WEBVTT 00:00:13.070 --> 00:00:15.949 Welcome to Hub City Vineyard. To get connected 00:00:15.949 --> 00:00:19.530 or to give online, please go to hcv .church slash 00:00:19.530 --> 00:00:23.719 connect or hcv .church slash give. If at any 00:00:23.719 --> 00:00:25.940 point during this message you feel called to 00:00:25.940 --> 00:00:28.760 make a change in your life, text CHANGEME to 00:00:28.760 --> 00:00:33.200 97000. Now enjoy the message. Everybody just 00:00:33.200 --> 00:00:36.679 still loves our second gathering, so we're glad 00:00:36.679 --> 00:00:40.039 you're here. Thank you for joining us. Just a 00:00:40.039 --> 00:00:41.619 couple additional announcements. A big thank 00:00:41.619 --> 00:00:44.359 you to all those who volunteered for our Kids 00:00:44.359 --> 00:00:48.539 Camp 2025 last week. If you're here and you volunteered 00:00:48.539 --> 00:00:52.570 at our Kids Camp, stand up for me, please. Thank 00:00:52.570 --> 00:01:00.810 you. Thank you so much. Alva, be excited about 00:01:00.810 --> 00:01:04.590 serving your kids, man. Now, we had over 100 00:01:04.590 --> 00:01:07.650 kids. They grew closer to Jesus. It was an amazing 00:01:07.650 --> 00:01:10.829 time. Again, thank you. It wouldn't have happened 00:01:10.829 --> 00:01:14.310 without all of our volunteers. Tonight at 6 o 00:01:14.310 --> 00:01:16.549 'clock right here, if you want to hear about... 00:01:16.969 --> 00:01:19.230 The Dominican Republic missions trip that ended 00:01:19.230 --> 00:01:22.269 last week, all of our teens and leaders will 00:01:22.269 --> 00:01:25.150 be sharing a panel discussion, 6 o 'clock tonight, 00:01:25.310 --> 00:01:28.090 right here. If you want to hear what God is doing 00:01:28.090 --> 00:01:31.530 in the DR with missions, and you're an adult, 00:01:31.689 --> 00:01:34.329 you may want to be excited about our adult trip 00:01:34.329 --> 00:01:38.109 next year. And one last announcement. If you're 00:01:38.109 --> 00:01:42.629 an Orioles fan, we learned that there was a faith 00:01:42.629 --> 00:01:47.629 night on August 12th at Orioles. And we're going 00:01:47.629 --> 00:01:49.849 to buy tickets and go together as a group. So 00:01:49.849 --> 00:01:53.489 if you would like to be a part of that trip, 00:01:53.689 --> 00:01:56.769 stop by the Welcome Hub, sign up. We need 16 00:01:56.769 --> 00:02:00.290 people to get the discount for the tickets. So 00:02:00.290 --> 00:02:03.489 if we have 16 people signed up, then we will 00:02:03.489 --> 00:02:08.150 go as a group and participate. Faith Night includes 00:02:08.150 --> 00:02:12.430 worship after the game and testimonies from several 00:02:12.430 --> 00:02:15.669 Orioles players. So it should be a fun trip. 00:02:15.729 --> 00:02:18.409 If you want to go, like I said, sign up at the 00:02:18.409 --> 00:02:21.469 Welcome Hub and we will take care of ordering 00:02:21.469 --> 00:02:24.830 the tickets. So last Sunday, if you did not know 00:02:24.830 --> 00:02:27.430 and you were not here, we kicked off our July 00:02:27.430 --> 00:02:31.490 series, Gods at War, by discussing idolatry. 00:02:31.789 --> 00:02:35.849 And we learned that idolatry is actually the 00:02:35.849 --> 00:02:38.840 issue. Now don't get me wrong, sin is usually 00:02:38.840 --> 00:02:42.699 what we focus on, but it's just the fruit. Idolatry 00:02:42.699 --> 00:02:45.800 is always the tree from which the sin grows. 00:02:46.360 --> 00:02:50.520 So we establish that behind every sin that I 00:02:50.520 --> 00:02:54.300 have, behind every struggle that you have, is 00:02:54.300 --> 00:02:58.400 a false god that is winning the war in our lives. 00:02:58.400 --> 00:03:02.340 Thus the title of our series, Gods at War. Now, 00:03:02.360 --> 00:03:04.419 throughout that talk, we asked several difficult 00:03:04.419 --> 00:03:07.879 questions as we tried to identify some of the 00:03:07.879 --> 00:03:10.340 gods that we wrestle with, that we are warring 00:03:10.340 --> 00:03:13.039 with in our hearts. If you missed that talk, 00:03:13.180 --> 00:03:14.580 I want to encourage you to go back and listen 00:03:14.580 --> 00:03:17.680 to it on our YouTube channel. It's entitled American 00:03:17.680 --> 00:03:21.780 Idols, and it's surely to challenge you in your 00:03:21.780 --> 00:03:24.240 relationship with Jesus. Because see, it's been 00:03:24.240 --> 00:03:27.979 my prayer all week that you discovered if you 00:03:27.979 --> 00:03:30.310 struggle with jealousy, It's not necessarily 00:03:30.310 --> 00:03:33.889 you're a jealous person. It's that chances are 00:03:33.889 --> 00:03:36.930 you've made stuff a God in your life. If you're 00:03:36.930 --> 00:03:39.590 anxious and worried, a lot of the time, it's 00:03:39.590 --> 00:03:42.090 not that you're an anxious person. It's that 00:03:42.090 --> 00:03:45.210 perhaps you've made comfort and security a God 00:03:45.210 --> 00:03:48.590 in your life. If you're losing with lust, maybe 00:03:48.590 --> 00:03:50.770 you've made sex a God in your life. You've struggled 00:03:50.770 --> 00:03:53.469 with gossip. Maybe you made what other people 00:03:53.469 --> 00:03:57.300 think. about you, a God, in your life. If you 00:03:57.300 --> 00:04:00.479 find yourself to be legalistic, religious, and 00:04:00.479 --> 00:04:03.319 self -righteous, maybe it's because you've made 00:04:03.319 --> 00:04:07.580 religious rules into a God of your life. If you're 00:04:07.580 --> 00:04:11.159 proud, maybe it's because you've made yourself. 00:04:12.110 --> 00:04:15.250 An image of God rather than God himself. See, 00:04:15.310 --> 00:04:18.410 behind every sin that I struggle with, that you 00:04:18.410 --> 00:04:21.209 struggle with, is a false God that is winning 00:04:21.209 --> 00:04:23.769 the war. And see, for many followers of Jesus, 00:04:23.850 --> 00:04:27.709 their focus is always on the sin. They focus 00:04:27.709 --> 00:04:30.649 on the sin in their life and on this mental determination 00:04:30.649 --> 00:04:34.709 to stop doing that sin. I can't do it anymore. 00:04:34.970 --> 00:04:38.829 And if you really get to the point, it's not 00:04:38.829 --> 00:04:42.350 necessarily the sin. Because below every sin, 00:04:42.370 --> 00:04:45.029 underneath every sin is a false God that's winning 00:04:45.029 --> 00:04:47.850 the war of our hearts. And until that God is 00:04:47.850 --> 00:04:51.089 defeated and removed, we're going to constantly 00:04:51.089 --> 00:04:54.350 be frustrated. Until that God is cast out of 00:04:54.350 --> 00:04:57.209 our hearts, we will not know what victory is. 00:04:57.470 --> 00:05:00.529 So we have tried to identify some of those gods 00:05:00.529 --> 00:05:03.430 in week one. And now we're talking about how 00:05:03.430 --> 00:05:06.410 do we focus on and make Jesus our number one 00:05:06.410 --> 00:05:10.689 priority. For you, the question is, What are 00:05:10.689 --> 00:05:12.269 some of the gods that you're struggling with? 00:05:12.629 --> 00:05:15.949 What are the gods at war within your heart? And 00:05:15.949 --> 00:05:18.730 if you're like me, and most of you are, then 00:05:18.730 --> 00:05:20.670 you'll probably find that some of the hardest 00:05:20.670 --> 00:05:24.850 gods to defeat in our heart are the gods of pleasure. 00:05:25.430 --> 00:05:27.870 And before we jump into our first thought, I 00:05:27.870 --> 00:05:29.470 just want to open in prayer, invite the Holy 00:05:29.470 --> 00:05:31.970 Spirit to come. Because this is one of those 00:05:31.970 --> 00:05:35.449 talks where it can radically change lives. And 00:05:35.449 --> 00:05:37.230 when that happens, there's a lot of distractions. 00:05:37.810 --> 00:05:40.629 Even in our first gathering, our technical equipment 00:05:40.629 --> 00:05:45.490 didn't work. Shocker. So I want to silence those 00:05:45.490 --> 00:05:48.449 distractions and invite the Holy Spirit to radically 00:05:48.449 --> 00:05:52.350 change us today. Amen? Holy Spirit, come. God, 00:05:52.410 --> 00:05:55.170 we're just thankful for what you want to do in 00:05:55.170 --> 00:05:59.110 this gathering on this Sunday. Change us. Make 00:05:59.110 --> 00:06:02.779 us more like your son, God. Reveal to us any 00:06:02.779 --> 00:06:05.100 areas that are not lining up with you. And more 00:06:05.100 --> 00:06:08.579 importantly, God, give us the courage, the faith 00:06:08.579 --> 00:06:13.420 to step out and be changed. In Jesus' name, amen. 00:06:13.920 --> 00:06:16.120 So that prayer leads us to our first thought 00:06:16.120 --> 00:06:19.259 this morning. When good things become God things, 00:06:19.620 --> 00:06:23.240 then it's idolatry. See, we continually find 00:06:23.240 --> 00:06:27.639 ourselves distracted by what feels good. After 00:06:27.639 --> 00:06:30.860 all, our culture, right, within it, the motto 00:06:30.860 --> 00:06:34.699 is, if it feels good, do it. If you have an appetite 00:06:34.699 --> 00:06:37.699 for it, feed it. If you have an itch, scratch 00:06:37.699 --> 00:06:41.339 it. Like, constantly make yourself comfortable. 00:06:41.800 --> 00:06:44.459 If you've got this pleasure or desire, then go 00:06:44.459 --> 00:06:47.079 ahead and satisfy it. So these gods of pleasure 00:06:47.079 --> 00:06:51.060 are everywhere. And like I said earlier, they're 00:06:51.060 --> 00:06:52.939 the most difficult to defeat because many of 00:06:52.939 --> 00:06:56.250 these gods, they're not evil. They're not satanic. 00:06:56.250 --> 00:06:58.230 They're not wrong. Instead, they're actually 00:06:58.230 --> 00:07:03.189 gifts given to us by God himself that we as people 00:07:03.189 --> 00:07:06.769 have turned into gods. We took God's good gifts 00:07:06.769 --> 00:07:09.629 and turned them into gods that we worship and 00:07:09.629 --> 00:07:12.470 follow and steal our time. We took a gift that 00:07:12.470 --> 00:07:15.930 God gave us and we turned it into his primary 00:07:15.930 --> 00:07:19.389 competition. Imagine for a second you're a parent 00:07:19.389 --> 00:07:22.410 and you buy your child a brand new PlayStation 00:07:22.410 --> 00:07:26.209 5 for their birthday. You take it home. Your 00:07:26.209 --> 00:07:29.149 son or daughter, they're ecstatic when they open 00:07:29.149 --> 00:07:31.370 up the gift. They give you a big high five, a 00:07:31.370 --> 00:07:33.910 hug, a thank you. And in your mind, you think 00:07:33.910 --> 00:07:37.649 it was worth every penny. Your child sets up 00:07:37.649 --> 00:07:40.670 the PlayStation, begins to play. And as they 00:07:40.670 --> 00:07:43.389 play, you see them experiencing joy, which brings 00:07:43.389 --> 00:07:47.290 you joy. But after a few weeks, it seems like 00:07:47.290 --> 00:07:50.430 all they really want to do now is play video 00:07:50.430 --> 00:07:53.529 games. They're actually complaining about a loss 00:07:53.529 --> 00:07:55.589 of connection and friendships that they're losing. 00:07:55.990 --> 00:07:58.389 So you come home from work one day and you want 00:07:58.389 --> 00:08:01.170 to spend time with your child. But your child 00:08:01.170 --> 00:08:03.089 doesn't want to spend time with you because they'd 00:08:03.089 --> 00:08:08.029 rather be playing games. What happened? The gift 00:08:08.029 --> 00:08:12.550 replaced the giver. At least practically speaking, 00:08:12.750 --> 00:08:15.990 the gift means more to that person than the one 00:08:15.990 --> 00:08:18.529 who gave it. And this is what we've done in a 00:08:18.529 --> 00:08:21.209 lot of ways with the gifts that God has given 00:08:21.209 --> 00:08:24.649 us so that we can experience joy and comfort 00:08:24.649 --> 00:08:27.069 and peace. We've turned them into a competition. 00:08:27.790 --> 00:08:30.209 These are the gods that can be the hardest to 00:08:30.209 --> 00:08:34.029 identify and to destroy. Listen to these words 00:08:34.029 --> 00:08:37.549 from John Piper. He writes, the greatest enemy 00:08:37.549 --> 00:08:41.759 for God is not poison, but apple pie. It is not 00:08:41.759 --> 00:08:43.879 the banquet of the wicked, the dolls or appetite 00:08:43.879 --> 00:08:47.019 for the banquet of heaven, but endless nibbling 00:08:47.019 --> 00:08:49.980 at the table of the world. It's not the X -rated 00:08:49.980 --> 00:08:53.279 video, but the prime time drive to triviality 00:08:53.279 --> 00:08:56.720 we drink in every single night. The greatest 00:08:56.720 --> 00:08:59.000 adversary of love to God is not his enemies, 00:08:59.179 --> 00:09:02.419 but his gifts. And the most deadly appetites 00:09:02.419 --> 00:09:05.539 are not for the poison of evil, but for the simple 00:09:05.539 --> 00:09:08.980 pleasures of earth. For when these replace an 00:09:08.980 --> 00:09:12.539 appetite for God himself, The idolatry is scarcely 00:09:12.539 --> 00:09:15.740 recognizable. These are not evil in themselves. 00:09:16.100 --> 00:09:19.600 These are not vices. These are gifts from God. 00:09:19.840 --> 00:09:22.620 They are your basic meat and potatoes and coffee 00:09:22.620 --> 00:09:24.600 and gardening and reading and decorating and 00:09:24.600 --> 00:09:27.340 traveling and investing and TV watching and social 00:09:27.340 --> 00:09:29.679 media and shopping and exercising and collecting 00:09:29.679 --> 00:09:34.059 and talking. And all of them can become deadly 00:09:34.059 --> 00:09:38.870 substitutes for God. Do you see why these gods 00:09:38.870 --> 00:09:41.009 of pleasure can be so dangerous? Because they're 00:09:41.009 --> 00:09:45.009 gifts. And oftentimes, gifts given to us from 00:09:45.009 --> 00:09:47.490 God himself, and we've turned them into competition. 00:09:48.090 --> 00:09:51.629 Now, last week, we discussed Joshua chapter 24. 00:09:52.110 --> 00:09:56.830 And Joshua, at that point in Scripture, was about 00:09:56.830 --> 00:09:59.610 110 years old. He gathers the nation of Israel 00:09:59.610 --> 00:10:02.710 together for his final speech, and he throws 00:10:02.710 --> 00:10:06.049 down a challenge in Joshua 24, 14 through 15. 00:10:06.830 --> 00:10:10.389 Fear the Lord. Serve him wholeheartedly. Put 00:10:10.389 --> 00:10:12.970 away forever the idols your ancestors worshipped 00:10:12.970 --> 00:10:15.570 when they lived beyond the Euphrates River and 00:10:15.570 --> 00:10:19.210 in Egypt. Serve the Lord alone. But if you refuse 00:10:19.210 --> 00:10:21.809 to serve the Lord, then choose today whom you 00:10:21.809 --> 00:10:24.629 will serve. Would you prefer the gods your ancestors 00:10:24.629 --> 00:10:27.649 served beyond the Euphrates or be the gods of 00:10:27.649 --> 00:10:30.490 the Amorites in whose land you now live? But 00:10:30.490 --> 00:10:34.210 as for me and my family, we will serve the Lord. 00:10:34.789 --> 00:10:37.370 See, basically in these words, Joshua is saying, 00:10:37.529 --> 00:10:40.850 everybody's going to worship something. It's 00:10:40.850 --> 00:10:43.929 not a matter of when you will worship, who you 00:10:43.929 --> 00:10:47.649 will worship. It's what you will worship. And 00:10:47.649 --> 00:10:50.850 he's saying, choose today whom you will serve, 00:10:51.009 --> 00:10:53.809 whom you will worship. And all the people, we 00:10:53.809 --> 00:10:57.549 learned in Joshua 24, said, it's God. We're going 00:10:57.549 --> 00:11:00.549 to worship God, the Lord God. And Joshua says 00:11:00.549 --> 00:11:02.769 to them, then go ahead and destroy all your idols. 00:11:03.549 --> 00:11:07.470 All your false gods that you brought into this 00:11:07.470 --> 00:11:10.769 land from Egypt. Then we jumped into the New 00:11:10.769 --> 00:11:14.870 Testament where we were reminded in John 1, 5, 00:11:15.009 --> 00:11:17.730 21. Dear children, keep away from anything that 00:11:17.730 --> 00:11:20.610 might take God's place in your hearts. Including 00:11:20.610 --> 00:11:24.690 those good gifts that he's given us. Today, we're 00:11:24.690 --> 00:11:26.590 going to jump ahead in the Old Testament. We'll 00:11:26.590 --> 00:11:30.330 be reading from 1 Kings chapter 18. And between... 00:11:30.720 --> 00:11:34.379 Joshua 24 and 1 Kings 18, hundreds of years have 00:11:34.379 --> 00:11:37.759 passed in Israel's history. And a few important 00:11:37.759 --> 00:11:39.600 things had happened that we need to know. First, 00:11:40.019 --> 00:11:43.039 Israel is now split in two. You had the northern 00:11:43.039 --> 00:11:46.019 kingdom of Israel and the southern kingdom. The 00:11:46.019 --> 00:11:49.080 northern kingdom was ruled by a king named Jeroboam. 00:11:49.860 --> 00:11:52.960 Jeroboam had a real practical problem on his 00:11:52.960 --> 00:11:57.000 hands in that Jerusalem was where the place people 00:11:57.000 --> 00:11:59.480 would go to worship. But Jerusalem, of course, 00:11:59.559 --> 00:12:02.100 was in the southern kingdom. He didn't want his 00:12:02.100 --> 00:12:04.799 people leaving the northern kingdom for the southern 00:12:04.799 --> 00:12:07.419 kingdom. He wanted them to stay away from that 00:12:07.419 --> 00:12:09.980 land. So he gathers the people together and he 00:12:09.980 --> 00:12:12.820 says, listen, down there in the southern kingdom, 00:12:12.840 --> 00:12:15.659 traffic is horrible. The parking lot's a mess. 00:12:16.019 --> 00:12:19.240 There's no open spots. It's just a bunch of woods. 00:12:19.340 --> 00:12:20.980 You don't want to travel all the way down there 00:12:20.980 --> 00:12:23.860 to Jerusalem. Just stay here and worship. In 00:12:23.860 --> 00:12:27.039 fact, we have all these gods that you can worship 00:12:27.039 --> 00:12:31.429 right. Here. And he goes into a building, pulls 00:12:31.429 --> 00:12:34.590 out all the false gods and idols, blows off the 00:12:34.590 --> 00:12:38.190 dust, and raises them up for everyone to see. 00:12:38.669 --> 00:12:40.830 Now, do you know where all these false gods came 00:12:40.830 --> 00:12:45.610 from? Egypt. See, the people didn't destroy the 00:12:45.610 --> 00:12:49.029 gods. They just hid them away in the closet. 00:12:50.289 --> 00:12:53.389 Kind of sounds familiar, doesn't it? We overcome 00:12:53.389 --> 00:12:57.440 a sin. We move forward with Jesus. Six months 00:12:57.440 --> 00:13:00.700 later, we're tempted, we give in, and that sin 00:13:00.700 --> 00:13:04.960 overtakes us with power because we never dealt 00:13:04.960 --> 00:13:09.120 with it properly. They had just stored those 00:13:09.120 --> 00:13:12.159 gods away for a little while, and now hundreds 00:13:12.159 --> 00:13:14.000 of years later, they're back with a vengeance. 00:13:14.100 --> 00:13:17.120 In fact, as you read through Israel's history 00:13:17.120 --> 00:13:18.960 in the Old Testament, if you're anything like 00:13:18.960 --> 00:13:22.909 me, it's not real encouraging. Because it's king 00:13:22.909 --> 00:13:26.750 after king after king entrenched in idol worship. 00:13:27.029 --> 00:13:30.169 And eventually in 1 Kings 16, we read about this 00:13:30.169 --> 00:13:34.049 guy named Ahab. Ahab, son of Omri, began to rule 00:13:34.049 --> 00:13:36.789 over Israel in the 38th year of King Asa's reign 00:13:36.789 --> 00:13:40.750 in Judah. He reigned in Samaria 22 years. But 00:13:40.750 --> 00:13:43.389 Ahab, son of Omri, did what was evil in the Lord's 00:13:43.389 --> 00:13:47.370 sight. Even more than any of the kings before 00:13:47.370 --> 00:13:49.759 him. And please understand, if you read about 00:13:49.759 --> 00:13:52.720 the kings before him, they were evil. But see, 00:13:52.779 --> 00:13:56.740 one of the things Ahab did that really pulled 00:13:56.740 --> 00:13:59.000 him down to a new low of lows was he married 00:13:59.000 --> 00:14:02.360 a woman named Jezebel. She was the princess of 00:14:02.360 --> 00:14:05.480 the Sidonians. So she comes in from this foreign 00:14:05.480 --> 00:14:10.019 nation. Ahab makes her in charge of his religious 00:14:10.019 --> 00:14:13.639 cabinet. So she finds all the prophets of God, 00:14:13.740 --> 00:14:16.480 the Lord God, that she can. She has them killed 00:14:16.480 --> 00:14:19.940 and executed. Then Jezebel sets up an order to 00:14:19.940 --> 00:14:23.840 her primary God, which was Baal. Then she builds 00:14:23.840 --> 00:14:26.240 Baal a temple in the northern kingdom of Israel. 00:14:26.500 --> 00:14:29.379 And we must remember, we learned last week, God 00:14:29.379 --> 00:14:33.379 is a jealous God. And eventually he had enough 00:14:33.379 --> 00:14:36.039 of this idol worship and he's going to put a 00:14:36.039 --> 00:14:38.899 stop to it. So he calls to his prophet Elijah 00:14:38.899 --> 00:14:41.399 and he says to Elijah, I want you to go to Ahab 00:14:41.399 --> 00:14:44.799 and deliver him a message which leads us to our 00:14:44.799 --> 00:14:48.179 next thought. See, when living in sin, Jesus' 00:14:48.299 --> 00:14:51.659 followers experienced God's active and passive 00:14:51.659 --> 00:14:55.399 displeasure. Or you could say anger. 1 Kings 00:14:55.399 --> 00:14:59.200 17 .1 we read, Now Elijah, who was from Tishbe 00:14:59.200 --> 00:15:01.799 in Gilead, told King Ahab, As surely as the Lord, 00:15:01.919 --> 00:15:05.539 the God of Israel, lives, the God I serve, there 00:15:05.539 --> 00:15:08.480 will be no dew or rain during the next few years 00:15:08.480 --> 00:15:11.659 until I give the word. So Elijah the prophet, 00:15:11.740 --> 00:15:14.139 he goes to the king and he says, A drought's 00:15:14.139 --> 00:15:17.549 coming. Now please, you have to understand, Baal, 00:15:17.710 --> 00:15:19.929 the God that they had been worshiping, that had 00:15:19.929 --> 00:15:23.230 been set up in the temple, primarily was the 00:15:23.230 --> 00:15:26.809 God of rain. He was the God of weather. So God 00:15:26.809 --> 00:15:28.889 looks at Israel as a nation and he says, okay, 00:15:29.049 --> 00:15:31.809 if you're gonna worship Baal as your primary 00:15:31.809 --> 00:15:35.450 God, the God of rain, then I'm gonna stop the 00:15:35.450 --> 00:15:38.870 rain. I'm not gonna allow it to rain for several 00:15:38.870 --> 00:15:41.429 years. And oftentimes this is what God does. 00:15:41.970 --> 00:15:45.190 See, he sees an area in our life, that has become 00:15:45.190 --> 00:15:48.350 too important to us. In fact, it's more important 00:15:48.350 --> 00:15:51.649 than him, and he withdraws his blessing on that 00:15:51.649 --> 00:15:54.629 area of our life. And many of us can relate. 00:15:55.049 --> 00:15:57.429 Some of you, even this morning, you're frustrated 00:15:57.429 --> 00:16:00.649 in areas of your life because you've made them 00:16:00.649 --> 00:16:03.850 too important, and God said, okay, I'm gonna 00:16:03.850 --> 00:16:06.649 remove my hand of blessing on that area of your 00:16:06.649 --> 00:16:09.090 life. For example, maybe you put your marriage 00:16:09.090 --> 00:16:11.809 ahead of God. Maybe you put your work ahead of 00:16:11.809 --> 00:16:14.539 God, your finances. Some of you have put your 00:16:14.539 --> 00:16:16.820 sports teams ahead of God or you put your happiness 00:16:16.820 --> 00:16:21.080 ahead of God. Well, don't be surprised if these 00:16:21.080 --> 00:16:24.500 areas suddenly are the most frustrating areas 00:16:24.500 --> 00:16:27.220 of your life. Because God says, if you're gonna 00:16:27.220 --> 00:16:29.659 put them ahead of me, I'm not gonna send the 00:16:29.659 --> 00:16:32.980 rain. There's not gonna be a blessing. See, what 00:16:32.980 --> 00:16:35.720 Israel is experiencing here is what theologians 00:16:35.720 --> 00:16:40.039 would call the active anger of God. The active 00:16:40.039 --> 00:16:43.029 anger. In other words, God's just not going to 00:16:43.029 --> 00:16:46.110 sit by any longer and let you live in disobedience, 00:16:46.110 --> 00:16:49.590 sin, and idolatry. Instead, he's going to actively 00:16:49.590 --> 00:16:53.289 do something about it. And with Israel, he withholds 00:16:53.289 --> 00:16:56.690 the rain. Now, there are other times he doesn't 00:16:56.690 --> 00:16:58.950 work this way. Other times when we're living 00:16:58.950 --> 00:17:01.830 in a pattern of sin or idolatry, we don't experience 00:17:01.830 --> 00:17:05.490 God's active anger. We experience what theologians 00:17:05.490 --> 00:17:08.769 call God's passive anger. His passive anger. 00:17:08.930 --> 00:17:11.230 And this is where God says, I'm just going to 00:17:11.230 --> 00:17:14.450 let you live with the natural consequences that 00:17:14.450 --> 00:17:17.990 come when I am not first in your life. And we 00:17:17.990 --> 00:17:21.369 read all about this in Romans chapter 1. Romans 00:17:21.369 --> 00:17:24.609 chapter 1 is all about idolatry. In three different 00:17:24.609 --> 00:17:27.769 places in Romans chapter 1, Paul writes, God 00:17:27.769 --> 00:17:31.549 abandoned them to do whatever shameful things 00:17:31.549 --> 00:17:36.190 their hearts desired. Let's read in Romans chapter 00:17:36.190 --> 00:17:40.220 1, verses 21 to 28. Yes, they knew God. But they 00:17:40.220 --> 00:17:42.119 wouldn't worship him as God or even give him 00:17:42.119 --> 00:17:44.779 thanks. And they began to think up foolish ideas 00:17:44.779 --> 00:17:48.039 of what God was like. As a result, their minds 00:17:48.039 --> 00:17:51.720 became dark and confused. So God abandoned them 00:17:51.720 --> 00:17:54.359 to do whatever shameful things their heart desired. 00:17:54.779 --> 00:17:57.960 He traded the truth about God for a lie. So they 00:17:57.960 --> 00:18:01.539 worshiped and served the things God created instead 00:18:01.539 --> 00:18:04.559 of the creator himself. His good gifts, who is 00:18:04.559 --> 00:18:07.680 worthy of eternal praise. That is why God abandoned 00:18:07.680 --> 00:18:11.470 them. to their shameful desires. Since they thought 00:18:11.470 --> 00:18:14.009 it foolish to acknowledge God, he abandoned them 00:18:14.009 --> 00:18:16.910 to their foolish thinking and let them do things 00:18:16.910 --> 00:18:18.690 they should never be done. In other words, God 00:18:18.690 --> 00:18:21.769 is saying, if that's what you want, that's what 00:18:21.769 --> 00:18:26.349 you can have. It's his passive anger. And when 00:18:26.349 --> 00:18:29.170 we live with the natural consequences that come 00:18:29.170 --> 00:18:33.430 when we're not living in abundance and putting 00:18:33.430 --> 00:18:36.329 God first, we're gonna experience feelings of 00:18:36.329 --> 00:18:43.359 guilt. Shame, regret, anxiety, and fear. And 00:18:43.359 --> 00:18:45.380 why is that? It's because we're living in a sinful 00:18:45.380 --> 00:18:49.799 pattern. We're guilty of idolatry. And we're 00:18:49.799 --> 00:18:53.140 experiencing God's passive anger. But again, 00:18:53.220 --> 00:18:57.079 it could be an active anger. Whichever one, the 00:18:57.079 --> 00:19:00.740 point is God is withholding his blessing on your 00:19:00.740 --> 00:19:04.640 life. And if you'll turn it over to him. and 00:19:04.640 --> 00:19:07.400 you lay it down at his feet, and you ask forgiveness, 00:19:07.480 --> 00:19:10.319 you repent, you turn away, oftentimes he's going 00:19:10.319 --> 00:19:12.759 to send the rain when we put him first in our 00:19:12.759 --> 00:19:15.759 life. Amen? I still remember when Jess and I 00:19:15.759 --> 00:19:18.359 first met. We were working together at Red Lobster. 00:19:18.380 --> 00:19:20.579 I began to talk to her because I was attracted 00:19:20.579 --> 00:19:24.039 to her. Jess had struggled with relationships, 00:19:24.200 --> 00:19:26.680 so her immediate response was to point me to 00:19:26.680 --> 00:19:30.759 Jesus. She wanted to get rid of me. I want to 00:19:30.759 --> 00:19:32.180 be a missionary. I want to go all around the 00:19:32.180 --> 00:19:34.680 world. I want to tell people about Jesus. She 00:19:34.680 --> 00:19:36.880 didn't expect me to say, oh, well, tell me more. 00:19:39.140 --> 00:19:42.380 And over the next year, we developed a friendship. 00:19:42.700 --> 00:19:45.700 We would get closer. We'd become friends. And 00:19:45.700 --> 00:19:48.279 then she would constantly, several times throughout 00:19:48.279 --> 00:19:50.420 that year, reiterate, I don't want a relationship. 00:19:51.339 --> 00:19:54.220 I don't need a boyfriend. They're my downfall. 00:19:54.759 --> 00:19:57.079 I must have gotten dumped eight times throughout 00:19:57.079 --> 00:19:59.799 that year. To which I said, I thought we weren't 00:19:59.799 --> 00:20:03.000 dating. I was trying to learn out this whole 00:20:03.000 --> 00:20:05.460 Jesus dating thing. I thought we were friends. 00:20:05.640 --> 00:20:10.180 I thought, what's going on? A year after we initially 00:20:10.180 --> 00:20:12.160 met, we found ourselves on a missions trip together 00:20:12.160 --> 00:20:15.319 in Ecuador. And it was then that God spoke to 00:20:15.319 --> 00:20:17.160 her in a vision that we were supposed to be together. 00:20:17.599 --> 00:20:21.589 A year later, we would be married. So remember, 00:20:21.829 --> 00:20:24.250 she has struggled with the idea of a relationship, 00:20:24.490 --> 00:20:27.509 an idea of the opposite sex, and what's what 00:20:27.509 --> 00:20:29.430 pulled her away from God. But when God spoke 00:20:29.430 --> 00:20:32.089 to her, then God brought a blessing into her 00:20:32.089 --> 00:20:38.190 life. Not that I'm a blessing. But let me be 00:20:38.190 --> 00:20:40.930 real clear here. For those of you who are single, 00:20:41.089 --> 00:20:44.660 this isn't a guaranteed formula. It's not something 00:20:44.660 --> 00:20:46.920 where you can go to God and say, okay, God, I'm 00:20:46.920 --> 00:20:49.799 putting you first in my life. Now send the rain 00:20:49.799 --> 00:20:53.460 and bring someone into my life. That's what I 00:20:53.460 --> 00:20:56.460 really want. That's not how it works either. 00:20:56.920 --> 00:21:01.799 See, God knows our hearts, but he often does 00:21:01.799 --> 00:21:04.799 operate that way. So don't be surprised if there's 00:21:04.799 --> 00:21:06.480 some things in your life that have become too 00:21:06.480 --> 00:21:10.079 important to you if God sends a drought. And 00:21:10.079 --> 00:21:12.759 some of you are in a drought right now. It might 00:21:12.759 --> 00:21:14.759 be a work drought where you're frustrated and 00:21:14.759 --> 00:21:16.920 can't stand your job. It could be a financial 00:21:16.920 --> 00:21:19.400 drought where you can't get all your bills paid. 00:21:19.500 --> 00:21:20.799 It could be a marriage drought where you're not 00:21:20.799 --> 00:21:22.859 on the same page. It could be a happiness drought 00:21:22.859 --> 00:21:24.839 where you're searching for all the happiness 00:21:24.839 --> 00:21:27.940 in the wrong places. And God is drawing you back 00:21:27.940 --> 00:21:31.920 to him. He's inviting you to return to make him 00:21:31.920 --> 00:21:34.920 first in your life. Then when we turn to him 00:21:34.920 --> 00:21:37.259 and we look up to him, we will feel a drop of 00:21:37.259 --> 00:21:39.680 rain on our face and we're refreshed. And so 00:21:39.680 --> 00:21:42.359 many of you experience that every single Sunday 00:21:42.359 --> 00:21:44.900 when you come here. You're in worship. You're 00:21:44.900 --> 00:21:47.220 extending your hands. God sends the rain. You 00:21:47.220 --> 00:21:51.259 feel the blessing on your life. You recommit. 00:21:51.259 --> 00:21:54.019 You repent. You ask for forgiveness. You leave 00:21:54.019 --> 00:21:57.319 this place in tears. And then Monday comes and 00:21:57.319 --> 00:21:59.599 work happens and you're right back to where you 00:21:59.599 --> 00:22:03.890 were. Because you've lost your faith. priority. 00:22:05.069 --> 00:22:08.250 So God sends Elijah to says to the king, listen, 00:22:08.490 --> 00:22:10.809 there's going to be a drought in the land a few 00:22:10.809 --> 00:22:14.029 years past. There's no rain. God made his point. 00:22:14.210 --> 00:22:17.309 And then he sends Elijah back to Ahab. And basically, 00:22:17.390 --> 00:22:20.509 Elijah sets up what you would call modern day 00:22:20.509 --> 00:22:24.150 cage match between God and the gods of Baal. 00:22:24.710 --> 00:22:27.279 If any of you are looking to make a movie. this 00:22:27.279 --> 00:22:30.019 would be a great movie. And we read in 1 Kings 00:22:30.019 --> 00:22:33.339 18, 19 to 21, now summon all Israel to join me 00:22:33.339 --> 00:22:37.960 at Mount Carmel along with 450 prophets of Baal 00:22:37.960 --> 00:22:41.359 and the 400 prophets of Asherah who were supported 00:22:41.359 --> 00:22:44.680 by Jezebel. So Ahab summoned all the people of 00:22:44.680 --> 00:22:47.400 Israel and the prophets to Mount Carmel. Now 00:22:47.400 --> 00:22:49.980 Mount Carmel is kind of an ancient location where 00:22:49.980 --> 00:22:53.180 God had been worshiped and it's where the people 00:22:53.180 --> 00:22:55.900 brought sacrifices to the Lord for many years. 00:22:56.559 --> 00:22:58.660 So they decide to meet on Mount Carmel. Verse 00:22:58.660 --> 00:23:01.680 21 says, and Elijah stood in front of them and 00:23:01.680 --> 00:23:05.079 said, how much longer will you waver, hobbling 00:23:05.079 --> 00:23:07.460 between two opinions if the Lord is God? Follow 00:23:07.460 --> 00:23:10.519 him. But if Baal is God, then follow him, which 00:23:10.519 --> 00:23:13.420 leads us to our third thought this morning. Humanity 00:23:13.420 --> 00:23:16.839 doesn't want to be forced to choose. We don't 00:23:16.839 --> 00:23:20.880 like to choose. And we read in 1 Kings 18, 21, 00:23:21.039 --> 00:23:24.940 Elijah stood in front of them. Stop hobbling. 00:23:25.369 --> 00:23:29.789 Between two opinions. Choose God. Choose Baal. 00:23:29.869 --> 00:23:33.150 But notice what is written. But the people were 00:23:33.150 --> 00:23:39.289 completely silent. The people said nothing. And 00:23:39.289 --> 00:23:41.630 all this week as I was reading these words. Why? 00:23:42.170 --> 00:23:45.150 Why were they silent? And then God kind of revealed. 00:23:45.970 --> 00:23:49.470 That's how humanity is. They were silent because 00:23:49.470 --> 00:23:50.930 they didn't want to have to choose. They wanted 00:23:50.930 --> 00:23:56.160 both and. They wanted God. And they wanted Baal. 00:23:57.220 --> 00:24:00.480 Elijah's saying, no, choose one. But the people 00:24:00.480 --> 00:24:03.039 remained silent. They wanted both. They said 00:24:03.039 --> 00:24:06.119 nothing because we don't like to be forced to 00:24:06.119 --> 00:24:09.180 choose. And I believe that's why many people 00:24:09.180 --> 00:24:11.079 don't come to church or gather on Sunday mornings. 00:24:12.059 --> 00:24:14.380 They would say, if you ask them, oh yeah, I believe 00:24:14.380 --> 00:24:18.420 in God. I love God, in fact. I really do. I just 00:24:18.420 --> 00:24:20.619 don't believe in organized religion. I don't 00:24:20.619 --> 00:24:23.390 go to church. Why? Why would they say that? Well, 00:24:23.410 --> 00:24:24.950 if you get down to it, I'm telling you, it's 00:24:24.950 --> 00:24:28.109 this. They don't want to have to choose. They 00:24:28.109 --> 00:24:31.269 don't want to choose. They don't want to hear 00:24:31.269 --> 00:24:33.589 the truth. Romans 10, 13, everyone who calls 00:24:33.589 --> 00:24:35.970 on the name of the Lord will be saved. They don't 00:24:35.970 --> 00:24:37.430 want to hear the truth that it's about putting 00:24:37.430 --> 00:24:40.849 Jesus first in our lives. See, they would rather 00:24:40.849 --> 00:24:44.509 sit on a love seat. And for many of us, we love 00:24:44.509 --> 00:24:47.410 to have God sit on the love seat of our hearts. 00:24:48.269 --> 00:24:51.309 God, you're welcome to join me on this love seat. 00:24:51.930 --> 00:24:54.170 But please understand you're expected to share 00:24:54.170 --> 00:24:57.730 that with someone else. And that's what some 00:24:57.730 --> 00:24:59.730 of us say. We say, God, you can share my love 00:24:59.730 --> 00:25:02.569 seat, but I need to keep another space for Netflix. 00:25:04.289 --> 00:25:06.630 I need to be able to binge watch my shows. It's 00:25:06.630 --> 00:25:08.509 how I relax. Do you realize God doesn't even 00:25:08.509 --> 00:25:11.990 care about the stuff you watch? He doesn't care. 00:25:12.890 --> 00:25:14.650 He doesn't care about it. He just wants your 00:25:14.650 --> 00:25:18.089 heart. See, we put God on the love seat of our 00:25:18.089 --> 00:25:19.650 hearts, and we say, God, I'm going to share you 00:25:19.650 --> 00:25:23.089 with. With my sports teams. After all, Sundays 00:25:23.089 --> 00:25:26.809 are for football, aren't they? Or worse yet, 00:25:26.849 --> 00:25:31.190 maybe we try to share God with something that's 00:25:31.190 --> 00:25:35.009 completely opposite of who he is. You don't want 00:25:35.009 --> 00:25:36.650 to have to choose between God and pornography. 00:25:36.769 --> 00:25:38.269 You don't want to have to choose between God 00:25:38.269 --> 00:25:40.609 and alcohol or illicit drugs. You don't want 00:25:40.609 --> 00:25:42.890 to have to choose between God and fixing up your 00:25:42.890 --> 00:25:45.349 car or decorating your house. You don't want 00:25:45.349 --> 00:25:48.480 to have to choose between God and golf. See, 00:25:48.539 --> 00:25:50.539 again, many of these things that we share our 00:25:50.539 --> 00:25:53.619 heart with, they're not evil or wrong. But remember, 00:25:53.759 --> 00:25:56.259 when good things become God things, then it's 00:25:56.259 --> 00:25:59.740 idolatry. And God's going to step in and say, 00:25:59.799 --> 00:26:02.680 no, that doesn't work here. And if you think 00:26:02.680 --> 00:26:04.480 you're sharing God with something else in your 00:26:04.480 --> 00:26:07.480 heart, God's not going to just sit around and 00:26:07.480 --> 00:26:10.819 let you do it because he's a jealous God. And 00:26:10.819 --> 00:26:12.720 he's going to challenge us to change. So the 00:26:12.720 --> 00:26:15.710 stage is set. The people are watching. Who's 00:26:15.710 --> 00:26:17.970 gonna win this great battle? You can hear the 00:26:17.970 --> 00:26:21.390 anticipation. They're on Mount Carmel, and we 00:26:21.390 --> 00:26:25.609 read in 1 Kings 18, 25, 28, and Elijah said to 00:26:25.609 --> 00:26:28.190 the prophets of Baal, you go first, for there 00:26:28.190 --> 00:26:31.269 are many of you. I mean, what a generous guy. 00:26:31.349 --> 00:26:34.829 Gives them home court advantage, right? Choose 00:26:34.829 --> 00:26:37.769 one of the bulls and prepare it and call on the 00:26:37.769 --> 00:26:39.509 name of your God, but do not set fire to the 00:26:39.509 --> 00:26:42.349 wood. So they prepared one of the bulls and placed 00:26:42.349 --> 00:26:44.670 it on the altar. Then they called on the name 00:26:44.670 --> 00:26:46.869 of Baal from morning until noontime, shouting, 00:26:47.009 --> 00:26:50.869 Oh, Baal, answer us. But there was no reply of 00:26:50.869 --> 00:26:53.690 any kind. Then they danced, hobbling around the 00:26:53.690 --> 00:26:56.349 altar they had made. And about noontime, Elijah 00:26:56.349 --> 00:27:00.109 began mocking them. Check this guy out. How do 00:27:00.109 --> 00:27:02.509 you not love this guy? He starts trash talking. 00:27:03.109 --> 00:27:06.690 Just throwing down on the prophets of Baal. Shout 00:27:06.690 --> 00:27:12.349 louder! For surely he's the God. Oh, that's right. 00:27:12.410 --> 00:27:15.910 Perhaps he's daydreaming. Oh, perhaps he's going 00:27:15.910 --> 00:27:20.690 to the bathroom. Or maybe he is away on a trip 00:27:20.690 --> 00:27:24.289 or is asleep and needs to be awakened. So they 00:27:24.289 --> 00:27:28.029 shouted louder. And following their normal custom, 00:27:28.069 --> 00:27:30.890 they cut themselves with knives and swords until 00:27:30.890 --> 00:27:35.269 the blood gushed out. So you get the picture 00:27:35.269 --> 00:27:37.349 here, right? They're dancing. They're shouting. 00:27:37.529 --> 00:27:39.690 Eventually, they're taking swords and knives. 00:27:39.750 --> 00:27:42.369 They're cutting themselves, right? This is one 00:27:42.369 --> 00:27:44.349 of the reasons about tattoos, right? They're 00:27:44.349 --> 00:27:46.190 just a re -inference that those of you that, 00:27:46.210 --> 00:27:50.269 oh, tattoos are a sin. Again, God reiterating 00:27:50.269 --> 00:27:53.970 when you're cutting yourself to other gods, that's 00:27:53.970 --> 00:27:56.089 a sin, which leads us to our fourth and final 00:27:56.089 --> 00:28:00.589 thought. Humanity sacrifices abundance for gods 00:28:00.589 --> 00:28:04.410 of pleasure. 1 Kings 18, 28, so they shouted 00:28:04.410 --> 00:28:06.109 louder and following their normal custom, they 00:28:06.109 --> 00:28:09.009 cut themselves with knives and swords until blood 00:28:09.009 --> 00:28:13.250 gushed out. Now when we read that, right, our 00:28:13.250 --> 00:28:15.150 initial thought is we're beyond that, Chris. 00:28:16.170 --> 00:28:20.549 That's primitive. But listen, I think we bleed 00:28:20.549 --> 00:28:23.769 for our gods too. Some of you have bled for your 00:28:23.769 --> 00:28:26.529 gods of pleasure. Some of you have sacrificed 00:28:26.529 --> 00:28:29.460 your family for a god of pleasure. Some of you 00:28:29.460 --> 00:28:32.880 sacrificed your career, your finances, your future. 00:28:33.619 --> 00:28:37.240 Some of you sacrificed your reputation for a 00:28:37.240 --> 00:28:41.039 God of pleasure. You have bled for those gods. 00:28:41.240 --> 00:28:44.099 And quite often when we talk about idolatry, 00:28:44.099 --> 00:28:46.180 again, so many people put, oh, that's Old Testament. 00:28:46.279 --> 00:28:48.420 But there's plenty of scriptures throughout the 00:28:48.420 --> 00:28:50.500 New Testament that references this truth. Look 00:28:50.500 --> 00:28:53.460 at Colossians 3. Put to death the sinful earthly 00:28:53.460 --> 00:28:55.500 things lurking within you have nothing to do 00:28:55.500 --> 00:28:57.779 with sexual immorality, impurity, lust, and evil 00:28:57.779 --> 00:29:00.559 desires. Don't be greedy for a greedy person 00:29:00.559 --> 00:29:05.700 is an idolater. Worshiping the things of this 00:29:05.700 --> 00:29:09.380 world. 1 Corinthians 10, 14. So my dear friends, 00:29:09.519 --> 00:29:12.400 flee from the worship of idols. 1 Peter 4, 3. 00:29:12.779 --> 00:29:15.180 You have had enough in the past of the evil things 00:29:15.180 --> 00:29:18.500 that godless people enjoy. Their immorality and 00:29:18.500 --> 00:29:20.519 lust, their feasting and drunkenness and wild 00:29:20.519 --> 00:29:24.299 parties. and their terrible worship of idols. 00:29:25.140 --> 00:29:27.279 And one of the main things, and when you look 00:29:27.279 --> 00:29:29.559 to the New Testament that constantly is referencing 00:29:29.559 --> 00:29:34.400 idols, is sexual sins and lust. And for so many 00:29:34.400 --> 00:29:36.819 people in the United States, pornography has 00:29:36.819 --> 00:29:39.160 become one of the most popular gods in our culture. 00:29:40.319 --> 00:29:42.640 Citizens in the United States spent more than 00:29:42.640 --> 00:29:47.549 $40 billion on pornography in 2024. Last year, 00:29:47.569 --> 00:29:49.930 it grossed more than country music, classical 00:29:49.930 --> 00:29:54.309 music, and rock music all combined. Pornography 00:29:54.309 --> 00:29:57.150 grossed more than professional baseball, football, 00:29:57.470 --> 00:30:00.549 and basketball all put together. It made more 00:30:00.549 --> 00:30:05.849 money than ABC, NBC, CBS, Fox all put together. 00:30:06.089 --> 00:30:08.910 And according to one research I did, it's the 00:30:08.910 --> 00:30:13.509 number one searched word on the internet. 70 00:30:13.509 --> 00:30:17.289 % of pornographic internet traffic takes place 00:30:17.289 --> 00:30:21.990 between 9 a .m. and 5 p .m. every single day 00:30:21.990 --> 00:30:25.549 when we're supposed to be working. And you tell 00:30:25.549 --> 00:30:29.369 me the U .S. citizens haven't bled for our gods 00:30:29.369 --> 00:30:33.390 of pleasure. They bleed. Some of you have bled 00:30:33.390 --> 00:30:35.369 for the god of alcohol and you know the results 00:30:35.369 --> 00:30:38.230 of it. Some of you have sacrificed your marriage. 00:30:38.910 --> 00:30:42.029 To that God. Some of you have bled for the pleasure 00:30:42.029 --> 00:30:45.049 of food. And you've sacrificed your health. To 00:30:45.049 --> 00:30:48.690 that God. We bleed for entertainment. Binge watching 00:30:48.690 --> 00:30:51.529 movies and series on Netflix. And other streaming 00:30:51.529 --> 00:30:55.049 services. Many people waste their precious time. 00:30:55.210 --> 00:30:58.849 Endlessly. Scrolling through social media. Sacrificing 00:30:58.849 --> 00:31:01.549 a relationship with their children. For that 00:31:01.549 --> 00:31:06.809 God of pleasure. Church we bleed. We still bleed 00:31:06.809 --> 00:31:12.559 for our. Let's continue 1 Kings 18. Then Elijah 00:31:12.559 --> 00:31:15.079 called to the people, come over here. They all 00:31:15.079 --> 00:31:17.599 crowded around him. And as he repaired the altar 00:31:17.599 --> 00:31:19.380 of the Lord that had been torn down. This was 00:31:19.380 --> 00:31:26.380 the original altar that was destroyed by. He 00:31:26.380 --> 00:31:28.619 took 12 stones, one to represent each of the 00:31:28.619 --> 00:31:30.880 tribes of Israel, and he used the stones to rebuild 00:31:30.880 --> 00:31:33.140 the altar in the name of the Lord. Then he dug 00:31:33.140 --> 00:31:35.220 a trench around the altar large enough to hold 00:31:35.220 --> 00:31:37.940 about three gallons. He piled wood on the altar, 00:31:38.039 --> 00:31:39.900 cut the bull into pieces, and laid the pieces 00:31:39.900 --> 00:31:43.200 on the wood. Then he said, fill four large jars 00:31:43.200 --> 00:31:45.420 with water and pour the water of the offering 00:31:45.420 --> 00:31:48.099 in the wood. After they had done this, he said, 00:31:48.140 --> 00:31:50.319 do the same thing again. And when they were finished, 00:31:50.480 --> 00:31:53.039 he said, do it a third time. So they did as he 00:31:53.039 --> 00:31:55.259 said. And when the water ran all around the altar 00:31:55.259 --> 00:31:57.640 and even filled the trench, basically Elijah's 00:31:57.640 --> 00:32:01.039 saying, God's got this. It doesn't matter what 00:32:01.039 --> 00:32:05.220 you do. There'd been dancing all morning, chanting, 00:32:05.519 --> 00:32:09.180 cutting, bleeding. Elijah steps forward and listen 00:32:09.180 --> 00:32:12.890 to this simple, humble prayer. At the usual time 00:32:12.890 --> 00:32:15.329 for offering the evening sacrifice, Elijah the 00:32:15.329 --> 00:32:18.049 prophet walked up to the altar and prayed, O 00:32:18.049 --> 00:32:20.029 Lord, God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, prove 00:32:20.029 --> 00:32:21.930 today that you are God in Israel and that I am 00:32:21.930 --> 00:32:24.390 your servant. Prove that I have done all this 00:32:24.390 --> 00:32:26.990 at your command. O Lord, answer me. Answer me 00:32:26.990 --> 00:32:29.670 so these people will know that you, O Lord, are 00:32:29.670 --> 00:32:32.630 God and that you have brought them back to yourself. 00:32:33.399 --> 00:32:35.220 Immediately the fire of the Lord flashed down 00:32:35.220 --> 00:32:36.940 from heaven and burned up the young bull, the 00:32:36.940 --> 00:32:39.160 wood, the stones, and the dust. It even licked 00:32:39.160 --> 00:32:40.900 up all the water in the trench. And when all 00:32:40.900 --> 00:32:43.420 the people saw it, they fell face down on the 00:32:43.420 --> 00:32:46.220 ground and cried out, Lord, he is God. Yes, the 00:32:46.220 --> 00:32:53.059 Lord is God. God wins the war. It wasn't even 00:32:53.059 --> 00:32:57.119 a challenge, to be honest. But the people, they 00:32:57.119 --> 00:32:59.960 see the power of God, they destroy their false 00:32:59.960 --> 00:33:03.660 idols, they remove the false prophets, and they 00:33:03.660 --> 00:33:07.460 put God back in glory. And this is the challenge 00:33:07.460 --> 00:33:11.099 for all of us. How do we defeat these gods of 00:33:11.099 --> 00:33:15.900 pleasure? Because let's be honest, some of you 00:33:15.900 --> 00:33:18.140 have a god of pleasure that's taken priority 00:33:18.140 --> 00:33:20.559 over God in your heart. And you've tried again 00:33:20.559 --> 00:33:22.940 and again and again to defeat it, to remove it, 00:33:23.000 --> 00:33:25.519 but unfortunately it remains. Where's victory 00:33:25.519 --> 00:33:28.859 found? Well, I want to introduce you to an idea. 00:33:28.880 --> 00:33:30.940 I believe this idea is the truth that will set 00:33:30.940 --> 00:33:34.839 you free for the very first time. 150 years ago, 00:33:34.980 --> 00:33:38.180 a man named Thomas Chalmers introduced the truth 00:33:38.180 --> 00:33:41.299 in a sermon that then became a book that reads 00:33:41.299 --> 00:33:46.359 the expulsive power of a new affection. The expulsive 00:33:46.359 --> 00:33:49.359 power of a new affection. In other words, the 00:33:49.359 --> 00:33:52.559 most effective way. To remove a false God that 00:33:52.559 --> 00:33:54.720 has a grip on your heart is to replace it with 00:33:54.720 --> 00:33:57.880 a new God, a God of greater affection, which 00:33:57.880 --> 00:34:01.619 leads to our one action step this morning, defeating 00:34:01.619 --> 00:34:04.680 gods of pleasure. Church, we have to replace 00:34:04.680 --> 00:34:08.880 worldly desires with a love for God. We have 00:34:08.880 --> 00:34:11.880 to replace worldly desires with a love for God. 00:34:11.960 --> 00:34:16.179 When we try to gain control of a false God in 00:34:16.179 --> 00:34:20.449 our life by rejecting it, By focusing on that 00:34:20.449 --> 00:34:22.730 God, you know what it does? It gives that God 00:34:22.730 --> 00:34:26.510 more power. We empower that God. When I'm sharing 00:34:26.510 --> 00:34:28.809 on Sunday mornings, I say, well, here are the 00:34:28.809 --> 00:34:31.949 consequences. Here's what happens when you worship 00:34:31.949 --> 00:34:34.949 this false God. It might lead you to asking for 00:34:34.949 --> 00:34:37.690 forgiveness. You may be convicted, but it rarely 00:34:37.690 --> 00:34:41.349 leads to long -term change. Why? Because there 00:34:41.349 --> 00:34:43.769 must be an expulsive power of a new affection. 00:34:44.550 --> 00:34:48.030 It's not just enough to resist it. You have to 00:34:48.030 --> 00:34:51.309 replace it. You have to get rid of it. So a little 00:34:51.309 --> 00:34:53.250 experiment that I read about this week that I 00:34:53.250 --> 00:34:56.010 want to try on all of you. Right now, in your 00:34:56.010 --> 00:34:58.909 minds, whatever you do, don't think about snakes. 00:35:00.030 --> 00:35:02.230 Okay, don't think about the snake that's under 00:35:02.230 --> 00:35:05.969 your chair, that's crawling through the chairs 00:35:05.969 --> 00:35:12.409 towards you right now. That snake could bite 00:35:12.409 --> 00:35:16.150 your toe. So how many of you right now, by show 00:35:16.150 --> 00:35:21.039 of hands, We're just thinking about snakes. Okay, 00:35:21.139 --> 00:35:22.719 for those of you who aren't, that's impressive. 00:35:22.719 --> 00:35:27.800 You're ruining my example. Good job. Feel very 00:35:27.800 --> 00:35:31.340 proud of yourself. Okay, let's take it a step 00:35:31.340 --> 00:35:34.780 further. Let's switch gears. Don't think about 00:35:34.780 --> 00:35:36.980 snakes. I want you to think about an ice cold 00:35:36.980 --> 00:35:41.079 Dr. Pepper. It's a hot sunny day. You go inside. 00:35:41.619 --> 00:35:45.380 You take a sip of water. It's not enough. And 00:35:45.380 --> 00:35:49.519 you crack open an ice cold soda. It tastes so 00:35:49.519 --> 00:35:51.920 good. So how many of you think about snakes now? 00:35:53.199 --> 00:35:55.619 Yeah, no one. None of you thinking about snakes. 00:35:56.280 --> 00:35:58.079 Because you're thinking that Dr. Pepper looks 00:35:58.079 --> 00:36:02.840 good. And you're like, what's the point? It's 00:36:02.840 --> 00:36:07.309 not enough just to resist. It's not enough to 00:36:07.309 --> 00:36:10.250 resist. And sometimes when we focus on something, 00:36:10.469 --> 00:36:13.809 we are giving it power. We have to replace worldly 00:36:13.809 --> 00:36:19.010 desires with what? A love for God. And when we 00:36:19.010 --> 00:36:21.710 replace it, that's when we break free. John Wimber, 00:36:21.869 --> 00:36:24.130 founder of the Vineyard Movement, says it this 00:36:24.130 --> 00:36:27.670 way. The more I think about sinning, the more 00:36:27.670 --> 00:36:31.010 I sin. But the more I think about just loving 00:36:31.010 --> 00:36:36.050 Jesus, the less I seem to sin. falling in love 00:36:36.050 --> 00:36:42.590 seems to be the key. Wimber is suggesting that 00:36:42.590 --> 00:36:48.250 personal righteousness and avoiding sin, they 00:36:48.250 --> 00:36:50.789 can be counterproductive when we focus on them. 00:36:51.050 --> 00:36:54.610 Instead, he says, no, the importance is falling 00:36:54.610 --> 00:36:58.190 in love with Jesus, learning who Jesus was, learning 00:36:58.190 --> 00:37:00.989 how he lived his life, learning how he spoke. 00:37:01.070 --> 00:37:05.159 It decreases our sinful behavior. Why? Because 00:37:05.159 --> 00:37:08.699 this is kingdom theology. It's the belief that 00:37:08.699 --> 00:37:11.079 a personal relationship with God through Jesus 00:37:11.079 --> 00:37:14.460 is the driver of our spiritual growth and change. 00:37:14.920 --> 00:37:17.880 See, when we believe that actively pursuing a 00:37:17.880 --> 00:37:20.800 love for Jesus rather than focusing on avoiding 00:37:20.800 --> 00:37:27.800 sin is the key to abundant life. God must be 00:37:27.800 --> 00:37:31.539 our greatest pleasure. That's why John tells 00:37:31.539 --> 00:37:34.659 us in 1 John 2, Don't love this world nor the 00:37:34.659 --> 00:37:36.679 thing it offers you, for when you love the world, 00:37:36.820 --> 00:37:41.760 you do not have the Father's love in you. Jesus 00:37:41.760 --> 00:37:43.820 tells us a parable about our treasure in Matthew 00:37:43.820 --> 00:37:46.719 13. The kingdom of heaven is like a treasure 00:37:46.719 --> 00:37:49.320 that a man discovered hidden in a field. In his 00:37:49.320 --> 00:37:52.059 excitement, he hid it again and sold everything 00:37:52.059 --> 00:37:55.579 he owned to get enough money to buy that field. 00:37:56.219 --> 00:37:59.820 See, when God is our greatest pleasure, all those 00:37:59.820 --> 00:38:03.269 lesser gods and temptations, they just... fade 00:38:03.269 --> 00:38:07.150 away. Psalm 37, 4 says, take delight in the Lord 00:38:07.150 --> 00:38:12.829 and he will give you your heart's desires. And 00:38:12.829 --> 00:38:15.269 the best way that we can draw closer to God, 00:38:15.309 --> 00:38:17.210 that we can connect with God is through worship. 00:38:17.869 --> 00:38:20.269 See, when we worship God, and I don't mean just 00:38:20.269 --> 00:38:23.030 singing songs. Listen, if you haven't learned 00:38:23.030 --> 00:38:27.070 this about HCV yet, it's not about you coming 00:38:27.070 --> 00:38:28.710 in and singing songs. Do we want you to sing 00:38:28.710 --> 00:38:30.920 songs? Of course we do. Do we want you to raise 00:38:30.920 --> 00:38:32.760 your arms? Of course we do. But we want you to 00:38:32.760 --> 00:38:35.380 do it out of a love for God, not out of just 00:38:35.380 --> 00:38:40.159 singing karaoke on a screen. Right? We want you 00:38:40.159 --> 00:38:42.519 to do it out of your love and desire for God. 00:38:43.360 --> 00:38:45.579 Worship is not about checking your watch and 00:38:45.579 --> 00:38:46.960 wondering when you're going to go get lunch. 00:38:47.760 --> 00:38:50.199 Worship is not about caring what the person beside 00:38:50.199 --> 00:38:54.820 you thinks when you are weeping or crying. Worship 00:38:54.820 --> 00:38:57.780 is about prioritizing Jesus, the exclusive power 00:38:57.780 --> 00:39:04.739 for him to set you free. And as we do that, then 00:39:04.739 --> 00:39:08.739 those gods that are ahead of him fade away. Amen? 00:39:10.460 --> 00:39:12.559 But some of you are here today and you've never 00:39:12.559 --> 00:39:17.280 been in a relationship with Jesus. And now God 00:39:17.280 --> 00:39:19.980 is saying to you, are you going to be like the 00:39:19.980 --> 00:39:25.699 people that Joshua expressed? Choose who you 00:39:25.699 --> 00:39:28.739 will serve. Are you going to be like the people? 00:39:29.449 --> 00:39:31.809 And just remain silent when Elijah posed the 00:39:31.809 --> 00:39:35.190 question. See, Jesus is the key to abundant life 00:39:35.190 --> 00:39:37.889 and we gotta put him first. And some of you haven't 00:39:37.889 --> 00:39:40.050 made that a priority and thus the reason you're 00:39:40.050 --> 00:39:44.010 falling further and further and not being happy 00:39:44.010 --> 00:39:46.530 or experiencing abundant life. So we're gonna 00:39:46.530 --> 00:39:48.170 pray a simple prayer. I'm gonna invite all of 00:39:48.170 --> 00:39:50.849 us to pray it together. And if you've never prayed 00:39:50.849 --> 00:39:54.710 this prayer, pray it with all of us because I 00:39:54.710 --> 00:39:56.710 believe God wants to radically change your life. 00:39:57.030 --> 00:40:01.920 Jesus. I'm broken. I'm full of doubt, shame, 00:40:02.199 --> 00:40:08.239 regret, sin. Change me. I believe you're God's 00:40:08.239 --> 00:40:13.119 son. I believe you died for me. Make me new. 00:40:13.780 --> 00:40:19.079 Set me free. Fill me with your spirit. Help me, 00:40:19.099 --> 00:40:24.699 God, to serve others. In Jesus' name, amen. If 00:40:24.699 --> 00:40:26.119 you prayed that prayer for the first time, see 00:40:26.119 --> 00:40:29.179 me as you leave. Hug me. Text me. Do something 00:40:29.179 --> 00:40:31.739 because I want to tell you to get baptized. But 00:40:31.739 --> 00:40:33.519 before we go, we're going to worship. And listen, 00:40:33.820 --> 00:40:36.880 for some of you, I want to challenge you to worship 00:40:36.880 --> 00:40:39.719 like you've never worshipped before. Sing to 00:40:39.719 --> 00:40:44.440 God, not to the band. Sing to God, not the screen. 00:40:45.400 --> 00:40:48.380 Sing to God, not to the people beside you. This 00:40:48.380 --> 00:40:51.400 isn't a show. Make it a personal encounter between 00:40:51.400 --> 00:40:54.619 you and Him. Amen? Now, there was three words 00:40:54.619 --> 00:40:56.420 of knowledge. Our prayer team will be here on 00:40:56.420 --> 00:40:59.679 the right. to pray for you as you sing in worship. 00:41:00.440 --> 00:41:02.760 You have pain in the lower part of your stomach. 00:41:03.199 --> 00:41:05.579 You have an inner ear infection in your left 00:41:05.579 --> 00:41:09.480 ear. You have cervical pain closer to the base 00:41:09.480 --> 00:41:12.619 of your neck. If any of those are you, we believe 00:41:12.619 --> 00:41:14.239 God wants to heal you. If you have any other 00:41:14.239 --> 00:41:17.239 need while we worship, get up here and get prayer 00:41:17.239 --> 00:41:20.559 because God's in the business of releasing miracles 00:41:20.559 --> 00:41:23.559 in this house. Amen? Let's stand together and 00:41:23.559 --> 00:41:32.239 let's worship. that you are working now.