United Church of God

Elijah's Work

You are here

Elijah's Work

Downloads
MP3 Audio (27.93 MB)

Downloads

Elijah's Work

MP3 Audio (27.93 MB)
×

Elijah the prophet was called to bring a powerful message to God's people. There are other Elijahs also mentioned in Scripture. What does the work that Elijah was called to do have to do with us?

Sermon Notes

The Three Elijahs

The young man ran up to the peak of the mountain. This was his seventh trip in just a short while. He was getting a little tired, but the old prophet, just below him was still praying. He bowed himself so far down to the ground that his head was between his knees, only raising up to ask the young man what he had seen.

Still the young man hadn’t seen anything but a calm breeze over the water. He’d seen many amazing miracles already that day, but would God really perform this one? Just then a small cloud appeared out over the sea. It grew bigger and darker with every moment. He ran down the rocky hillside as the old man stood up and again asked him what he saw. The young man couldn’t help but smile. There would again be hope in the land.

----------

Elijah the prophet had a stern message to give to the leaders of his time. It was a message of repentance. Of turning back to God, who the people and their king had rejected.

At that time, Ahab was king over the northern tribes of Israel. With the help of his wife Jezebel, Ahab turned Israel to the worship of Baal in place of God.

1 Kings 16:33

33 And Ahab made a wooden image. Ahab did more to provoke the LORD God of Israel to anger than all the kings of Israel who were before him.

1 Kings 17:1

1 And Elijah the Tishbite, of the inhabitants of Gilead, said to Ahab, “As the LORD God of Israel lives, before whom I stand, there shall not be dew nor rain these years, except at my word.”

God had sent Elijah to bring the message that He was going to take the rain away from His people Israel because of the sins of Ahab, and because of the sins he caused the people to sin.

Through Elijah the power of God over any other power was clearly demonstrated. First through the sacrifice offered to God that was consumed by fire even after being drenched with water three times. And soon after through the miracle of rain on the land after a 3 1/2 year drought.

1 Kings 18:19-21

19 Now therefore, send and gather all Israel to me on Mount Carmel, the four hundred and fifty prophets of Baal, and the four hundred prophets of Asherah, who eat at Jezebel’s table.”

It is amazing how far people can turn away from God after they’ve made the decision to turn away from Him even a little bit.

20 So Ahab sent for all the children of Israel, and gathered the prophets together on Mount Carmel. 21 And Elijah came to all the people, and said, “How long will you falter between two opinions? If the LORD is God, follow Him; but if Baal, follow him.” But the people answered him not a word.

Elijah stood up to the king and his false prophets, condemning their false worship. And he also had a message for the people of Israel. He cried out to the people in hopes of convincing them to turn away from evil and back to their God. He mocked the false worship of a false god.

Verses 27, 39

27 And so it was, at noon, that Elijah mocked them and said, “Cry aloud, for he is a god; either he is meditating, or he is busy, or he is on a journey, or perhaps he is sleeping and must be awakened.” 39 Now when all the people saw it, they fall on their faces; and they said, “The Lord, He is God! The Lord, He is God!”

There was a short revival at that time. The people, for a while, repented and turned toward God. They listened to the words of Elijah even in the presence of their king. This was, of course, only after they saw this great miracle from heaven.

When Ahab’s son, Ahaziah sought after foreign gods when he was badly injured, God again used Elijah to bring a strong warning and punishment on the leader of Israel. This king had also turned to foreign gods for help rather than turning to the one true God.

2 Kings 1:2, 4, 7-8

2 Now Ahaziah fell through the lattice of his upper room in Samaria, and was injured; so he sent messengers and said to them, “Go, inquire of Baal-Zebub, the god of Ekron, whether I shall recover from this injury.”

This sounds very much like a name some use for Satan. Satan loves to influence kings to turn away from God and to turn toward false gods, including himself. Elijah once again sent a clear message to God’s people that they needed to turn back to Him and away from their foreign gods.

4 Now therefore, thus says the Lord: ‘You shall not come down from the bed to which you have gone up, but you shall surely die.’” So Elijah departed.

The king knew who Elijah was and that he was a prophet of God by the way he looked.

7 Then he said to them, “What kind of man was it who came up to meet you and told you these words?” 8 So they answered him, “A hairy man wearing a leather belt around his waist.” And he said, “It is Elijah the Tishbite.”

God even used Elijah to warn Jehoram, king of Judah, in a letter. He warned him of the punishment God had prepared for him because of the evils he did. Even in writing, Elijah continued his very direct message of correction for sins against God.

((2 Chronicles 21:12-15))

12 And a letter came to him from Elijah the prophet, saying, Thus says the Lord God of your father David: Because you have not walked in the ways of Jehoshaphat your father or in the ways of Asa king of Judah, 13 but have walked in the way of the kings of Israel, and have made Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem to play the harlot like the harlotry of the house of Ahab, and also have killed your brothers, those of your father’s household, who were better than yourself, 14 behold, the Lord will strike your people with a serious affliction—your children, your wives, and all your possessions; 15 and you will become very sick with a disease of your intestines, until your intestines come out by reason of the sickness, day by day.

Elijah’s messages were always very straightforward. He was the bringer of bad news to those who had rebelled against God and had turned His people away from Him. God used Elijah to turn some back to Himself at that time.

----------

There are three prophecies in the Old Testament that are about the Elijah to come One prophecy even specifically mentions Elijah by name.

Isaiah 40:3-5

This prophecy is one that we often think of when we think of the second Elijah. He was the one sent to prepare the way for the first coming of the Messiah. His message would be one that would turn people to God and prepare them for the reality of receiving salvation and even prepare them for the process of receiving God’s Holy Spirit.

3 The voice of one crying in the wilderness: “Prepare the way of the Lord; Make straight in the desert A highway for our God. 4 Every valley shall be exalted And every mountain and hill brought low; The crooked places shall be made straight And the rough places smooth; 5 The glory of the Lord shall be revealed, And all flesh shall see it together; For the mouth of the Lord has spoken.”

Malachi 3:1 - This prophecy mentions Two Messengers. One messenger to prepare the way for the other, more important Messenger.

1 “Behold, I send My messenger, And he will prepare the way before Me. And the Lord, whom you seek, Will suddenly come to His temple, Even the Messenger of the covenant, In whom you delight. Behold, He is coming,” Says the Lord of hosts.

Malachi 4:5-6 - This prophecy specifically mentions an Elijah to be sent to God’s people. One messenger to prepare the way for the other, more important Messenger.

5 Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet Before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord. 6 And he will turn The hearts of the fathers to the children, And the hearts of the children to their fathers, Lest I come and strike the earth with a curse.”

----------

John the Baptist fulfilled these prophecies, at least in part. He was the 2nd Elijah. The writers of the gospels are very clear about this, directly quoting Isaiah and Malachi in reference to John.

John’s ministry was the fulfillment of these prophecies. He had a similar message to that of Elijah. In his ministry, he would not hold back words, but speak the truth, at times very harshly.

This was always done with the intent of turning people back to God. John did not bring fire down from heaven, but he spoke with a fiery message meant for correction and to turn people back to the one true God.

He was sent in the spirit and power of Elijah to prepare the people of Israel, and any who would listen, for the first coming of the Messiah, Jesus the Christ. His own father prophesied about this, making the connection between the Old Testament prophecies.

Luke 1:16-17, 76-80

16 And he will turn many of the children of Israel to the Lord their God. 17 He will also go before Him in the spirit and power of Elijah, ‘to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children,’ and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just, to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.”

76 “And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Highest; For you will go before the face of the Lord to prepare His ways, 77 To give knowledge of salvation to His people By the remission of their sins, 78 Through the tender mercy of our God, With which the Dayspring from on high has visited us; 79 To give light to those who sit in darkness and the shadow of death, To guide our feet into the way of peace.” 80 So the child grew and became strong in spirit, and was in the deserts till the day of his manifestation to Israel.

He even came from the desert as the prophecies had said he would.

If we look at John’s ministry, we see the message he brought to the people of Judea. Repentance - turning back to God and away from sin. It wasn’t he who would bring salvation, but he preached the coming of the Christ who would bring the ONLY way for salvation to all mankind.

Matthew 3:1-6 - (Matthew makes it obvious that John is the prophet spoken of

in Isaiah 40)

1 In those days John the Baptist came preaching in the wilderness of Judea, 2 and saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!” 3 For this is he who was spoken of by the prophet Isaiah, saying: “The voice of one crying in the wilderness: ‘Prepare the way of the Lord; Make His paths straight.’” 4 Now John himself was clothed in camel’s hair, with a leather belt around his waist; and his food was locust and wild honey.

John even had a similar appearance to Elijah.

5 Then Jerusalem, all Judea, and all the region around the Jordan went out to him 6 and were baptized by him in the Jordan, confessing their sins.

John, like Elijah spoke Harsh warnings against the leadership of the day who led others astray in their own sins and in their own quest for power:

Matthew 3:7-12

7 But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to his baptism, he said to them, “Brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? 8 Therefore bear fruits worthy of repentance, 9 and do not think to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’ For I say to you that God is able to raise up children to Abraham from these stones. 10 And even the ax is laid to the root of the trees.Therefore every tree which does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 11 I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance, but He who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. 12 His winnowing fan is in His hand, and He will thoroughly clean out His threshing floor, and gather His wheat into the barn; but He will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.”

John had a similar relationship with the king of his day as Elijah did. Much like the situation between Ahab and Elijah,

it was the queen who especially did not like the prophet. The king respected John, but loved his wife and his reputation more than he wanted to please God. John was later beheaded by the king because of this.

Part of what John came to do was to Turn the hearts of people towards each other - instructing those who would listen to love one another:

Luke 3:10-14

10 So the people asked him, saying, “What shall we do then?” 11 He answered and said to them, “He who has two tunics, let him give to him who has none; and he who has food, let him do likewise.” 12 Then tax collectors also came to be baptized, and said to him, “Teacher, what shall we do?” 13 And he said to them, “Collect no more than what is appointed for you.” 14 Likewise the soldiers asked him, saying, “And what shall we do?” So he said to them, “Do not intimidate anyone or accuse falsely, and be content with your wages.”

Some listened to him and repented. They turned to God and believed the message he brought.

John was a witness to the Son of God. He always pointed people to the Christ. He came and fulfilled the words of Isaiah, preparing “the way of the LORD” so that “all flesh [could] see the salvation of God” (Luke 3:4-6).

Quote from Charles Feinberg from “The Minor Prophets” (p 260):

“Reference [in Isaiah 40:3-5] is to the custom of Eastern Kings to send men before them to remove every barrier and obstacle in their path. In this instance it meant removal of opposition to the Lord by the preaching of repentance and the conversion of sinners to Him.”

John 1:15, 20

15 John bore witness of Him and cried out, saying, “This was He of whom I said, ‘He who comes after me is preferred before me, for He was before me.’” 20 He confessed, and did not deny, but confessed, “I am not the Christ.”

John denied being Elijah, but admitted to fulfilling the prophesies about the second Elijah. Over and over again he proved he was the second Elijah as he revealed the true Messiah.

Elijah was the first Elijah, and John the Baptist was the second rendition of this mighty prophet with a fiery message of repentance. When Christ identified John as being the Elijah, He also said that Elijah was yet to come. Although John was the prophet who came like Elijah, another would come. Like John, this Elijah would also prepare the way for the coming of the Messiah, but this time for His return.

Matthew 17:10-13 - (after the transfiguration - vision including Elijah)

10 And His disciples asked Him, saying, “Why then do the scribes say that Elijah must come first?” 11 Jesus answered and said to them, “Indeed, Elijah is coming first and will restore all thing. 12 But I say to you that Elijah has come already, and they did not know him but did to him whatever they wished. Likewise the son of Man is also about to suffer at their hands.” 13 Then the disciples understood that He spoke to them of John the Baptist.

This Elijah, or one who will come in the spirit and power of Elijah, is to prepare the way for the Second Coming of Jesus Christ. This is to be done “Before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the LORD” (Malachi 4:5).

Jesus taught His disciples of the kingdom He would bring to this earth. He told them of repentance and brought the opportunity for salvation to the earth.

He fulfilled every prophecy about Himself including the one in Malachi of being the “Messenger of the covenant” ... the new covenant between man and God.

Jesus said in Matthew 24:14, “And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come.” This message of salvation and repentance, and of the return of the Messiah had to be preached.

Who did Jesus Christ give the job of preparing the way for His second coming?

Mark 16:15

15 “And He said to them, [to His disciples] “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature.”

His instructions included, not only to preach the kingdom and turn people to God and away from sin, but also to prepare the hearts of those people.

Matthew 28:19-20 - (The conversation recorded between Christ and His disciples)

19 Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen.

This was the commission given by Jesus Christ to His Church.

The Church of God has a message to preach to this world. It’s similar to that of Elijah and that of John the Baptist.

It is a message of Repentance - to turn people to the Father. Preaching the keeping of God’s laws. And showing the way to salvation through the blood of Jesus Christ.

The message the Church of God is to bring to this world, and to the disciples God is calling, is also one of turning the hearts of people to each other - a message of love.

We see this through the two great commandments:

Luke 10:25-28

25 And behold, a certain lawyer stood up and tested Him, saying, “Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?” 26 He said to him, “What is written in the law? What is your reading of it?” 27 So he answered and said, “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind,’ and ‘your neighbor as yourself.’” 28 And He said to him, “You have answered rightly; do this and you will live.”

Like the commission given to John, the second Elijah, the body of Christ has the job of preparing the people of this world for the coming of the Messiah. We have been given the great truth of the return of our King, and how He will come a second time to set up His kingdom on this earth.

God’s people have been given the messages of the first two Elijahs, and also the power of Elijah.

God performed many great miracles through the first Elijah. He merely prayed to God and the miracles he asked for actually happened. We have the same ability to pray and ask God to perform miracles. Miracles of healing, and miracles of repentance.

Miracles of turning people back to God. And Miracles of turning the hearts of the people towards one another.

James 5:13-20

13 Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing psalms. 14 Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. 15 And the prayer of faith will save the sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven. 16 Confess your trespasses to one another, pray for one another, that you may be healed. The effective fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much. 17 Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed earnestly that it would not rain; and it did not rain on the land for three years and six months. 18 And he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth produced its fruit. 19 Brethren, if anyone among you wanders from the truth, and someone turns him back, 20 let him know that he who turns a sinner from the error of his way will save a soul from death and cover a multitude of sins.

By praying for each other, our hearts are turned towards one other. We learn that outgoing love and concern by praying for one another. This is one of God’s intentions for His people.

————

There are three Elijahs found in scripture.

The first Elijah, a great prophet sent to the kings of Israel and Judah with a message of repentance and turning back to the one true God.

The second Ejijah, a great prophet told of long before his own birth. He came with a similar message of repentance. But also to prepare the way for the first coming of the Messiah.

The third Elijah is the work that the very body of Christ has been called to do. To preach the gospel of the kingdom, to turn people back to the proper worship of the one true God, and to prepare the hearts of God’s people for the second coming of the Messiah.

Comments

  • vainquer040505jlt
    Excellent message! It is true that there are three who come as Elijah; however, the third Elijah is not the church, he is a person. Yes, the church does Elijah-like work but the third Elijah will prepare the way for the Lord’s return and preach God’s judgment upon the world. He will proclaim the world’s sins and preach repentance, he will Identify the beasts and foretell of events to occur before the Lord’s return and be killed in the great city. Thank you for an important message.
  • Join the conversation!

    Log in or register to post comments