Sermon Tone Analysis

Elijah and Elisha 5.

Please turn to 1 Kings 18. [P] We are in some of the darkest days of Israel.

A wicked idolatrous regime is ruling that is intent on stamping out all traces of the worship of יהוה!

I love passages where we see יהוה’s mighty hand at work, His glory being revealed.

But last time we saw none of that; nor do we today.

יהוה is about to act; but before He did; the false religion of the day had one last desperate display.

That is how it will be in the end time; before יהוה intervenes, in the Person of Jesus Christ returning in glory, the false gods, the pretenders, have their last desperate moment.

[P] You recall that last time Elijah told king Ahab to call all Israel, including the prophets of Baal and Asherah to Mount Carmel.

Let's pick it up at: [1 Kings 18:20–30 So Ahab sent a message among all the sons of Israel and brought the prophets together at Mount Carmel.

[P] Elijah came near to all the people and said, [P] “How long will you hesitate between two opinions?

If יהוה is God, follow Him; but if Baal, follow him.”

But the people did not answer him a word.

Then Elijah said to the people, [P] “I alone am left a prophet of יהוה, but Baal’s prophets are 450 men.

“Now let them give us two oxen; and let them choose one ox for themselves and cut it up, and place it on the wood, but put no fire under it; and I will prepare the other ox and lay it on the wood, and I will not put a fire under it.

“Then you call on the name of your god, and I will call on the name of יהוה, and the God who answers by fire, He is God.”

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

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

Then they took the ox which was given them and they prepared it and called on the name of Baal from morning until noon saying, [P] “O Baal, answer us.”

But there was no voice and no one answered.

And they leaped about the altar which they made.

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

[P] So they cried with a loud voice and cut themselves according to their custom with swords and lances until the blood gushed out on them.

When midday was past, they raved until the time of the offering of the evening sacrifice; but there was no voice, no one answered, and no one paid attention.

Then Elijah said to all the people, “Come near to me.”

So all the people came near to him.

[P] And he repaired the altar of יהוה which had been torn down.]

We have been looking at the story of Elijah [P].

We looked at the characteristics of the man of God [P], at the one who found life by faith [P], the Gentile widow; last time we looked at the characteristics of the servant of יהוה [P].

I said last time that Elijah appears at a time of transition and that he will appear again in the end times.

What happens here is a picture of the way thing will be at the end.

Revelation, particularly ch.17, indicates at the end people will be highly commercialized, godless; yet they will still be very religious.

We need to be careful that we don’t confuse Christianity with religion – can you tell the difference?

What are the marks of false religion?

Faith is found in individuals, like the widow and Elijah.

A nation as a whole cannot have faith.

You can have a state religion but it will not be faith.

You cannot impose or decree faith in Christ.

Israel as a nation was religious but it was false religion.

They worshipped, as everyone must, but it was not יהוה, they had rejected Him for another.

The question of this passage is: Who is God? [P] For there is only one!

The foundational verse of the Israelite faith is the “shema”: [Deuteronomy 6:4 “Hear, O Israel! יהוה our God, יהוה is one!]

[1 Timothy 2:5 For there is one God, and one mediator also between God and men, the man Christ Jesus,].

You recall that last time Elijah told Ahab to call all Israel, including the prophets of Baal and Asherah to Mount Carmel.

The national, officially sponsored, false religion – that is how it will be at the end [P] – a one world religion; but it will have nothing to do with יהוה, so it will be false.

What are the characteristics of false religion?

What will it be like at in the end time?

[1 Kings 18:20 So Ahab sent a message among all the sons of Israel and brought the prophets together at Mount Carmel.]

[P] Lack of commitment Ahab had got to desperation point.

At one time he would have paid scant attention to the rugged prophet: "Who does he think he is ordering everyone to come?"

But now he obeys implicitly what Elijah says.

He gathered the whole nation including the prophets.

I wonder how they like being dictated to by a prophet of יהוה?

But they came.

Ahab and the nation had been brought low; they couldn’t afford not to listen and comply anymore.

How often it is that it is only when we are brought very low that we begin to listen to what the word of the LORD says.

Now they were ready to listen – it had taken three and a half years.

[1 Kings 18:21 Elijah came near to all the people and said,[P] “How long will you hesitate between two opinions?

If יהוה is God, follow Him; but if Baal, follow him.”

[P] (There is the issue: Who is God?)

But the people did not answer him a word.]

All Israel is there, presumably Obadiah and the 100 prophets of יהוה as well, but no one answered, not a word, not a dickey-bird!

What is it?

Apathy, lack of commitment!

No one was willing to decide – they were hesitating between two opinions.

They didn’t want to commit themselves.

Look, we live in what is proudly called a “pluralistic society” – everyone’s viewpoint is considered valid, every faith respected, all religions are tolerated.

We consider this virtuous!

We are not going to judge between one and another.

But God calls us to!

If יהוה is God – then follow Him!

You have to decide!

And your decision has consequences!

You decide who is God and if He is God, you have to walk in His ways, walk after Him.

Humanism tolerates all viewpoints, takes the middle ground, compromises, doesn’t want to cause offense – so we allow all opinions, tolerate all gods – we will not come down hard and fast on one side or another.

That is judgemental, intolerant, narrow minded!

But years before Joshua issued a challenge to Israel when they were in the land of Israel – you will notice that he acknowledged that they were currently idolatrous – he told them to choose between one set of idols and other idols: [P] [Joshua 24:15 “If it is disagreeable in your sight to serve יהוה, [P] choose for yourselves today whom you will serve: whether the gods which your fathers served which were beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you are living; but as for me and my house, we will serve יהוה.”

] But he wasn’t going to serve either – he was going to serve יהוה.

Everyone, atheists as well, all have a god – Bob Dylan sang: “ya gotta serve somebody” – the one that you serve is your god.

There is a multiplicity of gods that people can serve – that is religion – but Joshua was going to serve none of them!

There is only ONE!

Not pluralism but exclusivism!

Jesus said: [John 14:6 I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.]

We read it earlier: “there is One mediator between God and man: the Man Christ Jesus!"

There used to be the bumper sticker “one way” – it is exclusive.

[Exodus 34:14 —for you shall not worship any other god, for יהוה, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God— ] יהוה is a jealous God – He tolerates no rivals!

That does not sit well in a pluralistic society or with the religious.

Elijah called Israel to mount Carmel along with the idolatrous false prophets for a confrontation.

All were gathered there.

This was a show down to demonstrate once and for all who was God.

A contest between impotent Baal and the Living, All Powerful, יהוה.

The people of Israel were thoroughly syncretistic: [P] they had a bit of יהוה worship and a bit of Baal; they mixed them up.

They covered their bases, kept all options covered.

Insurance policy Christians – they don’t totally reject Jesus; they are in the world but have a bit of Christianity just in case.

Have a bit of everything then you’re sure to have the right one amongst them.

They accommodate any view, just add it to the mix.

It does not work like that!

Because יהוה is a jealous God demanding exclusive allegiance.

You cannot have יהוה and something else as well.

As soon as you have something else, you no longer have יהוה.

Yes we trust Jesus; but also our savings, our insurance, our technology and science; the welfare system.