SRev. David Holwick S The Life of Elijah, #6
First Baptist Church
Ledgewood, New Jersey
June 3, 2007
2 Kings 1:1-16
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I. Seeking answers when you are desperate.
James A. Pike, a controversial lawyer-turned-minister-turned-church-
dropout, was devastated when his oldest son committed suicide.
Shortly after this tragic event, Pike began experiencing a series
of psychic events which eventually led to a major change in his
beliefs.
Previously he had denied the existence of life after death, but
Pike came to believe that the spirit of his son had lived on.
He began consulting one of England's most celebrated mediums,
Ena Twigg.
She urged him to contact an organization in the United States that
would give him access to other mediums.
Each medium he used gave predictions of the future that proved to
be true.
Pike became hooked, absorbed with the subject of life after death.
He increasingly sought contact with the other side.
Unfortunately, due to his many books, millions of people were
influenced by his search.
Pike's obsessive search ended with his mysterious death in 1969 in
Israel, in the arid desert near the Dead Sea.
Ironically, centuries earlier in Israel - less than a hundred miles
away from the scene of James Pike's death - a king's son,
Ahaziah, also sought a forbidden source of comfort.
And it cost him his life, too.
#34534
A. What will happen to me?
1) King Ahaziah (Ahab's son) is injured.
a) He wants to know what the future holds.
b) Healing would be nice, too, but knowledge alone can
give a sense of control in a tough situation.
2) We are no different.
a) In times of stress, we want specific knowledge.
b) Do we go to the right source?
B. What is my highest authority?
1) More than what the future will be, we need to know who
holds the future.
2) The truth is nearby, if we will accept it.
II. Ahaziah asks the wrong god.
A. The new king consults Baal instead of Yahweh.
1) Elijah intercepts messengers.
a) "Is there no God in Israel?"
b) Ahaziah has obviously been influenced by his parents.
c) His name is Israelite, but his true faith is Baalism.
2) Who is Baal-Zebub?
a) Some take the name to be an insult - The Lord of the
Flies.
1> However, we do know of some ancient gods that were
called this.
b) Hundreds of years later, Jesus was accused by his
enemies of being possessed by Baalzebub:
"But when the Pharisees heard this, they said, 'It is
only by Beelzebub, the prince of demons, that this
fellow drives out demons.'"
Matthew 12:24
c) Whoever this Baal was, he was the enemy of the true God.
3) Elijah's prediction: the king will die from his injuries.
a) The messengers deliver the news.
b) The king knew they had returned too fast, and he
figured out who had intercepted them.
c) Description of the prophet: hairy clothes, leather belt.
1> Much like John the Baptist, centuries later.
2> Jesus says the two have a connection.
B. Whom do we consult?
1) Our society produces a new religion every week.
a) Arlington Cemetery now allows Wiccans to put a Satanic
symbol [Pentagram] on their headstones.
b) Apparently, many have lost confidence in the faith they
were brought up in.
III. Where is the God of Ledgewood Baptist?
A. Not everyone finds him here.
1) I have met people who used to belong to this church,
then changed their faith.
2) Sometimes due to marriage, sometimes due to doubts,
and often due to ignorance.
3) Usually I figure out that they did not really grasp what
our faith is really about.
B. Our God is the God of the Bible.
1) He has revealed himself in history and scripture.
2) He has revealed himself in the person of Jesus.
3) He can reveal himself to you.
a) We are convinced that God can be personally
experienced.
b) He MUST be. Unless you are born again, you are
not a Christian.
IV. Who has the power, government or God?
A. Ahaziah had multiple problems.
1) He sought out foreign gods.
2) He thought he had more power than any god.
a) He shows this by the arrogant way he tries to arrest
Elijah.
b) Elijah takes commands from God, not a king.
B. Church/State conflicts are nothing new.
1) For centuries, Europe was torn up by conflict between kings
and religious authorities.
2) Early America even enforced church attendance through the
police department.
a) Slackers were hunted down and arrested.
b) Maybe it helped attendance, but what did it do for
attitude?
3) Baptists tried to buck this trend.
a) When they established a colony (Rhode Island) they let
anyone come there.
b) Jews, Catholics and Moslems were welcome.
c) Since we were a persecuted minority, we extended
freedom to other persecuted minorities.
1> This didn't mean the other faiths were correct.
2> It meant that we would allow them to seek the truth
on their own terms, without government force.
C. God has the ultimate authority.
1) Each detachment of soldiers from Ahaziah is defeated.
a) Once again, fire comes down from heaven.
b) Elijah's divine authority is vindicated.
2) God's mercy spares the third group.
a) Their leader was much more humble, and Elijah goes
with them.
b) He repeats message directly to the king.
c) The king dies.
V. Is God a little harsh here?
A. This passage bothers many people.
1) Burned-up soldiers shows power, but it's not very nice.
2) Certainly this passage does not give every angle about
God's power and judgment.
B. Jesus faced a similar situation. Luke 9:53-55
"A Samaritan village... did not welcome him, because
he was heading for Jerusalem.
When the disciples James and John saw this, they asked,
'Lord, do you want us to call fire down from heaven
to destroy them?'
But Jesus turned and rebuked them."
1) The rejection inspired the disciples to emulate Elijah.
a) Ahaziah had dissed Elijah, now the Samaritans were
dissing Jesus.
b) Wouldn't fire be appropriate in both situations?
2) Jesus rebukes them.
a) We are not told why.
1> The situations are not identical: active vs. passive
rejection.
b) Jesus shows that there is more than one way to respond.
1> He himself acknowledges the truth of judgment.
2> But he emphasizes God's love and grace.
A> We should as well.
C. We are compelled by the love of God.
1) Our God is powerful and real.
2) His greatest power is shown by transformed lives.
3) Has he transformed you?
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SOURCE FOR ILLUSTRATION USED IN THIS SERMON:
#34534 "A Forbidden Source Of Comfort," by Charles R. Swindoll, from his
book: The Life And Times Of Elijah. Original source is
Merrill F. Unger, "They Mystery of Bishop Pike" (Wheaton,
Illinois: Tyndale House Publishers, 1971).
This and 30,000 others are part of the Kerux database that can be
downloaded, absolutely free, at http://www.holwick.com/database.html
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