So we come to this point in Elijah's life where it is time for a showdown.
And of course, history is littered with famous showdowns.
This week I was reminding myself about the epic battle between Hannibal and the armies of Carthage
! traveling over the Alps and their elephants in order to take on the might of Rome in 200 BC.
But those epic contests don't just belong in history and military battles.
We also see them in sport.
There's the rumble in the jungle, the Messi and Bappi World Cup final most recently.
And so often we find that in these epic battles there's a revelation, which is stronger, which is greater.
Often weaknesses, vulnerabilities are exposed.
There are, of course, some famous showdowns within the Bible itself.
Perhaps most famous is that of the shepherd boy David taking the field of battle against Goliath.
Or perhaps we think of Moses against the might of Pharaoh and Egypt.
And we can add to that list Elijah taking on the prophets of Baal.
Now, of course, whenever we get to these showdowns within the Bible, there's an extra layer of significance.
Because these showdowns represent a battle between the one true God and the gods of other nations.
They become events in which God's glory is revealed and the emptiness of idolatry is exposed.
So it's a very dramatic scene.
And I think it's helpful for us to picture ourselves there on Mount Carmel.
Not, as maybe our instinct might be, to imagine ourselves as the great hero Elijah,
standing firm against evil, faithful in this bold mission, calling the nation back to God.
But it's also almost certainly not us putting ourselves in the position where we are King Ahab,
or one of those false prophets where we're deliberately giving our lives to idolatry,
where we're viciously opposed to God and His people.
We don't live in that realm either.
I think perhaps the most honest and realistic place for us to find ourselves in the story is on the sideline.
Listen, listening to Elijah, ask us, how long will you wait for?
As we are invited to see once again the power of God as fire from heaven falls,
as God's glory is demonstrated, and our hearts are reminded again,
yes, there is one and only one true God and Savior.
Because I think this is what we find we so often need.
It's the answer to our wavering faith,
the answer to our limping along faith,
that kind of faith where we can feel strong one day when things are going in our favor,
but when disappointment comes,
perhaps we so quickly fall back on old ways or looking to something else to rescue us.
What we need is to encounter the God of power and to give our hearts to follow Him.
We need to hear His great prophet, ultimately the Lord Jesus,
and the message of Mount Calvary as the antidote to the fear and the wavering that we so often experience.
As we get into the story, we're going to use really some of the themes of the text.
So, we're going to think about the beginning, the first couple of verses,
when the people are silent,
to recognize with Elijah the reality of the idols who are silent,
and then to spend a few minutes thinking about the true God who is not silent.
So, verse 20 and 21, the people are silent.
So, the stage, if you've been here for the last few weeks,
the stage has been set for this showdown.
It's been building.
Ahab has turned the nation away from worshiping God,
and now he summons the nation together for this crucial moment.
They're going to see for themselves, we're going to see for ourselves,
who is the true God who is worthy of worship?
And as Elijah meets them there on the mountain, he brings that question,
how long will you waver between two opinions?
Literally, that word is how long will you limp between two opinions?
They've been pulled by these rival claims of authority and weight,
and they're lacking power because of it.
They're also robbing God of glory.
And so, Elijah comes with this message,
if the Lord is God, follow Him.
And so, Elijah says to us,
do we know who our God is?
Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, that He's the only true and living God.
And if we know that, then let's follow Him.
And to take up this challenge from Elijah,
to follow Him with undivided hearts.
But isn't it striking to notice at the end of verse 21,
the reaction of the people?
It simply says,
the people said nothing.
This call to choose is met with a deafening silence.
So, we don't know what the reason for the silence was.
Did they feel a sense of shame?
We don't know.
Were they skeptical towards Elijah's claims?
Are they waiting to see,
well, show me Elijah,
before I decide which team I want to be on?
We don't know.
But as we move from the experience of the silent crowds to ourselves,
I think it's helpful for us to ask the question,
what makes us limp in our faith?
Or what makes us waver between two opinions?
There is almost the word picture of a desert traveler,
someone who has come to discover an oasis.
Here is where fresh water is,
but not satisfied with that.
The desert traveler then walks off to see if there's a better one.
Is there a better source somewhere else?
And in so doing,
strength begins to go,
and they're dragging themselves along.
It is easy for us to be sapped of spiritual strength,
to find ourselves running from one Savior to another
because we can't fully trust,
or we wrestle with unbelief,
and we keep falling back into unbelief.
When the next challenge comes,
perhaps we look in on ourselves,
and we think, well, what can I do?
How can I fix it?
Rather than looking up.
If we turn to ourselves,
we can feel drained or we can feel alone.
Maybe we can think about Jesus' words
from the Sermon on the Mount.
In those battles for belief,
we need to learn as God's children
to beat a path to our Father's door
and to beat on the door for the help that He can give
and that He wants to give.
The people of Elijah's day,
they had adopted a pick-and-mix approach to religion.
They hadn't totally abandoned the God of the Bible.
They were still looking to worship Him,
but they'd also added in local gods
and especially Baal.
And we might think,
well, why on earth would they have made that choice?
But they were living in a culture
where so many people were saying,
it's these idols that will give you life.
In this land, to have security,
you need to give your offering to Baal.
If you want wealth,
if you want hope,
around here,
you choose Baal.
That was the challenge that the people were living in.
Think about the people who first read this,
the exiles.
They've fallen under God's judgment
because they've also believed that lie.
They've turned to idols
and so judgment has come.
But it's important for us to ask the question,
are we any different
or do we see some of those same tendencies?
When we think about what is an idol,
you know, an idol is anything in life
that we would run to
or even that we would limp to
to find our sense of security and well-being.
And so our hearts, too,
can find themselves divided.
You know, when we're living by faith,
I'm following Jesus,
I'm going to trust Jesus.
But maybe a hardship comes,
opposition comes,
a disappointment comes,
exhaustion comes,
confusion comes,
and our thinking can become confused, too.
I need to find something else,
someone else that's going to deliver me
in this moment.
Elijah's words confronted the people
and they still confront us
with that very stark reality
that we cannot afford to be double-hearted.
Jesus said,
you cannot serve God and money.
You could ask Elijah,
Elijah, can't I serve God
and money or job and success?
Sometimes,
when it seems to deliver a more instant hit,
what's Elijah's answer?
If the Lord is God,
follow Him.
We need to know our God
and follow Him,
that He is our Savior God,
that He is our promise-keeping God,
that He is our Emmanuel God,
God with us.
And for all these reasons
and so many more,
He is the one who deserves
all our heart,
all our worship,
all of the time.
And so it's important
that we know ourselves,
that we would sense
where we waver,
when we would be tempted
to limp back
to our old idols.
And when we are aware
that we're in that position
of weakness,
that's when we need to pray.
That's when we need to remind ourselves
of the truths of the gospel,
that Jesus is better,
that our Father is for us
and He does provide,
and we would ask
for the strength that we need.
I think following on
from the people's silence,
it's also important for us
to ask ourselves,
what kind of silence
is ours
when we are confronted
by the challenge
of God's Word?
And we know the saying,
silence is golden.
I'm trained as a librarian.
I agree wholeheartedly.
Silence can be a wonderful place
of reflection.
Silence is a place
where we can hear
another speak.
But sometimes silence
can be the silence
of defiance, can't it?
I'm not interested
in your authority.
I'm unwilling to engage
and to respond.
Again, we don't know
why Israel was silent
in response,
but we know our own hearts.
We know the times
when we are more likely
to sit and listen
as God speaks
from His Word.
But perhaps,
as we know ourselves,
we also know those times
where we sit,
but we're not going to engage,
and we really don't want
to listen
to God's Word.
And so, again,
it's important for us
both to know ourselves,
but more than that,
to know our God.
And as we know His goodness
and His glory,
that we would follow Him.
Well, having seen the reality
of the people's silence,
let's now move
to the next scene
as the showdown begins
to recognize the idols
that are silent.
So, it's interesting,
on the face of it,
this could seem like
a very uneven contest.
You know,
if this was made into a movie,
the odds against Elijah
seem to be 450 to 1 against.
And not only that,
the geography
is against Elijah as well,
because this is taking place
on Mount Carmel,
which is right smack
in the middle of Baal
worship territory.
And as well,
it's important for us to know,
and we've said this a few times,
that Baal,
he's the storm god.
So, ancient art
will picture him
holding the lightning bolt.
So, he seems to have
all the cards.
And then we get to that point
later on in the story
where Elijah further tips the scales
with a soaking wet sacrifice.
But in so doing,
the whole story
is going to demonstrate
with greater power
the glory of the one true God.
But notice,
as the story is told,
the emphasis on
the noisy worshippers.
So, look at verse 26.
Here they are,
calling on the name of Baal
from morning till noon.
Baal, answer us,
they shouted.
Verse 28,
they shouted louder,
they're slashing themselves
with swords.
Verse 29,
they continued
their frantic prophesying
until the time
for the evening sacrifice.
So, literally,
all day,
getting louder
and louder
in their worship.
Again,
just to observe this,
in verse 26,
end of verse 26,
it says,
they danced around the altar
they'd made
in our NIV here.
Again,
literally,
the language is,
they limped around the altar.
And so,
we're being drawn attention
to how powerless
and how pointless
their worship really is.
It's full of energy
and commitment,
but it's a waste of time
because their worship
is directed
to the wrong God
who will be of no help
in this key moment.
And so,
the message
at the same time
rings loud
and clear
that while
the worshipers
are making a racket,
their God is silent.
Verse 26,
after their shouting,
there was no response.
No one answered.
Verse 29,
there was no response.
No one answered.
No one paid attention.
And Elijah's
kind of sarcastic
responses to them,
it really served
to expose
that reality
and to expose
for them
and for us
the folly,
the weakness
of trusting
in any created thing
rather than
the creator
for their life
and their well-being.
That this contest
is a rebuke
to the nation
for leaving behind
the one true God
in order to pursue
worship of the false.
It's one thing
that you find
all through
the work
and the ministry
and the writings
of the prophets.
So,
early on
in the prophet
Jeremiah's ministry,
God comes
and speaks
through Jeremiah
and says,
my people have
committed two sins.
Not only have
they rejected me,
the source
of living water,
they're also drinking
from empty cisterns.
They're going
to broken cisterns
that hold no water.
They could have
had fresh,
wonderful,
life-giving water,
but instead
they're choosing
to drink
from dirty puddles
instead.
And so,
this great showdown
between Elijah
and the prophets
of Baal
is putting
idolatry
on trial
and in this
very public stage,
this very public
spectacle,
with the eyes
of the nation
watching,
Baal again
comes up
empty.
That must have
been something
of a shattering
experience,
certainly for the
prophets,
but perhaps
for the people
as well.
we place
so much
hope
and emphasis
on this
idol
and now
we're discovering
it is of no
value
when the
time comes.
And again,
maybe we've
learned that
ourselves
from bitter
experience.
In a time
of weakness,
in a time
of crisis,
perhaps we've
looked to
that person
in our life
or to that
sort of wealth
or that status,
that position,
whatever,
that we relied
on before,
thinking,
deliverance
will come
again,
only this time
it failed
to satisfy.
Sometimes
that's what
brings us
to church.
We come
to an end
of ourselves.
We've been
looking for
salvation
from other
things and
they come
up empty
and we're
looking for
something more.
We're open
to God.
We can draw
two important
lessons for
ourselves,
I think,
here.
The first,
and it comes
from a book,
a really helpful
little book
by Greg Beale,
We Become
What We Worship.
It's one theme
that runs
through the Bible.
We sang it
in Psalm 115.
He summarizes
this whole book
in a sentence.
What we revere
or what we worship,
what we revere,
we resemble,
either for ruin
or restoration.
We become
what we worship
for good
or for ill.
And the message
of the Bible
and especially
the message
of the prophets
is that if we
choose idols,
if we give
our hearts
to a non-thing,
then what happens
is that our hearts
become hardened.
Our senses
become dulled.
Our spiritual
sense becomes dulled.
We become
spiritually
lifeless
and we come
to be ruined.
Our need
is to be remade,
to be restored,
to become
new creations
in Christ,
for God
to work in us
by His Spirit
to give us
a new heart
with a new capacity
to love,
with a new
and restored worship
to worship
the God
we were made for.
And when we
worship the God
who made us
and who we were
made for,
we discover
that God's
masterpiece,
you and I,
we find ourselves
being restored
more and more
into the image
of the Lord Jesus.
But Elijah's message
becomes really
important for us
to hear
in that we always
need to be careful
who or what
we give our hearts
to.
But there's also
that wonderful promise
within the gospel
if we give
our lives
and our hearts
to Jesus
that He will
never fail us,
He will never
disappoint us,
He is
the Savior
to trust.
Perhaps within
this little section
there's also
a challenge
for us
that is the need
always
to be toppling
our idols.
Maybe we're
familiar with
that famous
saying of Calvin
that our hearts
are idol-making
factories.
It is so easy
for us to hunt
around and look
around and say
if I have this
thing
then life will
go well.
This person
or this thing
is going to be
the key
to the good life.
That's really easy
for us to do.
The Bible says
we give our hearts
to something
and we don't
give our hearts
to God.
It's idolatry.
So if we find
our spiritual
smoke alarm
is going off
we have that
sense am I
giving my heart
to the wrong
thing?
Or if you sense
that you're more
hardened perhaps
to God's word
or to the gospel.
If you look back
and say well
there was days
when I had much
more joy
in worship.
There was times
when my identity
as a child of God
that meant
everything to me
but not so much
now.
That may be
not definitely
but it may be
a sign
that we're
giving our
heart
to something
less than
the one
true God
and we may
be being
sapped
of spiritual
strength.
So we ask
ourselves the
question
and we join
Elijah
in looking
to tear
down
our idols
which we
do
as we
encounter
afresh
the glory
and love
of God
for us
in Christ
Jesus.
It's as our
hearts are
captured by
that greater
love
that we are
then able
to replace
those lesser
loves.
As we come
to understand
this is the
one who my
heart is made
for
then we're
able to set
those lesser
things
aside.
Jesus said
we cannot
serve God
and money
so it's
important for
us to do
that kind
of heart
analysis
where might
I be giving
my heart
away
and to
give our
hearts to
the gospel
to remembering
God's love
for us
in Jesus.
Well let's
think about
the third
part of
our story
where the
showdown
reaches its
climax.
Verse 30
to 46
the true
God speaks
and he
is not
silent.
So Elijah
the prophet
began by
speaking and
the people
were silent
and then the
people were
making a
racket but
the idols
were silent.
The lack
of power
of the idol
is out in
the moment.
It's out
in the open.
It's exposed
for all
to see.
just to
pause for a
moment
and to
think about
this scene
in the
setting of
our own
day.
You and I
know that
many people
have turned
from God.
Alternative
choices for
happiness or
freedom or for
purpose or for
meaning.
people are
busy,
consuming,
experiencing,
building,
but at the
same time
the gods
are failing.
We've never
had it so
good,
but yet we've
never had such
high levels of
anxiety and
loneliness and
loss of purpose
and a sense of
fear.
There are so
many people
today who are
limping and
lacking power
and looking to
find hope and
they're searching
for more.
And wonderfully,
as we know,
there is more.
There is hope
from the God
who speaks.
And so,
very briefly,
we're going to
think about the
three ways that
God speaks in
these last
verses.
The first way,
the most dramatic
way perhaps that
God speaks is that
He provides the
fire for the
sacrifice.
Look there at
verse 30 down
to verse 39.
We see Elijah
rebuilding the
original altar.
We see him
soaking the
offering so
there is no
doubt that glory
is going to be
given to God
if He answers.
And we hear
Elijah pray.
Verse 37,
as his prayer
closes,
answer me,
Lord,
so these people
will know that
You,
Lord,
are God
and that You
are turning
their hearts
back again.
He prays for
glory to be seen
in such a way
people would have
such an encounter
with the glory
and the presence
of God
that their hearts
would be transformed.
That's not going to
be a people thing,
that's a God
thing.
And the fire
falls
and everything
is consumed.
The people see
the true God
provides a sacrifice.
Perhaps they
remember
the God
who provides
sacrifices
for their sin
and they bow
down.
The Lord,
He is God.
The Lord,
He is God.
He speaks
by providing
fire
for the sacrifice.
But He also
speaks
on this mountain
as He brings
judgment
on evil.
Because the story
doesn't end
on that high.
We then look
at verse 40.
Seize the prophets
of Baal,
don't let anyone
get away.
They seized them
and Elijah had them
brought down
to the Kishon Valley
and slaughtered there.
So this mountain
scene becomes
a place
of judgment
as God
brings decisive
judgment
on the wicked
who willfully,
deliberately
reject and
oppose Him.
It's one of
these pictures
that we get
in the Bible
of future judgment
brought into
the present
to give us,
as we read,
a warning,
a reminder
of the certainty
of the Holy
God's judgment
of evil.
But the story
doesn't end
there either.
We get that scene
verse 41 to 46
of Elijah
and his servant
and Elijah
being sent
to look for the
cloud
with the promise
of rain
and God speaks
finally
by providing
the gift of life.
So where the
conflict
began
three years
before
with Elijah
going into
Ahab's presence
saying,
I swear
there's not
going to be
Jew or rain
as a judgment
and now
the rain
is going
to fall
and it's
going to fall
because God
has spoken
because the
true God
is going
to give
life.
And it's
so interesting
that there's
this emphasis
on Elijah
speaking to
Ahab telling
Ahab to get
ready for the
rain.
Perhaps we
remember that
reality of God's
goodness causing
the rain to fall
on the just
and the unjust.
wicked Ahab
gets the rain
that will give
the crops
that will give
life.
But God
speaks
by way
of sacrifice.
God speaks
in this act
of judgment
and God
speaks
as he provides
the gift
of life.
It was Francis
Schaeffer
who wrote
the book
with a wonderful
title,
God is there
and he is
not silent.
We see
that so
vividly
on Mount
Carmel
but our
God is
always
speaking.
He's
speaking to
us in
the beauty
of creation.
He speaks
to us
when we
read his
word.
He speaks
to us
by his
spirit
into our
conscience
and he
speaks
to us
especially
as he
brings us
the good
news of
the Lord
Jesus.
The same
God who
spoke on
this mountain
years later
will speak
on another
mountain.
would speak
that same
message
again.
Think about
Jesus there
on Mount
Calvary.
Jesus becomes
the great,
the final
mountaintop
sacrifice
provided by
God to
take away
our sin
and our
guilt.
Think about
what happens
there on
the cross.
The cross
is a moment
of judgment
from a
holy God
against sin
and evil
and unbelief
but remarkably
the judgment
doesn't fall
on us,
it falls
on the
righteous
Lord Jesus.
But the cross
also,
alongside the
resurrection,
speaks to us
of the gift
of life,
new life
that is ours
in Christ,
arisen and
reigning Lord
Jesus.
And so,
as we think
about this
great scene
in Elijah's
story,
we recognize
that it
points us
to a still
greater story
that reminds
us of Jesus,
the true
and better
Elijah,
sent into
this world
both as
God's
messenger
and as
God's
message,
sent in
order to
reveal in a
new way
glory of
God,
the power
of God,
the life-giving
nature of
God,
and he is
the one
who calls
us saying,
follow me.
He is the
loving Lord
God who
calls for our
undivided
loyalty.
He loves us
so much,
he wants our
best,
he will not
share our
heart with
another.
Jesus is
the one we
need to
hear,
Jesus is
the one we
need to
believe in,
Jesus is
the one our
confused and
hurting world
needs to
discover.
Will we
come to
him and
come to
him again
to receive
the strength
and the
help that
we need?
And then
will we go
for him
with a
mountaintop
message of
Calvary
written on
our hearts
so that we
might proclaim
it in our
lives,
that we
might live
with hope
and we
might point
people to
hope,
pointing people
away from
their idols
to show
them that
something more
that they're
looking for
is found
in and only
in the
Lord Jesus
Christ.
Let's pray
together.