LBC Sermons & Messages

I Kings 18:39-46

In verses 30-38, we saw a prayer for revival, Elijah was calling upon the people to repent and be restored unto fellowship once more with Jehovah. The nation has been experiencing a drought, a symbol of God’s judgment for their turning away from Him. Ezek 14:6 reads “thus says the Lord God, repent and turn away from you idols and turn away from all your abominations”. They built an altar; God heard their plea and answered with fire from heaven.

The people fell on their faces and said “the Lord, He is God, the Lord, He is God” (v39), but its not enough just to recognize this truth but also to act, to make a commitment, which they did by slaying all the prophets of Baal.

Today we as God’s people may experience a spiritual drought, it’s evidenced by a loss of our joy of salvation, a lack of growing, a feeling of just existing, we are all tied up in the affairs of living that we have forgotten God. If so, then we too need to get along with God and repent and seek restoration.

Mark 3:8 states we need to “bear fruit in keeping with repentance”. Eph 4:22-32, exhorts us to “put off and put on”, each of us as individual and we as member of this local church need to examine ourselves, our relationship with God and with each other.

Elijah goes to the top of Mt Carmel to humbly ask for rain, a symbol of refreshment and fruitfulness. In applying this to us, we need fruitfulness in the area of our contrast to the world around us, “be ye holy”. Elijah went to pray, while King Ahab went to eat. Also we need refreshed in our prayer life and to persevere in it. Elijah had to pray seven times, but the rains did come, so it can be with us also.

Elijah a man, just like us (James 5:16-18), was willing to stand up against the evil of his day, may we do the same in the power and strength of the Lord Jesus Christ.