Sermon Central
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Elijah At Carmel Series
Contributed by Toby Powers on May 6, 2023 (message contributor)
Summary: The Prophet Elijah meets the King Ahab and the false prophets on Carmel, and God answers by fire! Elijah at Carmel shows us separation from the world as a necessity for experiencing the fire of God.
ELIJAH AT CARMEL
Intro: We began studying this prophet of God, Elijah, last week. We saw his experience at Cherith. We studied how the drought came at his preaching, and God separated him out at Cherith. We saw the Division, The Provision, And The Vision he experienced at Cherith. We learned how God will separate us from everything unto himself. The blessing of Cherith is the presence of God. Elijah experienced it, and God let him share it with a little widow and her little son with their little mill and little oil, and they ate little cakes until the drought was gone, and their little blessings testified of the presence of a big GOD!
Today, things have changed. God has brought Elijah out of isolation. 18:1, he is to go show himself to Ahab. Obadiah was a servant of the king, but he feared God, and he had been feeding 100 other prophets of God by 50 in two caves. Elijah seeks out Obadiah, and the servant recognizes him right off by his attire. Elijah told Obadiah to arrange a meeting between Ahab and himself. Ahab was so angry with Elijah that Obadiah feared for his life by just mentioning the prophet’s name to the king. The king and the servant were out rounding up horses; this was Ahab’s hobby, fast horses, and they were thirsting to death. But Obadiah agreed to arrange the summit.
When Ahab met with Elijah, they shared no pleasantries. There was not even the appearance of a friendly conference. Ahab got in Elijah’s face and called him a trouble maker! Elijah, not be outdone, reminded Ahab that the king was the trouble maker. It is not the man of God that names sin that is the problem, but it is the men who sin and lead others down that road that are the problem! Preachers are not our problem in America, but like in Israel, it is politicians and other prominent people who lead our social order down the path of wickedness that are the problem.
The solution is presented by Elijah. We must identify who God is! The solution is not to argue about Elijah or Ahab; it is not preachers or politicians; it is not one man or the other; the solution for this nation is found in identifying who God is! Men do not have the answer for our social ills, for the climate changes, for the financial challenges, but it is the God that answers by fire that is the answer. We must identify who God is!
These people at Carmel were supposed to be covenant people, but they had forgotten who God is! They had connected with false gods and had embraced the ways of this world. Their leaders in the worship of Baal put on a performance, a display, a show, but no fire fell. The prophet of God laughed at their foolishness, but he took very seriously his role that day on this mountain.
I. HE REPAIRED THE ALTAR OF THE LORD: v. 30, it was broke to the ground, to the foundation, but he didn’t build a new one from scratch (like the other prophets had done, v.26, “which was made”). He went back to the foundation that had long been laid and started from there. He built again on the firm foundation. Satan doesn’t mind men attending church, but he wants to keep them away from the foundation of the altar, from the power, from the anointing. He loves social church, false church, and dead church, but he is scared to death of the fire of God at the foundation of the altar! This repair demonstrates
A. An Agreement With The Government Of God: v. 31, 12 stones, one for every tribe of Israel. 12 is God’s number of governmental perfection, but Israel was not in agreement with God’s government. The nation was divided and the people among whom Elijah stood were a rebellious people who had left the covenant of God’s protection and plan. Israel was divided, but unity was God’s will. We are to get in agreement with God and pray his will be done on earth as it is in heaven. God’s will is not always done in this world, but his plan cannot be stopped! Get in agreement with it! 12 Stones held it up, not 850 prophets. The power of the altar is not held up by us, by preachers, or by kings, but by the Rock! Matt 16:18. The Word from God in this is to take sides with God against the whole world, if need be. It won’t be long until God brings his church out of the isolation of Cherith to the open victory of Carmel, and he will restore order in the kingdoms of the world, honor his people, destroy false religion, and give the latter rain! Victory is coming!
