Elijah and Ahab Meet

The point: Depend on it, Christians. You would not pass your days and nights so quietly as you do, were it not for his continual interposition against those who would molest you.

Martin quotes Krumacher, an old commentator on Elijah, to illustrate how God restrains evil and protects His people when they are on His errands, comparing it to stopping the mouths of lions.

already hinted on God's part, the marvelous restraining hand of God. Krumacher, one of the old commentators who's written on the life of Elijah, says, and I quote now, for this has been a great blessing to my own heart, thus the Lord our God can stop the mouths of lions and enable his people to tread on serpents and scorpions so that nothing shall by any means hurt them when they are upon his errands. For remember, this is the key of the whole thing. Elijah just wasn't out tempting the Lord and setting himself before Ahab as the devil tempted our Lord to cast himself down from the pinnacle of ...

8:15 - 9:08 Read in full sermon

The point: Depend on it, Christians. You would not pass your days and nights so quietly as you do, were it not for his continual interposition against those who would molest you.

Examples of Daniel, Peter, and Luther are used to demonstrate God's consistent protection of His servants against powerful enemies throughout history, reinforcing the idea of His ongoing succor and defense.

Ahab and Jezebel is the God who delivered Daniel and his three companions, who released Peter from prison, who in the case of Luther, the poor Augustinian monk of Wittenberg, put to shame the power of the Pope and other numerous and mighty persecutors. And this same God still lives in the great head of the church, Christ Jesus. And he is with his people always, even to the end of the world. He is their succor and their defense. Depend on it, Christians. You would not be able to do it without God. You would not be able to do it without God. You would not be able to do it without God. You would ...

9:08 - 10:32 Read in full sermon

Driving home: the judgments of God have no inherent sanctifying or saving power.

The 'madness' of the unregenerate heart is compared to a broken dam, illustrating how it bursts forth in impenitence, even in the face of divine judgment, rather than leading to repentance.

to bring down rain, nor his priests. And instead of seeing this judgment of God as a result of the as the finger of God leading him to bow in repentance we find this man hardened in his impenitence so that he shoots out these words to the prophet and transfers the guilt to the shoulders of the man of God as one offer has said the madness which possesses his heart speaking of the unregenerate man will burst forth like a broken dam unregenerate man is determined to have his own way at all costs this is one of the most startling revelations that comes to anyone who's been a Christian for any leng...

12:38 - 14:02 Read in full sermon

Driving home: the judgments of God have no inherent sanctifying or saving power.

The book of Revelation, particularly chapter 16, is cited as an example of men cursing God even when they know judgments come from Him, reinforcing that judgments alone do not sanctify.

to bring down rain, nor his priests. And instead of seeing this judgment of God as a result of the as the finger of God leading him to bow in repentance we find this man hardened in his impenitence so that he shoots out these words to the prophet and transfers the guilt to the shoulders of the man of God as one offer has said the madness which possesses his heart speaking of the unregenerate man will burst forth like a broken dam unregenerate man is determined to have his own way at all costs this is one of the most startling revelations that comes to anyone who's been a Christian for any leng...

12:38 - 14:02 Read in full sermon

Driving home: the human heart will ship the responsibility of its plight to anyone or anything but itself

The story of Adam blaming Eve and God in the Garden of Eden is used as the original example of the human heart's tendency to shift responsibility for sin.

causes are to nature but it says they shall test the God of heaven the judgments of God have no sanctifying power unless the grace of God interposes to take the judgments of God as an instrument of mercy they will be utterly ineffectual to subdue the heart of the rebel sin the second thing that we see by way of application in the words of a have is that the human heart will ship the responsibility of its plight to anyone or anything but itself that started way back in the garden god had told Adam don't eat of that tree and the day that thou eatest thou shall die god comes to him after he's eat...

14:02 - 14:55 Read in full sermon

Driving home: the human heart will ship the responsibility of its plight to anyone or anything but itself

Contemporary American society's response to economic troubles and social instability (blaming politicians, Vietnam) is used as an example of shifting responsibility rather than acknowledging divine judgment.

He will shift the responsibility. And this is the winding way of the human heart ever since. Look at our own nation. We're smarting beneath some of what we might call the previews of divine judgment.

15:07 - 15:20 Read in full sermon

The point: May God help us to see that we've been Ahab's in a great measure time after time because there's that tendency to shift the responsibility.

The professing evangelical church's tendency to blame 'end days,' 'modernists,' or 'neo-orthodox people' for its problems is used to illustrate how even believers can shift responsibility instead of owning their own failures.

the professing evangelical church is in a mess. We're a long way from what the church ought to be. Now, where are we going to put the blame? Oh, it's the end days.

17:04 - 17:15 Read in full sermon

The point: I want to address a word to you tonight who are strangers to the gospel the grace of God you are not born of the spirit you don't know what it is to be able to sing these hymns that we sang tonight from the heart Christ …

The subtle progression of sin is illustrated by a believer neglecting prayer for one day, then losing desire, then not missing it, eventually leading to repudiating the Lord in an hour of temptation, showing how small departures lead to greater ones.

or joining yourself to positive evil is declension and departure from a vital vibrant relationship with the living God you will never join yourself to Baal until in some measure you have forsaken Jehovah that is why you have forsaken Jehovah that is why you have forsaken Jehovah that is why the Lord Jesus spoke so forcefully about the terrible sin of departing from fervent love to himself in the second chapter of Revelation hear these people who have not joined themselves to false doctrine or false worship or false gods he said you are trying those that are apostles and say they are apostles a...

28:00 - 29:24 Read in full sermon

The point: Guard thy heart with all diligence and so the end of the day when the enemy proposes some area of sin only to the mind he doesn't come to us and say now actually go out and do this thing but just turn it over in your min…

The progression of sin from a mere thought to a deed is explained, noting that if the devil proposed the deed first, we would recoil, but he subtly leads us to entertain thoughts, which then give birth to actions.

but when it's proposed to us oh yes the word says men ought always to pray and not to faint but really you're too busy to pray today tomorrow will be alright but today and the Lord understands and then tomorrow when you have the time to pray what's happened because you've not frequented the throne of grace there's no desire to pray then by the third or fourth day you don't even miss it huh and then you wonder why three weeks later in an hour of temptation you actually in great measure repudiate the Lord and join yourself to some form of Baal worship when did it all start it all started back th...

29:24 - 30:53 Read in full sermon

The point: Guard thy heart with all diligence and so the end of the day when the enemy proposes some area of sin only to the mind he doesn't come to us and say now actually go out and do this thing but just turn it over in your min…

The historical example of Israel's gradual slide into Baal worship, starting with worshipping Jehovah at unauthorized places (Dan and Bethel), illustrates how small compromises with God's commands eventually lead to repudiating Him entirely.

to the deed if the first proposition of the flesh and of the devil were the deed itself we'd recoil in horror as we saw the progression of Israel if the first proposition had been back at the division of the kingdom that in setting us up for death that in setting us up for death that in setting up the calf to worship at two places that God had not appointed that sixty years later they would be worshipping Baal or that in sixty days later they'd be worshipping Baal those kings would have been amazed and said no never never we're worshipping Jehovah at Dan and at Bethel the devil's willing to wa...

30:53 - 32:22 Read in full sermon

The point: You will never be an Elijah in your witness to your neighbor in your dealing with your children in your teaching of that Sunday school class until your love of God's truth becomes more consuming than your love of your ow…

Martin quotes McShane: 'The man who loves you most is the man who tells you the most truth about yourself,' to emphasize that true love for souls requires being truthful, even if it's difficult.

And I cannot forget the words of McShane who said, The man who loves you most is the man who tells you the most truth about yourself. And when we're honest before the Lord, we must confess that we really love ourselves more than we love the souls of men or we'd be more truthful with them. Not, not tactless, not unkind, not treating people like stocks and stones or some kind of figure to go down on an evangelistic chart. I'm not talking of that kind of scalp-hunting evangelism.

36:12 - 36:44 Read in full sermon

The point: Am I willing to be considered an enemy in order to be a true friend?

The later interaction where Ahab calls Elijah his 'enemy' but then humbles himself after Elijah's truth-telling, is used to show that Elijah, by being willing to be considered an enemy, became Ahab's greatest friend.

Because he humbles himself, I'll withhold the pronouncement of evil in his days, but I'll bring it in the days of his son. You see, the man that he thought was his enemy eventually became his greatest friend. But Elijah was willing to be considered an enemy in order to be a true friend.

37:47 - 38:04 Read in full sermon

The point: Am I willing to be considered an enemy in order to be a true friend?

Paul's statement, 'Am I your enemy because I tell you the truth?' is referenced to reinforce the idea that a true servant of God prioritizes truth over being loved.

That's what Paul said. He said, Am I your enemy because I tell you the truth? He said, I don't care. I'm going to tell you the truth anyway.

38:12 - 38:21 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: Elijah's answer is characterized by painful honesty and powerful fearlessness, stemming from his consuming love for God's truth and his unwavering confidence in the living God…

The wicked man whose conscience troubles him is described as fleeing when no one pursues, seeing a shadow and jumping, illustrating the internal fear that contrasts with the righteous man's boldness.

Proverbs 28, 1. The wicked fleeth when no man pursueth, but the righteous is bold as a lion. What a wonderful text. The wicked man whose conscience troubles him, he sees a little shadow and jumps.

39:11 - 39:22 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: Elijah, with tremendous boldness, assumes authority and commands Ahab to gather all Israel and the prophets of Baal and Asherah to Mount Carmel, to which Ahab surprisingly…

The phrase 'eating crow' is used to describe Ahab's humiliation and the irony of his situation, having gone out to conquer Elijah but returning conquered and forced to obey him.

Can you imagine how he had to eat crow? He starts out of his palace that morning. People say, where are you going? I'm going to see Elijah.

41:59 - 42:07 Read in full sermon

Driving home: The heart of the king is in the hand of the Lord. He turneth it whithersoever he will.

The winding paths of rivers seen from an airplane are used as a simile to illustrate how God forms and directs the hearts of kings, just as He wills the paths of water courses.

He turneth it whithersoever he will. And then he uses a simile as the water courses. When you're flying, up at about 30,000 over areas where there are rivers, you get a tremendous picture of the winding of rivers. There's a river that runs across the great stretch there of the plains up in Canada.

44:04 - 44:24 Read in full sermon