Amen. Open your Bibles to 1 Kings chapter 18. We're continuing our study of the life of Elijah. We have a man that comes out of nowhere and he has an influence on a godless nation. literally comes from nowhere he's a nobody and that is who God loves to use sometimes he uses people that are known like Jonathan Edwards like John Bunyan yep he's certainly John Bunyan wasn't as known but he became known listen God loves to use a nobody and he loves to affect change in a nation. We come to the life of Elijah. And remember, there were 58 years from the death of Solomon, seven evil kings in the northern kingdom. All the kings in the north were evil. None of them followed the Lord. They were all wicked. They followed in the footsteps of that very first king in the northern kingdom, of that divided kingdom. And that king's name was Jeroboam. He was a wicked king. And I'll tell you, that shows you how quickly a nation, a group of people, can fall into apostasy and unbelief, 58 years from the death of Solomon. And yet, God is not waiting on nations to get their politics in order. He's not waiting on nations. the legislators to do what is right and to pass the right legislation. God works in the hearts of men. And he uses men to stir nations. And this was a man that he used. And so the title of tonight's message is One Man or One Person Totally Consecrated to the Lord. Here we have a man, Elijah, but God can use any one of us to do his will and his work. Let's turn to 1 Kings chapter 18, verses 8 through 16. Let's stand as we read God's word. I'm sorry, that's 1 Kings chapter 18, verses 17 through 20. 17 through 20. And it came to pass, when Ahab saw Elijah, that Ahab said unto him, art thou he that troubles Israel? And he answered, I have not troubled Israel, but thou and thy father's house, in that ye have forsaken the commandments of the Lord, and thou hast followed Valen. Now therefore send and gather me all Israel unto Mount Carmel, and the prophets of Baal four hundred and fifty, and the prophets of the groves four hundred, which eat at Jezebel's tables. So Ahab sent unto all the children of Israel, and gathered the prophets together unto Mount Carmel. Let's pray. Lord, we come to you tonight and we ask that you would work in our hearts. For some here, a mother and a father prayed for them when they were just a little baby, maybe even before they were born. Lord, you've brought to fruition prayers. And there were others who were prayed for who didn't come from Christian homes, and joy. We're all a product of prayers and tears. And so God, I pray tonight that you would bring to fruition in our life a total heavenly consecration, a heavenly consecration in every one of us, not only for our own spiritual lives, but that we would look into the eyes of our brothers and sisters in Christ here tonight, and we would be concerned about where they are in their walk with you. and we would believe you that you could do the work to make us what we ought to be. Lord, consecrate us tonight, we ask in Jesus' name. Amen. You may be seated. D.L. Moody once famously said, the world has yet to see what God can do with and through and in a man who is fully consecrated to him. And if you know the story of Moody, you remember what his reply was to his own statement. He said, I, by the grace of God, shall be that man. How about you tonight? Do you believe that God can use you to do great and mighty things? Do you believe that if you're totally consecrated to him, humbled to his purposes, not seeking any glory for yourself, but only seeking his glory, God can do exceeding abundantly above all that you could ask or imagine or think. Leonard Ravenhill said, any true revival can be proven by the fact that it changed the moral climate of an area or a nation. There was a man in the Old Testament that changed the moral climate of a nation, and his name was Elijah. But this is nothing new. God has done it then, he did it before, and he has done it since. There are many men that God has used. I think back to the early church, back to the time of Athanasius, who stood against Arius. Arius was a Jehovah's Witness of his day. He taught that Jesus was simply an archangel. And Athanasius stood against Arius. Arius was very convincing. He was very eloquent. And he deceived a large majority of the Lord's churches in the fourth century. And there was a great battle. And the phrase came about to be known that Athanasius was known for. It was Athanasius contra mundum, Athanasius against the world. He spoke Latin at that time. Athanasius against the world. And Athanasius stood for the one true and living God revealed in three persons in the Bible. He was banished five times by various emperors of the region. Athanasius stood against all the emperors, all the false teachers. He stood against the world. And eventually came the day when he, through God's grace, brought the church back to Orthodoxy. We think of Martin Luther, who God used to sway a nation. And thousands, not a nation, a continent. And thousands of churches came out of the apostate Roman church and flourished in that continent of Europe. And then we think later on of John Bunyan, who stood against the apostate Anglican church of his day, and they put him in jail. And he preached to the bars of his jail cell. And eventually, he turned two nations upside down. And then we think of our side of the ocean. The Great Awakening in America began Somewhat small church, pastored by a monotone preacher by the name of Jonathan Edwards. And there were those who followed Jonathan Edwards, John Wesley and George Whitfield. And they continued that great revival in the colonies of America. The churches wouldn't have them. And so where did they preach? They preached in the open air. And thousands were converted and added to the church. You see, they were not extraordinary people. They simply served an extraordinary God. They were humble men. They were men broken by the spirit of God, vessels fit for the master's use. I think of another small man with a great God by the name of William Wilberforce. He was the youngest man ever elected to the British Parliament at that time. At the age of 21, on a dare, he ran for office and he won. Now that might have seemed like chance to him, but it was the absolute providence of God to bring him into the parliament. It was during the time of the African slave trade. And Wilberforce was so horrified by the slave trade that he took on the whole country by himself. One of his main supporters was a former slave captain by the name of John Newton. Captain John Newton was converted and left the slave trade and was horrified by himself. And he became an obscure pastor in Alney, England. He actually wasn't so obscure later because he helped put together the Alney Hymnal. And you might know the most famous hymn in that hymnal, Sing it with me. Amazing grace, how sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me. I once was lost, but now am found. See, God can save a slave trader and turn him into a pastor and move in the heart of a 21-year-old member of the British Parliament and save him. And those two men get together and be the greatest opponent of the slave trade that the Great Britain had ever seen. So strong was their fight that they stood against the wealthiest people in that country, against the legislators, for 17 years. He wrote up legislation to end the slave trade. And on the 23rd of February, 1807, through a bill written by Wilberforce in the House of Commons, the slave trade in Great Britain was ended forever. Friends, God can do great things through small people if they are totally consecrated to the Lord. And Elijah was that kind of a person. He was ready to stand against the world. Elijah stood alone for the Lord. He didn't start a political party. He had no vast organizational network. In fact, there were just a few believers in comparison to the population of Israel at that time. conditions are, believe it or not, great conditions for a revival. Because the Spirit of God does not heal those who are already well, amen? He raises the dead to life. That is what God loves to do. Well, if you know any thing about the history of Israel at this time, Israel was a mess. The people were starving. Remember last week, we found out that the landscape of the country was flooded with Ashtoran and Thael worship. Daily Ahab, the king of northern Israel, and his wife, Gentile wife Jezebel, would worship that god of wood, Thael. When the drought came, Baal had no power to help Ahab and Jezebel. Ahab, at that time, did not care about his people when they were starving. What did we find Ahab doing with his servant, commanding his servant Obadiah to help him? We found him looking for grass. Here, from the great kingdom of Solomon, the kingdom was reduced to Ahab scouring the countryside for grass for a few mules and cattle. We found that his servant Obadiah had more character than the king. found 100 of the priests of the Lord, and he hid them in caves and fed them by 50s. Because there had been a commandment in all of the land for all of the priests of the Lord to be slaughtered. And oh, we have those three great characteristics of the people that God uses. Do you remember what those characteristics are from last week? Tell me the first one. A man or a woman has to be what? Remember? He looks not for talent. He looks for faithfulness. And then he said, don't get ahead of me. You have to have patience. And he says, don't fear a man. Who do you have to fear? Fear the Lord. So those three characteristics in a person that God will always use, faithfulness in the littlest of things, patience to wait in God's perfect and sovereign time, and then the fear of the Lord. Not arrogance to men, but a humble boldness that understands who is in charge of the nations of the world. So Ahab recognized that Elijah was someone to be recognized, re-recognized. Look at 1 Kings 18 and verse 17. We'll begin our text there as we look at total consecration. Verse 17. We have Elijah approaching Ahab. It came to pass that Ahab sought Elijah, that Ahab said unto him, art thou he that troublest Israel? See, Elijah was standing against an entire country. And Ahab saw this as clear as crystal. He didn't say, are you the one that's giving me trouble? He said, are you the one that is changing the climate of the entire nation? One man changing the entire moral climate of a nation. Anyhow, that his blindness could at least understand something was going on. And so Elijah stood firm. But his battle was not against armies. His battle was not against even Ahab himself. His battle was against spiritual blindness. And so we come to our first point, and that is this Elijah's purpose. He had two purposes as he prepares for the great Mount Carmel experience. But his first purpose was to expose sin, to expose the spiritual blindness of a king in a kingdom. I'll tell you the second point, just so you can write it down, in case you miss it when I come to it. His second purpose is going to be to exalt God. The two things that God looks for in a person who's totally consecrated is to expose sin and to exalt God. And so Elijah comes to expose sin. He's the one who troubles Israel in the words of King Ahab. And in doing so, he wrestled for three and a half years, not with flesh and blood. No, his battle was not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. Now, let me stop for a second. come down to earth because I don't live in Israel and neither do you. But you live in a climate of spiritual blindness wherever you are. God wants to use you to expose spiritual blindness. People are blind and they don't even know it. Have you experienced that in your workplace? At the grocery store? You go into any store and there's these awful things that they're doing and promoting, and you wonder, doesn't anybody see? And you know what the answer is to that in this climate? No. And they won't see, and they won't understand. How shall they hear? without a preacher. How are they going to come to acknowledge unless there's an Elijah and you're the Elijah? Elijah and you, and all of God's servants of all times, come to expose sin. That's why God raises us up. That's why he sent the Holy Spirit into the world, to convict of sin, of righteousness, and of judgment. And so Elijah's battle was not against an army, but against the blindness that was in King Ahab's heart, and the blindness that was saturating the culture of the majority of those who lived in Israel. So notice what Ahab calls Elijah. He says, art thou the one that troubleth Israel? Here's Elijah serving God faithfully. And he is marked out as the one who is the problem. He's the troublemaker. even though he's the one that brings glad tidings. He's the one to set the captives free from their idolatry and their servitude and their superstition. He's called the troublemaker. Isn't that how it goes for Christians of all times and believers in the Lord? We're the troublemakers. And that's exactly what They said Amos was. They falsely accused the prophet Amos of being a traitor in Amos 7.10. In the book of Acts, Paul and Silas at Philippi, it was said that they did exceedingly trouble the city in Acts 16.20. In the next chapter, in Acts 17.6, all the early believers were said to have turned the world upside down Paul said, those that preach the gospel are like the off-scouring of the earth. They didn't have sewer systems back then, so they would scour it away. That's what we are in this world. And so let me contrast the biblical picture of the servant of God with this that you see on television. Health, wealth, prosperity, it's all yours if you just believe in Jesus. And send me a check for $100. It's very simple. We could entertain the crowds and bring them in. And you know what we would have at the end of the day? We'd have entertained, inoculated children of hell, ready to split hell wide open. That's not the kind of legacy I want to leave. I want to leave a legacy of spiritual adults and spiritual change. in a city and in a nation. Remember, if you're going to be totally consecrated to God, you must be willing to stand alone against the world. Stand alone against the world and speak the truth regardless of the consequences. Let's look at standing alone against the world. You see, Elijah is called the troubler of Israel because he was the one that was out in front willing to take the heat. He was standing alone against the whole current of the pagan culture in Israel. The truth of the matter is, if you are a Christian living in holiness, you will always be the antithesis of the culture. Always. You will always be exactly the opposite of what is popular in the day. And according to John 7-7, Jesus said, the world cannot hate you, but me it hated, because I testified of it that the works thereof are evil. See, the world doesn't hate you. Who is it that really hates you? Who is it that the world really hates? Jesus in you. They hate Jesus. They hate the Redeemer. They hate the Holy One. False teachers have changed the gospel today. Their gospel is blessed are ye when you have riches and good health and men shall say all manner of praise for your namesake. But the Lord had different words given to me. In Matthew 511, he said, blessed are ye when what? Men shall revile you and persecute you and shall say all their evil against you wholly for my sake. Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward for so persecuting David's prophets which were before you. So you must be willing to stand alone, be the outscouring of the earth. You also must be willing to speak the truth, regardless of the consequences. We need to leave the consequences up to God. Look at verse 2. Elijah answers Ahab. I mean, he speaks the truth. And here is a king who can take his life. He says, I have not troubled Israel, but thou of thy father's house, in that ye have forsaken the commandments of the Lord, and thou hast followed Balaam. They didn't just follow Baal. Balaam is the plurality of Baal. And it indicates that they, both Ahab and Jezebel, his wife, worshipped a variety of false deities. Elijah is not afraid to expose sin and spiritual blindness to this king. Elijah spoke with Baal. Abandonment, even to his own well-being, self-preservation of a reputation. How about you? Are you willing to risk a friendship and share the gospel? Are you willing to do that? Or would you rather keep that friendship and that person lose their soul? Don't you know that God can take our life at any time? Don't you know that? I think back to Thanksgiving, about 15 years ago. I was just a new believer. Remember when you were a new believer? You didn't know you were supposed to be afraid to witness to people. Remember that? Well, I was a new believer. My cousin, Brett, came over. I think I might have told you this story. He was given the gospel, but before the month was over, God required his life. Now tell me, and maybe bread is in heaven today. He may have repented. Because I gave the gospel, there is that opportunity. How about you? Are there those that God has given you a friendship with and you hold your friendship dearer than you hold their own soul? Why don't you expose sin so that God can do a work in your life? Elijah told Ahab, the truth. He told them the truth, regardless of his own self-preservation, with no regard for his self-preservation. And even the writer of Hebrews tells us that we should go forth, therefore, unto him that is without the camp, bearing his reproach. Elijah confronted Ahab. knowing, remember, knowing that Jezebel had a death warrant, had a death warrant for his life. He's not afraid of Ahab because he trusts in the Lord. And so he confronts him. Elijah not only confronts Ahab, but he confronts him specifically with sin. He names the sin. He says, thou at thy father's house. He gets personal in that he had forsaken the commandments of the Lord and has followed Balaam. Elijah goes to Ahab, just like Nathan had gone to David. And he said, thou art a man. You are guilty. You know, let me give you some advice. When you confront an unbeliever about their sin, don't be vague about their sin. You don't have to be nasty, and you don't have to be personal. God has already given us the insight into every man's heart. We talked about it tonight, didn't we? The law of God. rips open the very secrets of men's hearts. Because all men are liars. God is true, but all men are liars. And all men aren't whoremongers, they're acculturers. Because they lust with their eyes. And all men are blasphemers. They take God's name in vain. They even claim to know God, but they blaspheme Him with their lies. All men are guilty. And this is exactly what Elijah did, what they have. He named his sin. He said, you've broken the first and the second commandment. You're guilty. And your father's guilty. You've gone in the way of Amri, your father. Elijah stood not only against this king, but he stood against the whole culture that sat back and approved that the king have sinned. Do you notice that sins That were a reproach to our nation that would not have been committed in our neighborhoods or would have been hidden and we would have all blushed about in our neighborhoods 30 years ago are now being committed by the highest leaders in our land. And now we're not supposed to touch it because it's a, quote unquote, personal matter. Friends, these are public servants. And it's a public matter. But God tells us to confront sin. And Elijah gives us the example. Elijah stood against this culture. And Elijah, though, is not just a prophet of doom. Elijah is not simply there just to expose sin. We're not there just to preach repentance. Repentance without a full turning in faith to God leaves someone still depressed and lost in their sins. But true repentance, biblical repentance, always includes faith. in Jesus Christ. Repentance towards God and faith towards Jesus Christ. And this is what we have a picture of with Elijah. Elijah doesn't simply demonstrate that the sin that this nation and this king were doing were wrong. He gives them He's about to exalt the power of the true and living God. So, two things that someone totally consecrated to God will be doing. Number one, he will be what? Exposing sin. And number two, Elijah's about to get in high gear to bring God back. to be exalted in the land, so that they can have the faith and the understanding to clear those idols and those thrones off the countryside. So Elijah's purpose is not just to expose sin, not just to be a prophet of doom, but to show the power and the majesty of God And so we come to verses 19 and 20. We'll look at verse 19 first. Elijah gives a challenge in preparation to exalt great and mighty power of God. He says to Ahab, now therefore send and gather to thee all Israel unto Mount Carmel. And the prophets of Baal, 450, and the prophets of the groves, 400, which eat at Jezebel's table, Elijah is so confident he's commanding a king around. You see, Elijah has a secret to great authority and confidence. It's actually not a secret. It's well known. It is this power of the Spirit of God. You are convinced that something is God's will, and you are consecrated to do God's will. You give yourself to it. No one and nothing can stop you. God willed you this way through yielded vessels. And there is no one that can dissuade you. when you are fully given over to the Lord. You see, Elijah didn't need an army to take back Israel. He didn't need a moral majority. He had no delegation, and he had no cabinet. Elijah, though, was given extraordinary power and authority, not from this world, but from the world to come. He was given authority from the Lord. And that's so great that we are told that his power and authority was significant enough to grant to John the Baptist the spirit and the power of Elijah. We're told to pray like Elijah prayed. He's given, as an Old Testament saint, to be a New Testament example, and that is extraordinary. And I say that you have greater power than Elijah ever had. You have the same and even exceeding more power than he had. And I'm saying tonight that you as a New Testament post-Pentecost church have more power. who will show how powerless and hopeless and dead-end paganism is. Paganism? Are we really confronting paganism in this culture? I thought our land was a Christian country. If you haven't yet realized that America is as pagan as ancient Babylon, as ancient Assyria, and as ancient Israel was at this time, We may not call our gods Baal and Ashtaroth, but we are just as pagan. You see, God simply will use a yielded vessel. And Elijah needed only the power of the Spirit of God. And God's power, secondly, is evident even to the hardest of unbelievers. And we see this in verse 20. So they have sent unto all the children of Israel and gathered the prophets together at the mouth of Carmel. How many prophets were there? Prophets of Baal and then prophets in the groves? And then a king? And how many men of God were there? How many saints? How many? Totally consecrated people does God need to change the moral climate of a nation or a world? How many? Tell me. One. Because a man doesn't change the climate of the world. God changes it. who do not seek their own glory, men who are jealous of the glory of God, men who believe that their reward will be open if they do what they do in secret. They seek the praise of God alone. And so the prophets come together at the demand of one sold-out, totally consecrated man of God. There's no reason at all that King Ahab and all the priests of Baal should gather together at Mount Carmel and follow Elijah's demand. And yet they did. Why? They saw that something was different about Elijah. He was a man who could pray. And it appeared that there would be a drought. He had been praying for six months when he saw Ahab the first time. And he said, three years you got, three years of drought. So they were very well aware. And even as they hunted him through countryside and through village, he could not be found. A Gentile woman in Jezebel's land was taking care of him. And God was taking care of all of them. And so Ahab saw the power of God. They were desperate. Ahab saw that it was God through Elijah that had stopped the rain. And after three and a half years of drought, it began to dawn on Ahab that Elijah was a man of extraordinary power. Yet even all this judgment did not turn the heart of Ahab or his people. Simply sending rain would not change the moral climate of that country. Simply sending judgment would not change the moral climate of that country. Blessing and judgment did not change the climate of anybody's soul. The very power of God must be manifested. in order for a person to come to faith in Jesus Christ. That's where we leave it. We have to leave it there and next week pick it up at Mount Carmel. So, would you pray in closing? Because Isaiah said that God would rend the heavens, that he would come down, that the mountains might flow down, and his presence. Look what God can do through one totally consecrated man. But what could God do through a totally consecrated church? That God would raise us all up. That is my prayer.