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Light Of His Word The Sermons of Pastor Mike Walls Freedom Baptist Church Used By Permission Psalms 119:105 Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path. |
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Light Of His Word The Sermons of Pastor Mike Walls Freedom Baptist Church Used By Permission Psalms 119:105 Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path. |
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MOUNTAIN TOP EXPERIENCES IN THE CHRISTIAN LIFE
1st Kings 18:17-40
After this pitiful spectacle, the faithful prophet Elijah steps forward. What he does teaches us about the ministry of faith in God and faithfulness to God in service.
A. The Preparations Vs. 30-35
And Elijah said unto all the people, Come near unto me. And all the people came near unto him. And he repaired the altar of the LORD that was broken down. And Elijah took twelve stones, according to the number of the tribes of the sons of Jacob, unto whom the word of the LORD came, saying, Israel shall be thy name: And with the stones he built an altar in the name of the LORD: and he made a trench about the altar, as great as would contain two measures of seed. And he put the wood in order, and cut the bullock in pieces, and laid him on the wood, and said, Fill four barrels with water, and pour it on the burnt sacrifice, and on the wood. And he said, Do it the second time. And they did it the second time. And he said, Do it the third time. And they did it the third time. And the water ran round about the altar; and he filled the trench also with water.
Notice what Elijah did to prepare for this event. Several things stand out to us today.
1. He called the people to come near - true faith, unlike false worship, has absolutely nothing to hide. Vs. 30
And Elijah said unto all the people, Come near unto me. And all the people came near unto him. And he repaired the altar of the LORD that was broken down.
His time had come at last, and his first act was to invite the people nearer. He knew what his faith and prayer had won from God, but he wanted the answer of fire to be beyond dispute. He therefore invited the close scrutiny of the people as he reared the broken altar of the Lord. As he sought, with reverent care, those scattered stones and built them together so that the twelve stood as one -- a meet symbol of the unity of the ideal Israel in the sight of God -- the keen glances of the people in his close proximity could see that there was no inserted torch or secret spark.
You had better watch the group that talks of secret things and hidden truth. Do not be afraid to put Christianity under the microscope, it can stand the test. It has been standing the test for over two thousand years and will continue to stand the test. What are some of the tests that will hold up?
d. Was the world created or evolution true? Both of them cannot be true. So one is right.
That is only a few questions that you can place under the microscope and it will stand the test.
2. Elijah rebuilt an old altar that had fallen down.
And Elijah said unto all the people, Come near unto me. And all the people came near unto him. And he repaired the altar of the LORD that was broken down. And Elijah took twelve stones, according to the number of the tribes of the sons of Jacob, unto whom the word of the LORD came, saying, Israel shall be thy name: And with the stones he built an altar in the name of the LORD: and he made a trench about the altar, as great as would contain two measures of seed.
He used twelve stones to speak of the twelve tribes and he did his work in the name of the Lord. The number twelve is found over and over again in the Word of God. Let me throw these out.
There were twelve patriarchs, ancestors of the twelve tribes, who are commemorated in the twelve loaves on the table, the twelve stones in the breastplate and twelve names on the shoulders of the high priest; the twelve stones taken out of Jordan, and the twelve stones placed in the bed of the river. There is a woman with a crown of twelve stars found in Revelation 12:1. Through the twelve apostles the Lord fed the hungry multitudes. The twelve apostles will sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes. The new Jerusalem will have twelve foundations for its walls with the names of the twelve apostles; it will have twelve gates, consisting of twelve pearls, with the names of the twelve tribes inscribed, the gates will be attended by twelve angels. There are twelve hours in the day, in which the children of light may walk.
The people of Israel had constructed altars to Baal, while the altars to Jehovah had come into disrepair. There are people who need to rebuild their altars. What are some of the altars that are needed to be repaired in our world today?
a. The altar of prayer needs to be repaired. Are you spending the time in prayer that you need to do? I am not speaking of prayer behind the wheel of the car, but real prayer, where all distractions are put away and God has your undivided attention. How many would have to be honest and say their prayer lives need rebuilding?
b. The altar of purpose needs to be repaired. Have you got a purpose in life? Whether you are an adult or a child there are several items that you have purpose. You will have to purpose to live a clean, holy life. You will not fall into it. You must purpose to do so. Daniel 1:8
But Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself with the portion of the kings meat, nor with the wine which he drank: therefore he requested of the prince of the eunuchs that he might not defile himself.
Who, when he came, and had seen the grace of God, was glad, and exhorted them all, that with purpose of heart they would cleave unto the Lord.
Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver.
And the lord said unto the servant, Go out into the highways and hedges, and compel them to come in, that my house may be filled.
I am going to be honest and transparent here. I am not as faithful in witnessing to others, as I ought to be. This is an area that I am trying to change so this church can grow in a much better way. I enjoy preaching. In fact, I love to preach but one to one witnessing is one area I need prayer. This altar needs to be repaired in my life.
This is only a few of the altars that need to be repaired.
3. He slaughtered and presented a sin offering.
And he put the wood in order, and cut the bullock in pieces, and laid him on the wood, and said, Fill four barrels with water, and pour it on the burnt sacrifice, and on the wood.
A bull was used for the sin offering. The people had sinned and Elijah is offering a sin offering for the people. Elijah knew where the real problem was. The heart of the problem was the problem of the heart.
If you are saved, the sin offering has already been presented and the blood of Jesus has cleansed you. However, what God wants from you is a sacrifice of repentance and confession. 1st John 1:9
If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
4. He watered the entire business down.
And he put the wood in order, and cut the bullock in pieces, and laid him on the wood, and said, Fill four barrels with water, and pour it on the burnt sacrifice, and on the wood. And he said, Do it the second time. And they did it the second time. And he said, Do it the third time. And they did it the third time. And the water ran round about the altar; and he filled the trench also with water.
Elijah wanted there to be no doubt that it was the work of the Lord. He was so certain that God would do this thing that he placed obstacles in the Lord's way. He made sure that no one would doubt that he did not put fire under the sacrifice.
There were twelve stones for twelve tribes divided through idolatry. He used twelve barrels of water to signify that these twelve tribes were twelve hindrances to the glory of God being revealed in them. Elijah's primary goal was that God get every ounce of the glory. When that becomes your goal and mine, we will see the Lord work wonders in our midst as well.
B. The Prayer Vs. 36-37
And it came to pass at the time of the offering of the evening sacrifice, that Elijah the prophet came near, and said, LORD God of Abraham, Isaac, and of Israel, let it be known this day that thou art God in Israel, and that I am thy servant, and that I have done all these things at thy word. Hear me, O LORD, hear me, that this people may know that thou art the LORD God, and that thou hast turned their heart back again.
Whenever we can so lose ourselves in prayer as to forget personal interests and to plead for the glory of God, we have reached a vantage ground from which we can win anything from Him. Our blessed Lord, in His earthly life, had but one passion -- that His Father might be glorified; and now He cannot resist fulfilling the prayer which advances this as its plea: "Whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son" (John 14:13).
The Baal prophets had prayed at least six hours and nothing had happened. Elijah stepped up to his altar and prayed a sixty-three-word prayer. His prayer was constructed to accomplish three things.
1.
2. That the prophet be vindicated.
3. That the people be revived.
Elijah could have prayed for rain, but he did not. Why? He knew that as badly as rain was needed, the people needed revival more. Before I end this message, I will give some practical steps toward revival.
We may think we know what we need in our lives, but, in truth, the greatest need we have is to get exactly where God wants us and serve Him. That was the heart of Elijah and it should be our heart as well.
C. The Proof Vs. 38
Then the fire of the LORD fell, and consumed the burnt sacrifice, and the wood, and the stones, and the dust, and licked up the water that was in the trench.
When Elijah finished praying, God answered in a spectacular fashion. It is interesting to note the order in which the elements were consumed. If the items had burned from the bottom up, it might have looked like man did it. However, everything burned from the top down, proving it was the work of God alone.
God
will honor that person who is sold out to His will. If you
live by faith you need never fear the Lord letting you down.
He will always come through for you. Please let me say to
you that we must never underestimate the power of a totally
dedicated life. If you are sold out, the Lord will use you
greatly.
Conclusion: Did you notice that when the fire fell, it fell on the sacrifice and not on the sinners? What a picture of Jesus this is. He took our place on the cross and absorbed the wrath of God so that we might be free from wrath, death and Hell. O What a Saviour.
Elijah's few, choice words brought down fire from God. The all day babblings of Baal's prophets were just that- babblings.
Let me give those practical steps toward revival.
1. YOU MUST BE DISSATISFIED WITH YOURSELF. In other words, develop a holy dissatisfaction. The contented Christian is the sterile Christian. Paul said in substance, "Jesus arrested me on the Damascus road. Now I want to lay hold for all that for which I was arrested by God." Be thoroughly dissatisfied with your spiritual posture.
2. YOU ASK GOD TO TRANSFORM YOUR LIFE. I think of Jacob wrestling with God. He wanted blessed. He would not be denied. Throw your entire life into the will of God. Seek God's very best.
3. YOU MUST PUT YOURSELF IN THE WAY OF BLESSING. If we desire revival and neglect prayer, that's hypocrisy. To pray for growth and neglect the local church is absolute foolishness. To pray that you'll mature and neglect the Word of God is incompatible. Put yourself in the way of blessing.
4. YOU MUST DO A THOROUGH JOB OF REPENTING. "Create within me a clean heart!" David sobbed. For a whole year was out of fellowship. But he confessed his sin; he turned from that sin and then he could sing again; he could write again; he could pray again.
5. YOU MUST MAKE RESTITUTION WHEREVER POSSIBLE. If you owe a debt, pay it. Or have an understanding with the people you owe. Zacchaeus said, "Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor; and if I have taken from any man by false accusation, I restore him fourfold." (Luke 19:8) As much as possible, make the crooked straight.
6. YOU MUST DEVELOP A SERIOUSNESS OF PURPOSE. Keep off the detours. Let nothing deflect the magnetic needle of your calling. If there is anything that is a Trojan horse in our day, it is the television set. Beware lest it rob you of your passion and your purpose.
7. YOU MUST DELIBERATELY NARROW YOUR INTERESTS. The Christian life requires specialists. Jesus said in effect, "Be an one eye-eyed man" (Luke 11:34-36). Paul said, "This one thing I do." Too many of us burn up too much energy without engaging in things that brings us nearer to God.
Refuse to rust out. Start sharing your faith. Make yourself available. Back your decision with your time, talent and dollars. Finally, ask God for greater faith in Him. Begin to expect great things.
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