River of Life Church VA
Sunday - January 12, 2025 - "Fire on the Altar"
  • Song
  • Raise A Hallelujah
  • Jireh
  • Make Room
  • Oceans (Where Feet May Fail)

      • 1 Kings 18.20-21NKJV

      • 1 Kings 18.22NKJV

      • 1 Kings 18.23NKJV

      • 1 Kings 18.24NKJV

      • 1 Kings 18.25NKJV

      • 1 Kings 18.26NKJV

      • 1 Kings 18.27-28NKJV

      • 1 Kings 18.29-30NKJV

      • 1 Kings 18.31-32NKJV

      • 1 Kings 18.33-34NKJV

      • 1 Kings 18.35NKJV

      • 1 Kings 18.36NKJV

      • 1 Kings 18.37-38NKJV

      • 1 Kings 18.39-40NKJV

      • Leviticus 6.13NKJV

      • 1 Kings 18.30-31NKJV

      • 1 Kings 18.32-33NKJV

      • 1 Kings 18.34-35NKJV

      • Romans 12.1MESSAGE

      • 1 Kings 18.36NKJV

      • 1 Kings 18.37-38NKJV

      • 1 Kings 18.39-40NKJV

      • Romans 10.9-11NKJV

      • Romans 10.12-13NKJV

      • Matthew 6.25NKJV

      • Matthew 6.26-28NKJV

      • Matthew 6.29-30NKJV

  • Fire on the Altar

    1 Kings 18:20–40 NKJV
    20 So Ahab sent for all the children of Israel, and gathered the prophets together on Mount Carmel. 21 And Elijah came to all the people, and said, “How long will you falter between two opinions? If the Lord is God, follow Him; but if Baal, follow him.” But the people answered him not a word. 22 Then Elijah said to the people, “I alone am left a prophet of the Lord; but Baal’s prophets are four hundred and fifty men. 23 Therefore let them give us two bulls; and let them choose one bull for themselves, cut it in pieces, and lay it on the wood, but put no fire under it; and I will prepare the other bull, and lay it on the wood, but put no fire under it. 24 Then you call on the name of your gods, and I will call on the name of the Lord; and the God who answers by fire, He is God.” So all the people answered and said, “It is well spoken.” 25 Now Elijah said to the prophets of Baal, “Choose one bull for yourselves and prepare it first, for you are many; and call on the name of your god, but put no fire under it.” 26 So they took the bull which was given them, and they prepared it, and called on the name of Baal from morning even till noon, saying, “O Baal, hear us!” But there was no voice; no one answered. Then they leaped about the altar which they had made. 27 And so it was, at noon, that Elijah mocked them and said, “Cry aloud, for he is a god; either he is meditating, or he is busy, or he is on a journey, or perhaps he is sleeping and must be awakened.” 28 So they cried aloud, and cut themselves, as was their custom, with knives and lances, until the blood gushed out on them. 29 And when midday was past, they prophesied until the time of the offering of the evening sacrifice. But there was no voice; no one answered, no one paid attention. 30 Then Elijah said to all the people, “Come near to me.” So all the people came near to him. And he repaired the altar of the Lord that was broken down. 31 And 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 shall be your name.” 32 Then with the stones he built an altar in the name of the Lord; and he made a trench around the altar large enough to hold two seahs of seed. 33 And he put the wood in order, cut the bull in pieces, and laid it on the wood, and said, “Fill four waterpots with water, and pour it on the burnt sacrifice and on the wood.” 34 Then he said, “Do it a second time,” and they did it a second time; and he said, “Do it a third time,” and they did it a third time. 35 So the water ran all around the altar; and he also filled the trench with water. 36 And it came to pass, at the time of the offering of the evening sacrifice, that Elijah the prophet came near and said, “Lord God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, let it be known this day that You are God in Israel and I am Your servant, and that I have done all these things at Your word. 37 Hear me, O Lord, hear me, that this people may know that You are the Lord God, and that You have turned their hearts back to You again.” 38 Then the fire of the Lord fell and consumed the burnt sacrifice, and the wood and the stones and the dust, and it licked up the water that was in the trench. 39 Now when all the people saw it, they fell on their faces; and they said, “The Lord, He is God! The Lord, He is God!” 40 And Elijah said to them, “Seize the prophets of Baal! Do not let one of them escape!” So they seized them; and Elijah brought them down to the Brook Kishon and executed them there.
    One of the reasons I hate the cold is because of my Marine Corps experience. I went through School of Infantry in the winter. As a member of the infantry, I spent many weeks in the field. I went through cold weather training in December. I spent a month doing a NATO exercise in January. Snow. Cold. The only thing that almost broke me was the cold. But one of the things that was the worst was fire-watch. Especially when you catch the 2:00 or 3:00 am time frame. You’d come out of your warm tent, into the freezing cold. You were tired. You were shaking. You had two jobs - keep an eye out for anyone approaching the camp and keep the fire burning. Each hour someone would be responsible to keep the fire burning and to keep watch. Often people fell asleep. Sometimes the fire died out. If you aren’t watchful and careful it could easily happen right under your nose, on your watch.
    I want to talk to you about renewing and rekindling your relationship with God, about rebuilding the altar of worship in your life so that you can flourish and prosper and maintain your intimacy with God.
    Every new year it seems that we look back and can point to last year's challenges, transitions, joys and sorrows. And each new year many of us make vows that we will do better or make changes so that we have a better life moving forward.
    We need a move of God if we are honest. We need the fire of God to burn brighter and we need to strengthen our spiritual life and faith. Though we want Him to, God isn't just going to randomly send fire from heaven down upon us. We often want a sovereign move but we have a part to play.
    Leviticus 6:13 NKJV
    A fire shall always be burning on the altar; it shall never go out.
    We must tend to the fire we have and prepare ourselves for the move of God.
    We can rebuild our altars of worship and devotion. And when we do we will receive fire from heaven and a fresh encounter with God. This is what Israel saw—not fire of judgment to consume them, but fire that renewed their passion for God and intimacy with Him. It was the fire from heaven that rekindled their faith and restored the blessing in their lives. This fire led to the windows of heaven being opened, showers of blessing falling, and the end of drought both naturally and spiritually in the lives of many (Malachi 3.10, Ezekiel 34.26, 1 Kings 18.41).

    Judgment or Mercy

    When Elijah was revealed he prophesied a drought (1 Kings 17.1). And after three years people were hungry and thirsty (1 Kings 18.1). They were feeling the impact of his prophetic declaration. It would have been easy to simply assume that this was the judgment of God and that He wanted them to suffer and that He was no longer interested in them. They could have used that as reason for rejecting God and for deciding that they had to do things in their own strength.
    The purpose of the drought was to get their attention. It was to call them to confront what needed to change. They couldn’t keep going on the path they were walking. They couldn’t serve two masters (Luke 16.13). They couldn’t remain God’s people and enjoy His blessings if they were serving God and Baal. There, they would only find bondage and separation from God.
    And the same is true of us.
    What if the circumstances that we are cursing while we are waiting on God to take the first step are the very things God is using to draw our attention back to Him?
    What if these things are not judgment but mercy? What if they’re not meant to consume you but to move you back toward God in faith?
    We need to stir ourselves to start, continue, and end in Christ. We must not falter between two opinions--wavering in devotion to God and to our careers or desires.
    The only way to truly have life is found in Christ.
    God desires us to be close with Him. He works all things together for the good of those who love Him and are called by Him (Romans 8.28). He will use the circumstances of our lives to capture our attention and turn us toward Him.
    He is aways drawing us toward Himself (John 6.44). He is committed to us—in covenant with us—as a Bridegroom is to His bride (Isaiah 62.5, Revelation 21.9). This is why He doesn’t just let us go or turn us over to judgment or let us be consumed by our circumstances.
    Mercy triumphs over judgment (James 2.13).

    Preparing for the Fire of God

    In the encounter with God and the people, Elijah and the king, there are three principles that we can apply to our own lives in the pursuit of a genuine encounter with God.

    Repair the Altar

    1 Kings 18:30–33 NKJV
    30 Then Elijah said to all the people, “Come near to me.” So all the people came near to him. And he repaired the altar of the Lord that was broken down. 31 And 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 shall be your name.” 32 Then with the stones he built an altar in the name of the Lord; and he made a trench around the altar large enough to hold two seahs of seed. 33 And he put the wood in order, cut the bull in pieces, and laid it on the wood, and said, “Fill four waterpots with water, and pour it on the burnt sacrifice and on the wood.”
    Elijah repaired the altar according to the pattern given to him. He took twelve stones. He put the wood in order. He cut the bull in pieces and put them on the altar. Each part done in order until the altar was repaired.
    Is your altar broken down? Is it in disrepair? Take the steps to repair it.
    Illustration: Two-Day Rule. Never let 2 days pass without moving toward your goal. Prayer. Reading. Worship. Fellowship. Service.
    Wherever your altar has broken down, repair it. Start where you can. Follow the pattern of faith.
    The fire fell on the altar, but not before it was repaired.

    Make Sacrifices

    1 Kings 18:34–35 NKJV
    34 Then he said, “Do it a second time,” and they did it a second time; and he said, “Do it a third time,” and they did it a third time. 35 So the water ran all around the altar; and he also filled the trench with water.
    An altar is made for sacrificing that which is precious. In a drought the most precious thing is water.
    Romans 12:1 MSG
    So here’s what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life—your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life—and place it before God as an offering. Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for him.
    God is worthy of our worship. And He is worthy of our best, of that which is precious to us. This starts with our hearts and moves into our words, and deeds, and things.
    Illustration: Mary’s gift. Mary’s alabaster box with fragrant oil. Worth a whole year’s wages. Often a gift for a future bride. Given to Jesus (Matthew 26.6-13).
    An altar is built for worship. But it is not complete without the sacrifice. Give God your first and your best. Worship is costly and precious both to God, and to us (cf. 1 Chronicles 21.24).

    Execute Evil

    1 Kings 18:36–40 NKJV
    36 And it came to pass, at the time of the offering of the evening sacrifice, that Elijah the prophet came near and said, “Lord God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, let it be known this day that You are God in Israel and I am Your servant, and that I have done all these things at Your word. 37 Hear me, O Lord, hear me, that this people may know that You are the Lord God, and that You have turned their hearts back to You again.” 38 Then the fire of the Lord fell and consumed the burnt sacrifice, and the wood and the stones and the dust, and it licked up the water that was in the trench. 39 Now when all the people saw it, they fell on their faces; and they said, “The Lord, He is God! The Lord, He is God!” 40 And Elijah said to them, “Seize the prophets of Baal! Do not let one of them escape!” So they seized them; and Elijah brought them down to the Brook Kishon and executed them there.
    One thing necessary is that we purge the things in our lives that pull or even pulled our hearts away from God.
    Elijah called for the prophets of Baal to be executed. Similarly, we need to put to death the things that destroy our lives and hinder us. In the words of John Owen, “be killing sin or sin will be killing you.”
    Illustration: Chemotherapy. The goal of chemotherapy is to kill cancer before cancer kills the host.
    The fire of God always produces holiness in our lives. To maintain our relationship with God we need to deal with sin and with the things that easily ensnares us (Hebrews 12.1). This is how we keep the fire burning on the altar continually (cf. Leviticus 6.13).

    Conclusion

    It’s possible you are already on fire for God. It’s also possible that this has been a busy season and you have been through many challenges and difficulties, trials and tribulations, things that have hit you spiritually and naturally and as a result your relationship with God is not where you want it.
    I want a move from God. I want it for me. I want it for this church. I want it for you. I want it for this region. But that means we have to prepare for it.
    We must repair the altar and follow the patterns and practices that keep God the priority of our lives.
    We must make sacrifices and worship God with our whole heart, soul, mind and strength. That is truly precious to the Lord.
    Finally, we must execute evil and purge sin and the things that bring sin into our lives. Sin separates us from God and the fire.
    Illustration: Coal. A coal that once burned fallen off of the pile will quickly go cold. Put the coal back on the fire and it will quickly catch fire again.
    If you will do these things you will begin to experience presence of God and power of the Spirit in your life.
    We need a move of God.
    We need the fire of God.
    The question is will we prepare for it in faith.

      • 1 Kings 18:20–40NKJV

      • Leviticus 6:13NKJV

      • 1 Kings 18:30–33NKJV

      • 1 Kings 18:34–35NKJV

      • Romans 12:1NKJV

      • 1 Kings 18:36–40NKJV

River of Life Church VA
mason@rolchurchva.com
(703) 221-2674
https://www.rolchurchva.com
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