Elijah the Prophet

Let's pray together. Father, thank you for your word. Thank you for a chance to be together.

That we might be in your word. And pray that you would teach us and instruct us through the life and times of Elijah the prophet that we might learn the lessons that best will help us to live for you. We pray in Jesus' name.

Amen. Alright, if you got your Bible, 1 Kings chapter 17. I hope you're ready to receive the information needed about Elijah the prophet and be able to understand exactly what God is doing through this man.

And what God wants to do in your life and in my life. We think of Elijah, we think of his face-off with 450 prophets of Baal on top of Mount Carmel and how he was the victorious one. And yes, that's a part of the story.

But that's three and a half years down the road from 1 Kings 17 verse number one. So it's gonna take us a couple of weeks to get there. Don't worry, it's not gonna take us three and a half years to get to that battle.

But Mount Carmel is a mountain range that goes about 30 miles along the Jezreel Valley that ends up in the Mediterranean Sea. Mount Carmel is not just a singular mount there in the land of Israel. Those of you who have been there with me understand that.

Mount Carmel is God's vineyard. And when you stand on top of Mount Carmel, the traditional place, it's not the actual place because no one knows the actual place where this face-off with these prophets, these false prophets were with Elijah. But you're able to oversee the Jezreel Valley, the Valley of Megiddo where the armies of the east will gather together and come against the Lord's Christ.

You're able to see Nazareth from on top of Mount Carmel. You're also able to see Megiddo on top of Mount Carmel and of course the whole Jezreel Valley and Mount Tabor. You can see for miles on that mountain range.

And yet Elijah is a lot more than just one face-off with 450 prophets of Baal. He's a man of God who is used in a great way. He comes on the scene in 1 Kings 17 verse number 1 rather abruptly, rather in a way that is almost unbelievable because he pronounces judgment upon King Ahab and the nation by telling them it's not going to rain.

And he does that because he believes in what the Word of God says. We'll see that in a moment. But he comes on the scene, and let me read to you verse number 1 because that's all we're going to get to tonight.

Now Elijah the Tishbite who was of the settlers of Gilead said to Ahab, as the Lord, the God of Israel lives before whom I stand or serve, surely there shall be neither dew nor rain these years except by my word. And that's it. And then he leaves.

Who are you? Where did you come from? What gives you the right to go into the king and pronounce a judgment on the nation? That somehow there's not going to be any more rain. No more dew, no more moisture. And for 3 1⁄2 years, the only way we know it's 3 1⁄2 years is because of what James tells us, not because of what we learn in 1 Kings.

And so no more moisture, no more dew, no more rain, just the rays of the sun beating down on the land of Israel for 3 1⁄2 years. And everything is going to die. It's going to die.

It's going to wither up. And God is going to pronounce judgment on Israel. Why would God do that? What's going on here? Well, you need to understand a little bit of the background.

Elijah comes on the scene around 900 B.C. He comes on the scene about 100 years after Solomon began to reign. He was a man, Elijah was, who came on the scene 60 years after there was a split in Israel, a major split between two tribes and ten tribes. Judah and Benjamin became the tribes in the south and became known as Judah.

The ten tribes of the north became known as Israel. But there was a major split. Why? Under Saul, there was a united kingdom.

Under David, there was a united kingdom. Under Solomon, there was a united kingdom. But after Solomon, there now became a divided kingdom.

Why? Why was the kingdom divided? Well, turn back with me if you would as we set the scene for Elijah coming on and passing judgment upon the nation. 1 Kings 11 says, Now King Solomon loved many foreign women, along with the daughter of Pharaoh, Moabite, Ammonite, Edomite, Sidonian, and Hittite women, from the nations concerning which the Lord had said to the sons of Israel, You shall not associate with them, neither shall they associate with you, for they will surely turn your heart away after their gods. Solomon held fast to these in love.

And he had 700 wives, princesses, and 300 concubines. What was he thinking? And his wives turned his heart away. For it came about when Solomon was old, his wives turned his heart away after other gods.

And his heart was not wholly devoted to the Lord his God as the heart of David his father had been. And Solomon went after Ashtoreth, the goddess of the Sidonians, and after Milcom, the detestable idol of the Ammonites. And Solomon did what was evil in the sight of the Lord and did not follow the Lord fully.

He followed him partially, just not fully. And following the Lord partially is never good enough. He followed him partially and not fully, as David his father had done.

Then Solomon built a high place for Chemesh, the detestable idol of Moab, the mountain which is east of Jerusalem, and for Molech, the detestable idol of the sons of Ammon. Thus he did for all the foreign wives who burned incense and sacrificed to their gods. Now the Lord was angry with Solomon because his heart was turned away from the Lord, the God of Israel, who had appeared to him twice.

And he commanded him concerning this thing that he should not go after other gods, but he did not observe what the Lord had commanded. So the Lord said to Solomon, because you have done this and you have not kept my covenant and my statutes, which I have commanded you, I will surely tear the kingdom from you and will give it to your servant. Nevertheless, I will not do it in your days for the sake of your father David, but I will tear it out of the hand of your son.

We'll stop right there. What happened is that Solomon disobeyed a very basic command for the king of Israel. And when he did, his heart was turned away from the Lord, and God said, that's it.

I'm gonna tear your kingdom from you. And he did. Rehoboam became the king of Israel, and he, the son of Solomon, wanted to oppress the people, exercise his authority, and tax them greatly.

And the people rebelled. They said, don't do it. They did it anyway.

And those 10 tribes went north in Israel, and they came under a leader by the name of Jeroboam. And Rehoboam would rule in the southern district. Thus, the tribes were divided, and never again in the Old Testament were they ever back together as one.

And throughout their time, there were many civil wars between the northern kingdom and the southern kingdom. All this because a king decided to turn his back on the commands of God, the word of God. And thus, God promised to divide the kingdom, and he did.

The northern kingdom was ruled by 19 kings. All of them ungodly. All of them.

And the unique thing about that is that they got progressively worse as time went on. Quite remarkable. But it goes to show you what would happen when those who lead don't lead godly lives, and the effect it has on a nation and on their families.

Jeroboam became the ruler of the 10 northern tribes. Ahab, the man that is mentioned in 1 Kings 17, verse number 1, where Elijah goes in and pronounces judgment, Ahab was the seventh of those 19 kings. But Jeroboam was the first.

And he would lead the nation further into idolatry. And so he would set up altars, one in Dan and one in Bethel, so the people in the north would not travel to Jerusalem and worship God in the right place, but they would worship God in the wrong place. But he set up molten images in those places.

And the Bible says these words about Jeroboam in chapter 14 of 1 Kings, the divine epitaph of his life was this, Jeroboam who did sin and who made Israel to sin. 25 times it says Jeroboam made Israel to sin. He led them into sin.

That was his epitaph. And he ruled in Israel for 22 years. He would take the priests, and he made them the lowest of the low in the land.

He turned the people away from the one true God. He died. His son Nadab became king.

He was number 2 of the 19. He became king. He ruled for 2 years.

But they were evil years. And the Bible says in 1 Kings 15, these words, he walked in the way of his father and in his sin with which he made Israel to sin. And so he did the same thing his father did.

You know, remember, whatever you do in moderation, your children will always do in excess. Whether it's good or bad. They just will do it that way.

And sure enough, if you follow the history of the kings, that's exactly what happened. So Nadab, son of Jeroboam, that's what he did. He followed in the footsteps of his father.

He ruled only 2 years and was assassinated by Bashar. Bashar reigned for 24 years. But his reign was a bloody reign.

He killed Jeroboam's entire family. It was a constant battle with the southern kingdom. The civil war was large between the north and the south during Bashar's reign.

And yet, the Bible says in chapter 15, verse number 34 of 1 Kings, he walked in the way of Jeroboam and in his sin with which he made Israel to sin. Well, he died after 24 years of reign. And Elah, his son, became king over Israel.

He reigned for only 2 years. He was a worthless king because he was given over to drunkenness. And so he was assassinated, 1 Kings 16, by one of the chief military ranking officers by the name of Zimri.

Once Zimri killed him, he then became king over Israel but ruled only for 7 days because he then would be killed. His rule was so bad and so bloody, realizing that he could not defeat his own people, went to the king's house, set it on fire, committed suicide. He burned himself to death.

Omri was the leader of the military who then ascended the throne. He became the 6th king in Israel. He ruled for 12 years.

And this is what the Bible says about him, 1 Kings 16, verse number 25, he did worse than all the kings who were before him. So he was the worst of everybody. So he dies and his son Ahab becomes the king of Israel.

It says in 1 Kings 16, verse number 30, Ahab, the son of Omri, did evil in the sight of the Lord more than all who were before him. So he did evil more than the 6 previous kings. And it says in verse number 33, and Ahab also made the Asherah, thus Ahab did more to provoke the Lord God of Israel than all the kings of Israel who were before him.

God had had enough. Israel was at its darkest place, but God had a man. God had a man he was going to send on the scene.

And like out of nowhere comes Elijah, comes right to the king, face-to-face with the king, the worst king in Israel, and says, by my word, there shall be no rain all these years until I say there'll be rain. Well, who do you think you are, Elijah? You just can't come in here and say that. But he did because he had biblical precedence.

And we'll show you that in a minute. But Ahab was the king, the 7th king in Israel of the northern kingdom. He was the worst.

Ahab had no concern for the things of God and the word of God like the kings before him. The Bible says over in 1 Kings chapter 21, these words, verse number 25, Surely there was no one like Ahab who sold himself to do evil in the sight of the Lord. Wow! He sold himself to do evil in the sight of the Lord.

He was fully committed to doing everything against what God said. It says, because Jezebel, his wife, incited him. And he acted very abominably in following idols according to all that the Amorites had done whom the Lord cast out before the sons of Israel.

Wow! He spurned the law of God. He spurned Deuteronomy chapter 7. He spurned the book of Exodus. He spurned Joshua 23.

He spurned Exodus chapter... I'm sorry. Exodus chapter 31 when these words are spoken. I'm sorry.

Exodus 34. Then God said, Behold, I am going to make a covenant before all your people. I will perform miracles which have not been produced in all the earth nor among any of the nations and all the people among whom you live will see the working of the Lord for it is a fearful thing that I am going to perform before you.

Be sure to observe what I am commanding you. This day, behold, I am going to drive out the Amorite before you and the Canaanite, the Hittite, the Perizzite, the Hibite, the Jebusite, every termite that you have. I just added that one.

That's not really in there. Watch yourself that you make no covenant with the inhabitants of the land into which you are going lest it become a snare in your midst but rather you are to tear down their altars and smash their sacred pillars and cut down their asherim for you shall not worship any other god for the Lord whose name is Jealous is a jealous God. Lest you make a covenant with the inhabitants of the land and they play the harlot with their gods and sacrifice to their gods and someone invite you to eat of his sacrifice and you take some of his daughters for your sons and his daughters play the harlot with their gods and cause your sons also to play the harlot with their gods.

God said don't do that. Don't disobey what I say. And they did.

One after another. And Hayab was the worst of all of them. He married a woman by the name of Jezebel.

Jezebel is named 22 times in scripture. Never in a good light. Always in a bad light.

In fact, she's even named in a church in Thyatira. Turn with me if you would to Revelation chapter 2. Revelation chapter 2. Remember, there are seven churches in Asia Minor who receive seven letters all inspired by God that were delivered to them to help them understand what God had to say about their spiritual condition. The Church of Pergamon flirted with the world.

The Church of Thyatira was engulfed by the world. You know, it's like being in a boat. You ever been in a boat and you get a little bit of water in your boat? And it's really kind of annoying to get wet when you're in a boat.

But the more of the water you get in the boat, the more your boat begins to sink. And Thyatira was one who just didn't get themselves a little bit wet, but the water of the world came into the church and the church began to sink. I told you on Sunday, listen, you can't be companioned with the world.

You adulteresses and adulterers, don't you know that to be a friend of the world is to be an enemy of God? But if we become companioned with the world, you will be contaminated by the world. And if contaminated by the world, be careful because then you'll be conformed to the world. And Paul said in Romans 12, be not conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.

But if companioned with the world, thus then contaminated by the world, you will then eventually be conformed to the world. And if conformed to that world, you will then ultimately be controlled by that world. And if controlled by that world, you then will be condemned along with the world.

So you need to make sure that you are cleansed from the world. You are cleansed by the washing of the Lamb, by the blood of the Lamb. And you gotta be careful.

Ahab wasn't careful. Jeroboam wasn't careful. Solomon wasn't careful.

And the world engulfed them. And God made it very clear, this is what you do, this is what you don't do. And they just despised wisdom.

They wouldn't listen. And all of us need to take note of that. Because so many times, we just don't listen to what God says.

We think our way's better. And Ahab sold his soul to evil. He married the wrong woman.

Fellas, make sure you're careful who you marry. Make sure you marry the right one. You marry the wrong one, you're in a heap of trouble.

Women can incite you to do things you can't even begin to imagine. And they call them, women, the weaker vessel? I don't think so. They are very persuasive, very strong.

And Jezebel becomes the key villain all throughout the story of Elijah. She becomes the key player. Ahab, yes, he is an evil man, he is an evil king.

But he was controlled by Jezebel. And so the battle will rage between Elijah and the king's wife. And Elijah will win.

Because he is God's man for the hour. All that to say, the church of Thyatira had engulfed himself in the things of the world. So God says this, verse 18, Revelation 2, and the angel of the church in Thyatira write the Son of God who has eyes like a flame of fire.

In Revelation 1, verse number 13, the Son of Man has eyes like a flame of fire. Now he says the Son of God has eyes like a flame of fire, meaning that the Son of Man and the Son of God are one and the same. But in Revelation 1, 13, the Son of Man is described as being in the middle of the seven churches to minister to them.

But because he's called now the Son of God, he's coming in judgment to them. He says his eyes are like a flame of fire and his feet are like burnished bronze. And that's very important.

Why would the Lord describe himself that way? Because every king would have people bow at his feet. And when the king would pronounce judgment, you would lay before him, he would take his foot, he'd place it on your neck as a symbol of victory. He was coming to judge the church at Thyatira.

It says, I know your deeds and your love and faith and service and perseverance and that your deeds of late are greater than at first. How does he know all that? Because his eyes are like a flame of fire. He sees everything.

He knows everything. Don't think for one moment he doesn't see what's happening in your heart right now, in your home right now. He knows.

He knows everything. He knows everything about the church there is to be known because his eyes like lasers see into everyone and everything. He says, I know your deeds, but I have this against you.

It's never good for God to have something against you. I have this against you. What? That you tolerate the woman Jezebel.

What? I thought she died way back in first Kings. No, she's still alive and well because not only is she a woman, but she is a religious system of immorality. You tolerate the woman Jezebel who calls herself a prophetess and she teaches and leads my bond servants a story.

Now maybe her name was Jezebel. I can't imagine anybody naming their daughter Jezebel after reading first Kings, but maybe somebody did. But there was a woman in the church and she was a prophetess.

So she claimed to be. She says, she's led my bond servants astray so that they commit acts of immorality and eat things sacrificed to idols. Same thing that Jezebel did in first Kings chapter 17.

And I gave her time to repent. How gracious is God? I gave her time to repent. I gave her the opportunity to turn from her ways because God takes no pleasure in the death of the wicked.

He gave her time to repent, but she wouldn't. She does not want to repent of her immorality. Behold, I will cast her upon a bed of sickness.

She has a bed of immorality. She likes her bed. I'll cast her on her bed of sickness.

And those who commit adultery with her into great tribulation unless they repent of their deeds. And I will kill her children with pestilence and all the churches will know that I am he who searches the minds and hearts and I will give to each one of you according to your deeds. I'm telling you this, you need to know this.

God says, I know everything. And don't think for one moment when I give you a chance to repent and you don't repent that I'm just going to let it slide. Not going to happen.

I'm going to deal with you. And he did. And so I say that because Jezebel was that way and God had had enough.

So God sends Elijah. Elijah, the prophet to come. For 60 years, Israel's leaders had lived in sin and led the nation into sin and led their families into sin.

There was no reform. There was no revival. There was no repentance.

There was no restoration. There was no reconciliation. There was nothing but sin and immorality and idol worship all throughout the land of Israel.

And you'd think that where is everybody? And there comes a point in the story of Elijah that he thinks he is the only guy in all the land who lives for the Lord. But the Lord says, no, no. There are 7,000 others just like you.

Really? Where are they? They were scared to death. They were afraid. They lived in fear.

But there were others. And just because you don't see them doesn't mean they don't exist. Where is the faithful man? Where is the godly man? Just because you might not see them doesn't mean they don't exist.

For God has his number. God has his men. God has his women for the right time in the right place.

Elijah just happens to be that man. And that 7,000 others needed to have somebody who would stand, somebody who would be strong, somebody who would lead. Elijah was the guy.

He was the man. And God calls Elijah. And he comes on the scene in 1 Kings 17 and 1 virtually out of nowhere.

He's a Tishbite from Gilead, a rough and rugged land with hard terrain. And it symbolized a lot of the way Elijah was. He was a rough and tough kind of man.

And that's the kind of prophet he would be. But his name means Jehovah is God. Jehovah is God.

And he had some parents. Of course he did. And they must have stood for the Lord.

To name their son Elijah. Amidst all the immorality and idolatry that was filling the land, his parents would name him a name that would be a supreme contradiction to everything in the land. Jehovah is my God.

When they worshipped other gods. So his parents, although we know nothing about them, we know nothing about Elijah before 1 Kings 17 verse number 1, his parents had to be followers of the Lord God to name their son something that would magnify that which they believed, that Jehovah is our God. We want Jehovah to be our son's God because we live in a land of people who worship other gods.

So they named him that. You can't ever minimize godly parents. Godly parents produce godly children.

We don't know Mr. and Mrs. Elijah or Mr. and Mrs. Tishbite, whatever their names are. We don't know who they are. We don't know their names.

God knows their names. We know the names of Moses' parents, Amram and Jacobet. We know them.

We know them because the Bible tells us. But remember Hebrews 11? When they hid Moses, the Bible tells us in Hebrews chapter 11, these words, Hebrews 11 verse number 23, by faith Moses when he was born was hidden for three months by his parents because they saw he was a beautiful child. It doesn't mean he was good looking.

It speaks of his character. It says, and they were not afraid of the king's edict. Now notice what it says next.

Verse number 27, by faith he left Egypt not fearing the wrath of the king. Moses learned not to fear the king because his parents modeled no fear of the king. And Moses, the greatest leader in Israel, Elijah, the greatest prophet in Israel, had parents who lived for God.

If you're a parent, the best thing you can do is live for God, honor God, teach your children to do the same because who knows which one of you is raising the next Elijah or the next Moses or the next whomever God would use to come on the scene amidst all the darkness of our society and stand for God without bowing. That was Elijah. He followed in the footsteps of his parents and he would be a strong man.

Jehovah is my God. And by the way, he was virtually all alone. Everybody spoke against him.

The people hated him because word of it spread. How come it's not raining? How come the crops are dying and not growing? What's going on? This prophet dude came into Ahab and said it wasn't going to rain and sure enough, it's not raining. Who is this Elijah guy? Where's he from? Everybody began to hate Elijah.

Everybody hates the guy who tells the truth. They just hate him. Everybody hates the guy who speaks the truth because they don't want to hear what he has to say.

Everybody hates the guy who pronounces judgment on those who live in sin because they don't want to get out of their sin. They love their sin so much that if someone comes and speaks against their sin, they speak against the one who did so. And that's exactly how the people responded to Elijah.

They hated Elijah. Even the widow of Zarephath would speak against him and he helped her. Ahab spoke against him.

Jezebel spoke against him. Word began to spread. He became the most wanted man in Israel.

But the Bible says, beware if all men speak well of you. That's what Jesus said in Luke chapter 6. And that was the case for Elijah because nobody spoke well of Elijah. He was kind of isolated all by himself.

We'll see that more and more as we go through the story. But he was used by God in a powerful way because God knew him and God honored him because Elijah honored God. He was honored in many ways.

He is mentioned more in the New Testament than any other prophet except for Moses. Elijah was one of the two on the Mount of Transfiguration with Moses. Moses, the great law giver.

Elijah, the great law guardian. One was the giver of the law. The other was the guardian of the law.

And they both found themselves on top of the Mount of Transfiguration there in the land of Israel with Peter, James, John, and the Lord himself. Also know this about Elijah, that he was one of only two people who never saw death. That's pretty cool.

Him and Enoch, right? He never saw death. He just went off into heaven. God just took him.

And we'll talk more about that when we get there. He's also one as representative in Revelation 11 because there's going to be two witnesses during the tribulation, one like Moses and one like Elijah. Elijah was one bad dude.

Everybody who reads Scripture sees Elijah in a great light. He was used by God in a mighty way. And yet, he was a man with a nature just like you and me.

He had no special gift. Nothing about his appearance that made him an awesome figure to behold. There was nothing unique about his character that separated him from others other than the fact that he loved the Lord and Jehovah was his God.

But there was nothing uniquely about his skills or talents that would set him apart. He was a man with a nature just like you and me. He was a commoner just like you and me.

And yet, he became the greatest prophet in Israel. That's got to say something about what God does with the common man and how God wants to use people like you and me, commoners. But you've got to be able to be the kind of man that he himself was.

He was a man who did one thing, he prayed. James tells us, James chapter 5, these words, verse number 16, Therefore confess your sins to one another, pray for one another, so that you may be healed. The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much.

Hey, look at Elijah. He was a man with a nature just like ours. And he prayed earnestly that it might not rain.

And it did not rain on the earth for three years and six months. And he prayed again, the sky poured rain and the earth produced its fruit. The moral of that story is, what happens when you pray? Because he had a nature just like you and me.

He was a man of prayer. So how could he just go into the king and say, King Ahab, here's how it's going to go down. It's not going to rain.

Because the God I serve, the God I stand before, has said so. And it will not rain until I say it can. Got to go.

I'm out of here. Bye. How can you do that? Deuteronomy chapter 11.

Let me read it to you. Deuteronomy chapter 11, verse number 13, And it shall come about, if you listen obediently to my commandments, which I have commanded you today, to love the Lord your God, and to serve him with all your heart and all your soul, that he will give the rain for your land in its season, the early and the late rain, that you may gather in your grain and your new wine and your oil. Listen, if you obey me, if you listen to my commandments, if you love me, Israel, listen, I will send the rain.

I'll send the late rain. I'll send the early rain. Your crops will grow.

You will flourish. You will never go hungry if you love me and obey me. He says, And he will give grass in your fields for your cattle, and you will eat and be satisfied.

Beware, lest your hearts be deceived, and you turn away and serve other gods and worship them, which they did. Or the anger of the Lord will be kindled against you, and he will shut up the heavens, so that there will be no rain, and the ground will not yield its fruit, and you will perish quickly from the good land, which the Lord is giving you. Elijah was a prophet of God.

He was a man of God. He knew Deuteronomy chapter 11. And he knew that the nation of Israel would think that God is a myth.

It's not true. It doesn't keep his word. For 60 years, we have worshiped other gods.

It's still raining. So God must be a myth. He must be some kind of dead tradition that our forefathers held to, but really means nothing today.

God does not fulfill his threats. In fact, the people will think that God gives Elijah, knows what the Bible says, and appeals to God based on what he's already said, and knows what God is going to do. So he has his authority based in what the Scriptures have said, and he goes to the king and says, no rain.

The cattle will die. The horses will die. The land will dry up.

There'll be no fruit. There'll be no food. People will die.

There'll be no rain for these years. Then tell them how long. Gives them a hint.

These years, plural. It's not for six months or six weeks. It's these years.

Now Ahab doesn't know how long it's going to be. He threatens him by the word of the Lord. He set himself to pray earnestly that it might be fulfilled, and it was because he knew what God said.

Listen, when you pray, your prayers must be based on what God has already said, and you claim that promise. You claim his word based on what he's already said. That's what Elijah did.

He had the authority to go into the king. He was a man just like us, meaning that his story can be your story. Let me give you three things that you need to get about Elijah.

Just three simple points, and we'll pick them up next week. Add to them to help you understand. Three simple points.

Number one is this. Elijah was convinced of the reality of God. He was convinced of the reality of God.

His name proves that. Jehovah is my God. His life proved that.

Jehovah is my God. He is my authority. He was absolutely convinced of the reality of the living God.

There was no question. Does God really exist? I mean, he made a threat, didn't fulfill it. He must not exist.

Maybe there is no God. But he was convinced of the reality of God. Are you? Oh, by the way, if you're convinced of the reality of God, it manifests itself in your prayer life.

But he was convinced. He was convinced that God was true to his word, that God existed, and that God ruled the land. Absolutely, utterly convinced.

Hebrews 11, 6 says that without faith, it's impossible to please God. For he who comes to God must believe that he is, that he exists, and that he is a rewarder of those who diligently seek him. It's so important to have that conviction.

And Elijah had it. How do we know God exists? How are you convinced of the reality of God? Let me share a story with you. Turn with me to Job.

Book of Job, 38th chapter. God speaks to Job. Job's counselors don't have much wisdom, and he listens to them.

Job talks to God. God listens. God speaks.

Listen to what God says. Job 38, verse number 1. Then the Lord answered Job out of the whirlwind and said, Who is this that darkens counsel by words without knowledge? Now gird up your loins like a man. Job, take a man pill.

Job, man up. Who is this that darkens the counsel of God? Job, you got something to say? You got some concern about what I'm doing? You got some concern about my existence? He says this. And I will ask you, and you instruct me.

Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth? Oh, I'm sorry. You weren't there, Job. Oh, tell me if you have understanding concerning this, Job.

Who set its measurements, since you know? Or who stretched the line on it? On what were its bases sunk? Or who laid its cornerstone? When the morning stars sang together and all the sons of God shouted for joy, Job, where were you? Where were you, Job, when I laid the foundations of the earth? Where were you? By the way, where was Moses when I did all this? And he wrote about it. Where were you, Job? You weren't there. So how do you know what happened, Job? It happened because I said it did.

How do you believe in the reality of God? You believe in what God has already said. That's faith. Job, where were you? You weren't there.

So how do you know I created the world, Job? How do you know that? I said so. How do you know I formed the earth? I said so. You weren't there.

You don't know. You'll never know unless you believe what I say. Elijah was convinced of the reality of God.

God exists. God rules. God leads.

He has spoken. Thus, we must obey. Therefore, if you don't listen to what God's word says, you will face a judgment of God.

If you haven't listened, it will not reign because God said so. And he leaves. He's convinced of the reality of God.

The question is, are you? Are you convinced of the reality of God? The next thing you need to know about Elijah is that he was commissioned. Elijah was commissioned as a representative of God. He was commissioned as a representative of God.

It says in 1 Kings 17, as the Lord, the God of Israel, lives. He lives. How does he know he lives? If he lives and everybody believed he lived, they would submit to him.

But they didn't believe he existed, let alone lived. And so, as the Lord God of Israel lives, before whom I serve. I serve the Lord God of Israel.

I serve the true and living God. He was commissioned as a representative of God. God called Elijah.

God commissioned Elijah. God was going to use Elijah. You see, if you're convinced of the reality of God, you can be used by God.

And Elijah was. Because he was convinced that there was a God. And he knew his name.

And therefore, he was commissioned as a representative of that God. He was commissioned. He was inspired and installed by the Lord God of Israel.

So, Elijah was convinced of the reality of God. Elijah was commissioned as a representative of God. And Elijah was commended for his reliance upon God.

That's what James 5 is all about. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man in the name of much. Remember Elijah? He prayed and it didn't rain for three years and six months.

He prayed again and it rained. He was commended for his reliance upon God. Let me ask you a question.

What will you be commended for when it's all said and done? Do you ever notice that what we think is a good commendation really isn't? We live for earthly commendation. We live for earthly recognition. Elijah wasn't living for any kind of recognition or commendation by King Ahab or his wife Jezebel or anybody in Israel.

He didn't care less what they thought. He just cared what God thought. And he was commended because he relied upon God.

He lived for God. And how do you live for God? How do you rely upon God? You live a life of prayer. And that's what Elijah did.

Prayer marked his life. And that's why James would use that as the illustration because that's what he would be commended for. Note this.

Your commendation in the future is based on your conviction in the present. Your commendation in the future by God is based on your conviction in the present. And he was convicted and convinced of the reality of God.

And because he was, because he believed in God, he relied upon God. How do we know you believe in God? Because you live in reliance upon Him for everything. And that's what Elijah did.

And believe it or not, he was a man just like you and me. With a nature just like us. A sinful nature.

Prone to sin. Prone to disobedience. But he was a man just like us.

But because of his conviction, because of his commission, because of his commendation, this man was the greatest prophet in Israel. How about you? What are you convinced about? Are you convinced that God exists? And that God is real? And that God is to be the one we trust in and believe in and rely upon? Because whatever your conviction today will determine your commendation tomorrow. Let me pray with you.

Father, we thank you for your word. Thank you for Elijah. What a man.

We have so much to cover over the next several weeks with this man. Lord, we pray that you touch all of our hearts. Every one of us has come to realize yeah, we're just like Elijah.

But yet, we don't do what Elijah did. And we need to be able to understand that. We're not looking for greatness.

We're just looking to believe in what Elijah believed in. To live as Elijah lived. And to honor you.

And Father, we're not looking for commendation. It's not our desire. We're just looking to live for you.

I pray that everybody here would be absolutely convinced of the reality of God. He exists. He is true.

He is real. He's coming again one day. He came first to die for our sins.

And coming again to reign as king. And I pray for every man, every woman, every young person today. Instruct them, Lord.

And throughout the next several weeks that we're together, may their lives explode with excitement. Because of what they learn about a man with a nature just like ours. In Jesus' name, amen.