Life of Elijah, Part 1: The Power of Prayer
By Pastor Matt Black
05
August 2007
Lord's Day morning
1 Kings 12:28-32,
17:1-7; Jeremiah 33:3
Introduction: God is good all the time. All the time God is good.
Open your Bibles to the book of Jeremiah 33:3. Once you’ve found the thirty-third chapter of Jeremiah, please stand as we read verse 3. Mainly we will be in the book of 1 Kings 12 and following, so you might want to be ready to turn there, but first I want to get our hearts motivated by looking at this little verse in Jeremiah 33 and verse 3. The title of this morning’s message is “The Power of Prayer”. This is Part 1 in a miniseries I’ve entitled “Life of Elijah”. Let’s read Jeremiah 33:3, “Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and shew thee great and mighty things, which thou knowest not”.
[Prayer for guidance]
As you are seated turn back to 1 Kings 12. We are looking at the life of Elijah. This morning’s message really is an introduction to his life. To give you an idea, Elijah lived about 150 years before the life of Isaiah. We are going to find out that Elijah’s ministry was characterized by prayer, by preaching, and by the promises of God. This morning we are going to look specifically how Elijah changed the world through his praying, and how you and I can see massive transformations in our own lives and in the lives of others through our prayers.
I. Elijah’s Predicament: combat spiritual darkness.
Elijah arrives on the scene at one of the darkest times of Israel’s history. Only a man of prayer could pierce such thick darkness.
I don’t know if you’ve ever been to another country where the light of the Gospel has not been illuminated. There is a sense of spiritual oppression there. I sensed it when I was in Spain. You can perceive it in this country in some places. There’s a real spiritual darkness and oppression. Well, that’s what Israel was like. Satan was deceiving the nations, and that included even Israel at this time. This was a time where there was just a tiny, tiny remnant left in the earth. Out of the entire population of the earth, the Scripture records there was a group of only about 7000 believers!
The name “Elijah” means “The LORD is my God”. And that basically was Elijah’s message. He was ready to tell anybody that the Lord was alive! But the culture of Israel was so dark and sinful! This was Elijah’s predicament.
How did it get so dark in Israel?
The answer to this question is simple. Leadership.
A. Spiritual Darkness reigned over Israel through Israel’s leadership.
It was a dark time in Israel. It had been only fifty-eight short years since Solomon’s death. Just after Solomon went off the scene the Davidic Kingdom split in two. Elijah steps on the scene 58 years after King Solomon’s death. We are going to see a man that has no fear of anyone because of his prayer life. During those 58 years of spiritual blindness—7 kings had reigned over the northern kingdom—all were wicked to the core and followed in the footsteps of the first king in the era of the divided kingdom, Jeroboam.
1. It all begins with Jeroboam.
Jeroboam led the charge to forsake God. He began by mixing true worship of God with paganism. He changed and deviated from the worship that God had commanded. We are all to worship God and to worship Him in the way He tells us to worship Him.
If you’ve found 1 Kings 12, then let’s begin by looking at verse 28.
We read here in 1 Kings 12:28 that he "made two calves of gold," and said unto the people, "It is too much for you to go up to Jerusalem: behold thy gods, O Israel, which brought thee up out of the land of Egypt. And he set the one in Bethel, and the other put he in Dan. And this thing became a sin: for the people went to worship before the one, even unto Dan. And he made an house of high places, and made priests of the lowest of the people, which were not of the sons of Levi. And Jeroboam ordained a feast in the eighth month, on the fifteenth day of the month, like unto the feast that is in Judah, and he offered upon the altar. So did he in Bethel, sacrificing unto the calves that he had made: and he placed in Bethel the priests of the high places which he had made . . ." (1 Kings 12:28-32). Jeroboam abandoned God for his own self-serving agenda.
2. Jeroboam proves the age old principle that everything rises or falls on the leadership. Jeroboam corrupted the priesthood by putting men in leadership that were never called or equipped by God! Irresponsible leadership will destroy a nation, destroy a family, destroy a church.
All the adults here this morning are raising the children of this church. You need to pray for you pastor and the other leaders of the church. We must have purity and integrity at the top. Jeroboam didn’t care about purity. And he led the parade of wicked kings over those 58 short years in Israel. Israel never recovered from Jeroboam’s bad leadership.
B. But now let’s look at the six kings that followed Jeroboam…
1. The king that followed Jeroboam was Nadab. Turn over a page or two to 1 Kings 15. The Scripture says in 1 Kings 15:26: "And he [speaking of Nadab] did evil in the sight of the Lord, and walked in the way of his father, and in his sin wherewith he made Israel to sin”.
2. We learn in 1 Kings 15:27 that Baasha murdered Nadab in order to become king, so now you have a murderer as King of Israel.
3. He was succeeded on the throne by Elah, a drunkard, who was also a murderer (1 Kings 16:8-9).
4. His successor, Zimri, was guilty of "treason" (1 Kings 16:20).
5. He was followed by a military general by the name of Omri. In 1 Kings 16:25-26, we read about him, "but Omri wrought evil in the eyes of the Lord, and did worse than all that were before him. For he walked in all the way of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, and in his sin wherewith he made Israel to sin, to provoke the Lord God of Israel to anger with their vanities".
6. But there is one king that become more abominable than all the kings, and that is Omri’s son, Ahab. This is the king that is on the throne when Elijah comes on the scene. Look at 1 Kings 16:30-31, “And Ahab the son of Omri did evil in the sight of the Lord above all that were before him. And it came to pass, as if it had been a light thing for him to walk in the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, that he took to wife Jezebel the daughter of Ethbaal king of the Zidonians, and went and served Baal, and worshipped him”.
C. Let’s look more specifically at how evil King Ahab was.
Ahab had married a heathen princess. Jezebel of course was spiritually blind and lost, and she leads Ahab to abandon the Bible way of worshipping the Lord.
Ø Golden calves were worshipped at Dan and Bethel.
Ø A temple to Baal was built in Samaria.
Ø And Ahab began ordaining priests to Baal.
Fifty-eight years—basically from a grandfather to a grandson—was all it took for the country of Israel to go from all the glories of King Solomon to almost a completely heathen country. Fifty-eight years ago for us was 1949.
We read in 1 Kings 16:33, “And Ahab made a grove; and Ahab did more to provoke the Lord God of Israel to anger than all the kings of Israel that were before him”.
Ahab led everyone into open defiance against God. Even Jericho was rebuilt during the days of Ahab. In Joshua 6:26, we have a warning from God never to rebuild Jericho. We read that, “Joshua adjured them at that time, saying, Cursed be the man before the Lord, that riseth up and buildeth this city Jericho”. Yet it says in 1 Kings 16:34, “in [Ahab’s] days did Hiel the Bethelite build Jericho”. Ahab had no fear of the Lord. What a dark time and what a reckless leadership!
“God has never left Himself without witnesses on earth. In the darkest seasons of human history the Lord has raised up and maintained a testimony for Himself.”[1] And so Elijah is raised up in this time where the whole nation was spiritually blind.
This is what Elijah walks into! Elijah was alone—there was hardly a righteous soul to fellowship with. Praise the Lord that Elijah was a man of prayer! All Elijah really needed was the Lord. And this was just what was needed for Israel at the time—a man who knew God and who could call these people out of spiritual darkness.
Ok, before we go on, let me make two applications:
D. Applications
1. No Friends.
Remember how Israel had gotten to this point. Ahab befriended the King of the Zidonians and married his heathen daughter Jezebel. Really from the beginning, even in the reign of Solomon, this darkness began because Israel was having intimate friendships and even intermarrying with those that know not the Lord. Friends, if you live in such a way that pleases God, you are not going to have many friends in this world. You are going to be the antithesis to the way they are living.
Perhaps you feel like you are the only one in your family that knows the Lord, and you are constantly having to deal with standing alone for the Lord. It gets lonely doesn’t it? Christ calls us not His servants but His friends (John 15:15). Are you content simply being a “friend of God” as Abraham was?
Or maybe your children seem to have no Christian friends, and you are concerned they are not going to grow up properly or be anti-social if they have no friends. Let me tell you something—you don’t need anyone but the Lord. There are times in our life that we must stand alone. There are times when the only friend you have is the Lord. Remember Proverbs 12:24, “there is a friend that sticketh closer than a brother.” There is no greater friend to have than the Lord. We are not called to have friends, but we are called to have our delight in the Law of the Lord “day and night” (Psalm 1:2).
2. Maybe you’re the only one in your family that is a Christian. Or maybe you are the only Christian in your workplace. That’s hard! But do not be discouraged. Stand strong! Don’t give up on your lost family members and co-workers.
If we pray, can God bring real change to ANY situation? Is God able to pierce the thickest darkness? Can God hammer down even the hardest heart? The answer to all of the above is YES! God answers prayer!
3. We could also make application concerning separation and holiness of life. We are not called as Christians to be entertained. We are called to be holy as God is holy. The moment you start desiring to be entertained and amused, you are going to be trapped by the world. Amusement is not what we are called to. The word amuse means to not think. Muse means to think—the prefix “a” means “not”. We as Christians are called to do just the opposite. We are called to Muse and Meditate on the Scriptures “day and night” (Psalm 1:2). We are called to “pray without ceasing” (1 Thessalonians 5:17).
The only way to combat the darkness of this world is to draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you.
Elijah into this dark, dark scene in Israel, and all seems hopeless, but when you have a praying man, nothing is without hope. God calls light out of darkness and life out of death! So we’ve seen Elijah’s predicament—he lived in a dark time in human history, as do we! Now let’s look at Elijah’s preparation. What kind of credentials must a person have to be used of God?
II. Elijah’s Preparation. Let’s look at 1 Kings 17:1, “And Elijah the Tishbite, who was of the inhabitants of Gilead, said unto Ahab, As the LORD God of Israel liveth, before whom I stand, there shall not be dew nor rain these years, but according to my word.”
Elijah is virtually unknown. We know nothing of any real preparation. He has no credentials.
A. An inhabitant of Gilead.
All we know is that he is a Tishbite “of the inhabitants of Gilead” (1 Kings 17:1). There were two tribes in the region of Gilead—Gad and Manasseh. So he was from one of those two tribes.
Gilead was a rough mountainous place. So Elijah was probably a rugged mountain man—used to working hard and living in harsh conditions. We know like John the Baptist after him, he was wore a simple coat of camel’s hair.
B. We know nothing of his father and mother.
Elijah’s whole life and ministry is a type of Christ. Just as Melchizedek with no father and mother mentioned in Scripture, typified Christ’s office of priest, so Elijah is typical of Christ’s office of prophet. Christ is forever a prophet with a supernatural beginning and a supernatural ending to His life. So Elijah also had a supernatural ending to his life to typify the endlessness of Christ’s prophetic office.
But when you come right down to it—what credentials did Elijah have? None really.
C. Really Elijah was just a common man with no credentials.
We read in James 5:17, “Elias was a man subject to like passions as we are, and he prayed earnestly that it might not rain: and it rained not on the earth by the space of three years and six months.” There was really nothing exceptional about this man, except one thing—his prayer life! He was willing to spend time with God!
Application: Let me make an application here. You don’t need a Masters degree to be used of God. 1 Corinthians 1:27, “But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty”.
God is so good to use humble people!
If you think you are something, you’ll never be used of God. “God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace to the humble” (1 Peter 5:5). Are you willing to constantly bring yourself before the throne of grace where there are no earthly rewards? Are you willing to be diligent where no one but God sees you?
So we see Elijah’s predicament of facing spiritual darkness, his lack of real preparation, but thirdly…
III. Let’s look at Elijah’s Prayer life. We read in our text of 1 Kings 17:1 that Elijah enters the scene by rushing into King Ahab—“And Elijah … said unto Ahab, As the LORD God of Israel liveth, before whom I stand, there shall not be dew nor rain these years, but according to my word.” The Lord was alive to Elijah, and Elijah practiced the presence of God! “The Lord lives…before whom I stand”. Elijah was much more aware of God’s presence than wicked King Ahab’s presence. Because he was a man of prayer.
James 5:17, “[Elijah]… prayed earnestly that it might not rain: and it rained not on the earth by the space of three years and six months.”
Why would Elijah pray for such a thing? Because comfortable people tend to forget God.
Elijah wanted revival—he didn’t want drought! But he knew that before revival could come to Israel, sin had to be dealt with. Before any of us will see revival, we need to deal with worldly comforts and fleshly delights and carnal dependence on the pleasures and comforts of this life. Drought would strip these people of worldliness.
Application: Are you willing to pray—“God make me holy no matter what it takes”? Are you willing to ask God to make you a holy person even if it means drought in your life? Elijah was praying for this drought! Whether there is feasting or famine, we can always “Taste and see that the Lord is good”! In fact, we tend to feast on the Lord in deeper ways when life is tough and difficult!
Elijah’s prayer life was so powerful—he hungered and thirsted after God—he wanted the shower of God’s presence more than the abundance of earthly rain! He wanted people to get a thirst for God. I want us to see the power of a strong prayer life. Elijah’s prayer life was so powerful that he shut down the rains of heaven for a time.
A. The Power of Elijah’s prayer life. Prayer is a powerful thing. Elijah’s Power—What is the secret to Elijah’s strength? I mean he was willing to go anywhere and do anything. He was totally consecrated to the Lord.
His private prayer was equal with his public power. Elijah is not afraid to confront wickedness at the highest places in Israel. He did not tremble in King Ahab’s presence. He confronted the unregenerate and wicked King Ahab! The Bible says that “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom”. If you walk with God you will not tremble in the presence of any man. Elijah was more afraid of God than he was of Ahab. How about you? Do you struggle with the fear of man?
Are you afraid to confront wickedness? If so, you need to pray more! Your boldness and your holiness will be equal to the time you spend in prayer with God.
B. The Purity of Elijah’s prayer life. Prayer gave Elijah a purity of life. If you are pure, you will stand out—you will rise to the top. God will use you to confront wickedness. God called Elijah from his home of Gilead to bring a message to King Ahab. But we have to remember that he had already been praying for six months before he went to Ahab. The famine was brought on by Elijah’s prayers, and after six months of famine, Elijah confronts Ahab.
God was going to use Elijah’s purity to confront an entire nation. Look at Psalm 24. Psalm 24:3-4 asks, “Who shall ascend into the hill of the LORD? or who shall stand in his holy place? 4 He that hath clean hands, and a pure heart”. If you are a person who knows and walks with the Lord, your purity will always stand against corruption. You won’t stand corruption and lax spirituality in your home or in this church. It will lead you to be salt and light in your family, in your workplace, and in your church. Elijah was an ordinary man, but he was a holy man of prayer. His purity led him to go contrary to the current of His culture!
Conclusion: We are going to continue this message tonight, but I want to conclude by asking you, is your prayer life directed toward your own comfort, or simply in knowing and loving God? Do you want him to provide you with comfort, or do you want His glory? Are you His servant or is He your servant. How do you pray? Can you pray for a drought if that is what it takes to bring spiritual revival? Do you long for a revival in your life and in the life of others?
Are you depending on your job, your intelligence and wit, your health? You know all of that can be taken away. Let’s commit to spending more time in prayer and dependence on God! What’s going to happen to Elijah now that the brook has dried up? I have a feeling that God’s going to take care of him, but you’ll have to come back tonight to find out!