September 16, 2001
Tonight the Holy Spirit has given me a word for the church of Jesus Christ. Now by that I mean the body at large. Everyone who calls themselves by the name of Jesus Christ, who would have the testimony of saying I am, by virtue of the atoning blood of Jesus Christ on Calvary, saved. Everyone who defines their Christianity that way, this message is for them.
Now I Kings chapter 18 was a time of great spiritual conflict. Once again the children of God had strayed from truth. They had fallen far, far, far away from the victorious days of Joshua. When God’s heritage first went into the promised land and under Joshua and his leadership had conquered, albeit they hadn’t conquered entirely through their own neglect but nevertheless those still were victorious days.
But now terrible tragedy had happened to the children of God and it was because of their refusal to separate themselves from the gods of the society around about them.
You recall Moses speaking to the people and telling them, the gods that you don’t drive out are going to be a snare to you. They are going to be thorns in your sides. They are going to rob you, in a sense, of the true heritage that God desires to give you because you refuse to separate from them.
They are going to swallow you up and that’s exactly where we are years down the road in I Kings chapter 18.The people of God were captivated by a false god called Baal. Now Baal was the god of personal increase and prosperity. His worship included the moral practices of sensuality. In other words the people were captivated by the desire for personal increase. That means anything they could build themselves, anything that could prop up self, anything that would make them prosper and it included an allowance to be moral and yet still have a sense that they were in the presence of God.
It was a licentious religion, a very wicked, very immoral, very sensual. The people walked only by their senses. If it rained and the crops were good then by their natural senses they would say the god Baal is pleased with us. He’s pleased to send us increase. He’s pleased to send us prosperity.
Obviously the sensuality, because that was the very core of their so-called worship, led them into immorality and led them into horrid immoral practices. In the midst of this immoral religious practice God raised up a voice of truth because beloved in every generation and among every people God almighty is never left without a testimony. Never. He will always have a testimony. There will always be a word. It may not be popular, it may not be the majority but His voice will still be heard. He is God, He did create the Universe. He does govern the world, He does hold everyone of us tonight in the palm of his hand and He will speak to anyone who wants to hear.
Verse19 and 20 Elisha issued a challenge to a wicked king called Ahab who was ruling in that time
19Now 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.
Now these are prophets that have a connection as it is, to power. That was their lust, that’s where they ate, that’s where they lived. Jezebel as it is was the queen. She had access to all the wealth and the prosperity of the nation.
These men lusted for it. That’s the table they – they didn’t want the table of God - that’s the table they wanted to eat at and so that’s where they ate. 20 So Ahab sent unto all the children of Israel, and gathered the prophets together unto mount Carmel.
Now Mount Carmel was really significant because Mount Carmel where Joshua had previously defeated one of the Canaanite kings. So technically Elijah was drawing to draw them back to a place of remembrance.
This is what the Holy Spirit will always do to the people of God. He will always woo. The Holy Spirit doesn’t come to condemn the church of Jesus Christ in spite of how apostate she may have become. The Holy Spirit still comes and tries to draw back that which is alienated from the heart of God. That which is in league with immoral leaders, that which is also lusting for power and provision and all these other things that society has to offer.
21And Elijah came unto all the people, and said, How long halt ye between two opinions? if the LORD be God, follow him: but if Baal, then follow him.
Now the Holy Spirit is speaking through Elijah. There was indecisiveness in the heart of the people. There was a mysterious inner knowledge that this is really not God. It’s fun and our senses are being touched and there’s a sense of provision but it’s not God.
That’s why the indecision, that’s why they could go but they could not fully yield to Baal because there’s a deep inner knowledge. This is not the altar of God.
How long will you halt? He said.
The word in Hebrew for halt means to hop, to skip over, to spare or to dance as a lame man.
Elijah is saying to the church of his time, how long will you continue to skip over the truth? How long will you continue to spare yourself any deep dealings and deep callings of God? How long will you continue to worship as a lame man when you could behold? How long, Elijah? Why do you halt between two opinions? Why do you stop at this place of halfway to heaven and halfway to hell and you cannot make up your mind where you are going to live, which side you are going to commit yourself to?
Verse 21 "...And the people answered him not a word."
Now that’s an incredible thing. He is issuing them a challenge. They know this is a man of God. They know. They would have a testimony. If they left that place that particular day the people would walk away. I’m not talking about the prophets of Baal, I’m talking about the people that were gathered.
They would walk away and if somebody were to mention the name Elijah, without hesitation they would say, "He is a man of God. Wherever he goes the fire of God goes. Wherever he is there is a sense of awe. There’s a sense of God that goes with this man that travels with him. Oh yes, he is a man of God."
Yet when this man of God puts the question before them, who is it that you are going to serve?
They don’t answer. They can’t answer.
You know, strangely enough that’s the way it is even here sometimes at Times Square Church. A man of God will stand before you, clearly cutting between soul and spirit, joint and marrow and going right to the thoughts and intentions of the heart.
Yet people sit and offer no response. And the question is always the same, God says, will you come back to me? Will you come to that place of remembrance?
They answer not a word. No response. Hoping, perhaps, that the conviction will just go away.
You see the people knew in their hearts that Baal was not God that’s why they could neither yield to him nor answer.
We ask ourselves the question, well why? Why this mysterious silence?
Firstly, some people genuinely felt that they had been touched there at this altar. And a false religion does offer a comfort folks, I want you to know that. It does. A false religion can make you dance, a false religion can make you happy, a false religion can give you a sense that you are prospering.
Oh yes, false religion can make you happy and it can give you a sense of satisfaction, people do it all over the world and in some places they are having a lot of fun doing it. They felt, perhaps, that they had been genuinely touched there and in the heart saying, "I know it’s not God but I’ve been touched there. Should I leave this, Elijah, to go with you? Elijah, all these prophets can’t be wrong. 850 of them – they can’t be wrong – Elijah, you’re only one man, you’re only one voice. They can’t all be wrong and I’ve been touched there."
I’ve heard that so many times. I’ve tried to counsel people over the years that have been involved in ludicrous foolishness in the name of Jesus Christ. They answer is always the same. You try to open the Bible and you try to show them some things and they push away the word of God and say, "But you don’t understand. I’ve been touched there."
But folks, you see they inwardly knew something. The hesitation always says something. I always know when a man is involved with adultery or fornication because when I meet him with the woman he’s with and I ask, "Is this your wife?" he hesitates before he answers me. It’s true.
He wishes that she were his wife, he has found what he thinks his needs are are met there but she’s not his wife and he knows it. So when you ask him, he hesitates. Then he says, "Well, yes." His very answer gives away his heart.
Jeremiah, chapter five. A prophet of his day, Jeremiah cried out to God with a deep burden in his heart. Jeremiah was a man who thundered from heaven and brought a word…
Oh folks, how many times does history have to repeat itself before the church will begin to cry out and say, God, please don’t let history repeat itself in my life. Don’t let me be another in the long lineage of apostates that have held to Baal and wouldn’t let go.
Jeremiah said, 23"But this people hath a revolting and a rebellious heart; they are revolted and gone."
Now the word gone in Hebrew means they’ve already left in their heart. They are standing there listening to Jeremiah but the Lord is speaking to Jeremiah and He’s saying to Jeremiah, they’re already gone. You may be looking at them, you may be preaching to them but they are gone.
Folks, that’s a tragedy because it repeats itself throughout history. There are people who call themselves by the name of Christ today but they are gone. Long ago in their heart they have left him, they don’t know him, they know little or nothing about him anymore.
They do know that what therein is not God but in their heart they have left the one that they do know is real.
24"Neither say they in their heart, Let us now fear the LORD our God…"
There’s no desire for the fear of the Lord. That’s old fashioned. That’s old school. That’s long ago Pentecost in America. We’re of the new generation now. There’s a new thing happening in our midst. We have a new god now.
They’re already gone and "24Neither say they in our heart, Let us now fear the LORD our God…"
We don’t want the fear of the Lord. We don’t want to talk about the fear of the Lord. We want to be able to come to our altar, we want to be able to have sensual worship, practice immorality, we don’t want any fear of God in our lives.
"..Let us now fear the LORD our God, that giveth rain, both the former and the latter, in his season: he reserveth unto us the appointed weeks of the harvest.
25Your iniquities have turned away these things…
There was a deep dividedness in your heart and you wouldn’t lay it down. Because you wouldn’t lay it down it took away your desire. I hope tonight if anything you would see how dangerous it is to live with a divided heart. A divided heart, especially if you are aware of it, will take your desire for God away from you. It will take it away.
It’s like there’s a barrel full of oil and there’s a oil, somebody drilled a hole in the bottom. It takes awhile but it will go.
Your desire will go, your discernment will go.
"…and your sins have withholden good things from you.
We’re starting to get to the key now in vese 26.
26For among my people are found wicked men: they lay wait, as he that setteth snares; they set a trap, they catch men.
I can hear the thundering cry of Jeremiah. Oh that the church of his day would wake up and see that they were warned, they were being warned by the word of God that there are wicked men that lay wait like somebody snaring a rabbit, hiding in the bushes and setting a snare for the unwary. Setting a snare for those who are not yielded to God, still living by unbridled lusts in the very depths of their soul they are not yielded to God, they are halting between two opinions. Here are these men setting their snares and setting their traps for the unwary.
27"As a cage is full of birds, so are their houses full of deceit: therefore they are become great, and waxen rich."
That is always a warning sign – those that are always focused on money. Always talking about money. Always coming up with new gimmicks to get money.
This is exactly what Jeremiah is talking about. They are dirty birds in a dirty house and they’ll become great only in the sight of men, not in the sight of God. They become rich by deceiving the people.
28They are waxen fat, they shine…"
You can tell them by their shiny, glossy advertisements. They shine.
Folks, this is not funny. This is not funny. You read some of today’s Christian magazines, especially the Charismatic ones, and it’s like reading Jeremiah in this chapter. You look at them and you see exactly what Jeremiah was talking about.
Fat, rich, shining false prophets. They are permeating the church of Jesus Christ today. Filling the house of God with their filth.
28…they overpass the deeds of the wicked: they judge not the cause, the cause of the fatherless, yet they prosper; and the right of the needy do they not judge.
This verse means this. They care nothing about the plea of those who are in genuine spiritual need. They care nothing about anybody but themselves.
Now in verse 29 here’s the Lord speaking through Jeremiah.
29Shall I not visit for these things? saith the LORD: shall not my soul be avenged on such a nation as this? 30A wonderful and horrible thing is committed in the land; 31The prophets prophesy falsely, and the priests bear rule by their means…"
"By their means" means by their natural strength. They are preaching a gospel of natural strength. They know nothing about the covenant keeping power of God. They know nothing about the surrendered life or the exchanged life as it’s been called in the past. They know nothing about the Holy Spirit coming and enabling a man or woman to live for God because that’s not the focus of their message.
They "bear rule" – in other words they lead the people with a gospel of natural strength
and Jeremiah says, "…and my people love to have it so…"
And the people love it. I’ve been dumbfounded in the last several years to see the absolute ludicrous, foolishness that has permeated the church of Jesus Christ in North America and watching the people and they love it. They are being led to go down a garden path to hell and they love it.
"…and what will ye do in the end thereof?"
The word "end" in Hebrew means in the last days. What will you do? In other words, you’ve been led in the gospel of natural strength, what will you do when all hell breaks out on the face of the earth? What will you do? What will you do in the last days?
Go back to I Kings again. Now listen to me. I’m not mad at anybody here tonight. I don’t want anybody thinking that. I have a burning in my heart. There’s been a burden that God has placed on me for years now. I’m pleading for the church. I’m not condemning anybody. I plead for every leader. If they can turn, if they can still hear I plead for them. I’m not here to condemn anybody, I’m not here to call down fire on God’s house. I’m talking about judgment fire, I’m here to plead.
Now we go back to I Kings chapter 18 and verse 22.
22"Then said Elijah unto the people, I, even I only, remain a prophet of the LORD…"
Now we know that wasn’t completely correct. There were 7,000 others that hadn’t bowed their knee to success and prosperity.
"…but Baal’s prophets are four hundred and fifty men. 23Let them therefore give us two bullocks; (two sacrifices) and let them choose one bullock (choose your sacrifice) for themselves, and cut it in pieces, and lay it on wood, and put no fire under: and I will dress the other bullock, and lay it on wood, and put no fire under: 24And call ye on the name of your gods, and I will call on the name of the LORD: and the God that answereth by fire, let him be God."
Now I want you to mark that in your spirit because we’re going to talk about that fire. That fire is not what you might think it is. Fire is not a feeling. Fire is not a presence. Fire is not a tingling. Fire is not some sensory experience. There is something else that Elijah here is talking about.
Mark it in your mind because we’ll be back to it later.
24"… And all the people answered and said, It is well spoken."
Meaning, that’s a good idea. Okay we’ll lay out our sacrifices and the god that answers by fire is God.
25"And Elijah said unto the prophets of Baal, Choose you one bullock for yourselves, and dress it first; for ye are many;"
In other words, you choose your sacrifice and you prepare yours first and call on the name of your gods but put no fire under it. Yours is a quicker work than mine, Elijah was saying. Yours takes no time at all.
Yours starts with a survey on the block to determine what people want to come to God’s house. Then you purchase a building and then you arrange for some corporate financings because the corporate world is not offended by your gospel. They will buy into it readily. They unsaved will buy into it because they can be very comfortable there and they can still prosper and live immoral lives and never be challenged by the word of God. It’s a quick work.
You see folks, that which is not of God always has no durable foundation. Not only in the church but in the individual Christian life. You don’t live the Christian life. We don’t grow as a Christian by running from one tape to another or one sensory experience to another. There is a building that goes on. There is a cornerstone we must fall on and Jesus said we must be broken on that cornerstone.
The brokenness means we must be fashioned and made into the image of that stone. If we are not exactly as the stone is then the wall that goes up will be crooked. It will start off one degree but by the time it gets to the top it will fall over.
That’s why many of these so-called churches of Jesus Christ rise up so fast and seem to go so high, so far, and you look down the road 15 or 20 years later and they have a trail of disillusioned people and an empty building full of unclean virgins.
Now here the prophets of Baal begin to attempt to call down the presence of God.
25"And Elijah said unto the prophets of Baal, Choose you one bullock for yourselves, and dress it first; for ye are many; 26And they took the bullock which was given them, and they dressed it, and called on the name of Baal from morning even until noon, saying, O Baal, hear us. But there was no voice, nor any that answered. And they leaped upon the altar which was made."
That’s very significant. They had made an altar and every man took his turn, as it were, and left on the altar. Perhaps as a display for the other prophets of Baal – look how holy I am. God’s going to answer me. Look at my dedication to God. I’m on the altar. Look at me. Look at me. You see that’s the very heart of men who don’t know God. Look at me.
They leapt upon the altar which means they rose above the crowd and for a moment they shined. Then they either jumped off or they got knocked off and the next person took his turn leaping on the altar, calling out to a god that doesn’t exist.
27"And it came to pass at noon, that Elijah mocked them, and said, Cry aloud: for he is a god; either he is talking, or he is pursuing, or he is in a journey, or peradventure he sleepeth, and must be awaked. 28And they cried aloud, and cut themselves after their manner with knives and lancets, till the blood gushed out upon them."
Oh they were so sincere. I remember speaking to one couple and trying to caution them about what they were involved them. Trying to caution them about the gospel they were beginning to associate with when they said, "Oh, but pastor, you don’t understand. The leaders are so sincere. They’re so sincere. They really believe in what they are doing."
Folks, it’s not enough to be moved by sincerity, there’s got to be truth behind it. There has to be truth behind it. I don’t even care if a man looks insincere as long as he’s preaching the truth and it’s touching my heart and convicting my life.
Superficial cutting and crying aloud, little cuts in the flesh. Oh, look at this, look at that, look what God’s done here, oh look at that.
You see the Bible says the word of God is quick and powerful and it doesn’t produce superficial little cuts in our body. The word of God goes right in to soul, spirit, bone, marrow. Right to the heart. Right to the thoughts and intents of the heart.
The word of God is not a little superficial cut. The word of God is a two-edged sword and it’s very sharp and it cuts very deep. Those who really love God and know God, the word of God comes as a surgeon does. The cancerous nature is taken out of us and is replaced by the nature of God. That doesn’t happen because we come to an altar it comes because we agree with what God says and we trust Him for the power to change.
29"And it came to pass, when midday was past, and they prophesied until the time of the offering of the evening sacrifice, that there was neither voice, nor any to answer, nor any that regarded."
In other words they worked themselves into a position of exhaustion. It’s not enough to leap on the altar but now they begin to prophesy.
Now the work prophesied is "naba" in the Hebrew and can mean: to speak or sing as a prophet by divine power. Is has a positive application but it can also mean and it does in this case mean: to rave, to play the madman, to act insane through agitated, spasmodic movements which are often applied to false prophets.
Now that’s right out of a Hebrew/Greek dictionary. In other words, they were acting abnormally and they were shaking through spasmodic bodily movements which are always applied to false prophets. I’m going to prove it to you.
Go back in your Bible to I Samuel and you’re going to see something here in chapter 18. I’ll show you what happens to a man who knew God and walks away from him and is still leading the people.
The Bible tells us clearly that Saul was anointed by God, he was called to lead, tells us that the spirit of God came upon him, he prophesied. There was a time in his life when he really did prophesy. The spirit of God came upon him and he began to lead the people, the Bible says he was turned into another man by the spirit of God.
He had every chance that you and I have today. But there was a stubbornness in his heart, he was unwilling to yield his life to the word of God. That’s why Samuel wept for him for quite a long time after God rejected him until finally the Lord said to stop weeping for him, I’ve chosen another man after my own heart.
I Samuel 18, verse 10. I want you to picture this Saul now – called to lead, anointed, touched with the Holy ghost. He’s now sitting as king, he’s a leader.
10"And it came to pass on the morrow, that the evil spirit from God came upon Saul…"
Now I’m not going to get into the theology regarding did God send an evil spirit but I’m going to tell you something, God allowed an evil spirit to come upon his life.
"…on the morrow, that the evil spirit from God came upon Saul, and he prophesied in the midst of the house.."
Now here’s Saul prophesying, it’s an evil spirit that is upon him now. The word prophesied is "naba" – same word. It means to rave, to act insane through agitated spasmodic movements applied to false prophets.
"an evil spirit came upon him and he prophesied in the midst of the house and David played with his hand…"
Here’s Saul prophesying, here’s David just worshipping God. "…and there was a javelin in Saul’s hand."
Folks, this is really significant and I’ll tell you why it’s significant. David was worshipping God, Saul is prophesying. Now the whole thing looks holy. If you were to walk in you would say, "Oh, here’s a man prophesying."
It doesn’t mean what he’s saying is necessarily wrong. Here’s one man prophesying now normally it’s gibberish, it makes no sense, it doesn’t follow the Bible. If you follow it long enough it deviates, it may start in truth but then it takes a strange twist. It eventually leads the people that follow it right outside of the written word of God.
So here’s David worshipping. Here’s Saul prophesying but there’s something in this that the undiscerning eye doesn’t see. The man prophesying is full of rebellion. He’s full of envy. He’s full of self-ambition and hate. He hates the true anointing and worship of God. There’s a javelin in his hand and the javelin is there because he could never surrender.
There was a recent movement in Canada and America and throughout the western world where the leaders were reporting it was a revival. It was characterized by much prophesying but with the prophesying came condemning threats against anyone who put it to the scrutiny of scripture. Anybody that resists this would die, God is going to kill you.
Does this sound familiar?
There was a javelin in his hand, prophesying, looking so holy but looking to kill the anointed of God. The true that exposes the false. Now let’s go back to I Kings 18 again. Verse 30
"And Elijah said unto all the people, Come near unto me. And all the people came near unto him. And he repaired the altar of the Lord that was broken down. And Elijah took twelve stones, according to the number of the tribes of the sons of Jacob…"(vs. 30,31)
Now listen, this is significant because at this time Israel was split into two kingdoms. God says, if it’s my altar there’s no division. There’s no division between black and white and brown and red and yellow. There’s no division if it’s my altar.
If it’s the altar of God, if it’s the place where I’m going to send my fire, my presence, there is no division at this altar. The fact that he took twelve stones was a virtual slap in the face for those who are constantly saying, "We are the righteous side. They are the unrighteous. We wronged them, they wronged us. We have a history that goes back a long way. We are all here but we’re divided."