1. Light Amidst Gross Darkness

Posted on Posted in Sermon Notes, Sermon Audio 2015, October 2015 Tagged with , , , ,

Hymns: 338 Show Me Thy Way, 0 Lord 337 Never Give Up 339 When I Fear My Faith Will Fail

1 Kings 16:29-34 And in the thirty and eighth year of Asa king of Judah began Ahab the son of Omri to reign over Israel: and Ahab the son of Omri reigned over Israel in Samaria twenty and two years. 30 And Ahab the son of Omri did evil in the sight of the LORD above all that were before him. 31 And it came to pass, as if it had been a light thing for him to walk in the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, that he took to wife Jezebel the daughter of Ethbaal king of the Zidonians, and went and served Baal, and worshipped him. 32 And he reared up an altar for Baal in the house of Baal, which he had built in Samaria. 33 And Ahab made a grove; and Ahab did more to provoke the LORD God of Israel to anger than all the kings of Israel that were before him. 34 In his days did Hiel the Bethelite build Jericho: he laid the foundation thereof in Abiram his firstborn, and set up the gates thereof in his youngest son Segub, according to the word of the LORD, which he spake by Joshua the son of Nun.

1 Kings 17:1 And Elijah the Tishbite, who was of the inhabitants of Gilead, said unto Ahab, As the LORD God of Israel liveth, before whom I stand, there shall not be dew nor rain these years, but according to my word.

Life of Elijah

– Light In the Midst of Gross Darkness

OUTLINE

(1) Light In the Midst of Gross Darkness

INTRODUCTION

The prophet Elijah’s ministry began in a time of Ahab, the 7m king of the Northern Kingdom – Jeroboam, Nadab, Baasha, Elah, Zimri, Omri and Ahab. There were 19 monarchs in the Northern Kingdom, all of them were wicked kings. It is interesting to observe that the Northern Kingdom began with |eroboam who was king over 10 tribes of Israel after the death of Solomon when the kingdom split into two. Jeroboam began to lead Israel on the pathway of idolatry by the building of high places – altars dedicated to the worship of pagan gods.

1 Kings 13:33 After this thing Jeroboam returned not from his evil way, but made again of the lowest of the people priests of the high places: whosoever would, he consecrated him, and he became one of the priests of the high places.

Omri was the founder of the 4th dynasty. Jeroboam and Baasha were founders of the t’t 2 dynasties, but they were each followed by sons who reigned only 2 years. The third dynasty of Zimri lasted only 1 week! Zimri, who murdered Baasha’s son, died in a siege 7 days later when Omri, captain of te army, attacked him in the capital city of Tirzah. And Omri, within 5 years of coming to the throne established a new well-fortified capital on a strategic hill in Samaria. It was a significant move because this shall be the capital henceforth until the destruction of the Northern Kingdom in722 B.C. by the Assyrian army.

1 Kings 14:20 And the days which Jeroboam reigned were two and twenty years: and he slept with his fathers, and Nadab his son reigned in his stead.

1 Kings 15:25 And Nadab the son of Jeroboam began to reign over Israel in the second year ofAsa king ofJudah, and reigned over Israel two years.

1 Kings 15:26 And he did evil in the sight of the LORD, and walked in the way of his father, and in his sin wherewith he made Israel to sin.

Nadab was killed by his successor after a two-year reign.

1 Kings 15:27-28 And Baasha the son of Ahijah, of the house of Issachar, conspired against him; and Baasha smote him at Gibbethon, which belonged to the Philistines; for Nadab and all Israel laid siege to Gibbethon. 28 Even in the third year of Asa king ofJudah did Baasha slay him, and reigned in his stead.

1 Kings 15:29-30 And it came to pass, when he reigned, that he smote all the house of Jeroboam; he left not to Jeroboam any that breathed, until he had destroyed him, according unto the saying of the LORD, which he spake by his servant Ahijah the Shilonite: 30 Because of the sins of Jeroboam which he sinned, and which he made Israel sin, by his provocation wherewith he provoked the LORD God of lsrael to anger.

Baasha was indeed a wicked and murderous man who ruled Israel for 24 years.

1 Kings 16:7-8 And also by the hand of the prophetJehu the son of Hanani came the word of the LORD against Baasha, and against his house, even for all the evil that he did in the sight of the LORD, in provoking him to qnger with the work of his hands, in being like the house of Jeroboam; and because he killed him. I In the twenty and sixth year of Asa king of Judah begon Elah the son of Baasha to reign over Isroel in Tirzah, two years.

1 Kings 16:9-13 And his servant Zimri, captain of half his chariots, conspired against him, as he was in Tirzah, drinking himself drunk in the house of Arza steward of his house in Tirzah. 70 And Zimri went in and smote him, and killed him, in the twenty and seventh year of Asa king ofJudah, and reigned in his stead. 77 And it came to pass, when he began to reign, as soon as he sat on his throne, that he slew all the house of Baasha: he left him not one that pisseth against a wall, neither of his kinsfolks, nor of his friends. 72 Thus did Zimri destroy all the house of Baasha, according to the word of the LORD, which he spake against Baasha by Jehu the prophel 73 For all the sins of Baasha, and the sins of EIah his son, by which they sinned, and by which they made Israel to sin, in provoking the LORD God of Israel to anger with their vanities.

Then came a revolt in the kingdom.

1 Kings 16:21-26 Then were the people of Israel divided into two parts: half of the people followed Tibni the son of Ginath, to make him king; and half followed Omri. 22 But the people that followed Omri prevailed against the people that followed Tibni the son of Ginath: so Tibni died, and Omri reigned. 23 In the thirty and first year of Asa king of Judah began Omri to reign over Israel, twelve years: six years reigned he in Tirzah. 24 And he bought the hill Samaria of Shemer for two talents of silver, and built on the hill, and called the name of the city which he built after the name of Shemer, owner of the hill, Samaria. 25 But Omri wrought evil in the eyes of the LORD, and did worse than all that were before him. 26 For he walked in all the way of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, and in his sin wherewith he made Israel to sin, to provoke the LORD God of lsrael to anger with their vanities.

1 Kings 16:28 So Omri slept with his fathers, and was buried in samaria: and Ahab his son reigned in his stead.

Omri also had an alliance with Phoenicia through the marriage of his son Ahab to Jazabel, daughter of Ethbaal, king of the Sidonians. Like Solomon, Ahab built a iemple for Baal in Samaria and abandoned the calf-cult worship stated by Jeroboam.

These kings in the Northern Kingdom, the Bible tells us, did “evil in the sight of the LORD”. Ahab reigned for 22 years in Samaria. Whilst in the Southern Iiingdom, it was the reign of Jehoshaphat, the 4th king after Rehoboam, Abiiam, Asa.

1 Kings 16:29-34 And in the thirty and eighth year of Asa king of Judah began Ahab the son of Omri to reign over Israel: and Ahab the son of Omri reigned over Israel in Samaria twenty and two years. 30 And Ahab the son of Omri did evil in the sight of the LORD above all that were before him. 31 And it came to pass, as if it had been a light thing for him to walk in the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, that he took to wife Jezebel the daughter of Ethbaal king of the Zidonians, and went and served Baal, and worshipped him. 32 And he reared up an altar for Baal in the house of Baal, which he had built in Samaria. 33 And Ahab made a grove; and Ahab did more to provoke the LORD God of Israel to anger than all the kings of Israel that were before him. 34 In his days did Hiel the Bethelite build Jericho: he laid the foundation thereof in Abiram his firstborn, and set up the gates thereof in his youngest son Segub, according to the word of the LORD, which he spake by Joshua the son of Nun.

The wickedness of this new dynasty is seen by their defiance against God’s Word when Hiel, a significant cilizen of Bethel built a settlement in Jericho.

Joshua 6:26 And Joshua adjured them at that time, saying, Cursed be the man before the LORD, that riseth up and buildeth this city Jericho: he shall lay the foundation thereof in his firstborn, and in his youngest son shall he set up the gates of it.

It was against such a climate of spiritual apostasy and defiance and utter darknessln Israel that Eliiah suddenly burst into the scene.

(1) Light in the Midst of Gross Darkness

1 Kings 17:1 And Elijah the Tishbite, who was of the inhabitants of Gilead, said unto Ahab, As the LORD God of Israel liveth, before whom I stand, there shall not be dew nor rain these years, but according to my word.

The name Elijah means “My God is Jehovah” . He came to declare to point the people back to the living and true God from this Baal¹ land in Israel.

Elijah a Tishbite. We do not have know where Tishbeh, it was an unknown town. But we know that Tishbeh was in Gilead. The map below show us the location of Gilead.²

gilead ³

Elijah announced that there would be no rain in the land until he says do. Gilead was a rough terrain and Elijah’s appearance was like that of John the Baptiser.

John 1:23 He said, I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness, Make straight the way of the Lord, as said the prophet Esaias.

John 1:29 The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.  

– As the LORD God of Israel liveth, before whom I stand

Elijah stood as a voice for God in a land where the voice of God was almost finally snuffed out. It was a time when the worship of the living and true God was pushed aside.

He was someone who had the courage to stand in a time when doing so can cost him his very life.

God would use a man to confront an evil regime. Baal was the god of the harvest. He brings the rain. But here is a direct challenge to the revered authority of Baal.

We remembered the 16th century Reformation last Lord’s Day.

The 16th century Protestant Reformation was a spiritual awakening that took place in Europe after 1000 years of the Dark Ages where the gospel was hid from the people by the Roman Catholic Church. The Reformation was in essence a movement back to the Bible. With it, the secret to true spiritual life was re-discovered – “How to be born again?” The doctrine of salvation of the Roman Catholic Church can be illustrated mathematically as Faith + Works = Salvation, basically justification by works. Whereas the biblical perspective of the doctrine of salvation is Faith = Salvation + Works, basically justification by faith alone. By the time of the Reformation in 1517, the Roman Catholic Church had one thousand years of history of traditions, teaching the doctrine of Faith + Works = Salvation.

Over the 1200 years since its inception in 313, there had been thirty-five heresies and inventions made by the Roman Catholic Church in the name of traditions which were venerated above the Scriptures. It was in the year 1511 when Martin Luther the great Reformer of the 16ttt century Protestant Reformation, re-discovered the biblical doctrine of salvation by faith in Christ alone. Church historian Earle Cairns wrote this record, “Luther began to lecture in the vernacular on the books of the Bible, and in order to do so intelligently he began to study the original languages of the Bible.

He gradually developed the idea that only in the Bible could true authority be found. From 1513 to 1515, he lectured on the Psalms, and from 1515 to 1517, on Romans, and later, on Galatians and Hebrews. While preparing those lectures, he found peace of soul that he had not been able to find in rites and acts of asceticism. A reading of Romans 1:17 convinced him that only faith in Christ, could make one just before God. From that time on, sola ftde, or justification by faith, sola scriptura, the idea that the Scriptures are the only authority for sinful people in seeking salvation, and sola sacerdos, the priesthood of believers, became the main points in his theological system. On October 31,1517, Luther posted his ninety-five theses on the door of the Castle Church in Wittenberg,”That act sparked the Protestant Reformation.

The basic truth that the right understanding of salvation differs between the Roman Catholic Church and the Bible’s teaching warrants a clear line of separation – that was the cause for the 16tt century Protestant Reformation. Has there been any change in the salvation doctrine of the Roman Catholic Church since the l6tt century Reformation? The answer is an emphatic “no.” Based on the writings of the 3 Roman Catholic Councils (Council of Trent and the First and Second Vatican CouncilJ that took place after the Protestant Reformation, the Roman Catholic Church has not changed its doctrine of Faith + Works = Salvation, which is another gospel.

In the past two decades, there have been steps taken by the evangelical Christians to unite with the Roman Catholic Church. Can there be true unity? Should the 16*, century Reformation be nullified in view of the campaign for unity between the Roman Catholics and the Evangelicals? The accord between the Roman Catholic Church and a part of the Protestant Church, called “Evangelicals and Catholics Together: The Christian Mission in the Third Millennium” (ECT 1), was released in March 1994 and a sequel under the title “Evangelicals and Catholics Together 2: The Gift of Salvation” (ECT 2), was released in L997. The dogmas of Ecumenical Councils of the Counter- Reformation at Trent and the Vatican still hold true today for the Roman Catholic Church.

Therefore, the scripture injunction in Galatians 1:8-9 continues to be a warning to Evangelical to earnestly contend for the faith:

But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than thatwhich we have preached unto you, let him be accursed. As we said before, so say I now again, If any man preach any other gospel unto you thon that ye have received, let him be accursed. (Gal. 1:8-9)

Like Elijah, Lutherwas such a man who stood alone to sound the alarm bell!

May the Lord grant to His people spiritual discernment to stand by the doctrines taught in the Bible! Amen.

CONCLUSION
The Lord bless us as we study how this man of God stood alone in a time of gross darkness.

¹ Eaton Bible Dictionary – The name appropriated to the principal male god of the Phoenicians. It is found in several places in the plural BAALIM (Jg 2:11; 10:10; 1Ki 18:18; Jer 2:23; Ho 2:17). Baal is identified with Molech (Jer 19:5). It was known to the Israelites as Baal-peor (Nu 25:3; De 4:3), was worshipped till the time of Samuel (1Sa 7:4), and was afterwards the religion of the ten tribes in the time of Ahab (1Ki 16:31-33; 18:19,22). It prevailed also for a time in the kingdom of Judah (2Ki 8:27; comp. 2Ki 11:18; 16:3; 2Ch 28:2), till finally put an end to by the severe discipline of the Captivity (Zep 1:4-6). The priests of Baal were in great numbers (1Ki 18:19), and of various classes (2Ki 10:19). Their mode of offering sacrifices is described in 1Ki 18:25-29. The sun-god, under the general title of Baal, or “lord,” was the chief object of worship of the Canaanites. Each locality had its special Baal, and the various local Baals were summed up under the name of Baalim, or “lords.” Each Baal had a wife, who was a colourless reflection of himself.

² Gilead, meaning rugged, was a highland region east of The Jordan River, extending approximately from the southern end of The Sea Of Galilee to the northern end of The Salt Sea, with the Jabbok River roughly marking its mid-point. From its mountains it was known as “the mount of Gilead” (Genesis 31:25), but was also called “the land of Gilead” (Numbers 32:1), or simply “Gilead” (Genesis 37:25). After the God-commanded possession and division of the Promised Land among The Tribes Of Israel, it was held by Gad, Reuben and part of Manasseh (Deuteronomy 3:13-15, Numbers 32:40) – a territory today outside of Israel’s national borders, occupied by the Kingdom of Jordan.

³ http://www.keyway.ca/htm2001/20010827.htm