"Standing Before God!"
1 Kings 17:1
INTRO. Elijah was a man of Faith during a time when faith was direly needed! Ahab was King of Israel. He was probably One of the worst, if not the worst, King Israel ever had! He was married to Jezebel, and through her influence, God's prophets were slain and Baal worship was established as the National Religion. Only seven among all the thousands of Israel remained true in their heart to God, and these through fear of the King, hid themselves and their testimony!
But God had a Man! God can always raise up a man whom He can use! This man's name was Elijah which means "Yahweh is my god!" He was from Gilead, a Tishbite. Tishbe was a small community east of the Jordan River. He had heard of the oppression and idolatry seizing the whole nation and his heart was stirred with indignation! He, no doubt, prayed in silence to God who moved him to confront ahab and turn the Nation back to the worship of Almighty God!
To accomplish this great work, god invested elijah with Divine Authority! Having been equipped with Power, Elijah went forth to Samaria to declare God's Message in the ears of Ahab, the king. This example of Elijah is a wonderful example for us in commitment to God! Until we are willing to hear the voice of God, and like Isaiah in Is. 6:8, respond, "Here I am, send me," we are not an instrument God can use!
The secret of Elijah's Power rested in the fact that He "stood before God" (vl). Our word translated "stand" in the Hebrew has a very strong meaning. It means "to stand firm, remain, dwell, and stay." It implies the idea of standing up by or for, something and staying there! We need men and women today who are willing to do the same!
In Jer. 6:16 the LORD exhorts us, “Stand ye in the ways, and see, and ask for (demand) THE OLD PATHS, where is the good way, and walk therein, and ye shall find rest for your souls." We are living in a society on the brink of destruction! We are being bombarded on every side by Satan's agenda! Homosexuality is considered normal and if you speak out against it you are considered abnormal! We have a president who believes it is Ok for women to murder their babies, and who is willing to lie if it will suit his purposes! We could go on and on, but all we see going on in our world today is because we, as God's People, have failed to "Stand For God!" God's People must stand for what is right and demand the old paths! Let us notice Elijah's posture before God!
ELIJAH STOOD AS ONE:
(1) Who Believed In God
*Elijah’s Faith gave him the victory over all fear of Ahab!
1 Cors. 16:13
*Faith is the daring of the soul to go farther than it can see! We may not
always know what lies ahead, but we know the Him who is leading and
trust Him! we must say as Job, "Though He slay me, yet will I trust Him!"
*It is the conscience presence of God which gives us the victory!
Josh. 1:9; Hebs. 13:5-6
*It is the abiding presence of God which stiffens the moral backbone of
those who trust in Him!
Phils. 4:13
*And by a conscious submission to God's Holy Spirit that we can be bold
for God!
ILLUS. After Pentecost, Peter and John were filled with all the boldness of the Holy Spirit as Elijah was (Acts 4:19-20)!
(2) Accepted By God
*Elijah had yielded himself unto God that he might be a channel which His
words might come to the ungodly, and through whom the Power of God
might be manifested!
*That's the key-AVAILABILITY! God doesn't look at our ability, but our
useability! (1 cors. 1:27-29). It matters not if we are well-learned, well-
spoken, or well-known, but that we make ourselves available to God!
Roms. 12:1-2
*If we will make ourselves available, God will equip us for our task!
2 Tim. 2:19-21
*Someone has said, "Whatever God expects us to attempt, He also enables
us to achieve!"
*God accepted Elijah's offer and filled him for his task. God will do the same for us! Why?
2 Cors. 4:6-7
*Many of God's great servants have come out of the most unexpected
places (Ex. D.L. Moody, Billy Sunday, Billy Graham, and others)! In fact,
Elijah was believed to be a poor peasant. Yet He stood before the evil King
with all the boldness of God!
Hebs. 13:16
(3) In Fellowship With God
*The Key to standing before God is Fellowship with Him!
John 15:4-5; 1 John 1:7
*Elijah’s moral and spiritual being was on the side of God of Isreal! We, as
Christians, are a people who have bet our eternal destiny on Jesus! When
God is on our side, we are more than conquerors!
Roms. 8:31
*When we are at oneness with God then great things can be done for God!
Gals. 2:20; Cols. 1:27
*The Secret of power and courage in the LORD'S WORK lies in knowing His
Will and delighting to do it!
1 Chrons. 28:9--".. .serve Him with a perfect heart and with a willing mind..."
*When we serve God out of a "willing mind" God will bless our efforts!
2 Cors. 8:12--"For if there be first a willing mind, it is accepted according to that a man hath, an not according to that he hath not"
*But to know His Will we must be taught!
Ps. 86:11; James 1:5
(4) Who Waited On God
Hebs. 12:1-2
*As a mother watches over her sleeping baby to pick it up when it cries or
stirs, so should we keep our eyes on Jesus! Ever attentive to His will!
*The old Motto of the Moravian People is most suggestive with an ox
standing before an altar and a plow, inscribed with the words, "Ready for
either."
*We, as God's Servants, must always be ready either for Sacrifice or
service, as the LORD may appoint!
Roms. 14:7-8--"For none of us liveth unto himself, and no man dieth to himself. For whether we live, we live unto the LORD; and whether we die, we die unto the LORD: Whether we live therefore, or die, we are the LORD'S"
Phils. 1:21
*Elijah’s standing before God was not one of idleness, but was of one who
fearlessly protested against the wickedness of the nation's Idolatry!
Ephs. 5:11
*We must in the Power of God's Spirit stand against the wickedness of our
day! We may find boldness at the Throne of Grace!
Hebs. 4:14-16
*As darkness continues to grow darker each day, we must shine bright for
God!
Matt. 5:16; Provs. 4:18
*We must not grow weary, but keep standing!
Is. 40:31
(5) Who Had The Authority Of God
*Elijah spoke as if the power of God and the resources of heaven were at
his disposal! THEY WERE!
2 Peter 1:3
*The Keys of Heaven had been given him, and the treasures of dew and
rain would only be poured out when he pleased to open the door!
*God has given us all authority (Matt. 28:18-20)! The Church has the
Keys heaven (Matt. 16:19)! We have authority! All we must do is
exercise the authority God has given us!
*We are never sent into the Battle of the LORD in our own strength and
power (Ephs. 6:11-18)! But in the Power of the spirit!
Zech. 4:6
*Elijah spoke as one having authority because he had the authority of
God! We can do the same!
*Elijah was a man "subject to like passions as we are." The Key to his
boldness was "Standing Before God!"
*Can we not have the Faith of Elijah?
Matt. 17:20; Mark 9:23
CLOSING: Will you stand fast in the Faith, keeping you eyes on Jesus, and
fight the battles that lie ahead for us!