved. Jesus said, He that would come to me, I would in no way cast out.
He won't say yes to some and no to others. He will say yes to any person who comes to Him to be forgiven. So have your other gods let you down yet? Well let me tell you something. In time they will. And I will tell you why. They are not real. There is only one God. In this battle of the gods, there is only one real God. And He is the God who is going to win.
And I hope you won't waste your life finding that out the hard way. I hope that you will believe in Jesus right now. There might be some of you that are young and you are just sort of starting out in life and you are kind of being drawn to these evil things. And this could be a wake-up call for you to get on the right path following Christ.
You know I became a Christian when I was 17. I gave up a lot of stuff. But I will tell you what. I have never looked back with regret. But there might be some of you that have gone the wrong direction and you have been down life's road for a number of years now. And you have discovered these things for yourself. Well listen, the good news is it is not too late to get on that narrow road that leads to life. It is not too late to change your direction.
So we are going to close now in prayer. And I am going to give you an opportunity to get right with God. See what do you mean get right with God? Here is the bottom line. Everyone has sinned. Everyone has fallen short of God's glory. Everyone has broken God's commandments. But the good news is as God loved us so much 2,000 years ago He sent His Son Jesus Christ to die on the cross for our sin.
If we will turn from our sin and ask Jesus to come into our heart and life as Savior and Lord He will forgive us and change us and change our eternal address from a place called hell to a place called heaven.
If you have not asked Him into your life yet do it now. And if you have fallen away from the Lord and you need to make a recommitment to Him do that as well. Let us all bow our heads for a prayer if you would please.
Father, thank You for Your Word to us. Now I pray that You will help every person hearing, watching this to see their need for Jesus and help them to come to You and be forgiven.
Now while our heads are bowed and our eyes are closed and we are praying. how many of you would say Greg, pray for me. I want Jesus Christ to come into my life. I want Him to forgive me of my sin. I want to know that when I die I will go to heaven. I am ready to say yes to Jesus. Pray for me.
If that is your desire if you want Christ to come into your life and you want Him to forgive you of your sin. if you want to go to heaven when you die would you raise your hand up right now wherever you are and I would like to pray for you. Raise your hand up. I will pray for you tonight. God bless you. Just raise your hand up. Let me pray for you. God bless you and God bless you wherever you are sitting. Just slip your hand up. I'll pray for you. God bless you. There in the back. God bless. Even if I can't see you, it doesn't matter. You raise your hand and take this little step of faith. God bless you.
While our heads are still bowed, maybe there are some of you that would say, you know, I know this is true, but I've fallen away from it. But I want to make a recommitment to Jesus. I want to return to the Lord right now. Pray for me. If that's your desire, if you want to come back to Jesus Christ, would you raise up your hand? And let me pray for you right now. You want to come back home again to the safety of your Father's house in a relationship with God. Let me pray for you. Raise your hand up wherever you are. God bless you. Just lift your hand up. God bless you. Anybody else? Lift your hand up now. I'll pray for you. All right.
Now you that have raised your hand, if you would, please, I want you to stand to your feet, and I'm going to lead you in a prayer. Again, every one of you that just raised your hand, saying you want Christ to come into your life, I want you to stand up, and I'm going to lead you in a prayer. So wherever you are right now, stand up. That's right. Just stand up. God bless you. Stand up. Others are standing. You won't be the only one. Stand up. You heard me right. Stand to your feet. God bless you. Every one of you is standing. God bless you. God bless you. Stand up now.
Even if you did not raise your hand, but you want to make this commitment or recommitment to Christ. I am going to lead you in a prayer. Just stand up. God bless you. Anybody else? A couple more moments. If you are going to stand, stand now. God bless you. One final moment. Stand up. I will lead you in this prayer. Alright.
Now all of you that are standing, I want you to pray this prayer out loud after me. And this is where you are asking God to forgive you of your sin. Again, as I pray, pray this out loud after me. Pray this after me if you would. Right now. Out loud. Lord Jesus, I know I am a sinner. But you died on the cross. And you shed your blood for every sin I have ever committed. I turn from that sin now. I choose to follow you from this moment forward as Savior and Lord, as God and friend. Thank you for calling me. And accepting me. And forgiving me. In Jesus name I pray. Amen.