PowerPoint

Jack Graham: Our God is alive and we are alive in his presence. If anything is going to happen in our generation, then it's only going to happen in the power and the presence of the Great I Am.

Guest (Male): Welcome to PowerPoint with Jack Graham. Our God is alive and we are alive in his presence. If anything is going to happen in our generation, then it's only going to happen in the power and the presence of the Great I Am. On today's PowerPoint, Dr. Graham brings a message about how you can take a stand for Christ right where you are. Now here's Dr. Graham with his message, "Battle of the Gods."

Jack Graham: Take your Bible and turn with me to 1 Kings chapters 17 and 18. We find our story. It's really about a man whose name is Elijah. Elijah was a great, great man. What a great name for a man of God, because the name Elijah means "the Lord is my God." That's a great name. "The Lord is my God."

If we claim the Lord is our God, if we are followers of the Lord Jesus Christ—the name Christian means follower of Jesus—let our name reflect our true identity. Elijah burst on the scene. A little background information here will help you as we get started in this message. These were dark and terrible times in the life of Israel. Israel had three great kings that served initially: first Saul, then David, and then David's son, Solomon. They served with distinction, though there were flaws and failures along the way.

After Solomon's reign, there was a division in Israel, a civil war in effect that divided the kingdom into a northern and a southern sector. There was Israel and there was Judah. In the midst of this division, the people of God began to turn away from the Lord one by one, group by group, family by family. Various kings came along to reign and to rule. Many of these were bad leaders and very poor kings, certainly not spiritual men.

Yet there arose one in Israel who was the most wicked of all the kings to that point, and his name was Ahab. Ahab was a full-tilt, full-blown idolater. Although he named the name of God, he wanted it both ways. He was, in fact, an idolater. He married a woman whose name was Jezebel. Jezebel really is representative of so much evil that we see in life. In fact, John the Apostle, recording the words of Jesus in the book of Revelation, described Jezebel as the personification of immorality and evil that had crept into the church.

So here you have Ahab and Jezebel. They are building altars to the Asheroth and to the Baals, these pagan deities. They were worshipped with pagan forms of all kinds. In fact, in 1 Kings chapter 16:33, by way of introduction, it says, "Ahab also made an Asherah pole and did more to provoke the Lord, the God of Israel, to anger than did all the kings of Israel before him."

So these are dark and desperate days. The people of God are living in compromise at the very least; they're living in corruption. This evil king and his wicked wife are large and in charge. Out of nowhere comes a prophet of God, a man of God. When I say nowhere, Elijah is described as a Tishbite from Gilead. Now, that may not mean much to you, but in fact, what it means is he was a redneck from the woods.

But there was something about Elijah. He was bold and bodacious. He was courageous. He was confrontational, convictional, and controversial. He wasn't one of these preachers that got along with everyone. No, he was a man of God who stood firmly and fervently for the faith in the one true God. He rebuked sin and challenged earthly powers with the word of God. Someone said regarding Elijah, "This man stands as a Colossus in the midst of a generation of spiritual pygmies and perverts."

He stood for God in the darkness. He took a stand for the faith of his fathers and for the people of God in a generation that was so far away from God. It's not easy to take a stand for Christ, a stand for our God in any generation. But God is calling his church, his people, you and me, like Elijah, to take a stand in our own times. Do you take a stand for Christ in your office? Do you take a stand that it would be known that there is a God in heaven in your school, among your friends, in your home, your own family? Do you stand up? Do you stand out?

You say, "Well, I'm just not that personality. I'm not like Elijah." Well, did you know the Bible tells us in James chapter 5 and verse 17 that Elijah, Elias, was a man subject to like passions as we are? He was a man just like all of us in our own humanity. In fact, shortly after this great massive victory on Mount Carmel, Elijah became so dejected and defeated in his own life and depressed that he even prayed to die in the desert. Yes, Elijah was a man like every man and woman in this place, but the difference was he prayed and God fervently responded to his cry to Him.

So yes, one person just like you, taking a stand for Christ in your own realm of reference, in your own daily pattern of life, you can take a stand for Christ and make a difference in the world. You say, "How can we do that?" That's what I'm going to talk to you about. That's what I'm going to show you in the observations that we have from this story. Number one, he knew the power and living presence of God.

He knew the living presence and power of God. Look in chapter 17 and verse 1. "Now Elijah the Tishbite of Tishbe in Gilead said to Ahab, 'As the Lord, the God of Israel, lives...'" Now he's confronting this evil, wicked king who's already killing prophets left and right, by the way. He says, "As the Lord, the God of Israel lives, before whom I stand..." Notice that phrase. "Before whom I stand, there shall be neither dew nor rain three years except by my word."

Now this is a bold prediction. He predicted a drought that it would not rain for these three and a half years. But what strikes me in these initial comments regarding Elijah's character and conviction is that he confessed his God and he says, "before whom I stand." He served a living God, not one of these dead no-gods of the idolaters, but a living God before whom I stand.

Listen to me. Our God is alive and we are alive in his presence. One of my life verses is Zechariah 4:6: "Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit, says the Lord." If anything is going to happen in our generation, in our church, in our churches, then it's only going to happen in the power and the presence of the Great I Am. When we stand in his presence, when we experience and embrace the presence of God, then we are joined to the battle and empowered for victory.

Ahab and Jezebel presumed that God, the God of Israel, was dead and had no power. I presume there are people today who think the same thing. Well, God may be alive, but he's older now and he can't do the things that he used to do. There's some new revision, or I should say perversion, of atheism today, a revival of atheism. Can you imagine that? Who presume that God is dead. But Elijahs, men and women like Elijah, know that our God is alive, because our God demonstrated his life in the power and the presence of Jesus. It is the reality of a risen Savior that sets us apart when we stand in his presence.

He stood in the presence of a living God. And you know, when we are standing in the presence of a living God, we will never be intimidated by anyone else. God is looking for people today who will graciously and lovingly take their stand on the word of God and the testimony of Jesus Christ. We can't give in to the culture. We can't give up to the enemies of Christ. Many Christians ask what can I do? The days of Elijah are coming again. The days of Elijah, the days before revival, the days of Elijah, the day before the first coming of Jesus, and the days of Elijah when Jesus, the King of Kings, will come again. The days of Elijah are on the way and I want to be a part of what God wants to do.

Guest (Male): You're listening to PowerPoint with Jack Graham and the message "Battle of the Gods." We are excited to share that we have a new way to connect with us. It's our texting service designed to keep you connected with everything happening here at PowerPoint. You'll be the first to know about upcoming events, special announcements, and truly enriching content. To join, start a new text conversation by texting the word CONNECT to 59789. Again, text CONNECT to 59789.

Every day people are hearing the truth of Jesus Christ through PowerPoint's broadcasts, podcasts, and digital outreach. Friends like you help make it all possible through your support. So this month we want to say thanks for your gift of $10 or more to help share the biblical truth with more people around the world by sending you Dr. Jack Graham's book, "Ask." In this encouraging resource, Dr. Graham helps you discover that prayer is not about performance; it's about knowing God personally and learning to come to Him with confidence, persistence, and faith. Text JULY to 59789 to give today and request your copy. Again, text JULY to 59789. So that everyone has a chance to receive this helpful resource, please limit one per household. Now let's get back to today's message, "Battle of the Gods."

Jack Graham: Secondly, he knew in practice the power of prayer. Elijah knew in practice the power of prayer. He was a man of passionate and prevailing prayer. When we read this story on Mount Carmel, we discover that he prayed and he openly confessed God. James testified to that. I referred to James 5:17 earlier. The rest of that verse says that he, Elijah, prayed fervently that it might not rain, and for three years and six months it did not rain.

So he prayed and God acted. That's always the way that it is. 1 Kings 17:3. Look at it. After Elijah confronts Ahab, here's what God said. Elijah thought the battle was on. God said something else in verse 3. "Depart from here and turn eastwards and hide yourself by the Brook Cherith, which is east of the Jordan." What? Elijah's all revved up and ready to go. He's in the face of this king. He's confronting the evil of his own nation.

He's ready, but then God says, "Go hide yourself." He obeyed God and he stayed at the Brook Cherith which is east of Jordan, which is basically in nowhere land. For these years he was fed by ravens. You say how did that happen? God miraculously provided for his man. God took care of his own. He was hidden there. He was protected at that time from Ahab's wrath. He was prepared. Get this. He was prepared for the battle and he stayed and he prayed until God told him to go.

It was there at the Brook Cherith that he learned to depend upon God, that God was able to provide for his every need. That's what we learn in the presence of the Lord when we pray. It's in the presence of God in prayer that we discover how God meets our needs and fulfills his plan and his purpose in our lives. I'm certain that the boldness that is to come on Mount Carmel was nourished at the Brook Cherith while he was hidden.

Victories aren't won up here on the Mount Carmels, but in prayer as we seek God. We often have no power because we have no prayer and therefore we have no passion. He earnestly and fervently prayed; that's what James tells us. Thirdly, he faithfully and fearlessly proclaimed the word of God. When he stood before Ahab, he delivered the message that God had given him. He spoke forthrightly and faithfully.

And you know, if we deliver the word of God, not everyone's going to like it just as Ahab didn't like it. When Elijah said it's not going to rain for three and a half years, Ahab was infuriated. But so what? It was the message God gave Elijah to say. Now we're to speak the truth in love, but we are to speak the truth. This is what Elijah did. Therefore, finally, he courageously obeyed the will of God.

All right, now here's the showdown. After many days the word of the Lord came to Elijah in the third year, saying, "Go show yourself to Ahab and I will send rain upon the earth." He first calls God's people to make a choice. So Elijah went to show himself to Ahab. The famine was severe. And in verses 19 through 21, "Now therefore send and gather all of Israel to me at Mount Carmel and the 450 prophets of Baal and the 400 prophets of Asherah, who eat at Jezebel's table."

So Ahab sent to all the people of Israel and gathered the prophets together at Mount Carmel. Now this is 450 to one, by the way. Elijah and 450 evil prophets of Baal. And Elijah came near to all the people and said, "How long, how long will you go limping between two different opinions? If the Lord is God, follow Him." And the people did not answer him a word. Okay, that's clear, right? Elijah stands in front of the Israelites, gathers them there and said, "You've been living in this darkness. You've been living in this depravity. You've seen where it's getting us. If God be God, serve Him."

G. Campbell Morgan, the great Bible teacher, once said that lukewarmness is the worst form of blasphemy. How so? Lukewarmness says, "God, you don't mean enough to me for me to either stand with you or against you. I'm just cool down the middle." And Elijah said stop that. Interesting, the people didn't say a word. They were afraid, afraid of Ahab, afraid of what others would say. They just stood there stunned.

But Elijah has the people gathered and said take a stand. He's not a politician. He's a prophet. If God be God, serve Him. Make up your mind. Choose you this day whom you will serve. If Jesus is your Lord, he deserves all your life, not just part of it. If Jesus is Lord, he deserves your life, your best, your all. It's a call to decide. So he calls a contest. Let me tell you the story. You know this story if you've been around your Bible much, and for those of you who are new to the Bible, let me retell it.

Elijah says get the prophets of Baal up here. They didn't even flip a coin, by the way. He said, "You guys go first. You get the kickoff. You build an altar to your Baals, to your gods, and then I will build an altar to my God and let the God who answers by fire be God." Now that sounded like a good deal to Ahab because Baal is the god of thunder and lightning. That's what they thought. They would hear thunder or see lightning flash: "Ah, that's Baal!"

So no problem, he thinks, for these paid-off preachers he's got, these Baal prophets, to get Baal to send thunder and lightning and fire from heaven. So they go first and they start early in the day and they're chanting and they're crying out and they're praying. Then it's not working and they're shouting out and they're crying out. About this time, this is what you've got to love about Elijah, he starts trash-talking them. He said, "Maybe your god can't hear you. Speak a little louder!"

"Maybe your god's gone on a vacation. Go find him!" You can read it when you get home this afternoon. He even says, "Maybe, maybe your god is taking a bathroom break." And this just sends them over the edge. Now they're cutting themselves; they're bleeding everywhere. They've got a lot of blood but they've got no fire. So it was obvious that Baal was not going to answer because Baal could not answer—no god.

After that, Elijah said clean this mess up. And the scripture says they repaired the offering. Look at verse 36 of 1 Kings 18. "And at the time of the offering of the oblation..."—that's the evening offering—"Elijah the prophet came near and said, 'O Lord...'" Here's the man of prayer again. "O Lord God of Abraham, Isaac and Israel, let it be known this day that you are God in Israel and that I am your servant and that I have done all these things at your word."

He prayed and he trusted God's power. And there was an opportunity for God to move because God's man prayed. But after they repaired this altar and after he prayed, he said, "Go get some water and pour it on the altar." And he said, "Go get some more water; pour it on a second time." Then he said, "Go get some more water." Sometimes people who question the Bible say, "Ha, error in the Bible! There's been a drought for three and a half years. Where's all this water coming from?" Duh. It's right by the Mediterranean Sea. They went down. It was salt water, no doubt, but they went and got this water; they poured it on the altar.

Why? Because Elijah wanted to make sure that everyone knew that this wasn't some hip thing that he was about to do, one of these magicians that comes along or one of these prophets from Egypt who can just create combustion of some kind and create a fire. He wanted to pour so much water on this wood that when the fire fell, everyone would know it was the supernatural act of God. Because after all, a god that can't burn wet wood is no god at all.

So they pour all this water on the altar and Elijah prayed and expected and the fire fell. It was nuclear. There was no big emotional show. There's no need to beat your head, to pray louder, to sing louder. God just dealt dramatically and the fire came. Fire is a symbol of revival. And we're praying that today the fire will fall again. We need to rebuild some altars that are broken down: family altars and prayer altars and altars of sin and brokenness.

We need to tear down the old altars and build the new altar. That's preparation. There needs to be separation. They actually dug a trench around the altar and poured the water in it and it was a symbol really of the separation that should exist at the altar of God for God's people. We need to teach and preach more biblical separation, not legalism, but that we would stand apart and be different and separated from the world and come out from the world to make a difference in the world if we're going to have revival. There was expectation when he prayed and invocation and supplication, but ultimately there was this great demonstration of the power and the presence of Almighty God.

Well, the message is finished, but I want to take you to another altar in closing where the fire fell: the cross. Where God judged sin and all the idolatry of the world on his own son, Jesus Christ. And Jesus went to that altar and died. And the invitation today is to come to the one who lives, who overcame death and hell and the grave, and to invite Christ into your life to know Him. Because before revival comes, before you're revived, you've got to vive. Vive means life. Revival means reliving. And if you don't have life in Christ, you can never revive. You can't revive something that has never vived. So I invite you to know and follow Jesus if you don't know Him.

Guest (Male): You're listening to PowerPoint with Jack Graham and the message "Battle of the Gods." We want to remind you about a powerful resource Dr. Jack Graham has created to help strengthen your prayer life. It's his book "Ask." This practical and encouraging book explores Jesus' invitation to ask, seek, and knock, helping you discover that prayer is not about saying the right words, but about growing closer to your heavenly Father through faith-filled relationship. When you give today to support the outreach of PowerPoint Ministries, you'll help share biblical truth and the life-changing hope of Jesus with people around the world through broadcasts, podcasts, and digital ministry. Text JULY to 59789 to give your gift of $10 or more and request your copy of "Ask." Again, text JULY to 59789 so that everyone has a chance to receive this helpful resource. Please limit one per household.

We are excited to share that we have a new way to connect with us. It's our texting service designed to keep you connected with everything happening here at PowerPoint. You'll be the first to know about upcoming events, special announcements, and truly enriching content. To join, start a new text conversation by texting CONNECT to 59789. Again, text CONNECT to 59789. Pastor, what is your PowerPoint for today?

Jack Graham: Pray. The greatest battles for our nation are not to be waged from platforms and pulpits and rallies against evil, but in the prayer closet. Elijah's victory wasn't first won on Mount Carmel; it was first won as he sought the Lord and prayed at a hidden place called the Brook Cherith. At Brook Cherith, Elijah learned to depend upon God, and that's what you and I learn as we spend time in his presence receiving his provision. In prayer we discover how God meets our needs and fulfills his plan and his purpose for our lives. It is in prayer that impossible mountains can be moved and barriers can be torn down. And it's in prayer that our boldness is nourished to stand for God's truth, no matter what opposition may come. Our nation is facing dark times, desperate times, and sometimes it seems that the battle for truth and righteousness is being totally lost. But God can change the course of history and the future of our families and of this nation if God's people will wholeheartedly pray.

Guest (Male): And that is today's PowerPoint. Remember, when you give a gift to PowerPoint, we'll send you Dr. Graham's book, "Ask." Just text JULY to 59789 and join us again next time as Dr. Graham brings a message about what it means to live ready for Christ's return. That's next time on PowerPoint with Jack Graham. PowerPoint with Jack Graham is sponsored by PowerPoint Ministries.