SEEING REVIVAL THROUGH SPIRITUAL EYES 1 KINGS 18:36-46 1 Kings 18:36-46 And at the time of the offering of the oblation, Elijah the prophet came near and said, O LORD, God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, 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 at your word. Answer me, O LORD, answer me, that this people may know that you, O LORD, are God, and that you have turned their hearts back. Then the fire of the LORD fell and consumed the burnt offering and the wood and the stones and the dust, and licked up the water that was in the trench. And when all the people saw it, they fell on their faces and said, The LORD, he is God; the LORD, he is God. And Elijah said to them, Seize the prophets of Baal; let not one of them escape. And they seized them. And Elijah brought them down to the brook Kishon and slaughtered them there. And Elijah said to Ahab, Go up, eat and drink, for there is a sound of the rushing of rain. So Ahab went up to eat and to drink. And Elijah went up to the top of Mount Carmel. And he bowed himself down on the earth and put his face between his knees. And he said to his servant, Go up now, look toward the sea. And he went up and looked and said, There is nothing. And he said, Go again, seven times. And at the seventh time he said, Behold, a little cloud like a man's hand is rising from the sea. And he said, Go up, say to Ahab, Prepare your chariot and go down, lest the rain stop you. And in a little while the heavens grew black with clouds and wind, and there was a great rain. And Ahab rode and went to Jezreel. And the hand of the LORD was on Elijah, and he gathered up his garment and ran before Ahab to the entrance of Jezreel. (ESV) Introduction The past is a part of our lives. We study history to find out where we came from. In colleges, history can be found in every subject including languages, peoples, lands and science. Every war college teaches historical battles in order to learn to be better warriors. An early Chinese general, Sun Tzu, wrote a book titled the Art of War, is required reading. His tactics have found its way, not only in the aspect of war, but applied to sales personnel, in order to become better salesmen.
One book I required those attending my leadership courses was titled, Leadership Secrets of Genghis Khan. We can look at our Christian faith and much of what we know is based on events that happened over 2,000 years ago. In today s passage, Elijah had confronted King Ahab who did evil in the sight of the Lord, more than all who were before him. He married Jezebel and went and served Baal, and worshiped him. And he raised up an altar for Baal in Samaria (1 Kings 16:30-32). The seventeenth chapter opens with the introduction of one of the mightiest prophets of God; Elijah the Tishbite: 1 Kings 17:1 Now Elijah the Tishbite, of Tishbe in Gilead, said to Ahab, As the LORD, the God of Israel, lives, before whom I stand, there shall be neither dew nor rain these years, except by my word. This passage should be familiar to everyone. Three years of drought have passed and now Elijah confronts Ahab, face to face. Ahab s first words to Elijah are; Is it you, you troubler of Israel? Elijah s response is directed at Ahab and is very sharp. 1 Kings 18:18-19 I have not troubled Israel, but you have, and your father's house, because you have abandoned the commandments of the LORD and followed the Baals. 19 Now therefore send and gather all Israel to me at Mount Carmel, and the 450 prophets of Baal and the 400 prophets of Asherah, who eat at Jezebel's table. One against 450 Elijah challenges the prophets of Baal to perform a miracle of burning the sacrifice that had been drenched with water in order to prove to all those watching whose god was real. Baal or Jehovah. All day the prophets of Baal attempted to call upon Baal to consume the offering. Recognize the one you serve. 1 Kings 18:36-38 And at the time of the offering of the oblation, Elijah the prophet came near and said, O LORD, God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, 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 at your word. Answer me, O LORD, answer me, that this people may know that you, O LORD, are God, and that you have turned their hearts back. Then the fire of the LORD fell and consumed the burnt offering and the wood and the stones and the dust, and licked up the water that was in the trench.
And at the time of the offering of the oblation The oblation is a term used for a gift, tribute, or sacrifice. The oblation was to be fully consumed at the altar. No part of the sacrificial animal was to be consumed. This offering was made in at the end of the day, the ninth hour (Daniel 9:21) which is about 3:00 P.M. in the afternoon. Elijah did everything according to the commandments of the LORD. He repaired an altar using twelve stones according to the tribes of Israel. He put the wood in order and cut the bullock properly and placed it upon the wood. Three times they poured water until the altar and ditch around it was filled with water. Notice the prayer of Elijah. LORD God of Abraham, Isaac, and of Israel, let it be known this day that thou art God in Israel, and that I am thy servant, and that I have done all these things at thy word. Hear me, O LORD, hear me, that this people may know that thou art the LORD God, and that thou hast turned their heart back again. The term Hear me is Answer me. Elijah, in the face of the enemies of the LORD is asking God to respond to his prayer. He is emphatic that the LORD hear his prayer and answer him. I wonder how many of us have that same vigorous prayer life that Elijah portrays. His prayer is for Israel to return their heart to the LORD God of Abraham, Isaac and of Israel. It is at this point that the LORD God responds to Elijah s call fire comes out of heaven and consumes the sacrifice. Return to the Lord God 39 And when all the people saw it, they fell on their faces and said, The LORD, he is God; the LORD, he is God. The people did not acknowledge that The LORD, he is God until the fire came from heaven and consumed the sacrifice that Elijah had offered for the people. Sometimes, the church acts like the children of God of the Old and New Testaments. Show us a sign and we will believe but not until then. Matthew 12:38-39 Then some of the scribes and Pharisees answered him, saying, Teacher, we wish to see a sign from you. [39] But he answered them, An evil and adulterous generation seeks for a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah. (ESV) John 6:30 So they said to him, Then what sign do you do, that we may see and believe you? What work do you perform? (ESV)
The blessings from God flow to those who put pronounce The LORD, he is God. Remove All Traces of False Gods 1 Kings 18:41 And Elijah said to them, Seize the prophets of Baal; let not one of them escape. And they seized them. And Elijah brought them down to the brook Kishon and slaughtered them there. Realize Revival 1 Kings 18:41 And Elijah said to Ahab, Go up, eat and drink, for there is a sound of the rushing of rain. So Ahab went up to eat and to drink. Pray, Expecting 1 Kings 18:42-46And Elijah went up to the top of Mount Carmel. And he bowed himself down on the earth and put his face between his knees. And he said to his servant, Go up now, look toward the sea. And he went up and looked and said, There is nothing. And he said, Go again, seven times. And at the seventh time he said, Behold, a little cloud like a man's hand is rising from the sea. And he said, Go up, say to Ahab, Prepare your chariot and go down, lest the rain stop you. And in a little while the heavens grew black with clouds and wind, and there was a great rain. And Ahab rode and went to Jezreel. And the hand of the LORD was on Elijah, and he gathered up his garment and ran before Ahab to the entrance of Jezreel. Conclusion 1. Elijah could see with his spirit that a spiritual change was coming for the nation Israel. 2. But first, they needed to acknowledge God.
3. They needed to see the rains coming as we need to visualize the change coming to your neighborhood, work, family and church. 4. While the rain was small and difficult to see with the human eye Elijah prayed 5. The rains came after the drought the same as the spiritual change came from the drought of not worshiping God. Likewise, we will see the rains come if we believe and pray. Robert C. Crowder