No More Limping: Choosing the God Who Answers - DJ Dickerson - 5/17/26

In your Bibles, I would encourage you to

turn to First Kings chapter 18. First

1 Kings 18 · chapter mention 1 Kings 18 · chapter mention

Kings, chapter 18. This evening, we are

continuing our Sunday evening lessons

connected to what our our children are

learning in their Bible classes. And one

of the blessings of of doing this is

that we are reminded that children's

Bible lessons are not childish truths.

Uh the language may be simple. Uh

sometimes we think about the the things

that they do back there with the crafts

and the pictures may be colorful. Uh the

memory verses may uh be short, but the

truth is deep enough to search every

heart in this room. And the children

have been studying uh recently about

Elijah. And one of those particular

instances in in the life of Elijah was

was that of the contest on Mount Carmel.

And they have been learning about this

prophet of God who uh stood before a

wicked wicked king, a a compromised

nation and hundreds of false prophets.

And but more than that, they have been

learning one of the great truths of

scripture that the Lord he is God. Uh

now that truth is easy to say uh but

Mount Carmel reminds us that it must

also be lived. Uh Israel uh in their

history at this point they had reached

uh a dangerous place spiritually. uh

they had not necessarily

uh erased the name of God uh from their

memory, but they had allowed Bale to

take a place in their hearts and they

were, you know, trying to hold on to God

and Bale at the same time. You could see

a lot of the back and forth. They they

wanted covenant blessings, you know, as

the people of Israel uh while living in

compromise. You know, they wanted the

Lord when it was convenient and idols

when it was desirable. Well, Elijah

comes on the scene. He asks really one

of the most piercing questions uh in

scripture, and that's first Kings

1 Kings 18 · chapter mention

chapter 18 and verse 21. I want us to

see that here. It says, "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

Bale, follow him." But the people

answered him not a word. Now,

depending on the translation that you

have,

such as the English Standard Version,

the ESV,

you'll see the word limping. Okay. It

carries the idea of limping between two

opinions. I've had several people want

to know said you're talking about no

more limping is the title. Where are you

going? Because I just heard in the back

that said we have several people that

limp here. I'm not talking about

physical limping. Okay. I'll make sure

that's clear.

But but the idea that that the

scriptures present in the word is

limping between or as we see fa

faltering between two opinions. Now it's

a very powerful picture that we have

that Israel was not walking faithfully

with God. They were here's here's the

point I'm making. They were limping

spiritually. Okay? because they were

trying to move in two directions at the

same time. Now, we're going to see this

as as we go through this lesson how that

was working for them. Obviously, not

well. Uh but before we are too quick to

cast condemnation upon them, this is

where we again take some time, we got to

ask some very serious questions whether

we have actually done the same. Uh you

know, we we may not bow before Bal. Uh

we may not build an an altar uh to an

idol of stone. Uh but idolatry does not

need a statue to survive.

Anything we've heard this right?

Anything that takes place of God in the

heart has become an idol. when we move

him out of the first place. Anything we

love more than God, anything we trust

more than God, anything we obey more

than God, anything we fear more than

God, anything that we pursue more than

God has taken a place it was never meant

to hold.

So this evening from first kings chapter

1 Kings 18 · chapter mention

18, we have some applications we're

going to take and that is considering

this thought. No more limping. If we get

to the scriptures here, we're going to

talk about the drought that revealed

more than dry ground. Okay. Uh when you

go to First Kings chapter 18, this is a,

1 Kings 18 · chapter mention

you know, when you're really digging

into these scriptures and and again, we

probably have read this passage numerous

times in our life and as I have and

there's always something that comes out

and and I think this is one of those

points that that kind of hit me again uh

in preparing this lesson. The drought

revealed more than dry ground.

In First Kings 18, it opens during a

drought and God tells Elijah this in

verse one. Came to pass after many days

that the word of the Lord came to Elijah

in the third year saying, "Go present

yourself to Ahab and I will send rain on

the earth."

Now you know when you look at other

passages that there's uh some

connections that are made. Even the New

Testament right that kind of reaches

back into the Old Testament like James 5

and verse 17

talks about Elijah references this very

thing. 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 and it gives us a time frame.

The time frame that's given is for three

years and six months. So we have some

additional details as James 5:17 gives

James 5:17

us as to how long the drought lasted.

For three and a half years, the land

suffered. Think about how you you know

the skies were closed, the streams dried

up, crops failed, food became scarce,

the people felt the weight of judgment.

But the drought was more than a weather

problem, right? It was a spiritual

message that they were receiving. Israel

had turned to Ba, a false god.

Interestingly, this false god is often

associated with rain, crops, and

fertility. Did y'all know that?

So, when the true God shut the heavens,

he was exposing the emptiness of

Israel's idol. Pretty impressive

because here's what every dry field was

preaching.

Every dry field was preaching bell is

not God.

Every empty stream was preaching bell is

not God. And every cloudless sky was

preaching bell is not God. The land was

dry because the hearts of the people

were dry.

But when Ahab sees Elijah, oh, he's got

something to say. Verse 17. Then it

happened when Ahab saw Elijah to Ahab

said to him, "Is that you, oh troubler

of Israel?" I can only imagine. I mean,

I've tried to play that one out in my

head a little bit. You know, it's very

remarkable what he says here. I mean,

Ahab for had forsaken God. Ahab had

promoted idolatry. Ahab had followed

well, remember his wife Jezebel?

remember her and the prophets of Baal to

influence the entire nation. But when

trouble came, who does he blame? Oh,

troubler of Israel. He's blaming the

prophet, the messenger. And I'll just

say, isn't that what the sin that's

that's what often happens is, you know,

here's the drought because of the

sinfulness.

Then

the one who gets blamed is the one who

points it out.

Now Elijah answers clearly in verse 18.

Look at it. I have not troubled Israel,

but you and your father's house have in

that you have forsaken the commandments

of the Lord and have and have followed

the bells. Well, you know, Elijah, you

know, he will not allow Ahab to rename

the problem. I love that, right? Uh

because he's saying, "Look, the

problem's not me. The problem's not the

prophet. The problem's not the message.

The problem is not God's standard. The

problem was that Israel had forsaken the

commandments of the Lord.

That's a needed lesson that still needs

to be echoed in 2026, friends. That's

it. That sometimes people blame the

preacher uh because you know when the

word exposes sin.

I know because I'm a preacher who who

has received that before. Okay. Uh

sometimes people blame the church when

truth makes them uncomfortable.

Sometimes people blame circumstances uh

when their own choices have produced a

spiritual drought.

But renewal

cannot begin until sin is honestly

named. You have to call it what it is.

And if there's dryness in my soul, I

need to ask some very probing questions.

Have I moved away from God?

Have I neglected his word? Have I

followed something that cannot give

life? Have I blamed others for what my

own choices have produced?

That's what the drought in Israel's

doing. When you dig deep into this

passage, the drought of Israel, the

drought in Israel revealed truly more

than dry ground. It revealed dry hearts.

Now the question,

it's a question that we saw at the very

beginning in first kings 18 and verse

21. And that question revealed a divided

heart. Now again, when you go back to

that question in verse 21, I'll put it

back here on the screen. How long will

you falter? Or how long will you limp

between two opinions?

If the Lord is God, follow him. But if B

follow him, but the people answered him

not a word.

I want to underline that one.

When Elijah makes this and poses this

question

and it says, "But the people answered

him not a word." To me, that silence is

heartbreaking.

Elijah's question, I don't believe we

look at that question and say that's

complicated or or uh confusing.

He simply points it out. And the

question, if the Lord is God, will you

follow him? If Belle is God, follow him.

But stop pretending that you can follow

both.

Is that what he's saying?

Israel's problem was divided loyalty.

They wanted the name of the Lord but the

practices of bail. They wanted the

blessings of God but the pleasures of

compromise. They wanted enough religion

to feel okay to feel secure but enough

idolatry to feel accepted. And you know

really when you look at the New

Testament and you look at what Jesus

even said in Matthew chapter 6 verse 24

Matthew 6:24

what did Jesus say? No one can serve

what? You can't serve two masters.

For either he will hate the one, love

the other, else he will be loyal to the

one and despise the other. You cannot

serve God in them. You cannot have both.

You can't

because he didn't say Jesus didn't say

not it is difficult to serve two

masters. He didn't say that. He didn't

say, you know, it's unwise to serve two

masters. He says it's impossible to

serve two masters

because a divided heart cannot remain

divided forever. Eventually, it reveals

what it truly loves.

And that is why Elijah's question

still matters even today.

Because let's ask the questions, right?

How long will one limp between worship

and worldliness?

How long will one limp between

conviction and convenience? How long

will one limp between scripture and

self-will?

How long will one limp between Sunday

devotion and weekday compromise? Y'all

see

Joshua

is another one of those great that

stands out to us. Thinking about him

during this lesson. Joshua 24 and verse1

15.

What did he do? I always think about him

drawing a line in the sand. I I I get

this imagery here.

He says, "And if it seems evil to you to

serve the Lord, choose for yourselves

this day whom you will serve, whether

the gods which your fathers served that

were on the other side of the river or

the gods of the Amorites in whose land

you dwell. But as for me in my house, we

will serve the Lord."

See, this is what Joshua had said

generations earlier.

And what we find in first kings 18 is

Elijah is pressing that same decision,

isn't he? Because faith cannot live

forever in hesitation.

Obedience cannot grow in indecision.

Friends, a soul cannot keep limping

and call it walking with God.

And it's made clear.

And what happens in this passage of

first kings chapter 18?

1 Kings 18 · chapter mention

Well, as you look in First Kings chapter

1 Kings 18 · chapter mention

18,

we find that the prophets of Baal

revealed the emptiness of idols

because Elijah proposes this great test.

And we have two sacrifices. We have two

altars. The prophets of Bale would call

on Bale. Elijah would call on the Lord.

You know, this is what they're looking

at and and the issue is stated clearly

in in verse 24.

Then you call on the name of your gods

and I will call on the name of the Lord.

And the God who answers by fire, he is

God. So all the people answered and

said, it is well spoken.

The prophets of Bale begin and they cry

out from morning until noon. What do

they say? Oh B, hear us.

But scripture says, "But there was no

voice.

No one answered."

Then they leaped about the altar which

they had made.

They cried. They cried louder.

They began to cut themselves.

They began They became frantic. And

through all of this, nothing happened.

No voice, no answer, no fire.

Now, let me ask you something. Do you

think that their worship was was

passionate?

I mean, I say I think they were pretty

passionate.

Uh,

it was empty.

I I think we can check that one on.

Yeah, I think they were sincere. I think

it was intense.

But it was misplaced.

I believe their emotion was real,

but their God was false.

And that's a sobering reminder that

sincerity cannot make error true.

Sincerity cannot make error true. Not

all worship is acceptable simply because

it's emotional. Not all devotion is

pleasing simply because it's passionate.

Jesus said true worship must be in

spirit and truth. John 4 and verse 24.

Now again the prophets of Bale they were

sincere but they were sincerely wrong.

An idol still work the same way today.

An idol always promises much

demands much and gives nothing eternal.

How do we how do we translate that?

Because that's what they were doing in

the kids classes. They're trying to

translate so they can understand because

you know carved images and those types

of things you know that's a lot of times

where the mind is obviously we think

about this and bail worshippers and

such.

Money can demand your life but it cannot

redeem your soul.

See what we just did there.

Pleasure can demand your purity

but it cannot give you peace.

Popularity can demand your convictions

but it cannot give you salvation.

Success can demand your family

but it cannot give you heaven.

Self can demand the throne but self

makes a miserable God.

Oh Colossians 3 and verse 5. Look what

Paul said to the Colossay, brother.

Colossians 3 and verse 5. Therefore, put

to death your members which are on the

earth, fornication, uncleanness,

passion, evil desire, and covetousness,

which is what? What's that word?

Idolatry.

He speaks of covetous, idolatry. You

know why? Why, Paul? Why you talk? Why

are you talking about that here?

Because idolatry is not merely bowing

down to a statue, friends.

Idolatry is giving ultimate desire,

trust, and devotion

to something other than God.

John in 1 John 5 and verse 21 writes

this, "Little children, keep yourselves

from what? Keep yourself from idols."

Amen.

You see, at the end of the day, every

idol leaves the soul with the same

result as she first kings chapter 18.

1 Kings 18 · chapter mention

What do we just see? No voice, no

answer, no fire.

It's not there.

Now,

something else that we find from our

text of first kings chapter

You look at verse 30 of First Kings

1 Kings 18 · chapter mention

chapter 18. Elijah speaks to the people.

He gives four words right off here when

he said to all the people, "Come near to

me."

When I look at that phrase, I think that

phrase is tender. Uh the prophet who had

rebuked them now invites them to come

near.

What I love about this is is the fact

that, you know, thinking about God, you

God was not merely trying to win an

argument. Okay? Uh he was calling hearts

back. That's what he was doing. That's

what the prophets were sent out to do.

And then scripture says, what's it say?

So all the people came near to him. Look

at the latter part of verse 30. And he

repaired the altar of the Lord that was

what? that was broken down.

Here's the here's a key to this. Before

the fire fell, what had to happen?

The altar

had to be prep repaired.

That is so significant. And and

sometimes we can read through this

passage and and how many times we have

and we we don't even probably

But I think this is significant because

the broken altar,

what what did that show? What do y'all

think that showed?

I'll tell you what. Israel's neglect.

That's what it shows.

They had not merely added bail, friends.

They had abandoned proper devotion to

God. That the altar that should have

represented, I mean, list it. sacrifice,

worship, covenant, fellowship with God

had fallen to ruins.

It was broken down.

And again, that's how spiritual decline

happens.

People do not usually abandon God all at

once.

Often the al

How does that what does that look like?

Prayer becomes rare.

Bible study becomes occasional.

Worship becomes negotiable.

Repentance becomes delayed. The home

loses its spiritual center. The

conscience begins to grow quiet.

Heart becomes crowded. That's what an

altar broken down looks like.

That's how it worked. Little by little,

the altar breaks down.

That's why I always think about Romans

12 about being a living sacrifice, holy

and son of God, which is your reasonable

service. You ever think about that? The

altar idea of that.

So the way back begins with repairing

what has actually been neglected because

that's what Israel is doing. They had

neglected

the altar.

Now Elijah in this text goes goes on. He

takes 12 stones. We know why he got 12

stones. Okay? 12 stones that reminds

Israel of who they were before God.

Though the kingdom was divided,

they were still accountable to the

covenant God of Abraham, Isaac, and

Jacob. And and Elijah goes on, prepares

the sacrifice and commands water be

poured over it again and again.

The water runs around the altar and and

it says fills the trench. And so what

what Elijah is doing here is is he's

removing every possibility of human

trickery, right? uh if fire falls now it

will be God you know this catches a

flame this is God there is a powerful

lesson here because Elijah did not

manufacture

uh the fire he simply repaired the altar

and he trusted God that's what he did

and really that's what we need the

reminder today is we don't need to

imitate the noise of the world we we

don't need to entertain people into

conviction we don't need to manufure

factor spiritual fire. We don't need

that. Although that's what people are

doing all over. They're manufacturing

all sorts of things. Look what I just do

it. I'm going to repair the altar and

I'm going to do it what God wants.

We need to repair the altar

because in the church that means

returning to reverence, truth, worship,

holiness, and the authority of God's

word and keeping that at the forefront.

in the home. That means putting God back

at the center. If the Bible has stayed

closed, repair the altar. If prayer has

become rare, repair the altar. If

worship has become optional, you know

what the next three words are? Repair

the altar. See,

if worldly priorities are leading the

family, repair the altar.

If worldly priorities, if children hear

more about sports and schedules and work

and entertainment than they hear about

God, repair the altar

because it's breaking down.

Why does it break down? The same exact

way it happened in first kings chapter

1 Kings 18 · chapter mention

18. Because the is they had neglected

it. And when we neglect this,

the altar breaks down.

Repair the altar.

Our children are learning that we must

not allow people, money, or things to

become more important than God.

That's in their Bible classes. That's

what they're learning.

But I'll tell you this, they will learn

that lesson most deeply when they see it

living it out in us.

They will learn what matters by what we

choose. They will learn what matters by

what we sacrifice for. They will learn

what matters by what we refuse to

compromise.

A repaired altar in the church is good.

A repaired altar in the home is

powerful, friends. A repaired altar in

the heart is where renewal begins.

First Kings chapter 18 is such a

1 Kings 18 · chapter mention

powerful passage.

Let me submit to you this.

The fire revealed the living God, didn't

it? You go to verse 36. Elijah prayed

these words.

And it came to pass at at the time of

the offering of the evening sacrifice

that Elijah the prophet came near and

said, 'Lord God of Abraham, Isaac, and

Israel, let it be known this day that

you are God in Israel, and I am your

servant, and that I have done all these

things at your word.

You know, Elijah's prayer is so simple.

It's God- centered.

Uh Elijah does not pray, "Lord, prove

that I'm right." He doesn't do that. Uh

he prays that the people may know that

the Lord is God and and that their

hearts may be turned back to him. You

see, and and really that should be our

spirit. That's that's the way we should

view this. When we teach truth, when we

correct error, when we preach the

gospel, we warn against sin. The goal is

not some type of personal victory that

we're having, right? The goal is not

winning an argument. The goal is that

hearts may turn back to God. Is that

what Elijah wants? That's what he

desire. He just witnessed some crazy

stuff happen on Mount Carmel, friends.

They are jumping around leaping. They're

cutting themselves.

That became intense.

But when Elijah prayed, God answers. The

one true God answers. In verse 38, it

says, "Then the fire of the Lord fell

and consumed the burnt sacrifice and the

wood and the stones and the dust and it

licked up the water that was in the

trench."

I love it. The fire, the fire did not

barely catch.

It consumed everything.

the sacrifice as the wood, the stones,

stones, the dust, the water.

Bale had no voice. The Lord set fire.

Bale had no answer. The Lord showed his

power. Bale had no life.

The Lord proved he is God.

And when the people saw it, they fell on

their faces and they said in verse 39,

"The Lord, he is God." The Lord, he is

God.

Rewind a moment for me.

You remember in verse 21 when we started

the lesson off when he talked about them

limping or faltering between two

opinions.

They answered him what? Not a word.

However, now in verse 39,

they confess the truth.

But here's the warning.

It is possible to be moved in a moment

and still need to be changed in life.

The goal was not merely that Israel

would say the right words on Mount

Carmel. The goal was that they would

return to actual faithful obedience.

And that is true for us as well. It is

possible to hear a sermon and be moved

but not changed. It's possible to sing

the Lord is God but still live with

idols. It's possible to feel conviction

in worship

then leave the altar broken down at

home.

So the question is not simply would I

have confessed God on Mount Carmel.

Would you have confessed him? We'd all

be yes we would have. Y'all see what

just happened?

That's not the question that's being

asked. The question is will I follow him

tomorrow?

That's the question.

Will I follow him when obedience cost?

Will I follow him when compromise is

easier? Will I follow him when no crowd

is watching?

Will I follow him in my home, my habits,

my priorities, my private life? Will I

really follow him?

Mount Carmel shows us the God who

answers by fire,

but Calvary shows us even more.

Let's bring the lesson to a close and

bring it home with this.

You know, on Mount Carmel,

fire fell upon the sacrifice.

At Calvary, the son of God died for our

sins.

On Mount Carmel, God showed Israel that

he alone is God.

At Calvary,

God showed the world his justice, his

mercy, his holiness, his love.

The God who answered by fire

has now spoken through his only begotten

son, Jesus Christ.

And you see that Hebrews chapter 2

Hebrews 2 · chapter mention

refers to that in verses 3 and 40. in

Hebrews chapter one. So if the Lord he

is God,

what what did what did uh Elijah say?

Follow

him.

So Elijah's question still stands.

How long will one falter or limp

limp between two opinions?

How long will one limp between God and

the world? How long will one excuse

divided loyalty? How long will one delay

repentance? How long will one leave the

altar broken down?

How long will one give God a place in

their lives but not the throne of their

hearts?

The Lord again is not asking to be one

important part of our lives.

He is God and the creator of all.

He deserves more than leftover time. He

deserves more than occasional attention.

He deserves more than Sunday

acknowledgement. He deserves more than

emergency prayers. He deserves more than

a place beside our idols.

He deserves the whole heart.

Joshua said, "Choose for yourselves this

day whom you will serve."

Elijah said, "If the Lord

is God, follow him."

And Jesus said, "No one can serve two

masters."

What I see in each of those statements

made by Joshua, Elijah, and Jesus is

that the message has not changed.

It has not changed.

The Lord, he is God. The Lord, he is

God. Now, let us do more than say it. We

go out and we live it. We live it.

And that's the lesson,

friends. As the sermon was entitled,

no more living.

Choose the God who answers.

If you're not a Christian yet, put on

the body of Christ in baptism. The

living God calls you through the gospel

of his son. You believe that Jesus

Christ is the son of God. Repent of your

sins, confess his name, be baptized,

immerse, buried with him and baptized,

arise, and walk in newness of life. You

can do that this evening. And we invite

you, if you are a child of God, but your

heart has been divided,

repair the altar,

lay down the idol, and you come back to

the Lord. But friends, I submit to you

from this lesson, no more limping. No

more.

Because the Lord, he is God.

Because he is God. We follow him.

If you're sub invitation call whatever

your spiritual need this won't you come

just as I