May it please God to bless us
this morning as we meditate in his word. Let us turn to the
first book of the Kings, chapter 18, and we'll read verse 44. The first book of the Kings,
chapter 18, and reading verse 44. And it came to pass at the seventh
time that he said, behold, there ariseth a little cloud out of
the sea like a man's hand and he said go up say unto Ahab prepare
thy chariot and get thee down that the rain stop thee not this chapter which we read together
is of course a very wonderful account of God demonstrating
so very clearly that he was and that he is the Lord, the Lord
God. And how encouraging it is to
know that we today come before that same God. And you may say,
well, why? Because we know it's true. The
Lord has said, I am the Lord. I change not. The Lord does not
change. He is the same almighty God from
the very beginning. of creation, indeed, in eternity
past. He is the Almighty God. And it
is our wonderful privilege today to come together to worship this
great Almighty God, the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords. We live in a day when God is
treated as a little God, a small God, a God who can be ignored,
a God who can be disobeyed. But we come before the great
God who must not be disobeyed, who must be revealed, who must
be followed. And as we read in our song in
our opening hymn, the Lord is holy, holy, holy. And so today may we realize the
holiness of God and believe therefore that this great holy God is the
God before whom all of us stand all of us are here this morning
and to think and believe that God is here in our midst now
Elijah was called to live in a difficult time well I suppose
we might say all the time history of the earth has been a difficult
time but here he was when he had been the one who had said
there would be three years of drought, three years of famine,
and of course it had come to pass. And now the Lord had said
that he would bring rain upon the earth. It's hard to realize,
isn't it? A three year period with no rain. We get very concerned, don't
we? When there's a very short period without any rain. But
to think of three years without rain. And so here in this account
we see that Elijah called all the people together, all Israel,
to come and to worship at Mount Carmel. And also all the prophets
of Baal. They were all to come, they were
all to be there, and then it was to prove who was the true
God. Now Elijah thought he was the
only true believer left. He said, I, indeed I only. In actual fact, he was mistaken
because we know there were 7,000 who had not bowed the knee to
Baal. So we must not judge by appearance
like Elijah did. But he then instructed that they
might take two bullocks and that they might, the prophets of Baal,
would cut the bullock up and cut the bullock up and place
him on wood and then whoever answered by fire, that one should
be the true God. And as we read together, the
prophets of Baal, they endeavored to get their God to bring down
the fire. And of course, they could not,
because he was not a true God. He was just a mere God of wood
and stone. And Elijah mocked them and he
told them to cry aloud for he is a God. Either he is talking
or is he pursuing or he's in a journey or purgatory sleepers
and must be awake. But it was all to no avail. And then you see Elijah came
and he called the people to come near so they might see very clearly
what was going to occur. And he rebuilt the altar which
had been cast down. those 12 stones and then he laid
the wood and the offering and then he commanded them to soak
the offering and the altar and a trench around it with water
so that naturally speaking there was no possibility of it catching
fire other than by a wonderful work of God and then he prayed
and it's wonderful to know how he prayed Because he prayed and
said, O Lord, hear me, that this people may know that Thou art
the Lord God, that Thou hast turned their heart back again.
Then the fire of the Lord fell, and consumed the burnt sacrifice,
and the wood, and the stones, and the dust, and licked up the
water that was in the trench. So there was no doubt, was there?
Who was the true God? not a God Elijah's God the Lord
was the true God and the people acknowledged it and they came
and said the Lord he is the God the Lord he is the God so it
was very clear who was the true God and Elijah then said to Ahab
get thee up eat and drink for there is a sound of abundance
of rain and it's interesting to realize here that Elijah said
such a words to Ahab for there is a sound of abundance of rain
and yet there was no indication of any rain at all. And then
we read what Elijah did. He went up to eat and to drink,
Ahab went up to eat and drink and Elijah went up to the top
of Carmel and he cast himself down upon the earth and put his
face between his knees and said to his servant, go up now and
look toward the sea. And he went up and looked and
said, there is nothing. And he said, go again seven times. Now we can imagine Ahab had said
to Elijah, there is a sound of abundance of rain. It's going
to be a great rain. And now all that could be seen
was the blue sky. No sign of any rain. And Elijah's here on the top
of Carmel, obviously concerned about the outcome. And yet, as
we read previously, he'd been given that great faith to call
upon the Lord, believing the Lord would come and send fire
upon that sacrifice, that it might be consumed. And God did
give him faith. And it did come to pass. He did
pray and fire did come down. And we would think, therefore,
that this prophet, this man of God, would be exceedingly confident
and would never doubt the greatness of God and the ability of God
to appear for him. But what do we see him doing?
Going up to the top of Carmel. casting himself down on the earth,
putting his face between his knees. That wasn't in a very
wonderfully proud way, was it? No, he was again depending upon
his God to appear and send this rain. And what did he need? Again, he needed faith to believe. And again, what did he need?
He needed patience. Faith and patience are often
joined together. And God brings them together
so that you and I may be found truly praying to God. Not just assuming, well, everything's
going to work out all right. Everything will be good. No doubt
about it. Elijah had to pray. for the fire
to come and clearly he had to seek to God now that rain would
come and he comes and he tells his servant go up now look toward
the sea and he went up and looked and said there is nothing nothing
that's demoralising isn't it sometimes when we pray and we
expect an answer and I think wrong in expecting an answer
We should pray believing God will answer. But you see, God
doesn't always work in accordance with our timetable. God has his
time. God has his way. And so Elijah's
servant went up and looked and came back with a report. There
is nothing. Well, did Elijah give up? did he say well it's obviously
not going to rain I better go down the mountain? no he was
given that faith to tell his servant go again 7 times so we
can imagine this servant going up getting up to the very top
of the mountain and looking in the distance there is the blue
sky no sign of any rain don't give up this man could not give
up Elijah would not give up seven times this servant went up seven
times and then we're told it came to pass at the seventh time
that he said behold there rises a little cloud out of the sea
like a man's hand well we can imagine It was very small, very
small. There wasn't at that time a great
indication of an enormous rain coming. It was just a very small
sign, but it was a very great encouragement. Sometimes we look for wonderful
things to occur immediately. Sometimes we have to wait and
then sometimes there is a very small sign. But that small sign in this instance
was the indication that there would be this abundance of rain
which Elijah had said he heard. And so there was this small cloud. but you see it was big enough
to encourage Elijah to go and to tell his servant to go and
tell Ahab and to say go up, say unto Ahab prepare thy chariot
and get thee down that the rain stop thee not well it's good
isn't it to read an account like this and to realise that we need
today faith to believe just like Elijah did all those years ago. See, Elijah was no different,
really, to you and me. He was a human person. He had
a sinful heart. He needed God to hear his prayer,
exactly the same as we do today. And God knows our condition. He knew Elijah's condition. He knew what he would do. And
of course, what he did was to fulfil his promise to Elijah
in his time and in his way. And what a blessing it is to
be given faith like Elijah was given because rain did come. It was very necessary. They'd been three years without
any rain. a pretty desperate condition
for them wasn't it? sometimes you see we come into
desperate conditions we have here a physical situation don't
we? sometimes we have a spiritual
condition which in essence is more important you may say well
why is it more important? it's more important very simply
because of this here Elijah was able to seek for God to send
rain upon the earth and he did the earth of course was not going
to last forever the Israelites who were living at that time
weren't going to live forever it was just something that was
necessary at that time but with regard to a spiritual life it's
not something which is just relevant to a particular time although
it may be sometimes it is but it is relevant to our eternal
state because if God comes and blesses us we might say with
spiritual rain it won't be something that will just disappear it won't
leave us then in a condition which is the same we shall be
a different person because we will have been aware that God
has come and has sent that spiritual rain that spiritual blessing
into our soul and it will produce honour and glory to His great
and holy name these people have waited all these years there
it was desperate situation sometimes we're called upon to wait a long
time a long time and it may be our faith is greatly tried in
fact faith is tried faith is tested and it's clear because
the definition of faith is not things that you and I see naturally
we don't see things naturally for faith we see things which
we are to believe and the Apostle of course gives a definition
in the 11th of Hebrews the first verse he tells us faith is the
substance of things hoped for the evidence of things not seen
see faith is not something which is tangible not something you
and I can grasp hold of but we do grasp hold of it by our spiritual
life our faith stretches out to believe that God will appear
that God will hear our prayers that God will grant the blessing
which He did on this occasion this amazing occasion we have
recorded in this 18th chapter of the book of the Kings And
it is a wonderful account, isn't it? And we should be encouraged
by it to realize, yes, we today have the same God. So we should never give up. We
should never think, well, God isn't going to appear. There's
no sign of any rain. There's no sign of any blessing.
It just seems to continue as a time of drought, a time of
famine. But there was then, at the seventh
time of looking, this little cloud appearing out of the sea
like a man's hand. That was the sign of great blessing. So let us not despise a small
thing. If you and I have a small blessing,
Let us not think, well that's not worth taking any notice of. It was, in this case, because
it was the true sign that this abundance of rain would come.
And therefore if the Lord graciously comes, and we may have been looking
for a long time, we may have, as it were, gone up to the top
of the mountain and looked, nothing, nothing. We've gone again, nothing. We've gone again, nothing. We might think, where's the scene
going to end? Is it worthwhile looking again? And by that, I mean this, looking
to the Lord, praying to the Lord, is it worth again? Yes, it is. Press on. again and again, because God
has a set time. God has an appointed time. Jesus tells us when he was on
the earth in the epistle of John and the seventh chapter of John
and the sixth verse, we read these very simple words. in the
7th chapter of John and the 6th verse then Jesus said unto them
my time is not yet come but your time is always ready so we always
want the Lord's to work to our timetable and sometimes and perhaps
very often it's not God's way God's timetable and our timetable
very often does not coincide. And what we can be sure of is
this, God has the best timetable. Because God knows when to come. God knew when to send that rain.
God knew when to show that sign of that little cloud. And the
time occurred and the time came. So the time will come to those
who truly seek, because the Word of God tells us, Seek and ye
shall find. Remember, God's word is true. Seek and ye shall find. And if we have been seeking after
the wonderful knowledge that the Lord Jesus Christ has died
upon Calvary's cross to take away our sins, we may apparently
seem to make no progress. and we've prayed and we've looked
and nothing to be seen no evidence of any mercy no evidence of any
blessing carry on don't give up what is occurring? the test
of our faith that's what's occurring God is testing the reality of
our faith and we have all those instances in the Word of God
where the faith of those people that is recorded was tested God
tests us today don't think that somehow things have changed don't
think that somehow it's now going to be easy no true religion has
never been easy true religion will never be easy And the reason
is so that God comes and when God blesses and when God does
come and reveals himself to us as our great and glorious savior,
we're ready to receive the blessing. We're made ready. God has made
us ready to receive the blessing. And then it is that we truly
rejoice and bless God for it. In the epistle to the Ephesians
that Paul wrote, he wrote some very glorious truths, and in
the 6th chapter, towards the end of that 6th chapter, the
Apostle is speaking about the armour of God, and the 18th verse
tells us it's praying always, with all prayer and supplication
in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication
for all saints. There is, my friends, a perseverance
in the things of God. If we were able just to pluck
down a blessing when we wanted it, it would be very easy, and
we wouldn't pray very much, and God's name wouldn't be honoured
and glorified, because we could suit ourselves and we could do
what we wanted to but no the Lord in his great mercy and love
to our soul has ordained that we should seek to find that we
should pray praying always with all prayer and supplication never
give up praying never give up praying just because we don't
seem to receive answers never give up you see the Lord waits
to be gracious he waits to be gracious and when the Lord comes
in what a time of blessing and what a time of rejoicing there
is you know we have accounts you can think of that count of
Lazarus in the Word of God the Lord could have gone to Lazarus
very quickly to raise him from the dead but no he delayed he
delayed and then when he did come it was very clear that it
needed a very great miracle to raise this man from the dead
it wasn't as though they could say well he's only just died
so he probably wasn't really dead no he laid in the grave
those days and in that sepulchre you see when the Lord came and
he spoke those wonderful words loose him and let him go now
in his case Lazarus' case it was a physical situation where
those grave clothes had to be removed loose him and let him
go but what a blessing it is sometimes if we as it were are
bound up spiritually we appear to be dead there doesn't seem
to be much life but the Lord comes and speaks in his time
loose him and let him go there was a wonderful and glorious
freedom yes Lazarus came out of that sepulcher came out the
Lord granted that blessing of life again it was clear that
Lazarus was a believer had been a believer and now the Lord was
to show his great and wonderful blessing to him and to the people
to show that he was the Lord and this surely is the great
benefit for us today when the Lord comes And blesses it is
to prove the great truth that the Lord, he is the God to prove
to us. Without any doubt. That we are
worshipping the true God and that then we go on our way rejoicing
and then we go on our way, blessing and praising God for what he's
done when Jesus comes. and reveals himself to us as
our great and glorious Saviour what a time of blessing that
is what a time of rejoicing it is and then we acknowledge the
Lord has the right time as for God his way is perfect God doesn't
make any mistakes in his timing and has offered many things to
be brought together to fulfil God's timing and let's never
therefore be impatient you see the Lord does give patience what
a blessing when he brings that patience to us again we mentioned
last Lord's Day I think on the about David in the 40th Psalm
where he said I waited patiently for the Lord and he inclined
unto me brought me up out of that horrible pit and that maury
clay and set my feet upon a rock and established my gains and
put a new song in my heart even praise unto our God many shall
see it yes the blessed wonderful work of redemption is to be evidently
seen which brings praise and honor to our God so let us remember
David's testimony and he's able to say yes it was God that brought
him up David couldn't get himself out of that hole he got himself
into you see we aren't able to but God can and God does deliver
in his time and in his way what a great thing it is if you and
I like David waited patiently. We're very impatient creatures,
aren't we? We want it now. God has his time. God has his
timing. And we can be very sure that
his timing is so right and so wonderful when it comes. We can
read in one of the little prophecies in the Old Testament, Habakkuk. Habakkuk is a very wonderful
little testimony but Habakkuk gives us some good advice and
in the second chapter and the first three verses he tells us
this I will stand upon my watch that means he was watching and
set me upon the tower and will watch to see what he will say
unto me and what I shall answer when I am reproved You see, it's
good to be willing to be taught by our God. Here was Habakkuk,
this prophet, speaking in this way. And the Lord answered me
and said, write the vision and make it plain upon tables that
he may run that readeth it. For the vision is yet for an
appointed time, but at the end it shall speak and not lie, they
tarry wait for it because it will surely come it will not
tarry there's a statement in Habakkuk's day to prophesy to
the people encouraging it should be to us today the vision the
appearance of the Lord the time of blessing for the vision is
yet for an appointed time God has an appointed time to favour
Zion he has an appointed time to bless you and me it is in
accordance with his divine purpose for his honour and for his glory
And he says at the end, it shall speak and not lie. God does not
lie. We can rely upon God's word. Though it tarry, it may not come
at the moment. It's tarrying. It doesn't say
give up. It doesn't say throw everything
overboard. He says, wait for it. Wait for
the blessing. Because it will surely come. See, God's Word is so blessedly
positive, isn't it? It will surely come. It will
not tarry. You see, when the time comes,
God will bless. You remember the occasion of
the Apostle Paul? There he was, pleasing himself,
doing everything that was wrong, until that very moment on that
Damascus road when the Lord came and struck him down with that
light from heaven above the brightness of the midday sun. No doubt. The work of God. The time had
come to bless him. We have many examples in the
word of God that times came to bless people. Time came to bring
Israel out of Egypt. They'd been there 400 years.
Long time, wasn't it? 400 years. God had promised he
would bring them out. And they did come. And again,
you see, it didn't just happen immediately. Pharaoh had to be
shown all those plagues that came upon the Egyptians and in
some cases the Israelites as well and it wasn't until that
last plague when the Lord came and destroyed all the firstborn
but the very significant and important aspect of that is before
that occurred before that occurred God had instituted what we refer
to as the Passover and of course that Passover brought the wonderful
or signified rather the wonderful deliverance of the souls that
are under the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ in that instance
it was a lamb all the Israelites had to be under the blood and
you see the great blessing is today that all of us have to
be under the blood of the Lamb the Lord Jesus Christ and when
that is so then there is deliverance then there was freedom not until
not until what a blessing therefore if we are brought to know that
we are under the blood because if we are under the blood that
means that Christ has died to take away our sins that means
Christ has died to redeem us from all our sins and then you
see the great glorious truth is we are free we are freed from
that curse of sin because the Saviour the Lord Jesus Christ
bore the curse for us it's a great gospel isn't it? it's a glorious
gospel so it may be here as we got in this account here it may
be in our spiritual life just a little sign Moses came and
told the Israelites that he was to deliver Israel and there was
a wonderful sign and it was so pleasing for them it didn't just
occur like that no, there had to be testing time a time of
faith the Israelites had to wait while those plagues were carried
out to demonstrate the power and majesty of Almighty God. And then you see, at the set
time, the Passover was set before them. Maybe in our life, the
set time, the death of the Saviour is set before us. You know, people
can be very familiar with the Word of God. The Israelites would
have been very familiar with all the law and the ceremonies.
It was essential for them. You and I may be very familiar
with the Word of God, but my friends, deliverance, freedom,
does not come until we have the evidence that we're under the
blood of Christ. Until we know that the Lord Jesus Christ died to
redeem our souls. Then you see, there is a deliverance. Then there is that blessed freedom. Then there is that wonderful
joy to know that we are amongst those whom Christ has loved with
everlasting love. Well, don't despair. If you're looking, if you're
seeking, and there is, after some while, Perhaps initially
there's nothing. There's nothing. Don't give up. Then you may see just a little
sign, just a little indication. The Lord is hearing your prayer.
The Lord is going to bless you. Press on. Because be assured
the blessing will come, an abundance of rain. ah there was no more
famine then no there was a time of wonderful blessing so might
be so in all of our spiritual lives a time of wonderful blessing
perhaps just a little sign to start with but don't give up
as soon as Elijah saw that as soon as he saw was told by a
servant. There was this little cloud which
arises from the sea, just like a man's hand. He said, Go up! Go up! Say unto Ahab, Prepare
thy chariot, and get thee down, that the rain stop thee not.
Ah, there was the sign. There was the sign. And so we
have really great encouragement today in these words to pray
unto God, to seek unto God, to not give up to keep on looking
keep on looking the word of God tells us isn't it in Isaiah 45
verse 22 look unto me look unto me everywhere else look unto
me don't rely on people look unto me and be saved for I am
God and there is none else What a blessing for us today to have
such a God to go to, a God who does hear and answer prayer. Remember, he gives grace. He gives more grace. He doesn't
give a surplus of grace, but he gives us grace to wait, to
have patience, to press on, to not give up and to believe the
blessing will come. Elijah had faith to believe. God's servants have faith to
believe. May you and I today have faith
to believe that it is and it will be well with our soul, eternally
well and that only through the Lord Jesus Christ and his shed
blood upon the cross at Calvary to redeem our souls, a cause
for rejoicing, a cause to praise and bless our God. Amen.