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Elijah: Don’t Waver – Take Stand for God 1 Kings 18:16-46

Elijah: Don’t Waver – Take Stand for God 1 Kings 18:16-46. Life is filled with decisions. As a follower of Christ, we are faced with decisions related to our walk with the Lord: Am I going to be an honest person? Am I going to be kind to the people I come in contact with?

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Elijah: Don’t Waver – Take Stand for God 1 Kings 18:16-46

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  1. Elijah: Don’t Waver– Take Stand for God1 Kings 18:16-46 • Life is filled with decisions. • As a follower of Christ, we are faced with decisions related to our walk with the Lord: • Am I going to be an honest person? • Am I going to be kind to the people I come in contact with? • Am I going to guard my tongue? • How am I going to use my time? • How am I going to spend my money?

  2. The criteria we use in making these decisions is our priorities which tie back to our relationship with God. • What we believe about God will determine how we make decisions. • A choice between two worldviews: • Are we going to follow God and his ways • OR are we going to follow our own selfish ways? • Who is in control of my life?

  3. Idolatry  whenever we place something else ahead of God and make it more important than God himself. • Elijah was living in a time when the nation of Israel was caught up in open idolatry • Baal - the male fertility god who controlled weather and crops • Asherah - the female mother goddess responsible for pleasure and war • Elijah gathers the people together for a “wake up call” • It was time to take a stand for the true God.

  4. Elijah proclaimed judgment on King Ahab: • 1 Kings 17:1 (NIV) “As the Lord, the God of Israel, lives, whom I serve, there will be neither dew nor rain in the next few years except at my word.” • 1 Kings 18:1 (NIV) - After a long time, in the third year, the word of the Lord came to Elijah: “Go and present yourself to Ahab, and I will send rain on the land.” • Before God sent rain, the people needed to repent and turn back to him.

  5. God was preparing the people to witness his power so they would know that HE was the only true God worthy of their worship. • Elijah stood in front of the crowds and issued this challenge: • 1 Kings 18:21 (NIV) - “How long will you waver between two opinions? If the Lord is God, follow him; but if Baal is God, follow him.” • The peoples’ response: • v.22 – “the people said nothing.” • This was a spiritual matter.

  6. 1. We don’t want to make a choice. • We like life the way it is. • Pluralism – worshipping many different gods • The Israelites didn’t want to be too “narrow” in their beliefs • Pluralism is very prevalent today • We need to guard ourselves from becoming apathetic about these false teachings. • We need to take a stand for God!

  7. We fear that we will be perceived as fanatics if we claim that there is only One true God and only one way to heaven. • God said: Exodus 20:2,3 (NIV) - “I am the Lord your God • …You shall have no other gods before me.” • Jesus declared: John 14:6 (NIV) “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”

  8. 2. We are enjoying our current lifestyle • The world has made sinful behaviour very attractive. • We are enticed by: • money and power • pleasure and comfort • pleasing ourselves at the expense of others. • Hebrews 11:25 (NIV) 25 [Moses] chose to be mistreated along with the people of God rather than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a short time. • The pleasure of sin only lasts a short time.

  9. Have you identified any idols in your life? • Romans 12:1–2 (NIV) - Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship. Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.” • Transformation begins when we make a conscious choice to not give in to the things the world offers that distract us from true spiritual worship of the living God.

  10. Matthew 6:24 (NIV) “No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and ____________. • money • sports / entertainment • fulfilling sexual desires • corporate success. • If anything becomes more important to you than serving God than it has become your idol.

  11. 3. We are afraid to take a stand. • When faced with making a choice between God and the world we are just afraid to take a stand for what we believe. • 1 Kings 18:22 – “they said nothing.” • Taking a stand for God means • shutting down gossip • stopping criticism • encouraging people to edify others

  12. Elijah backs up his challenge with a demonstration of the power of God. • Elijah prays to God: • 1 Kings 18:36–37 (NIV) “O Lord, God of Abraham, Isaac and Israel, let it be known today that you are God in Israel and that I am your servant and have done all these things at your command. Answer me, O Lord, answer me, so these people will know that you, O Lord, are God, and that you are turning their hearts back again.”

  13. The people responded with true repentance. • 1 Kings 18:39 (NIV) - When all the people saw this, they fell prostrate and cried, “The Lord—he is God! The Lord—he is God!” • Sometimes we waver in our spiritual walk  we follow selfish interests; we give in to our fearsinstead of taking a stand for God and doing what we know is right. • We have forgotten who God ishis mighty power – his amazing grace – his unfailing love. • He must come first.

  14. Are we going to take a stand for God who has faithfully demonstrated his power and his grace to us? • Or are we going to give in to our own fears and selfish desires. • Let’s not waver: • Joshua 24:15 (NIV) - But if serving the Lord seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve…

  15. whether the gods of money – power – success – pleasure – comfort – your own desires (paraphrased) • But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.” • Elijah’s challenge is for us today • 1 Kings 18:21 (NIV) - “How long will you waver between two opinions? If the Lord is God, follow him.”

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