1 00:00:00,000 –> 00:00:04,840 Well please open your Bible, if you would at 1 Kings in Chapter 16 as we’re continuing 2 00:00:04,840 –> 00:00:10,040 our series, Leadership, The Surprising Influence of a Godly Life. 3 00:00:10,040 –> 00:00:14,680 We began last week with the definition that leaders are people who set out on a journey 4 00:00:14,680 –> 00:00:21,020 and take others with them, and today I want to introduce you to two leaders who moved 5 00:00:21,020 –> 00:00:23,459 in very different directions. 6 00:00:23,660 –> 00:00:31,639 Ahab who took a journey of rebellion against God and led thousands of people with him, 7 00:00:31,639 –> 00:00:36,180 and Elijah who chose a very different path, a journey of obedience to God, and found himself 8 00:00:36,180 –> 00:00:38,459 very much out on a limb. 9 00:00:38,459 –> 00:00:44,060 He felt that he was out of touch with his culture, out of line with where people were. 10 00:00:44,060 –> 00:00:47,939 It was an uphill struggle for him, he often was very lonely. 11 00:00:47,939 –> 00:00:55,880 He sometimes felt sheer exhaustion from the ongoing strain of continually it seems swimming 12 00:00:55,880 –> 00:00:58,540 against the tide of where the culture is going. 13 00:00:58,540 –> 00:01:03,139 And if you’re a Christian believer today, you’re probably experiencing that in some 14 00:01:03,139 –> 00:01:05,980 way, shape, or form. 15 00:01:05,980 –> 00:01:13,220 Ahab and Elijah, both leaders, both people of vast influence. 16 00:01:13,360 –> 00:01:20,680 As Ahab only within his own lifetime, Elijah still, down to this day, through the Scriptures 17 00:01:20,680 –> 00:01:27,900 that speak of his ministry and give him as an example and as an inspiration even to us 18 00:01:27,900 –> 00:01:28,900 today. 19 00:01:28,900 –> 00:01:39,000 Two men, both leaders, different paths, different directions, and extraordinarily different 20 00:01:39,000 –> 00:01:42,419 outcomes for their lives. 21 00:01:42,419 –> 00:01:43,800 So let’s begin with Ahab. 22 00:01:43,800 –> 00:01:47,360 I hope you have your Bible open at 1 Kings chapter 16. 23 00:01:47,360 –> 00:01:54,599 The pattern of the Book of Kings is to give a headline, a kind of summary of each king 24 00:01:54,599 –> 00:02:00,360 followed by a more detailed description of the key decisions or the key events in that 25 00:02:00,360 –> 00:02:02,199 king’s life. 26 00:02:02,199 –> 00:02:06,980 And the account of Ahab begins in 1 Kings chapter 16 in verse 29. 27 00:02:06,980 –> 00:02:12,179 We’re told there in the 38th year of Ahaz, King of Judah, that is the two tribes at the 28 00:02:12,399 –> 00:02:15,000 south are described as Judah here. 29 00:02:15,000 –> 00:02:19,320 Ahab, the son of Omrai began to reign over Israel. 30 00:02:19,320 –> 00:02:21,479 That’s the ten tribes in the north. 31 00:02:21,479 –> 00:02:27,779 And Ahab, the son of Omrai, reigned over Israel in Sumeria twenty-two years. 32 00:02:27,779 –> 00:02:30,960 Twenty-two years. 33 00:02:30,960 –> 00:02:33,559 That is a long time. 34 00:02:33,559 –> 00:02:38,740 That is an entire generation this man was on the throne. 35 00:02:38,779 –> 00:02:43,539 But Ahab had previous reigns, and there had been six kings before him in the northern area of 36 00:02:43,539 –> 00:02:45,020 Israel. 37 00:02:45,020 –> 00:02:47,899 Previous reigns had been a lot shorter. 38 00:02:47,899 –> 00:02:49,360 Kings had been murdered. 39 00:02:49,360 –> 00:02:51,380 Kings had been deposed. 40 00:02:51,380 –> 00:02:53,100 But not Ahab. 41 00:02:53,100 –> 00:02:58,539 He was around for a long time, and because he was around for twenty-two years, that meant 42 00:02:58,539 –> 00:03:01,080 political stability. 43 00:03:01,080 –> 00:03:05,639 And with political stability, economic prosperity. 44 00:03:06,639 –> 00:03:09,880 But I want you to look at what God says about him in verse thirty. 45 00:03:09,880 –> 00:03:18,960 Ahab the son of Omri did evil in the eyes of the Lord, more than all who were before 46 00:03:18,960 –> 00:03:19,960 him. 47 00:03:19,960 –> 00:03:21,580 Notice that phrase. 48 00:03:21,580 –> 00:03:29,080 He did more evil in the eyes of God than all the kings who were before him. 49 00:03:29,080 –> 00:03:33,500 Now if you look back a few verses, to verse twenty-five, you will find that the same thing 50 00:03:33,679 –> 00:03:37,440 is said about Ahab s father Omri. 51 00:03:37,440 –> 00:03:42,740 It says in verse twenty-five that Omri did what was evil in the sight of the Lord and 52 00:03:42,740 –> 00:03:46,520 he did more evil than all who were before him. 53 00:03:46,520 –> 00:03:52,500 So you see what is happening with each generation, there is a slide going on in the culture further 54 00:03:52,500 –> 00:03:59,080 and further away from the truth of God, deeper and deeper into the darkness of evil. 55 00:03:59,820 –> 00:04:04,020 Omri did more evil than anyone who came before him. 56 00:04:04,020 –> 00:04:06,460 And then he died and his son came to the throne. 57 00:04:06,460 –> 00:04:11,179 And Ahab did even more evil than anyone who had gone before him. 58 00:04:11,179 –> 00:04:13,059 He went even further. 59 00:04:13,059 –> 00:04:21,940 Evil went from bad to worse under Ahab and at that time it got to the worst it had ever 60 00:04:21,940 –> 00:04:23,959 been. 61 00:04:24,480 –> 00:04:33,980 There’s a famous Baptist preacher by the name of R.G. Lee who memorably described Ahab as 62 00:04:33,980 –> 00:04:41,480 the vilest toad ever to squat on the throne of Israel. 63 00:04:41,480 –> 00:04:46,779 That’s a pretty memorable description and gets to the point that Ahab is the low point. 64 00:04:46,779 –> 00:04:51,320 There has never been anyone as bad as this man. 65 00:04:51,320 –> 00:04:53,600 That is what the Word of God is saying. 66 00:04:53,920 –> 00:04:59,440 Now, you remember that our Lord Jesus spoke on one occasion in Matthew in chapter 7 about 67 00:04:59,440 –> 00:05:01,299 two roads. 68 00:05:01,299 –> 00:05:05,799 He said there is a broad road and it leads to destruction. 69 00:05:05,799 –> 00:05:10,679 And he said there are many, many people on it. 70 00:05:10,679 –> 00:05:15,420 And Ahab was on the broad road. 71 00:05:15,420 –> 00:05:21,899 And the vast majority of those who would have called themselves God’s people were on the 72 00:05:21,899 –> 00:05:24,600 broad road with them. 73 00:05:24,600 –> 00:05:28,459 That was why it was so lonely for Elijah. 74 00:05:28,459 –> 00:05:33,119 Now I want us to follow the steps in Ahab’s journey. 75 00:05:33,119 –> 00:05:38,459 What does it look like to progress further and further down the broad road? 76 00:05:38,459 –> 00:05:42,500 That’s what this leader did and he took thousands of people with him. 77 00:05:42,500 –> 00:05:47,380 I want to show you 4 steps down the broad road and I think you’ll recognize that they 78 00:05:47,579 –> 00:05:53,760 are steps that are being taken by thousands and thousands and thousands of people today. 79 00:05:53,760 –> 00:05:55,019 Here’s number one. 80 00:05:55,019 –> 00:05:59,980 Ahab’s journey began when he broke the commandment of God. 81 00:05:59,980 –> 00:06:07,420 Verse 31, he took for his wife Jezebel the daughter of Ethibal king of the Sidonians 82 00:06:07,420 –> 00:06:12,920 and went and served Baal and worshiped him. 83 00:06:13,239 –> 00:06:18,679 You can check this out in Deuteronomy 7 in verse 3 if you would like to. 84 00:06:18,679 –> 00:06:26,600 When God’s people entered into the promised land, God gave them a clear command that they 85 00:06:26,600 –> 00:06:34,239 were not, under any circumstance, to marry people who worshipped idols. 86 00:06:34,239 –> 00:06:37,440 It’s very important to understand what the issue was here. 87 00:06:37,440 –> 00:06:41,040 The issue is not interracial marriage. 88 00:06:41,079 –> 00:06:43,420 It is not interracial marriage. 89 00:06:43,440 –> 00:06:52,839 And we know that because Ruth, in the Old Testament, who was a Moabitess, married Boaz 90 00:06:52,839 –> 00:06:59,040 after she took refuge, the Bible says, under the wings of the Lord. 91 00:06:59,040 –> 00:07:04,579 And she was included in the line that led to Christ. 92 00:07:04,579 –> 00:07:12,019 And so, we know for sure that God smiles upon the marriage of a man or a woman of different 93 00:07:12,019 –> 00:07:17,380 race when they marry in the Lord. 94 00:07:17,380 –> 00:07:25,000 But God speaks very clearly to His own people with regard to entering a marriage with someone 95 00:07:25,000 –> 00:07:27,700 who does not submit to Him. 96 00:07:27,700 –> 00:07:28,920 Here you are, you submit to God. 97 00:07:28,920 –> 00:07:31,579 Here is someone else that does not submit to God. 98 00:07:31,579 –> 00:07:34,279 That is not being equally yoked. 99 00:07:34,279 –> 00:07:39,019 The Bible speaks about that often. 100 00:07:39,019 –> 00:07:44,299 But Ahab pays absolutely no attention whatsoever to that. 101 00:07:44,299 –> 00:07:49,059 What did he care about the Word of God in old books like Deuteronomy that were written 102 00:07:49,059 –> 00:07:51,619 hundreds of years before his time. 103 00:07:51,619 –> 00:07:59,100 He would have said, to justify his position, that he was dealing with political reality. 104 00:07:59,279 –> 00:08:07,079 And the political reality of the day was that Assyria to the north was growing exponentially, 105 00:08:07,079 –> 00:08:09,519 it seemed, in power. 106 00:08:09,519 –> 00:08:15,279 And Ahab is presiding as king over these ten tribes in the northern part of Israel, in 107 00:08:15,279 –> 00:08:17,339 Samaria. 108 00:08:17,339 –> 00:08:18,339 He’s worked it out. 109 00:08:18,339 –> 00:08:20,600 It doesn’t take a genius to think about this. 110 00:08:20,600 –> 00:08:23,260 He’s thinking, I need a strong ally. 111 00:08:23,480 –> 00:08:29,459 I need some way of bolstering my defense against this threat from the north. 112 00:08:29,459 –> 00:08:33,859 And it seemed to Ahab that the Sidonians were just the answer. 113 00:08:33,859 –> 00:08:40,400 What better way to cement an alliance with the Sidonians than for him to marry the crown 114 00:08:40,400 –> 00:08:46,619 princess, the daughter of Ephbal, whose name was Jezebel. 115 00:08:46,619 –> 00:08:48,940 And that is what Ahab did. 116 00:08:49,719 –> 00:08:54,840 Ahab came to the throne about sixty years after the death of Solomon. 117 00:08:54,859 –> 00:09:01,400 He was the seventh king in line after that awful schism in which the kingdom had ruptured 118 00:09:01,400 –> 00:09:07,140 with the ten tribes in the north, separating themselves from the line of David that continued 119 00:09:07,140 –> 00:09:11,440 the Davidic king’s ruling in the south. 120 00:09:11,440 –> 00:09:19,119 And it’s interesting in this verse that seven kings on, sixty years on, just more 121 00:09:19,119 –> 00:09:23,679 than a half century on from the time of Solomon. 122 00:09:23,679 –> 00:09:32,940 We read here that for Ahab it seemed like a light thing to walk in the sins of Jeroboam. 123 00:09:32,940 –> 00:09:39,739 Vast changes had happened over just half a century since the death of Solomon, sins that 124 00:09:39,739 –> 00:09:43,320 would have seemed shocking to one generation. 125 00:09:43,320 –> 00:09:50,760 Now, within fifty years seemed light and trivial to another. 126 00:09:50,760 –> 00:09:56,000 And older folks who could remember back sixty years to the time when Solomon was on the 127 00:09:56,000 –> 00:10:01,359 throne must have wondered what in all the world has happened to our nation in just more 128 00:10:01,359 –> 00:10:02,479 than fifty years. 129 00:10:02,479 –> 00:10:06,640 Have you ever asked that question of our nation? 130 00:10:06,640 –> 00:10:12,119 Have you ever felt that what seemed shocking fifty years ago seems light and trivial to 131 00:10:12,119 –> 00:10:15,640 younger people today? 132 00:10:15,640 –> 00:10:21,200 And you begin to say, how could a culture have moved so far, so fast in just more than 133 00:10:21,200 –> 00:10:22,400 fifty years? 134 00:10:22,400 –> 00:10:25,359 Inside one lifetime? 135 00:10:25,359 –> 00:10:31,460 Well this is exactly the situation that we find in 1 Kings in chapter sixteen. 136 00:10:31,880 –> 00:10:39,380 Ahab broke the commandment of God and the culture was just charging down that path in 137 00:10:39,380 –> 00:10:42,380 all kinds of ways after him, but that’s only the beginning. 138 00:10:42,380 –> 00:10:46,679 Second, he subverted the worship of God. 139 00:10:46,679 –> 00:10:56,679 Look at verse thirty-two, He erected an altar for Baal in the house of Baal which he built 140 00:10:56,679 –> 00:10:59,940 in Samaria. 141 00:11:00,020 –> 00:11:03,159 Now what a change this is. 142 00:11:03,159 –> 00:11:12,859 It’s only a hundred years since David had planned for the temple of God and sixty years 143 00:11:12,859 –> 00:11:17,280 or so since Solomon had built it. 144 00:11:17,280 –> 00:11:25,039 And now here we are, these years down the line, and Ahab is on the throne and the ten 145 00:11:25,059 –> 00:11:29,659 tribes from the north having separated from Jerusalem in the south where that temple 146 00:11:29,659 –> 00:11:30,659 is. 147 00:11:30,659 –> 00:11:37,440 Now Ahab takes it upon himself to build a house, not for the Lord but for Baal, and 148 00:11:37,440 –> 00:11:44,960 to have an altar for Baal that is inside the house of Baal that he built. 149 00:11:44,960 –> 00:11:53,299 Friends, please think about this with me, with your Bible open. 150 00:11:53,299 –> 00:12:02,380 No one who takes the Bible seriously can say that all religions are different ways of saying 151 00:12:02,380 –> 00:12:05,780 the same thing. 152 00:12:05,780 –> 00:12:11,760 Nobody who takes the Bible seriously can say that all religions are different ways of coming 153 00:12:11,760 –> 00:12:16,900 to the same God but by different routes. 154 00:12:16,900 –> 00:12:22,419 There is one God and Baal is not God. 155 00:12:22,460 –> 00:12:25,299 And that’s what we’re learning here. 156 00:12:25,299 –> 00:12:30,380 And the very first commandment, not one that’s tucked away somewhere up the list, but the 157 00:12:30,380 –> 00:12:35,940 very first commandment that God gives to his people is this, you shall have no other gods 158 00:12:35,940 –> 00:12:38,159 before me. 159 00:12:38,159 –> 00:12:40,159 What does that mean? 160 00:12:40,159 –> 00:12:47,299 It means that there is one God but because it is our nature to rebel against him, we 161 00:12:47,419 –> 00:12:57,119 invent other gods who will sit comfortably with our pleasures. 162 00:12:57,119 –> 00:13:07,539 What that means is this, that our first sins hide inside the apparent sincerity of our 163 00:13:07,539 –> 00:13:11,020 man-made religions. 164 00:13:11,020 –> 00:13:22,559 The first commandment, you shall have no other gods before Me, says the Lord. 165 00:13:22,559 –> 00:13:24,979 And what is the second commandment? 166 00:13:24,979 –> 00:13:25,960 The second commandment? 167 00:13:25,960 –> 00:13:30,179 You shall not make for yourself an idol. 168 00:13:30,179 –> 00:13:36,739 It is very fascinating to me just how sin progresses within a culture. 169 00:13:37,679 –> 00:13:42,520 Jeroboam, who was the one who led the rebellion in which the ten tribes to the north broke 170 00:13:42,539 –> 00:13:47,640 away from the line of David, what a terrible thing that was to do. 171 00:13:47,640 –> 00:13:54,799 And when he did that, he set up in the north, an alternative worship center. 172 00:13:54,799 –> 00:13:59,419 In fact, he set up two alternative worship centers – one in Dan and one in a town called 173 00:13:59,419 –> 00:14:03,159 Bethel – because he didn’t want the people going back down to the temple of the Lord, 174 00:14:03,159 –> 00:14:06,099 which was in Jerusalem in the south. 175 00:14:06,320 –> 00:14:07,820 And so, here’s what he did. 176 00:14:07,820 –> 00:14:12,219 He made two golden calves, he put one at the center in Dan, the other one in the center 177 00:14:12,219 –> 00:14:17,919 at Bethel, and he said this – you can read it in 1 Kings 12, in verse 28. 178 00:14:17,919 –> 00:14:19,599 He said of these idols, he said, 179 00:14:19,599 –> 00:14:23,359 These are your gods 180 00:14:23,359 –> 00:14:28,239 who brought you out of the land of Egypt. 181 00:14:29,020 –> 00:14:31,479 You see what he’s saying? 182 00:14:31,479 –> 00:14:36,020 He’s saying, hey, folks, we’re all worshipping the same god, 183 00:14:36,020 –> 00:14:42,679 but we’re doing it in our own place, and we’re doing it in our own way. 184 00:14:42,679 –> 00:14:45,880 And in doing that, saying, hey, we’re all worshipping our own god, but we’re doing 185 00:14:45,880 –> 00:14:48,380 it in our own place and we’re doing it in our own way, 186 00:14:48,380 –> 00:14:50,580 he broke the second commandment. 187 00:14:50,580 –> 00:14:53,239 That’s what Jeroboam did. 188 00:14:53,239 –> 00:14:56,780 But now Ahab goes a step further. 189 00:14:56,780 –> 00:15:00,559 He doesn’t bother about saying, hey folks, we’re all worshiping the same god and we’re 190 00:15:00,559 –> 00:15:02,539 doing it in our own place and in our own way. 191 00:15:02,580 –> 00:15:06,679 He’s saying, we’re worshipping Baal. 192 00:15:06,679 –> 00:15:08,739 We’ve moved beyond the God of the Bible. 193 00:15:08,739 –> 00:15:11,780 He is obsolete. 194 00:15:11,780 –> 00:15:13,479 That’s old stuff. 195 00:15:13,479 –> 00:15:15,919 That’s history. 196 00:15:15,919 –> 00:15:21,820 We’re living in a brave new world now, and we’re living in a new contemporary kind of 197 00:15:21,820 –> 00:15:24,159 a way. 198 00:15:24,159 –> 00:15:32,159 And so not only does he break his second commandment as Jeroboam did, he breaks the first one as 199 00:15:32,159 –> 00:15:34,400 well. 200 00:15:34,400 –> 00:15:39,799 So Ahab reaches a new dark point in the history of God’s people. 201 00:15:39,799 –> 00:15:43,640 He has now come to the place where, not only it does he break the commandments of God, 202 00:15:43,640 –> 00:15:46,000 he’s gone further. 203 00:15:46,000 –> 00:15:53,119 He has come to the place where he feels that he has the freedom to choose his own God as 204 00:15:53,119 –> 00:15:55,000 well as his own lifestyle. 205 00:15:55,000 –> 00:15:57,280 And that’s how it progresses. 206 00:15:57,280 –> 00:16:03,119 People begin to say, I have the freedom to choose my own lifestyle. 207 00:16:03,119 –> 00:16:07,419 You walk down that road a little bit, the next thing you end up saying is, I have to 208 00:16:07,419 –> 00:16:13,000 have the freedom to choose my own God. 209 00:16:13,000 –> 00:16:18,280 So that’s what happened in just a short period of time. 210 00:16:18,280 –> 00:16:20,520 Ahab’s journey. 211 00:16:20,520 –> 00:16:21,520 Step number one. 212 00:16:21,520 –> 00:16:23,200 He breaks the commandment of God. 213 00:16:23,200 –> 00:16:25,320 Walk down that road. 214 00:16:25,320 –> 00:16:32,719 It won’t be too long before you’re taking step number two, which is, he begins to subvert 215 00:16:32,719 –> 00:16:35,159 the worship of God. 216 00:16:35,159 –> 00:16:37,840 Worships another God, his own God. 217 00:16:37,840 –> 00:16:41,380 Third, he provoked the anger of God. 218 00:16:41,380 –> 00:16:42,880 Look at verse 33. 219 00:16:42,880 –> 00:16:53,679 Ahab did more to provoke the Lord to anger than all the kings of Israel who were before 220 00:16:53,679 –> 00:16:54,679 Him. 221 00:16:55,580 –> 00:17:00,539 Now friends, this word provoke is very important. 222 00:17:00,539 –> 00:17:07,900 It tells us that anger is not God’s natural state. 223 00:17:07,900 –> 00:17:12,400 The pagans, of course, believed in gods who were always angry, gods who are always needing 224 00:17:12,400 –> 00:17:17,680 to be placated, gods who were angry by nature. 225 00:17:17,680 –> 00:17:23,160 The Bible tells us that God is love. 226 00:17:23,160 –> 00:17:26,300 That is His nature. 227 00:17:26,300 –> 00:17:28,560 It never says God is wrath. 228 00:17:28,560 –> 00:17:35,000 It says God is love, but He can be provoked to anger. 229 00:17:35,000 –> 00:17:42,719 He hates evil, and when people pursue evil, He is provoked, notice the word, to anger. 230 00:17:42,719 –> 00:17:48,640 Even then, the Bible says, He is slow to anger. 231 00:17:48,640 –> 00:17:56,280 But Ahab had been now for years on a sustained assault in the pursuit of evil. 232 00:17:56,280 –> 00:18:05,060 He did more to provoke the anger of God than all the kings of Israel who were before him. 233 00:18:05,060 –> 00:18:07,160 So are you seeing the steps in the journey? 234 00:18:07,160 –> 00:18:10,180 I have to have the freedom to choose my own lifestyle. 235 00:18:10,180 –> 00:18:12,579 I choose my own morality. 236 00:18:12,579 –> 00:18:17,739 Not long before you take the next step, I have to be able to shape my own God. 237 00:18:17,760 –> 00:18:22,459 Not long before you’re taking the next step, he’s provoking the anger of God and bringing 238 00:18:22,459 –> 00:18:26,280 the nation to the very edge of judgment. 239 00:18:26,280 –> 00:18:33,680 And notice the fourth step, he ignored the warning of God. 240 00:18:33,680 –> 00:18:42,239 This is very clear in verse 34, In his day, that is in the days of Ahab, Heal of Bethel 241 00:18:42,239 –> 00:18:45,439 built Jericho. 242 00:18:45,520 –> 00:18:48,199 Now what’s the significance of that? 243 00:18:48,199 –> 00:18:53,619 Well, back in the book of Joshua, you remember the great story of when the people came into 244 00:18:53,619 –> 00:18:59,099 the land of Canaan and there was that mighty work of God in which the walls of Jericho 245 00:18:59,099 –> 00:19:02,099 all tumbled down. 246 00:19:02,099 –> 00:19:09,079 And after that great victory, God gave a very specific instruction that nobody was to rebuild 247 00:19:09,079 –> 00:19:10,339 the city of Jericho. 248 00:19:10,339 –> 00:19:14,739 That was not said about other cities, but about Jericho it was said very specifically 249 00:19:14,959 –> 00:19:22,420 you can find it in Joshua chapter 6 and verse 26, it’s very specific Cursed before the 250 00:19:22,420 –> 00:19:31,500 Lord, be the man who raises up and rebuilds this city Jericho. 251 00:19:31,500 –> 00:19:39,479 At the cost of his firstborn, shall he lay its foundation, and at the cost of his youngest 252 00:19:39,479 –> 00:19:42,920 son, shall he set up its gates. 253 00:19:42,939 –> 00:19:45,680 That’s Joshua chapter 6 and verse 26. 254 00:19:45,680 –> 00:19:50,380 You see what that’s saying, it couldn’t be clearer. 255 00:19:50,380 –> 00:19:56,420 There is a commandment of God against the rebuilding of this city. 256 00:19:56,420 –> 00:20:02,540 Any man, who rebuilds this city in contradiction to the specific command of God will be cursed 257 00:20:02,540 –> 00:20:05,219 before the Lord. 258 00:20:05,219 –> 00:20:07,579 Nothing could have been clearer than this. 259 00:20:07,780 –> 00:20:13,140 God says on no account should anyone at any time rebuild the city. 260 00:20:13,140 –> 00:20:17,719 But what does a man like Ahab care about that. 261 00:20:17,719 –> 00:20:24,439 Old documents from hundreds of years ago, old stories about walls that allegedly fell 262 00:20:24,439 –> 00:20:27,619 down when people blew trumpets. 263 00:20:27,619 –> 00:20:31,839 Who believes in stuff like that today? 264 00:20:32,060 –> 00:20:37,819 He’d long since turned away from giving any weight to the Word of God at all. 265 00:20:37,819 –> 00:20:42,099 Besides, there’s money to be made in a good location like Jericho if we can get something 266 00:20:42,099 –> 00:20:43,359 going down there. 267 00:20:43,359 –> 00:20:44,380 And so what does Ahab do? 268 00:20:44,380 –> 00:20:50,040 He commissions Scheel in direct contradiction of the warning of God to go and to rebuild 269 00:20:50,040 –> 00:20:52,760 the city, and Scheel’s up for it. 270 00:20:52,760 –> 00:20:59,800 And off he goes in contradiction to the Word of God and there he is with his construction 271 00:20:59,839 –> 00:21:00,040 through. 272 00:21:00,040 –> 00:21:01,760 And can you picture the scene? 273 00:21:01,760 –> 00:21:04,079 They pour the foundation and guess what? 274 00:21:04,079 –> 00:21:07,239 His first son dies. 275 00:21:07,239 –> 00:21:10,119 You would think that might have made him stop but he goes on. 276 00:21:10,119 –> 00:21:11,640 They built the walls. 277 00:21:11,640 –> 00:21:13,239 They set up the gates. 278 00:21:13,239 –> 00:21:16,239 And then his second son dies. 279 00:21:16,239 –> 00:21:18,599 What a tragedy. 280 00:21:18,599 –> 00:21:23,079 What a tragedy. 281 00:21:23,079 –> 00:21:27,959 You can read the story of how God redeemed this rebuilt city from the curse under which 282 00:21:27,959 –> 00:21:29,319 it was built. 283 00:21:29,319 –> 00:21:40,060 But this story is here to tell us how far God’s people had come from fearing him. 284 00:21:40,060 –> 00:21:47,719 Who took the Word of God seriously in the time of Ahab? 285 00:21:47,719 –> 00:21:56,739 Do you feel the resonance of where that culture was as you look at our culture today? 286 00:21:57,380 –> 00:21:58,380 They looked at the Book of Moses. 287 00:21:58,380 –> 00:22:00,579 What are the books of Moses? 288 00:22:00,579 –> 00:22:03,079 Old words, just words. 289 00:22:03,079 –> 00:22:05,699 God talk. 290 00:22:05,699 –> 00:22:08,660 Old stories. 291 00:22:08,660 –> 00:22:12,979 They felt sure that God was passive, that they could do what they wanted, that nothing 292 00:22:12,979 –> 00:22:21,459 would come of it, that God was in people’s minds, but not a reality out there, not a 293 00:22:21,459 –> 00:22:25,939 living God who actually does things. 294 00:22:25,979 –> 00:22:31,979 And so friends, this is the story of the progress of evil in one man’s life and under his influence 295 00:22:32,020 –> 00:22:34,540 of leadership in a whole society. 296 00:22:34,540 –> 00:22:37,079 It begins with disobeying the command of God. 297 00:22:37,079 –> 00:22:38,900 I’ll choose my own lifestyle. 298 00:22:38,900 –> 00:22:41,439 That’s my freedom and my right. 299 00:22:41,439 –> 00:22:45,380 It progresses with subverting the worship of God. 300 00:22:45,380 –> 00:22:50,260 If this God does not suit me, then I will change my God and I will have another one. 301 00:22:50,260 –> 00:22:55,699 It intensifies with provoking the anger of God, and it ends up with men and women who 302 00:22:55,859 –> 00:23:03,839 plunge on in what they choose to do, irrespective of the warnings of God. 303 00:23:03,839 –> 00:23:07,400 And surely it will be very obvious to you, as it has been very obvious to me as I’ve 304 00:23:07,400 –> 00:23:15,680 meditated on these scriptures, that our beloved nation is on the same path as Ahab. 305 00:23:15,680 –> 00:23:19,219 We define our own morality. 306 00:23:19,219 –> 00:23:25,380 It’s for us to be choosing our own gods. 307 00:23:25,479 –> 00:23:33,400 God says, I am who I am but instead of bowing before him and believing that he is who he 308 00:23:33,400 –> 00:23:40,599 says he is, we assume that we have the right to redefine God and to say that he is who 309 00:23:40,599 –> 00:23:49,619 we say he is, which of course turns out to be much more convenient. 310 00:23:49,619 –> 00:23:54,020 And in choosing our own morality and in choosing our own gods, we increasingly provoke the 311 00:23:54,060 –> 00:24:02,979 anger of God as we plunge forward and ignore his warnings. 312 00:24:02,979 –> 00:24:10,219 So who in this society ruled by Ahab, this culture that relentlessly is moving down 313 00:24:10,219 –> 00:24:17,979 the broad road, who in this culture really takes seriously the God who lives? 314 00:24:17,979 –> 00:24:21,020 Well, one man does. 315 00:24:21,060 –> 00:24:24,579 And his name is Elijah. 316 00:24:24,579 –> 00:24:28,680 Let me introduce you to Elijah, chapter 17 and verse 1. 317 00:24:28,680 –> 00:24:36,959 Now Elijah the Tishbite of Tishbi in Gilead said to Ahab, 318 00:24:36,979 –> 00:24:40,939 As the Lord the God of Israel lives, before whom I stand, 319 00:24:40,959 –> 00:24:50,739 there shall be neither Jew nor Raine these years except by my word. 320 00:24:50,780 –> 00:24:53,500 This is astonishing Elijah just sort of appears on the scene. 321 00:24:53,500 –> 00:24:58,239 We’re not told anything about his father, or his mother, or his background or his 322 00:24:58,239 –> 00:25:02,719 particular interests, or anything of that sort that might intrigue us. 323 00:25:02,719 –> 00:25:06,680 We know very little about Tishbi, the place where He’s from, not even certain 324 00:25:06,680 –> 00:25:13,099 where that would have been, but Elijah is God’s man. 325 00:25:13,099 –> 00:25:16,560 And God brings him on the scene. 326 00:25:16,599 –> 00:25:22,280 At this moment, it is wonderful how God brings his brightest lights into the 327 00:25:22,280 –> 00:25:27,439 darkest places at the hardest times. 328 00:25:27,439 –> 00:25:33,280 And if you find yourself in a dark place in a hard time and you are a Christian 329 00:25:33,280 –> 00:25:37,599 believer, do not be surprised because it is the way of God that He puts His bright 330 00:25:37,599 –> 00:25:42,339 lights in dark places at hard times. 331 00:25:42,359 –> 00:25:44,119 One writer says, 332 00:25:44,119 –> 00:25:48,660 to see Elijah appear like this unexpected and unheralded reminds us 333 00:25:48,660 –> 00:25:53,140 that we need not despair when we see great movements of evil achieving 334 00:25:53,140 –> 00:25:55,979 spectacular success on this earth. 335 00:25:55,979 –> 00:25:58,459 We can be sure that God has already 336 00:25:58,459 –> 00:26:01,819 secretly prepared His counter movement. 337 00:26:01,819 –> 00:26:04,219 Therefore, the situation is never 338 00:26:04,219 –> 00:26:06,119 hopeless where God is concerned. 339 00:26:06,119 –> 00:26:08,079 At the height of the triumph of evil, 340 00:26:08,079 –> 00:26:11,760 God is there ready with His man and His movement 341 00:26:11,760 –> 00:26:19,319 and His plans to ensure that His own cause will never fail. 342 00:26:19,319 –> 00:26:21,880 Now I want you to try and imagine the scene. 343 00:26:21,880 –> 00:26:27,380 I’m not told specifically that Elijah spoke to Ahab at the palace, 344 00:26:27,380 –> 00:26:29,479 but it seems more than reasonable that 345 00:26:29,479 –> 00:26:31,400 that would be the natural place for this 346 00:26:31,400 –> 00:26:32,579 to take place. 347 00:26:32,579 –> 00:26:37,020 So I wonder in my mind how did he even get in there. 348 00:26:37,319 –> 00:26:41,380 I mean palaces have security, right? 349 00:26:41,380 –> 00:26:45,000 And I don’t suppose for one minute that Ahab was sitting in his throne room 350 00:26:45,000 –> 00:26:47,439 just kind of waiting to see if any visitors 351 00:26:47,439 –> 00:26:52,319 happened to drop by with a word from the Lord for him. 352 00:26:52,319 –> 00:26:53,319 Can you imagine what it was 353 00:26:53,319 –> 00:26:55,239 for Elijah to get up one morning and say 354 00:26:55,239 –> 00:26:58,959 today’ s the day that I’m going to give the truth to Ahab. 355 00:26:58,959 –> 00:27:01,719 Can you imagine that? 356 00:27:01,719 –> 00:27:04,800 I ask in my mind where did he get the courage to do this. 357 00:27:04,839 –> 00:27:08,040 How could this have happened? 358 00:27:08,040 –> 00:27:11,020 Up he comes to Samaria 359 00:27:11,020 –> 00:27:15,079 and he goes through the courtyards of the palace, 360 00:27:15,079 –> 00:27:19,180 amazingly gets direct access to the king, 361 00:27:19,180 –> 00:27:20,479 says a single sentence 362 00:27:20,479 –> 00:27:23,420 as the Lord God of Israel lives before whom I stand 363 00:27:23,420 –> 00:27:26,140 there shall be neither Jew nor the Rain these years 364 00:27:26,140 –> 00:27:27,619 except for my word. 365 00:27:27,619 –> 00:27:31,260 Leaves the palace and he’s gone. 366 00:27:31,739 –> 00:27:34,699 People saying, who is that guy? 367 00:27:36,500 –> 00:27:37,500 Is he talking about? 368 00:27:39,900 –> 00:27:43,359 One man who is going in a different direction 369 00:27:45,079 –> 00:27:46,439 from a darkening culture. 370 00:27:47,979 –> 00:27:49,380 How did he find the courage? 371 00:27:52,020 –> 00:27:55,339 Follow me in these steps in Elijah’s journey. 372 00:27:55,339 –> 00:27:57,780 Notice what he says first that he stood 373 00:27:57,780 –> 00:28:00,560 in the presence of God. 374 00:28:01,619 –> 00:28:04,359 I want to invite you to make that commitment today. 375 00:28:05,400 –> 00:28:09,219 To be a person who stands in the presence of God. 376 00:28:09,219 –> 00:28:11,060 You say, what does that mean? 377 00:28:11,060 –> 00:28:13,300 What does it mean to stand before the Lord? 378 00:28:14,699 –> 00:28:18,619 Well picture the palace as Elijah walks up to Ahab. 379 00:28:18,619 –> 00:28:23,319 Around the room there are servants, and they are waiting. 380 00:28:23,319 –> 00:28:24,780 Would always have been like that 381 00:28:24,780 –> 00:28:26,319 in the presence of the king. 382 00:28:27,560 –> 00:28:30,180 Waiting to do whatever the king commands. 383 00:28:30,239 –> 00:28:32,560 There’s Ahab’s chariot driver, 384 00:28:32,560 –> 00:28:35,160 and he’s standing there near to the door, 385 00:28:35,160 –> 00:28:38,800 ready to move at Ahab’s simple word. 386 00:28:38,800 –> 00:28:42,760 There’s a waiter, and he’s standing there by another door, 387 00:28:42,760 –> 00:28:44,979 and he’s ready to serve food and drink 388 00:28:44,979 –> 00:28:49,979 at the very moment that Ahab just moves a beckoning finger. 389 00:28:49,979 –> 00:28:52,680 All around the room there are the king’s servants 390 00:28:52,680 –> 00:28:54,140 and they’re before him, 391 00:28:55,020 –> 00:28:57,239 and they’re ready at a moment’s notice 392 00:28:57,319 –> 00:28:59,199 to respond to his direction. 393 00:28:59,199 –> 00:29:00,560 That’s what it means. 394 00:29:01,739 –> 00:29:04,339 And Elijah walks into the throne room, 395 00:29:05,739 –> 00:29:08,439 and there are all these folks standing around there, 396 00:29:08,439 –> 00:29:10,560 and they’re all before Ahab. 397 00:29:12,239 –> 00:29:17,119 And Elijah says, I stand before the Lord. 398 00:29:20,420 –> 00:29:23,599 To stand before the Lord means that you come to a place 399 00:29:24,599 –> 00:29:29,400 where you are ready and available and responsive 400 00:29:29,400 –> 00:29:33,880 to whatever he commands you to do. 401 00:29:36,020 –> 00:29:39,520 And surrounded by the darkness, as all of us are, 402 00:29:41,239 –> 00:29:46,239 we need women and men who are in that place, 403 00:29:47,920 –> 00:29:52,540 standing before the Lord. 404 00:29:52,540 –> 00:29:53,439 Is that you? 405 00:29:54,599 –> 00:29:59,099 Second, he believed the Word of God. 406 00:29:59,099 –> 00:30:01,000 Not only did he stand before the Lord, 407 00:30:01,000 –> 00:30:03,300 he believed the Word of God. 408 00:30:03,300 –> 00:30:06,699 You say, what can a man like Elijah do? 409 00:30:06,699 –> 00:30:07,900 What can one person do? 410 00:30:07,900 –> 00:30:11,359 What can I do when there’s so much darkness all around me? 411 00:30:11,359 –> 00:30:12,719 What difference can I make? 412 00:30:12,719 –> 00:30:14,500 Well, you can stand before the Lord 413 00:30:14,500 –> 00:30:16,380 and be ready and available to him. 414 00:30:17,920 –> 00:30:20,500 You can believe his word. 415 00:30:21,560 –> 00:30:23,219 Now folks, if you have your Bible in your hand, 416 00:30:23,719 –> 00:30:24,540 just take it in your hand. 417 00:30:24,540 –> 00:30:27,880 Elijah did not have the Bible, of course, 418 00:30:27,880 –> 00:30:30,119 as we have it today. 419 00:30:30,119 –> 00:30:32,199 What he would have had 420 00:30:32,199 –> 00:30:35,380 would have been the five Books of Moses, 421 00:30:35,380 –> 00:30:39,060 together with Joshua and Judges and the Books of Samuel. 422 00:30:39,060 –> 00:30:41,400 He would have had access to that history. 423 00:30:41,400 –> 00:30:42,979 When I hold that in my hand, 424 00:30:42,979 –> 00:30:46,400 that’s about a quarter, about a quarter 425 00:30:46,400 –> 00:30:48,000 of the Bible that we have today, 426 00:30:48,000 –> 00:30:51,560 so he didn’t have as much Scripture to read, 427 00:30:51,599 –> 00:30:54,420 but he had access at least to the truth 428 00:30:54,420 –> 00:30:57,979 that was contained in the very first part of the Scripture. 429 00:30:57,979 –> 00:31:00,219 And within that first part of the Scripture, 430 00:31:00,219 –> 00:31:02,040 which he must have searched, 431 00:31:03,319 –> 00:31:05,319 he would have found this promise 432 00:31:05,319 –> 00:31:08,060 in Deuteronomy 11, verse 16. 433 00:31:08,060 –> 00:31:12,479 It is very important for understanding the story of Elijah. 434 00:31:12,479 –> 00:31:15,140 Deuteronomy 11, verse 16, says this. 435 00:31:15,140 –> 00:31:16,900 God says, 436 00:31:17,000 –> 00:31:21,020 take care lest your heart be deceived 437 00:31:21,020 –> 00:31:24,540 and you turn aside to serve other gods and worship them. 438 00:31:25,459 –> 00:31:28,459 That, of course, was what was happening in the time of Ahab. 439 00:31:29,420 –> 00:31:32,619 Take care lest your heart be deceived 440 00:31:32,619 –> 00:31:35,500 and you turn aside and serve other gods and worship them, 441 00:31:35,500 –> 00:31:39,020 because then the anger of the Lord 442 00:31:39,020 –> 00:31:40,219 will be kindled against you, 443 00:31:40,219 –> 00:31:45,219 and he will shut up the heavens 444 00:31:45,479 –> 00:31:50,400 so that there will be no rain, Deuteronomy Chapter 11. 445 00:31:52,439 –> 00:31:53,839 This is the Word of God, 446 00:31:55,400 –> 00:32:00,160 a part of scripture to which Elijah would have had access. 447 00:32:01,699 –> 00:32:05,579 If God’s people turned aside to other gods 448 00:32:05,579 –> 00:32:07,400 and served them and worshiped them, 449 00:32:07,400 –> 00:32:11,660 God said, there will be no rain. 450 00:32:12,560 –> 00:32:16,180 And under Ahab, it had happened. 451 00:32:17,199 –> 00:32:21,900 Not just a few altars to Baal, but a house of Baal, 452 00:32:23,020 –> 00:32:26,920 a state-recognized, sponsored Baalism. 453 00:32:28,939 –> 00:32:31,719 Constructed, dedicated by the King himself, 454 00:32:31,719 –> 00:32:36,280 God’s own people worshiping idols. 455 00:32:38,459 –> 00:32:40,920 And so, Elijah began to pray. 456 00:32:42,599 –> 00:32:46,040 Oh, God, what you warned about is everywhere. 457 00:32:47,859 –> 00:32:51,060 Oh, God, do what you said. 458 00:32:52,140 –> 00:32:57,040 Nobody cares about your word, Lord. 459 00:32:58,280 –> 00:33:02,660 They think your words are only talk. 460 00:33:04,280 –> 00:33:09,000 They’ve come to the conclusion that there is no living God, 461 00:33:09,560 –> 00:33:13,619 that it’s all sociology, 462 00:33:13,619 –> 00:33:17,619 that it’s personal piety or spirituality, 463 00:33:17,619 –> 00:33:21,859 that it’s the way the particular communities express themselves in religion. 464 00:33:21,859 –> 00:33:27,319 Nobody believes in you. 465 00:33:27,880 –> 00:33:33,560 Oh, God, do what you said. Do it. 466 00:33:34,160 –> 00:33:39,199 Now, we know that Elijah prayed like this from the New Testament 467 00:33:39,199 –> 00:33:43,400 because we’re told specifically in James chapter 5 and verse 17. 468 00:33:43,400 –> 00:33:49,520 Elijah prayed fervently that it might not rain. 469 00:33:49,520 –> 00:33:53,560 In other words, he prayed into the particular scripture 470 00:33:53,560 –> 00:33:57,560 that was given in relation to God’s Old Testament people. 471 00:33:57,560 –> 00:34:02,420 He prayed into Deuteronomy chapter 11 and verses 16 and 17, 472 00:34:03,300 –> 00:34:07,219 and he prayed it fervently that it might not rain, 473 00:34:07,219 –> 00:34:10,399 and James says, and for three years and for six months, 474 00:34:10,399 –> 00:34:15,340 it did not rain on the earth. 475 00:34:15,340 –> 00:34:20,439 Elijah not only said that it would not rain, 476 00:34:20,439 –> 00:34:22,360 but before he went and he said it, 477 00:34:22,360 –> 00:34:28,379 he prayed that it would not rain. 478 00:34:28,379 –> 00:34:32,120 Friends, what a prayer. 479 00:34:32,120 –> 00:34:35,580 Can you think what that’s asking for? 480 00:34:35,580 –> 00:34:38,239 If there’s no rain for three and a half years, 481 00:34:38,239 –> 00:34:44,239 cattle die, people die. 482 00:34:44,239 –> 00:34:47,580 Three years of famine would ruin the economy. 483 00:34:47,580 –> 00:34:50,520 Here’s a man who’s prepared to pray 484 00:34:50,520 –> 00:34:54,000 that God would wreck the economy of his own country 485 00:34:54,000 –> 00:34:56,760 in order that there should be a spiritual change 486 00:34:56,760 –> 00:34:57,760 that comes about. 487 00:34:57,760 –> 00:35:00,199 What kind of prayer is that? 488 00:35:00,500 –> 00:35:01,639 Think about it. 489 00:35:04,100 –> 00:35:09,560 Elijah himself would personally share in the suffering, 490 00:35:09,560 –> 00:35:11,139 but he prayed that it would happen. 491 00:35:11,139 –> 00:35:14,379 He prayed for something that would bring his own suffering. 492 00:35:14,379 –> 00:35:16,199 Why? 493 00:35:16,199 –> 00:35:19,560 There can only be one answer. 494 00:35:19,560 –> 00:35:23,179 Here is a man who cares more about God’s glory 495 00:35:23,179 –> 00:35:26,780 than he cares about his own comfort. 496 00:35:26,879 –> 00:35:30,439 All the economy is booming under Ahab. 497 00:35:32,280 –> 00:35:35,639 There’s been political stability for 22 years, 498 00:35:37,820 –> 00:35:40,699 but my heart, Elijah is saying, is breaking 499 00:35:40,699 –> 00:35:43,120 because of something much bigger than that. 500 00:35:45,340 –> 00:35:47,179 People have forgotten the Living God. 501 00:35:48,879 –> 00:35:51,100 Here is a man who genuinely cares 502 00:35:51,100 –> 00:35:53,760 more about the eternal destiny of people 503 00:35:53,820 –> 00:35:56,939 than He does even about physical well-being. 504 00:35:59,060 –> 00:36:00,080 Wow! 505 00:36:01,800 –> 00:36:06,219 Eternal destiny mattering even more 506 00:36:06,219 –> 00:36:09,919 than physical well-being. 507 00:36:12,379 –> 00:36:14,899 I read a fascinating piece just this week 508 00:36:14,899 –> 00:36:17,399 about two very great men from different centuries 509 00:36:18,439 –> 00:36:20,639 who moved in opposite directions, 510 00:36:21,520 –> 00:36:25,159 Albert Schweitzer and D.M. Lloyd-Jones. 511 00:36:26,639 –> 00:36:30,719 Albert Schweitzer began life as a preacher 512 00:36:31,879 –> 00:36:34,699 but lost confidence in the truthfulness 513 00:36:34,699 –> 00:36:35,719 of the words of Jesus. 514 00:36:35,719 –> 00:36:38,639 He wrote a book that became very famous 515 00:36:38,639 –> 00:36:41,199 called The Quest for the Historical Jesus, 516 00:36:41,199 –> 00:36:43,679 and he moved away from that and he retrained 517 00:36:43,679 –> 00:36:45,800 and became a medical doctor 518 00:36:45,800 –> 00:36:49,520 because he felt he wanted to give people real help. 519 00:36:51,199 –> 00:36:55,320 Dr. Lloyd-Jones moved in precisely the opposite direction. 520 00:36:55,320 –> 00:36:59,040 He was trained and was very distinguished in his career 521 00:36:59,040 –> 00:37:01,399 in Harley Street in London, as a medic, 522 00:37:02,639 –> 00:37:06,439 assistant to Lord Horder, physician to the Queen. 523 00:37:08,879 –> 00:37:12,120 And Lloyd-Jones left being a medical doctor 524 00:37:12,120 –> 00:37:16,320 in order to become a preacher and this is what he said. 525 00:37:16,320 –> 00:37:19,679 He said, I have become tired of stitching people up 526 00:37:19,679 –> 00:37:23,040 so that they can go out and carry on sinning. 527 00:37:24,919 –> 00:37:26,800 What do you think ultimately matters? 528 00:37:28,560 –> 00:37:30,879 Well, there was no doubt in regards to what matters most 529 00:37:30,879 –> 00:37:32,239 in Elijah’s mind. 530 00:37:32,239 –> 00:37:35,580 Lord, people need to know who you are, they got the money. 531 00:37:37,600 –> 00:37:39,239 They need to know who you are 532 00:37:40,780 –> 00:37:45,000 and whatever it takes, whatever the cost, 533 00:37:45,800 –> 00:37:50,800 let your people know that you are God. 534 00:37:51,639 –> 00:37:56,639 Do it so that whatever we suffer in this world, 535 00:37:57,120 –> 00:37:59,520 we will not perish in the next. 536 00:38:01,719 –> 00:38:05,060 Friend, better to endure any suffering in this world 537 00:38:05,060 –> 00:38:10,060 and to turn to God then to enjoy any comfort 538 00:38:10,500 –> 00:38:12,679 in this world and to live without Him. 539 00:38:15,080 –> 00:38:19,919 So here’s Elijah, he stands before the Lord 540 00:38:19,919 –> 00:38:24,919 like the servant who’s ready to go wherever God goes, 541 00:38:25,100 –> 00:38:27,340 I’m yours, I wanna be available to you, 542 00:38:27,340 –> 00:38:30,120 that comes to believe the word of God. 543 00:38:30,120 –> 00:38:32,040 He comes even when it’s gonna be costly 544 00:38:32,040 –> 00:38:34,679 for himself to pray into the will of God. 545 00:38:34,679 –> 00:38:37,280 And fourth and last step in Elijah’s journey, 546 00:38:37,280 –> 00:38:41,419 he spoke in the name of God as the Lord the God of Israel 547 00:38:41,419 –> 00:38:42,800 lives before whom I stand, 548 00:38:42,820 –> 00:38:44,820 and there shall be neither June or rain these years 549 00:38:44,820 –> 00:38:47,899 except by my word. 550 00:38:49,699 –> 00:38:51,699 See it was standing before the Lord 551 00:38:51,699 –> 00:38:54,600 that gave him courage to stand before the king. 552 00:38:56,939 –> 00:38:59,399 It’s the engagement in worship 553 00:38:59,399 –> 00:39:01,780 and the submission to his word here today 554 00:39:01,780 –> 00:39:03,639 that’s going to give you courage 555 00:39:03,639 –> 00:39:05,399 in the darkness of this world 556 00:39:05,399 –> 00:39:07,300 that you’re facing in the coming week. 557 00:39:08,300 –> 00:39:09,860 It was his prayer in private 558 00:39:09,860 –> 00:39:13,060 that gave him power in public, 559 00:39:13,060 –> 00:39:15,919 one writer says. 560 00:39:15,919 –> 00:39:20,500 The Lord, the God of Israel, lives, he says. 561 00:39:21,500 –> 00:39:25,060 And Ahab had really never thought about that. 562 00:39:25,060 –> 00:39:26,719 He had just settled into his mind 563 00:39:26,719 –> 00:39:28,699 that religion was a branch of sociology 564 00:39:28,699 –> 00:39:31,639 to be manipulated by a politician at will, 565 00:39:31,639 –> 00:39:33,699 an expression of human spirituality, 566 00:39:33,699 –> 00:39:34,699 a force in the community 567 00:39:34,699 –> 00:39:36,600 that could be used for good social purposes. 568 00:39:36,719 –> 00:39:38,639 He had never really seriously thought 569 00:39:38,639 –> 00:39:41,860 that there might be a God who lives. 570 00:39:44,139 –> 00:39:47,520 And here’s a man talking about God 571 00:39:47,520 –> 00:39:50,199 as if he would do something 572 00:39:50,199 –> 00:39:52,540 that actually makes a difference to our lives 573 00:39:52,540 –> 00:39:55,899 in this world, never thought about that before. 574 00:39:57,580 –> 00:39:58,679 You know, reading the story 575 00:39:58,679 –> 00:40:00,479 of Elijah standing before the Lord 576 00:40:00,479 –> 00:40:03,600 makes me think about Jesus, 577 00:40:04,600 –> 00:40:08,300 Jesus, who said, the gate is wide 578 00:40:08,300 –> 00:40:11,580 and the way is easy, that leads to destruction. 579 00:40:11,580 –> 00:40:12,979 And those who are on this broad road 580 00:40:12,979 –> 00:40:14,659 to destruction are many. 581 00:40:14,659 –> 00:40:16,780 But then he says to us, 582 00:40:16,780 –> 00:40:18,459 he invites us to join Elijah 583 00:40:18,459 –> 00:40:19,459 on a different path. 584 00:40:19,459 –> 00:40:21,219 He says there is a gate that is narrow, 585 00:40:21,219 –> 00:40:22,500 there’s a way that is hard, 586 00:40:22,500 –> 00:40:24,340 and it leads to life. 587 00:40:24,340 –> 00:40:25,600 There are not many on it, 588 00:40:25,600 –> 00:40:29,939 but he says enter by the narrow gate. 589 00:40:30,719 –> 00:40:34,520 And to all who will walk the narrow way 590 00:40:34,520 –> 00:40:37,000 of faith and obedience towards God, 591 00:40:37,000 –> 00:40:39,060 there is good news for us today, 592 00:40:39,060 –> 00:40:40,280 and it is this. 593 00:40:40,280 –> 00:40:44,100 That Jesus stands before the Father for us. 594 00:40:45,280 –> 00:40:48,600 And he is the word of God to us, 595 00:40:48,600 –> 00:40:50,600 and he opens the seals we see 596 00:40:50,600 –> 00:40:51,800 in the book of Revelation 597 00:40:51,800 –> 00:40:55,219 to enact the will of God for us. 598 00:40:55,219 –> 00:40:58,179 And he speaks to us a better word 599 00:40:58,179 –> 00:40:59,639 than Elijah did. 600 00:41:00,939 –> 00:41:03,199 Elijah speaks a word of judgment 601 00:41:03,199 –> 00:41:05,540 so that people would seek mercy. 602 00:41:07,919 –> 00:41:08,979 But listen to this, 603 00:41:08,979 –> 00:41:11,860 Jesus speaks a word of mercy 604 00:41:12,979 –> 00:41:16,379 to people who deserve judgment. 605 00:41:17,419 –> 00:41:18,600 That’s the gospel. 606 00:41:19,659 –> 00:41:21,100 And thank God, friends, 607 00:41:21,100 –> 00:41:23,179 and hear this clearly from me tonight. 608 00:41:23,179 –> 00:41:27,500 Thank God that we are not called 609 00:41:27,500 –> 00:41:29,780 to go out and somehow pray for 610 00:41:29,780 –> 00:41:31,459 or call down judgment 611 00:41:31,459 –> 00:41:33,280 on this world. 612 00:41:34,379 –> 00:41:35,979 But here is what we are to do. 613 00:41:35,979 –> 00:41:37,080 In Christ’s name, 614 00:41:37,080 –> 00:41:39,699 we are to call people to repentance 615 00:41:39,699 –> 00:41:41,580 and we are to offer the grace 616 00:41:41,580 –> 00:41:44,100 that is in our Lord Jesus Christ. 617 00:41:44,100 –> 00:41:46,260 And in this darkening world, 618 00:41:47,860 –> 00:41:49,459 God is looking for people 619 00:41:49,459 –> 00:41:51,139 who will stand with Elijah 620 00:41:51,139 –> 00:41:52,760 on the narrow road. 621 00:41:54,459 –> 00:41:55,300 People 622 00:41:56,419 –> 00:41:58,020 who, in the mercy of God, 623 00:41:58,020 –> 00:41:59,820 will say, here I am Lord, 624 00:41:59,820 –> 00:42:01,139 and I am available, 625 00:42:01,139 –> 00:42:02,800 I stand before you. 626 00:42:04,300 –> 00:42:06,340 And I’m gonna put down deep roots 627 00:42:06,340 –> 00:42:08,540 as one who truly believes your word 628 00:42:08,540 –> 00:42:10,419 and gives it weight in my life, 629 00:42:10,419 –> 00:42:12,479 that’s the man, the woman I want to be. 630 00:42:13,719 –> 00:42:16,379 I’m gonna be praying for your will to be done 631 00:42:16,379 –> 00:42:18,879 even when that is costly in my own life. 632 00:42:18,879 –> 00:42:21,459 And out of what it means to stand before you, 633 00:42:21,459 –> 00:42:24,199 I’m asking that you will give me courage 634 00:42:25,540 –> 00:42:26,780 to be like a light 635 00:42:28,300 –> 00:42:29,520 in this dark world 636 00:42:30,659 –> 00:42:32,020 in which you have placed me. 637 00:42:33,379 –> 00:42:34,820 Will you pray with me please? 638 00:42:37,300 –> 00:42:39,699 Father, please raise up men and women 639 00:42:39,699 –> 00:42:41,699 of the spirit of Elijah 640 00:42:43,919 –> 00:42:45,260 to stand in your presence, 641 00:42:45,260 –> 00:42:47,340 believe your word, pray for your will 642 00:42:47,340 –> 00:42:49,120 and to speak in your name. 643 00:42:51,360 –> 00:42:53,620 Do it for the good of our community, 644 00:42:54,580 –> 00:42:58,000 businesses around here, families in need. 645 00:43:00,000 –> 00:43:01,260 For the good of our city, 646 00:43:01,260 –> 00:43:03,360 our nation, and our world, 647 00:43:04,639 –> 00:43:07,719 and for the glory of your name, 648 00:43:09,699 –> 00:43:13,959 for which we pray through your son Jesus Christ 649 00:43:13,959 –> 00:43:15,159 our savior and Lord 650 00:43:15,159 –> 00:43:18,879 and all of God’s people together said, amen.