bro.rory, Author at FBC Spur

The Predetermined Death of Ahab (1 Kings 22:1-40)

January 31, 2014 By bro.rory

1 Kings 22:1-40 (read 37-40)

I know it has been several weeks since we were in our study of 1 Kings,

So it is certainly good to be back in this very enlightening book

On the importance of seeking and trusting God.

You will remember that most recently we have been stuck on one king.

He is the most wicked king to ever take the throne in Israel.

1 Kings 21:25 “Surely there was no one like Ahab who sold himself to do evil in the sight of the LORD, because Jezebel his wife incited him.”

Yet 6 chapters of Scripture are devoted to him.

Ahab forms a good back ground for revival.

In him we see how far Israel has fallen, and how bad they need revival.

Ahab also becomes a good candidate for revival.

(Recap his life)

1) Built a house for Baal

2) 3 ½ year drought

3) Loss on Mt. Carmel

4) Mercifully delivered from Ben-Hadad

5) Failed to kill Ben-Hadad and suffered a judgment for it.

1 Kings 20:42 “He said to him, “Thus says the LORD, ‘Because you have let go out of your hand the man whom I had devoted to destruction, therefore your life shall go for his life, and your people for his people.'”

6) Murdered Naboth and stole his vineyard

7) Suffered judgment for that.

1 Kings 21:17-19 “Then the word of the LORD came to Elijah the Tishbite, saying, “Arise, go down to meet Ahab king of Israel, who is in Samaria; behold, he is in the vineyard of Naboth where he has gone down to take possession of it. “You shall speak to him, saying, ‘Thus says the LORD, ” Have you murdered and also taken possession?”‘ And you shall speak to him, saying, ‘Thus says the LORD, “In the place where the dogs licked up the blood of Naboth the dogs will lick up your blood, even yours.”‘”

Ahab was stubborn and obstinate and he forced God to literally crush him before he would humble himself before God.

8) However, after this last judgment Ahab did humble himself

1 Kings 21:29 “Do you see how Ahab has humbled himself before Me? Because he has humbled himself before Me, I will not bring the evil in his days, but I will bring the evil upon his house in his son’s days.”

9) Because Ahab finally did humble himself before God, his judgment was postponed.

The tragedy was that because Ahab took so long to repent,

He had already stored up an enormous amount of judgment.

He was going to die…

The dogs would lick up his blood…

These were promises from God.

This morning, we see those promises come to a fulfillment.

Therefore this morning I want to remind you about

The faithfulness of God to carry out His word,

But also the sovereignty of God that can make it happen.

God’s judgment is not a threat that should be taken lightly.

2 Peter 2:4-10 “For if God did not spare angels when they sinned, but cast them into hell and committed them to pits of darkness, reserved for judgment; and did not spare the ancient world, but preserved Noah, a preacher of righteousness, with seven others, when He brought a flood upon the world of the ungodly; and if He condemned the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah to destruction by reducing them to ashes, having made them an example to those who would live ungodly lives thereafter; and if He rescued righteous Lot, oppressed by the sensual conduct of unprincipled men (for by what he saw and heard that righteous man, while living among them, felt his righteous soul tormented day after day by their lawless deeds), then the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from temptation, and to keep the unrighteous under punishment for the day of judgment, and especially those who indulge the flesh in its corrupt desires and despise authority.”

Peter said:

• Take the sinning angels as an example…

• Take the great flood as an example…

• Take Sodom and Gomorrah as an example…

God know how “to keep the unrighteous under punishment”

When God promises judgment it occurs, there is no way to escape it.

Isaiah 30:15-17 “For thus the Lord GOD, the Holy One of Israel, has said, “In repentance and rest you will be saved, In quietness and trust is your strength.” But you were not willing, And you said, “No, for we will flee on horses,” Therefore you shall flee! “And we will ride on swift horses,” Therefore those who pursue you shall be swift. One thousand will flee at the threat of one man; You will flee at the threat of five, Until you are left as a flag on a mountain top And as a signal on a hill.”

People all over the world live with this silly misconception

That somehow they will be able to avoid the great judgment.

But that is a faulty thought.

You cannot flee from it, you cannot escape it.

Revelation 22:12 “Behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to render to every man according to what he has done.”

Hebrews 9:27 “And inasmuch as it is appointed for men to die once and after this comes judgment,”

The point is that when God decrees disaster, it is a guarantee!

So don’t force Him to go that far to get your attention.

This morning we close out the life of Ahab.

To open the service, I read to you the fulfillment of the prophecy in which the dogs actually licked up Ahab’s blood after he died.

Now, I want to take you back

To let you see exactly how that event came about.

It is a tremendous testimony to God’s sovereign power

To accomplish any purpose that He desires.

There are 4 main events in our text

#1 THE PETITION OF AHAB

1 Kings 22:1-4

“Three years passed without war between Aram and Israel.”

It was Aram and Ben-Hadad that consumed the battles of chapter 20,

And from whom God had delivered Ahab.

Because Ahab humbled himself, God granted him 3 yrs. of peace.

But now it was time for Ahab’s prophetic death to come about.

It begins with a situation that troubles Ahab.

(3) “Do you know that Ramoth-gilead belongs to us, and we are still doing nothing to take it out of the hand of the king of Aram?”

You may remember that when Ahab spared Ben-Hadad’s life,

Ben-Hadad made a promise:

1 Kings 20:34 “Ben-hadad said to him, “The cities which my father took from your father I will restore, and you shall make streets for yourself in Damascus, as my father made in Samaria.” Ahab said, “And I will let you go with this covenant.” So he made a covenant with him and let him go.”

Apparently Ben-Hadad had reneged a little on his promise,

And Ahab was going to force him to follow through.

And for help he wants to enlist Jehoshaphat.

Who responds:

(4) “I am as you are, my people as your people, my horses as your horses.”

If you are curious why Jehoshaphat would help, here is why:

2 Chronicles 18:1-3 “Now Jehoshaphat had great riches and honor; and he allied himself by marriage with Ahab. Some years later he went down to visit Ahab at Samaria. And Ahab slaughtered many sheep and oxen for him and the people who were with him, and induced him to go up against Ramoth-gilead. Ahab king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat king of Judah, “Will you go with me against Ramoth-gilead?” And he said to him, “I am as you are, and my people as your people, and we will be with you in the battle.”

So you see there was a little manipulation worked into that decision.

(A decision that will come back to haunt Jehoshaphat)

But none the less, it appears that the battle is being set,

And I hope you notice that the battle is Ahab’s idea.

The Petition of Ahab

#2 THE PERVERSION OF THE PROPHETS

1 Kings 22:5-12

Jehoshaphat is willing, but would like to know the LORD’S will.

(5) “Please inquire first for the word of the LORD.”

And it appears that Ahab is fine with that.

(6) “Then the king of Israel gathered the prophets together, about four hundred men, and said to them, “Shall I go against Ramoth-gilead to battle or shall I refrain?” And they said, “Go up, for the Lord will give it into the hand of the king.”

I hope you noticed the difference in the way

The word “Lord” is recorded.

In verse 5, “LORD” is all capital letters, which is a reference to the name of Yahweh. It was the covenantal name of God.

However in verse 6, “Lord” is not all caps which refers to any and all generic gods, masters, or Lords.

Jehoshaphat wants to hear from God,

They all speak from some other authority.

Which prompts Jehoshaphat to ask:

(7) “Is there not yet a prophet of the LORD here that we may inquire of him?”

And you have to love Ahab’s response:

(8) “There is yet one man by whom we may inquire of the LORD, but I hate him, because he does not prophesy good concerning me, but evil. He is Micaiah son of Imlah.”

If that is not the prevailing mindset of the world, then nothing is.

We learn that the 400 prophets Ahab had, were hand picked

Because they would sell themselves to please Ahab.

They were “ear-tickling, prophets for profit”.

BUT NOTICE HOW THEY CHANGE THEIR SERMON

WHEN THEY REALIZE JEHOSHAPHAT IS UNHAPPY.

VERSES 9-12

They instantly change their tune and

Start prophesying in the name of the “LORD”.

These are ear-tickling, tell you what you want to hear king of guys.

THESE FALSE PROPHETS ARE ENCOURAGING AHAB

TO GO UP TO FIGHT AGAINST ARAM.

You will see in a moment that this was a crucial thing.

The Petition of Ahab The Perversion of the Prophets

#3 THE PROCLAMATION OF GOD

1 Kings 22:13-28

VERSES 13-16

It is quite humorous, how they try to intimidate Micaiah,

But he is the real deal.

When he gets there, he very sarcastically copies

Those spineless prophets who insist upon tickling the ears.

Ahab certainly picked up on the sarcasm:

(16) “How many times must I adjure you to speak to me nothing but the truth in the name of the LORD?”

Then comes the actual prophesy.

(17) “So he said, “I saw all Israel Scattered on the mountains, Like sheep which have no shepherd. And the LORD said, ‘These have no master. Let each of them return to his house in peace.'”

The truth was that the leader of Israel would be killed

And his people would scatter from battle.

Ahab’s response:

(18) “Did I not tell you that he would not prophesy good concerning me, but evil?”

Now, if the story stopped there,

We might just chalk this up as a warning to Ahab

That he should avoid the battle and save his life.

But remember, this is not a warning.

God is at work here to fulfill a previous prophesy

About Ahab’s death.

And because that is the case, Micaiah goes a little further

And reveals how God has been at work to bring this battle about.

VERSES 19-23

It is apparent that those false prophets were sent by God

To purposely coerce Ahab into battle.

(23) “Now therefore, behold, the LORD has put a deceiving spirit in the mouth of all these your prophets; and the LORD has proclaimed disaster against you.”

I know some have difficulty with that concept,

So let me help you with that verse a little.

God did not lie to Ahab, rather God allowed the liar (Satan) to do so

In order to accomplish His purposes.

DON’T BE SURPRISED AT THIS, GOD HAS SATAN ON A LEASH

Job 1:6-12 “Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan also came among them. The LORD said to Satan, “From where do you come?” Then Satan answered the LORD and said, “From roaming about on the earth and walking around on it.” The LORD said to Satan, “Have you considered My servant Job? For there is no one like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, fearing God and turning away from evil.” Then Satan answered the LORD, “Does Job fear God for nothing? “Have You not made a hedge about him and his house and all that he has, on every side? You have blessed the work of his hands, and his possessions have increased in the land. “But put forth Your hand now and touch all that he has; he will surely curse You to Your face.” Then the LORD said to Satan, “Behold, all that he has is in your power, only do not put forth your hand on him.” So Satan departed from the presence of the LORD.”

Even Satan has to have God’s permission to move and act.

Proverbs 16:4 “The LORD has made everything for its own purpose, Even the wicked for the day of evil.”

And it is apparent that God even uses such liars as Satan

To deceive those who are headed into destruction.

This happens today

Romans 1:28 “And just as they did not see fit to acknowledge God any longer, God gave them over to a depraved mind, to do those things which are not proper,”

This will happen in the end times

2 Thessalonians 2:8-12 “Then that lawless one will be revealed whom the Lord will slay with the breath of His mouth and bring to an end by the appearance of His coming; that is, the one whose coming is in accord with the activity of Satan, with all power and signs and false wonders, and with all the deception of wickedness for those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth so as to be saved. For this reason God will send upon them a deluding influence so that they will believe what is false, in order that they all may be judged who did not believe the truth, but took pleasure in wickedness.”

It is a picture of God taking a person who wants to be deceived

And allowing them to be deceived.

He is doing this to Ahab with perverted prophets.

Now of course the prophets hated this insinuation.

VERSES 24-25

Ahab didn’t like it much either

VERSES 26-28

But we will see that God is at work.

The Petition of Ahab The Perversion of the Prophets The Proclamation of God

#4 THE PERFECTION OF THE PLAN

1 Kings 22:29-40

In find it interesting that Ahab did not believe Micaiah,

But he didn’t totally disregard him either.

Instead he tried to cover himself from the judgment of God.

VERSES 29-30

How many suppose that they can hide from God’s judgment.

Revelation 6:14-17 “The sky was split apart like a scroll when it is rolled up, and every mountain and island were moved out of their places. Then the kings of the earth and the great men and the commanders and the rich and the strong and every slave and free man hid themselves in the caves and among the rocks of the mountains; and they said to the mountains and to the rocks, “Fall on us and hide us from the presence of Him who sits on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb; for the great day of their wrath has come, and who is able to stand?”

There is no place to hide from God’s judgment.

YET AHAB TRIES TO HIDE FROM GOD’S JUDGMENT

BUT GOD IS SOVEREIGN

At first Ahab’s plan seems to work.

VERSES 31-33

At first Ahab’s plan seems to work.

Until, one of the most random acts in all of Scripture occurs.

(34) “Now a certain man drew his bow at random and struck the king of Israel in a joint in the armor. So he said to the driver of his chariot, “Turn around and take me out of the fight; for I am severely wounded.”

The end result, was what I read to you earlier.

VERSES 37-40

• God had promised Ahab would die – he did.

• God promised his life would be given in exchange for Ben-hadad – it was.

• God promised his blood would be licked up where Naboth’s was – it was.

The death of Ahab was predetermined by God,

And it happened exactly as God said it would.

ALLOW ME TO REMIND YOU ABOUT GOD’S SOVEREIGN ABILITY

There are three kinds of sovereignty we see in this story.

1) SITUATIONAL SOVEREIGNTY

God has control over wars,

And even over the desires of men to fight them.

• Do you suppose it was mere coincidence that Ben-hadad never gave back Ramoth-gilead?

• Do you suppose it was mere coincidence that Ahab couldn’t just live without that city?

God has sovereignty over the situations we find ourselves in.

There are many other examples, I’ll give you one.

Under the reign of Hezekiah, Assyria will try to conquer Judah. But Hezekiah will pray, and watch what God will do.

2 Kings 19:6-7 “Isaiah said to them, “Thus you shall say to your master, ‘Thus says the LORD, “Do not be afraid because of the words that you have heard, with which the servants of the king of Assyria have blasphemed Me. “Behold, I will put a spirit in him so that he will hear a rumor and return to his own land. And I will make him fall by the sword in his own land.”‘”

In other words, God was saying I will make the king of Assyria

Want to go home, and there he will die.

Was this any different than Ahab wanting to go to war with Aram?

God was sovereign over the whole situation.

2) SPIRITUAL SOVEREIGNTY

God has control over everyone and everything.

EVEN EVIL SPIRITS

Saul went to a spirit medium

(Ordinarily they cannot bring up the dead)

1 Samuel 28:8-14 “Then Saul disguised himself by putting on other clothes, and went, he and two men with him, and they came to the woman by night; and he said, “Conjure up for me, please, and bring up for me whom I shall name to you.” But the woman said to him, “Behold, you know what Saul has done, how he has cut off those who are mediums and spiritists from the land. Why are you then laying a snare for my life to bring about my death?” Saul vowed to her by the LORD, saying, “As the LORD lives, no punishment shall come upon you for this thing.” Then the woman said, “Whom shall I bring up for you?” And he said, “Bring up Samuel for me.” When the woman saw Samuel, she cried out with a loud voice; and the woman spoke to Saul, saying, “Why have you deceived me? For you are Saul.” The king said to her, “Do not be afraid; but what do you see?” And the woman said to Saul, “I see a divine being coming up out of the earth.” He said to her, “What is his form?” And she said, “An old man is coming up, and he is wrapped with a robe.” And Saul knew that it was Samuel, and he bowed with his face to the ground and did homage.”

Nebuchadnezzar consulted with divination to determine where to fight, and God spoke through that.

Ezekiel 21:18-23 “The word of the LORD came to me saying, “As for you, son of man, make two ways for the sword of the king of Babylon to come; both of them will go out of one land. And make a signpost; make it at the head of the way to the city. “You shall mark a way for the sword to come to Rabbah of the sons of Ammon, and to Judah into fortified Jerusalem. “For the king of Babylon stands at the parting of the way, at the head of the two ways, to use divination; he shakes the arrows, he consults the household idols, he looks at the liver. “Into his right hand came the divination, ‘Jerusalem,’ to set battering rams, to open the mouth for slaughter, to lift up the voice with a battle cry, to set battering rams against the gates, to cast up ramps, to build a siege wall. “And it will be to them like a false divination in their eyes; they have sworn solemn oaths. But he brings iniquity to remembrance, that they may be seized.”

You could talk about Balaam and how God would not let him give a curse on Israel.

It is a spiritual sovereignty.

God is sovereign over every evil spirit, and over every cast lot.

If you want to listen, He can get you the truth.

If you want to be deceived, He controls the lying spirits as well.

But the one that is most amazing to me is:

3) SPECIFIC SOVEREIGNTY

Most people call this coincidence. It is not.

Notice what all God controlled here.

• Sovereignty over the shot of a soldier…

• Sovereignty over the flight of an arrow…

• Sovereignty over the joint of an armor…

• Sovereignty over the choice of a servant, where to wash the chariot…

• Sovereignty over the hunger of dog…

God gave some specifics about Ahab’s death,

And every one of them was carried out to absolute perfection.

MY POINT IS THIS:

GOD ACCOMPLISHES HIS PURPOSES

Isaiah 43:13 “Even from eternity I am He, And there is none who can deliver out of My hand; I act and who can reverse it?”

Isaiah 14:24 “The LORD of hosts has sworn saying, “Surely, just as I have intended so it has happened, and just as I have planned so it will stand,”

Isaiah 14:27 “”For the LORD of hosts has planned, and who can frustrate it? And as for His stretched-out hand, who can turn it back?”

When God promised death to Ahab, death is what he got.

EXACTLY HOW GOD PROMISED IT

Do not mess around with the warnings of God in Scripture.

When God warns of an eternal hell,

And a worm that does not die,

And a fire that is not quenched,

DO NOT BRUSH HIM OFF.

He can do it, and He will do it.

When God says repent or else, He means it.

Heed His warnings and turn to Him, before He has to crush you.

Isaiah 55:6-7 “Seek the LORD while He may be found; Call upon Him while He is near. Let the wicked forsake his way And the unrighteous man his thoughts; And let him return to the LORD, And He will have compassion on him, And to our God, For He will abundantly pardon.”

We have already seen that God is bringing revival to Israel.

It could happen in Ahab or in spite of him.

The same can be said for you and I.

GOD CAN BRING REVIVAL IN YOU, OR IN SPITE OF YOU.

2 Corinthians 6:2 “AT THE ACCEPTABLE TIME I LISTENED TO YOU, AND ON THE DAY OF SALVATION I HELPED YOU.” Behold, now is “THE ACCEPTABLE TIME,” behold, now is “THE DAY OF SALVATION”

Loving God’s Word (Psalms 119:97-104)

January 31, 2014 By bro.rory

Loving God’s Word
Psalms 119:97-104
November 6, 2011

I have to say that tonight we look at my favorite stanza of this 119th Psalm.
We certainly find value in every line, but this one just jumps to me.

For here we find our Psalmist simply giving an account
Of his great love for the word of God.

If indeed these stanzas build upon one another,
It seems that the victory he experienced last week
Has spilled over into doxology this week.

You may remember that our Psalmist
Has been dealing quite a while now with affliction.

And we have seen him with almost every conceivable emotion.
He has questioned it…
He has fought it…
He has embraced it…
He has appreciated it…
He has asked for it to leave…
He has even reached despair over it…

But last week we finally saw him conquer it.
(92-93) “If Your law had not been my delight, Then I would have perished in my affliction. I will never forget Your precepts, For by them You have revived me.”

That certainly was a rejuvenated man.
That certainly was a victorious man.

Now, as we noted, his affliction wasn’t gone.
(95) “The wicked wait for me to destroy me; I shall diligently consider Your testimonies.”

His affliction wasn’t gone, but he had found victory in the middle of it.

And he gave sole credit for that victory to the word of God.
It was God’s law that kept him from perishing.
It was God’s precepts that revived him.

And it is apparent that he is not yet finished
Testifying to his high esteem of God’s word.

For tonight we have a stanza purely devoted to his love for God’s Word.

And certainly loving the word of God is essential in our lives.

You may remember when we talked about the Anti-Christ
While studying 2 Thessalonians.
Listen to what Paul said about people who don’t love the truth.
2 Thessalonians 2:8-12 “Then that lawless one will be revealed whom the Lord will slay with the breath of His mouth and bring to an end by the appearance of His coming; that is, the one whose coming is in accord with the activity of Satan, with all power and signs and false wonders, and with all the deception of wickedness for those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth so as to be saved. For this reason God will send upon them a deluding influence so that they will believe what is false, in order that they all may be judged who did not believe the truth, but took pleasure in wickedness.”

There, love of God’s word is equated with salvation.

Jesus indicated the same:
John 8:31-32 “So Jesus was saying to those Jews who had believed Him, “If you continue in My word, then you are truly disciples of Mine; and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free.”

And you may remember that love for God’s word
Was one of the chief distinctions of the early church.

Acts 2:41-42 “So then, those who had received his word were baptized; and that day there were added about three thousand souls. They were continually devoting themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.”

It is easy to say that a chief characteristic of the children of God
Is that they love the word of God.

And in reality, this is obvious.
How can you claim to love God if you don’t care to listen to Him speak?

And so love of God’s Word is basic.
And that is precisely what our Psalmist is.
He has a tremendous love for God’s word.

In fact he begins by saying, “O how I love Your law!”

And that phrase is very insightful.

He doesn’t just say, “I love Your law”, but “O how I love Your law!”

It is almost as if “love” isn’t a strong enough word for him.
He loves it immensely.
He loves it exceedingly.
His love for it is immeasurable.

He can’t seem to put a limit on it,
Nor can he seem to be able to express it fully.
I just love it soooo much!

And that is a refreshing statement to us.
We live in a day where God’s word may or may not be loved.
But we certainly live in a day where if you talk about God’s “law”,
It most certainly is not.

Even in the church, people have grown
To attach a negative connotation to the “law” of God.

It sounds condemning.
It sounds judgmental.
And today everyone wants to put the emphasis on grace and blessing.

So talk about precepts all you want.
Talk about Scriptures if you must.
But if you talk about “law” that is most certainly negative.

BUT THAT IS REGRETTABLE.
Romans 7:7 “What shall we say then? Is the Law sin? May it never be! On the contrary, I would not have come to know sin except through the Law; for I would not have known about coveting if the Law had not said, “YOU SHALL NOT COVET.”

Romans 7:12 “So then, the Law is holy, and the commandment is holy and righteous and good.”

God’s law is God’s word. It is good.
It is perfect.
It should be loved.

And that is precisely what we hear from our Psalmist.
And so tonight, let’s see what it looks like to love God’s Word.

The Psalmist will show you what it means to love the word of God.
#1 THE EXPRESSION OF HIS LOVE
Psalms 119:97

We already saw that the Psalmist loves the word of God,
But here he even shows us what it means to love God’s word.

HOW DO YOU EXPRESS LOVE FOR GOD’S WORD?
“It is my meditation all the day.”

This is actually one of my favorite words in regard to the word of God.

You can’t just read God’s word
And you can’t just listen to God’s Word being read.
If you want the full effect, you have to meditate on it.

Proverbs 2:1-6 “My son, if you will receive my words And treasure my commandments within you, Make your ear attentive to wisdom, Incline your heart to understanding; For if you cry for discernment, Lift your voice for understanding; If you seek her as silver And search for her as for hidden treasures; Then you will discern the fear of the LORD And discover the knowledge of God. For the LORD gives wisdom; From His mouth come knowledge and understanding.”
I tend to believe that Proverbs 2:1-6 is the pinnacle passage
On how to study the Bible.

Notice all the words he uses in regard to the way we treat God’s word.
“RECEIVE my words”
“TREASURE my commandments”
“MAKE your ear attentive”
“INCLINE your heart”
“CRY for discernment”
“LIFT your voice for understanding”
“SEEK her as silver”
“SEARCH for her as for hidden treasures”

The writer of Proverbs is clear about
How the search for wisdom should be conducted.

He treats it as though it is a fine jewel.
I’ve always pictured it as a fine jewel buried beneath the earth.

If a miner is going to find it he will have devote himself to the process.
Not all nuggets just sit right out on the surface.
To find some, you have to dig for them.

It takes work, it takes diligence, but the reward is certainly worth it.

Well, reading the Bible requires the same kind of diligence.
In this book, not all the jewels just sit right out on the surface.
Some are buried deep within.

Romans 11:33 “Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and unfathomable His ways!”

And to begin to learn the things He would reveal
Requires extreme diligence.

You are all aware of the fact that the Scriptures are appraised.
1 Corinthians 2:11 “For who among men knows the thoughts of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him? Even so the thoughts of God no one knows except the Spirit of God.”

And yet God gives us His Spirit that we can understand these things.
But we must work at it.

Paul told Timothy:
2 Timothy 2:15 “Be diligent to present yourself approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, accurately handling the word of truth.”

And so we know Bible understanding requires work and diligence,
Just like a miner extracting a precious jewel.

BUT HOW DO WE MINE?
The answer is meditation.
We read, read, and re-read.
We contemplate.
We listen

It is Read, Contemplate, Think, Pray, Question and Apply…
You roll it all up into one and we call it meditation.

There is so much depth to the word of God
And meditation is the key to begin to unearth some of that depth.

Psalms 27:4 “One thing I have asked from the LORD, that I shall seek: That I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, To behold the beauty of the LORD And to meditate in His temple.”

Furthermore, meditation is an expression of love.

Remember when you met the love of your life?
• Some facts were on the surface (name, looks, etc.)
• Some facts required a little more digging.
• Some you are still trying to dig out.

BUT YOU DO IT BECAUSE YOU LOVE THEM
So it is with God’s word.
The Psalmist loves God’s word and he expresses that love by meditation.
He loves to fill his mind with what God has said.

The Expression of His Love
#2 THE EXPLANATION OF HIS LOVE
Psalms 119:98-100

We already know that the Psalmist has a great love for God’s Word,
A love so deep that he meditates upon it continually.

A GOOD QUESTION AT THIS POINT WOULD BE WHY?

You could say, “I love my wife”.
Someone could say, “Why?”

And you would have to give explanation as to why she is worth loving.

Well that Psalmist tells you here why he loves God’s Word.

And the simple answer is because it makes him wise.
And wisdom is of great value!

Proverbs 3:13-18 “How blessed is the man who finds wisdom And the man who gains understanding. For her profit is better than the profit of silver And her gain better than fine gold. She is more precious than jewels; And nothing you desire compares with her. Long life is in her right hand; In her left hand are riches and honor. Her ways are pleasant ways And all her paths are peace. She is a tree of life to those who take hold of her, And happy are all who hold her fast.”

Wisdom is vitally important in this life.
We desperately need it, and we greatly desire it.
And the Psalmist loves God’s word because that is where he finds it.

In fact he gives examples of what he means.
1) God’s Word makes me Craftier than the Enemy (98)

When we talk about being crafty or cunning,
The Scripture paints this to be the chief characteristic of the enemy.

He is slick, he is smooth, he is cunning, he is stealthy
Genesis 3:1 “Now the serpent was more crafty than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said to the woman, “Indeed, has God said, ‘You shall not eat from any tree of the garden’?”

Ephesians 6:11 “Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil.”

The enemy is crafty.
And yet “Your commandments make me wiser than my enemies.”

It is of tremendous value to be a step ahead of the enemy.
It is extremely important to know ahead of time his plan of attack.

When I know God’s Word, I am a step ahead of the game.
I am wise, and I am ready for the enemy.

“For they are ever mine.”
In other words, I am wiser than the enemy because I own God’s word.
I have not only received it, but there is a level of ownership to it.

MAYBE YOU HAVE A VERSE LIKE THAT,
THAT YOU HAVE PROVEN AND NOW CALL IT “YOURS”.

That is what the Psalmist said.
He has believed God’s Word and it makes him craftier than the enemy.

2) God’s Word makes me more Knowledgeable than the Scholars (99)

The chief example of craftiness is the enemy.
The chief example of knowledge is the scholar.

• They have devoted their lives to studying and learning and lecturing.
• They have degrees and awards and accomplishments.
• They have solved problems and answered riddles.
• They are revered as knowledgeable.
And yet the Psalmist says, “I have more insight than all my teachers”

I may not have a great education, like they do,
But I am not ignorant nor am I slow to understand.

There is a wisdom in me that is not of man.
There is an education in me that is beyond worldly.

Remember Paul?
Galatians 1:11-12 “For I would have you know, brethren, that the gospel which was preached by me is not according to man. For I neither received it from man, nor was I taught it, but I received it through a revelation of Jesus Christ.”

Remember the Apostles?
Acts 4:13 “Now as they observed the confidence of Peter and John and understood that they were uneducated and untrained men, they were amazed, and began to recognize them as having been with Jesus.”

Even Jesus
John 7:15-16 “The Jews then were astonished, saying, “How has this man become learned, having never been educated?” So Jesus answered them and said, “My teaching is not Mine, but His who sent Me.”

I am not knocking education,
But it does not equate with the wisdom found in God’s Word.

1 Corinthians 3:18-20 “Let no man deceive himself. If any man among you thinks that he is wise in this age, he must become foolish, so that he may become wise. For the wisdom of this world is foolishness before God. For it is written, “He is THE ONE WHO CATCHES THE WISE IN THEIR CRAFTINESS”; and again, “THE LORD KNOWS THE REASONINGS of the wise, THAT THEY ARE USELESS.”

And the Psalmist understood that.

I can’t go and debate physics with a professor at Texas Tech,
But that does not mean I am not wise.

Man’s education may explain how laws of the universe affect us,
But man’s education has never answered who wrote those laws.

The best answers man has are an explosion and a monkey.

The Psalmist says God’s word gives him knowledge.

“I have more insight than all my teachers, for Your testimonies are my meditation.”
I get it because I meditate on it.
I don’t just sit on the surface.

And so meditation is not only an expression of love,
But is also a means of knowledge.
3) God’s Word makes me more Experienced than the Aged (100)

The Enemy is the pinnacle example of Craftiness.
The Scholars are the pinnacle example of Knowledge.

But if you want to see the pinnacle example of experience,
You go to the aged.

And there is tremendous value in talking with them.
Proverbs 20:29 “The glory of young men is their strength, And the honor of old men is their gray hair.”

Leviticus 19:32 ‘You shall rise up before the grayheaded and honor the aged, and you shall revere your God; I am the LORD.”

Job 12:12 “Wisdom is with aged men, With long life is understanding.”

Certainly there is a wealth of knowledge and experience there.

But notice what the Psalmist says: “I understand more than the aged,”

That is quite a statement.
• I am more crafty than the enemy.
• I am more knowledgeable than the scholar.
• I am more experienced than the aged.

HOW?
“Because I have observed Your precepts.”

A person used to say to me all the time, “Wisdom comes with age.”
I would respond, “It comes with fear of the Lord”.

Psalms 111:10 “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom; A good understanding have all those who do His commandments; His praise endures forever.”

The Psalmist knew that “fear of the LORD” (obedience)
Is what produces wisdom.

Certainly there is a manner of wisdom that comes from age,
Namely that which we know as experience.

But there is a wisdom even greater than that
Which only comes from God, through obedience to His word.

TURN TO: JOB 28

God has a wisdom that even experience cannot give you.
It is the wisdom of obedience.

And so now we see why he loves God’s Word so much.
It makes him wise.
His Expression of Love, His Explanation of Love
#3 THE ENDURANCE OF HIS LOVE
Psalms 119:101-102

I love the way he states this first phrase.
“I have restrained my feet from every evil way,”

WHY?
“That I may keep Your word.”

Notice also that he used the word “restrained”

That is to say that if given free reign
His feet would have naturally gravitated down the ways of evil.

The natural inclination of the human heart
Is to rush into sin and gravitate toward evil.

That is why Paul said:
1 Corinthians 9:27 “but I discipline my body and make it my slave, so that, after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified.”

That is why the writer of Hebrews said:
Hebrews 12:1 “Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us,”

And the Psalmist sees the need as well.
He has to restrain his feet, he has to overcome temptation
If he wants to be obedient.

And yet that is a struggle worth enduring because he loves to obey.

Furthermore we see an endurance in this struggle.
(102) “I have not turned aside from Your ordinances”

Regardless of the struggle…
Regardless of the temptation…
He has committed not to disregard God’s Word.

WHY?
“For You Yourself have taught me.”

AND THERE IS THE KEY TO IT ALL
He loves it because it is God’s Word
He endures because God said it

“You Yourself have taught me.”

John 14:26 “But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I said to you.”

This is what makes God’s word worth the effort.
IT IS GOD’S WORD

• We don’t follow this book because it is fun – we are not pleasure seekers
• We don’t follow this book because others do – we are not men pleasers
• We don’t follow this book because it is history – we are not historians
• We don’t follow this book because it works – we are not pragmatists
• We don’t follow this book because it is easy – it is not

WE FOLLOW THIS BOOK BECAUSE IT IS WHAT GOD SAID!

The God who created the world…
The God who will judge the world…
THAT God said these things, and that makes them more valuable to us
Than any other written word known to man.

And for that reason we not only love it, but we meditate on it,
We obey it, and we keep obeying it no matter what.

That was the attitude of our Psalmist.
His love of God’s word had endurance.

And it must, for “love bears all things”

We know he loved God’s word because he refused to leave it.

The Expression of His Love, The Explanation of His Love, The Endurance of His Love
#4 THE ENJOYMENT OF HIS LOVE
Psalms 119:102-104

Don’t you love the imagery?
“How sweet are Your words to my taste!”

See, he does love God’s word.
And his love is a commitment.
But it is not as though God’s word is hard to love.

It is not like those who commit to love God’s word have a difficult task.
God’s Word is easy to love.
It is sweet to the taste.

“Yes, sweeter than honey to my mouth!”

Proverbs 24:13-14 “My son, eat honey, for it is good, Yes, the honey from the comb is sweet to your taste; Know that wisdom is thus for your soul; If you find it, then there will be a future, And your hope will not be cut off.”

That is good advice.
Here the Psalmist would say, God’s word is good, so read it.

1 John 5:3 “For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments; and His commandments are not burdensome.”

Jesus said, “My yoke is easy, and My burden is light”

Point being, it is not hard to love God’s word, just read it.
If you will meditate upon it, you will understand.

Someone could say, “I don’t know if I would like so & so”.
Well, get to know them and see. You do and find that they are great to get to know.

That is even more true with God’s word.
It is a blessing.
It is sweet to the taste.

The Psalmist loves loving God’s word.

(104) “From Your precepts I get understanding; Therefore I hate every false way.”

The point there is he loves the right way (God’s Word) so much
That he actually hates everything that opposes it.

It is a hate that is born out of his love.

• If you love life, you hate murder.
• If you love marriage, you hate divorce.
• If you love people, you hate gossip.
• If you love God, you hate idols.
• If you love truth, you hate error.

And that is what the Psalmist said.
I love God’s Word so much, it is impossible for me to love what is false.

He is in love with the truth of God’s Word.

And the point is that loving God’s word is not a burden to him.
It is not a difficult choice.
He tried it and he loves it.

• He loves it because it makes him wise.
• He shows that love through meditation and endurance.
• And if he were given the option to get out of the commitment, he would not do it.

HE LOVES IT

Let me encourage you to love God’s Word in the same way.

If you don’t know, but you would like to, the path is easy.

Do what the Psalmist did.
(97) He meditated on it
(98) He made it his
(99) He meditated some more
(100) He obeyed it

And that is what allowed him to say it tastes sweet.

Listen if you are truly a believer,
You already have an in born hunger for God’s Word,
It just may be you need to try it.

(it is like being hungry and not knowing it)

Trust me, it will satisfy you and make you love it too.
(I used to not want to read the gospels – until I did)

The same with God’s word.
Get into this book and see why the Psalmist loved it so much.

Psalms 119:105 “Your word is a lamp to my feet And a light to my path.”

The Gentle Blowing of God (1 Kings 20)

January 31, 2014 By bro.rory

1 Kings 20 (1-15)

Most recently in our study of the Kings we have talked about

The REVIVAL that God began through the prophet Elijah.

WE SAW FIRE FALL ON MT. CARMEL

But then Elijah made a critical miscalculation.

After the great victory,

Elijah was just certain that he knew where God was headed.

So much so that Elijah actually out ran God to Jezreel.

Elijah didn’t find the revival he expected, he found a death threat.

Then came a significant point of training for Elijah:

1 Kings 19:11-13 “So He said, “Go forth and stand on the mountain before the LORD.” And behold, the LORD was passing by! And a great and strong wind was rending the mountains and breaking in pieces the rocks before the LORD; but the LORD was not in the wind. And after the wind an earthquake, but the LORD was not in the earthquake. After the earthquake a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire; and after the fire a sound of a gentle blowing. When Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face in his mantle and went out and stood in the entrance of the cave. And behold, a voice came to him and said, “What are you doing here, Elijah?”

Although Elijah was looking for a literal “Fire-Fall” type of revival,

He learned that revival doesn’t commonly come that way.

The true revival of God is not best explained

By an explosion, or a storm, or even a “firefall”.

All that fire-fall produced where some Half-Hearted, Momentary Converts who departed as quickly as they converted.

A TRUE REVIVAL OF GOD IS MUCH MORE THOROUGH THAN THAT

I recently read an article by John MacArthur entitled: “Practical Thoughts on an Enduring Ministry”

“Humble patience with people may be the most important virtue you’ll every exercise. After all, your goal as a pastor should be to bring the convictions of your congregation into line with the full message of God’s Word, and their lives to spiritually maturity. And this is a process of sanctification that takes time (decades not just months or years). It only comes from trusting the Spirit’s power in using His Word as it is faithfully proclaimed week after week, year after year.”

The point is that the truest revivals of God

Don’t occur as a flash in a pan, but in a slow cooking oven.

God works continually and thoroughly over time

To completely change hearts and build the convictions of those

Who have genuinely chosen to follow Him.

We are certainly learning that here in 1 Kings.

Elijah’s “revival” on Mt. Carmel was certainly short-lived

BUT THAT DOES NOT MEAN GOD IS NOT BRINGING REVIVAL

In fact, God promised Elijah that true revival was coming.

1 Kings 19:15-18 “The LORD said to him, “Go, return on your way to the wilderness of Damascus, and when you have arrived, you shall anoint Hazael king over Aram; and Jehu the son of Nimshi you shall anoint king over Israel; and Elisha the son of Shaphat of Abel-meholah you shall anoint as prophet in your place. “It shall come about, the one who escapes from the sword of Hazael, Jehu shall put to death, and the one who escapes from the sword of Jehu, Elisha shall put to death. “Yet I will leave 7,000 in Israel, all the knees that have not bowed to Baal and every mouth that has not kissed him.”

God was going to completely and thoroughly remove Baal from Israel.

God was going to bring revival, but not in one afternoon.

In fact, it wouldn’t even fully occur in Elijah’s lifetime.

God was bringing revival, but it is a thorough process

That could not be rushed.

It is that process that we see unfolding in our text this morning.

God is working in the heart of Ahab.

You and I know that God has already begun to work in Ahab’s life.

GOD GAVE HIM:

1) A Drought to Suffer Under (3 ½ years)

2) A Defeat to Acknowledge (Baal lost on Mt. Carmel)

This morning we see four more areas

In which God will “gently blow” to get Ahab’s attention.

WHAT I WANT YOU TO SEE:

The subtle ways that God works in our lives in order to get our attention.

I believe God is working revival in our midst,

But I don’t want you to miss it

Simply because you are waiting for the fire to fall.

Let me show you what the “gentle blowing” of God looks like in a life,

So that you will recognize it in yours and turn to God as He desires.

You will see this morning 4 times that God gently blows in Ahab’s life.

They are the four times that God speaks in this chapter.

Coupled with the previous two, here are four more ways in which God was working to Get Ahab’s attention.

#1 A DELIVERANCE TO ENJOY

1 Kings 20:1-15

Allow me to paraphrase:

• Ben-hadad is king of Aram and he is an arrogant man.

• He is now seeking to grow his kingdom by destroying Israel.

• He is purposely trying to pick a fight by asking for more than Ahab would give.

First he asks for Ahab’s wives

(which Ahab actually gives)

Next he asks for anything he or his servants want

Ahab realizes that he is only looking for trouble, and refuses.

This gave Ben-hadad the excuse he needed to declare war.

(10) “Ben-hadad sent to him and said, “May the gods do so to me and more also, if the dust of Samaria will suffice for handfuls for all the people who follow me.”

In other words, you wouldn’t give my servants anything they want,

So I am about to give them handfuls of your dust.

I am about to pound Samaria into rubble.

Ahab responds

(11) “Then the king of Israel replied, “Tell him, ‘Let not him who girds on his armor boast like him who takes it off.’”

Two soldiers may put on their armor with the intention of winning,

But only the one who is able to take off his armor

Is the one who truly was victorious.

BUT YOU SEE AHAB’S PREDICAMENT.

He is faced with a battle that he cannot escape…

He is faced with a danger that he cannot defeat…

And it is at this point that God enters the scene

With a “gentle blowing” for Ahab.

(13) “Now behold, a prophet approached Ahab king of Israel and said, “Thus says the LORD, ‘Have you seen all this great multitude? Behold, I will deliver them into your hand today, and you shall know that I am the LORD.'”

DOES THAT SEEM STRANGE TO YOU?

Ahab and God are not exactly allies.

Yet here God, without any prompting at all,

Just turns and freely offers deliverance to Ahab.

We call it mercy, and God is using it to try and get through to Ahab.

“and you shall know that I am the LORD.”

Sometimes God just does something inexplicably good in our lives

Simply to reveal to us that His plans for us are good.

• Maybe He heals a sickness…

• Maybe He provides financially…

• Maybe He allows a success…

He just does something good to show us that He loves us

And would like to play a bigger part in our lives.

The intention is that we would perceive and turn to Him completely

REMEMBER THIS ACCOUNT:

Matthew 20:29-34 “As they were leaving Jericho, a large crowd followed Him. And two blind men sitting by the road, hearing that Jesus was passing by, cried out, “Lord, have mercy on us, Son of David!” The crowd sternly told them to be quiet, but they cried out all the more, “Lord, Son of David, have mercy on us!” And Jesus stopped and called them, and said, “What do you want Me to do for you?” They said to Him, “Lord, we want our eyes to be opened.” Moved with compassion, Jesus touched their eyes; and immediately they regained their sight and followed Him.

It was just an act of undeserved mercy,

And it caused the recipient to follow.

I WONDER IF YOU WOULD NOTICE GOD DOING THIS IN YOUR LIFE?

• Can you recognize the good that God has done for you?

• Can you see His provision, or His hand of healing in your life?

• Can you see that everything you have is because of Him?

The INTENTION is that you will see that He is good

And would determine to follow Him.

Romans 12:1 “Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship.”

Let the mercy of God in your life

Motivate you to serve Him whole-heartedly.

That is how God was working in Ahab’s life.

First, a deliverance to enjoy

#2 A DELIMMA TO PONDER

1 Kings 20:16-22

Now of course you will notice that God

Came through with the deliverance just as he promised.

Ahab was able to perform a great slaughter of Aram.

But there is no record of Ahab’s repentance, or worship

So God allows for another chance to get Ahab’s attention.

You notice in verse 20 that “Ben-hadad king of Aram escaped on a horse with horsemen.”

This prompted yet another visit from God’s messenger.

(22) “Then a prophet came near to the king of Israel and said to him, “Go, strengthen yourself and observe and see what you have to do; for at the turn of the year the king of Aram will come up against you.”

Here God allows for Ahab to see a coming dilemma

And then gives him time to sweat it out and ponder on it.

Certainly Ahab would have rejoiced in his victory,

But because he failed to worship God his rejoicing would be short lived.

GOD WOULD NOT ALLOW HIM TO ENJOY VICTORY FOR LONG

This is a “gentle blowing” from God to allow Ahab to worry

So he might turn to the God who has already delivered him once.

“see what you have to do”

This was a command for Ahab to recognize his need for God’s help

SOMETIMES GOD WORKS LIKE THIS IN OUR LIVES AS WELL.

He allows hardships to throw us into turmoil and anxiety

So that we will be motivated to turn to Him.

Last week we saw it as: “Wilderness University”

Elijah was a great example of one who took his dilemma to God.

Let me give you another example.

King Hezekiah, when Assyria sent a letter threatening to destroy them.

2 Kings 19:14-19 “Then Hezekiah took the letter from the hand of the messengers and read it, and he went up to the house of the LORD and spread it out before the LORD. Hezekiah prayed before the LORD and said, “O LORD, the God of Israel, who are enthroned above the cherubim, You are the God, You alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth. You have made heaven and earth. “Incline Your ear, O LORD, and hear; open Your eyes, O LORD, and see; and listen to the words of Sennacherib, which he has sent to reproach the living God. “Truly, O LORD, the kings of Assyria have devastated the nations and their lands and have cast their gods into the fire, for they were not gods but the work of men’s hands, wood and stone. So they have destroyed them. “Now, O LORD our God, I pray, deliver us from his hand that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that You alone, O LORD, are God.”

He understood what to do with a dilemma, he turned back to God.

I WONDER IF YOU HAVE EVER RECOGNIZED THIS IN YOUR LIFE?

• God allows you to see a potential problem…

• God allows you to sweat something out a little…

He doesn’t do it to harm you,

He does it to cause you to depend upon Him.

1 Peter 5:6-7 “Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you at the proper time, casting all your anxiety on Him, because He cares for you.”

This is certainly what God wanted from Ahab,

But as you can see, there was no such response.

So God continues to work.

First through a Deliverance to Enjoy

Second through a Dilemma to Ponder

#3 A DEMONSTRATION TO CONSIDER

1 Kings 20:23-30

You will notice that Ben-hadad is more serious this time.

This time he had exchanged his politicians for soldiers

And he has mustered an army of well over 120,000.

You know the odds are against Israel, for look at verse 27:

“The sons of Israel were mustered and were provisioned and went to meet them; and the sons of Israel camped before them like two little flocks of goats, but the Arameans filled the country.”

Once again, defeat for Israel looks certain.

And then God’s prophet shows up

With another “gentle blowing” from the LORD.

(28) “Then a man of God came near and spoke to the king of Israel and said, “Thus says the LORD, ‘Because the Arameans have said, “The LORD is a god of the mountains, but He is not a god of the valleys,” therefore I will give all this great multitude into your hand, and you shall know that I am the LORD.'”

This time God is not delivering simply to show mercy to Ahab.

WHY IS GOD DELIVERING?

He is avenging His name on those who think

He is only a God of the mountains.

And He points that out to Ahab.

You would not turn and worship Me because I am merciful,

So maybe you will turn and worship Me because I am powerful.

God puts on a powerful display,

Which is also meant to get Ahab’s attention.

“and you shall know that I am the LORD.”

REMEMBER WHEN JESUS DID THIS?

Matthew 8:23-27 “When He got into the boat, His disciples followed Him. And behold, there arose a great storm on the sea, so that the boat was being covered with the waves; but Jesus Himself was asleep. And they came to Him and woke Him, saying, “Save us, Lord; we are perishing!” He said to them, “Why are you afraid, you men of little faith?” Then He got up and rebuked the winds and the sea, and it became perfectly calm. The men were amazed, and said, “What kind of a man is this, that even the winds and the sea obey Him?”

Remember what Jesus said to Nathanael?

John 1:50-51 “Jesus answered and said to him, “Because I said to you that I saw you under the fig tree, do you believe? You will see greater things than these.” And He said to him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, you will see the heavens opened and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man.”

Jesus also said:

John 5:36 “But the testimony which I have is greater than the testimony of John; for the works which the Father has given Me to accomplish — the very works that I do — testify about Me, that the Father has sent Me.”

They are all moments God uses to cause us to submit to Him

Because of His great power.

We are to see that He alone is God,

And that He alone is worthy of worship.

John 14:11 “Believe Me that I am in the Father and the Father is in Me; otherwise believe because of the works themselves.”

PERHAPS GOD HAS WORKED LIKE THIS IN YOUR LIFE

• A near death experience…

• A miraculous deliverance…

• Sometimes just a lightning storm, or a loud clasp of thunder…

Those times are meant by God to show you that He is God

And He is not to be messed with.

BUT AHAB STILL FAILED TO GET THE MESSAGE

First A Deliverance to Enjoy

Second A Dilemma to Ponder

Third A Demonstration to Consider

#4 A DISCIPLINE TO ANTICIPATE

1 Kings 20:31-43

Ahab obviously did not learn a thing,

For he turned loose the man God had delivered into his hand.

Verse 34 says, “he made a covenant with him and let him go.”

He should have been making a covenant with God,

Instead he is making it with the man who cursed God.

Ahab is not getting it.

This brings on a little dramatic parable,

The prophet pretends to be a man who has lost one given to his care.

Ahab reveals that his life should be given in exchange.

Then we hear the fourth time God speaks to Ahab in this chapter.

(42) “He said to him, “Thus says the LORD, Because you have let go out of your hand the man whom I had devoted to destruction, therefore your life shall go for his life, and your people for his people.”

Here is another “gentle blowing” in Ahab’s life.

God is yet again trying to get Ahab’s attention,

By now promising Ahab of a coming destruction.

Sometimes God results to drastic measures to get a person’s attention

• It can be a promise of judgment in Scripture…

• It can actually be a hardship or tragedy…

• It can be a literal punishment with consequences…

God is forced to reveal to a person exactly where they are headed

So that they might turn to Him in repentance and worship.

Jesus did this at times:

Matthew 11:20-24 “Then He began to denounce the cities in which most of His miracles were done, because they did not repent. “Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the miracles had occurred in Tyre and Sidon which occurred in you, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes. “Nevertheless I say to you, it will be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon in the day of judgment than for you. “And you, Capernaum, will not be exalted to heaven, will you? You will descend to Hades; for if the miracles had occurred in Sodom which occurred in you, it would have remained to this day. “Nevertheless I say to you that it will be more tolerable for the land of Sodom in the day of judgment, than for you.”

Jesus threatened judgment to get us to fear Him and repent.

Remember this parable?

Luke 13:6-9 “And He began telling this parable: “A man had a fig tree which had been planted in his vineyard; and he came looking for fruit on it and did not find any. “And he said to the vineyard-keeper, ‘Behold, for three years I have come looking for fruit on this fig tree without finding any. Cut it down! Why does it even use up the ground?’ “And he answered and said to him, ‘Let it alone, sir, for this year too, until I dig around it and put in fertilizer; and if it bears fruit next year, fine; but if not, cut it down.'”

John the Baptist said:

Matthew 3:10 “The axe is already laid at the root of the trees; therefore every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.”

When God threatens you with judgment (i.e. lays the axe at your root)

Then pay attention and start to please Him.

That is precisely what God is doing here to Ahab.

Unfortunately he still has not worked.

(43) “So the king of Israel went to his house sullen and vexed, and came to Samaria.”

Instead of repenting, he started pouting.

Now I know this was a long chapter,

But it was necessary to see it all in order to get the idea.

LOOK AT ALL THE WAYS GOD WAS “GENTLY BLOWING”

A Drought to Learn from

A Defeat to Acknowledge

A Deliverance to Enjoy

A Dilemma to Ponder

A Demonstration to Consider

A Discipline to Anticipate

And every time the King has turned a deaf ear,

And is only moving deeper into depravity.

BECAUSE OF HIS OBSTINANCE HE IS NOT ONLY DELAYING REVIVAL,

BUT IS HEAPING JUDGMENT UPON HIMSELF

HERE IS THE POINT:

I want you to open your eyes to see all the various ways

In which God has been at work in your life.

I want you to see the DROUGHTS He has allowed…

To cause you to RETURN to Him

I want you to see the DEFEATS He has allowed…

To cause you to TRUST only Him

I want you to see the DELIVERANCES He has performed…

To cause you to LOVE and SERVE Him

I want you to see the DILEMMAS He has brought your way…

To cause you to INQUIRE of Him

I want you to see the DEMONSTRATIONS of power He has shown you…

To cause you to BE IN AWE of Him

I want you to see the DISCIPLINES He promises for rejecting Him…

To cause you to FEAR Him

I want you to see the hand of God in your life.

GOD DESPERATELY WANTS FOR YOU TO TURN TO HIM

He wants from you what He wanted from Ahab,

For “you to know that I am the LORD.”

I believe with all my heart

That God is working for revival in this church.

It is not occurring as a fire flash on a mountain side.

But it is occurring as a gentle blowing through our midst.

Some in our midst are responding to God

Some in our midst are not

And all the while God is calling, God is working, God is moving…

Quietly, softly, subtly, but continually and thoroughly

Now if God is not working in your life,

I am not asking for a thing from you.

But if He is, I am asking is that you recognize it, and submit to Him.

Don’t be like Ahab, stubborn and obstinate,

But be willing to acknowledge God at work, and turn to Him.

Revival is on it’s way.

Hebrews 3:7-11 “Therefore, just as the Holy Spirit says, “TODAY IF YOU HEAR HIS VOICE, DO NOT HARDEN YOUR HEARTS AS WHEN THEY PROVOKED ME, AS IN THE DAY OF TRIAL IN THE WILDERNESS, WHERE YOUR FATHERS TRIED Me BY TESTING Me, AND SAW MY WORKS FOR FORTY YEARS. “THEREFORE I WAS ANGRY WITH THIS GENERATION, AND SAID, ‘THEY ALWAYS GO ASTRAY IN THEIR HEART, AND THEY DID NOT KNOW MY WAYS’; AS I SWORE IN MY WRATH, ‘THEY SHALL NOT ENTER MY REST.'”

The Showdown on Mt. Carmel – pt. 2 (1 Kings 18:34-46)

January 30, 2014 By bro.rory

1 Kings 18:34-46

You are well familiar now that we are in the middle of the focal incident

In the entire book of 1 Kings.

It is this event that the writer of Kings has been driving us to.

He wanted us to see the confrontation of Elijah,

This amazing showdown, and the repentance of the people.

We have used this section to talk about the various attributes of revival.

In Israel, God’s people had gravitated away from God,

And they needed to be revived.

Certainly we are not too arrogant

To assume that we are never in need of such a revival.

And so we are studying the elements of revival.

God first softened Israel up with a 3 ½ year drought

(while Elijah sought refuge with a Sidonian widow)

But after 3 ½ years, God began to move.

He sent Elijah back to Israel,

Elijah sent Obadiah to Ahab.

You may remember that Obadiah was not too keen on the idea.

1 Kings 18:13-14 “Has it not been told to my master what I did when Jezebel killed the prophets of the LORD, that I hid a hundred prophets of the LORD by fifties in a cave, and provided them with bread and water? “And now you are saying, ‘Go, say to your master, “Behold, Elijah is here”‘; he will then kill me.”

Obadiah had been a faithful silent witness, but God wanted more.

And thus we learned our first principle of revival.

REVIVAL REQUIRES NOT ONLY THE WICKED TO REPENT,

BUT THE RIGHTEOUS TO STEP OUT.

God wants us all revived, not just those we label as immoral.

You may not consider yourself immoral, but is it possible,

That you can give more than what you’ve been giving.

Elijah had Ahab gather all Israel to Mt. Carmel, for a SERMON

(Sermon of Elijah)

1 Kings 18:21 “Elijah came near to all the people and said, “How long will you hesitate between two opinions? If the LORD is God, follow Him; but if Baal, follow him.” But the people did not answer him a word.”

They were a vacillating people and they needed to get off of the fence.

REVIVAL REQUIRES US TO MAKE A DECISION

ABOUT WHO WE ARE GOING TO SERVE.

Maybe we serve a foreign god…

Maybe we serve a way of life…

Maybe we serve our selves…

But revival will never occur

As long as we are hesitating in our convictions.

With God, you must be all in or all out, there is no “lukewarm” allowed.

After the sermon of Elijah, the showdown began. (Suggestion of Elijah)

The prophets of Baal were to prepare an ox and lay it on the altar,

But put no fire under it, and then call on the name of Baal to light the fire.

But despite their sincere devotion, the ox didn’t even get warm.

Nothing happened, and so Elijah took the opportunity

To publicly humiliate Baal and his prophets.

(Sarcasm of Elijah)

1 Kings 18:27 “It came about at noon, that Elijah mocked them and said, “Call out with a loud voice, for he is a god; either he is occupied or gone aside, or is on a journey, or perhaps he is asleep and needs to be awakened.”

AND YOU WILL REMEMBER THE PURPOSE.

Israel needed to see they were trusting in a false hope.

They were relying upon someone who could not save.

REVIVAL REQUIRES THAT WE REALIZE THE FALSE SECURITIES IN OUR LIVES THAT ARE STEALING GOD’S GLORY.

Before we can fully pledge allegiance to God,

We have to fully reject all other sources of hope and comfort.

Then, after Baal’s prophets finally came to a stopping point,

It was Elijah’s turn to do the same. (Sacrifice of Elijah)

Prepare an ox, lay it on the altar, and call on God to light the fire.

And last week we saw Elijah begin this process.

1 Kings 18:30-31 “Then Elijah said to all the people, “Come near to me.”So all the people came near to him. And he repaired the altar of the LORD which had been torn down. Elijah took twelve stones according to the number of the tribes of the sons of Jacob, to whom the word of the LORD had come, saying, “Israel shall be your name.”

There had previously been an altar on that mountain,

But it had fallen into disarray. Elijah repaired the altar.

Israel had forgotten who they were.

REVIVAL REQUIRES THAT WE REBUILD GOD’S ALTAR IN OUR LIVES

(That is what revival really is) REBUILD – REMEMBER – RETURN

REVIVAL REQIRES:

• Both the wicked to repent and the righteous to step out…

• That we make a decision as to who we will serve…

• That we abandon all forms of false security in our lives…

• That we rebuild God’s altar in our lives…

That is what Elijah has taught us thus far,

But, Elijah did not stop there.

VERSES 32-35 “So with the stones he built an altar in the name of the LORD, and he made a trench around the altar, large enough to hold two measures of seed. Then he arranged the wood and cut the ox in pieces and laid it on the wood. And he said, “Fill four pitchers with water and pour it on the burnt offering and on the wood.” And he said, “Do it a second time,” and they did it a second time. And he said, “Do it a third time,” and they did it a third time. The water flowed around the altar and he also filled the trench with water.”

Apparently it was not enough for Elijah to simply

Beat Baal in a heads up competition.

ELIJAH WENT FOR A DRAMATIC VICTORY.

• Not only are we on Baal’s mountain…

• Not only is he outnumbered 450 to 1…

• Not only is he calling for fire, which is supposedly Baal’s specialty…

But here Elijah does the unthinkable.

He actually soaks the sacrifice with water.

Scripture says that the trench would hold “two measures of seed”

Which is about 11 quarts.

So, after the water soaks the ox, and soaks into the wood a little,

The trench is holding a little under 4 gallons.

It reveals that Elijah has no tricks up his sleeve.

He has eliminated every possible advantage

And disproved every potential excuse.

If this sacrifice is burned, then it will have to happen by the hand of God.

And there we pick up with our story.

We have seen: The Suggestion of Elijah, The Sarcasm of Elijah, and The Sacrifice of Elijah

#1 THE SUPPLICATION OF ELIJAH

1 Kings 18:36-37

Here we have that infamous prayer of Elijah

That we actually referenced a couple of weeks ago.

If you had any doubts as to Elijah’s motives, they are satisfied here

• He doesn’t want fame…

• He doesn’t want tolerance…

• He doesn’t even want rain…

ELIJAH WANTS REVIVAL

He is tired of God not getting the glory that God deserves,

And he is tired of God’s people living like Baal is their deliverer.

He simply wants to see God’s people

Give God the glory He deserves.

That certainly is not too much to ask is it?

“O LORD, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Israel, today let it be known…”

And then Elijah lists four things.

1) REVEAL YOUR POWER

“that You are God in Israel”

Elijah wanted God to put Baal to shame.

It seems as though there has been some confusion.

Popular opinion actually believes that there could be 2 gods,

And that they are pretty close to equal.

(TODAY: Allah or Buddha or Jesus)

Elijah wants God to completely squash that notion.

Let it be known “that You are God in Israel”

2) REVEAL YOUR PROPHET

“and that I am Your servant and I have done all these things at Your word.”

Certainly you can guess that Elijah would like a little vindication.

He was after all called the “trouble of Israel” by Ahab.

But vindication is not the main request here.

Elijah wants God to reveal

That nothing that has been done here is a simple coincidence.

• Don’t let them think that drought was just bad luck…

• Don’t let them think that rain was just inevitable…

• Don’t let them think this altar will burn by coincidence…

People continually try and explain away God’s wrath in their lives.

• If we experience drought or economic trials, surely it is not because God is angry, it’s bound to be because of someone else’s greed.

• If we are attacked by terrorists who blow up our buildings, it is not because God has removed His hand of protection, it is because someone made an executive mistake.

• If we suffer natural disasters meant to get our attention, people don’t think it is because God is angry, it is because of global warming.

Elijah wanted to make sure the people of Israel made no such excuse.

He wanted them to know that the drought, the showdown,

And the fire was all the calculated determined plan of God.

“let it be known…that I am Your servant and I have done all these things at Your word.”

Reveal Your Power Reveal Your Prophet

3) REVEAL YOUR PEOPLE

“Answer me, O LORD, answer me, that this people may know that You, O LORD, are God”

Now Elijah gets specific as to whom he is aiming at.

Israel had forgotten who her God was, Elijah wants them to remember.

REVIVAL IS FOR GOD’S PEOPLE

God doesn’t owe them any more proof, His Law is enough.

But Elijah wants God to answer by fire

To prove to these people that He cares enough to reveal Himself.

Elijah wants God to show up so “that this people may know”

Reveal Your Power Reveal Your Prophet Reveal Your People

4) REVEAL YOUR PURPOSE

“and that You have turned their heart back again.”

Make sure the people know why You are doing this.

• Make sure they don’t leave this place amazed…

• Make sure they don’t leave this place entertained…

• Make sure they don’t leave this place disturbed…

I WANT THEM TO LEAVE THIS PLACE REVIVED

Is that ever a prayer that we could echo.

And from Elijah we learn another real important principle about revival.

REVIVAL REQUIRES EARNEST PRAYER

TO THE GOD WHO CAN ANSWER

Revival is not solely up to you, nor is it up to me.

• I don’t have the ability to force open blind eyes…

• I don’t have the ability to speak into a dead heart…

• I don’t have the ability to make a person love Jesus…

REVIVAL IS THE WORK OF GOD, AND SO IN ORDER TO HAVE IT, WE MUST PRAY FOR IT.

Psalms 85:4-7 “Restore us, O God of our salvation, And cause Your indignation toward us to cease. Will You be angry with us forever? Will You prolong Your anger to all generations? Will You not Yourself revive us again, That Your people may rejoice in You? Show us Your lovingkindness, O LORD, And grant us Your salvation.”

Psalms 80:14-19 “O God of hosts, turn again now, we beseech You; Look down from heaven and see, and take care of this vine, Even the shoot which Your right hand has planted, And on the son whom You have strengthened for Yourself. It is burned with fire, it is cut down; They perish at the rebuke of Your countenance. Let Your hand be upon the man of Your right hand, Upon the son of man whom You made strong for Yourself. Then we shall not turn back from You; Revive us, and we will call upon Your name. O LORD God of hosts, restore us; Cause Your face to shine upon us, and we will be saved.”

If you want revival, then you have to beg God for it,

And Elijah’s prayer is a great place to start.

• Beg God to show up and REVEAL THAT HE ALONE IS GOD.

• Beg God to REMOVE OUR EXCUSES and reveal that the hardships we face are a direct result of our disobedience to Him.

• Beg God to move FOR THE SAKE OF HIS PEOPLE.

• Beg God to move in such a WAY THAT REVIVAL IS THE ONLY POSSIBLE CONSEQUENCE.

If you and I want revival, then we have to pray for it.

Let’s see the answer

The Supplication of Elijah

#2 THE SUCCESS OF ELIJAH

1 Kings 18:38-40

A couple of weeks ago we learned from James:

James 5:16b “The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much.”

Once again we learn that it is true.

It is not just that we pray for revival,

But it matters what state our heart is in when we pray.

We cannot pray for others to be revived

If we have not given our all to God.

Be wholly devoted, be sincere to God, and pray for revival,

BECAUSE PRAYER TO THE ONE TRUE GOD WORKS.

• Baal’s prophets prayed for hours…

• Baal’s prophets jumped on the altar…

• Baal’s prophets cut themselves with lances…

And they got no answer.

This righteous man offers one prayer, and the response is instant.

(38) “Then the fire of the LORD fell and consumed the burnt offering and the wood and the stones and the dust, and licked up the water that was in the trench.”

God answered!

And He answered with fire.

Fire hot enough not only to burn flesh and wood,

But fire hot enough to incinerate stones, dirt and vaporize water.

GOD ANSWERED

Isaiah 44:6-9 “Thus says the LORD, the King of Israel and his Redeemer, the LORD of hosts: ‘I am the first and I am the last, And there is no God besides Me. ‘Who is like Me? Let him proclaim and declare it; Yes, let him recount it to Me in order, From the time that I established the ancient nation. And let them declare to them the things that are coming And the events that are going to take place. ‘Do not tremble and do not be afraid; Have I not long since announced it to you and declared it? And you are My witnesses. Is there any God besides Me, Or is there any other Rock? I know of none.'” Those who fashion a graven image are all of them futile, and their precious things are of no profit; even their own witnesses fail to see or know, so that they will be put to shame.”

Isaiah 46:8-9 “Remember this, and be assured; Recall it to mind, you transgressors. “Remember the former things long past, For I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is no one like Me,”

Psalms 135:5 “For I know that the LORD is great And that our Lord is above all gods.”

Isaiah 45:20-25 “Gather yourselves and come; Draw near together, you fugitives of the nations; They have no knowledge, Who carry about their wooden idol And pray to a god who cannot save. “Declare and set forth your case; Indeed, let them consult together. Who has announced this from of old? Who has long since declared it? Is it not I, the LORD? And there is no other God besides Me, A righteous God and a Savior; There is none except Me. “Turn to Me and be saved, all the ends of the earth; For I am God, and there is no other. “I have sworn by Myself, The word has gone forth from My mouth in righteousness And will not turn back, That to Me every knee will bow, every tongue will swear allegiance. “They will say of Me, ‘Only in the LORD are righteousness and strength.’ Men will come to Him, And all who were angry at Him will be put to shame. “In the LORD all the offspring of Israel Will be justified and will glory.”

And that is precisely what happened for Elijah

(39) “When all the people saw it, they fell on their faces; and they said, “The LORD, He is God; the LORD, he is God.”

All of a sudden this vacillating people display a little conviction.

Now they are off the fence.

HOW DO WE KNOW?

(40) “Then Elijah said to them, “Seize the prophets of Baal; do not let one of them escape.” So they seized them, and Elijah brought them down to the brook Kishon, and slew them there.”

The brook was formerly dry, and now it flowed

With the blood of those who deceived Israel.

Last week we read about idols:

Psalms 115:8 “Those who make them will become like them, Everyone who trusts in them.”

And so it happened to those who prophesied for Baal.

And here we see revival.

REVIVAL HAS OCCURRED WHEN OUR HEARTS ARE WHOLLY DEVOTED TO GOD AS REVEALED BY OUR CONFESSION AND OUR ACTIONS.

When you publicly proclaim Christ…

When you publicly obey Christ…

Then we will know revival has come.

For centuries the church has had those who proclaim Christ but who never obey Him.

Luke 6:46 “Why do you call Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do what I say?”

If you are hiding from the world, afraid to take Jesus to work, or afraid to take Jesus to your friends, you are in desperate need of revival.

On the other hand, we have those who try to obey without publicly confessing.

John 12:42-43 “Nevertheless many even of the rulers believed in Him, but because of the Pharisees they were not confessing Him, for fear that they would be put out of the synagogue; for they loved the approval of men rather than the approval of God.”

If you are publicly confessing Him, but then living a life inconsistent to your claim, you also are in desperate need of revival.

NEITHER DEMONSTATES THE SPIRIT OF REVIVAL THAT GOD DESIRES.

God desires those who will speak up and step out.

Until that is us, then revival has not occurred.

Elijah wanted these people wholly devoted,

As evidenced by their confession and their actions.

WHERE ARE YOU?

These people experienced revival, you could as well.

Now let me show you the blessing of revival

#3 THE SHOWER OF ELIJAH

1 Kings 18:41-46

As a side note, see that Elijah is a man of great faith.

• He predicts rain

• He prays for rain

• He doesn’t stop even after discouraging results

AND ELIJAH’S PRAYER WAS ANSWERED WITH A FLASH FLOOD

ELIJAH RUNS – to submit to Ahab and to lead the city to revival as well.

BUT THE MAIN PICTURE HERE IS THAT

As soon as God’s people turned their hearts toward Him,

The drought was lifted and the showers came.

It sort of reminds you of that often quoted seldom followed verse.

2 Chronicles 7:13-14 “If I shut up the heavens so that there is no rain, or if I command the locust to devour the land, or if I send pestilence among My people, and My people who are called by My name humble themselves and pray and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, will forgive their sin and will heal their land.”

For some reason people often fear the thought of revival.

They are afraid if they give God full control of their lives

And devote themselves only to Him

That it will immediately result in pain and suffering.

They are afraid to give God control,

For fear of Him saying, “Africa” or some other scary place.

And so, instead of exercising faith,

They remain in fear and keep revival far from themselves.

BUT SHOW ME ONE TIME IN SCRIPTURE

IN WHICH REVIVAL WASN’T WORTH IT FOR THE PEOPLE.

Show me one time in which their lives were not drastically better

After they fled from sin and wholly devoted themselves to God.

Jeremiah 29:11 “For I know the plans that I have for you,’ declares the LORD, ‘plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope.”

And such was certainly true here.

Their lives were instantly better after the returned to the LORD.

Many of you could give similar testimonies.

God asked something of you that you dreaded or feared,

But after you obeyed, it was extremely worth it.

THE SAME IS TRUE OF SALVATION.

People fight it, resist it, put it off, and neglect it.

But I have yet to see one person who submitted to it who didn’t immediately say, he wishes he had done it sooner.

But People often resist when God calls for revival.

• They hold on to their false securities…

• They respond like Israel to Elijah’s sermon (they do nothing)

And yet, when they finally give in, they find that they only wish they had done it sooner and saved themselves 3 ½ years of drought.

The same could be true for you today.

• The spiritual drought…

• The bitterness…

• The confusion…

• The doubt…

It could all go right away, and you could rejoice under a heavenly shower, But to do so, you must wholly devote yourselves to God like Israel did.

And I wonder today, if you would be willing

To let God bring revival in your heart.

In a moment we are going to have a time or response,

And if you are willing I just want you to offer up this prayer to God.

“Lord God, I know here today that I am not as close to You as I should be. I want that to change, and I am asking You to do whatever You desire to do in me, that I may experience revival.”

Give God full permission in your life, and see if life doesn’t turn out better.

2 Chronicles 7:14 “and My people who are called by My name humble themselves and pray and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, will forgive their sin and will heal their land.”

The Showdown on Mt. Carmel – pt. 1 (1 Kings 18:22-33)

January 30, 2014 By bro.rory

1 Kings 18:22-33

We are presently studying the climax of the book of 1 Kings.

The writer has carried us from Israel in her faithful state under David,

To Israel in her idolatrous state under Ahab.

And now he is showing how God is working

To draw His people back to Himself.

• It started with 3 ½ years of drought to soften them up.

• Now Elijah has been sent back, and all Israel is gathered.

Last week we saw Elijah’s sermon:

And from that we learn why Israel was in such need of revival.

They were “hesitating” they were “vacillating”

At times they sought the approval of Jehovah

At times they sought the approval of Jezebel

MUCH LIKE THE CHURCH AT THYATIRA:

Revelation 2:19-20 “I know your deeds, and your love and faith and service and perseverance, and that your deeds of late are greater than at first. But I have this against you, that you tolerate the woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess, and she teaches and leads My bond-servants astray so that they commit acts of immorality and eat things sacrificed to idols.”

Thyatira was of course the worldly church.

They were devoted to “guilds” and were having to choose between faithfulness to God or faithfulness to their worldly securities.

God had a stiff warning for them:

Revelation 2:21-25 “I gave her time to repent, and she does not want to repent of her immorality. ‘Behold, I will throw her on a bed of sickness, and those who commit adultery with her into great tribulation, unless they repent of her deeds. ‘And I will kill her children with pestilence, and all the churches will know that I am He who searches the minds and hearts; and I will give to each one of you according to your deeds. ‘But I say to you, the rest who are in Thyatira, who do not hold this teaching, who have not known the deep things of Satan, as they call them — I place no other burden on you. ‘Nevertheless what you have, hold fast until I come.”

Essentially Jesus told them the same thing that Elijah told Israel.

GET OFF THE FENCE, AND SERVE GOD ONLY.

That is why Elijah has come.

To tell God’s people to return to Him

But unfortunately, after the sermon:

(21) “But the people did not answer him a word.”

And so Elijah sets out to make their decision easier.

We know it as “The Showdown on Mt. Carmel”

Three things (as we study the first part of this contest)

#1 THE SUGGESTION OF ELIJAH

1 Kings 18:22-24

Elijah begins with a statement of reality.

“I alone am left a prophet of the LORD, but Baal’s prophets are 450 men.”

This is one of many advantages that Elijah yields to the prophets of Baal.

1) They are on Baal’s mountain

2) Elijah is outnumbered

3) They will call for fire (Baal is the storm god)

4) Elijah will actually pour water on his sacrifice

All of these incidents are meant by Elijah

To reveal to the people that he has nothing up his sleeve.

And then comes the suggestion.

(23-24) “Now let them give us two oxen; and let them choose one ox for themselves and cut it up, and place it on the wood, but put no fire under it; and I will prepare the other ox and lay it on the wood, and I will not put a fire under it. “Then you call on the name of your god, and I will call on the name of the LORD, and the God who answers by fire, He is God.”

It is a simple showdown.

We both make a sacrifice, and we just wait to see which God can light it.

(After all, Baal was supposed to be the storm god)

It was a clear test

And the people liked his suggestion.

“And all the people said, “That is a good idea.”

THE REASON WAS TO:

1) Identify the true God.

2) Lead Israel to FOLLOW the true God.

(21) “Elijah came near to all the people and said, “How long will you hesitate between two opinions? If the LORD is God, follow Him; but if Baal, follow him.” But the people did not answer him a word.”

And as we talked about last week, this is important for all mankind.

It doesn’t matter if God fits your requirements…

It doesn’t matter if God fulfills your expectations…

It doesn’t matter if you think He is right or wrong…

YOU HAD JUST BETTER FIND OUT WHO IS GOD AND FOLLOW HIM

WHY?

Because if there is a God, then you will stand before Him,

And the God you stand before

Better be the God you’ve been serving.

This is what Paul said to the city of Athens.

They were worshiping every imaginable god.

Acts 17:23-31 “For while I was passing through and examining the objects of your worship, I also found an altar with this inscription, ‘TO AN UNKNOWN GOD.’ Therefore what you worship in ignorance, this I proclaim to you. “The God who made the world and all things in it, since He is Lord of heaven and earth, does not dwell in temples made with hands; nor is He served by human hands, as though He needed anything, since He Himself gives to all people life and breath and all things; and He made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined their appointed times and the boundaries of their habitation, that they would seek God, if perhaps they might grope for Him and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us; for in Him we live and move and exist, as even some of your own poets have said, ‘For we also are His children.’ “Being then the children of God, we ought not to think that the Divine Nature is like gold or silver or stone, an image formed by the art and thought of man. “Therefore having overlooked the times of ignorance, God is now declaring to men that all people everywhere should repent, because He has fixed a day in which He will judge the world in righteousness through a Man whom He has appointed, having furnished proof to all men by raising Him from the dead.”

Paul said, you had better quit worshiping many gods,

And determine to worship only the true God,

For He is the one you will answer to.

That is precisely why Elijah is holding the showdown.

He wants them to see who is the true God,

And then he expects them to follow Him.

You and I must make the same decision.

The Suggestion of Elijah

#2 THE SARCASM OF ELIJAH

1 Kings 18:25-29

Elijah actually lets Baal’s prophets go first

(Another part of the advantage they supposedly had).

(25) “So Elijah said to the prophets of Baal, “Choose one ox for yourselves and prepare it first for you are many, and call on the name of your god, but put no fire under it.”

They are to pick the ox, (presumably the one that looks the most flammable), cut it up, place it on the altar and then cry out to Baal to light the fire.

And that is what they do.

In fact they do it OVER and OVER and OVER

(26) “Then they took the ox which was given them and they prepared it and called on the name of Baal from morning until noon saying, “O Baal, answer us.” But there was no voice and no one answered. And they leaped about the altar which they made.”

All morning long, it is the same chant:

“O Baal answer us.”

In fact, they repeated it on purpose.

For it was their assumption that their repetition

Made their prayer more likely to be heard.

The same thing happened to Paul at Ephesus:

Acts 19:34-35 “But when they recognized that he was a Jew, a single outcry arose from them all as they shouted for about two hours, “Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!”

It was just a senseless, mind numbing, chant,

Intended to cause the deity to show up.

This prompted Jesus to say:

Matthew 6:7 “And when you are praying, do not use meaningless repetition as the Gentiles do, for they suppose that they will be heard for their many words.”

But that is what they were doing.

They cried “from morning until noon”

At the end, you see ANOTHER TACTIC they were using.

“And they leaped about the altar which they had made.”

“Here I’ll get on the altar as well,

And you can have me too, if you will just light the fire”

AS FAR AS COMMITTED PRAYER IS CONCERNED,

THESE GUYS WERE SOLD OUT.

“But there was no voice and no one answered.”

There is actually a very good reason why their prayers were not answered.

THEIR GOD WAS NOT REAL

Psalms 115:4-8 “Their idols are silver and gold, The work of man’s hands. They have mouths, but they cannot speak; They have eyes, but they cannot see; They have ears, but they cannot hear; They have noses, but they cannot smell; They have hands, but they cannot feel; They have feet, but they cannot walk; They cannot make a sound with their throat. Those who make them will become like them, Everyone who trusts in them.”

Jeremiah 10:5 “Like a scarecrow in a cucumber field are they, And they cannot speak; They must be carried, Because they cannot walk! Do not fear them, For they can do no harm, Nor can they do any good.”

The reason Baal did not answer is because he could not answer.

He is not real, he is a figment of the imagination.

He is some man’s invention.

And as strange as it may sound,

This is a theological truth that even

Christians of late seem to have forgotten.

FALSE GODS CANNOT RESPOND

Every time you turn around,

You get some new poll out that says even among evangelical Christians, that there is an increasing majority among us who believe that there is MORE than one way of salvation.

People grow sympathetic to Muslims and say,

“Well if they are sincere in their faith, then I believe they will be saved.”

Or the same about Buddhists,

“If they are sincere in their faith, then I think they will go to heaven.”

Look at these prophets of Baal,

It doesn’t matter how sincerely devoted you are to a false god,

Your sincerity will not cause him to be alive and able to save.

If you cry out to a false god, you get no response.

They may have eyes, but they cannot see.

They may have ears, but they cannot hear.

They may have a mouth, but they cannot talk.

Crying out to them is absolutely useless.

BUT IT DOESN’T STOP THEM FROM CRYING OUT

But Elijah apparently picks up on the difficult time they are having.

And what he does would today be considered un-Christian.

(27) “It came about at noon, that Elijah mocked them and said, “Call out with a loud voice, for he is a god; either he is occupied (i.e. meditating) or gone aside (lit. “relieving himself”), or is on a journey, or perhaps he is asleep and needs to be awakened.”

Elijah literally mocks them and their god.

Today, people would get mad at Elijah for such a thing.

In 2002 Jerry Vines was preaching at Pastor’s Conference in St. Louis and he called Muhammad “A demon-possessed pedophile” (because his last wife was a 9 year old girl)

And the outcry began.

Sure some by Muslim followers, but mostly from evangelicals:

Rev. Dick McEuen of Orange Park Presbyterian church said:

“It’s the inflammatory words that are bad … ‘pedophile’ and the other…I think Jerry probably used the wrong words, and it sure doesn’t help relationships in the day … This is a pluralistic society. It showed a lack of perspective.”

I suppose he would really take offense to Elijah

Insinuating that Baal was stuck in the bathroom.

Rev. Davette Turk, an Episcopalian priest

“I’m saddened. We can’t go on like this. We can’t think like that, I’m sure [Vines] will be shown by the Lord how these remarks do not help the unity God desires for his family.”

Rev. Paul Hooker, executive presbyter for the Presbytery of St. Augustine.

“We find regrettable the comments attributed to Rev. Vines because they appear to represent an ungenerous spirit, which we find out of character with the Christian faith, I would think that [this] will make interfaith dialogue between Christians and Muslims in our community more difficult in a time when such conversations should be taking place.”

Monsignor Daniel Logan

“It is far better to affirm the good in every religion than it is to condemn the bad, we can radically disagree, yet affirm the things we have in common. That’s what we should do to try and make the world a better place to live.”

(All quotes from: http://www.jacksonville.com/tu-online/stories/061302/met_9655580.html)

Today, that is the mindset of religion.

They would run Elijah out of town.

“I can’t believe Elijah was so degrading to Baal.”

“Elijah’s remarks will make it so difficult to reach Baal worshipers now”

DO THEY SUPPOSE THAT BY GIVING CREDIBILITY TO FALSE GODS THAT IT WILL BE EASIER TO DRAW PEOPLE AWAY?

There is no cause to offer any courtesy to any false deity.

They are guilty not only of deceiving millions,

But also of stealing God’s glory.

Isaiah 42:8 “I am the LORD, that is My name; I will not give My glory to another, Nor My praise to graven images.”

If a false god is false…

If a dead god is dead…

If a mythical god is a myth…

If a powerless god is powerless…

LET THEM BE LABELED AS SUCH!

God Himself certainly doesn’t pull any punches about these false gods.

Isaiah 41:21-24 “Present your case,” the LORD says. “Bring forward your strong arguments,” The King of Jacob says. Let them bring forth and declare to us what is going to take place; As for the former events, declare what they were, That we may consider them and know their outcome. Or announce to us what is coming; Declare the things that are going to come afterward, That we may know that you are gods; Indeed, do good or evil, that we may anxiously look about us and fear together. Behold, you are of no account, And your work amounts to nothing; He who chooses you is an abomination.”

Jeremiah 10:8 “But they are altogether stupid and foolish In their discipline of delusion — their idol is wood!”

Jeremiah 10:14-15 “Every man is stupid, devoid of knowledge; Every goldsmith is put to shame by his idols; For his molten images are deceitful, And there is no breath in them. They are worthless, a work of mockery; In the time of their punishment they will perish.”

I suppose Jerry Vines could have said: “Behold, Allah is of no account and all who choose him are an abomination. Indeed they are stupid devoid of knowledge, their god isn’t even real!”

Baal was guilty of deceiving people, condemning people,

And Elijah reveals that he is a false hope.

BUT THEY CONTINUE

(28-29) “So they cried with a loud voice and cut themselves according to their custom with swords and lances until the blood gushed out on them. When midday was past, they raved until the time of the offering of the evening sacrifice; but there was no voice, no one answered, and no one paid attention.”

Despite their desperation…

Despite offering their own blood…

Despite their endless chants…

“there was no voice, no one answered, and no one paid attention.”

(x3 = magnify the point)

AND I WANT YOU TO KNOW, ELIJAH DID THIS ON PURPOSE.

He could have just shown up on Mt. Carmel and asked God for rain,

And left the others out of it. BUT HE DIDN’T

Elijah first made sure he publicly humiliated Baal,

Before he asked God to deliver.

These people had been trusting in Baal,

And before they could fully trust in God,

They had to have all the other things pulled away.

HAS GOD EVER DONE THIS IN YOUR LIFE?

Maybe He allowed something you trusted in to fail

In order to remind you that He alone is your deliverance.

You trust too much in a job – so God allows you to lose it to see that He is your provider.

You trust too much in a relationship – so God allows you to lose it to see that He is all you need.

You trust too much in a drug – so God allows you to lose it to see that He is your healer.

You trust too much in a program – so God allows it to fail to prove that He alone can change your life.

If you have any other thing in your life that you can’t live without,

You are guilty of idolatry, and are dependent on something other than God

Before He reveals Himself,

He first allows our false hopes to fail.

That is to make sure no one but Him gets the gory.

In order for revival to occur, we must realize that God alone

Is worthy to receive glory in our lives.

Jeremiah 9:23-24 “Thus says the LORD, “Let not a wise man boast of his wisdom, and let not the mighty man boast of his might, let not a rich man boast of his riches; but let him who boasts boast of this, that he understands and knows Me, that I am the LORD who exercises lovingkindness, justice and righteousness on earth; for I delight in these things,” declares the LORD.”

The sarcasm of Elijah is to make sure that all Israel

Sees just how foolish it is to trust in things that cannot save.

The Suggestion of Elijah The Sarcasm of Elijah

#3 THE SACRIFICE OF ELIJAH

1 Kings 18:30-33

Now obviously we don’t see the full effect of Elijah’s sacrifice here,

What I want you to see is the necessary next step

In the progression of the people if they are to be revived.

Not only do they need to see that what they are trusting in is foolish,

They also need to see how far they have fallen away from God.

DID YOU CATCH WHAT ELIJAH DID?

“And he repaired the altar of the LORD which had been torn down.”

That is often overlooked.

Apparently God had an altar on that mountain already.

Years earlier it had been built, but at some point, they had torn it down.

That altar was a picture of the spiritual state of Israel.

Once a nation of worship, not a nation of apostasy.

(31) “Elijah took twelve stones according to the number of the tribes of the sons of Jacob, to whom the word of the LORD had come, saying, “Israel shall be your name.”

He is reminding the people of WHO THEY REALLY ARE.

For the last decade or so, they had forgotten who they were.

• They were the children of Israel.

• They were God’s chosen people.

• They were objects of God’s compassion.

• They were the ones God had delivered from Egypt.

• They were the ones God had given this land to.

And yet somehow in their pursuit of worldliness,

They had forgotten who they were.

Elijah is reminding them.

THIS IS ALL PIVOTAL TO REVIVAL.

If you are to experience revival in your life,

Not only do you have to let go of all the false idols

But it is imperative that you remember who you are.

Acts 11:26 “…and the disciples were first called Christians in Antioch.”

1 Peter 4:16 “but if anyone suffers as a Christian, he is not to be ashamed, but is to glorify God in this name.”

• Was it not for you that Jesus Christ bled and died?

• Did God not spend the precious blood of His Son for you?

• And did you not pledge your life to Him?

To become a Christian, do you remember what you did?

Romans 10:9 “that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved;”

The Bible says that if you really are a Christian,

At some point you fully surrendered everything about you to Him.

Have you forgotten the vows you took?

That’s what Israel had done.

Jeremiah 2:32 “Can a virgin forget her ornaments, Or a bride her attire? Yet My people have forgotten Me Days without number.”

Israel had forgotten that she was the wife of God.

Today, many in the Church seem to have forgotten

That they are the bride of Christ. (we are betrothed to Him)

That is why Jesus told two of the churches in the Revelation:

Revelation 2:5 “Therefore remember from where you have fallen, and repent and do the deeds you did at first; or else I am coming to you and will remove your lampstand out of its place — unless you repent.”

Revelation 3:3 “So remember what you have received and heard; and keep it, and repent. Therefore if you do not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what hour I will come to you.”

The point is that if revival is to occur in your life,

You must remember who you are.

You are not a teacher…

You are not a worker for the telephone company…

You are not a lineman for the electric company…

You are not a secretary…

That is what you do, but it is not who you are.

YOU ARE A BLOOD PURCHASED CHILD OF GOD

AND HE DESERVES YOUR WORSHIP.

Does the altar of God need to be rebuilt in your life?

THAT IS WHAT REVIVAL IS.

It is rebuilding God’s altar in your life.

This morning I want to ask you to do that.

• Put everything else aside,

• Return to the God who saved you from sin.

• Remember what He did for you,

• Renew your vows to Him.

Psalms 50:7-15 “Hear, O My people, and I will speak; O Israel, I will testify against you; I am God, your God. “I do not reprove you for your sacrifices, And your burnt offerings are continually before Me. “I shall take no young bull out of your house Nor male goats out of your folds. “For every beast of the forest is Mine, The cattle on a thousand hills. “I know every bird of the mountains, And everything that moves in the field is Mine. “If I were hungry I would not tell you, For the world is Mine, and all it contains. “Shall I eat the flesh of bulls Or drink the blood of male goats? “Offer to God a sacrifice of thanksgiving And pay your vows to the Most High; Call upon Me in the day of trouble; I shall rescue you, and you will honor Me.”

The Predetermined Death of Ahab (1 Kings 22:1-40)

Loving God’s Word (Psalms 119:97-104)

The Gentle Blowing of God (1 Kings 20)

The Showdown on Mt. Carmel – pt. 2 (1 Kings 18:34-46)

The Showdown on Mt. Carmel – pt. 1 (1 Kings 18:22-33)

About Us

Sunday Schedule

Pastor

Worship Leader

Secretary