(upbeat music) In 1 Kings 18, we read the amazing account of God's defeat of Baal's prophets. The story is unforgettable. At the time, Israel was torn. Should it follow Baal or should it follow the living God? And as it stood, the people of Israel were limping between two different options, Elijah says.

So came an ultimatum. God's people would climb Mount Carmel to witness two sacrifices laid out. One sacrifice with a bull would be set on logs by Elijah. Another bull on logs would be assembled by the prophets of Baal, equal offerings. Then the prophets would call down divine fire to light the sacrifices.

Baal's 450 prophets went first and called out and called out and called out. Crickets, nothing from their God. Then Elijah, God's lone prophet on the mountain, on the scene, set up his sacrifice, had it doused with water three times over and then called for God to act. As we read in 1 Kings 18, verses 36 to 39 in the words of Elijah.

Oh Lord, God of Abraham, Isaac and Israel, let it be known this day that you are God in Israel and that I am your servant, that I have done all these things at your word. Answer me, oh Lord, answer me, that this people may know that you, oh Lord, are God and that you have turned their hearts back.

Then the fire of the Lord fell and consumed the burnt offering and the wood and the stones and the dust and licked up the water that was in the trench. And when all the people saw it, they fell on their faces and said, the Lord, he is God, the Lord, he is God.

Powerful. So what's the takeaway of this story? We heard it in verse 37. Here it is again. That this people may know that you, oh Lord, are God and that you have turned their hearts back. Verse 37 needs to be thought about. And that's what we're gonna do today.

After this dramatic event, Elijah goes up to Mount Carmel. Here's Pastor John to explain it from there. - Verse 42, Elijah went up to the top of the Mount Carmel and he bowed himself down to the earth and put his face between his knees. And he said to his servant, go up now and look toward the sea.

And he went up and looked and said, there's nothing. And he said, go again, seven times. And at the seventh time, he said, behold, a little cloud like a man's hand is rising from the sea. And he said, go up, say to Ahab, prepare your chariot and go down, lest the rain stop you.

And in a little while, the heavens grew black with clouds and wind. And there was a great rain. And Ahab rode and went to Israel and the hand of the Lord was on Elijah. And he gathered up his garment and he ran. He didn't limp. - You don't limp when you follow Jesus.

I don't care if you're in a wheelchair. You don't limp when you follow Jesus. You run. - Before Ahab to the entrance of Jezreel. He ran before the rain. He didn't limp. He didn't hobble. He ran. Now that's the story. Let's step back and ask. So what's the main point?

The one that everything else is supporting and leading toward. And I mentioned as we were going I think it's in verse 37, because Elijah himself says, this is what I want the people to know. Right? I mean, it's just not all stories are this clear, but the prophet himself opens his mouth and gathers the whole thing together and says, God, make them know this, make them know this about all this.

So what is that? Verse 37, answer me, Oh Lord, answer me that this people may know. Know what? Two things. Number one, that you, Oh Lord are God. You are God. You're not an idea. You're not a memory. You're not a tradition. You're not a religion. You're not a projection of our imagination.

You're not a force. You're not an archetype. You're not a symbol. You are God, the living active fire sending, sin, hating, idolatry, destroying, prayer, hearing, personal God. That's number one. No, make them know, let them know you are God. That's really the basic need of all of us. Number two, verse 37, make this people know that you have turned their hearts back.

Or the NIV, you are turning their hearts. Cause your people to know this. So this is where I'm landing here. Cause these men to know this. I think that's God's will for you from this text. Should be my prayer for you. I pray that these men from this story would discern that you, the sovereign God, are the one who turns human hearts to God.

So their hearts had betrayed God, spurned God, belittled God, devalued God, loved other things more than God. And this entire event on Mount Carmel is aiming to make God's people know if anybody turns to God, God turned them to God. That's the point of the story. So when the people cry from the heart, verse 39, the Lord, he is God, the Lord, he is God, God did that.

God did that. It's true, the Lord rules the fire. It's true, the Lord rules the flesh, the bull, the wood on the altar, the rocks, he rules them. He rules the rain, he makes it rain when he wants it to rain. But this text is mainly about God rules the heart.

He turns hearts, the Lord rules the human heart. Answer me, oh Lord, answer me, that this people may know that you, oh Lord, are God and that you have turned their hearts back. Know this, Israel. He doesn't want to just say it's a fact. He wants them to know it.

He's praying that God would cause them to know it. There must be a value for you this afternoon, tomorrow, 10 years from now. There must be a value for you to know this, that if anybody's heart turns to God, God has turned the heart. There must be a value, a thrilling value for you to know this, that Elijah would pray it as the capstone of the event.

Let him know this. I mean, there's people all over the world who would say, "Puh, fire falling from heaven, "consuming bulls and water and wood and stones? "That's impressive." That's not what he, he didn't pray that they would know that. He prayed that they would know if your heart at this moment is getting really serious about God, God is doing that.

And that to me, I mean, as an American who grew up in the South, where a kind of decisionism was so dominant and rampant, this emphasis was in my childhood never heard. When it came to a heart moving from unbelief to belief, you do that, you do that. Nobody stressed, "God, do it, do it in this room.

"If you don't do it, it won't be done." That's what Elijah is pleading for. - Powerful, that's a great clip from John Piper's June 2018 message recorded in London, titled "God Rules the Heart of Every Man, "Elijah's Battle with the Prophets of Baal." You can find it now online at desiringgod.org.

The clip was emailed to me by Kat in Rottingham, Virginia, who says it was this point, this clip, this Bible text, 1 Kings 18.37, that quote, "Finally made the doctrines of grace click in my own head, "opening my eyes to a new understanding of God's sovereignty "and marked the beginning of a season "God used to draw me nearer to himself "and a greater understanding of his word." Awesome, thank you, Pastor John.

She says, "That's a great story." Thank you, Kat. If you have a sermon clip with this type of impact on your life, email me. Give me your name, hometown, the sermon title, the timestamp of where the clip happens in the audio, and tell me how it impacted you. Put the word clip in the subject line of an email and send it to me at askpastorjohn@desiringgod.org.

That's our email address, askpastorjohn@desiringgod.org. Speaking of the power of a single Bible text, if you have not heard the story of how Psalm 119, verse 99, shaped John Piper's entire ministry legacy, you really need to hear what's coming up next. That's what we're going to do next time. I'm your host, Tony Reinke, and we are rejoined in studio with Pastor John on Friday.

We'll see you then. (upbeat music) (upbeat music)