The God Who Answers By Fire

Q: What does the Bible say about God answering by fire?

The Bible shows that God answers by fire as a demonstration of His power and authority, as seen in 1 Kings 18 during Elijah's confrontation with the prophets of Baal. In 1 Kings 18, the confrontation between Elijah and the prophets of Baal illustrates God's authority and power demonstrated through fire. Elijah challenges the people of Israel, asking how long they will waver between two opinions, and presents a test to see whose god is the true God. When Elijah prays, God answers by sending fire from heaven, consuming the sacrifice and proving Himself to be the one true God. This powerful act emphasizes that God is to be feared and revered, as He is a consuming fire (Hebrews 12:29) that purifies and judges.

Q: How do we know God is the true God?

We know God is the true God because He proves His sovereignty and power, as demonstrated in the biblical account where He answered by fire. The true God can be identified by His unique attributes and actions that demonstrate His sovereignty and power over all creation. In the narrative of 1 Kings 18, when Elijah challenges the prophets of Baal, it becomes clear that the true God answers by fire, revealing His holiness and capability to consume the sacrifice. This is not only an act of affirmation of His sovereignty but also serves as a turning point for the people to recognize who truly reigns sovereign. As Isaiah 45 states, God claims singularity in His divine authority; thus, the evidences of His actions, particularly in scripts where He responds to those who call on Him, mark Him out as the true God among all other idols.

Q: Why is idolatry a problem for Christians?

Idolatry is a problem because it diverts worship from the true God and leads to judgment and spiritual famine, as seen in the judgment on Israel during Elijah's time. Idolatry is fundamentally problematic because it replaces the worship of the true God with false gods, which not only misrepresents divine authority but also leads to spiritual blindness and decay within a community. In 1 Kings 18, Israel is depicted in a state of idolatry, worshiping false gods like Baal, which brings God's judgment upon them in the form of famine and drought. The pervasive nature of idolatry results in a significant famine, not just of bread but of the true hearing of God’s Word (Amos 8:11). This underlines the necessity for Christians to worship the one true God, as only He has the power to save and sustain life in its fullness.

Q: How does salvation work according to Scripture?

Salvation is by God's sovereign grace, not by the will of man, as seen in Ephesians 1:4-5 where God chooses whom He saves. Salvation, as presented in the Scriptures, is rooted in the sovereign grace of God rather than in human will or effort. Ephesians 1:4-5 clearly states that God chose us in Him before the foundation of the world. This emphasizes that salvation is wholly dependent upon God's initiative, and it highlights the reality that our coming to faith is a result of His grace at work in us, not our decision-making capabilities. Moreover, it is confirmed in Romans 9:16 that it is not of him who wills, nor of him who runs, but of God who shows mercy. This doctrine rejects any notion of autonomous free will in the process of salvation, affirming instead that God is utterly in control of the salvation of His people.

Q: Why is the fear of the Lord important for Christians?

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom and essential for understanding God’s holiness and sovereignty. The fear of the Lord is paramount in Christian living, as it establishes a proper perspective of God's holiness, sovereignty, and majesty. Proverbs 1:7 states that 'The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction.' Understanding this fear leads to a deeper reverence and awe toward God, acknowledging His authority over all creation. As noted in the sermon, God reveals Himself as a consuming fire, indicating His holiness and the seriousness with which we should approach Him. This fear is not mere terror, but a profound respect that catalyzes true wisdom and understanding in our relationship with Him and influences how we live in alignment with His truth.

Children of God, and evil as
frail, in thee do we draw, nor find thee to fail. Thy mercy, how tender, how firm
to me is, our Maker be tender, be meeker, and free. Elijah came unto all the people
and said, 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. Then said Elijah unto
the people, I, even I only, remain a prophet of the Lord, but Baal's
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 wood, put no fire under it. I'll dress the other bullet,
lay it on wood, put no fire under Call ye on the name of your gods,
and I will call on the name of the Lord and the God that answereth
by fire. Let him be God." Now, at the
time of this story, Israel was a nation wholly given to idolatry,
full of idolatry. Most of the people claimed to
believe in God, that is, God of the Bible, God of Scripture,
but they worshiped any and every God that they could imagine. God, small g. Baal is just another
word for a false god. There were many gods, Baal, Peor,
Baal this, Baal that, Balaam. And there were many of these
false prophets, 850 altogether. Four hundred of them stayed behind. Elijah was one man facing 450
false prophets. Now that's subtle. The Lord said
it. This man was one true prophet
against 450. And because of the idolatry,
that's why there were so many false prophets. That's why. And because of the
idolatry, The judgment of God was upon
that nation. Drought. They were under a drought.
And because of a drought, there was a famine. No bread. That
was the judgment of God. Drought, famine. And I remind
you, Amos wrote of a famine. He said, There shall come a time,
a famine, not of bread, that is, physical bread to eat, but
of the hearing of the Word. And he said, you have to go a
long way. You'll run to and fro everywhere to find it. And you
won't find it. It's so scarce. Bread be so scarce. That's the day we live in. This
isn't the only day it's been that way. But it's been that
way from the beginning. See, things haven't changed.
America that fancies itself some kind of new Jerusalem or new
Israel is just like Israel of old. It's full of idolatry. And
there are more false prophets than true ones. I was going to
have you turn to 2 Kings, but this began with a fellow named
Jeroboam. Jeroboam was set up as king.
He wasn't even the son of Solomon. He was an illegitimate son. He wasn't even the son of Solomon. And he said, it's too much for
you to go to Jerusalem and worship. It's not convenient. We'll set
up several places everybody can worship. So he made a calf and
put it over here and a calf and put it over there and the people.
conveniently. Does that sound right? That's
what happened. And it says in 2 Kings 17 that
the people feared the Lord and worshipped their false gods. You can't do both. But they were
so messed up. And because of idolatry, there
was wickedness prevailed. Every sin and iniquity. That's
Romans 1. Romans 1. Because they turn away their
ears from the truth, because they're not thankful, because
they hold the truth in unrighteousness. It goes on to say, so God gave
them over. And the land is full of idolatry
and full of false prophets. Pirates. Full of them. But God. Rich in mercy. sent a preacher. Our Lord said these are gifts.
These preachers are gifts. That man was a gift to me. He
ascended on high. He gave gifts unto me. And he
sent some prophets, some apostles, some evangelists, pastors and
teachers with a message. The message of salvation. The
message that will turn people to God from their idols. It's
the only thing that will. Please God by the foolishness
of preaching. Simple men, just men, but by
the Spirit of God and the power of God. This is how you'll know
it's of God, because they're earthen vessels, and yet by the
power and the Spirit of God, this message turns a man from
idolatry to the living God. This is what God still uses.
The only thing He did. Elijah was a simple man sent
to a people in trouble. Israel was in trouble with God. They were in trouble with God.
But God in mercy sent this preacher named Elijah in the midst of
their trouble. And when he came, look at verse
17. Now Ahab said to Elijah, Art
thou he that troubleth Israel? They accused Elijah of starting
trouble. They accused Elijah of stirring
up trouble. No, he's not stirring up trouble,
he's just telling everybody of the trouble they're in. See,
this is the trouble. Paul one time said, Am I to become
your enemy because I tell you the truth? Yes. The natural man
receiveth these things not. The man comes with the truth.
And people accuse him of sedition and heresy and doctrines of devils
and strange doctrines, preaching a strange God. Nobody believes
a God like that. Well, that's who he is. And they accuse him of being
a troublemaker. No, the fact is, God sent that
man to get people out of trouble. We're already in trouble. And
he's not a man like false prophets come telling people, no, there's
no trouble. Peace, peace. That's what false prophets say.
That's the first thing false prophets say. God loves you and
has a wonderful plan for your life. Jesus died for you. Don't
worry about a thing. You're not in trouble. That's
not the message of the prophets or the apostles or true preachers.
None of them ever stood up before a public audience and said God
loves you. None of them. Not ever. Not one time. Not one
time. False prophets do that. Peace,
peace, peace, peace. The first thing men and women
need to learn from God through a preacher is that we're in trouble
with God. Because the fear of the Lord
is at the beginning of wisdom. Fear of the Lord. So God sent...
He's not a troublemaker. He said, no, verse 18, I haven't
troubled Israel, but you're in trouble through this idolatry
that's going on. All this idolatry. Listen to
the question that Elijah asked the people, verse 21, Elijah
came unto all the people and said, How long halt ye between
two opinions? If the Lord be God, follow him.
If Baal, follow him. Nobody can answer. See, God is not answerable to
men, nor are his prophets or his preachers answerable to men.
They're not like these fellows today who sit and have share
sessions, you know, so you can ask them so they can prove how
smart they are. They're the ones presenting questions
that nobody can ask, can answer. They're the ones presenting the
questions. They're the ones confronting people with the questions. Questions
nobody's asking like, how can God be just and justifier? Nobody's asking that question
and nobody in this world can answer it except believers. How
can he be clean that's born of a woman? How can God who loves holiness
and righteousness love you? If righteousness come by the
law, why did Christ die? I can't answer that. I can't
answer these questions. Nobody's asking them, and nobody
can answer them except God's favor according to Scripture. You see what I'm saying, Brother
Henry? This jumped out at me. He's the one doing the questioning. He told young Timothy, don't
answer all their foolish questions. Don't get involved in science,
falsely so-called. Don't reason and rationale. Read the article by Phil Pott.
Declare it. And when you declare it, men
will be shut up. And the ones that aren't, don't
argue with Pottshirts. You know, the Lord dealt with
Pharisees and said things, and they wanted to argue with Him.
He said, I'll answer you if you answer this. Remember that? He asked them one question and
nobody could answer it, and then nobody asked Him any more questions. This is so. God does the asking,
the demand. Tell me something. Elijah stood
up and said, I'm going to ask you all a question. How long
do you halt between two opinions? Is God God or is He not? If He
is, why aren't you bound to Him and worship Him? If He's not,
then choose you a God. You know, that's what Joshua
said, and people use that verse, Ty, when they say, choose God. That's not what Joshua said.
In Joshua 24, he said, choose you a God, any God. It doesn't
matter what God you choose, just choose Him, anything. He's not
saying choose God, because a man can't choose God. Can't do it. God must choose us. And the choice
is made. Blessed is the man who doubts
you. I've got to go on. Preacher demands an answer from
the people. How long halt ye between two
opinions? Here, these people say this is
black, and these people say white. Well, what's between two opinions? Debbie, what's between two opinions?
Gray. Well, there's a gray area there
in Scripture. Where? The gray is this gray matter
between your ears. That's where it is. That's the
problem. Somebody said to Brother Scott years ago, you're confusing
me. He said, no, I'm not. You're already confused. You're
already confused. I'm not confusing you. Scripture's
not confusing you. Very clear. That's what I love
Proverbs 8. He says, it's all plain to him
to understand it. If God's given you understanding,
it's as clear as a nose on your face. It's black and it's white. Not gray. Paul said, our preaching
unto you is not yea, yea, nay, nay, yea and nay, maybe, yes,
if not, does God love you? Well, yes and no. Did Christ
pray for you? He said, well, yes and no. No,
it's yea and amen. All the promises of yea of God
or yea and amen are in Christ Jesus. I'm sure, certain. God
says, I will. You shall. Two opinions. Here it is. Who
is God? Is God God or is man God? Can't be both. Is God God
or Satan God? Can't be both. God means absolute
ruler and controller of all things. Capital G-O-D means absolute
ruler and controller. Here's some of the stupid answers
of these false prophets. I heard this. I read it with
my ears in our roll note paper by a large mega church so-called
pastor. He said, In conclusion, oh how
wise this is, he said, you control the one that controls you. That is so profound that I can't,
it's so ridiculous. That's absurd, even a child can
understand that. If he controls you, how can you
control him? That's ridiculous. Well, another fellow said this.
He said, send in your seed faith. Send in your seed faith, and
when you send in your seed faith, you untie God's hands. I heard that. God's hands are
tied. Man, oh man, oh man. Does that
make you mad? It's not only terribly blasphemous. Who is God? Is God God or is
man? Whose hands are tied here? Who's
bound here? God or man? Who's God? God or
Satan? We find that out in Job 1, don't
we? What does the Lord say? What does Scripture say? What
does God say about himself? I'm not interested in what man
says about God. There's all sorts of opinions. Everybody's got
one, like a certain part of their anatomy. Everybody's got one.
And they'll show it eventually. Two opinions. What sayeth the
Scripture? Is Jesus Christ God, the head
of the church, or is Pope Penhead the fourth? Who's head over all? What does the Scripture say?
Here's what God says, "'See now, see now, I am He. There is no
God with me. I form the light, I create darkness,
I make peace, I create evil. I, the Lord, do all these things,'
Isaiah 45 says. I kill, I make alive, Deuteronomy 32, 39. Who's
God? Who's not? God is God. Proverbs 16, 4 says, The Lord
hath created all things for himself, even the wicked, for the day
of evil. Satan is a creature. God is the creator. Who controls
who? The creator or the creature? Is Jesus Christ God or not? Two
opinions, aren't they? He said, if you believe not,
John 8, 24, if you believe not that I am, you'll die in your
sins. He said before Abraham was, I
am. He told us to. Is he God? Very God of very God, the one
that created all things. Holy, just. How long halt ye
between two opinions? Whose will is free, God's or
man's?" Huh? Can't be both. Can't be both. Whose will is free, God's or
man's? What saith the scripture? It's him that worketh all things
unto the counsel of his own will. That's what the scripture said.
Ephesians 1, 9. Huh? Whose will is free? God or man? God. He said, I will,
Ezekiel 33, over and over and over in Ezekiel 33. He says,
I will. I will. I'll give you a new heart.
I will do this. I will do that. I will do this.
And he said, and you shall. Here's the difference between
the God of the Bible and the false one. The God of the Bible
says, I will and you shall. The false God and the preacher
say, if you will, he shall. It's the other way around. Got
the cart before the horse. Who controls who? Huh? Who controls
who? Scripture says, "...the God in
whose hands our breath is, and all our ways." He even says, "...the King's
heart is in the hands of the Lord, like the rivers of water,
turns it with us, whoever He will." People with their false
gods. John, they said, here's our gods,
they do what we let them do. They said to David, where is
your God? David said, my God is in the heavens, and he hath
done whatsoever he hath pleased. That's God. That's the God who does as he
will, with whom he will, because he will. That makes him God. God is God and man is not. How long hope ye? Oh, my. All right, is salvation by free
will or free grace? Two opinions, isn't it? Free
will or free grace. What saith the Scripture? It
saith, Not of him that willeth or him that runneth, but of God
that showeth mercy. If you will, whosoever will yet,
but it says it is God that worketh in us both to will and to do. It's good pleasure. Psalm 110
verse 3, thy people shall be willing in the day of his power.
How long do people halt between two opinions? There's no gray
area here, is there? Is man dead in sin or just sick? What happened in the garden?
What really happened in the Garden of Eden? Did God mean it when
He said, You'll die? Did He die? Did man die dead
to God? No life of God? No spirit? No
spirit? Can't get it? Can't drum it up?
Is he dead? Blind, halt, lame, dead? Or is he just sick? Barnard used
to say, He's dead. He's graveyard dead. Byron needs
to say it all. He's graveyard dead. Meaning,
can't see, can't hear. Somebody's got to give him life.
What does the Scripture say? And you. Hath he quickened, who
were what? Dead. Dead. If you don't halt between two
opinions, flesh and blood didn't reveal it to you, but the Father
which is in heaven. Be thankful. Oh, how blessed.
How long halt you between? Did God choose The people, or
did the people choose God? Did God elect them, or is He
running for election? What sayeth the Scripture? There are no visitors here, but
are you enjoying this? What does the Scripture say?
He said, Our Lord reminded His disciples, He says, You didn't
choose me, I chose you. According to this, He had chosen
us. Not us, him. He had chosen us. Ephesians 1.4. Well, when did he do this choosing? Same verse. Before the foundation
of the world. Why? Because we were good boys
and girls? No. Even when we were dead. Why would we get centered? It
pleased God. Just because it pleased God.
Pleased God that we might be to the praise of the glory of
his sovereign electing grace. That's why. That's what the scriptures
say. That's what God said. What does
it matter what they say? Let the pot shards dry with the
pot shards. Did Christ save His people or did He just try to? Did He come down here to make
an attemptment or an atonement? Huh? Did He make a down payment
or did He pay it? I'll tell you all our pieces
right there. Scripture says, ìWhen he had by himself purged
our sins, sat down on the right hand of God, expecting his enemies
to be made his foes too.î Oh my! ìHe shall call his name Jesus,
but he shall save his people. He shall not fail, only to be
discouraged if he has brought judgment.î Oh my! Is the Holy Spirit sovereign?
Is the Holy Spirit sovereign, I mean invincible? Does as He
will, as the Father, as the Son does as He will, when He will,
sent by the Father to round up His people, to bring them all
out of darkness into light, out of death into light? Is He invincible
or is He just someone that makes people talk like an idiot? He's a powerful Spirit of God
sent by God. Oh, thanks be unto God. Thank
God, for God hath from the beginning chosen us unto salvation through
sanctification of the Spirit. That means rounding them up,
quickening them, set them through belief of the truth, where He
called us by the gospel. The Holy Spirit is sovereign,
calls out everyone God chose, everyone Christ died for, and
they will come. They will come. Is salvation
of God, the salvation of God eternal? Is it eternal or is it temporary? I give unto them, Christ said,
eternal life. And they shall what? Never perish. How long halt ye between two
opinions? That's a simple but profound, simple but profound
questions, aren't they, that nobody's asking and people can't
answer. Most folks, is your God, we need
to ask them, is your God really God? If he's not, why are you worshiping
him? Why do you need him? Here's the
simple but powerful message, the challenge really, verse 23. Oh, this really jumped out at
me. He said, give us two bullocks. And you cut them in pieces and
dress it and put it on the wood, no fire. Call on the name of
your gods. I'll call on the name of the
Lord. The God, he said, and the God. Here's how we'll know who's
God. This is how we'll know who's
God. Are you with me? Be God that
answereth by fire. Let him be God. He's not saying,
let him be God. Like men say, let go and let
God... That's not what... Scripture says, let God be true
in every man a liar. That doesn't mean you must let
Him be true. It means He is. It means let
it be known. Let it be established. Let it
be acknowledged by all. Everyone needs... This is a faithful
saying worthy of all acceptation. Not saying, would you accept
it? It means, this is right. This is true. Let it be so. So let it be written. So let
it be done. Let God, this is God, whoever answers by fire,
your God or the God, the Lord. He alone is God who answers by
fire. I don't think I've ever properly
dealt with this. This is the sum and substance of this story. This is how you know the God
of the Bible. Not just sovereignty and all, but concerning the sacrifice. Consumed by fire. All right, you with me? What
does the scripture say, Hebrews 12, 29, our God? Our God is what? A consuming fire. Holy, holy, holy. When God first revealed himself
to Moses, how did he reveal himself? in a bush that burned. It was
not concerning. Fire. The first time the word
fire is mentioned is when God's fire fell from heaven on Sodom.
Who did that? Holy God. Who's angry. Not love. Angry. Holy. Our God. Turn with me to Luke
chapter 12. Luke chapter 12. I'm not going
to be long here. Luke chapter 12. The God we preach,
the God of the Bible, the true God, answers by fire. You'll know him by this fire.
And we're not talking about this ridiculous Holy Ghost fire that
they're talking about today, this pretended fire that men
drum up, which is really their own sparks they've kindled. Our
God is a consuming fire. Fire. There's some things about
fire. Fire, number one, Is there anything more fearful? Is there anything more fearful
than fire? Anything more formidable? I don't
know if you've ever been near a house fire or even a forest
fire or a large matter kindled with fire. Have you? Anybody?
I have. It is frightening. And you think,
It's just going to destroy everything. It's a fearful thing, frightening
thing. Fire is not something you play
with. Fire is not something you play with. It's the thing to
be feared. We teach our children from a young age, don't we, not
to play. Not even with those sparks, because
what a great matter a little fire can kindle. And fire is
not a thing to be played with. Our God is a consuming fire.
The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. This is what we instill
in our young children, don't we? From the very beginning.
We're not playing games here. God is not to be played with.
Religion is not a thing to be toyed with. This is fire. Fire is a wonderful thing. You
can't live without it. But it will consume you if you
play with it and mess with it. Fire is fearful. How do you know
Holy Ghost fire? Men everywhere are talking about
it, aren't they? What is this Holy Ghost fire?
What's the first thing it produces? Fear. And that's what tells me,
when I see all this stuff going on in religion today, that's
what tells me the Holy Ghost is not in all this, but I don't
see it. There's no fear of God before their eyes. Are you with
me? No fear. Fire is a fearful thing. Fear of the Lord. And when the
fire falls, you start fearing God. When the Holy Ghost comes,
you start fearing the Lord. It says in Acts 2, fear fell
upon all of them. When the Holy Ghost came, fear
fell upon all of them. Everybody whom God deals
with. Fire is a fearful thing. Fire
is a consuming thing. Everything is burned up, especially
wood, hay, and stubble will be consumed, will be burnt up when
fire comes. When God Almighty reveals Himself,
reveals the truth, and the Holy Spirit comes to the preaching
of the gospel, it will burn up all of man's pride, all of man's
beauty, all of man's glory, all of man's intellect, all of man's
morality, all of man's work, his decisions, his baptisms,
his idols, his prophecies, everything will be burned up. Wood, hay, and stubble, and the
only thing that will show through is gold and silver and precious
stone. Which is? Christ. This bullock
represents Christ and Him crucified. This is my body broken for you
to cut it up in pieces. All right? The false prophets
had one. The true prophet had one. These people are preaching
Jesus Christ crucified. We're preaching Jesus Christ
crucified. How do you know? How do you know
the difference? They got a bullet? We got a bullet.
No. They say they have a lamb? We have a lamb. How do you know?
Fire. In other words, If Christ is
truly preached, if Christ is lifted up, if the Holy Spirit
comes through the preaching of Christ crucified, if men see
Christ and Him crucified, look to Him and Him alone, everything
else will be destroyed. And Christ will be all. He is purified. Fire is purifying. You want to destroy everything,
be done with everything? Burn it up. And what you've got
left is pure faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, name alone. That's
how you know. If a man's preaching Christ and
Him crucified, that he bore the wrath of God, he was made sin
for them, bore the wrath of God, kept the law for his people,
that he is our righteousness, that God accepted the sacrifice,
And now we live and move and have our being in Him, accepted
in the beloved, by His grace we're saved, by His faith we're
saved, complete in Him, seated with Him, it's all in Him, by
Him, for Him, through Him. If a man is preaching that, you
won't have any of this other stuff. There won't be any of
this wood, hay and stubble. Are you with me? I keep saying
that because I want to know if you're with me. If, you know,
look around you, look at all the props, look at all this stuff.
Whether they're preaching Jesus, no they're not. No they're not. We preach Christ crucified, then
you wouldn't have all this stuff. You wouldn't have all this stuff. Pictures and crosses and this
and that and the other and entertainment and all that. That's how you know. The fire
burns it out. Burns it out. What's spirit-filled
preaching? Who are spirit-filled people? If any man hath not the Spirit
of Christ, he's not of Him. Who are they? How do you know
them? Christ. That's it. They believe Christ. They look to Christ. They worship
God in the Spirit, not flesh. They rejoice where? Not in anything
but Jesus Christ and Him crucified. This is what Paul said, I'm determined
not to know anything among you save Jesus Christ and Him crucified. He said the fire, the Holy Spirit
of God burned up all that dross, all that dung, burned it all
up. Don't need it. Don't need it. That's what fire
does. Christ crucified. That's how
you know the only thing that's left is Christ. Well, oh, Luke. Didn't show you that, did it?
Luke 12, 49. Look at it. Luke 12, 49. This is what our Lord said. 12, 49. I've never heard a modern-day
preacher deal with it, except a true preacher. Verse 49, Christ
said, I am come to send fire on the earth. And what will I,
if it be already kindled? Is this not the one of whom Malachi
said would come, will sit as a refiner and purifier? He's
like a refiner's fire. I'm going to destroy everything
that they can make. That's good. All right. He went on down to say, verse
51, Do you suppose I am come to give peace on the earth? I
tell you nay, rather division. A sword. This is the sword of
God. It comes out of His mouth. Christ
and Him crucified. All right. Go back to our text
in 1 Kings 18. I've got to hurry. Oh, my. Verse 26. They took their bullock and dressed
it, and they began to call on him. You know the story. They'll
hear us. There was no voice. Why? Because
he has no ears but your ears, no feet but your feet. That's
it. Psalm 115. He has no hands, no
feet, and those that have him are just like him, dead. No voice,
nobody to answer, and so they leaped. This sounds just like
a modern holiness Pentecostal meeting. Oh, they're leaping
and hollering and carrying on. And Elijah, verse 27, mocked
them. People say, you ought not to
make fun of people. Oh, no. It's high time we did. People
have mocked God and mocked His Word too long. We need to be
the ones to start mocking them. Elijah did. We need to start
mocking them. Bernard used to say this to me,
I'm trying to kill people's God. I'm trying to knock Dagon's head
off. The only thing left standing
is the ark. I'm trying to kill people's God. Elijah Mock says,
cry louder, he's a God. Maybe he's talking to somebody.
He can't do two things at one time. Oh my. Cry loud, he's a God. Maybe he's
pursuing. You know what one of the old
writers said? He said, this means he's using
the bathroom. I like that. I like that. Yeah. Oh, my. Make fun of him. He's
no God. He needs to be made fun of. He's
on a journey. He's gone somewhere. He'll be back shortly, or for
adventure. He's sleeping. What does it say
about he that keepeth Israel? He never sleeps. You've got to
wake him. Cry louder. So they did. And
they cried and they shouted. And they cried and they shouted.
And that reminds me of this present generation. You know, get all
these prayer meetings together. Everybody. Barnabas used to say,
trying to gang up on God. We're not heard from much speaking. And they said the same thing
over and over again, didn't they? We're not heard for our vain
repetitions. Elijah's going to pray a short
prayer. It takes about 20 seconds. God's going to hear him and fire's
going to thaw. We're heard through the Lord
Jesus Christ. It was Him. And there was no
answer. There's no answer. So midday,
verse 20. Elijah said, now come near unto
me. Oh, Elijah represents Christ throughout this, doesn't he?
But Elijah is the preacher of Christ. He says this, come near
unto me. Come here. And he said, and all
the people came near, and he repaired the altar of the Lord
that was broken down. Elijah took twelve stones, stones
made ready. These stones were already made
ready. Twelve? Yes, he's building on the foundation
of the prophets and the apostles. Oh, the foundation can no man
lay than that which is laid. Everything is going to be built
on that. Right? This whole sacrifice stands or
falls. Fire is going to fall if it's on the right altar. He
built it with stones. He built an altar. How? Verse
32, in the name of the Lord, made a trench. And he goes on
to say he did everything in order. I'm watching Elijah. You know,
oh, the false prophets are doing this and doing that and jumping
and diving and hollering and screaming and carrying on doing
it. Let's try this. We'll try that. This didn't work.
We'll try this. Here's something new over here.
We'll try this. And they're doing this and doing that. Elijah said,
now, come here. And very calmly, according to
the Scripture again, according to the way God said do it, according
to the pattern, very calmly, Resolutely, according to Scripture,
starts doing things in order, the way it's supposed to be done.
The way God says to do it. Calmly. No hurry. He that believeth
will not make haste. And he does things exactly the
way God says to do it. No commotion. No carrying on. Calmly. And he gets it done. Gets it all done according to
the Word, and that's what he said, that they may know I'm
doing this according to your Word. Stones made ready. Then
he says, look at this, fill four barrels with water, pour it on
the sacrifice. Not once, not twice, but three
times. Four barrels of water. You saturate
the sacrifice, the altar, stones, the trench. In other words, it's
all immersed in water, and you do it three times. Four barrels,
three times. What's that? That's the water of God's Word.
He says, He sanctifies and cleanses His church with the water of
His Word. And there are four Gospels, three that bear record
in heaven. The Spirit, the water, and the
blood. Christ died. His sacrifice was
immersed in water. His sacrifice was saturated with
water. Christ died. How? According to
the Scripture. The whole Scripture, the whole
book, Christ crucified is immersed in, saturated with, water. Water. The Gospel. Through and
through. This is the water of life. And
there are three that bear record of it. Don't do it once, don't
do it twice, do it three times. Alright, here's a simple but
powerful prayer. Verse 36. came to pass the time
of the offering, Elijah the prophet came near and said, Lord God
of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, let it be known this day that
thou art God in Israel, and that I am thy servant, and that I
have done all these things at thy word. Hear me, O Lord, hear
me, that this people may know that thou art the Lord God, and
thou hast turned their heart back again." And then the fire fell. The fire of the Lord fell. And
it says, consumed everything. Consumed it all. Oh, my. As we
said, if the Lord enables you, by His Spirit, to see that He
is indeed Lord, that Christ is indeed the sacrifice, the sin
sacrifice, it will consume the wood, The hardest, stoniest heart
will be dust. Lick up the water that's in the
trench. And God has revealed Himself.
And you'll know that He is indeed God. You'll know. And all the
people fell on their face. They said, here's their conclusion.
The Lord, Jehovah, He's the God. The God. Christ is the way. The truth. No gray area there,
is it? The life. The wisdom. The righteousness.
The sanctification. The redemption. The salvation
of God. Isn't it? The. It. The. One. Only. One Lord. One faith.
One baptism. If the fire falls, everything
else is consumed. My, my. But hold on. After the fire fell, the people
turned from their idols to the living God. Now that God, through
the preaching of the truth, the true and living God, and that
Christ is crucified, now that he's turned the people, and I've
never made this connection before, now that he's turned them to
him from their idols, now listen to the good news. Elijah said
in verse 41, Get up, eat and drink. The rains are coming. It's all good from here on out.
There shall be showers of blessing. As Brother Scott said, I ain't
heard no bad news since I heard the good news. Rain. Everything's
a blessing sent by God. It's all rain. We were in a drought
before, you see, under the judgment before. A famine of word, living
in Lodabar, house of no bread like old Mephibosheth, but God.
Sent a preacher, fetched you by His Holy Spirit, made Himself
known unto you. He saw the sacrifice like Manoah
and his wife. He saw the sacrifice. He's not
going to kill you. He wouldn't have shown you these things.
And now you know who God is, who Christ is, and everything
is just blessing after blessing after blessing. Get up. Eat.
Drink. Be happy! Huh? It's all good. It's all
good. I hear a sound of abundance and
rain. Blessings have not yet been experienced.
To come. God bless you. All right. Amen.

The God Who Answers By Fire

What does the Bible say about God answering by fire?

How do we know God is the true God?

Why is idolatry a problem for Christians?

How does salvation work according to Scripture?

Why is the fear of the Lord important for Christians?

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The God Who Answers By Fire

What does the Bible say about God answering by fire?

How do we know God is the true God?

Why is idolatry a problem for Christians?

How does salvation work according to Scripture?

Why is the fear of the Lord important for Christians?

Sermon Transcript

About Paul Mahan

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