Acts 20:24

Paul says, "Father, as we look into this passage this morning, I ask that you would speak by your Spirit here in this place. You said that you're the one who would give us a teacher, who would guide us in all truth and teach us all things by your Holy Spirit. And so, God, we do pray. You'd open our eyes, open our ears, that we'd see and hear and understand and know what it is that you are speaking to us. For we ask it in Jesus' name. Amen."

You can be seated. I have been thinking about this passage and what we're going to be talking about today for the last several weeks. I had planned to share this with you last weekend. Then, on Saturday morning of last week, at about four in the morning, my wife came upstairs. She had just gotten a glass of water, and I could tell that she wasn't doing so well. I asked her, "Are we having a baby today?" She said, "Yeah, I think so."

So, 22 hours later, little Ethan came into the world. He's beautiful. You guys saw some pictures last week. Talk about a life-changing event! I was telling someone at the harvest celebration on Friday night that you work all day long getting this thing set up. Then, 1,200 to 1,800 people show up, and there's just a ton of people and activity. An hour after it's done, you look around, and nobody's there. It's just completely dark and empty, and everything's cleaned up. You go, "Where did everybody go?"

It kind of reminded me of last Saturday. We had all these doctors and nurses coming in, and everything was just crazy for about the last, especially the last hour and a half. Then she gives birth, and 40 minutes later, everything's cleaned up, and they're all gone. We were just sitting there going, "Well, now what?" I'm still asking, "Well, now what?"

But God is good. Over the last three or four years, I've spent quite a bit of time studying through the major and minor prophets. The Lord opened up the door three years ago for me to teach at the Bible college through the book of Isaiah. As I have been going through the prophetic passages of the Bible, we just finished studying the major and minor prophets on Saturday nights, going through a book a week just about two months ago.

As I've gone through these passages, I've noticed some recurring themes that keep coming to the surface. I've begun to see something that I've called the indicators of judgment. When you see these indicators begin to happen in a nation in the Old Testament—whether it's Egypt, Assyria, Babylon, or the nation of Israel, including the southern tribes of Judah—you can say with a certain level of certainty that God's punishment, His judgment, is beginning to come upon that nation. It indicates that He has removed His hand of protection, and now punishment is coming.

Beginning in December, on Wednesday nights, we're going to start a new series here at Calvary Chapel, starting the first Wednesday of December, called "Profiting and the Prophets." We will take some time to go through the major and minor prophets and look at some of the things that I believe the Lord has been revealing to me from His Word. I know that this church has a real anticipation and desire for prophetic things. About a month ago, I talked about prophecy, and afterward, there was a line of people coming out of the bookstore trying to get CDs for it. Pastor Mark is teaching through the book of Revelation on Wednesday mornings with the seniors' Bible study, and it just seems to be growing each week because many people are interested in what the Bible has to say about current events.

As I look at these passages in the Bible, one that I have been meditating on for the last couple of weeks is in Isaiah chapter 19. In this chapter, we see God beginning to move in judgment upon the nation of Egypt. There are about four or five things that come upon that nation that indicate God's judgment. The very first thing that comes upon Egypt in Isaiah chapter 19 is that the Lord moves and causes the gods of the nation of Egypt to totter, to shake, to crumble. I mentioned about three weeks ago that in the Old Testament, the gods and idols are merely things that people put their trust in. They invest in these idols, hoping that they will bring about some sort of prosperity or livelihood for them.

The gods of the Old Testament are things that people put their trust in and hope in. As we look at Isaiah chapter 19, we see how God came into Egypt, causing the gods of Egypt to shake and totter. The people's confidence was shaken as well. We have seen the same thing in the last month, especially here in the United States. The things that people put their trust in, their hope in, and their investments in have been shaken, and the confidence of this nation has been shaken as well.

In the Old Testament, this was an indication of the punishment of God or the removal of His hand of protection and blessing. I know that even saying this right now is one of the most politically incorrect things that one could possibly say: that God is the one who is moving in such a way to bring these things about.

The next thing that comes in Isaiah chapter 19 as a sign of God's judgment and punishment upon the Egyptians is that He caused the gods, the things they trusted in, to shake and crumble. Then came civil unrest. I believe that as we move forward as a nation, we will begin to see some of these things come to pass. Should the Lord tarry and should He not continue to pour out His mercy upon this nation, we will see the gods of this nation shake and crumble. We are witnessing the confidence of the people being shaken as well, and we will begin to see the unraveling of civilization here.

We will see civil unrest, civil discord, brother fighting against brother, neighbor against neighbor, and so forth. After that, in Isaiah chapter 19, comes the destruction or failure of the industries of Egypt. All the industry begins to fall apart, which is a sign of God's judgment and punishment. After the industry crumbles, the counselors and the wisdom of the nation begin to fail, and so on and so forth until the nation itself fails. This is one of the ways that God works in judgment, as seen in Isaiah chapter 19 among the nation of Egypt, and we are witnessing some of those things happen in our nation today.

Interestingly, after I mentioned this in the first service, a few ladies from our Tuesday morning women's Bible study approached me. They are studying through Isaiah and just so happened to be in chapters 18 and 19 this week. They were discussing how they see what happened in Egypt happening in our nation here in America today, and they were amazed by it. That is exactly what we see. God is on the move. Two thousand seven hundred years ago, God moved among the Egyptians in this way, and now we see the same sort of things happening in our day here in America. The confidence of America, in many ways, has been shaken. God is seeking to wake us up and cause us to listen.

Just as Paul told the church in Romans chapter 13, it's high time for you to wake up. We stand here just a couple of days before an election in our nation, and I, like many of you, will be very glad when the whole thing is over. I'm ready for it to be over. I'm looking forward to the signs, the mailers, the phone calls, the door hangers, the commercials, and all this stuff on the news to be done. I'm ready for Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year's, and all that.

But before we actually get beyond that whole thing, I believe that the Lord has something for me to speak to this church, and not just to this church, but to the body of Christ in general. God has a word for us, and He wants us to listen up. A couple of weeks ago, the rest of the pastors and I went away for a couple of days to pray. We were looking forward to what we would be doing in 2009, planning and talking. One of the things that came out of that meeting, as we discussed our nation and what's going on, was the exact quote: "All hell is breaking loose." And truly, we're seeing that.

In Acts chapter 20, the Apostle Paul was headed to Jerusalem. As he was on his journey, he knew that he was about to face a group of people with whom he had become very unpopular. The message he was preaching was anything but politically correct. In fact, the message he was giving would ultimately lead to his arrest, conviction, and death by beheading. As Paul traveled down to Jerusalem to minister to the body of Christ, the church there, he knew that these things awaited him.

This is where the passage in Acts 20:24 comes in, where he says, "None of these things move me, neither do I count my life dear to myself." Why? Because he is a minister of the gospel of Jesus Christ, and he is going to speak boldly the truth.

As I stand before you on November 2, 2008, I stand as one who has a message to preach that is unpopular and growing more so. There is a demographic in our nation that increasingly says, "I don't like what you have to say." At the very least, what I'm going to tell you is politically incorrect. To many in this group, they view me and they view you as ignorant, intolerant, hate-filled, Bible-thumping, homophobic, racist bigots. Someone in the first service even said, "I want that bumper sticker." It's very clear that these groups in our nation are growing.

They would like to keep us out of the public square. They would like to shut us, the Christians, up. Paul was facing a very similar thing nearly 2,000 years ago as he went to Jerusalem. He had an unpopular message, and the people didn't want to hear what he had to say.

Now, with all this stuff that's going on, as God foretold it ultimately would, and as we look at what's happening in our nation, I believe there's going to come a day when we, as Christians, are going to suffer persecution. Christians in America, I believe, should the Lord tarry and not return quickly—although we pray, "Lord, come quickly"—this nation is going to go through difficulty, and the church is going to go through trials and tribulations.

But as I say that, I want you to recognize that every time you see God's punishment in the Old Testament, it was always for the purpose of purification. If you're taking notes, you may want to write that down: God's punishment was always for the purpose of purification. It was through His judgment, through His punishment, that He would separate a remnant from the multitude, purge out the dross, and purify. He would separate the wheat from the chaff. Even when Jesus came, it was spoken of Him by John the Baptist that in His hand was the winnowing fan, which was used to separate the wheat from the chaff. So, God's punishment is always for the purpose of purification.

As we look at what's coming before us as the body of Christ and as the church, and the different things that are on the ballots—different initiatives, propositions, and even the candidates that we're seeking to elect or thinking about electing—we're confronted with some pressing issues. The question that comes to mind is the question that God spoke to Jeremiah in Jeremiah chapter 5, when He said, "The priests rule in their own power, the prophets prophesy falsely, but what will you do in the end?"

When you look at everything happening in America, the question comes to me and to you as the body of Christ: What are you going to do in the face of all these things? If the church does not speak in this or any election, their lack of vote, their silence, will be like consent to everything that society is pressing forward to do. If you and I keep quiet and don't speak up, then we simply say everything's just fine, and we, as the body of Christ, are okay with the current course and direction of our nation. That's if we keep quiet.

We don't speak up. Paul the Apostle was very clear in his letter to the Romans, specifically in Romans chapter 1. In verse 29, he says they are being filled with all unrighteousness: fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness, full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity, whispers, backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents. Without understanding, covenant breakers, without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful.

He continues in verse 32, stating that those who know the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death. Paul emphasizes that God's judgment is going to come from heaven upon all unrighteousness, as seen in these very things written in Romans chapter 1, verses 29 through 31. Fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness—these are just a few of the many sins. God's judgment will come upon those who practice such things.

However, Paul goes on to say at the end of the passage in verse 32 that not only those who practice such things will be judged, but also those who take pleasure in those who do them. This can also be understood as those who consent to those who engage in such actions. Essentially, what Paul the Apostle is saying is that while we know God's judgment will come upon those who practice unrighteousness, God will also judge those who sit idly by and consent to those practices.

We will stand before the Lord for judgment someday. The Bible is very clear about this. Even the body of Christ will stand before the Lord for judgment. 1 Corinthians reveals that God will, like a consuming fire, come upon all the works of our lives, burning away all the wood, hay, and stubble, leaving only the precious stones. Some will be saved, as it were, by fire, as Paul mentions in 1 Corinthians.

So, I will stand before God for judgment, and you will stand before God for judgment. The scriptures reveal that every thought, word, and deed that you and I have ever done—every idle thought, idle word, and idle deed—will be tested by fire before the Lord and judged. James tells me, as a teacher and pastor, that I will receive a stricter judgment. That's heavy.

But Paul reminds us in Romans chapter 1 that God's judgment will come upon those who consent to such things. If we keep our mouths shut and simply hold on to the message that God has given us, we risk being complicit in the very unrighteousness we are called to speak against.

Confined to these four walls on 1675 Seven Oaks Road, you and I will stand before God for judgment someday. One of the ways that we can speak, which has been given to me and to you as citizens of this nation, is through our vote. Sir Edmund Burke, a member of the House of Commons in Great Britain in the 1700s, said, "All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing." He also stated, "When bad men combine, the good must associate, else they will fall one by one in unpitied sacrifice and a contemptible struggle." When the bad combine, the good must associate, and they must speak up.

Now, some of you may be thinking, as I talk about this, why am I bringing this up? Over the course of the last ten months, I have had several Christians at this church and in other places tell me that we are not supposed to vote as Christians. They argue that we should not be involved in this whole democracy thing because we are citizens of heaven, not citizens of the earth, and that Jesus never told us to do these things.

To that, I have four points that I want to bring up. First, God is the inventor of government. There is a hierarchy of government in heaven in the spiritual realm, and it is beyond a doubt that God has instituted government here upon this earth, especially in the present state of degeneracy that we find ourselves in today.

Secondly, to those who say voting is not biblical, I say that is not true. There are numerous instances in Scripture where we see men voting. Sadly, most of the time, their votes were towards unrighteousness, wickedness, and sin. Why? Because the heart of man is desperately wicked. Who can know it? Those men voted according to what they saw, what they thought, and what they felt.

Some examples of this can be found in the book of Numbers, where there was a populist vote on returning to Egypt. Everyone said, "We don't want to go to the promised land; we want to go to Egypt." There was also a populist vote under the corruption of the sons of Korah to depose Moses and the leadership that God had instituted. Additionally, there was a populist vote in the Gospels.

In the Bible, Moses, in Deuteronomy chapter 30, called to the people of his day to vote. He said, "I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing; choose life that you might live." Joshua did the very same thing in the next book, the Book of Joshua. He said, "Choose this day whom you will serve. As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord." You see, he endorsed a candidate. The nation of Israel, by a populist vote, chose to have a king instead of God ruling over them.

Voting is in the Scriptures, but the heart of man is desperately wicked. Oftentimes, if he votes according to his own thoughts and his own heart, it can lead to poor choices. Over the last six weeks, I have heard dozens of people on the radio, on TV, and in conversations who have told me that we need to vote according to our hearts. How many of you have heard that? I've heard it many times. This is the first election where I've really noticed this sentiment: "You need to vote according to your heart."

To that, I have to say something. In Deuteronomy chapter 12, verse 8, Moses says to the children of Israel, "You shall not do what is right in your own eyes." Judges chapter 17, verse 6 states, "In that day there was no king in Israel, and every man did what was right in his own eyes." Judges chapter 21, verse 25 says the same thing: "In that day there was no king in Israel, and everyone did what was right in his own eyes."

In that same book, the Book of Judges, at least seven times, it says, "And the children of Israel did that which was wicked in the eyes of the Lord." There is a way that seems right unto a man, but the end thereof is death. Proverbs 12, verse 15 states, "There is a way, there is the way of the fool that is right in his own eyes."

We need to vote and we need to speak up, but it's not about voting according to our hearts. We need to vote according to what the Word of God says and what the Lord has ordained and established. Government is an invention of God, and secondly, voting is scriptural. We see it very much so.

Thirdly, the representative form of government under which you and I live here in the United States of America is the government that God established for the children of Israel in Exodus chapter 18. God spoke to Moses through his father-in-law and told him that he was to establish a form of government with leaders over hundreds, over fifties, and over thousands. City, state, and national government is what He established there.

What were they supposed to do? They were to take God's law, the legislation that God had given to the people, and judge the affairs of the people by those laws. The captains over fifty, the captains over hundreds, and the captains over thousands were part of this civil government. Additionally, God had given ordinances to the children of Israel about how they were to worship and how they were to approach God, with the priests serving as overseers of that worship. Thus, there was a civil government to bring about God's judgment in regard to His law, and there were priests and prophets to lead the people in spiritual matters. The representative form of government that you and I see is what God established for the children of Israel.

Fourthly, we have been given certain rights as citizens of this great nation, and we ought to use them as Paul the Apostle did his. What do I mean by that? In the book of Acts, there are more than a couple of instances where the Apostle Paul, when confronted by people who wanted to kill him, beat him, or imprison him, appealed to his rights as a Roman citizen. He said, "I am a citizen of Rome; you can't do this to me." If it was good for the Apostle Paul, it's good for me. In fact, when they were about ready to convict him and put him to death, he said, "I appeal to Caesar," and they had to send him to Rome. Why? Because he had rights as a Roman citizen, and you and I should use the rights that we have as citizens of this country to vote on November 4th.

Jesus also said in Matthew 22, verse 21, "Render unto Caesar that which is Caesar's and unto God that which is God's." He did not say either/or; He said "and." So, He affirmed that we are to render unto Caesar that which is Caesar's and unto God that which is God's.

There is an interesting point here. The children of Israel were oppressed by the Roman Empire during that time. They didn't like it; they didn't like paying taxes to Caesar. How many of you can relate to that? The fact is,

Had the children of Israel rendered unto God what was God's, they would have never had to render unto Caesar that which was Caesar's. But because they had not followed the Lord, they had wicked leaders over them, and these wicked leaders caused them to err. Over and over again in the scriptures, we see that bad leaders cause the people to err and bring God's further judgment upon them. The righteous rule brings joy to the people, while the wicked rule causes them to groan, as the scriptures say in Proverbs.

The wrong leaders in the United States of America in the 1950s and 1960s brought about what we call the Warren Court. The decisions of the Warren Court, especially in the early 1960s, fundamentally changed the United States of America for the worse through three significant moves in 1962 and 1963. These moves surrounded prayer and the Bible in public schools. They removed prayer and the Bible from public schools because they stood upon something they called the wall of separation between church and state.

Sixty-eight percent of Americans, when polled a couple of years ago, believed that the separation of church and state is part of the First Amendment. It is not. It is not even part of the Second Amendment of the Constitution, nor is it found in the Bill of Rights. The wall of separation between church and state came from a letter that Thomas Jefferson wrote to the Danbury Baptists in 1802. The Danbury Baptists had written a letter to Thomas Jefferson at the end of 1801 because they were concerned that the government was about to take actions that would hinder the church from fulfilling its mission.

Thomas Jefferson responded to that letter, assuring them that the government would not impose upon their freedom to assemble and worship because there is a clear wall of separation between church and state. The Warren Court took that concept, effectively added it to the Constitution, and declared that, as a result, there would be no prayer or Bible in the schools.

What happened after that point? Very interesting things occurred after that decision. One notable change is that America, prior to 1963, led the world in literacy among its citizens.

It was number one in the world. After 1963, it fell to 68th and has never gone higher than that. Also, after 1963, violent crime among youth in America rose by 694%. Additionally, after the Warren Court's decisions in 1962 and 1963, teenage pregnancy in America rose by 700%. Do you think that's a coincidence, or do you think it possibly had to do with what took place in those decisions?

You see, the Scriptures are clear. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. When you remove the fear of the Lord from the teaching of anybody, they lack wisdom, knowledge, and understanding, and begin to drift away from what God had established and ordained. Did you know that 106 of the first 108 schools established in America were founded upon the Christian faith? Abraham Lincoln said, "The philosophy of the schoolroom in one generation will be the philosophy of the government in the next."

The three leading schools for scholars in America when it was first established were Harvard, Princeton, and Yale. Harvard, still to this day, hundreds of years after it was established in 1636, is considered the number one school in the world. It was established in its charter upon eight statements. I want to read to you the second of those eight statements in the Harvard charter that was founded in 1636: "Let every student be plainly instructed and earnestly pressed to consider well the main end of his life and studies is to know God and Jesus Christ, which is eternal life" (John 17:3).

Therefore, to lay Christ at the bottom as the only foundation of all sound knowledge and learning, and seeing the Lord only gives wisdom, let everyone seriously set himself to prayer in secret and seek it of Him. That's the second statement upon which Harvard was established in 1636. Let me read you the third: "Everyone shall so exercise himself in reading the Scriptures twice a day that he will be ready to give such an account of his proficiency therein, both in theoretical observations and language and logic, and in practical spiritual truths."

As his tutor shall require, according to his ability, seeking the entrance of the word gives light; it gives understanding to the simple. Psalm 119:130.

The fourth statement from Harvard said that the students should eschew all profanation of God's name, attributes, and word, ordinances, and times of worship. They are to study with good conscience, carefully retaining God and the love of His truth in their minds. Else, let them know that God may give them up to a strong delusion and, in the end, to a reprobate mind.

Now, the interesting thing about this is that I spent about two hours the other day searching Harvard's website. You can't find this anywhere. I would be willing to bet that 99.9% of the students at Harvard today have no idea about this.

Princeton University was established in 1746. Its very first president was the Reverend Jonathan Dickinson. He established the school with, I believe, five other men, and this was the key thing that they established the school on: "Cursed be all learning that is contrary to the cross of Christ."

Yale College, founded in 1701 by a group of ministers from the Anglican Church, included this statement in their charter about their school: "All scholars shall live religious, godly, and blameless lives according to the rules of God's word, diligently reading the Holy Scriptures, the foundation of light and truth, and constantly attending upon all duties of religion, both in public and secret." Seeing God as the giver of all wisdom, every scholar, besides private and secret prayer, where all are bound to ask for wisdom, shall be present morning and evening at public prayer in the hall at the accustomed hour.

So, basically, if you wanted to study the Bible a lot, you should have gone to Harvard, and if you wanted to pray a lot, you should have gone to Yale.

Charles Finney, one of the great awakening preachers in the 1800s, wrote, "The church must take right ground in regard to politics. The time has come that Christians must vote for honest men and take consistent ground in politics. They must find out whether he is honest and upright and fit to be trusted."

We must act right, or the country will be ruined. God cannot sustain this free and blessed country, which we love and pray for, unless the church takes the right ground. Politics are part of religion in a country such as this, and Christians must do their duty to the country as part of their duty to God. It seems sometimes as if the foundations of the nation are becoming rotten. This was written in the 1830s, and it still feels as if the foundations of the nation are crumbling. Christians seem to act as if they think God does not see what they do in politics, but I tell you, He does see it. He will bless or curse this nation according to the course that we take.

Now, all of that was just my introduction. If you open your Bibles to 1 Kings chapter 18, verse 1, it came to pass after many days that the word of the Lord came to Elijah in the third year, saying, "Go show yourself unto Ahab, and I will send rain upon the earth." The context of this is that God had withheld rain from the nation of Israel, the northern ten tribes, because of their wicked king. We read about this wicked king Ahab in 1 Kings chapter 16, verse 30. It says, "And Ahab the son of Omri did evil in the sight of the Lord above all the kings that were before him."

In verse 33, it continues, "And Ahab made a grove," which means he made a worship center. Ahab did more to provoke the Lord God of Israel to anger than all the kings of Israel that were before him. This was a wicked man, a wicked king. So, God spoke to His prophet Elijah and said, "I want you to pray that it will not rain." Elijah prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain for the space of time that God had determined.

Of about three years and six months, as James tells us in James chapter 5, it came to pass after many days, after three and a half years, that God said to Elijah, "Get up, go show yourself to Ahab because I am going to send rain."

Now, as we go through this chapter this morning, we're going to look at five different groups of people. The first one we see in verse 3 is the compromised Elijah. In verse 2, we read that Elijah went to show himself to Ahab, and there was a sore famine in Samaria, which is the capital city of the northern ten tribes. Ahab called Obadiah, who was the governor of his house.

Obadiah feared the Lord greatly, for it was so that when Jezebel, the wife of King Ahab, had cut off the prophets of the Lord, Obadiah took a hundred prophets and hid them by fifty in a cave, feeding them with bread and water. The first person we take note of in this passage in 1 Kings 18 is Obadiah, the compromised.

Why was he compromised? We already know that Ahab was the most wicked king that the northern ten tribes had ever seen. Who was the governor in his house? It was Obadiah. Although Obadiah feared the Lord greatly, he was also the governor to the most wicked king, which made him compromised.

We read in verse 5 that Ahab said to Obadiah, "Go into the land, to all the fountains of water and to all the brooks, and perhaps we may find grass to save the horses and mules alive, that we lose not all the beasts." King Ahab, the wicked king, instructed his governor Obadiah to go out into the land and see if they could find any food for their animals because everything was about to die. This famine had been upon them for three years, and the drought had not let up.

This compromiser was searching for grass when he should have been praying for rain. They divided the land between them to pass through, and Ahab went out by himself while Obadiah went another way. As Obadiah was on his way, behold, Elijah met him. Obadiah knew him, fell on his face, and said, "Are you my lord Elijah?" Elijah answered him, "I am. Go and tell your lord, behold, Elijah is here."

What have I sinned that you would send me, your servant, into the hand of Ahab to slay me? Obadiah, over the next few verses, tells Elijah that if he goes to King Ahab and informs him that Elijah has shown up, the Lord will take Elijah away and hide him. Ahab will come out and kill Obadiah because he cannot find Elijah. For the last three years, Ahab has been searching the country looking for Elijah because he wants to put him to death, believing that Elijah is the cause of all this trouble. Obadiah is fearful and expresses his reluctance to go to Ahab and tell him that Elijah is back.

In Obadiah, we see the compromised. But now, in verse 17, we see the corrupt. It came to pass that when Ahab saw Elijah, he said to him, "Are you he that troubles Israel?" King Ahab, the most wicked king that the northern ten tribes had ever suffered through, confronted Elijah after three years of drought and famine. Ahab accused Elijah, saying, "Are you not the one that has troubled Israel?" He had things backwards, didn't he?

Elijah answered him, "I have not troubled Israel, but you and your father's house, in that you have forsaken the commandments of the Lord and followed Baal." Elijah made it clear that he was not the one who troubled Israel; it was Ahab, the wicked leader, who had caused the people to err.

Notice what God's man, Elijah, did. He showed himself to the wicked king. He stood before Ahab and spoke the truth. You and I need to stand up and let our voices be heard. We are not the minority in this nation, but there is a minority that is pushing for things that are unrighteous. They are advocating for things that are unholy and against God's Word. Ahab was 100% corrupt; he was vile, immoral, and cruel.

He hated God, and he hated God's people. He could not stand the people of God, what they said, and what they stood for. This is the same Ahab who sought to go out to war with King Jehoshaphat from the southern tribes of Judah and Benjamin. When Jehoshaphat came up to Ahab, he said, "Yeah, there is this prophet, but I don't like him because all he ever says is bad things about me."

When the prophet of God says bad things about you, you better wake up. Ahab hated God and God's people. He felt that God's man was a troublemaker, just like the world today. This minority group that I’m talking about views you and me as ignorant, hate-filled bigots. They see us as the problem. If the Christians were gone, everything would be okay, especially if the Christians and the Jews were gone. The world would be fine.

Josh told me about a bumper sticker he saw several years ago. In big bold letters, it said, "I can't wait for the rapture." But when Ahab, the corrupt, thought that God's man was the problem and the trouble, Elijah said, "I have not troubled Israel, but you and your father's house, in that you have forsaken the commandments of the Lord and followed Balaam. Now therefore send and gather to me all of Israel unto Mount Carmel, and the prophets of Baal, 450, and the prophets of the groves, 400, that eat at Jezebel's table."

In Obadiah, we see the compromised. In Ahab, we see the corrupt. Now, here in verse 21, we see the complacent. Elijah came to all the people of Israel and said, "How long will you falter between two opinions? If the Lord be God, follow Him. If Baal be God, then follow him." The people answered him not a word. These were the fence straddlers. These were those that had an appearance of godliness. Maybe they went to church, but they were kind of halfway in the church and halfway in the world.

Elijah confronted the people, asking, "Why are you back and forth? Why are you tossed to and fro? If God is God, then serve and follow Him. If Baal is God, then serve and follow him." The people sat in silence, unsure of what to say. They kept their mouths shut because they were the straddlers.

The Bible says in the Psalms, "The fool has said in his heart that there is no God." However, I believe the bigger fool is the one who believes there is a God but doesn't serve Him. Here were the complacent, and Elijah came to them first. He showed himself to the wicked king, spoke up, and then addressed the complacent, urging them to wake up.

Elijah said to the people, "I, even I only, remain a prophet of the Lord, but Baal's prophets are 450 men. Therefore, let them give us two bulls. Let them choose one bull for themselves, cut it into pieces, lay it on the wood, and put no fire under it. I will dress the other bull, lay it on the wood, and put no fire under it. Call on the name of your gods, and I will call on the name of the Lord. The God that answers by fire, let Him be God." The people responded, "Okay, sounds good."

So, Elijah set up a test for the prophets of Baal. They would take their sacrifice and build an altar, while Elijah would take his sacrifice and build an altar as well. The prophets of Baal would call out to their god to bring fire, and Elijah would call out to God. Whoever brought fire would be the God that should be worshipped.

Elijah instructed the prophets of Baal, "Choose one bullock for yourselves and dress it first, for you are many. Call on the name of your gods, but put no fire under it." They took the bull given to them, dressed it, and called on the name of Baal from morning until noon, saying, "Oh Baal, hear us!" But there was no voice nor any answer. They leapt upon the altar they had made.

At noon, Elijah began to mock them. I kind of like Elijah. He cried aloud, "Cry louder! For he is a god. Either he is talking, or he is pursuing, or he is on a journey, or perhaps he sleeps and must be awakened." Verse 28 serves as the scriptural basis for the emo group, as they cried aloud and cut themselves.

After their manner with knives and lances, till blood gushed out upon them, it came to pass that when the midday was past, they prophesied until the time of the evening sacrifice. There was neither voice nor any to answer, nor any that regarded.

We see in Obadiah that he was the compromised one, while Ahab was the corrupt. The people were the prophets of Baal. There are always those who are raising up another standard of truth, saying, "This is the way; walk in it." There were more of them than there were on God's side—450 prophets of Baal and only one prophet of God. They were on the narrow path; they were the competitors.

I want you to notice something: this world, this nation, does not need a new definition of the gospel; they need a new demonstration of it. They didn't need Elijah to preach another message to them; they knew what the Word of God said. They needed a demonstration that God is God. This world needs to see in me, and it needs to see in you, that we are different. They need to see that God is real by the way He has transformed my life and yours.

For too long, the world and the nation have looked into the church, and what have they seen? What do they always say? The church is full of hypocrites, and they are right. We have been saved by grace through faith, but God's grace should work out in our lives in a spectacular and awesome way that produces fruit. This world does not need another preaching; they need to see the church live as God called them to live. They do not need a new definition of the gospel; they need a new demonstration of it.

These competitors were trying to be the ones that people would follow, but they had no power. Then Elijah, the courageous, stood up. In verse 30, Elijah said unto the people, "Come near unto me." All the people came near unto him, and he repaired the altar of the Lord that was broken down. This is the first thing that you and I, as the body of Christ, need to do: we need to repair the altar of the Lord that is broken down.

Pastor Josh, last week, as he taught on Romans chapter 12, spoke of Paul begging the...

Church, I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present yourselves as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. What Paul says there is that this is your only reasonable act of worship: to lay your life down before the Lord.

Here, Elijah repaired the altar of the Lord that was broken down. The altar has been broken down, and it needs to be repaired in my life and in your lives unto God. Elijah took twelve stones according to the number of the tribes of the sons of Jacob, unto whom the word of the Lord came, saying, "Israel shall be thy name." With the stones, he built an altar in the name of the Lord. He made a trench around the altar, as great as would contain two measures of seed. He put the wood in order, and he said, "Do it a second time." They did it a second time. He said, "Do it a third time," and they did it a third time. The water ran about the altar and filled the trench also with water.

It came to pass at the time of the offering of the evening sacrifice that Elijah came near and said, "Lord God, this nation needs to see a demonstration of the power of God in my life and in yours." But they also need you and me to stand up and speak in the face of all those who are telling us to shut up. There are friends and family members who say they know the Lord, and we need to reveal and speak the truth to them because they have become compromised or complacent in this world.

We have the corrupt in this world, the competitors, the complacent, and the compromised. But may God make us courageous to stand and speak the truth.

An awesome opportunity this week on November 4th! I challenge each of you and encourage each of you to consider it and speak the truth through your vote. Let's stand and pray.

Father God, I do ask that you would stir our hearts and turn our hearts back again. If we have drifted or backslid in any way, may we remember how You have transformed us and how You have called us. God, help us to be a light in this dark world. You have called us to be light and salt in this dark age. You have called us out of darkness so that we may proclaim Your praises. Help us to be strong and courageous; give us boldness, I pray. I ask it in the mighty and precious name of Jesus. Amen.

I figured I'd close this message today by saying I am Miles DeBenedictus, and I approve of this message. I told the first service that if this message challenged you, caused you to think, or maybe just bugged you, I succeeded. You can get a hold of me through my email at pastor@ccsco.com if you don't get a chance to talk to me today.

May the Lord give you boldness. This world needs to see and hear the truth of the Word of God. If you need prayer this morning, myself and some of the other pastors and elders will be up here to pray with and for you. May you go in the boldness of the Spirit as you leave this place today. God bless you. Thank you.