Bulletins - First Baptist Church of Huntersville West Virginia

Amazing Grace (My Chains Are Gone)
Last week we read the God was judging Israel for their idolatry by holding all forms for water (no rain or even dew) and it had been going on for 3 years.
During that time King Ahab was looking for Elijah but God kept him hidden… until now.
We we ended Elijah stood before King Ahab and issued a challenge - bring out the 450 prophets of Baal and the 400 prophets of Asherah… their common bond besides the false worship is Jezebel.
1 Kings 18:20–46 CSB
20 So Ahab summoned all the Israelites and gathered the prophets at Mount Carmel. 21 Then Elijah approached all the people and said, “How long will you waver between two opinions? If the Lord is God, follow him. But if Baal, follow him.” But the people didn’t answer him a word.
Ahab apparently is satisfied with the odds and is probably thinking he can get rid of Elijah and silence those who worship Yahweh in one fail swoop.
Ahab sends for not only the prophets of Baal and Asherah but also the people of Israel.
Elijah addresses the people - he challenges the people to get off the fence and make a choice… follow God or follow Baal.
Unlike previous times when Israel was confronted with their sin and repented, this time there was no response.
1 Kings 18:20–46 CSB
22 Then Elijah said to the people, “I am the only remaining prophet of the Lord, but Baal’s prophets are 450 men. 23 Let two bulls be given to us. They are to choose one bull for themselves, cut it in pieces, and place it on the wood but not light the fire. I will prepare the other bull and place it on the wood but not light the fire. 24 Then you call on the name of your god, and I will call on the name of the Lord. The God who answers with fire, he is God.” All the people answered, “That’s fine.” 25 Then Elijah said to the prophets of Baal, “Since you are so numerous, choose for yourselves one bull and prepare it first. Then call on the name of your god but don’t light the fire.”
Elijah is the only Israelite with any conviction - ironically so do the prophets of Baal. Both sides believe their god to be the solution to Israel’s problems.
As the ONLY prophet of the Lord, Elijah’s mission is to prove the God of Israel is the only God so he suggests a contest.
Elijah makes skews the competition in favor of the prophets of Baal - they get to bring 2 bulls and then they get to pick the one they want to use and he will take the other.
Two altars of wood are built for the sacrifices to be laid on - the only requirement, do not light the fire.
This should have been easy for the prophets of Baal if their god was real. Baal was the storm god and was thought to be responsible for lightning as well as rain.
The contest was simple… which ever god lit the fire would be proven to true God. All the people agreed.
1 Kings 18:20–46 CSB
26 So they took the bull that he gave them, prepared it, and called on the name of Baal from morning until noon, saying, “Baal, answer us!” But there was no sound; no one answered. Then they danced around the altar they had made. 27 At noon Elijah mocked them. He said, “Shout loudly, for he’s a god! Maybe he’s thinking it over; maybe he has wandered away; or maybe he’s on the road. Perhaps he’s sleeping and will wake up!” 28 They shouted loudly, and cut themselves with knives and spears, according to their custom, until blood gushed over them. 29 All afternoon they kept on raving until the offering of the evening sacrifice, but there was no sound; no one answered, no one paid attention.
The prophets of Baal went first - they called on their god all morning and nothing… they even danced to try and get Baal’s attention.
At noon Elijah begins to mock them suggesting Baal is preoccupied with something else - according to ancient Baal worshipers writings they believed that Baal could die, he could go on a journey, or he could fall asleep.
This is in stark contrast to the one true God who is eternal, present everywhere and all knowing.
The prophets ratcheted up their efforts by cutting themselves until the bled profusely.
This continued all afternoon until the evening offering which typically happened around 3PM - this is same time of day (the 9th hour) when Jesus died becoming the final sacrifice.
No answer…
1 Kings 18:20–46 CSB
30 Then Elijah said to all the people, “Come near me.” So all the people approached him. Then he repaired the Lord’s altar that had been torn down: 31 Elijah took twelve stones—according to the number of the tribes of the sons of Jacob, to whom the word of the Lord had come, saying, “Israel will be your name”—32 and he built an altar with the stones in the name of the Lord. Then he made a trench around the altar large enough to hold about four gallons. 33 Next, he arranged the wood, cut up the bull, and placed it on the wood. He said, “Fill four water pots with water and pour it on the offering to be burned and on the wood.” 34 Then he said, “A second time!” and they did it a second time. And then he said, “A third time!” and they did it a third time. 35 So the water ran all around the altar; he even filled the trench with water. 36 At the time for offering the evening sacrifice, the prophet Elijah approached the altar and said, “Lord, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, today let it be known that you are God in Israel and I am your servant, and that at your word I have done all these things. 37 Answer me, Lord! Answer me so that this people will know that you, the Lord, are God and that you have turned their hearts back.” 38 Then the Lord’s fire fell and consumed the burnt offering, the wood, the stones, and the dust, and it licked up the water that was in the trench. 39 When all the people saw it, they fell facedown and said, “The Lord, he is God! The Lord, he is God!” 40 Then Elijah ordered them, “Seize the prophets of Baal! Do not let even one of them escape.” So they seized them, and Elijah brought them down to the Wadi Kishon and slaughtered them there.
Elijahs turn - he call all the people to come close for 2 reasons - 1 so they can see that he is not doing anything tricky and 2 so they can clearly witness what God is about to do.
He used the Lord’s altar adding 12 stones (one for each tribe) there is a little ironic foreshadowing here because Israel is split 10 and 2 and Elijah is dealing directly with the king of the 10 tribes - He is reminding the people that is was Yahweh we made them a people, gave them this land, and is their God.
Elijah was not content to just light the fire - God is going to do something that cannot be done except by an all powerful God - a trench was dug around the altar.
Elijah then commanded the people to fill water jugs and dump them over the offering and the altar - 3 times he did this - it was so wet the water ran off the altar filling the trench around it - now if you have ever tried to start a fire using wet wood you know how hard it is (Elijah didn’t have any fire starting help like diesel fuel, kerosene, etc..)
He prayed not just for God to start a fire but to let what is about to be done will prove once again to the people that Yahweh is the One True God of Israel, that He is the Living God, and that He is in control of all things.
The pray also included a call for the people’s hearts to be turned back to God… Elijah is calling for repentance.
Basically the minute Elijah said Amen fire fell from heaven…
The Lord’s fire consumed the sacrifice and that would have been enough because the other guys didn’t even get a fire but God didn’t stop there…
God consumed the sacrifice, the wood of the altar, the stones Elijah laid out (now that’s a hot fire to consume rock), and it even burned up the water in the trench!
The people had the right reaction - they fell down before God, repented and worshipped the Living God of Isreal.
At the Lord’s command Elijah now deals severely with the false prophets… they are seized and then executed.
1 Kings 18:20–46 CSB
41 Elijah said to Ahab, “Go up, eat and drink, for there is the sound of a rainstorm.” 42 So Ahab went to eat and drink, but Elijah went up to the summit of Carmel. He bent down on the ground and put his face between his knees. 43 Then he said to his servant, “Go up and look toward the sea.” So he went up, looked, and said, “There’s nothing.” Seven times Elijah said, “Go back.” 44 On the seventh time, he reported, “There’s a cloud as small as a man’s hand coming up from the sea.” Then Elijah said, “Go and tell Ahab, ‘Get your chariot ready and go down so the rain doesn’t stop you.’ ” 45 In a little while, the sky grew dark with clouds and wind, and there was a downpour. So Ahab got in his chariot and went to Jezreel. 46 The power of the Lord was on Elijah, and he tucked his mantle under his belt and ran ahead of Ahab to the entrance of Jezreel.
As amazing as the fire was there was still the matter of the drought to deal with - Elijah tells king Ahab to get ready because rain is coming.
Elijah goes and prays to God to send the rain - 6 times nothing but the 7th time a dinky little cloud - that one little cloud was enough for Elijah to tell the King to get home so he doesn’t get stuck in the rain… it didn’t take long and the sky was filled and the rain came.
When the rain came the Lord’s victory was complete.
What have we just witnessed: God sustains his prophets while Baal lets his die - Yahweh feed the orphans and widows and raises the dead, while Baal lets the needy suffer - Yahweh can send fire or rain from heaven, but Baal cannot respond to his most valiant worshippers - a god like Baal is no God at all - a God like Yahweh must be God of all.
1 Kings 19 CSB
1 Ahab told Jezebel everything that Elijah had done and how he had killed all the prophets with the sword. 2 So Jezebel sent a messenger to Elijah, saying, “May the gods punish me and do so severely if I don’t make your life like the life of one of them by this time tomorrow!”
So far Elijah has encountered less-than - overpowering opposition.
But now he meets the one person as committed to Baal as Elijah is to Yahweh.
Ahab tells Jezebel what Elijah has done and her response - threaten to kill Elijah
She has killed the Lord’s prophets before so Elijah has no reason to doubt her resolve and ability to do so.
Jezebel has the fierceness Ahab lacks, the civil authority the prophets of Baal lacked, and a freshness for battle that Elijah no longer possesses - she is as worthy an opponet as God’s servants ever face in Scripture.
1 Kings 19 CSB
3 Then Elijah became afraid and immediately ran for his life. When he came to Beer-sheba that belonged to Judah, he left his servant there, 4 but he went on a day’s journey into the wilderness. He sat down under a broom tree and prayed that he might die. He said, “I have had enough! Lord, take my life, for I’m no better than my ancestors.” 5 Then he lay down and slept under the broom tree. Suddenly, an angel touched him. The angel told him, “Get up and eat.” 6 Then he looked, and there at his head was a loaf of bread baked over hot stones, and a jug of water. So he ate and drank and lay down again. 7 Then the angel of the Lord returned for a second time and touched him. He said, “Get up and eat, or the journey will be too much for you.” 8 So he got up, ate, and drank. Then on the strength from that food, he walked forty days and forty nights to Horeb, the mountain of God.
For some reason - fatigue, lack of faith or a sense of resignation of never having peace - Elijah runs.
It is funny how Elijah’s actions say something different than his words - Elijah says he wants to die but the fact that he fled all the way out in to the desert indicates he really had a desire the live because he could have stayed put and died.
There is a good life lesson here…. whenever things look terrible and you feel like all hope is lost - take a nap and eat some food - that is what God prescribed for Elijah.
Spiritual warfare will take it out of you emotionally, physically and spiritually - take a moment and be restored.
After some rest and nourishment Elijah is ready to go.
1 Kings 19 CSB
9 He entered a cave there and spent the night. Suddenly, the word of the Lord came to him, and he said to him, “What are you doing here, Elijah?” 10 He replied, “I have been very zealous for the Lord God of Armies, but the Israelites have abandoned your covenant, torn down your altars, and killed your prophets with the sword. I alone am left, and they are looking for me to take my life.” 11 Then he said, “Go out and stand on the mountain in the Lord’s presence.” At that moment, the Lord passed by. A great and mighty wind was tearing at the mountains and was shattering cliffs before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. 12 After the earthquake there was a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire there was a voice, a soft whisper. 13 When Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face in his mantle and went out and stood at the entrance of the cave. Suddenly, a voice came to him and said, “What are you doing here, Elijah?” 14 “I have been very zealous for the Lord God of Armies,” he replied, “but the Israelites have abandoned your covenant, torn down your altars, and killed your prophets with the sword. I alone am left, and they’re looking for me to take my life.”
Elijah was feeling very alone - the people were not totally with him, there were no other prophets and that cray Jezebel was looking to kill him - at least that what he told God.
God told him to go stand in the presence of God - Elijah encounters a fierce wind (much like a tornado), an earthquake, and a fire… no of which was God
But then there was a still small voice and this is where Elijah found the Lord.
God asks again - “Why are you here?” - Elijah recites his concerns again.

1 Kings 19 CSB
15 Then the Lord said to him, “Go and return by the way you came to the Wilderness of Damascus. When you arrive, you are to anoint Hazael as king over Aram. 16 You are to anoint Jehu son of Nimshi as king over Israel and Elisha son of Shaphat from Abel-meholah as prophet in your place. 17 Then Jehu will put to death whoever escapes the sword of Hazael, and Elisha will put to death whoever escapes the sword of Jehu. 18 But I will leave seven thousand in Israel—every knee that has not bowed to Baal and every mouth that has not kissed him.” 19 Elijah left there and found Elisha son of Shaphat as he was plowing. Twelve teams of oxen were in front of him, and he was with the twelfth team. Elijah walked by him and threw his mantle over him. 20 Elisha left the oxen, ran to follow Elijah, and said, “Please let me kiss my father and mother, and then I will follow you.” “Go on back,” he replied, “for what have I done to you?” 21 So he turned back from following him, took the team of oxen, and slaughtered them. With the oxen’s wooden yoke and plow, he cooked the meat and gave it to the people, and they ate. Then he left, followed Elijah, and served him.
God sends him back and the answer to his current problems… help.
God has him anoint 2 new kings, commission a new prophet and a group of 7,000 people who have remained faithful to the Lord.
Elijah found Elisha, threw his mantle (or cloak) over him symbolically transferring the prophetic power to him.
Elisha says goodbye to his family and to show his full commitment to the Lord he slaughters his oxen and burns his plow - there is a lot of New Testament stuff here.
Luke 9:61–62 “61 Another said, “I will follow you, Lord, but first let me go and say good-bye to those at my house.” 62 But Jesus said to him, “No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God.”” - this wasn’t Jesus saying Elisha was wrong but showing them that when the Lord calls that is all that matters and you must follow.
I also think about Peter - when Peter should have been proclaiming what Jesus had done he went back to fishing - Jesus came and told them to fish on the other side of the boat resulting in a large catch reminding Peter of his first call to follow - it was right after this Jesus restored Peter.
3 Takeaways
It only takes one person to stand up for God and be used by God.
Elijah stood toe to toe against 850 false prophets. Even his own people were not solidly behind him
He didn’t water down (she what I did there) the truth or hide in fear - He trusted God
Bold faith honors God and God honors bold faith.
Even when you feel outnumbered or alone, stand firm in the truth.
God doesn’t need a crowd - He just wants one person fully surrendered.
Spiritual highs don’t make you immune to spiritual lows.
Immediately after his greatest spiritual triumph, Elijah crashes emotionally - fear, exhaustion and discouragement overwhelm him.
Even the strongest believers get worn down, discouraged and afraid.
In high - pressure or high-stakes moments, your body releases adrenaline - a hormone designed to increase your strength, focus, and energy. It helps you push through danger, challenge and urgency.
But once the danger passes - or the moment ends - your system begins to crash. The heightened state can leave you feeling drained, foggy, discouraged, and even depressed. This is a real and studied physiological response, often called an “adrenaline crash”. It happens to athletes after a big game, soldiers after a mission, first responders after an emergency, and even pastors after preaching or leading a major event.
Be alert after big moments of ministry of victory - rest, find renewal and have honest conversations with God.
Don’t confuse you feeling with God’s absence.
Just because you feel low doesn’t mean you are failing - sometimes your soul just need recovery.
He is with you, even in the wilderness.
God doesn’t always move in grand events, sometimes its a quiet word.
Elijah just experienced God moving in a grand way against the false prophets.
Now Elijah is needing help and looking for the grand gesture but that isn’t how God planned to move this time.
God chose to speak intimately and personally.
God provided basic needs - food and rest and then a comforting word.
Don’t miss God by only looking for the dramatic.
God often speaks in quiet moments or prayer, reflection and His word.
Slow down, lean in.
Sometimes the whisper carries more power than the fire.

It only takes one person to stand up for God and be used by God.

Spiritual highs don’t make you immune to spiritual lows.

God doesn’t always move in grand events, sometimes its a quiet word.