In the book of 1 Kings chapter
18 is the story of Elijah, the true prophet of God, challenging
all the people of Israel and all the false prophets in Israel. Now, Elijah was the true God-called,
God-sent prophet. He was a man's man, unafraid
of anyone. or anything, a man more concerned
with God's glory, God's truth, than what people thought about
him or the popular opinions of his day. How we need more Elijahs
today, men who are bold to tell the truth in the face of all
opposition and in the face of an unbelieving, wicked world. Now, a man named Ahab was king
of Israel at this time. His wife was Jezebel. Ahab, in verse 17, accused Elijah
of troubling Israel. He said, Art thou he that troubleth
Israel? And so it is that those who proclaim
the truth of God's word are hated and accused of troubling people,
when in fact, though they tell men the truth, They are not the
troublers, but the best friends that men could have. But Paul
said this once, Have I become your enemy, because I tell you
the truth, the truth about God, the truth about man, the truth
about salvation, a truth according to God's Word. Well, in verse
18, Elijah said to Ahab, You and all who forsaken, reject
the Lord God, you are the ones who trouble Israel. You are the
ones. You have forsaken the true worship
of God in favor of a God you have made up. So Elijah challenged
Ahab to, verse 19, gather all the prophets that he had in his
payroll. And Ahab had many. He had 450
prophets of Baal and 400 prophets of the groves, 850 prophets
on his payroll. Anybody and everybody was a prophet
so-called in that day. Religion was big business back
then as it is now. Everybody and his brother and
even some women were preachers. So all the children of Israel
and 850 prophets all came to meet Elijah, one man. You understand this? There was
one man alone against everyone. How could all these people be
wrong and this one man be right? Surely there is strength in number.
Surely there is truth in number. Surely the majority rules in
these cases. Not so. Never has been so. Noah
was one of eight persons on that ark. And God destroyed a whole
world, perhaps millions of people at that time. How could one so
few be right and so many be wrong? Well, it's so. The truth has
always been in the minority since the beginning. Verse 21, Elijah
came unto all the people and he said, here's what Elijah said
to all the people, How long halt ye between two opinions? If the Lord be God, follow him. But if Baal, then follow him. And the people answered him not
a word. How long halt ye between two
opinions? If the Lord be God, then follow
him. And I say today the same thing
to all who hear this program today. If I may be so bold as
to say, things are no different now than in Elijah's day. There
is more religion than ever, but less truth. More so-called preachers,
but less truth. More professing Christians, but
less believers and lovers of the truth. Why, people will argue
with you over the most fundamental truths in Scripture, such as
whether God is God or not, whether Christ really saves or not. And I say to all with Elijah,
how long halt ye between two opinions, two thoughts? If the Lord be God, follow Him,
bow, believe, put away your false gods, turn to the living and
true God from your idols. How long halt ye between two
opinions of God? Now listen. Listen carefully. Most folks have an opinion of
God, thoughts of God, a way that they think is right. Do you know
what the Scripture says about the way that man thinks is right?
It says the end is destruction. It's all wrong. Whatever people
say Whatever people think about God is wrong. God said, My thoughts
are not your thoughts. My ways are not your ways. He
said in Psalm 50, Thou thoughtest I was altogether such a one as
thyself. God is not like us. Oh, no. The word holy means other than. Other than. Not like us at all. One hundred and eighty degrees
opposite. Most folks halt between two opinions of God. They say
that God is all-powerful, that God is in control. And yet I
heard, I actually read in the newspaper a local Baptist preacher
who said this very thing verbatim. He wrote, we control the one
who controls us. Now, can you imagine a man being
so foolish as to say that? A master in Israel, a teacher,
one who supposedly reads God's Word and says something like
that? The God who made the heavens? The God in whose hands our breath
is and all our ways? The God who said, All souls are
mine? The God whose scripture says,
Kills and makes alive, wounds and heals, upholdeth all things
by the word of His power? proclaims to be a preacher sent
by that God and says that we control the one that controls
us? Well, even a little child knows that that is utterly foolish
and ridiculous. Somebody is in control or they
are not. God is either sovereign or He
is not. How long halt ye between two opinions? Is God sovereign
or is He not? Is God in control of all things
or is there something He is not in control of? Folks, if there's one Adam in
this universe outside of the control of God Almighty, you
better run and live in a cave somewhere. God is not in absolute control
of all things, ordering all things, directing all things. You better
run and hide because this world is out of control. Listen to Proverbs 16. heard this or read this verse,
you need to. This might change your theology. It won't change your heart, but
it may change what you believe this book says. Verse 4 of Proverbs
16 says, ìThe Lord hath made all for himself, yea, even the
wicked, for the day of evil.î Along with Isaiah 45.7 and other
places. He talks of the absolute sovereignty of God Almighty.
Now, he either is or he isn't. God is either in control or man
is. It can't be both. Well, they say things like this.
Two opinions. They say God loves everyone.
God loves everyone without exception. But in the end, some folks are
going to go to hell where the worm dieth not, Scripture said.
Where the wrath of God is poured out upon men and women in hell. That's what hell is. A place
where the wrath of God is expended on people. Judged. Punished for their sin. A place
full of people that are being damned. God loved them. God loves everybody. Scripture
says love never faileth. True love never faileth. 1 Corinthians
13. God loves someone. He loves them forever. His love
is eternal. So, does God love everyone in
hell? Huh? Then what does the love
of God have to do with salvation? If that's the kind of love you
believe about God, what does it have to do with your salvation?
You might be damned anyway. How long hold you between two
opinions? Did Christ pay for... Well, this is what men say. They
say Christ paid for their sins. That Jesus paid it all. Calvary
paid for their sins. But there are folks in hell today
for whom Christ died, they say. They say there are folks in hell
right now for whom Christ died and paid the penalty of their
sin. He paid for their sin, yet now they are paying for them.
How long haunt you between two opinions, folks? Did your Jesus
Christ actually pay for your sins or did He not? How long halt ye between two
opinions? Is man lost or is he not? Is man lost or is he not? Have you ever been lost? There
were three men up on Mount Hood in Washington recently that were
lost. They could not find their way
back. That's what lost means. No matter how they tried, they
could not get back. Not trying to be calloused or
hard. diminish the pain and suffering
of the families, but the fact of the matter is those men were
lost. Their only hope was for someone
to come and find them. Is man lost or is he not? Can he find his way or must God
come to where he is? Is man dead and trespasses in
sin according to Ephesians 2.1? Is he dead or is he not? What
does dead mean? You know what dead means? Does
dead mean half alive? Does dead mean a spark alive? How long halt ye between two
opinions? Is man dead or is he not? Scripture says he's dead. Why
don't you believe God? Why don't you believe God and
quit believing that so-called preacher you're listening to?
How long halt ye between two opinions? Is Jesus Christ the
Savior of his people or is he not? They say he is, but they
say he can't save you if you don't let him. Well, hold on
here. Is He the Savior or is He not?
He can't save you unless you let Him? So you and Him are Savior,
both of you together. Or maybe Jesus and Mary, co-redeemers,
like Catholicism blasphemously said. Well, Scripture says, call His
name Jesus, He shall save His people. Go and learn what that
means. How long halt ye between two
opinions? If God is not willing for you
to perish, and you do anyway, then what does His will have
to do with anything? Maybe your will is more powerful
than His is. God's will is not free. He can't
do His will, but you can do yours, right? That makes you more God
than God. How long halt ye between two
opinions? If God is like that, loving and leaving, trying and
failing, who needs a God like that? Why do you bother and worship
a God like that? Why do you want a God like that?
Well, Elijah challenged the false prophets, and he said, ìGo call
on your God.î And they cried aloud and cut themselves. Elijah
said, ìMaybe heís talking. Verse 27. Maybe he's talking.
He can't hear you. Cry louder. Maybe he's pursuing.
In other words, what he said, maybe he had to go to the john.
He's in a journey. Or maybe he's sleeping. He has
to wake him up. Cry louder. And they did. And
it looked and sounded just like a modern Pentecostal holiness
meeting with all the leaping, hollering, and shouting, and
praying, and so forth. And God did not answer them.
Nor is He doing it today. Because their God is not God.
Elijah mocked them, and the God that he called upon in a thirty-second
prayer answered by fire. And folks, the same God, the
God of Elijah, who is God indeed, is going to answer this world
someday, very shortly, by fire. Not love, but by fire. How long do you halt between
two opinions? You need to find out who the true God is and worship
Him and Him alone. Oh, may the Lord bring about
this knowledge of the true God before it is everlasting too
late. Till next Sunday. Amen.