MOUNTAIN TOP EXPERIENCES IN THE CHRISTIAN LIFE

Message two

Part 7

MOUNT CARMEL- THE POWER OF GOD

1^st Kings 18:17-40

THE CRISIS ENDED 

Introduction: In the previous messages on the power of God on the mountain, we saw Elijah with the challenge issued.  He issued a challenge to the potentate, people and last of all to the prophets.  He wants the people to return to the Lord.  It is still a problem in the ministry that people stray from the Lord and wander after strange gods or idols.  David put idols in perspective.

                                                Psalm 115:4-8

“Their idols are silver and gold, the work of men’s hands. They have mouths, but they speak not: eyes have they, but they see not: They have ears, but they hear not: noses have they, but they smell not: They have hands, but they handle not: feet have they, but they walk not: neither speak they through their throat. They that make them are like unto them; so is every one that trusteth in them.”

      Having idols in a person’s life and this includes saved people has been around even in the days of the apostles.   The apostle John ends his first epistle this way-

                                                1^st John 5:21

“Little children, keep yourselves from idols. Amen.”

      If that was a problem just one generation from the day of Pentecost when the Holy Spirit came in power, how much more is it two thousand years past that day?  Idolatry is as much of a problem today.  The only exception is that we have bigger and badder toys in which to have as idols.  Let me give a few thoughts about idols before gong further into the message.  Let’s look at types of idols.

1. The idol of clothing

      Some people eat, sleep and talk clothes all the time.  It is their entire life.  They will shop until they drop even if it is on Sunday to do so.

      Others will let clothes prevent them from going to church.  That makes their lack of clothes an idol.

2. The idol of cash

                  This is the entire life of some people.  They love money.   

                                                1^st Timothy 6:10

"For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows."

      It is either they are spend thrifts or selfish.  If a person does not give to the Lord's work, they are selfish.  They have made their money their idol.  This is one of the reasons why we ought to teach our children how to give unto the Lord so they will not make cash their idol.

3. The idol of children

                  I love my children.  If I would place them before God, then I am an idolater. 

4. The idol of Commune or our Houses

      We knew a lady who was late for Sunday School every week.  Someone asked her why she was always late.  She told them that she could not leave her house dirty so she had to clean up first.  In other words, she made her home an idol.

5. The idol of companions

      If you allow companions prevent you from coming to church or do a work for God, you have made your companions an idol.

6. The idol of cars

      I have seen many people washing their cars on Sunday or working on their cars as an act of relaxation on Sunday.  They have made their cars idols.  This includes car races on Sundays.

7. The idol of creatures or Pets

      Some people will do anything for their pets.  They will feed them the best but give God leftovers or nothing at all.  This makes those creatures an idol.

8. The idol of careers

      I have worked some people and you probably know some also who made their career their whole life.  They do not give God one thought.  In other words, their careers are idols.

9. The idol of competitive sports

      We live an era of competitive sports craze.  Some people will come to church but the moment you say that last AMEN, they almost run to get out of the door to get home to sports.  Or they put their children in competitive sports, which is a good thing but they will allow or even miss church themselves on Wednesday nights or Sunday nights because the child is in sports.  That makes competitive sports an idol.

      I could name many, many areas that are idols.  I will not take the time to do so.  I have asked the Holy Spirit to reveal to you if you have allowed idols to come into your life.  You and God know if you have allowed idols to come into your life.  "Little children, keep yourselves from idols."

      Let’s get back to Elijah.  God has answered by fire.  Every part of the sacrifice and those items added by Elijah such as the twelve barrels of water was consumed by the fire of the Lord.  God answered in a big way.  We have a big God who had a big Son, who lived a sinless life, died a big death and arose again on the third day in a big way.  He is going to come for us one day to take us to the big house where we will have a big time.

      This brings us to these last two verses on this section.  The crisis is ended.  That is what we explore today. 

I.   THE REPENTANCE OF THE WAYWARD PEOPLE

                                                Vs. 39

“And when all the people saw it, they fell on their faces: and they said, The LORD, he is the God; the LORD, he is the God.”

      The people have their proof. They should have never questioned the Lord, but they did and He answered in a brilliant display of power and glory.

         A.  Their Conviction - They fell on their faces. I can tell they were not a CCM service where there is dancing around.  The conviction of their sinfulness caused them to bow their faces before God.  Finally the people of the Lord are bowing before the Lord in humility. If you know that the Lord is God today, you should find yourself in the same place that these wicked men found themselves. We ought to be humble and prostrate before the Lord our God. He is worthy of our love, our devotion and our praise.

                           This is not some revolutionary idea either.  Isaiah felt this conviction when he saw the glory and power of God. Isaiah 6:1-7

               “n the year that king Uzziah died I saw also the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up, and his train filled the temple. Above it stood the seraphims: each one had six wings; with twain he covered his face, and with twain he covered his feet, and with twain he did fly. And one cried unto another, and said, Holy, holy, holy, is the LORD of hosts: the whole earth is full of his glory. And the posts of the door moved at the voice of him that cried, and the house was filled with smoke. Then said I, Woe is me! for I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips: for mine eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts. Then flew one of the seraphims unto me, having a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with the tongs from off the altar: And he laid it upon my mouth, and said, Lo, this hath touched thy lips; and thine iniquity is taken away, and thy sin purged.”

         B.  Their Confession - They voiced the truth that they have known in their hearts all the while. "The Lord, He is God. The Lord, He is God." I was interested in this confession.  Here is basically what they are saying in Hebrew.  They are calling Him by His name that exalts Him greatly- Jehovah Elohim. 

                                             Deuteronomy 10:17

               “For the LORD your God is God of gods, and Lord of lords, a great God, a mighty, and a terrible, which regardeth not persons, nor taketh reward”

                           They are saying that He is self-existent, almighty living God.  Baal had not answered.  There was not even a peep.  If Satan would have had his way, Baal would have vindicated in some way but the Jehovah Elohim was showing that He is the number one.  He alone deserved the honor and glory and worship.  What is worship anyway?  Dr. W. M. Temple, a British preacher, defines worship like this:  For to worship is to quicken the conscience by the Holiness of God; to feed the mind with the truth of God; to purge the imagination by the beauty of God; to open the heart to the love of God; to devote the will to the purpose of God.

                           By their actions and their acknowledgment, they declare His glory, His place and their reverence for Him. Their hearts now burned with a new zeal for the Lord. 

II.  THE REMOVAL OF THE WICKED PROPHETS 

                                                Vs. 40

“And Elijah said unto them, Take the prophets of Baal; let not one of them escape. And they took them: and Elijah brought them down to the brook Kishon, and slew them there.”

      After all was done and settled, Elijah took the prophets of Baal down to the brook Kishon and killed them all. Some people read this and they are offended that all of these men were killed.   You could have tried to tell Elijah that those men might be sincere; he would find it difficult to believe it. He would declare that they were nonetheless dangerous to the best interests of his people. To let them escape would be to license them as the agents of apostasy. 

      Some took one, and some another. Each priest was hurried down he mountainside by the frenzied and determined men who were beginning to see them as the cause of the long drought.  One after another they fell beneath his sword while the king stood by, a helpless spectator of their doom, and Baal did naught to save them.

      And when the last was dead, the prophet knew that rain was not far off. He could almost hear the clouds hurrying toward the land. He knew what we all need to know; that God can only bless the land or heart which no longer shelters within its borders rivals to Himself. May God clear us of His rivals and impart to us Elijah's faith, that we may also be strong and do exploits!

      We are living in days of apostasy.  This is the departure from the faith. To let them live would have sanctioned their beliefs.

      However, Elijah simply did what had to be done. Why? They were like a cancer that will destroy its host unless you deal with it.  These Baal prophets were destroying Israel and they had to go. Another reason was that Elijah was simply doing what the Lord had commanded in the Law, "And that prophet, or that dreamer of dreams, shall be put to death; because he hath spoken to turn you away from the LORD your God, which brought you out of the land of Egypt, and redeemed you out of the house of bondage, to thrust thee out of the way which the LORD thy God commanded thee to walk in. So shalt thou put the evil away from the midst of thee." (Deuteronomy 13:5)

      There is no greater crime against humanity than to lead men to a Christless grave.   As you and I examine our lives today, are there areas that we have allowed to become soft spiritually? Maybe it is our devotional life, or our witnessing life, or our church life, or our praise life, or any number of things. Maybe you have allowed some sin to creep into your life and you are hindered in our walk with God. You know where you stand today and what you need to do is to come before the Lord today and put those things to death. But, if you are thinking of doing that, be forewarned that it requires great courage and stamina.  But it must be done if you really desire to walk with God. 

Conclusion: Do we really need to challenge the Lord to prove that He is God today? Do we need to set up a trial and ask God to jump through hoops for us? Maybe if He did, then we would serve Him. It would be far better for God's people, who claim to love Him anyway, to just come before Him and confess our sins, render our thanks, offer our praise and love Him. Don't you?

      You may be like the prophets of Baal. You might not even be saved today. One day there will come a time when you will be lead away and sent to the second death in Hell. Is that what you want? If the Lord is drawing you to come to Him, please come and receive Him into your life.

      This is real revival.  I want to give you a prescription on how to have a personal revival that will spread throughout our community.

      R. A. Torrey wrote this.  Those who knew him call him the apostle of certainty.  He led some of the great revivals in our land and in the country of England.

                                                Jeremiah 29:12-14

“Then shall ye call upon me, and ye shall go and pray unto me, and I will hearken unto you. And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart. And I will be found of you, saith the LORD: and I will turn away your captivity, and I will gather you from all the nations, and from all the places whither I have driven you, saith the LORD; and I will bring you again into the place whence I caused you to be carried away captive.”

                                                2^nd Chronicles 7:14

“If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.”

                                                Hosea 10:12

“Sow to yourselves in righteousness, reap in mercy; break up your fallow ground: for it is time to seek the LORD, till he come and rain righteousness upon you.”

                                                James 5:16

“Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.”

      “I can give a prescription that will bring revival to any church or community or any city on earth.  First, let a few Christians (they need not be many) get thoroughly right with God themselves.  This is the prime essential!  If this is not done, the rest I am to say will come to nothing.

      Secondly, let them bind themselves together in a prayer group to pray for a revival until God opens the heavens and come down.

      Thirdly, let them put themselves at the disposal of God for Him to use as He sees fit in winning others to Christ.

That is all.

      This is sure to bring revival to any church or community.  I have given this prescription around the world.  It has been taken by many churches and many communities and in no instance has it ever failed; and it cannot fail.”