Build An Altar

Sunday, October 4, 2020

Build an Alter for God

Pastor Zach Prosser

Sermon Discussion Notes Celebration Church
688 Dan Street, Akron, OH 44310 | 330-762-7458 | www.CCAkron.org

Key Text: I Kings 18:17-46

Ø Worshipping False Gods

• The prophets of Baal and Asherah worshipped pleasure, much like our society today.
  • The people were fluctuating between two opinions: God’s and Baal’s (I Kings 18:21). § The false prophets cried out in the name of pleasure and vanity (I Kings 18:28).

Ø The Alter of God

• Before God would send His fire, Elijah had to repair the broken alter (I Kings 18:30).
  • If we want the fire of God in our lives, we must first restore our alters of worship and offer our bodies up as a living sacrifice (Romans 12:1).
    • The alter of God is established by prayer and self-sacrifice.

Ø God’s Response

• God always sends His fire when an alter is built (I Kings 18:38).
  • Like the water poured on Elijah’s alter (I Kings 18:33-35), the fire of God will fall when the Holy Spirit saturates our lives.
  • The people saw that Elijah’s God was the one, true God (I Kings 18:39). 
    • Paul told Timothy to serve God with boldness (2 Timothy 1:6-7).
      • We must stop making excuses because, like Elijah, God has promised our victory.
  • God deals with His enemies: 850 false prophets were killed (I Kings 18:40).
    • God will deal with cultural issues when the church is obedient to Him.
      • Judgment begins with God’s people (1 Peter 4:17)
• The curse of drought was broken by Elijah’s obedience (I Kings 18:41-45).
• Elijah was so sure that God would send the rain, that he told his servant to go up to the top of the mountain seven times (I Kings 18:43).
  • Most of us would have stopped at two times, but we must believe in God’s promises.