From His Heart

Dr. Jeff Schreve: Long before there was an NFL, long before there was a Super Bowl of football teams, there was a Super Bowl on Mount Carmel. I want us to be encouraged today as we learn lessons from Elijah because how God used Elijah in this instance is the way God wants to use you and the way God wants to use me to stand up for him, to be a force for him, and to have holy boldness in a world that is getting increasingly dark and wicked.

Guest (Male): So many people today live the same way as the people did in Elijah's day. They're riding the fence of indecision and compromise. They have one foot in the world and the other in church on Sunday only. It's time to get off the fence. Just as the battle at Mount Carmel proved, the Lord is God and King. It's time for us to follow him with all of our hearts once again.

This is From His Heart with Pastor Jeff Schreve. Thank you for joining us today for the message entitled, The Super Bowl at Mount Carmel. It is from the powerful eight-message series that we're going through this month called Holy Boldness: Lessons from Elijah, the Prophet of Fire. Today, we're going to hear part one of this lesson. Should you miss any, you can always go online to listen again once they've aired at fromhisheart.org and click the listen link. Open your Bible to 1 Kings 18 as Pastor Jeff begins the lesson.

Dr. Jeff Schreve: I ran across some statistics I thought were interesting. Of the ten most-watched programs in television history, nine have been Super Bowls. You have about 111 million people that watch the same program on Super Bowl Sunday. Long before there was an NFL, long before there was a Super Bowl of football teams, there was a Super Bowl on Mount Carmel. It happened in the 800s BC when wicked King Ahab sat on the throne of Israel, and Elijah, the prophet of the Lord, called out the prophets of Baal for a contest to see who really is God.

Let the real God please stand up. It happened on Mount Carmel, which is an interesting place. It's a mountain ridge right there by the Mediterranean Sea, between Israel and the land of the Phoenicians. The Phoenicians worshipped Baal, and Israel was supposed to worship Jehovah God. Elijah stands for Yahweh and Ahab stands for Baal. The question is, how long will you hesitate between two opinions? If the Lord is God, follow him; but if Baal is God, follow him.

Ahab is king. He marries Jezebel, which is like marrying the devil. She is awful and wants to eradicate the worship of Jehovah God in Israel and replace that with the worship of Baal and his female consort, Asherah. She has 450 prophets of Baal and 400 prophets of the Asherah who eat at her table. She hates Elijah because Elijah called out Ahab and said, "Thus says the Lord, there's not going to be any rain until I give the word because of your sin." God is not going to bless the land of Israel when you're sinning the way you are.

There was no rain for three and a half years. God provided for Elijah. First, he took him to the brook Cherith, where ravens fed him bread and meat in the morning and evening, and he drank water by the brook. When the brook dried up, God sent him to Zarephath, up by Sidon, where Jezebel's father, Ethbaal, is king. It's like hiding in plain sight. Zarephath means refinery, and God was refining his prophet during the time he spent there.

Now he is ready to go. The widow he stayed with said, "Now I know that you are a man of God, and the word of the Lord in your mouth is truth." 1 Kings 18 states, "Now it came about after many days that the word of the Lord came to Elijah in the third year, saying, 'Go, show yourself to Ahab, and I will send rain on the face of the earth.' So Elijah went to show himself to Ahab. Now the famine was severe in Samaria." Samaria is the capital city of the northern kingdom called Israel, the ten tribes that split from the two tribes.

Ahab called Obadiah, who was over the household. Obadiah feared the Lord greatly. For it came about when Jezebel destroyed the prophets of the Lord, that Obadiah took a hundred prophets and hid them in fifties in a cave and provided them with bread and water. Ahab said to Obadiah, "Go through the land to all the springs of water and to all the valleys; perhaps we will find grass and keep the horses and mules alive and not have to kill some of the cattle."

They divided the land between them to survey it. Ahab went one way by himself, and Obadiah went another way by himself. As Obadiah was on the way, behold, Elijah met him, and he recognized him and fell on his face and said, "Is this you, Elijah my master?" He said to him, "It is I. Go, say to your master, 'Behold, Elijah is here.'"

Obadiah went to meet Ahab and told him, and Ahab went to meet Elijah. It came about when Ahab saw Elijah that Ahab said to him, "Is this you, you troubler of Israel?" He said, "I have not troubled Israel, but you and your father's house have because you have forsaken the commandments of the Lord and you have followed the Baals. Now then, send and gather to me all Israel at Mount Carmel, together with 450 prophets of Baal and 400 prophets of the Asherah who eat at Jezebel's table."

Ahab sent a message among all the sons of Israel and brought the prophets together at Mount Carmel. Elijah came near to all the people and said, "How long will you hesitate between two opinions? If the Lord is God, follow him; but if Baal, follow him." But the people did not answer him a word. They didn't say anything. They were just quiet. They didn't want to answer. When you confront people and speak the truth to people in love, you need to remember this about people: lots of people want to ride the fence of non-commitment.

They don't want to make a decision. They don't want to make a commitment when it comes to the Lord. They just want to ride the fence of non-commitment. Fences make pretty bad seats. That's not a fun ride when you ride the fence, but people want to be on the fence of indecision. We're getting ready for the Super Bowl on Mount Carmel, God versus Baal. It's a contest to determine who really is God.

We're in a series on the prophet Elijah, the prophet of fire. We're calling it Holy Boldness. I want us to be encouraged today as we learn lessons from Elijah. How God used Elijah in this instance is the way God wants to use you and me to stand up for him and to have holy boldness in a world that is getting increasingly dark and wicked. We need some men and women, some boys and girls, to be people who will say, "I'll stand up for Jesus. I am willing to stand in the gap."

The first lesson is that we must not shy away from confronting people in love. Elijah had holy boldness. Elijah didn't mind confronting people in love. He spoke the truth in love. Ephesians 4 says we're supposed to do that. Speaking the truth in love, we grow up into every person to be complete in Christ. Jesus was full of grace and truth. Jesus spoke truth. He's love personified, but he said that light has come into the world, but men love the darkness rather than the light because their deeds are evil, so they don't come to me.

Truth is hate to those who hate the truth. What are we supposed to do? We're supposed to present the truth and speak the truth in love. People may not like it. Elijah wasn't everybody's favorite guy, but that's our command from the Lord. Elijah confronted Ahab. When he meets Ahab, Ahab accuses him, "You're the one that's bringing all this trouble on Israel." Elijah looked at him and said, "It's not me, pal. It's you and your sins. You have forsaken God, and that's why there's no rain."

It's not because I just willy-nilly said I think I'm going to go after Ahab today and tell him no more rain. God led me to tell you he's shutting up the heavens. There is no rain because of your sin. He's bold because he says that to the king. He says to the king, "Ahab, you need to let the people know. Gather up the people and let them know there's going to be a showdown on Mount Carmel. Get all the prophets of Baal and all the prophets of the Asherah." Baal is the god of fertility, and you have to have a female consort if you're going to be the god of fertility.

Baal was the one who controlled the rain, supposedly. It was pretty embarrassing because Baal hadn't brought rain for three and a half years because God said there's not going to be any rain. Let's have a contest and see once and for all who God really is. Elijah came near to all the people. There were no doubt thousands of people there that gathered at Mount Carmel. This is a big deal. "How long will you hesitate between two opinions? If the Lord is God, follow him; but if Baal, follow him." The people did not answer him a word.

Guest (Male): How are you at making commitments to God? Does the type of person Pastor Jeff just described define you? He'll return in just a moment to continue pointing out the serious nature of a non-committed life. Stay with us. Today's message, entitled The Super Bowl at Mount Carmel, is from Pastor Jeff's series Holy Boldness: Lessons from Elijah, the Prophet of Fire. Elijah was one of only two people who went to heaven without dying, Enoch being the other.

Heaven couldn't wait for him to come home, and he wants you and me to come home too, one day. But until then, there's a lot more that our Lord in heaven longs to see happen in our lives. He wants us to have an unashamed, unhindered holy boldness in telling people about his great love for us. Are you good at that? Pastor Jeff's eight-message series will help. It's called Holy Boldness: Lessons from Elijah, the Prophet of Fire, and it will inspire you to abide in Christ and help others be ready for the rapture.

This series is our gift to you this month to say thanks for supporting From His Heart with a gift of any amount. When you make your gift, we'll send you the series and the booklet Unveiling the Mystery of Prayer. Just call 866-40-BIBLE or go online to fromhisheart.org. Know that when you give, everything you give goes to produce and distribute these programs on stations across this country and around the world every single day. Thank you for being a part of a ministry that is sharing real truth, love, and hope from God's heart. Let's continue the message, The Super Bowl at Mount Carmel, part one.

Dr. Jeff Schreve: In our membership class, we ask everyone who's getting ready to join the church to make a commitment in writing. Not to us, but to the Lord and to the Lord's church. They put their name on it, and it says, "I'm making a commitment to follow Christ. I'm making a commitment that says the Bible is going to be my authority in my life. I'm making a commitment to support the work of the church in my finances, in my speech, and I'm making a commitment to be here and to participate."

We got that from the book of Nehemiah. He made the people sign a document that they were all in with the Lord. These things are between you and God. I don't know what anyone gives, but here's what the Bible says to do as far as giving goes. This is what I do as far as giving goes. This is what I'm challenging you to do. Whether you do it or not, that's between you and God, but we want you to get off the fence of non-commitment.

The fence of non-commitment is really for unbelievers. They haven't decided yet to follow the Lord. Have you decided, or are you still on the fence of non-commitment? For believers, they like to ride the fence too, but it's a little different fence. It's the fence of compromise. It's saying, "I've got one foot in the world and one foot in the church, and I'm just kind of playing both sides." That's exactly what was going on here. That's what Elijah told the people.

Why are you hesitating, limping between two opinions? Who is really God? Some of you are following Baal, but then you're following Jehovah, and you're thinking you can do both. You can't do both. Baal and Jehovah are totally different. You can't follow both of them. Jesus said no one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other or cling to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and riches, which so many people try to do.

You can't serve God and Baal. You can't serve God and the god of pleasure. It is God alone, or it's not God at all. The throne room of the Lord is not a duplex. He's not moonlighting on the throne. He's not saying, "If you'll let me be Lord for half a day, that'd be good with me." It's all or nothing with him. So many who go to church on Sunday are still playing games with the Lord. They're compromising. As the little poem says, they're praising God on Sunday, but they'll be all right on Monday. It's just a little habit they've acquired.

The Lord said about that in the book of Revelation, the last letter to the last church, the church of the Laodiceans. He said, "You are neither hot nor cold. I would that you were hot or cold, but because you are lukewarm, I'm going to spit you out of my mouth. Literally, I'm going to vomit you out of my mouth. You make me sick. You say you're rich and in need of nothing, and you do not know that you're wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked."

You have gotten lukewarm in your relationship with me. You're just a spiritual compromiser, and you're riding the fence of compromise. You're not all in for me. You're still kind of hedging your bets. You're hesitating between two opinions. You say, "I want to follow the Lord a little bit, but I want to follow the world a little bit. I want to be in both worlds." James 4:4 says, "You adulteresses. Do you not know that friendship with the world is hostility toward God?" Therefore, whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.

If you're hesitating between two opinions and you're not totally sold out to the Lord Jesus Christ, and you're making friends with the world, just know that you're an enemy of God because friendship with the world is hostility toward God. We need to speak the truth in love and confront people in love. The second lesson we learn from Elijah is that we must not shy away from asking for a decision. When we confront people, then we ask people to make a decision.

How long will you hesitate between two decisions? If the Lord is God, then you follow him. But if the Lord isn't God, if Baal is God, then follow Baal. Jehovah and Baal are going into different directions, so you can't follow both. Elijah said to the people, "I alone am left a prophet of the Lord, but Baal's prophets are 450 men." He asked for all the prophets of the Asherah to come too, the 400, but I think only the 450 prophets of Baal came.

Let them give us two oxen, and let them choose one ox for themselves and cut it up and place it on the wood and put no fire under it. I will prepare the other ox and lay it on the wood and I will not put a fire under it. Then you will call on the name of your god, and I will call on the name of the Lord, and the god who answers by fire, he is God. All the people answered and said, "That's a good idea." They didn't say anything in verse 21, but now they said, "Okay, this is a test of fire. That's a good idea. Let's see."

At Mount Carmel, the Phoenicians worshipped Baal, and they said that Mount Carmel was the sacred ground of Baal. Elijah chooses Mount Carmel, which is right on the border between Israel and the land of the Phoenicians. It's home-field advantage for the prophets of Baal. They're thinking, "We got this whipped. This is Baal country right here. This is Baal territory on Mount Carmel." He said, "This is what we're going to do. We're going to make a decision, and we're not leaving here today until we decide who the Lord really is."

If the Lord is God, then you follow him. If Baal is God, then you follow him. Get off the fence. No one is going to be on the fence after today. The people said, "That's a good idea." We must not shy away from pushing people and encouraging people and nudging people to make a decision concerning the Lord Jesus Christ because people need to decide. The decision is critical. Maybe you're here and you've been riding the fence of non-commitment. You've been coming to this church for years and years, but you've never joined.

You've never gotten involved in a Bible study class. You just don't really want to commit to anything. Maybe you're on the fence of compromise and you say, "I've joined, but I know there's some things in my life that aren't pleasing to God, but nobody's perfect. I've given a place in my heart to sin, but then I come to church and I kind of put on the Christian face, so I think God's okay with that." He's lukewarm. He vomits you out of his mouth. He hates that.

The decision is critical because heaven and hell weigh in the balance. That's how critical it is. What is your life? Scripture says it's a vapor that appears for a little while and then vanishes away. You don't know how much time you have. This might be the last message that you ever hear. The decision is critical, but not only is the decision critical, the decision is unavoidable. As much as you'd like to say, "I don't want to decide," you are going to decide. I'm going to make you decide today because that's what Elijah did.

Every time we gather together, there needs to be a time of decision and to know that it is unavoidable. A decision not to decide is a decision against the Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus said, "He who is not with me is against me, and he who doesn't gather with me scatters abroad." As much as you think you're just going to sit on the fence of indecision, you can't. Remember this about the fence, whether it's the fence of non-commitment or the fence of compromise: the devil owns the fence. If he's got you on the fence, he's got you exactly where he wants you.

Guest (Male): If you find yourself straddling the spiritual fence, now is the time to hop off and give it all to Christ. The Lord is reaching out to you today. He's offering you two things. One: forgiveness for all of your sins. And number two: freedom, real freedom, to live for him. The Bible says all who call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. How do we call upon him? Through repentance and faith, surrendering our hearts and lives to him, knowing that he will save us and he's the only one who can save us and provide all we need to live a life that brings peace to our hearts and glory to God.

To get information about how to know Christ and live for him, we hope you'll visit our website at fromhisheart.org and click the "Why Jesus?" link. There you'll be able to download some free materials from Pastor Jeff and help you get started in your Christian journey. When you're there, click the "Contact Us" tab and let us know of your decision, and Pastor Jeff will be sure to get your response. God bless you as you begin your new life in Christ. I'm Larry Nobles. Thank you for joining us today for part one of the lesson, The Super Bowl at Mount Carmel.

It's from Pastor Jeff's series Holy Boldness. Pastor Jeff will have part two on Monday, but tomorrow we'll take a break from the series to begin our celebration of Mother's Day across the nation with a lesson entitled, Do You Want a Happy Home? We pray you'll be here for that as we again opened up God's word and share real truth, real love, and real hope From His Heart.