Text: 1 Kings 17:1
Miracles Confirm the Spoken Word (1 Kings 17:17-24)
- Miracles were a sign that God was with the speaker & was confirming the message (John 3:1-2; Mark 16:15-20)
- Today, we have inspired testimony to lead us to faith (John 20:30-31; Romans 10:17)
Who Are The Troublemakers? (1 Kings 18:17-18)
- Elijah was accused of being the “troubler of Israel” (v. 17) — just as many truth teachers are accused today of causing strife & division
- Yet the blame for division lies with those who depart from God’s ways (v. 18)
- If division must occur, we must never be on the side that divides from Christ (Matthew 10:34-36; 1 Corinthians 1:12-13)
Faith in the Contest on Mount Carmel (1 Kings 18:19-40)
- He told the people to choose between the Lord & Baal (v. 21) — truth has nothing to hide; we do not need to conceal error, but expose it
- He allowed the prophets of Baal to go first (v. 22-25) — he was not concerned with the possibility that they might be successful
- He mocked their attempts (v. 26-28) — mean? no, necessary (Proverbs 26:5)
- He drenched the altar with water (v. 30-35) — if God could light a dry altar, He could light a wet one; God is not limited by certain conditions (Ephesians 3:20)
- Afterward, he killed the false prophets (v. 40) — this was the lawful penalty (Deuteronomy 13:5)
Dealing with Discouragement (1 Kings 19:4)
- Elijah’s discouragement — feeling alone & that his work was in vain (v. 14)
- We are not alone (v. 18) — besides others we may not know about, we have the Lord (Hebrews 13:5-6) and a great cloud of witnesses surrounding us (Hebrews 12:1)
- Our work is not in vain (1 Corinthians 15:58) — even if others reject us we have our reward (Revelation 14:13); but we never know when our labor will help others (1 Corinthians 3:6)
