Welcome to the Kerwin Baptist Church broadcast today. Our desire is for the Word of God to be spread throughout the world.
so that all may know Christ. Join us now. For a portion of one of our services here at Kerwin Baptist Church. Located in Kernersville, North Carolina. I'm going to just do a quick review.
We're talking about Elijah as he faced, obviously, the prophets on Mount Carmel. And he goes to King Ahab and he says, God said there's going to be a drought. And there was a drought for a couple years. And then all of a sudden, Elijah shows back up and he's ready. He said, listen, it's time to decide.
So first, we saw in 1 Kings 18, beginning in verse 17 through 21, that there was a confrontation with apathy. And literally, Elijah looks to the people and says, listen, if God be God, serve him. And if Baal is God, serve him. But you're going to have to make a decision. And we went through and showed how apathy blames everyone else but yourself.
That apathy cannot see the real problem. That apathy finds it difficult to choose. Even when you see what's right, it's hard to figure out what is right. And then, next, apathy struggles to act after making a choice. You can sit right here in church and say, Well, I know he's right about that, and God has pointed this out.
And you know, I need to do that. But you walk out of this building when our hearts just don't care, and when we're just apathetic, it's hard to even do right once we figure out what is right. And then, of course, last apathy. paralyzes. Then in verse 22, we saw a contest for fire.
And Elijah here wasn't about making fire, it was about calling down fire from heaven. It wasn't about what we can do as individuals, it was about who has access. To the real God. And we saw a contest with fire, which led us obviously third, we saw a conflict. With false religion, all these prophets they called, screamed out, called out.
Of course, Baal didn't answer. They began to cut themselves and bleed and do all kinds of things. And false religion makes a lot of noise, but there's just no real power. Oh, there's fire, but not God's fire. And then we saw a change that was needed in verse 30 to 35, and that's when Elijah goes in and he repairs the broken altar.
And remember what this means: it means that God wasn't broken down, their altar was broken down. Can I tell you something today? God's not what's broken. You and I are what's broken. And sometimes there's a change.
that is needed. And in that change, we saw next a call. To Jehovah. And that's when Elijah prays to God. We broke down that prayer for you and hope it'll help, but I want you to just review and remind you.
That God sit down a fire. And he consumed the altar that had been doused with 12 barrels of water and everything else. And God came down. It was a called-down fire. It's not something we can work up.
It's something that has to come from God. It was a consuming fire. It lapped up all the water. It lapped up everything. It was a convincing fire, a convicting fire.
All of a sudden, everybody looked and saw that this was the real God, and it was a changing fire. That was a good victorious place to leave off. All right, God sent the fire.
Okay, but here's still a problem. There's still drought. in the land. In fact, they took 12 barrels of water to do this whole thing about the sacrifice. but that still had not produced water for the people.
So we're going to begin in verse 40 and I want to Pick this up, number six. I want you to see a complete purge.
Now look at verse 40. And Elijah said unto them, Take the prophets of Baal. Let not one of them escape. Notice that. Let not one of them.
Not even one. Escape. And they took them, and Elijah brought them down to the brook Kishon, and said, Now you behave.
Now you need to change. We're a church of love. Yeah. And you just be you. It's okay.
Can I tell you that's what's going on in modern religion?
Now, listen, we love people, and listen, you come here how you are, and we love you for who you are, but we want to be the kind of church that you don't stay the way you are. And listen, if there's no conviction and there's no power of God, people are going to come and leave as they are. And can I tell you something? That means church really didn't do anything for you. Here's what's interesting.
When there was something wrong, Elijah said, get rid of them. Totally. Cut it off. What does that mean? It means that Elijah here is purging sin.
When there's something wrong, listen to me, Curling Baptist Church, you have to get rid of it. You can't let it linger, or it's just going to come and take over again. Can I have an amen right there? Listen, Kerwin, when something's wrong, something's wrong. And the longer you let it just stay in your life, well, I know it's wrong, but you know, and I'm not going to do it as much.
Guess what? It's going to take over again.
Well, I know those kids are wrong, but they're fun, and I'm just still gonna go hang out with them. Yeah, you're just gonna end up the exact same place. Yeah, but this is interesting on this blog and on the internet, and I've learned a whole yeah, I understand that, but I'm gonna tell you something: if it's wrong, you better get out of it. You better get away from it. Because don't think, listen, what did God say?
God said, you can't even trust your own heart. And if you can't trust your heart, you can't trust your brain. And you can get real confused on a whole lot of things.
So Elijah says: you know what? I don't want these prophets. Speaking this stuff into people's minds after I've repaired the altars and after we return things the way they are. I don't want these false prophets lingering around. And you say, Preacher, that sounds mean.
And can I say, listen, I'm not saying go kill people you don't agree with. I'm not saying that. It's going to be huge. Anyway, I'm not saying that. What I am saying.
Is that when there's something wrong, You better get rid of it. Guys, like I've said before, and I understand this is a Sunday morning, but if you can't control what you look at on a computer or a phone, smash the computer, get rid of the phone, go back to a flip phone, or don't even have a phone. Because if you don't nip this in the bud, if you don't get rid of it, It's going to come right back to haunt you. You say, preacher, I don't know if I agree with that.
Okay, we'll just sit down there just for a second, all right? Deuteronomy 13, 5. I want you to look at this verse. And that prophet or that dreamer of dreams shall be put to death.
So shalt thou put the evil away from the midst of thee. God commanded Israel to purge false teaching and sin among them completely. No compromise. Look at Numbers 33, 55. But if ye will not drive out, if ye will not drive out the inhabitants of the land from before you, then it shall come to pass.
Remember what he said? If you don't get rid of them, then it shall come to pass that those which ye let remain of them shall be pricks in your eyes and thorns in your sides. Any question about that? He's like, if you don't get rid of it, guess what? They're going to come back and they're going to cause even more damage in your life.
What about Joshua 7:13? Up, sanctify the people. For thus saith the Lord God of Israel, there is an accursed thing in the midst of thee. You've allowed something wrong in your life. And even in your church, thou canst not stand before thine enemies until ye take away the cursed thing from among you.
God cannot bless or protect when sin is tolerated. Look at Romans chapter 6: Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lust thereof. Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin. Don't let sin have control. Don't even give it a foothold, or it will take control.
Look at 1 Corinthians chapter 5. Know ye not that a little leaven leaveneth the whole lump. Purge out, therefore, the old leaven, that ye may be a new lump. That's what I've been praying for years: that God would make me a new lump. But anyway.
Even small hidden sin. We'll spread it to five. God made me a big lump. Anyway, okay. Colossians chapter 3.
Mortify, therefore, your members which are upon the earth. fornication, uncleanliness, inordinate affection, and it goes on. What does he say? Notice what he says. Mortify, put to death, kill him.
Don't leave them there. Don't let them hang on. Don't just leave it there somewhere in your life. Don't just set it aside. Don't just determine I'm not going to do it.
Get rid of it. Look at Matthew chapter 5. And if thy right eye offend thee, pluck it out. And if thy right hand offend thee, cut it off. For it is profitable for thee that none or that one of my members should perish and that thy whole body should be cast into hell.
God says, listen, if you can't control it, get rid of it. God says, listen, it would be better for you to, if you can't control your hand, it would be better to cut it off than for you to go to hell over that thing. Notice what he says in 2 Corinthians 7:1. Having therefore these promises, let us cleanse ourselves from some. Filthiness of the flesh.
No, no, no, no. Let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness. in the fear of God. Can't be holy and sinful. Notice Hebrews chapter 12 verse 1, laying aside Every weight and the sin which doth so easily beset us.
Look at Galatians chapter 5. And they that are Christ's have Christ's. crucified the flesh. With the affections and lust. Sin must be crucified.
Any questions after all those verses? I mean, do you get it? Do you get the principal say amen?
Now I'm not going to keep belaboring a point you say you just did.
Well, it's a point that needs belabored. You're right. All I'm saying is this, listen, you don't like it, and you say, hey, come on, just get onto something else. You might have a teenager sitting here that needs to hear it. You might have a husband or a wife or a brother or a sister or a friend.
You might have somebody here that needs to hear that. What did Elijah do? He said, listen, if we're going to move on. We can't just let that hang out. We're gonna have to get rid of it.
Completely. He said, let every one of them. He killed them all. I want you to notice Next in verse We see a confidence in the promise.
So here's all this that happens. Elijah, fire comes down from heaven. kills the prophets, the evil prophets, and all these things, but we have a problem here. We still don't have water. There still hasn't been rain.
They're still in a drought. And here's the point: God brought the drought to bring light to the point that. To show who the true God is. And so Elijah comes and he has this whole battle with the prophets. And obviously, God shows Himself.
And remember, in the prayer, Elijah never asked God to bring fire. He just asked God to show Himself. And God brought the fire. And we see all this good thing happen. But guess what?
The whole thing was just to show them who God really was. But we still don't have water. We're still in a drought. And can I remind you of a promise? Look at this verse.
Chapter 18, where we're at, but look at verse 1. And it came to pass after many days that the word of the Lord came to Elijah in the third year, third year of drought, saying, Go show thyself unto Hahab. Notice this. And I will send what? Rain.
upon the earth. There's The promise. We go through all the battle, fire comes down from heaven, but we still haven't seen the fulfillment of that. Promise. God never said He would send fire.
He said he would send rain.
Now, God ended up sending fire. But we still don't have rain. I want you to look at verse 41. And Elijah said unto Ahab, This is after the prophets have been killed. Get the up.
Eat and drink. For there is a sound of abundance of rain.
Now It hadn't rained for three years, and here we are, and here's this battle, and all of a sudden. Elijah says, Ahad, listen, just go get yourself something to eat. You go get some rest. Mm-mm. There's a sound of abundance of rain.
Now we know from the following passage, guess what? that there was no sound. There was no thunder, there was no lightning, there was no sign because even Elijah's servant saw absolutely nothing. But he says by faith to Ahab, because God had sent a promise, there is a sound of abundance of rain. Look at verse 42.
So Ahab went up to eat and drink, and Elijah went up to the top of Carmel. And he, do you say caramel or caramel? How many of you say caramel? How many of you say caramel? Good, I'm on the right.
Karma.
Okay. And he said, Mount Karma, and he cast himself down upon the earth. Notice this. and put his face Between his knees. I'm so glad you still don't have to pray that particular way.
Because I might not get up from praying if I do that. Verse 43. and said to his servant, Listen, look at this. Go up now, look toward the sea'. And he went up and looked and said, There is Nothing.
And he said, Go again. Seven times.
Now I want to give you a little bit of a Synopsis on faith, if I can. That's what this passage is really all about. As we read this passage, number one, I want you to see this: that faith believes before. It sees. Faith believes.
Before it sees. Notice in verse 41, he says, For there is a sound of abundance of rain. Elijah heard what nobody else could hear. There were no clouds, there was no wind, there was no sign, just the promise. In verse 1.
Faith doesn't wait for signs. It simply believes what God has spoken. Romans 10, 17 says this, so then faith cometh by Hearing. and hearing by the Word of God.
So, my faith is not built on what I see. My faith is built on what I hear. And what is it that I hear? The Word of God. Yeah.
Sometimes you and I don't see it yet. But that doesn't mean we don't believe it yet. It means God is up to something. Faith believes. Before it seized, nobody else there saw anything.
Nobody else thought rain's coming. But because God had given the promise to Elijah, Elijah says, Hey, Something's happening. God just brought down fire. There is the sound of abundance of rain. Faith believes before it sees.
I've told you, we um my wife and I first got here to Kirwan. We were coming to church, it was the first few weeks, and we were coming to church one Sunday night, and we were talking in the car: man, how can we get growth back at Kirwan Baptist Church? You you guys that have come in the last 10 years have no clue how things were. And Uh you know um What we have on a sunny night now would have overflowed what we had. On a Sunday morning by a long shot.
And I mean, I was coming to church on Sunday nights, and man, there was maybe 100 people, and if that, and different things. We were on our way one Sunday night and we were just thinking, what would it take? to see growth at this church. I mean, just to try to get the bottom of Meyer's auditorium filled. just to get that filled.
And on a Sunday night, and we were on our way talking, we were talking about different things, and boy, I just believe God can do it. And we pulled onto the property, and as we pulled around to the side of Myers, there were the covered walkway is now. There's a door that comes out right there on the side, and a ramp that comes down. And so we pulled around, we were going to come in that door, and we're just thinking, how can we see growth at Kerrwan Baptist Church? And there was a man that doesn't go to our church now, a very large man, and I mean a very, very, very large man.
And he had come out of the building, this is before the service, and we had a railing that used to be there. I think the building might still be there. And he was bent over on that railing, and people are coming in that door. And he was talking on the phone, and you could see this much of his rear end. And there's a neighborhood boy that at that time our ushers were so generous to give him the bulletins to hand out to people as they came in.
And this boy had on. His underwear. No shirt, no pants. And this kid's handing out the papers to people coming in. And here's a guy, half his rear end, and my wife and I just started dying laughing.
We're like, listen, we were way ahead of this. We're going to have to start way back at the beginning to pull your pants up before church on Sunday nights. And hey, let's have ushers with clothes on hand out the thing. We didn't realize how bad stuff had gotten. We just laughed and laughed and laughed.
But can I tell you something? I saw this way before this ever happened. I didn't see it for a good long time. But faith doesn't have to see it. To believe it.
I want you to notice secondly Faith bows before it battles. Look at verse 42.
Here Elijah says, Ahab, you go get you something to eat. And I hear the sound of abundance of rain, and what does he do? He goes right in privacy, he bows down, and he prays. He put his face between his knees. Faith bows.
before it battles. Elijah humbled himself in prayer. Ahab went to go get something to eat. But Elijah went to go pray. Spiritual victory does not come through force, it comes through faithful.
Intercession. This wasn't a public show. This was a private surrender. His posture here reveals his spirit. He was low before God, but he was high in expectancy.
Listen to me, you and I, before we face the world, we need to first face God. He gets down in praise. Faith always bows before it bows. Can I tell you something? Our problem is, as people, sometimes we go to fighting, we go to arguing, we go to saying everything we think before we've ever even spent an hour praying about it.
You know, half the time you complain about something here, have you spent hours praying about it? Or is it just that mad emotion? Faith bows before it battles. Notice number three. Faith continues.
when others quit. Look, if you would, at verse 43, he says, Go up now, look towards the sea. And he went up and looked and said, There is nothing.
So he sends his servant, hey, go out and look. Let's see if rain's coming. And the servant comes back and he says, There's nothing. And may I say this? How often do you and I stop and quit at the first sign of nothing?
Well, I prayed and God did nothing.
Well, I asked God to do this, and He never did. And hey, I've been waiting around forever. Elijah told the servant. Look again. I've been out there.
I looked. I don't see anything. What did Elijah say? Keep. Going out.
Others would have given up, but Elijah kept believing. You know, it's easy to quit when the sky stays empty. But faith keeps on walking. Even when you can't see it. Kerwin, listen to me.
Nothing. Nothing doesn't cancel God's promise. God had promised, and just because the servant couldn't see anything, it doesn't mean that there wasn't. anything. Faith continues.
When others quit, I want you to notice number four. Faith persists. until the promise is delivered. And he said, Go again, listen to this. Seven.
Times.
Now, seven in Scripture, the number seven speaks of completion. It speaks of divine timing. You'll notice in a piano, if you're a music person, that an octave, what we call in an octave, has eight notes, but the eighth note is the beginning of the next octave. There are seven notes, basically, but the eighth note is the beginning. What is that seventh note?
It means it's complete, and then you start the new one. The number seven in the Bible is always the number of completion, even in creation. The number seven is the number of completion. Elijah didn't change his faith. Just because the servant kept coming back with nothing.
He knew that if God said rain was coming, it was going to come. And Elijah determined he was going to send his servant as many times as he needed to. Until rain came. I'm here to tell you today that some of you might have been seeing nothing for a while. Whatever it is you've been burdened about, whatever it is you've been praying, you have seen.
Nothing. And you're beginning to wonder if God is even. listening, listen to me, every trip up that mountain. to look out over that sea was an act. Faith.
Don't stop on five. Don't stop on six. You might miss. what God is getting ready to do. In your life.
Some of you say, Preacher, my marriage right now, I'm seeing nothing.
Some of you say, Preacher, my job right now, I'm seeing nothing.
Some of you say, even my personal life right now, preacher, I'm seeing nothing. And I'm here to tell you, don't stop yet. Have enough faith. Believe God's promise is enough to just keep working. looking until the promise comes.
Notice number eight, we see a cloud. of hope. Look at verse 44. And it came to pass At the seventh time. That he said.
Behold. There ariseth a little cloud of the sea. Out of the sea. Like a man's hand. That's as big as it was.
And he said, Go up, say unto Ahab, Prepare thy chariot, get thee down, that the rain stop thee not. He just said, Go tell the king, get in your chariot and get here, or you're not going to be able to get here with all the water. And it haven't even started raining yet. But all he needed to see Look at me. All he needed to see.
was that. No rain, no thunder, skies clear. The only thing in that entire sky, the servant said, was. A little cloud. Yeah, yeah.
Like the size. of a man's Now there's a whole lot here. Let me unpack it and we'll go home, okay? I want you to notice after years of drought, Elijah prays for rain. He sends his servant to look, nothing.
He comes back six times, nothing. He goes the seventh time, then he comes back. He says, Well, let me tell you, there is a little something there now. It's just a little cloud. Like a man's hand.
Number one, I want you to see the patience before the cloud. And it came to pass at the Seventh. Time. Elijah waited with faith. and sent the servant seven times.
Sometimes God's answer takes time.
Sometimes it takes testing.
Sometimes it takes persistence. Faith that waits. We'll see what the others miss. Yeah, that's good. Listen to me.
Faith that waits. we'll see what others miss. Notice secondly, we see the proportion of the cloud. There ariseth, notice this. A little Cloud.
Not even a big one. Just A little one. In fact, it says it was about the size of a man's hand. Do you know God often begins great things with small things? You know, Zechariah chapter 4 says, Don't despise the day of small beginnings.
Some of you say, I'll tell you, I've been in this marriage so long, and I don't see it. Listen. It just takes a little cloud. I'm here to tell you all you need is a little hope. I'm here to say, you just keep going back.
You just keep going back to the top of that mountain and say, listen, I'm waiting. God gave me a promise. All it takes is something little. And God can do something great. God was getting ready to unleash floods on him.
But it started by faith. And just a little cloud. Notice number three: the place of the cloud. It was out of the sea. You know what the sea is in the Bible?
It's always a picture of mystery, it's a picture of death. depth. It means that God works in unseen places. It means answers often arise from unexpected, untraceable sources. The Bible always says we can't understand the sea.
We'll never understand all the depths and all that. And out of the misunderstood and out of something that we can't understand, that's where God's promise began to rise from. I want you to notice, number four, we see the picture in the cloud. It was like a man's. Hand This is a visual of God's hand.
This is God guiding. This is God providing. This is God performing. The hand represents action. It represents direction.
It represents divine intervention. It's like God is showing us His ability. And I'm here to tell you: maybe you haven't seen all the rain that you want to see in your life, and maybe you haven't seen the floods that you've wanted to see. But I'm here today, and God's brought you here this morning for me to raise up this little handmade illustration and say, Listen, God's got a cloud there, there's hope, God's doing something in your life. I want you to see the preparation after the cloud.
No rain yet, just a cloud. And guess what he says? Go up, say unto Ahab, prepare thy chariot. Listen, I see that God's up to something. All I take to the little clown, and now that faith just goes, you better tell him to get down here, or he's going to get caught in a flood.
Notice number six, we see the power behind the cloud. Notice what he says, prepare thy chariot that the rain stop thee not. Wow.
Okay. Look at me. Only a man of faith will take this. and see floods. Yeah.
Only a man of faith would see A little beginning. And see a huge ending. Only a man of faith. Would be able to do that. Small signs of hope.
lead to great showers of blessing. Don't stop praying because you haven't seen anything yet. Faith keeps watching the horizon. Faith keeps waiting on God to move. William Carey said, expect great things from God, attempt great things from God.
Elijah faced fire, he faced fear, he faced frustration, and he even faced failure. But God still sent the rain. Can I tell you something? God still sends rain on dry places. God still sends hope.
in hard times. God still sends answers an impossible moments. Are you facing a fire? Are you caught in a crisis? Could I ask you something today if I could just do a little application before we close?
Are you needing rain? Is your life? in a drought. Is your spiritual life in a drought right now. Are you dry?
Has it been a while? Has it seemed like it's been A good while since you've seen God do something. I tell you what, and I know I just mentioned this recently, but I had an interesting two and a half months to three months with this kidney stone thing. And I told you all this, but in context, as I was just looking through this, it reminded me. When the doctor said, Listen, you're going to have to have a major surgery, but we're going to have to do a smaller surgery first to get some stones that are there.
then we're going to have to have a major surgery go through your back, get this big stone. It's just there's no way for us to get it. I ended up at another doctor and I said, well, I want to get a second opinion. I went to that doctor and I waited in the waiting room. My appointment time came and went and I sat there three hours.
You think I'm exaggerating. I sat there three hours. You said I would have walked out by then. I was going to too. But I was hurting so bad I couldn't walk.
So I just sat there. Finally, they got me in. The nurse was as rude as can be, and the doctor has the worst bedside manner of any doctor I've ever met. And I sat down and he said, Listen, that stone's too big. We'll have to do a big one out of the back, just like the other guy said.
Thank you for listening today. We hope you received a blessing from our broadcast. The Kerwin Baptist Church is located at 4520 Old Hollow Road in Kernersville, North Carolina. You may also contact us by phone at 336-993-5192. or via the web.
at Kerwin Baptist Church.com. Enjoy our services live and all our media on our website and church app. Thank you for listening to the Kerwin Broadcast today. God bless you.
