Believing in God 8-25-24

Overview

Who Do You Believe In?

The biblical prophet was not concerned with being liked or crafting a winsome communication strategy. He was charged with one task: to declare, "Thus says the Lord." Most prophetic words in Scripture are not foretelling future events but forth-telling—delivering God's message plainly to His people. Elijah stands squarely in this tradition, and his ministry reaches its high point on Mount Carmel in 1 Kings 18.

The setting is grim. King Ahab "did evil in the sight of the Lord more than all who were before him" 1 Kings 16:30, and his wife Jezebel had imported Baal worship into the northern kingdom and was killing off the prophets of the Lord. On Carmel, Elijah confronts the people with a piercing question: "How long will you go limping between two different opinions? If the Lord is God, follow him; but if Baal, then follow him" 1 Kings 18:21. The people had been holding two contradictory beliefs together at once—worshiping the true God and false gods, in direct violation of the first commandment. Their response to Elijah's confrontation? Silence. When sin is exposed and we will not repent, silence is all that remains.

The contest that follows demonstrates the difference between trusting in God and trusting in idols. The 450 prophets of Baal cried out, danced, and cut themselves from morning until evening, but "there was no voice, no answer and no response" 1 Kings 18:29. Elijah, by contrast, drenched his altar with water three times and simply called upon the Lord, who answered with fire that consumed the sacrifice, the wood, the stones, and even licked up the water. The people fell on their faces and cried, "The Lord, he is God; the Lord, he is God" 1 Kings 18:39. Elijah believed in God—the result was confidence. The false prophets believed in make-believe gods—the result was silence.

The question for us is the same. The spirit of our age says, "I am the master of my fate, I am the captain of my soul." It tells us the highest virtue is self-trust: "I believe in myself." But Scripture describes us as sheep—dependent, defenseless, unable to fend off the wolf. When loss comes, when the problem will not go away, when we are reminded of all we cannot control, the boast of self-sufficiency rings hollow. Romans 12:3 calls us to think of ourselves with sober judgment, and Psalm 91 teaches us to say, "My refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust." At the cross, Jesus took every sin upon Himself—including our penchant to deify ourselves—and through His death and resurrection He claims us, redeems us, and through Word and Sacrament empowers us to believe in Him. With Israel on Carmel, with the redeemed of every age, we join the chorus: the Lord indeed is God. In Him we believe, and on Him we depend.

Transcript

With your Bible's please, to first Kings the 18th chapter for our study this morning, 2s

first Kings the 18th chapter. 9s

If you're using a Puedition of Holy Scripture, you're going to find that on page 301 in 11s

the Old Testament. 17s

First Kings the 18th chapter. 18s

The Biblical Prophet. 23s

The Biblical Prophet. 25s

The Biblical Prophet was given the responsibility and the calling to say thus, sayeth the 29s

Lord. 38s

The Biblical Prophet was not interested in being liked. 40s

The Biblical Prophet did not do group process to form a communication plan. 46s

The Biblical Prophet simply and clearly articulated the message from God that God had 52s

given him to say. 61s

Oftentimes when we think about prophets in Scripture, we think about those that were 66s

foretelling. 72s

In other words, telling an event that would one day come to pass. 73s

But in actuality, the majority of the prophetic words recorded in Holy Scripture is 77s

forth-telling. 86s

Fourth-telling. 88s

As the prophet delivered the message that God wanted delivered to the people. 90s

Just quite a list of prophets in Holy Scripture. 100s

Isaiah, Jeremiah, Zikil, Daniel, etc. 104s

It also won by the name of Elijah, Elijah. 108s

Prophets were not unacustomed to opponents. 118s

And certainly that was the case with Elijah. 126s

Among the opponents of Elijah was one by the name of King Ahab. 128s

In chapter 16 verse 30, it says this, Ahab, Son of Omri, did evil in the sight of the Lord 137s

more than all who were before Him. 147s

To underscore at the point, in verse 33, it said Ahab did more to provoke the anger of 152s

the Lord, the God of Israel, than had all the kings of Israel who were before Him. 160s

King Ahab was married to Queen Jezebel. 169s

This was quite the duo. 175s

Because Scripture tells us of Jezebel in the 18th chapter of First Kings, when Jezebel 177s

was killing off the prophets of the Lord. 185s

Today we get in the car once again. 192s

We stay in Israel, we head to the mountain ridge where there is Mount Harmel. 195s

In there in that north, western part of Israel, on that mountain that you can see in 203s

not too far distance, the Mediterranean sea. 214s

On Mount Carmel was the high point of Elijah's ministry, the high point. 219s

And the question I want to explore with you today is this, who did Elijah believe in? 228s

Who did Elijah believe in? 240s

So, let's set the sea. 245s

Chapter 18 verse 20, there we read. 248s

So, Ahab sent to all the Israelites and assembled the prophets at Mount Carmel. 251s

So you've got the people that Israelites, you also have false prophets. 260s

And what we see from verse 19 is that there were 800 and 50 false prophets. 265s

So you've got the people of Israel and then you've got 850 false prophets. 272s

See what Jezebel had done is she had brought bailism into the northern kingdom. 279s

And Ahab, Ahab just went along with it. 288s

The scene then, the first verse. 294s

Let's look now at the confrontation first 21. 298s

Elijah then came near to all the people and said, how long were you go then-ping? 303s

With two different opinions. 310s

If the Lord is God, follow Him, but if bail, then follow Him. 312s

The majority, the majority of the people believe in the true God and also false gods. 320s

And they did it at the same time. 332s

That is incongruent to us, right? That doesn't fit together for us. 336s

That doesn't make sense for them. 340s

That's what they did. They believed in the true God. 345s

They also believed in the false gods. 348s

They held that belief structure together at the same time. 353s

What was the first commandment that Moses was given by the Lord of the 10 commandments? 359s

You shall have no other gods in his exactly what they were doing. 366s

So Elijah confronts them. 375s

I'll all you mean keep limping between two opinions. 378s

So in the end who were you going to worship? 382s

He confronts them with the reality of their sin and the response. 385s

Look at the end, please. 394s

A verse 21. 396s

The people did not answer Him. 398s

A word. 404s

Why? 406s

They're called. 408s

Their hypocrisy was revealed. 410s

And so the only response, if you don't repent, you only response is silence. 415s

So you've got the scene, got the confrontation. 427s

Now you've got the plan. 432s

Verse 22. 434s

Then Elijah said to the people, 436s

I, even I, only, am left a prophet of the Lord, 439s

but Bale's prophets number 450, 443s

then you add the other 400 from verse 90. 446s

Let two bowls be given to us, let them choose one bowl for themselves. 451s

Cut it in pieces and lay it on the wood, but put no fire to it. 456s

Then you call on the name of your God and I will call on the name of the Lord. 466s

The God who answers by fire is indeed God. 472s

All the people answered. 477s

Will spoken. 478s

Then Elijah said to the prophets of Bale, 480s

choose for yourselves one bowl and prepare it first for you are many. 482s

Then call on the name of your God, but put no fire. 487s

Do it. 490s

It's interesting, isn't it? 494s

It says you go first. 495s

You go first. 497s

The false prophets, they'd love this deal. 499s

They'd love it because you see in their understanding. 502s

Bale. 507s

Bale was the storm God and his spear was the lightning bolt. 508s

So they dig to themselves, can't you see them smiling in your mind's eye? 515s

They think to themselves not only do they get to go first, 521s

but certainly our God, Bale here, 525s

whose spear is the lightning bolt, can certainly light the fire. 530s

Absolutely. They took that deal I'm convinced with a smile. 538s

So got the scene. 548s

Have the confrontation? 550s

Yeah, the plan. 553s

And now the results. 557s

We could verse 26. 561s

So they took the bull that was given them prepared it, 562s

called on the name of Bale from morning until noon, crying, 568s

oh, Bale answer us. 572s

But there was no voice and no answer. 574s

They limped about the altar that they had made that word there, 579s

limped. 584s

It means that they went into cultic dance here to try and move Bale 585s

to action. 592s

But always quiet. 594s

No answer. 597s

Elijah then starts to mock them. 599s

Verse 27. 603s

And noon, Elijah mocked them saying, 606s

cry aloud. 608s

Surely he's a God, 611s

either he's meditating or he's wandered off. 614s

Reason a journey or perhaps use a set leap and must be awake. 617s

People then they start to cut themselves to try and get Bale's attention. 628s

Verse 28, then they cried aloud and as was their custom, 635s

they cut themselves with swords and lances until the blood gushed out over them. 639s

As midday passed they raved on until the time of the offering of the 644s

ablation. 649s

But there was no voice, no answer and no response. 650s

What does Elijah do? 659s

Bible tells us that Elijah took some stones and he built an altar. 662s

He dug a trench around the altar. 666s

He put wood on the altar and the bull on the altar. 669s

And then he said, 673s

Now I want this all doused three times. 675s

Doused it three times. 681s

Exactly. 683s

What they did. 684s

They doused all of that three times. 685s

The Bible says that the water was just running all over the altar. 687s

And it filled the trenches. 692s

And then there was the call to God. 697s

And God sent fire and the Bible says that everything was consumed. 700s

And that the fire licked up the water. 707s

What was the response of the people? 715s

Verse 39, 721s

The Lord indeed is God. 723s

The Lord indeed is God. 730s

Elijah believed in God. 737s

And the result was confidence. 744s

The false prophets believed in their make-believe gods. 750s

And the result was silence. 758s

Elijah believed in God. 769s

The false prophets believed in their false gods. 771s

And thus, 775s

Who do we believe? 780s

Who do we believe in? 783s

His name was William Ernest Henry. 790s

He was a poet. 794s

He was also a critic. He was also a newspaper editor. 797s

And a wrote a poem called Invictus. 801s

And in that poem, he penned this. 807s

I am the master of my feet. 813s

I am the captain of my soul. 820s

Sust. 836s

Matthew Robertson analyzing that poem said, 840s

That understanding it personifies the belief of our age. 846s

The belief of our age is that the highest virtue is self-trust. 853s

In other words, 866s

it's that phrase that can oftentimes be heard. 868s

I believe in myself. 874s

I believe in myself. 879s

Now let's think this through together this morning. 887s

Because how does the Bible describe us? 892s

What is the designation that God gives to us? 896s

God says that we are sheep, where sheep. 902s

Now think it through with me. 907s

There is not a more defenseless or dependent animal in all of creation than the sheep. 910s

The sheep is absolutely dependent upon the shepherd. 920s

And is absolutely unable to defend itself. 925s

And as an aside, they are also not the smartest either. 930s

That's a divine declaration, a divine designation when God looks at all of the animals he created. 938s

And then when he compares an animal to us, he says, 946s

You're sheep. 951s

A sheep. 953s

Absolutely dependent. 955s

Can't defend yourself. 957s

You are sheep. 959s

All right. 962s

So when your mind's eye then, 964s

see the sheep that has wandered off. 967s

The shepherd is nowhere around. 969s

The sheep has wandered off and a wolf shows up. 972s

Now whatever language is sheep thinks in, 978s

when the sheep sees the wolf, does the sheep say, 981s

I just have to believe in myself. 989s

I believe in myself. 995s

As the sheep looks at the wolf, 1000s

when it's just the wolf and the sheep out there in the middle and nowhere, 1003s

does the sheep look at the wolf and say, 1008s

I am the master of my own fate. 1014s

As nonsense. 1026s

It's not sense. 1030s

Psalm 91 says, 1034s

You who live in the shelter of the most high, 1040s

who abide in the shadow of the almighty, 1044s

will say to the Lord, 1049s

My refuge and my fortress, 1051s

My God in whom I trust. 1053s

My refuge. 1058s

My fortress. 1061s

My God in whom I trust. 1063s

See us, Lewis, said, 1069s

that humility is not thinking less of ourselves, 1072s

but in his thinking of ourselves less. 1078s

That's humility. 1083s

In Romans 12 chapter, 1085s

we're exhorted by the Apostle Paul writing 1088s

an inspiration of the Spirit, 1090s

Paul says, 1092s

Do not think of yourself higher than you ought, 1093s

but think of yourself with sober judgment. 1095s

And so when we do think of ourselves, 1100s

we are not to think of ourselves higher than we are. 1102s

We are not to think that we are higher than a sheep. 1105s

But to think of ourselves with sober judgment. 1110s

We are defenseless. 1114s

We are absolutely dependent upon God. 1117s

We are absolutely dependent upon the shepherd. 1121s

For you see, 1125s

when faced with the loss of a loved one, 1126s

when faced with the problem that just doesn't go away, 1132s

when faced with the constant drip out of the faucet, 1138s

that reminds you of all the things that you have absolutely no control over. 1143s

Our little bars in the presence of the wolf. 1151s

Sound ridiculous, don't they? 1158s

I'm the master of my own fate. 1163s

Really? 1173s

Really? 1177s

When Jesus Christ came to earth, 1185s

God in the flesh, 1187s

He took our sin upon Him, 1188s

all of it, all of it, at the cross. 1190s

Including the sin of our penchant 1195s

to deify ourselves. 1199s

Including that sin. 1204s

And He paid the debt. 1208s

We were reconciled, 1211s

we were redeemed, 1212s

we're claimed, 1214s

and the waters of baptism. 1214s

God opens up for us an eternity 1216s

because of His grace through the Lord Jesus Christ. 1219s

God sends His Son to us. 1225s

And our response, 1233s

when all the people saw it, 1239s

they fell on their faces and said, 1240s

the Lord indeed is God, 1242s

the Lord indeed is God. 1244s

For this God Almighty who has redeemed us, 1250s

empowers us to believe in Him, 1253s

He empowers us to believe in Him through Word 1257s

and through sacrament. 1261s

And we join the chorus. 1264s

The Lord indeed is God. 1269s

In Him we believe. 1278s

And on Him. 1285s

We depend. 1289s