“Take a Stand”

Week 5
Main Point and Overview:   

As the different kings ruled over Israel, there were prophets that God raised up to confront many of them. Elijah is the one who stands out the most! He was bold. He was brave. He was blameless. He truly loved the Lord God, and he stood for God’s glory alone. At this time in the Northern Kingdom of Israel’s history, there was a king named Ahab and a queen named Jezebel. They worshipped the false god Baal. In fact, in order to please his wife, Ahab even built a temple in honor of Baal thus promoting idolatry while leading the nation into sin. As a result, God was not pleased, and he caused the nation to experience a drought devastating the land. The end of this drought could not happen until Elijah chose it to be so, as he was God’s chosen vessel. So, for a season Elijah disappeared, making both Ahab and Jezebel even angrier. Then, one day God decided that it was time for Elijah to confront the evils of the king and queen. Can you imagine confronting someone in your life who is more influential and powerful than you? What we need to always realize is that true disciples are always in the “minority” when it comes to culture. The people around us who do not have Christ as their Lord and Savior are always going to choose popularity, prestige, pleasure, prosperity, etc. over eternal purpose. Elijah was seeing this firsthand, and it must have felt daunting, except when you are on the “Lord’s side,” you are the majority! Stop seeing your obstacles; start seeing your opportunities. Elijah was willing to be vulnerable as he challenged both the evil leaders and their exploited people. How would this turn out for Elijah? He simply did not worry about the “ending” while he was in the middle of his stand. Challenging the false prophets of Baal to show supernatural power, he exposed the superficial nature of their authority. Then, in a moment of true faith in God and compassion for the people, he prayed for the supernatural to significantly convince God’s people to come back to him, and it worked! Elijah is a model for all of us. He stood for truth and righteousness. He did not allow the majority to sway his beliefs. He impacted more people than he ever could have imagined because he fully trusted God. What about us? What “stand” is God calling you to take right now?