This morning, we return to our consideration of our Lord's work through His prophet Elijah. Considering 1 Kings 19, verses 1 and 2, we will back up to chapter 18, verse 36. To be reminded again of where we have been, chapter 19 now marks quite a transition. And really the first few verses, kind of an introduction to what will come after this in Elijah's life through the Lord Himself. We consider chapter 19, verses 1 and 2, maybe somewhat of a strange text, but we pray our Lord will bless it this morning. Before we read that portion, allow me just to read a couple of verses from 2 Corinthians 2, verses 12-16. Paul says, Now when I went to Troas to preach the gospel of Christ and found that the Lord had opened a door for me, I still had no peace of mind because I did not find my brother Titus there. So I said goodbye to them and went on to Macedonia. But thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumphal procession in Christ and through us spreads everywhere the fragrance of the knowledge of Him. For we are to God the aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are perishing. To the one we are the smell of death. To the other, the fragrance of life. And who is equal to such a task? 1 Kings 18, beginning at verse 36, as we continue hearing the Word of the Lord. At the time of sacrifice, the prophet Elijah stepped forward and prayed, O Lord God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, let it be known today that You are God in Israel and that I am Your servant and have done all these things at Your command. Answer me, O Lord, answer me, so these people will know that You, O Lord, are God and that You are turning their hearts back again. Then the fire of the Lord fell and burned up the sacrifice, the wood, the stones, and the soil, and also licked up the water in the trench. When all the people saw this, they fell prostrate and cried, The Lord, He is God! The Lord, He is God! Then Elijah commanded them, Seize the prophets of Baal. Don't let anyone get away. They seized them, and Elijah had them brought down to the Kishon Valley and slaughtered there. And Elijah said to Ahab, Go, eat and drink, for there is the sound of a heavy rain. So Ahab went off to eat and drink, but Elijah climbed to the top of Carmel, bent down to the ground, and put his face between his knees. Go and look toward the sea, he told his servants. And he went up and looked. There is nothing there, he said. Seven times, Elijah said, go back. The seventh time, the servant reported, a cloud as small as a man's hand is rising from the sea. So Elijah said, go and tell Ahab, hitch up your chariot and go down before the rain stops you. Meanwhile, the sky grew black with clouds. The wind rose. A heavy rain came on and Ahab rode off to Jezreel. The power of the Lord came upon Elijah and tucking his cloak into his belt, he ran ahead of Ahab all the way to Jezreel. Now Ahab told Jezebel everything Elijah had done and how he had killed all the prophets with the sword. So Jezebel sent a messenger to Elijah to say, May the gods deal with me, be it ever so severely, if by this time tomorrow I do not make your life like that of one of them. Elijah was afraid and ran for his life. When he came to Beersheba and Judah, he left his servant there. while he himself went a day's journey into the desert. He came to a broom tree, sat down under it, and prayed that he might die. Now Ahab told Jezebel everything Elijah had done and how he had killed all the prophets with a sword. So Jezebel sent a messenger to Elijah to say, May the gods deal with me, be it ever so severely, if by this time tomorrow I do not make your life like that of one of them. There ends the reading of God's holy Word. May He add His blessing to it this morning. Well, beloved in the Lord Jesus Christ, what a day it had been. What a life-changing mountaintop experience had taken place on Carmel. Things were, no doubt, as Elijah was concerned, things were looking up as Baal had proven himself to be powerless. As he had shown himself to be absolutely nothing. But also as Jehovah revealed His power through that awesome fire which even consumed the stones and the soil and the water in a miraculous way. As well, His deity was confessed by the people. The Lord, He is God. The people saw what Elijah had hoped that they would see. The Lord in all of this. They confessed the Lord, He is God, The One and Only. And indeed, how things were looking up as God's justice was revealed through the execution of Baal's prophets according to God's law that He had given to Moses. And as well, the blessing of the Lord was revealed through the refreshing rain and the removal of the drought. Things were indeed looking up. What a day it had been! As Elijah led Ahab down the mountain to Jezreel, what confidence he must have had that Israel was on the cutting edge of reformation and revival. But all of a sudden, all of a sudden, that mountaintop experience falls into the valley of despair because of the anger and the hatred and attack against the revelation of Jehovah. Yet we ought not be surprised by that, should we? Because as Jesus would say later in Matthew 10, do not think that I came to bring peace on earth. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword. He did not come to make peace with this wicked world. He came to do battle against the evil one and his wicked hosts, which have always been out to destroy the church from the very beginning. That antithesis, beloved, between God and Satan, between good and evil, between the seed of the woman and the seed of the serpent, between the church and the world, that antithesis is very real and it will continue as long as evil is allowed to roam the earth. And as the book of Revelation reminds us, it will only intensify. Christ did not come to make peace with this wicked world. Yet, praise be to God, we know how it will end, don't we? Yet, until that day when Jesus Christ comes again to put all of His enemies under His feet, Until that day, the flame of the antithesis is fanned through the revelation of God. Through the proclamation of the Gospel. As the church is preaching and as the believer's witness to the world is both of grace to believers, life, as Paul says, but also of judgment to unbelievers, The smell of death. At the outset, we too are to be reminded this morning, beloved, that the church's task is not to seek peace with the world. But the church's task is to promote peace with God by preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ, yet a gospel that will, because of its very nature, it will disturb the world's peace. The world's peace which is nothing but the peace of death, of sin and death. Again, in 1 Kings 19, the Lord now is about to teach Elijah a valuable lesson. A lesson really introduced by verses 1, 2, and 3. And before that lesson, and even before Elijah's response to Jezebel's threat, But we notice here this morning, the wicked react to the revelation of God. And we notice this reaction, first of all, through Ahab's distorted report. A distorted report of the Lord's victory. A distorted report clearly from an unchanged heart. Now Jezebel, we know, was not present on the mountain. Jezebel did not know what had taken place. for all she knew, the rain that was coming down had been sent by Baal. He was the one they believed was the one who sent that. For all she knew, her idolatrous grip on Israel had become stronger while the worship of Jehovah had been all but stamped out. She was not there. But Ahab was an eyewitness. He was an eyewitness, think about it, to the beauty of the Lord's revelation. He was an eyewitness to the power and the reality of the covenant God. He was an eyewitness to the nothingness of Baal. He was an eyewitness to the revelation of Jehovah's grace on the one hand and judgment on the other hand. He was a witness to the confession of the people. Yet it's clear that he was unmoved. It's clear that he could care less about it. It is clear that he was hardened in his unbelief as he gives Elijah undeserved credit, and we might add blame. Verse 1, Now Ahab told Jezebel everything Elijah had done and how he had killed all the prophets with the sword. He gives Elijah undeserved credit that belonged only to the Lord. Ahab gave Jezebel the detailed report of the Lord's victory, yet he left out the most important detail. The Lord. Now, at this point, we might pause to ask ourselves, do we? Do we freely and gladly speak of what the Lord has done for us? As the psalmist in Psalm 66, verse 16 says, let me tell you what the Lord has done for me. Do we freely and gladly tell others of what the Lord has done for us? of how He sent His only begotten Son who took our sin, my sin, upon Himself and paid for it completely so that God remembers it no more. That I might have life and have it abundantly. Do we freely and gladly tell, speak of what the Lord has done and what others might have who would turn to Him in repentance and faith? Or do we treat the Christian religion like our Sunday clothing, worn that day only, but kept in the closet or kept in the dresser drawer the rest of the week. Beloved, after witnessing firsthand the hand of God, Ahab leaves God out of the picture and speaks of all that Elijah had done. And if you think about it, he paints Elijah as invincible. He paints him as one who was unstoppable. Well, Elijah marched back into the country. Elijah set the rules for the contest. Elijah mocked Baal's prophets before the people. Elijah called down the fire. It consumed everything. Elijah prompted the people to confess Jehovah. Elijah somehow produced rain. You see, beloved Ahab's focus was not the impotence of Baal and the failure of Baal's prophets as it ought to have been. It wasn't even that miraculous fire or the refreshing rain. His focus was not the Lord, but his focus was Elijah. And his ultimate goal, it seems, based on the climax of his report, was to stir up Jezebel's anger and how he, how Elijah, had killed all the prophets with the sword. It's possible that Elijah himself didn't even go to this valley. He might not have even seen it happen. But he is credited or blamed with putting them to death. But Ahab ignored the very God whose revelation he reported to Jezebel, giving a distorted report of Jehovah's revelation. A beautiful revelation, beloved, that included God's irresistible power of blessing for those who believe and cursing for those who don't. Of grace for those who turn to God in faith. Of judgment for those who reject Him. Of life for those who seek Him. But death for those who refuse Him. As Paul says, the smell of death and the aroma, the fragrance of life. In a sense, He kept from Jezebel that word that she most needed to hear. And Ahab's message was, Elijah attacked us. Beloved, God's revelation has a purpose as Isaiah makes clear. In Isaiah 55, we read, as the rain and the snow come down from heaven and do not return to it without watering the earth and making it bud and flourish so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater, so is my word that goes out from my mouth. It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it. And God's purpose, beloved, is twofold. It is not always blessing and grace and life, but for those who reject Him, It is cursing and judgment and death. The Gospel message of blessing and grace and life through Jesus Christ for believers is at the very same time an indictment, an accusation, a charge against unbelievers. Against those who are hardened into their unbelief. Again, it is a smell of death to them. And you know what? They understand that indictment. They understand that they are being told, In essence, you're wrong. You are in danger. And they don't like that message. They hate that message. And they hate those who proclaim it. Similar to when we as believers, whether as children or young people or adults, refuse to engage in illegal or ungodly or inappropriate activities and instead strive to live according to what is pleasing to God. It is an indictment. It is an accusation against those who live the opposite. boys and girls for example if you are hanging around with some kids who want to do something that you know should not be done and you say no I won't do it that's an indictment it is a charge against them it tells them that they are wrong yet that message is often met with anger and hatred and hurtful attack and scornful laughter God spoke His mercy and grace through the fire and the consumed altar accepting the sacrifice instead of consuming a guilty people. But He also spoke a message of judgment and wrath through the execution of Baal's prophets which was reacted to, secondly, through Jezebel's wicked response. A wicked response of unbridled anger. a response that was also the fruit of God's revelation. Yet, what a different response. Her response was far from the Lord, He is God. She did not get what the people on the mountain had gotten by the grace of God. She did not see the Lord in it. As well, again, Ahab did not preach that to her. Her response was far from the Lord, He is God, but instead it was heads will roll, somebody's going to pay, somebody's going to die, because it was an attack against her. We've seen something similar in our world in the past couple of weeks with al-Qaeda and the death of Osama bin Laden. Al-Qaeda sees it as an attack against them as well. And their response is a response of anger, response of wanting blood, response of payback. This was an attack against her. These were her prophets. These were prophets of her gods. And therefore, God's judgment on these prophets was also a judgment on her with a clear message to her that there was no place for her among Jehovah's people. And in her anger, she responds with a threat of death. Verse 2, So Jezebel sent a messenger to Elijah to say, May the gods deal with me, be it ever so severely, if by this time tomorrow I do not make your life like that of one of them. Beloved, the wicked cannot hurt God himself, so they go after his instruments. They go after his people to try to shut the mouth and the message of God. Now this episode was an episode in the ongoing struggle between the seed of the woman and the seed of the serpent. It was not just a battle between Jezebel and Elijah. If it was, Elijah clearly lost, as we hope to see next time. And in that instance, an example not to be followed by us. But it was an episode in that ongoing struggle between the seed of the woman and the seed of the serpent. One commentator says, In Jezebel, Satan strikes out at the gracious revelation of the Lord and thereby at the coming messianic salvation. In Jezebel, the powers opposed to God take on flesh and blood for a little while and breathe threats and slaughter against the one in whom the power of God's revelation worked in a mighty way because he had to prepare the way for the Christ. Satan, through Jezebel, was trying to stop again God's history of redemption leading to the Lord Jesus Christ. And this has been true throughout history. Many have been tortured and martyred for the cause of Jesus Christ. We think of Peter and John shortly after Pentecost. They were arrested, whipped, and beaten. And of course, Peter and many of the apostles we know were martyred for the faith. We think of Paul. He suffered various kinds of sufferings during his ministry on this earth. And he too was eventually martyred. We think of the many martyrs at the time of the Reformation who gladly, who willingly ran to the stake and gave their lives to the flames for the sake of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Those against Christ have always tried to silence Christ by putting to death those with Christ. And the effect of the gospel message upon the wicked is clearly seen with Stephen. In Acts chapter 7, after Stephen had preached, We read, When they heard this, they were furious and gnashed their teeth at Him. But Stephen, full of the Holy Spirit, looked up to heaven and saw the glory of God and Jesus standing at the right hand of God. Look, he said, I see heaven open and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God. At this they covered their ears and yelling at the top of their voices. They all rushed at Him. They were furious. They gnashed their teeth at Him. They were like rabid wild animals. They said, look, Jesus Christ, He's on the throne. He is victorious. Telling them to their faces, you can't stop Him. They were like rabid animals growling and snarling and snapping their teeth. And that anger against the Gospel of Jesus Christ, beloved, will continue. It will continue until Jesus Christ returns. Jezebel points to the harlot in Revelation 17, which represents full-grown anti-Christian power that tries to destroy the church. This is the effect of the Gospel on Satan, on his wicked host. They cannot stand it. They will attack it. And that is why Jesus says, if they hated Me, they will hate you. And that's why Paul says in 2 Timothy 3, in fact, everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted. Why? Because the gospel is offensive. It is a stumbling block to those who don't believe because the light exposes the hideousness of the darkness. Truth is the mortal enemy of those who love the lie. There can be no peace with the wicked world. There is a war going on. We are not to be surprised. God's Word warns of it. We know it. We know it because of the sin that we ourselves struggle with. We know it in part because of the arguments and the frustrations that we have with others. And in many much more worse ways. God's Word warns of it. And Satan employs different strategies of attack. Indeed, at some points in history, very gruesome, very hideous. But for example, today, society, through civil rights, tries to force the church and believers to accept and acknowledge as legitimate, ungodly, and anti- and unbiblical practices and desires. And for those who dare to speak against these things, in our nation example, for those who dare to speak the truth, The world wants to charge us with hate crimes. At the very same time, our society acts as if it is tolerant of Christianity. Wants you and I to think that to them, Christianity is okay. It's just one of many. It's okay. But the truth is, they want believers in the church to think that the society, the wicked world in itself, really isn't so bad. Really isn't much of a threat to you and me. But the danger for the church and believers, beloved, is to put down the sword. The danger is to take off that armor of God. To put down the sword by watering down the truth of the sword of the Spirit of the Word of God. By not telling the truth of it as it needs to be told. The danger for the church and believers is to try to make friends with the world and to be at peace with the world, to get along with the world. To make life comfortable. Shouldn't that be our goal? Beloved, Satan only strikes at those who are a threat to him. If you are not a threat to him, he will leave you alone. Is Satan bothering you? Beloved, if we remove the offense of the Gospel, we have no Gospel. because by its very nature, it is the good news of Jesus Christ and salvation from sin. And to remove the offense of the Gospel is to deprive the world. Even though it will make many angry, it is to deprive the world of what the world desperately needs. The world must be told of her sin and of her need and of her only hope in Jesus Christ. The world must be told that there is no place for unbelievers in the world to come, in the new heavens, and on the new earth. But again, the danger for the church and believers is trying to gain friendship with the world. But that means to take the world's side and to be at enmity with God, as James says in James 4. Satan does not want the world to hear the truth. Because that truth includes grace and life for those who believe. Believers are called to live a godly life in Christ Jesus, which includes integrity and honesty and walking in a way that is pleasing to God. Which on the one hand is to the benefit of our unbelieving neighbors and sometimes even appreciated by them as they recognize what they gain by having neighbors who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus. However, when that godly life includes, let me tell you what the Lord has done for me. when that godly life includes telling them of the glory and the majesty of God and trying to help them see their need and that there is something for their need, namely Jesus, when that godly life includes inviting our neighbors to church and our co-workers to church to worship over and over and over again, that may be despised. That may be hated. Sadly, sometimes we try harder to look and act no different than our unbelieving neighbors. To make them think that the only thing different between us and them is that we go to church once a week. We try harder at times to look and act no different than our unbelieving neighbors. to gain their acceptance, beloved, which, intended or not, gives the message that we really don't want to be associated with the Christian faith, which is offensive. What are we afraid of? What are we afraid of? Are we afraid of losing our life? Jesus says those who lose their life for His sake will find it. Are we afraid of losing our possessions? The Bible says that we have unlimited treasure in heaven that will last for eternity. Are we afraid of losing our friends? The Bible says that Jesus is a friend who sticks closer than a brother. Beloved, we have no need to fear. As we notice, Jezebel's wicked response was overpowered by the providence of God. Notice again, And so Jezebel sent a messenger to Elijah with a threat. Now her threat was serious. She meant it. And her wickedness is evidenced in her ungodly oath calling for the judgment of death from her gods upon herself. But if you think about it, it was a pretty safe oath for her to make as Jehovah had already proven the powerlessness of Baal. Her gods couldn't do anything to her. whether she kept the oath or didn't keep the oath. Yet she was held back by divine power. Jezebel seems like one who would act first and speak later. However, notice, she does not send an executioner, but a messenger, telling Elijah of her plans, giving him time to escape. Now, some say that she didn't dare to put him to death because he was quite popular at that moment with the people. But there's no evidence in Scripture for that. There's no evidence at all that she was afraid of anybody. I mean, after all, she was not afraid to say, I'm going to put you to death tomorrow. Beloved, the Lord frustrates the plans of the wicked. When David was running from Absalom, the Lord frustrated Absalom's plans through David's treasonous counselor, Ahithophel, turning his counsel to foolishness. In Matthew 2, the angel comes to Joseph in a dream, frustrating the wicked plans of Herod to kill the Christ child. God has frustrated every attack of Satan throughout history to stop the messianic line. And here too, Jezebel was held back by God and she was only able to make the sword flicker in the sunlight as it were before Elijah's eyes. The seed of the serpent was not able to release all of his wrath against Elijah but he had to wait until the fullness of time when his sword would be used against Jesus Christ and he would not be spared. Jezebel was restrained for the sake of Christ who would later do battle with the unrestrained power of Satan. Jezebel's power was broken by the Christ to come who himself was victorious over Satan. Only he could defeat the evil that seemed to defeat him. Beloved, he crushed the serpent's head. And in Jesus Christ, we have no need to be terrified because of the attack of the wicked. Satan will do all he can to torment and scare and threaten and throw us off. But Jesus Christ has gone the distance. Satan has been defeated. And those who trust in the Lord are victorious. And though Satan were able to stop up every one of our mouths because of the victory of Jesus Christ, he cannot, he will not ever stop the gospel of Jesus Christ from going forth. He will never stop God from accomplishing his purpose. And therefore, beloved, strengthened by the Holy Spirit, we are to stand firm because God's revelation includes, don't forget, God's revelation includes, for you and me, that we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. It includes, in Psalm 46, that God is our refuge and strength, a very ever-present help in times of trouble. It includes, as Psalm 62 says, that our salvation is secure with God. It includes, as Paul says in Romans 8, that nothing, not Satan himself, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. Satan and his wicked hosts can take away all we have. Even our breath of life, if God allows. But they can never take away our salvation. they can never take away our eternal life in Jesus Christ. And that means, beloved, we have a glorious message. The only message of hope and salvation that is greater than any threat, a message that must go forth. And as the church preaches peace with God for those who believe, it is also to preach judgment for unbelievers. The warning must go forth. Because Christ's sacrifice not only secured peace for the church with God, but it also secured judgment of God for the world. But we can preach, beloved, with confidence. We can preach with confidence because the Gospel will be victorious in those whom God has determined to save. Amen. Let's pray together. Father, we thank You for that precious message of Jesus Christ by which You have transformed our hearts and lives. And we know, O Lord, that that message does not have the same effect for all people. Yet that message is to go forth of both grace and judgment for the sake of those whom You have called to be Your children. a message by which you continue to bring many to the light of your truth. Father, we pray that you would increase our love for the gospel message. Strengthen us and increase our courage in sharing it with all those with whom you give us contact and opportunity. And we pray, Father, too, that you would continue to remind us of the hope that we have, the security that is ours in Christ Jesus our Lord. Father, hear our prayer for Jesus' sake and in His name we pray. Amen.