What are your kids seeing from you? What is your spouse seeing from you? When I was a kid, I never heard my dad swear. I also never heard my mom gossip. Now, were my parents perfect? Absolutely not, but they truly did model for us kids, faithfulness to the Lord. Another thing that stood out about my upbringing is that I didn’t hear a “materialistic spirit” from my parents. All they ever wanted for me was to follow the Lord’s will for my life. I watched them serve the Lord. I watched them house and take care of missionaries. I watched them prioritize church attendance on a regular basis. I watched them take stands for truth when others were silent. The point is that I OBSERVED their faith in action. I strongly believe that without it, I wouldn’t be who I am today.
Israel was in a bad place. King Ahab and Queen Jezebel were as corrupt as they come. They led the people of God away from worshipping him to worshipping Baal who was the most popular Canaanite god. Baal idols were often made in the shape of a bull, representing strength and fertility and reflecting a lust for power and sexual pleasure. God had demanded that his people be “separated” from other gods, but Ahab did the opposite. In fact, his power-starved wife even was killing off the prophets of the Lord. There was discouragement, confusion, and immorality littered everywhere in Israel. Yahweh had become an afterthought. Something had to be done. Someone had to “step up!”
That person was Elijah. Unfazed by the majority, Elijah challenged the prophets of Baal to a contest. Who was the true God – Yahweh or Baal? You can read the story for yourself, and no doubt, you already heard me summarize it on Sunday. What truly stands out is that God responded to Elijah’s audacity for his honor and glory. There are a couple of bold statements that stand out to me – one right before the contest, and one during the contest. Here they are: “Elijah went before the people and said, “How long will you waver between two opinions? If the LORD is God, follow him; but if Baal is God, follow him” (vs. 21). This to me is the ultimate challenge. Who are you going to commit to, follow, live for, and believe?! We must stop acting like our choices don’t have an impact on others. We must be willing to speak the “hard truths” to people challenging them to the point of urgent decision. This is exactly what Elijah did. “Stop wavering” is in essence what he was saying! “Which ever God is real, you must follow” is what he was begging them to consider. The other powerful statement came right before Yahweh proved himself to be God over Baal. Here was Elijah’s powerful prayer: “At the time of sacrifice, the prophet Elijah stepped forward and prayed: ‘LORD, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Israel, let it be known today that you are God in Israel and that I am your servant and have done all these things at your command. Answer me, LORD, answer me, so these people will know that you, LORD, are God, and that you are turning their hearts back again’” (vs. 36-37). He begged God to “course-correct” the people’s hearts. Those who were not following Yahweh needed to change...now!
After God performed the miracle in the story, the people repented of their sin. Then with great boldness, Elijah had the evil prophets of Baal slaughtered. It seems a bit over-reactionary at first glance, but what you must realize is, these prophets were perverting the minds and hearts of the people. Sometimes you MUST “cut the snake off at the head.” Have you ever heard that statement before? ?
If you fast-forward to the end of Elijah’s life, what you find is that he needed to “pass the torch” to someone else to lead the way as God’s prophet. The next man in line to take his place was named Elisha. What’s amazing is that when Elijah came calling for Elisha, the soon-to-be protege of Elijah literally took his plowing equipment and burned it. He took his oxen and slaughtered them, feeding people with the meat. He was quick to “leave his present life and career” to “train” to be the next great prophet of Israel. He had no interest in “looking back!”
Why was Elisha so willing to sacrifice so much in a quick moment? Listen to this! Don’t forget it! I believe it’s the key to generational spiritual success in your family! ELISHA OBSERVED ELIJAH’S AUDACIOUS FAITH TAKING A STAND AGAINST KING AHAB AND THE PROPHETS OF BAAL IN FAVOR OF YAHWEH...AND IT WAS CONTAGIOUS!!! What are your kids “catching” from you?
Israel was in a bad place. King Ahab and Queen Jezebel were as corrupt as they come. They led the people of God away from worshipping him to worshipping Baal who was the most popular Canaanite god. Baal idols were often made in the shape of a bull, representing strength and fertility and reflecting a lust for power and sexual pleasure. God had demanded that his people be “separated” from other gods, but Ahab did the opposite. In fact, his power-starved wife even was killing off the prophets of the Lord. There was discouragement, confusion, and immorality littered everywhere in Israel. Yahweh had become an afterthought. Something had to be done. Someone had to “step up!”
That person was Elijah. Unfazed by the majority, Elijah challenged the prophets of Baal to a contest. Who was the true God – Yahweh or Baal? You can read the story for yourself, and no doubt, you already heard me summarize it on Sunday. What truly stands out is that God responded to Elijah’s audacity for his honor and glory. There are a couple of bold statements that stand out to me – one right before the contest, and one during the contest. Here they are: “Elijah went before the people and said, “How long will you waver between two opinions? If the LORD is God, follow him; but if Baal is God, follow him” (vs. 21). This to me is the ultimate challenge. Who are you going to commit to, follow, live for, and believe?! We must stop acting like our choices don’t have an impact on others. We must be willing to speak the “hard truths” to people challenging them to the point of urgent decision. This is exactly what Elijah did. “Stop wavering” is in essence what he was saying! “Which ever God is real, you must follow” is what he was begging them to consider. The other powerful statement came right before Yahweh proved himself to be God over Baal. Here was Elijah’s powerful prayer: “At the time of sacrifice, the prophet Elijah stepped forward and prayed: ‘LORD, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Israel, let it be known today that you are God in Israel and that I am your servant and have done all these things at your command. Answer me, LORD, answer me, so these people will know that you, LORD, are God, and that you are turning their hearts back again’” (vs. 36-37). He begged God to “course-correct” the people’s hearts. Those who were not following Yahweh needed to change...now!
After God performed the miracle in the story, the people repented of their sin. Then with great boldness, Elijah had the evil prophets of Baal slaughtered. It seems a bit over-reactionary at first glance, but what you must realize is, these prophets were perverting the minds and hearts of the people. Sometimes you MUST “cut the snake off at the head.” Have you ever heard that statement before? ?
If you fast-forward to the end of Elijah’s life, what you find is that he needed to “pass the torch” to someone else to lead the way as God’s prophet. The next man in line to take his place was named Elisha. What’s amazing is that when Elijah came calling for Elisha, the soon-to-be protege of Elijah literally took his plowing equipment and burned it. He took his oxen and slaughtered them, feeding people with the meat. He was quick to “leave his present life and career” to “train” to be the next great prophet of Israel. He had no interest in “looking back!”
Why was Elisha so willing to sacrifice so much in a quick moment? Listen to this! Don’t forget it! I believe it’s the key to generational spiritual success in your family! ELISHA OBSERVED ELIJAH’S AUDACIOUS FAITH TAKING A STAND AGAINST KING AHAB AND THE PROPHETS OF BAAL IN FAVOR OF YAHWEH...AND IT WAS CONTAGIOUS!!! What are your kids “catching” from you?