A Line in the Sand, Part 1

1 Kings 18: 20-40

In today’s broadcast, Pastor Colin challenges us with a profound topic: the impossibility of serving two masters. He asserts, “You cannot worship God and at the same time craft your own truth, shape your own morality, and somehow contrive your own independent purpose for life. It’s about making a decisive choice, an inevitable decision that demands our attention.”

Through the narrative of Elijah and his confrontation with the prophets of Baal in 1 Kings 18:20-40, Pastor Colin illustrates the stark choices that confront us as believers. The ancient dilemma of ‘limping between two opinions’ speaks volumes to our contemporary struggles with faith and worldly distractions. He invites us to consider the exclusive claims of God over our lives and the futility of trying to follow Him while clinging to idols of our making.

Join us for today’s poignant message, aptly titled “A Line in the Sand,” where we examine Elijah’s challenge to the Israelites at Mount Carmel. It’s a call to clear-cut commitment, to choose whom we will serve.

You cannot worship God and at the same time craft your own truth, shape your own morality and somehow contrive your own independent purpose for life. You can’t do it. You will be limping along and there is a decision that has to be made. Welcome to Open the Bible with Pastor Colin Smith, I’m David Pick. So Colin, what is that decision? Well Elijah made it very plain to the people, he said now if the Lord is God, follow him. If Baal is God, follow him. So what had happened here was that people who professed a faith in the God of the Bible had actually slipped into worshipping other gods, they’d put other things in the place of God, that was where their heart was. And so Elijah says in a marvellous phrase, you’re limping between two opinions, you’re not making any progress, you’re just stuck and you need to make a clear cut decision. And this is the challenge that he gave at Mount Carmel and it’s a very powerful challenge for all of us today. So that’s why we’ve called today’s message A Line in the Sand. So if you can, join us in the first book of Kings chapter 18 and we’re looking at verses 20 to 40. Here’s Colin. The time has come finally for Elijah to confront the prophets of Baal. I want you to notice from verse 36 that this was not his own idea, Elijah was not at any point acting independently. At the end of verse 36 when he prays, let it be known this day that you are God in Israel and that I am your servant and that I have done all these things according to your word. And so to be a prophet meant for Elijah that he was operating under the direct instruction and command and revelation of God and that is true of everything that happens in this account that’s before us today. Now let’s begin at verse 19 then. Elijah has said to Ahab, send and gather all Israel to me at Mount Carmel and the 450 prophets of Baal and 400 prophets of Asherah who eat at Jezebel’s table. Can you picture the scene? Dramatic. There are nearly a thousand prophets all told. Can you picture them in brightly dressed colors and they’re there ready to perform their particular religious rites. There’s a large crowd of people who’ve come. You know the prospect of a confrontation or a fight usually draws a large crowd and people have come from all over Israel. They’ve been summoned for this big showdown event. And here is Elijah and he is the lone prophet who speaks and who acts under the direction of the revealed word of God. And the drama begins in verse 21 where Elijah gives this challenge to the people. Elijah came near to the people and he said, how long will you go limping between two different opinions if the Lord is God, follow him. If Baal is God, follow him. I want us to camp out there for a few moments here at the beginning. I want you to notice first that Elijah makes very clear that for every person there is a decision to make. How long will you go limping between two different opinions? Now that picture of limping between two different opinions speaks powerfully to our nation today. If you had taken a survey in the time of Elijah, the vast majority of people in Israel would have said that they believed in the Lord, the God of their fathers. It’s just that they had added a lot of other beliefs in with it as well. Under this great onslaught that had come into the culture of this promotion of Baalism, what had happened was that these people who professed faith in God had got to a place where their own walk with God had become hopelessly compromised, unrecognizable as authentic biblical faith. And that of course is the significance of the word limp. They still have some connection with the knowledge of God and yet they are not walking in the ways of God, they are limping between two opinions. I can’t think of a more penetrating description or analysis of where the vast majority of people in this country that we love find themselves in today. As all you good students of American history know very well, the fifth president of the United States was James Monroe. James Monroe, does it take someone who was raised in Europe to tell you these things? He is best remembered for the Monroe Doctrine. I remember in school learning about the Monroe Doctrine, fifth president of the United States who deeply believed that the United States of America should not become embroiled in any European wars. Now if you say what is the name that first comes to your mind when you say the name Monroe, most people will not identify today the fifth president of the United States, but are more likely to identify Marilyn Monroe, the famous actress whose life and death were marked of course by great sadness. On one occasion, Marilyn Monroe was asked the question if she believed in God. And here’s what she said, I believe in everything a little bit. Now Philip Ryken has picked up that quote and relating it back to the president of the United States who carried the same name, he has described Marilyn Monroe’s comment as the new Monroe Doctrine, the new Monroe Doctrine that prevails in America, believing in everything comma a little bit. And he says this, quote, the new Monroe Doctrine has become the basic principle of American culture. People do not want to be intolerant and so they believe a little bit in everything. A majority of Americans believe in God, the Bible, Jesus, the power of positive thinking, the basic goodness of humanity, luck, alien life forms and checking horoscopes every day. He continues, the only way to believe all these things at the same time is to adhere to the Monroe Doctrine, believe everything a little bit. And he adds this comment that the whole purpose of the ministry of Elijah was to refute the Monroe Doctrine, that’s what it was. It was to say you cannot worship God and at the same time craft your own truth, shape your own morality and somehow contrive your own independent purpose for life. You can’t do it. So long as you’re trying to do both of these things at the same time, here will be your position, you will be limping along and there is a decision that has to be made. Second, still verse 21, there is a reason for us to grasp. You’re thinking about this decision, what’s the basis of the decision on which you should direct your life? Well here it is, if the Lord is God, follow him. You see the rationale there, if the Lord is God, follow him. Now this is very important, especially for younger people. Elijah does not say, your parents followed the Lord, so you should too. He could have said that. It’s a powerful argument, it has some force, but it is highly manipulative and nobody has the right to say to you, your parents lived this way, therefore you should as well. Following Christ because your parents are Christians, following Christ because your friends are Christians is a reason that will not stand the test of time. It is wholly inadequate and the Bible never appeals to you on that kind of a basis. Secondly, Elijah does not say, follow the Lord because that’s the right thing to do. You see the appeal here is not to moral duty and we live in a time when there are many church folks who become very confused on this issue. Listen, our business is not to try to impose some Christian morality on godless people. I sometimes hear people say, you know, even if Jesus did not rise from the dead, then the Christian life would still be the way to live. Well that’s not what the Apostle Paul says. He says, if Jesus Christ is not risen from the dead, we are the most miserable people in the world. What he says is this, if Jesus Christ is not raised from the dead, the church has nothing whatsoever to offer, nothing at all. Our message is very simple, it is that Jesus Christ is risen and therefore life and purpose and forgiveness and joy are to be found in him. And you see that that is exactly where Elijah is. What is the reason for this great life decision? He says, if the Lord is God, follow him. Not tradition, not morality, not even because Elijah says so, not dogma, no threats of future consequences that are kind of put in there at the foundation, but this is the question. If the Lord is God, follow him. So the challenge that is before the people is not, look, choose the way of life that is right for you. The challenge is this, who is God? Who is God? To put it in New Testament terms, this question, what do you think of Jesus Christ? What is your conclusion about him? What then is your response to him? What then is your position before Jesus Christ? You’re listening to Open the Bible with Pastor Colin Smith and the message, A Line in the Sand. And remember if you ever miss any of our messages or if you want to go back and listen again, you can always go online to our website, openthebible.org.uk and stream any of the previously broadcast messages. You can also find us as a podcast on all of the major podcasting sites. Just search for Open the Bible UK. Well, Open the Bible is able to stay on this station and also on the internet and as a podcast because of the generosity of our listeners. That’s people just like you who support the work of Open the Bible. And if you’re able to start a new donation to Open the Bible of five pounds per month or more this month, we’d love to send you a copy of the book, The Fight by John White. It’s a very practical handbook in living and progressing in the Christian life. Go to the website, openthebible.org.uk for full details and to give online. Let’s get back to the message now. Here’s Colin. There is a decision to be made and there is a reason to grasp. Third, there is an urgency to consider. You notice this question here? How long? How long will you go on limping between two opinions, different opinions? Years have passed and these people who knew about the Lord had not come to a place of clear-cut commitment. Maybe true of you today. How many years have you been in any way associated with a Christian church? How long has that been? You’ve been taught about God. You have some kind of a faith, but it is not clear-cut and you’re limping as in some sense you’re attempting to embrace at the same time faith in Christ and love for the world and as long as you’re limping, of course, you’re not making much progress. Some of you have just graduated high school this month. Some of you have just graduated college this month and you’re still limping. You’ve said you’re going to come to clear-cut decision, but you haven’t got there yet. Here’s the question. You’re limping between two opinions. Which way are you going to go? What are you going to do? Are you going to throw yourself into sin or are you going to throw yourself into being a servant of Jesus Christ? Some of you have not yet made up your mind and this question comes to you. Now, how long are you going to stand in this in-between position in which you’re really not moving forward in any significant way? You have a foot in both camps. Others are years from graduation, years. Life is changing color if it’s still there and you are limping as much now as you were at that time in your life. You’re still trying to love Christ. You’re still trying to love the world and you’re trying to do it at the same time. You’re still toying with the same sins that you were toying with 30 years ago or more. You are never giving yourself to them completely, but nor are you abandoning yourself to Christ completely either. And the question comes to you. How long are you going to go on limping between these two opinions? There’s an urgency. How long? Then there’s an outcome to pursue. Notice that here. If the Lord is God, follow him. You see, what we’re learning here, Christian faith can never be purely a notion in the mind. It can never be simply something, oh yes, I believe that stuff. No, the gospel never allows you to go limping through your life saying, well, Jesus is my savior even if he’s not yet completely my Lord. Where did you get that from? How long will you go on limping between two opinions? If the Lord is God, follow him. So here is this decisive moment now for thousands of people, and Elijah is bringing the word of God to bear in a community of people in which there is some knowledge of God, but it’s got mixed up with so much of the world that it is no longer recognizably biblical faith. He says you’ve got a decision, and there’s some urgency, you’ve got to choose. Now, the key question is who is God? And as the story unfolds, we’ve read it together, how Elijah invites the prophets of Baal to do what they can to present the case for the idol that has got to the very center of the culture. And let’s just follow the story for a few moments in the first part here with the prophets of Baal. I want just to make three observations here for you. First, I want you to notice the early confidence of these prophets of Baal. Verse 26, they took the bull that was given them, and they prepared it, and they called on the name of Baal from morning till noon, saying, O Baal, answer us. Now, the efforts of these prophets of Baal, I’m sure, would have been very impressive. Anyone who has traveled widely and seen at all some of the great festivals of religion in different cultures of our world will know how colorful and how noisy they can be. I expect this to have been of the same variety. Try and picture 450 prophets all calling out in prayer, and the drums are beating, and there are formations of prophets, and they’re circling in and out around this bull. They’re dancing. They’re singing. They’re getting into all the trappings of all the rituals that have proved so attractive in that time. I tell you, History Channel would just love this. National Geographic magazine, if they could have been there with the cameras, would have just loved to have run a feature on, you know, the dance culture of the prophets of Baal. I tell you, this was one impressive prayer meeting, if I can put it that way. Hundreds of people, hours in length, and everybody actively participating. This is very striking, and I want you to notice that when Elijah asks these prophets to call on Baal and for him to send down fire on the sacrifice, they accept the challenge. They must have felt that there was a chance of it happening. Satan, of course, is able to do false signs and wonders, and these false prophets feel that their gods can deliver. They are supremely confident. You listen to those who are purveyors of self-centered spirituality, the power of positive thinking. You can be anything that you want to be, you know, the God in you and all this kind of stuff. They are always supremely confident. Nothing that we can’t deliver, and you find that exactly here. And of course, with 450 and all of the impressiveness of what’s going on, hour after hour after hour in these invocations, surely there must have been many among Israel who were looking at this and saying, well, look at them all and how impressive this is. Can all these people really be wrong? That’s always the question. But after the early confidence, I want you to notice how the story makes it very clear that there comes some growing distress. Verse 28, they cried aloud and cut themselves after their custom with swords and lances until the blood gushed out of them. What had started so bright, so optimistic, so colorful, so lively, now beginning to turn dark. There’s a more sinister note that’s beginning to show itself, and as they begin to cut themselves, it must have been increasingly painful to watch. These men went through self-inflicted agonies. And maybe you’re in a place in your life right now where you’re going through self-inflicted agonies, because you will not admit that the path that you have chosen is just not working. And Elijah does not cut the process short. He must have in some way had an impulse to want to intervene to cut this thing short, but before these folks can be convinced that the Lord is God, they have to come to the conclusion that there is no other. That’s huge. That’s huge for every person struggling with an addiction here. Before you can come to the place of being convinced that the Lord is God, you have to come to the place where you’re convinced that there is no other. This cannot go on. This is not working and never will. It never will. And here’s the tragedy. They’ve set their hope on Baal, but there was no one there. Verse 26, as they’re crying out, there was no voice and no one answered. Verse 29, again, there was no voice, no one answered. No one paid attention. See, that’s the problem with every form of spirituality that replaces the God of the universe at the center. You take away the living God who is the creator of heaven and earth, and what you’ve got is an empty shell. And these people in their agony are shouting into the sounds of silence. There’s no one there to answer. Let me ask you this question, a question for every person who has not yet laid their life at the foot of Jesus Christ today. Can what you are living for answer your prayers? You’ve been listening to Open the Bible with Pastor Colin Smith and the message A Line in the Sand, part of our series, The Surprising Influence of a Godly Life, and we’ll return to the message next time on this broadcast. Open the Bible Daily is a series of short two to three minute reflections written by Pastor Colin Smith and read by Sue MacLeish. Sue took a break from recording this month’s Open the Bible Daily to tell me what the theme is. Ah, well, this month’s reading and next cover the whole of Isaiah chapter 53, sometimes referred to as the Gospel according to Isaiah. Many verses will be familiar to those who have heard or perhaps sung in Handel’s Messiah. Yeah, I can’t do better than quote Pastor Colin’s words from today’s devotional. Jesus is like a field in which there’s buried treasure. If you get the field, you get the treasure. Isaiah 53 describes the treasure hidden in Jesus. It also teaches who Jesus is and what he has accomplished and what he offers. You know, David, I think many people would benefit from Open the Bible Daily. How can they find the podcast? Well, Sue, there are at least two ways to find Open the Bible Daily. One is on our website, that’s openthebible.org.uk. Click on the menu item Resources and then Open the Bible Daily. You can also read the text of that day’s Open the Bible Daily by clicking on Listen Now. Open the Bible Daily is now also available as a podcast. You can find a link to the podcast version on the website, or you can simply go to your favourite podcasting site and search for Open the Bible, look for the purple banner and subscribe to the podcast to receive it every day on your device. You can also find Open the Bible on social media. We’re on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube. Just search for Open the Bible UK. When you see one of our posts, please like it and if possible, retweet it so that all your friends will see it and they’ll have an opportunity to follow Open the Bible as well. Remember, if you ever miss one of our broadcasts, you can always catch up online. Just go to openthebible.org.uk and you can stream any of our previous messages directly from the website. For Open the Bible and Pastor Colin Smith, I’m David Pick and I hope you’ll be able to join us again soon. Maybe you live for your job or your family or your interests or social life. These things are at the centre of your life. But can these things, good though they may be, answer your prayers? Find out next time on Open the Bible.

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Colin Smith

Trustee / Founder and Teaching Pastor

Colin Smith is the Senior Pastor of The Orchard Evangelical Free Church in the northwest suburbs of Chicago. He has authored a number of books, including Heaven, How I Got Here and Heaven, So Near – So Far. Colin is the Founder and Teaching Pastor for Open the Bible. Follow him on X formerly Twitter.

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Explore the unexpected impact and enduring legacy of living a life rooted in faith and righteousness, as illustrated through the life of Elijah.

Colin Smith

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