A Last Appeal
Dr. H. A. Ironside’s Final Sermon as Senior Pastor of The Moody Church. Preached on the Night of His Farewell Sunday, October 31, 1948
Nonfiction, Religion & Spirituality, Christianity, Christian Sermons, Christian Life
| Author: | H. A. Ironside | ISBN: | 1230001924558 |
| Publisher: | CrossReach Publications | Publication: | September 21, 2017 |
| Imprint: | Language: | English |
| Author: | H. A. Ironside |
| ISBN: | 1230001924558 |
| Publisher: | CrossReach Publications |
| Publication: | September 21, 2017 |
| Imprint: | |
| Language: | English |
The first book of Kings, chapter 18, verse 21: “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, follow him.’ And the people answered him not a word.”
I am sure that you recall the circumstances under which these words were uttered. You remember that the people of Israel to whom God had given such a wonderful revelation of His will had drifted far from Him. Many of them had turned to idolatry; Baal worship was followed throughout the whole land. The priests of Baal had the first place in the hearts of the king and the queen in Israel at this time. The priests of Jehovah had apostatized and followed after Baal, and so it looked as though the whole people had turned away from the living and true God, and it was at this junction, you remember, that Elijah appeared and he summoned the king and the people to Mount Carmel and there he bade the followers of Baal to erect an altar and place an offering upon it and put no fire upon it and call upon their god to send fire from heaven to consume the offering. He on his part built an altar and in order that there might be no deceit of any kind, flooded it with water, built a trench about it and filled it with water hauled up from the sea. Mount Carmel rises up from the very seashore. And then he placed wood upon the altar and put an offering upon it. Hour after hour the priests of Baal called on god to answer them: but there was no voice, there was no answer, there was no fire from heaven. They were crying to a god who could not answer—a god who had eyes, but he could not see, ears that could not hear, a mouth but he could not speak—powerless to do anything for his devotees. Then at last Elijah stood up and he turned to the people and said, “How long halt ye between two opinions? If the Lord be God follow Him, if Baal, follow him. And the people answered him not a word.”
The first book of Kings, chapter 18, verse 21: “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, follow him.’ And the people answered him not a word.”
I am sure that you recall the circumstances under which these words were uttered. You remember that the people of Israel to whom God had given such a wonderful revelation of His will had drifted far from Him. Many of them had turned to idolatry; Baal worship was followed throughout the whole land. The priests of Baal had the first place in the hearts of the king and the queen in Israel at this time. The priests of Jehovah had apostatized and followed after Baal, and so it looked as though the whole people had turned away from the living and true God, and it was at this junction, you remember, that Elijah appeared and he summoned the king and the people to Mount Carmel and there he bade the followers of Baal to erect an altar and place an offering upon it and put no fire upon it and call upon their god to send fire from heaven to consume the offering. He on his part built an altar and in order that there might be no deceit of any kind, flooded it with water, built a trench about it and filled it with water hauled up from the sea. Mount Carmel rises up from the very seashore. And then he placed wood upon the altar and put an offering upon it. Hour after hour the priests of Baal called on god to answer them: but there was no voice, there was no answer, there was no fire from heaven. They were crying to a god who could not answer—a god who had eyes, but he could not see, ears that could not hear, a mouth but he could not speak—powerless to do anything for his devotees. Then at last Elijah stood up and he turned to the people and said, “How long halt ye between two opinions? If the Lord be God follow Him, if Baal, follow him. And the people answered him not a word.”
