Living Hope Fellowship Church

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. Living Hope Fellowship Church....Sermons by the Pastor

BAAL WORSHIP

Sermon by Sam Bowles, Associate Pastor, 10/28/07 p.m

We make decisions every day of our lives. As we read through the Bible, we see more than what we are seeing today. We could easily point a finger, but we should ask God, What do I lack? Where am I missing it? God is no respecter of persons, and He will do for us what is written in His Word.

I read God’s Word and I know it is alive and true. We all need to decide to go on for God, no matter what it takes. My decision is to go on for God and continue to preach as He has ordained me to do.

1 Kings, Chapter 18, tells about the prophets of Baal and how God sent fire down from heaven. Verse 21 says, “And Elijah came unto all the people, and said, How long halt ye between two opinions? if the LORD be God, follow him: but if Baal, then follow him. And the people answered him not a word.”

Verse 24 says, “And call ye on the name of your gods, and I will call on the name of the LORD: and the God that answereth by fire, let him be God. And all the people answered and said, It is well spoken.” When it was Elijah’s turn to sacrifice, Verse 30 says, “. . . And he repaired the altar of the LORD that was broken down.”

How long will God’s people halt between two opinions? God is forcing His church to decide for or against Him. In the first church you knew who was right and those who were against God. The Holy Ghost distinguished the difference between the two. Two came in lying, and they died right there on the spot. God is the same yesterday, today, and forever. If we get back to that point, God will continue to do that which He did.

Revelation 3:16 clarifies it: “So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth.”

James 1:6-8 says, “But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed. For let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord. A double minded man is unstable in all his ways.” Some people just ride the wave and go wherever it takes them.

What is Baal? It is another god. The word Baal means “to rule over”. Does something rule over you or make decisions for you besides God? For something to dominate you to keep you from making answers and a decision toward God, it rules over you. What is more important than God? What stops you from serving God wholeheartedly? Something rules over you and controls you.

Other words connected with Baal are “dominion over” or “control over”. What controls your mood? Your happiness? Your sadness? Your sanity?

Another word I saw for Baal was “master owner”. Anything controlling you other than God is considered Baal.

1 Kings 18:36 says, “. . . LORD God . . . let it be known this day that thou art God. . . .” The fire of the Lord fell; God proved Himself!

Nothing is beyond the ability of Jesus. I believe I have to live life like Jesus did to the best of my ability to do the things Jesus did! He had to fast and pray, and I have to fast and pray. If he prayed all night long to do what He did all day long, then I believe that I have to pray all night long. Otherwise I’d be greater than my Master. That cannot be.

There is nothing like the blessing of God, but you have to make a decision to pray and to fast and to serve God fully, or Baal will rule out. That dominating factor will come in. The T.V. or the radio will win out, the family will act up, or something else happens. God fades off into the distance and your prayer time with Him. One of the biggest tricks of the devil is that he has us running around with no time left over for God.

The rich young ruler turned away from God by one decision. For him it was the love of money, for others it could be something else. I would hate to hear God say, Do you remember the day and time I asked you to do a certain thing and you said no? Depart from me.

My dad had a 1941 Pontiac for years. He could have sold it for a lot of money, but instead, it rusted down and vandals broke the windows. To get it back in shape, restoration would have been a very large job.

Revival in this area requires a lot of work. We need a revival that will change this area, and the way we see and think. We need a move of the Spirit that will remove the Baal over the area. We have to have restoration revival. Do we lack one thing? Are we just waiting? Will it start with you or me?

Luke 16:13 says, “No servant can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.” It is impossible to serve two masters.

If God be God, stop serving Baal and God at the same time!

livinghope@hughes.net

Phone # 618-634-2541