It should be that each one of you has found a skeleton in his seat, or her seat, as you sat down this morning, skeleton outline of the book of judgment. I'm well aware that skeletons of whatever kind are rather unpleasant things, and certainly unattractive. First Kings chapter eight years. Doesn't look as though we're going to get into what I had put in the paper. Tonight our subject is to be the source and secret of peace prevailing prayer and pleasures forevermore. I don't think we'll be able to get to it tonight, but possibly in the future we will get to the subject of the spirit of the light. that truth has opened up in the passage before us today. We'll read in chapter eighteen and verse one. And it came to pass after many days that the word of the Lord came to Elijah in the third year saying, Go show thyself unto Ahab, and I will send rain upon the earth. And Elijah went to show himself unto Ahab. There was a sore famine in Samaria. And Ahab called Obadiah, which was the governor of his house. Now Obadiah feared the Lord greatly. I want you to underline that. Where it was so when Jezebel cut off the prophets of the Lord that Obadiah took and hung the prophets and hid them by fifty in a cave and fed them with bread and water. And Ahab said unto Obadiah, Go into the land unto all pountains of water, and unto all brooks her adventure, we may find grass which save the horses and mules alive, that we lose not all of the beasts. Strange, isn't it, a man should want to save beasts more than he was wanting to save men and women. Many women would die this starvation, the lack of water, but no mention of them that's beasts. the animals. So they divided the land between them to pass throughout it. Ahab went one way by himself, and Obadiah went another way by himself. And as Obadiah was in the grave, behold, Elijah met him. Now who would he sooner meet than the great Elijah? This man Obadiah, a real child of God. Elijah met him, and he knew him. over thy noon, and fell on his face and said, Are thou that my Lord Elijah? Now notice the sarcasm. And he answered him, I am. Go tell thy Lord, Ahab your Lord. Go tell thy Lord. Behold, Elijah is here. And he said, What of thy sin that thou wouldest deliver thy servant into the hand of Ahab? The slay me. In other words, you're not my brother. If you do a thing like that, you want me to go the way, have and they have will kill me. As the Lord died, God delivered, there is no nation or kingdom, whether my Lord hath not set the sheep thee. When they said he is not here, he took an oath of the kingdom and nations that they found me not. He made neighboring nations swear to an oath that they did not see or know where Elijah was. And now thou sayest, Go tell thy Lord, Behold, Elijah's here. In other words, you're jeopardizing my life alike. And it shall come to pass as soon as I am gone, indeed, that the Spirit of the Lord shall carry thee with it I know not. And so when I come and tell Ahab, and he cannot find thee, he shall slay thee. But I, thy servant, fear the Lord from my youth. Was it not told, my Lord, what I did when Jezebel slew the prophets? of the Lord, how I hid in hundred men of the Lord's prophets, by fifty in a cave, and fed them with bread and water. And now thou sayest, Go tell thy Lord. Behold, that Elijah is here, and he shall slay me. Elijah said, As the Lord of hosts little, before whom I stand, that is his favorite statement, how wonderful it is, I will surely show myself unto him today. So Obadiah went to meet Ahab, who were trembling Obadiah, and told him, Ahab went to meet Elijah. And it came to pass when Ahab saw Elijah. But Ahab said on him, Art thou, he that troubled Israel? Now notice the report. And he answered, I have not troubled Israel. One man standing up and saying, I have not troubled Israel, but thou and thy father's house. in that ye have forsaken the commandments of the Lord, and thou hast followed Bale. Forsaken the Lord, and followed Bale. Thought it might be wise for us to mention a thing or two in our message this morning on the widow. We didn't get to that subject, but one that took in Elijah and Phelan for that length of time when the bowler meal hailed not, nor did the twos of oil fail. In other words, there are some nice truths here for the Christians. God will not be debtor to any person. God had told this woman to feed his servant Elijah, and she did. And now God is going to reward her. She had put God first. When Elijah told her, now you go and make me a cake first, and then you consider yourself and your son. In other words, putting Elijah first, God's representative, she was putting God first. And so God's going to reward her for that. And God will see that you be rewarded if you put God first. Be ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness and other things. All other things shall be added unto you. And so here there's God rewarding this widow by giving her son back to her again. Elijah, by the power of God, was instrumental in the light in this son being restored to life and given back to the Lord. In other words, there are three attitudes about this with us. First is the consciousness of her sin. Why, when her son died, it was made her conscious of her sin. She says, My sin has come to remember. The very presence of the power of God in Elijah was such that when her son died, her sin was brought to remember. He thought this is punishment for my sin. It's at last found me out. Here you have the conviction of sin. But then you notice something else. She got her son back from the man of God. First conviction and acknowledgement of her sin. Then she has life given to her. The very same thing with Abraham when he offered up Isaac. God told him to offer up Isaac. And in the mind of God. And in the reckoning of God, Abraham... The Bible says that. But God stayed Abraham's hand. But God saw also that Abraham was going to go through that. And so when she did receive Isaac from the dead, as in her figure. And so, here is Abraham. God had given Abraham that life, Isaac. It was a supernatural birth. Now he says, God Abraham. that which I gave you Isaac, and all your interests, and all your affection, all your hopes are wrapped up in Isaac. Now go take Isaac unto Mount Moriah, and offer them up, and offer them, and they have earned offering unto the Lord. Oh, what a command. What a request. God has given him. and filled his cup with joy, his heart to overflow him. Now says, God, give up that light. Give up that bundle of joy. Give it up to the Lord. That's Frederick Brest, isn't it? This is where a lot of Christians struggle. God has given you a light in Christ, the New Testament. God gave you his son, he that hath the son hath life. God gave you that spiritual life as a free gift when you trusted the Savior and the authority of the Bible. And how Christians rejoice in that for a few days or maybe a few weeks. And then they get jarred someday when some scripture hits them all there reminded, you know, you're not your own. You've been bought with a price. You're to glorify God in your body than your spirit was with him. Do you know anything about the lordship of Christ? What do you mean? I mean giving back to God that which God gave you, that life. He wants that life, and he wants your mind, he wants your body to be controlled by that life. Present your body as a living fact. Here's where a lot of Christians fail, and this is where a lot of Christians begin to backtrack. Those in Ephesus in the book of Revelation, this is, they have left their first love. Oh, at first they will caught up with the thrill of being saved, their sons for good, on fire from the Lord until something came in, and their love began to cool. And the claims of Christ slacking upon me. And they were in a bad state. They had left the first flush of blood to them. It simply means that God wants us to deal back to him, that which he did. And do you know that's only life that's really happening? Then give back your life to the Lord. Lord, I want to do what you want. go where you want me to go. Say what you want me to say. That's the point. Now here is Elijah. This woman, she first acknowledged her sin. Then she had her son given back to her. Wasn't that wonderful? Then again, you notice how she waited the result. Something to think of Elijah taking that dead son out of her bosom and going upstairs. And what could she hear upstairs? Oh, she could hear the man pray. A man pray. Oh, Lord, hear those prayers. I want my son alive again. Lord, hear that man's prayers. He is alive, then he prays, he pours out his heart with God, and he pleads with God, and God answers his prayers. I wonder if he knows something. of this associating ourselves with the prayers and pleas of others. As they're praying, their loved ones were unsaved. Take with thee this moment, all the anguish of her heart and how she listened to Elijah praying those intense moments. Will his prayer be answered? Will my son be raised again? And finally, she was rewarded for her patience when Elijah gave his son back to the Herodotus. How wonderful to think of all these lessons you have in the Bible, how hearts are exercised, concerned. To me it's grieving. They think that back in our prayer room at night, there are about a half a dozen men when there should be a dozen or fifteen. Simply no sympathy toward those who are trying to reach the law. That's where God wants to put our interest. Our main concern is in the prayer meeting, and don't put anything before the prayer meeting. Nothing but anguish and wrath before God, and concern for the lost is going to enable the Spirit of God to work. And Christians put other things, secondary things before prayer set on danger as well. And you're not going to see miracles performed, as is the case here. Elijah was praying up there and here was this mother and downstairs she was praying as hard as he was praying. Lord, here is prayer. Lord, here is prayer. And she was rewarded. And I'll tell you one thing. If God in his mercy comes in and saves those which he has to do, those of you who haven't been exercised and haven't been saved, you need to stay out of the door. You're going to do it. You didn't do any traveling. You didn't do any anguishing before God. You didn't do any weeping before God and trying to God for the deliverance of poor sinners. But you didn't get exercised before the person was saved. That's not what we're rejoicing at. The re-participating thing is this is one individual. It's not Lester Wilson. It's the whole congregation's response to it. for the preaching of the gospel and winning souls of Christ. It's your burden, if not all mine. God would have us to share this thing together. You notice what Elijah did in verse twenty-one. He recognized God with the one who did this. He said, oh my God, I pray thee, let this child's soul come unto him again. Elijah knew that God did it. Elijah didn't do it. God did it. And it's God who does. I don't care who the man is. He preaches the gospel. Even though he might preach it with power, yet it's God that saves us. The man does it. The human element is out. It's God in quickens. It's God in save. I'm God only. And here are lessons from Elijah. His prayer was intercessory. It was on behalf of others. On behalf of others. What is the solitude? He was alone with God, out there alone with a voice. It wasn't very pleasant, naturally, it wasn't. No, the presence of God withers up the flesh. And if one place you can't pray to be heard by men, then you're alone with God. If you're alone as only you and the Lord, and you're having dealings with God, You don't pray them to be heard of men. You're praying to be heard by God. And I believe in our case, praying publicly, concerning all the brethren, if you pray as to be heard of God, the godliness of what men do, or say, do it as unto the Lord. You're not praying to man, you're praying to God, and God is the one who hears, and answers there. This lonely... restling with God. We are publicly what we are privately, because we are dealings with God and private, you know, something of dealings with God in public. Who does how definite he was? Let this child's soul come into him again. He's praying definitely. He's not remembering the famine. He doesn't say, Lord, remember this awful famine going on for nearly three and a half years. Lord, think of all the sick people out there and all those who were dying. Think of the great need. Lord, remember the powers that be. No, he must pray definitely. There's something here. And this has got to be there. If this soul left this child's soul coming together again, he's praying definitely. So the point, specific, and how earning it is. Strange thing, he stretched them upon the child, dropped upon the child three times. Was he trying to impart warmth to the child's body? Did he think the child wasn't dead? He might give it some warmth? Or was it mouth-to-mouth dissociation? Was he trying that, hoping he'd bring this child back? Whatever it was, he did it. And it wasn't very pleasant to the flesh to come into contact with a corpse. Let me tell you, when you're dealing with sin and sinners, then did you coming in contact with that? Sinner, and it's not very pleasant to the old man, the flesh, when you're dealing with souls who are still lost in sin, dead in pestilence and sin, and here is Elijah, and he's in contact with a thought. Oh, if ever he felt his helplessness, his worthlessness, it was in. What can I do with this thought? I may try and impart them more, but that will. I may try and blow breath or light them, for that will do God's record. I know that there's sickness. He tried them, and he walked. He walked up and down in the widow below, listening to those footsteps. He come back a second time, trying to do something humanly speaking, something natural to get light into that body. It pales. And he gets up and walks and he goes over again. And he comes back through. Here is persistence. Persistence. Oh, the prayer, the anguish, or the light. He's got one thing before him, and that's the light of this child. And here's the miracle of resurrection, the fourth miracle. He spoke to the other three this morning, and hence the last one, the miracle of resurrection. Elijah applying himself. When we apply ourselves, we wonder who is so lost and helpless sometimes just one is on the heart of the Christian. Years ago it used to be wonderful when someone would stay back wanting to be saved. Do you know what would happen? All of a sudden a hushed to come over the Christians and they'd tiptoe away in the Sunday school rooms and boot the tray to that one being bent with upstairs. And they didn't have to wait long. It wasn't long until the light burst in upon that poor sinner and he or she found Christ as a result of one day down there. Trey, pray, lay hold of God for this one. Sometimes it was more than one. This is the price paid. when he chose the Christ. How tactic it was. He could not do anything. This is the word of God. He couldn't answer his own prayers. God had to do it, but here's his language. And God responded to it. Now you notice the confidence this woman got. I loved it as I read this text, the last verse of that chapter. Now by this know that, and now by this I know that thou art a man of God, and that the word of the Lord in thy mouth is true. That's lovely, isn't it? Now I know. I know. When she got that life back, oh, I know now that you are a man of God, and the word that's in your mouth is true, the very truth of it. I swear. Then a soul passed straight When they really pass from death into life, they can say, Now I know that the word that you speak is true. It's God's word. And that's what saves our souls, God's word. They see beyond the human instrument, it's God's word. That which you speak is truth, the very truth of God. Salvation is of the Lord. And that's indicated Elijah. All the Elijah went through and those things were over at ease. You read the story and see how this man prevailed and how he prayed. But oh, alone in Christ was high from time, he was well paid when he saw his prayer that day. Yet he gave all the glory to God, the foundations of the Lord, but at the same time had vindicated, God vindicated Elijah. Make it very plain, Elijah. had the mind of God in this thing, what he was saying was from God, not from himself. I can pray for you. I can preach to you, but I can't preach. That's something huge that you believe the message, as you get it from God's word. Now we get over to Obadiah. You know, there are thirteen Obadiahs in the Scripture. You look them up, this one has a book by his name, Obadiah, Jonah. It follows Jonah. This one chapter. But that's not this, Obadiah. And I say to our thirteen. But if this fellow, Obadiah, were to write a little epistle or a book, and in the Bible, you know what he'd write about? Well, he'd write something like this. You know that famine under Ahab was terrible. Oh, it was terrible. The rain stopped, the crops began withering up, the fields were drying up, and the cattle were dying, the horses were dying, human beings were dying. It was awful. The waters were drying up in the rivers. Yes, it was terrible. And I'll tell you, Ahab was a wicked king, and the life around the palace was deplorable. It was just awful, the sin against God and the idolatry, and the altars of God being done away with, and the altars of Baal taking their place. The prophets of God were being killed and slaughtered by Jezebel, and the prophets of Baal took their place. Oh, it was awful. Oh, but I would write. Well, you know, although there were terrible days, there was so much sin, I said it was late. I took a hundred of the Lord's prophets, and I had fifty in this cave, fifty in that cave, and I slipped in some bread and water, and I kept them on. Yes, Obediah, you did all that. Did you rebuke Ahab and Jezebel where there is? Did you lift your voice and quote him? Did you denounce they're giving up the truth God forbade? Did you denounce their idolatry? Oh, I know you. I didn't do that. But I didn't think I should. No. You were willing to be expedient. You were willing to compromise. giver stop to think, oh, but I'm unless someone faces Ahab and rebukes. There'll be no lane coming down from heaven. And those hundred prophets that you put in those two caves will all die along with yourself. Someone's got to face up to Ahab. Someone's got to face them up with a sin and a shame. And as I call it, this compromise is not going to do it. who's a liar. What a story he would have to tell if you were to write a book about himself. And I did this, he said, and I did that. And you find people today who are compromising the truth of God when it comes to gathering for the Lord came to go, but I did that. I did that. God didn't tell us that we were sugar. He said, your son. He said, oh, you should be sugar. You know, it's soft and sweet, shouldn't put anybody's heat and Salt is what prevents corruption from spreading. Friend, if you go off that salty nature in you, then you can refute sin and take your stand for sin. God says it's not worth any. Salt that has lost its favor is not worth any. And oh, there's sugary stuff. Confident. Oh, I know. Things are going on with truth. But you know, I keep this under you, God. I know it's a modernistic church, but I need some church. And I need some things around it. I think I can help. You can. If you think you can lift a modernistic church, I've got news for you. Instead of you lifting them up, they'll pull you down. That's true and just not the mention of life. This is all the dire stuff. Staying in there. Staying in there. Thomas, imagine being governor of the palace, of a wicked, one of the most wicked kings in history, and the most wicked priest, Joseph, and a child of God putting up with that adversary, will the die, he is. Though he wouldn't laugh with Ahab, he might lose his life. Like he says, why, you slay me? He is slay me. Yes, my father better die as a martyr for God. over that I was a liar backslider on a talking out of your face. So over that I. You know, he feared the Lord greatly. I drew your attention to that. He feared the Lord greatly in verse three and verse nine. But he feared Ahab more. He feared the Lord greatly, but he feared Ahab more. Elijah was just the opposite. I have, rather Elijah, feared Ahab. Well, if he feared God so much, he didn't fear Ahab at all. That's what it is. Oh, but I am. He feared God, but he feared Ahab not much more. So much that he feared Ahab more than his God, that he wouldn't talk about his God. On the other hand, he feared God so much, he didn't fear any man. Men were not. and he the Duke they had with faith. When they had said, art thou he that troubled Israel, no, you troubled Israel, king, you forsaken the commandments of the Lord, and call it me. You're the troubled earth, they'll not live. Just like Nathan said to David, it's all right for now. And here you find Elijah. He's showing the metal he's got. There's nothing compromising. of us on that day. I wonder if we can see ourselves in either one of these men. Two timid to rebuke Ahab and Jezebel for their idolatry and sin and the sexual deacon of God's people. But that's what they were doing. Jezebel had all the Lord's cross that she'd get her hands on. Cross to death! And here's a man right in her presence. Obadiah, not raising a complaint. Not objection. Not objection. How can people stay in faith and see so much thing in the Quran and so more about formality and so much unscripted in it and say nothing and not object? They'll just stay up. Stay up. They're fearing men more than they're fearing God. They're fearing their friends the more than they're fearing God. That's the old story. How could he be governor of the palace and at the same time be true to the Lord? Absolutely impossible. So we've all got a choice to make. The name was Lot did. While Lot, he looked towards Sodom. The first thing you know, he was in Sodom. He was an elder in Sodom. And he sat in the gate. In other words, he's going to try and lift Sodom. Elevate Sodom. Stop the corruption. Did he do that? No. Sodom reduced him. He lost everything. and his wife, his sons-in-law, and his daughter went to hell with a lot of confidence. He tried to make a facial and scent themselves, and he lost all that was too lost. That was what. And old Abraham was shamed in the outside place. The separated man had become deliverable. Lot. Get him out of this. Now there you have another case. Here you have Elijah over that. There you have Abraham and Lot. Those who are standing for the truth of God and those who are compromised the truth of God. Fearful at the presence of Elijah, do you notice that? You know those who compromise are unhappy in both atmospheres. They're unhappy when they're in the world. trying to lift a modernistic church or trying to put up with whirling this time again, they're unhappy. They know things go along and shouldn't they're unhappy, but they're also unhappy if they get in a church where they're impunishing with God and with God's working and the gospel's being preached and the saints are living for God. They're unhappy too. They're unhappy both ways. They're a compromiser when they're among those who are seeking to live to the Lord. They've got a guilty time. They go the other way and they're unhappy in a modernistic church. They know there's something going on there. They shouldn't be going on there. They're unhappy in both cases. Oh, but I was like that. He was unhappy in the palace. He was unhappy when he left alive. No, this is a trouble today. This business of trying to walk the way. Just be in the middle, a tight little squatter, caught in the middle between duty to the king and duty to the lord. Notice how Elijah shrewdly and sarcastically was written. And he says to Elijah, My Lord. Elijah comes back and he says, Listen, Abraham, your Lord, your Lord, our Lord, beside the true Lord, has dominion over you. Ahab, really, your Lord. He's the one you're submitting to. Is that often true, yes? We allow some other authority to come in, and we submit to it. We obey it, and we turn our backs upon the people of the light of policy and expediency. It is a species of road walking. It needs considerable practice in the art of philanthropy. You know where you find that. Trying to walk down the middle and avoid taking up lies beneath a pocket. They make pretense and excuses to satisfy an uneasy conscience. They feel sorry for those who are being persecuted, but are not willing to take their face amongst them. That's their compromise. That was true of this land over that. Of this two of ourselves, are we really ready to take our stand for that to be known to be of God, the truth of God, and be a liar? That's what the Lord wants of you. That's what he wants of you. No compromise. No walking the rope. One of these times you're going to get off that rope. And in many cases you get off