God Rules the Heart of Every Man: Elijah’s Battle with the Prophets of Baal – John Piper

let's pray together father what a tremendous privilege to sing with these brothers such glorious reality so thank you and I ask now for your help in penetrating into what you mean for us to understand and to become through this portion of your word guard me from sin and error and Pride and self-consciousness and free us all to stand before you and hear your voice come do your heart turning work in these few minutes I pray in Jesus name Amen so a nice read a story in the Old Testament I want to read it on its own terms and not take my ideas from other parts of the Bible and force those ideas on to the story no matter how true they are and since I believe the whole Bible is the Word of God I find it thrilling to see a main point in an Old Testament story see how the New Testament lays hold on that point and then brings it all the way over into 21st century London and so that's what I've enjoyed doing in my preparation for this seeing that point and this so I want you to see I want to see the the point of this story that was just read to you how the New Testament picks it up and then how it makes a difference in your life here in London so let's walk through the text together and see if we can discern together the main point and I don't mean to imply that a story in the Bible only has one point I think every story has a main point that everything else is serving but I don't think that's the only thing you can learn from a story because that's not the way the Bible handles the Bible however in this message that is my goal I want to know if I were talking to Elijah or the author of this book in particular I would want to know why did you tell that story what were you after what did you want to happen when we read it so that's what I'm after here's the setting and you you know most of this probably it's been about a hundred years since David ruled over a United Kingdom Kingdom of the has divided into a North and South a hab is the king and he has forsaken Yahweh he is serving the idol of bale and his wife Jezebel the infamous has driven all the true prophets into their caves and Elijah is the dominant spokesman in that day for God and he has prayed and it's been without rain for almost three years in Chapter 17 s does not print it in your your book but I'll just set it up yep 17 verse 1 as the Lord the God of Israel lives before whom I stand there shall be neither do nor rain these years except by my word so that's Elijah saying not gonna rain here until I tell it to rain chapter 18 verse 1 after many days the word of the Lord came to Elijah in the third year been that long saying go show yourself to Ahab and I will send rain on the earth so it's gonna happen rain is going to come God says so but don't make the mistake of thinking as so many do so many times if something is certain then it doesn't matter what happens in between it's going to happen if God ordains the end it's gonna rain he ordains the means that may be necessary for it to rain and there are amazing intervening events here that must happen as a means to the reigning coming so that's a principle I'd love you to hold on to throughout your life if God says something will definitely happen don't assume there aren't necessary human means to it happening which God ordains to happen so it is going to rain but what a showdown there is going to be on the way to the rain so the actual confrontation begins where the reading that you just listened to began verse 16 first Kings 18 I'm working out of the ESV sorry I didn't know the NIV would be printed so you make the adjustments they're closed first Kings 18 16 middle of the verse a hab went to meet Elisha so the King was worshiping the false God goes to meet the prophet of the true God when Ahab saw Elisha a half said to him is it you you troubler of Israel and he answered I have not troubled Israel but you have and your father's house because you have abandoned the commandments of the Lord and followed the bails you think this famine is trouble they had you're gonna see trouble real soon and I'm not the problem you're the problem I'm just a voice you're gonna meet God God's gonna be your problem because you have chosen another God and you're about to see trouble verse 19 your logic continues now therefore sin and gather all Israel to me at Mount Carmel all Israel this is going to be a major spectacle Elijah is setting this up for something absolutely stunning nation-wide he goes on and the 450 prophets of Vail and the four hundred prophets of Asherah who eat at Jezebel's table so she's got her own special Idol and her own special prophets and I want all of them here to see what's about to happen verse 20 so Ahab sent to all the people of Israel and gathered the prophets together at Mount Carmel and Elijah came near to all the people and said how long will you go limping between two different opinions that's a very loose translation I'm gonna even check what you've got there in the in the NIV if the Lord is God follow him but if fail then follow him and the people did not answer him a word now it may be that the point here is stop being indecisive that that might be the point what a tragic waste I mean I'm looking at you man although it's so dark I can't see your faces up there and if anybody wanted to turn the house lights up just a bit that'd be nice but I'm not gonna complain I'm in London you do what the London people do I like to see my I'm looking at you man and I'm thinking we're waste what an absolute waste if you stand between two things and can't make up your mind and I know there's church and there's God there Jesus and that's what I was talking to the kid and but I've got all this that feels so different and you don't have any resolve to go either way that's a waste what a tragic waste to be a fence-sitter all your life to be wavering all your life that might be the point here however I have a question why is the word limping used hobble limp and hablas not a real common word in the Old Testament how long the verse 21 second half of the verse how long will you go limping or hobbling like your name like your lane why does he why does he bring up this image of lameness when you are worshiping a false god Oh Bale answer us but there was no voice and no one answered I'm reading verse 26 because here's the other place the only other place in the story where the word limping is used which just strikes me as not coincidental so I'm at verse 26 Oh Bale answer us but there was no voice and no one answered and they limped same word as back in verse 21 they limped and hobbled around the altar that they had made I'm going to suggest another point maybe they're not mutually exclusive that when he is crying out how do you go limping between gods why do you go limping toward Bale is that if you walk away from the true and living God and you start to embrace a false God any false god Bale in particular for you if you start moving that way you will limp all your life you will be a lame man the world may call it a dance they may say you are strong God says you're limping you are hobbling I think that's the picture that this author wants to create verse 22 then Elijah said to the people I even I only am left a prophet of the Lord but bales profits are 450 now these are not good odds 1 2 450 and that's the way God likes it and it's about to get worse in just a few minutes verse 23 so keep in mind God likes it this way let two bulls verse 23 let two bulls be given us and let them the prophets of bale choose one ball for themselves and cut it in pieces and lay it on the wood and put no fire to it and I will prepare the other bull and lay it on the wood and put no fire to it and you call upon the name of your God I'll call upon the name of Yahweh the Lord anytime you see El Ord all caps that's the personal name of the true God Yahweh I will call upon the Lord and the God who answers by fire He is God and all the people answered it is well spoken then Elijah said to the prophets of BHEL choose for yourselves one bull and prepare it first for you are many like your 450 I'm one I get to go last verse 25 middle of the verse and call upon the name of your God but put no fire to it and they took the bull that was given them and they prepared it called upon the name of bale from morning till noon saying obey I'll answer us but there was no voice no one answered and they limped around the altar they had made verse 27 and at noon Elijah mocked them he mocked them saying cry aloud for he is a god either he's musing or he's relieving himself or he's on a journey or perhaps he is asleep and must be wakened and they cried aloud and caught themselves after was their costume they did this all the time they caught themselves with swords and Lance's until the blood gushed out upon them now biblically and experientially and maybe you've had the same experience biblically I would say and experientially mockery is of limited value in the ministry there's some some tweeters and bloggers and Facebook users that are specialists and and I just I just want to say it's a limited value but in saying it's a very I named me very limited a pastor who specializes in mockery is probably not going to edify his people very much he might be viewed as clever and and get a lot of followers but not gonna build up his people probably not many people going to be saved however having having said that pastor Lee there's a little place for mockery and and when you use it use it well Jesus clearly used it and Elijah here uses it and it can be very powerful so I'm just saying that there are moments in your dialogue when you see somebody so self-destructive dragging people down with them acting like an absolute idiot ready to jump off a cliff cut themselves all over the place prepare their false God it might be that the Holy Spirit would say you need to say something really pointed here verse 29 as mid they passed they raved on until the time of the offering of the oblation that probably in the evening so this is going on all day now but there was no voice no one answered no one paid attention so you got no voice no answer no attention blood gushing out everywhere total silence the four hundred and fifty have had their turn and what's the upshot nothing nothing that's the payback it's going to get worse for these prophets really worse verse thirty Elijah said to all the people come near to me and all the people came near to him and he repaired the altar of the Lord that had been thrown down that's interesting he's not building his fresh thing he's real rebuilding something Elijah took twelve stones according to the number of the tribes of the sons of Jacob to whom the word of the Lord came saying Israel shall be your name and with the stones he built an altar in the name of the Lord now ponder this for a minute twelve stones representing the twelve tribes who had been named Israel the name given to Jacob when he had prevailed in wrestling with the angel in prayer that's it keep that in mind cuz what's gonna happen to these stones is surprising verse 32 middle of the verse and he made a trench about the altar as great as would contain to see as of seed and he put the wood in order cut the bull in pieces laid it on the wood and he said fill four jars of water and pour it on the burnt offering on the wood and he said do it a second time and they did it a second time and he said do it a third time and they did it a third time and the water ran down around the altar and filled the trench with water so not only do you have ads 450 to 1 now you have dry wood versus oak wood and you have dry bull versus soaked bull and you have a trench of water versus no trench of water in other words God is heightening his disadvantage that's why I said earlier he loves this he loves being at a disadvantage so if you're sitting here thinking I'm in a disadvantage I see well what's that got to do with anything as far as success goes as far as power goes as far as God goes god specializes in being at a disadvantage and you know this you know it from the Bible think of the story of Joseph right in prison just before he becomes vice president of Egypt or Gideon 300 just before he defeats the Midianite horde so many they couldn't even count them 300 people take care of them Daniel in the lion's den before his enemies are in the lion's den Jesus on the cross no hope that's over so this is God's way this is God's way of doing his work God loves to be at a disadvantage verse 36 and at the time of the offering of the oblation Elijah the prophet came near and said O Lord God of Abraham Isaac and Israel let it be known this day that you are God in Israel and that I am your servant and that I have done all these things at your word answer me O Lord answer me that this people may know that you O Lord our God and that you have turned their hearts back or you are turning their hearts you are the heart Turner now that sentence verse 37 is the most explicit statement of purpose in the story so all my tentacles of attention are up because I want the main point of the story right only this random observation there loads of random observations that are wonderful in this story but here you have the Prophet himself asking God to do a particular thing and we'll be back to it in just a minute because I do think verse 37 is the main point of the story there's 38 then the fire of the Lord fell and consumed the burnt offering and the wood and the stones they're gone and licked up the dust in the water that was in the trench everything bull wood water stones gone and you have left God that's an impressive fire it's over there he got bail and his altar is standing bull was still there the wood is still there limping bleeding profits are standing all over the place it's all there religion can go on just fine let it go religion just fine religion does its work just fine without God it's all over the world plenty of it in London plenty of religion without God playing religion without power plenty plenty of religion without power just goes right on God shows up he's the main thing so don't toy with him man they limp around maybe I'll get religious someday or you know maybe I'll get serious about my religion someday that's very risky this God is not to be toyed with verse 39 when all the people saw it they fell on their faces and said the Lord he is God the Lord he is God well yes he is he's the same yesterday today and forever now the reason I say that and used that sentence from Hebrews he's the same yesterday today and forever is that he is the same the god of this moment in this story is the god who's reigning over this room right now he's the God who inspired the New Testament he's the God who sent Jesus into the world he's the God who planted and grows his church all over the world it there is one God he is always the same however his ways in the world have not remained the same what we are about to see is something that you would never do though it's right that he'd be done then he's gonna slaughter 450 prophets kill them dead God is just God is deadly serious about sin suffering will always come from unrepentant sin and in the end it will be eternal suffering that's never changed that's always been true it's true today just sin is serious punishment is coming that remains the same but here's the difference the people of God today are not a theocratic state we're no longer defined the Christian Church the the people of God that Jesus is gathering from all the peoples of the world all the nations all the people groups the people that Christ is gathering are not a single ethnic political regime like they were in this day and Paul says this is the Apostle now this is 1st Corinthians 5:12 what have I to do with judging outsiders is it not those inside the church whom you are to judge what does he mean by that he means in the context if there emerges sin and idolatry in the church to deal with it how do you deal with it kill him no it has shifted in the New Testament with the coming of Jesus the dealing with idolatry in the people of God has shifted from execution to excommunication just read that plain as day in 1st Corinthians 5 and 6 how do you deal with sins that should have been executed and will be executed vengeance is mine I will repay says the Lord if your enemy is hungry give him something to eat if he's thirsty give him drink overcome evil with good this is new so when God said you Elijah take him out that was right God has the right to take them out he has the right to appoint the executioner and he had the right to do it in that day and he has made it crystal clear in the coming of Jesus and the gathering of a new people from all the peoples not in a politically monolithic regime that's no way we do it anymore we do not advance Christianity by killing people we advance Christianity by dying for people it's a massive shift in the way redemptive history works in the way God's justice works itself out in history so first corinthians 5:13 god judges those outside remove the evil person from you that's the limit of our power in the church we put them outside the churches if you want to worship another god you don't eat the Lord's Supper here and you don't call yourself a member of this communion because we worship Jesus here and God will deal with you out there and if we would lay down our lives to bring you back in here but here we don't worship false gods and we don't live like we do or Romans 12 beloved never avenge yourselves leave it to the wrath of God but now here in Israel under this regime revealing these timeless realities of God's justice the seriousness of sin the punishments that coming take them out verse 40 and I just said to them seize the prophets avail let not one of them escape and they seized them and Elijah brought them down to the brook Shawn and slaughtered them there and Elijah said to Ahab go up eat and drink for there is the sound of rushing rain so ahab went up to even drink so god had promised in verse 1 i will sand rain on the earth and now almost everything is in place for the rain god has showed up bail has been exposed as a false god the people of God have symbolically been crucified bata nothing in comparison to God with the stones being incinerated and it only remains one more thing to happen namely this rain in God's mind must be the answer to prayer I don't know this has come to my mind where now when I read Matthew 9 35 to 38 where Jesus says the harvest is plentiful the laborers are few pray the lord of the harvest to send out laborers as always looks deadly are you kidding me I am a I am a hired hand I'm a I'm a slave on the farm I and and you own the farm you understand farming you know the harvest you know what it takes to gather a harvest why are you telling me to tell you to send laborers isn't that that crazy that wonderful a prayer is weird prayer is awesome God has a purpose to gather his people and he says asked me to send laborers to gather my people ask me ask me and here he knows he's going to send rain rain is coming he's promised it now you go up there and get down on your knees and if it takes seven times I'm not doing until you asked me and show that you are persevering in prayer that's amazing be men of Prayer men of Prayer verse 42 Elijah went up to the top of the Mount Carmel and he bowed himself down to the earth and put his face between his knees and he said to his servant go up now and look toward the sea and he went up and looked and said there's nothing you ever done that and he said go again seven times and at the seventh time he said Behold a little cloud like a man's hand is rising from the sea and he said go up say they had prepare your chariot and go down unless the rain stop you and in a little while the heavens grew black with clouds and wind and there was a great rain and they have rowed and went to Israel and the hand of the Lord was on Elijah and he gathered up his garment and he he didn't limp you don't limp when you follow Jesus I don't care if you're in a wheelchair you don't limp when you follow Jesus you run before Ahab to the entrance of Jezreel he ran before the rain he didn't limp he didn't hobble he ran now that's the story let's step back and ask so what's the main point and like I said I don't I don't mean to imply that all the other observations we've made are not valuable and there are many others but what's the main point the one that everything else is supporting and leading toward and I as we were going that I think it's in verse 37 because Elijah himself says this is what I want the people to know right like the music not all stories are this clear but the Prophet himself opens his mouth and gathers the whole thing together and says God make them know this make them know this about all this so what is that verse 37 answer me O Lord answer me that this people may know know what two things number one that you O Lord are God you are God you're not an idea you're not a memory you're not a tradition you're not a religion you're not a projection of our imagination you're not a force you're not an archetype you're not a symbol you are God the living active fire sending sin hating idolatry destroying prayer hearing personal God that's number one know make them know let them know you are God that's really the basic need of all of us number two verse 37 make these people know that you have turned their hearts back or the NIV you are turning their hearts cause your people to know this so this is where I'm landing here cause these men to know this I think that's God's will for you from this text should be my prayer for you I pray that these men from this story would discern that you the sovereign God are the one who turns human hearts to God so their hearts had betrayed God spurned God belittled God devalued God loved other things more than God and this entire event on Mount Carmel is aiming to make God's people know if anybody turns to God God turned them to God that's the point of the story so when the people cry from the heart verse 39 the Lord he is God the Lord he is God God did that God did that it's true the Lord rules fire it's true the Lord rules the flesh of the bull the the wood on the altar the rocks he rules them he rules the rain he makes it rain when he wants it's a rain but this text is mainly about God rules the heart he turns hearts the Lord rules the human heart answer me O Lord answer me that this people may know that you O Lord our God and that you have turned their hearts back no this Israel he doesn't either one just say it's a fact he wants them to know it he's praying that God would cause them to know it there must be of value for you this afternoon tomorrow 10 years from now there must be a value for you to know this that if anybody's heart turns to God God has turned the heart there must be a value a thrilling value for you to know this that Elijah would pray it as the capstone of the event let him know this I mean are there some people all over the world who would say pop fired falling from heaven consuming bulls and water and wood and stones that's impressive that's not what he didn't pray that they would know that he prayed that they would know if your heart at this moment is getting really serious about God God is doing that and that to me I mean as an American who grew up in the south where a kind of decision ism was so dominant and rampant this emphasis was in my childhood never heard when it came to a heart moving from unbelief to believe you do that you do that nobody stressed God do it do it in this room if you don't do it it won't be done that's what Elijah is pleading for now you would think that with at this amazing high point of his experience that Elijah had become super confident in God to do his sovereign will among men but you get over to chapter 19 verse 14 you read it later today and see what happens it goes like this I have been very jealous for the Lord the God of hosts for the people of Israel have forsaken your covenant thrown down your altars and killed your prophets with the sword and I even I only am left and they seek my life to take it away Elijah how can you feel that way how can you respond that way in view of what you've just experienced from God and in view of what you've just said about God to which God responds in first Kings 1918 the next verse yet I will leave literally I will cause to remain 7,000 in Israel all the knees that have not bowed to Bale and every mouth that has not kissed him no a large no I know who are mine I have them I turn them I keep them you're not the only one left and you shouldn't be despairing they're mine I turn I keep them now when I pause to yourself I think I'm I think I've got this that at the main point of the story is God turns the hearts of people what will the New Testament pick up on and of course Elijah is prominent in the New Testament but the main point of the story if I'm on the right track verse 37 he's picked up on in Romans 11 Paul looks around at his day perhaps Elijah like and what does he see Messiah has come and the people of Israel almost end mass have rejected and he relates that to Elijah's story so Romans 11:1 has God rejected his people he answers by no means and then he reaches back to the despairing words of Elijah Romans 11 3 I alone am left and then Paul puts God's sovereign words over against Elijah's despairing words quoting first Kings 19 18 in verse 4 of Romans 11 but what is God's reply to him I have kept for myself seven thousand men who have not bowed the knee to bail I have kept them this is Paul's emphasis he Paul is drawing on the main point of this story I have kept them I have kept my people I have not abandoned my people I'll never abandon my people I can't lose my people I turn hearts people are not sovereign I'm sovereign verse five of Romans 11 so two at the present times like in Elijah's day at the present time there is a remnant chosen by grace see I was thinking the main point of the story was God make them know that if anybody is coming to God if anybody has experienced repentance if anybody is experiencing a turn in their whole mind and and framework you are you are doing it this is what you do and he says this is true in every generation Jew and Gentile that's every buddy in London in every people there is a remnant chosen by grace God turns hearts to himself by grace God keeps hearts for himself by grace that's what it means for God to be God make them know two things that you are God and that you turn the heart you are God and you turn the heart that's what it means for God to be God caused them to know that you are God that you rule the hearts of men that you rule their hearts that you rule the family's hearts of these men in this room do you believe that God rules your heart God rules your children's heart I have five children two of them are not following Jesus I would give to see them with me in heaven it is no comfort to me to think God's helpless their sovereign and he's helpless that's not a comfort to me that may solve your problem it solves no problems for me my only hope is God you rule the heart I'll go down on my knees seven times I will do anything you rule the heart which means you can do it if you have to do it by my funeral do it do whatever it takes because that's what you do you are God so I'm thinking your families I'm thinking your spouse's something your girlfriends are thinking your buddies at the pub I'm thinking whoever you know that you've done everything in your power to show them the reality of Christ and they're not moving don't ascribe sovereignty to the human heart it's not a comfort answer me O Lord answer me that these men may know that these men may know that you are God and you have turned their hearts back so he the first thing he wants you to know is not just how your kids and your family and your colleagues are gonna fare but what you where did you come from I know where you're sitting Humphreys but you got on the train while we were coming here today and he sits down to the guy don't know from Adam wherever you are and you just can't talking and and clearly a lover of Jesus right please came from Mars here in the middle of London I am man the armed services and he's a lover of Jesus and you should ask that about yourself where did I come from how did I get to be this way how did I ever get over my disinclination to love Jesus and now find him attractive and worthy of my life how did that come about and our largest is pleading with God that you would know God did that because how are you gonna sing how you gonna be grateful how are you gonna be amazed at grace if you think you were the decisive sovereign in your life to close that deal you aren't God caused them to know that you are God that you rule the hearts of men the hearts of your families the hearts of your colleagues the political rulers I mean don't you love proverbs 21 1 the Kings heart is like a river in the hands of the Lord he turns it wherever he wills these huffing and puffing Trump types you think their sovereign they do what idiot what are they they're not sovereign their hearts are like a river in the hands of the law which means God might be pleased in answer to prayer to do a miracle for my president something like I'm sorry I made one mistake once in my life it is not a comforting thing to solve the problems of the world by ascribing sovereignty to human beings so as you look out across your nation the city and you make threat about secularization or Islamization Lord caused these brothers to know you rule the hearts of man all of them all the hearts in this city are in God's hands so don't be despairing like Elijah in chapter 19 be like the God entranced Elijah of chapter 8 don't say they have turned all your churches into shops and theatres and condos and I alone am left with my little flock my friends my spiritual resilience no double no you're not the only one and it wasn't your spiritual resilience that kept you from falling away I was talking with Richard kokin last night rose this morning at the breakfast table and I said I find one of the most revealing questions to ask people all over the world what makes you think you're going to be a Christian when you wake up in the morning what what why do you think you'll be a believer tomorrow morning and the answer to that question is so revealing and the point of this text is if you wake up a believer tomorrow morning God did that we say it he will hold me fast I love that song that's my new favorite aisle I got so many favorites he will hold me I'm the older I kept 72 I really believe he's done that for 72 years I have woken up a believer what 72 times 365 how many miracles can you experience and not be glad but if you don't believe that you begin to feel that way I'll just do that I'm just a Christian you know I I have a will and I'll use it tomorrow morning get on my knees and be a Christian help you won't so God has his people thousands of them in London thousands of them and he means to turn their hearts he is God he bought them with his blood the blood of his son and he will have them and he will turn their hearts back and he's going to use you to do it that's where we're gonna go in the next talk after Bunyan we're gonna we're gonna say what did it cause what does it cost you and God what does it cost for God to turn the hearts of traitors to himself without punishing them let's pray so father I pray now that you would cause these a couple thousand friends to know that you are God and that you have turned their hearts so that all glory all praise all things goes to you and then give them great confidence you can save anybody nobody is too hard

Channel: Desiring God

Views: 117,043

Rating: 4.898345 out of 5

Keywords: Desiring God, John Piper, God, Jesus Christ, Christianity, Christian Hedonism, Sermons by John Piper, The Sovereignty of God, Election, Predestination, Sovereignty, Bible, Scripture, LMC, London Men’s Convention, Does God know everything?, What is God’s sovereignty?, TULIP, Calvinism, Arminianism

Id: q_p7Xb_-gDM

Length: 53min 16sec (3196 seconds)

Published: Mon Jun 18 2018