The dramatic confrontation on Mount Carmel between Elijah and the prophets of Baal, illustrating the stark choice between true worship and idolatry. It details Elijah's challenge, the futile efforts of the 450 prophets of Baal to summon fire, and Elijah's prayer that was answered by divine fire, consuming his sacrifice and proving Jehovah as the true God. The core lesson emphasizes that true faith often stands alone against popular opinion, drawing parallels to biblical figures like Noah, Lot, Joshua, and Caleb who faced similar dilemmas. The message concludes by urging listeners to make a decisive choice for God, likening it to a great divide where one must commit to the narrow way of life rather than the broad path of destruction.
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him. But if bail, then follow him. And the people answered him, not a word. Then said Elijah, unto the people, I, even I, only remain a prophet of the Lord. A failed prophets are four hundred and fifty men. Let them therefore give us two bullets. Let them choose one bullet for themselves and cut it in pieces, lay it on foot and put no fire under it. And I will guess the other bullet and lay it on foot and put no fire under. And call ye on the name of your God.
And I will call on the name of the Lord and the God that answers by fire, let him be God. And all the people answered and said, It is well spoken, for that's fair enough. to not read the remainder of the chapter. We've taken up this series of studies on the lives of the prophets. This morning is the ninth message, and it's the only third chapter tonight, the concluding message. All of you have been coming to these services, realize the background of this scene on Mount Carmel. All that we've been taking up is in preparation for this confrontation, this showdown on Mount Carmel between the God of Baal and the living and the true God.
It was Elijah who gave instructions to King Ahab, and of course Ahab was wanting to kill Elijah, but he just couldn't, because God was with Elijah. And Elijah told Ahab to gather all the people of Israel to the Mount Carthage. and also instructed him to have present the four hundred and fifty prophets of faith. And he says we'll have a showdown and see who God is the true God. This Mount Carmel is a wonderful mountain. If you look up a Bible dictionary, you read something about it. It's about twelve miles long.
And it goes on Dale of Estelon toward the Mediterranean. about sixteen hundred feet above sea level. And it was on this mount, and it's a beautiful sight. If you get up, get a book, and look at the picture, you can see how it would be an ideal setting for such a showdown as we have. And all the people of Israel gathered there. Now there must have been a tremendous crowd. I don't know what they did for public address this in an old day. Why, today we've got to have a public affair system in a building almost regardless of its size, for in that day there must have been at least about a billion people gathered out before Elijah.
Now, how did he reach them? We don't know whether God gave them a voice like a bell or a voice like thunder. We just don't know. But they heard because they responded. when he told them what he was going to do. When you start to think of this tremendous crowd and how Ahab was there, they made way for the king to come in with his chariots and his guards and all his retinue, and here are four hundred and fifty priests of Baal dressed in their gorgeous robes and the symbol of the sun god on their forehead, and they come in and take their place.
Then I see a lonely figure standing there, Elijah. That sinewy character with glowing hair, with flashing eyes, and compressed lips, as we watch with the time, four hundred and fifty dollars of day. And they watch him as a tiger watches a prey. In other words, they've got you, got you. You have been responsible for this drought for three and a half years without rain. and you dare challenge us? You're four hundred and fifty and you're alone challenged. Well, this is the showdown that Elijah was waiting for.
One man against the nation. And this is exactly what Elijah wanted. A public showdown as to realism or the worship of the true God Jehovah. You'll notice that our three classes First of all, you have Elijah standing there with all his dignity. Here you have four hundred and fifty prophets of Baal in their defiance and conceit and content of the two blocks. They're not before them the nation of Israel. Here you have three classes.
You know this one against four hundred and fifty. In other words, the religion of Baal seems to be more popular than it was. Today, if you look out over the religious world, the religion of Baal, as we're going to represent it, as in that day, so in this day, it's a religion of men, a religion of doing the best you can, a religion with many idols and things that replace God and Christ. Let me say then, the religion of Baal is not. But the true message of God, Christianity, is not possible.
I want to say, if you're going to be governed in your decision or in this matter, by the vote the majority are going on and walking on, you're going to be lost. A lot of people today fall for majority. They fall for their kind, the bad way that lead us to destruction, instead of another way that lead us unreliable. And they might have thought this is something unequivocal. How could one man be right? And all he's learned and educated gentlemen with all their roads, how could they be lost?
Yes, that's the language today. How could it be possible that here and there you're going to find one man standing out crying as a voice in the wilderness? Why, for that one man there'll be a hundred or more others filling pockets with all and education? And could it be possible that he's right and there on? Well, friend, all I've got to say is, The gospel and those who preach it and seek to practice it are not popular. The popular thing today is the religion of man. For what man believes, what man does, thinking thereby he's going to get to the head.
Now the Bible makes this very plain. We have samples of it. When the Antaluvian day and God saw the wicked world and he told Noah to build an ark, How many were saved? Eight. And you need to say all those other people. First, that's what the Bible says. Wherein eight souls were saved, you read in Hebrews chapter one. There stood lonely Noah with seven members of his family, filming that auction for a hundred and twenty years of creature and righteousness.
telling the people they were sinners, they were ungodly, to transform this tongue upon the earth. The only way to escape that tongue and tell you was getting us off. Oh, Lord, we believe you're sincere. We believe you're a little extreme. We believe you're a little fanatic. But who was I? No, I'm the majority. I see Sodom and Gomorrah. God is going to destroy the cities of the plain. He sends word to Lot to get out of him, he and his family.
Because God is going to rain a tail upon Sodom and Gomorrah, fire out of heaven. And Lot tells his wife and his two daughters the others wouldn't listen, but he got to the street of Jordan. believed sorry. But old Lot's wife, she didn't want to do it. Her heart was backed in the city of her tenderness. Other things that she enjoyed were backed and fought. And even the angels had to take her hand to try and drag her out. She was told that anyone that looked back would become the pillar of thought. In spite of the angel's kite, And the warning she received, she left back one last look, and she became a pillar of self.
Three were saved, thousands kept, but that was the five of them. Christ had only five hundred real followers, we understand in the scriptures. We know he fed five thousand, he fed four thousand, but that was that thousand that came to be observed over the universe. But according to First Corinthians fifteen, five hundred seven, one time following the Lord Jesus Christ. And the Word of God bears it out in Matthew chapter seven, straight as the gate the matter was the way that leadeth unto life. Untune there be the quietest, quietest the gate, and now wide as the way that leadeth unto death.
Many there be this window. Many of the wars draw bold leading and going to destruction, few on the narrow way, leading unto another. Christ said, fear not little flock. He didn't say, fear not, vast child. Fear not, little flock, that your fathers would pleasure to give you the kingdom. Four hundred and fifty prophets would say, and one lone man. my esteem in an equal situation, people say, oh, I'd like to be along with that child. Naturally, when I've warned you, you'll turn up your head.
That's the wide way, the broad way that leaders do with strength. You follow the public opinion, and you'll be well. Think of the spy container. Here, Joshua sent twelve men in the spire of the land, the land of David. And as they were in, they looked over the land, and then they came back to report to Joshua. And the old ten of them said, Joshua, the land is all that God said it would be. There is a wonderful land growing with milk and honey. But you know, Joshua, the walls of those cities, why they're walled up their heads, And then we saw a chance.
We were the grasshoppers in their sight. Joshua told them, it will mean disaster. There will be a tragedy of his work. We can't do it. Two men stood out against the pen, Joshua and Caleb. There was no regard as what he said there was. And two men stood out against us, no reason. And they said, Yes, you're familiar. It's true what these brethren say. It's a wonderful man. All that they say is true. There's fruits of vegetables in the pundits in every hand, and there are those sticky walls of heaven for the fence.
And it's true the men with giants. It's true that the grasshoppers in their house. But, says Joshua again, we can break. We can take it. For God is with, and is what God we have left with. Now the nation of Israel on that occasion believed who, the ten or the three, may believe the ten, and the half of the ten stands in the wilderness. And not until thirty-eight years later did they get back to the place that often overlooked the land of Israel. Thirty-eight years after this, and the majority of those who took sides with a chin were bodies perished in the wilderness.
Their children went in to the abominable land, and then thirty-eight years after that was killed. Showing how tainted it is with the collar, the injury of the collar, the mature, following the fact. After the light on it was taken, he made his speech. He said, how long? ought you the free to him. As he looked out upon those people, how long he said when you were going to halt the free to him? If the Lord be called for him, it bailed for him. The chips are down. And the limit is what happens.
The people answered no way. Their mouth was shut. Their mouth was shut. I don't mean to say it in a sarcastic way, but then God's got to shut your mouth before your leg gets hit. People are going to toss you away in the air. They will stop and be silent long enough to let God speak. I know when I was home, by the time I told my dad, we'll shut your mouth. I'd have said it won't. That's right. But I'm not saying it in that way. I'm saying this lovingly.
You'll never be saved until you get your mouse. The law was given according to Romans five and seventeen and ninety. The law was given that every mouse may be struck and all the prayer will become simply before God. The law was given that every mouse may be struck and all the world has been given. Man at the bar, he may think he's right. He may think he has that witness, evidence. But all the time he's talking and arguing and trying to defend himself, he's getting over.
But in his heart he's living. And only when he says to you, God, Your Honor, I'm sick. I have nothing to say about what I'm doing. I'm complaining. I'm sick. If the judge addressed that sentence, whether the fitterman, it'll be a more lenient sentence. But there can be no sentence passed till a man has been frozen guilty, saying to his guilty before fog to snow, unless he's been torn again, driven by the holy spirit of God. This is the picture. The old Job said, Behold, I inquire, after thirty-eight chapters, where he's been arguing with his friends, three of them, and then a fork comes along.
Then he argues with God for a while. Finally, he says, who is this? With God and his counsel, there is without knowledge. God begins to speak to the truth. And God betrays before Job, God's mighty power. God, this woman's creation. And by the time God gets through, should behold one pile, a home on the hand of O my mother, and the king will be shut down. The soul finally found the only thing he could do in the presence of God is shut up, and let the rest be.
And let the wisest thing you can be done to say before God, I'm not a fool's sinner. I was talking to one man once I'm seventy-five years of age, And he kept talking. I said, listen to him. He said, I'm not guilty. No, he said, I don't think I'm good. I don't think I'm going to have it. I said, if God says you're guilty, I'm going to have it. And you believe that. Oh, yeah, he said, if God says it, I believe it. Well, I feel it. All right, that's what I say. And the time I got through reading that pattern in Romans three, ending the first one, two, that God gave the entitlement again that he would get the human race.
Ending with that verse might mean the law was given that every mouth might be stopped and all the world becomes guilty before God. I said, are you guilty? He says, I ask. And I said, the Bible says the wicked shall be turned into hell and all nations that will get stopped. Are you going to hell? He's reporting to the Bible, I am the life of whom you're going to be. God's word to yourself. Well, he said, I'll have to make God's word. And you know that well, he got saved. He was willing to take God's word instead of his own idea. That would be where it goes.
God saith the Lord. God saith the Lord has found thousands of times in your life. You know, sometimes hesitating, pausing if necessary, if there was similarity between the things that we chose. If I had some gems up here worth in the neighborhood of a hundred thousand dollars a piece, I opened and was liberal enough to say, then I'll give you either one of those. I'm not happy with you. I could understand you picking up this gem and looking it over, putting it back, picking up this one, examining it, putting it down, and open your chair and take your time over a half an hour before you made the decision.
I could only do that. But if I took away that wrong gent and put aside for the chunk that shows a much in its place, I said, you could have me afraid of it. If you hesitated one minute, you need to go to a minute. There's no compound. No need for tentative, haunted. Why, you can see this notion. friend how dare you what an insult to high heaven if you put this world on the same level as the son of God if you put hell on the same plane as God's Lord man's righteousness and pity rag on the same black form of the righteousness of God and Jesus Christ your works with the one work that you have and you have you fought not going with I wonder if God gives you more than one chance to choose.
What an answer. Here stands a son of God in all his dignity, and how here stands a cruel world, writhering up all its sin and shame and debauchery going to endless pain. You say, Lord, it's the truth. All this Now Elijah says, how long have you agreed with him? Do you want the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob? Or do you want the God of Baal, the God of the rich viewer? How long have you held him for the king to agree?
The watershed of the North American continent is way up to the northern Canada. There's a little river up out of a spring, wonderfully, water. And it flows south with quite a distance, and then it's joined by other streams, and then it ripples. And then it comes to the edge of a peasant, and it falls over that peasant, because it flows south. And right beneath that water falls, there's a cone-shaped rock. And if the water falls on the east side, it goes down and joins a larger river, and then a larger net goes out into the stormy of life. with a star falls on the western side of the clouds, one to another, and eventually the craze and out into the calmness of it.
And over that point, there's a rustic arc with cave, and it says this, there's willet, there's willet, there's great willet, that water can no longer go south but not go east or west. Some people are traveling along halting, halting, halting, Not knowing just what it is. Friend, this morning's meeting may be the big divide for you. Where you'll help no longer, you'll make a choice. One way or another. The great divide. My house fallen, that is.
Lost wife. When she came to that place, and she lived there. And became the fullness of hope. Although that spot you could have these words written, it would greatly matter. And you can think also of others who made a similar decision. Here's Orpha and Ruth. Orpha, you stand there. The Ruth decided on little my little mother-in-law. And the mother-in-law said to you girls with that. I've lost my husband, you've lost yours. you have to do.
But Ruth said in truth, may not believe in you. Don't talk to me. For where thou dwellest, I will dwell. Where thou lovest, I will love. Thy people will be my people. Thy God shall be my God. Where thou dieest, will I die, and there shall I be buried. Ah, she made the right choice. But the other sister She kissed her mother-in-law, and she went up with her butt, and over that squat was raised with her arm. One made the right choice, and he was in heaven today, and found herself in the very line that led to Christ.
The Lord, she went to her tail there, was raised her arm. The Lord Jesus stood before her power. There's Barnabas. Pilate says, the vivid of the chain will either be something new, Jesus or Barnabas. Pilate won't need to tell me that you don't know the difference between these two things. You're more knowledgeable than that. What are you going to do? Under pressure from the peace and the pride, He delivered Jesus to the crucifixion. Look at us today, deliverance, roll up over your throne of judgment.
It would take me by the grace of God. You made the Lord your sister who wanted. The same thing could be said of Pilate. When Paul whispered to me, and he says, when I have a convenient season, I thought he never had, but he did not see me for that. Felix, you make the wise you made your decision, and the thing to remember in eternity to come will cause you back to that great desire, but also the shame of your parents. Almost he says to fall out of the strait of you to be afraid of.
Jesus made the one. I believe in this little chapel in the last nineteen years. There have been seats in this auditorium. There are old words that have been written over the great divide. Some sinner may be his or her son. Maybe it's the seat you're sitting in. Someone made the wrong son. Maybe in that seat someone made the right son. What are you doing? You've come to the edge of the question. You've got to know this. Sometimes a strong wind will decide on which side the waterfall.
On it's when a sinner comes to the point, I've got to do something. See then now or never. Oh, a wind from hell. The God of this age will unleash all he can to try and improve you for all. bear the sweet influences of the gospel of the grace of God, the wooing of the spirit, the bleeding of the Son of God, and we this morning doing our best to try and influence you to make the right. How long has it been that you knew it?
When Elijah said that, the Lord did not then called it him, They went calling. The people answered not a word. Then he told them what they were going to do. You clap it so pale, you get an ox. I'll get an ox. You build your altar, I'll build mine. You put your ox on your altar, and I'll put my ox on my altar. And the God that answered by fire, let him be called. And the people said, It is twelve cents. That's a good ark. That's twelve. Elijah said to the prophets of Baal, you're the majority of you go first.
And so they built their altar. They put the wood on it. And they put the ox on it. Then they began their chanting. Then they began their praise. Oh, Baal, hear them. Baal, hear them. Baal, hear them. Baal, they've only heard them. Look at this vast lot of you. You'll all be pondering. You'll be holding our veil. We'll all bring them to this. Bring the fire down. This was a challenge for veil who was the Son of God. Supposed to have the elements of God in his hand. A veil.
A veil. A veil. A light that stood there that invites us in didn't move. I said to Paul, maybe you're God-sleeping. Maybe he's on a journey. Maybe he's having a meal. Oh, what sarcastic and smart, Matthew, as these prophets are pale in the rivers, as they're sort of ashes of tears in the river. Keep on, keep on. Three hours have passed, enough to have taken their losses, and Paul upon their daughter. After further... coving for our language. They took out their knives and their lances and they ran and cut their way down.
You saw a little of that clergy night, and Mrs. Rodenton told us about the fee when they were, how these gods, these people who worshiped these gods, these witch doctors, these leaders and spirit of them, and all these fars going in their body, these things hanging down as spikes giving in it. Lord, these things giving in their body, and these spikes won't make things open it. and to their child. They're doing it, they're their cross. And these four hundred fifty crosses there. There they are, their garments and their dress, their body stained with blood, their own blood, to nap with it. Oh, we're on, it's time to see we're on.
Finally exhausted they gave up, they said, all I remember. You know. Elijah took fell, stoned, where there had been a previous altar of the Lord. And the twelve stones, twelve times of this rule, he didn't recognize a split between a ten and a two. He put the twelve stones together, he put the wood on, and he put the rocks on the roof, and he dug a trench around the altar. He'd tilled the trench of water. Where did they get the water from after three and a half years out? I noticed him looking up to the private dictionary, there was a perennial well. not far from the spot.
They've got twelve barrels of water. First four barrels, pour it on. Pour it on. Pour them on. Pour them on. Pour them on. Why? It will be absolutely impossible to ignite that fire with all that water. In other words, why just telling these people, this is no fraud. I haven't hidden a torch or something down in there that sets fire. Absolutely impossible. He is a strange fool who walks with an ox in the grove with his foal and tilts the water. Absolutely impossible for anyone for a light that is not a blade.
It is enlightened. It is enlightened. It is by Godly taboo. O God, answer this guy. This is the challenge to have been propped down the century for and through this time. Muhammad, Confucius, Buddha, did they ever call fire from heaven? No. But when the righteous said that, then the fire fell and licked up the offerings, the work of Christ, licked up and consumed the wood of sin. Also the souls are held in the basement of Israel, and the dust, death, and all the water, judgment.
It was a complete job. And the fire fell. But it was always to be brought to the perfect, perfect place of death, when the fire of God consumed itself. And when the people saw it, They helped them along, they said, The Lord, Behold us, Behold us, O God, O God, and mercy on us, that they fell on their face. They think we should mean such as God or such a living God, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Chip, and turned to an idol of Solomon, the idol of Cain, and they repented that they fell on their faces and had mercy on us.
And God did. then for Elijah take the prophet of the day of four hundred and fifty verses in and down to the church and it says he who then shall stay well before the soul of the night yes that was the end of the prophets of faith that's not done today we live in the day of grace and the Old Testament says who the false prophecy saying that sometimes we get so aggravated that the false preachers today would almost seem to be the same thing that we don't do.
The golden lover and all the way before the shepherds and the false behavior, the false speech and teaching and teaching. That is God vindicating this thing. Not only can the Lord But you are there God that I am thy servant, and I've done as you've told me. And when God can soon accept, the people made their choice, the Lord will be upon all his life. What are you going to do this morning? You're hoping that he will attain you.
You've got a choice. what she's going to do. Christ for the living. Is it going to be Christ for the pleasure of his will? Is it going to be Christ for your compassion? Christ for your own love with pleasure. Christ for the world and its presence. Careful on your face. Look. God is looking on. He sees you. and you've been off into a long time, you've been crossed to the edge time and time again that we miss learning. It could be the last one.
What is your deceit? Is it just? Or is it no? I will, but I won't. How long? Well, gee, change is it. One tries to bring people to a decision. by telling them of the wrath of God, telling them of judgment of time, telling them of heaven and all its glory, reminding them of mother's prayers and father's prayers, or maybe the death of a loved one still they go on. Then what about the sufferings of God? When they stand up as men, the Lord Jesus hangs on that cross in agony and blood, The body beaten, battered, bruised, broken, torn, when it took you away from suffering in your stead.
Can you look with dry eyes at the Son of God from turning down? God said, Oh, Lord, how long are you going to let that be of your kingdom of God? Worship! If this is the salvation of the true God accepted, then it's not. Go your way. Yours will be the end of the prophets of day, death and death. So is the truth. This day I set before you the way of life, the way of death, choose life. Thou in my house, nail it.
Oh, that someone in this meeting, realize that over that seat is that rust about it. A great divine. I came in a sinner, am I going out a child of God? Am I going out just a little high? How long for Jesus to have dreamed with him to save Christ from me? Certainly. Our Father in heaven, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, we come into thy presence, we ask thy blessing and thy good. To trust the precious souls who are present, to weigh the issues at stake, and make the decision before God, the right decision, the why decision, the wonderful decision, Christ, who will prevent anyone from making the sad, sad, sad decision.
And say, Lord, we pray that thy spirit will be ruled over souls in this meeting. in some of the decisions of Christ. We ask that our save is needed.