GOD DEMONSTRATES
1 Samuel 17
D. O. G. (DEPEND ON GOD) DAYS – PART #4 OF 5
Demonstrate how I start memorizing a Bible verse. Ask them to turn to 1 Samuel 17 and say, “While you that, I’ll get caught up on my devotional reading.”
1. Scan Psalm 119
2. Find a verse I don’t have memorized.
3. Take out 3” X 5” card.
4. Write verse out on lined side of card
5. Write reference on blank side of card
6. Start repeating reference and saying verse.
I just gave you a demonstration. This is something people do all the time. They give demonstrations at work, on television, in School, in stores and even other places.
We usually don’t think of God as demonstrating things, but He does.
Our theme over the last month has been “D.O.G. Days”.
D.O.G. stands for “Depend on God”. We have been looking at Bible Characters to show us reasons why God can and should be trusted. So far we have seen:
1. Moses – God Delivers
2. Joshua – God Drafts and Deploys
3. David – God Defeats
This week we are looking at one of the great prophets of the Old Testament, Elijah, to discover that God Demonstrates. God demonstrates His power. If you have ever felt the need for more of God’s power in your life, this message is for you! He wants to demonstrate His power through you!
By the time Elijah the Prophet came on the scene, the nation Israel had split into two countries, the Northern nation was Israel and the southern nation was Judah.
The northern nation, Israel, was trying to worship other gods, especially one called Baal, and God at the same time.
The King and Queen then, Ahab and Jezebel are remembered for their wickedness and idolatry.
1 Kings 16:30-33 - And Ahab the son of Omri did evil in the sight of the Lord above all that were before him. [31] 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. [32] And he reared up an altar for Baal in the house of Baal, which he had built in Samaria. [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.
God decided to demonstrate His power to Ahab and Jezebel, and the rebellious nation of Israel. He decided to demonstrate it through the prophet Elijah.
God had warned Israel many times about turning away from the God of Israel to worship other Gods. He warned that there would be consequences.
Deuteronomy 11:16-17 - Take heed to yourselves, that your heart be not deceived, and ye turn aside, and serve other gods, and worship them; [17] And then the Lord's wrath be kindled against you, and he shut up the heaven, that there be no rain, and that the land yield not her fruit; and lest ye perish quickly from off the good land which the Lord giveth you.
So one day, God sent Elijah the Prophet to King Ahab to make an announcement. It was a demonstration of the Power of God working through Elijah.
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.
Obviously Elijah was aware of the promise of draught if Israel worshipped other Gods. Based on these promises Elijah prayed.
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.
Please note that Elijah was a human being just like us!
There was nothing special about him except for His faith and his prayers. These are two things we can use as well so that God will demonstrate His power.
Can you imagine what it was like in Israel right after Elijah made his announcement? Most people, including Ahab and Jezebel, would have been skeptical, or even sarcastic.
“Yeah! Right! It’s not going to rain! Come around after the next shower and tell us that!”
After a week or two of no rain there were less and less skeptics and it turned out that after it was obvious there was a draught, that Ahab started looking for Elijah!
1 Kings 18:10 - As the Lord thy God liveth, there is no nation or kingdom, whither my lord hath not sent to seek thee: and when they said, He is not there; he took an oath of the kingdom and nation, that they found thee not.
But God knew that Ahab would be looking for Elijah, so He hid him! First Elijah was instructed to hide by the book Cherith where he drank from the stream and Ravens brought him food.
When the stream dried up he was kept in Zarephath by a widow. Her cruise of oil and barrel of meal did not run out until it rained.
Finally, after 3 ½ years it was time for God to demonstrate His power to Israel.
1 Kings 18:1 - And it came to pass after many days, that the word of the Lord came to Elijah in the third year, saying, Go, shew thyself unto Ahab; and I will send rain upon the earth.
So Elijah did as he was told and appeared before Ahab.
1 Kings 18:17-19 - And it came to pass, when Ahab saw Elijah, that Ahab said unto him, Art thou he that troubleth Israel? [18] And he answered, I have not troubled Israel; but thou, and thy father's house, in that ye have forsaken the commandments of the Lord, and thou hast followed Baalim. [19] Now therefore send, and gather to me all Israel unto mount Carmel, and the prophets of Baal four hundred and fifty, and the prophets of the groves four hundred, which eat at Jezebel's table.
Elijah called Ahab to gather the nation of Israel and the false prophets to Mount Carmel. This was a mountain near the Mediterranean Sea. God was going to demonstrate His power.
There are three things that I want us to examine in this passage this morning.
MOTIVES
METHODS
MIRACLES
MOTIVES
In order for God to demonstrate His power through Elijah, Elijah had to have the right motives.
In order for God to demonstrate His power through us, we have to have the right motives.
Vs. 36 – Elijah’s motives are displayed in this prayer.
1. He wanted Israel to know who the true God was in Israel. Because there were false prophets, particularly the prophets of Baal who were being worshipped, Elijah wanted Israel to know the only true God!
2. He also wanted to be known as the servant of God. If Elijah was going to be listened to, it needed to be clear that he was God’s servant.
3. He also wanted it to be known that what he had done and was doing was through directions or word. He wanted it known that the proclamation of the draught, the hiding, the contest between him and the prophets of Baal, were all according to God’s will.
If we want to see God’s power working through us, we need to have the same motives.
1. Whatever we ask for should be because we want people to know the only true God. Whatever we ask God to do should be because we want Him glorified and not ourselves.
· When we ask God to provide for our needs it should be so that he will be glorified as the only true God.
· When we ask God to do solve a problem, it should be so He would be glorified as the only true God.
· When we ask God to perform a miracle, it should be so He would be glorified as the only true God.
· When we ask God to save a soul it should be so He would be glorified as the only true God.
We wonder sometimes why God doesn’t answer our prayers. James gives us two reasons.
James 4:2-3 - Ye lust, and have not: ye kill, and desire to have, and cannot obtain: ye fight and war, yet ye have not, because ye ask not. [3] Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts.
Sometimes God does not answer because we do not ask.
Don’t expect God to answer if you are not asking.
Sometimes God does not answer because we have the wrong motives. Our motives are selfish.
Whatever we ask God to do should be because we want Him glorified and not ourselves.
2. Whatever we ask for should be because we want it known that we are God’s servants.
We should want to be identified with our God.
We should want it obvious that we are serving Him.
We will be servants of God the Father when we are servants of God the Son.
Luke 9:35 - …This is my beloved Son: hear him.
In order to be a servant of God, you need to first trust Jesus Christ as your Savior.
John 3:16 - For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
In order to be a servant of God you need to be a disciple of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Luke 9:23 - And he said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me.
What you do on a daily basis should make it obvious that you are a servant of God.
Matthew 5:16 - Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.
Whatever we ask God to do should be because we want Him glorified and not ourselves.
Whatever we ask for should be because we want it known that we are God’s servants.
3. Whatever we ask for should be because we want it known that our actions are according to the will of God.
If one of our motives for God to answer our prayers is that we want it clear that what we are doing is according to his will, we will be careful that what we are doing is according to His will.
If you want God to demonstrate His power, make sure that your motives are right!
MOTIVES
METHODS
What methods did Elijah use so God would answer His prayers?
1. HE CONFRONTED.
Vss. 20-21 – The word halt means ‘to limp’ or ‘to totter’.
The children of Israel were trying to serve God and Baal at the same time! They were wavering between two gods!
How many of us are just like that? We want all the pleasures that the world has to offer and to serve God at the same time. It doesn’t work!
Matthew 6:24 - No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.
There are times when for God to demonstrate his power we are going to have speak up!
We will have to say to others, “Don’t flip-flop between two opinions. If you are going to serve Christ, serve Him! If you are going to serve yourself, another person, money or any other God, serve Him! Decide! You can’t do both!”
2. HE CHALLENGED
Vss. 22-24 – Elijah proposed a contest. The prophets of Baal, who was the sun God and the God of fire, were to prepare a sacrifice but not to light it. Elijah would do the same. The God that sent fire from Heaven was God!
Sometimes we might have to challenge people to put God to the test as well. “Let’s compare what my God is doing with what your God is doing. The one, who is actually making a difference in our lives, let Him be the God!”
If you are truly dedicated to the Lord and the other person is honest, you will never lose that challenge.
HE CONCEDED
Elijah gave every advantage to his foes.
Vs. 25 – He let them go first and chose the sacrifice.
He let them have the better part of the day. He didn’t start his sacrifice until 3:00 in the afternoon. We already said the contest involved their God of fire!
Vss. 32-35 – When Elijah offered his sacrifice he had it doused it with water three times!
How do we make concessions? It will seem that God is giving every advantage to our foes!
Sometimes the situations we are asking God to solve get worse before they get better.
When this happens it means that God gets even more glory when He answers. And we should not get discouraged.
HE CONFRONTED
HE CHALLENGED
HE CONCEDED
HE CRIED
In this chapter there are two cases where Elijah cried to God. The first case is in this contest. Vss. 36-37
The second case was after the contest when he went further up the mountain and cast himself on the ground, scrunched himself up on the ground, and prayed for rain.
God wants us to cry to him in prayer! This is when he will demonstrate His power!
Jeremiah 33:3 - Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and shew thee great and mighty things, which thou knowest not.
1 John 5:14-15 - And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us: [15] And if we know that he hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him.
Mark 11:22-24 - And Jesus answering saith unto them, Have faith in God. [23] For verily I say unto you, That whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he saith. [24] Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them.
God will demonstrate his power if we pray!
HE CONTINUED
As we’ll see in a minute, God answered the prayer for fire from Heaven immediately with fire from Heaven.
Vss. 42-44 – When Elijah prayed for rain, he had to keep at until it happened!
Some prayers God will answer quickly. Other prayers God will expect you to keep praying until He answers.
We must be stubborn in prayer!
Matthew 7:7-8 - Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you: [8] For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.
In the original language it means that we are to keep on asking, keep on seeking, keep on knocking. We are to be persistent in our prayers. Continue until God gives you an answer!
HE CONFRONTED
HE CHALLENGED
HE CONCEDED
HE CRIED
HE CONTINUED
MOTIVES
METHODS
MIRACLES
Vss. 38 – Fire came from Heaven
Vs. 39 – The people acknowledged the Lord as God. That was the greatest miracle of the four here.
Vs. 45 – Boy did it rain!
Vs. 46 – Elijah outran Ahab a distance of about 17 miles.
Does God work miracles today?
This week, He reminded me that he does.
As you may or may not know, I volunteer at the Dayton Fair in the Sportsmen’s Club booth. One of the best days at the fair is Senior Citizens day. The trouble is it tends to rain on that day and the seniors either don’t come or have a miserable time.
This year the forecast was for showers and thunderstorms on Thursday. It was raining Thursday Morning after I got up. The Lord challenged me to pray earnestly, by faith, and for the right motives that it not rain. I think others were praying too. I asked the Lord to send the son so that the seniors would come. He did. It didn’t rain all day. And the Lord challenged my faith when I got to the fair.
He challenged me to believe it wasn’t going to rain, by leaving my car windows down!
MOTIVES
· Whatever we ask God to do should be because we want Him glorified and not ourselves.
· Whatever we ask for should be because we want it known that we are God’s servants.
· Whatever we ask for should be because we want it known that our actions are according to the will of God.
METHODS
· HE CONFRONTED
· HE CHALLENGED
· HE CONCEDED
· HE CRIED
· HE CONTINUED
MIRACLES
· FIRE FELL FROM HEAVEN AND CONSUMED EVERYTHING! Vs. 38
· THE PEOPLE ACKNOWLEDGED THE TRUE GOD.
· IT RAINED AFTER 3 ½ YEARS OF DRAUGHT – Vs. 45
· ELIJAH OUTRAN AHAB’S CHARIOT – Vs. 46