Now Is the Time

thank you pastor for this opportunity i don't take this lightly we're going to get right into the word this morning first kings chapter 18 verses 17 17-21 says it came to pass when ahab saw elijah that they have said unto him art thou he that troublest israel he answered i have not troubled israel but thou in thy father's house and that ye have forsaken the commandments of the lord and now has followed balaam now therefore sin gather to me all israel into mount carmel and the prophets of bell 450 and the prophets of the grove 400 which eat at jezebel's table so ahab sent into all the children of israel and gathered the prophets together into mount carmel and elijah came into the people and said how long halt ye between two opinions if the lord be god follow him but if baal then follow him the people answered him not a word i'm taking my theme from this passage here just now is the time now is the time give them a hand clap of praise thank you jesus you may be seated see in the time of elijah the nation of israel was ruled by king ahab who did what was evil in the eyes of the lord along with his wife jezebel in fact king ahab did more evil and more to provoke the lord god of israel to anger than all the kings of israel who were before him that's in the word he led the people to turn to bell a pagan god he and reject the lord as the one true god the people of israel were divided now need i remind you this is the same israel that were delivered out of egypt this is the same israel they knew who that one true god was they had saw his miracles but yet at this time they were divided you see there was this great influence that had came into their lives this evil king this other voice that came in and they had lost their way and that's what elijah said how long will ye falter as one translation does say it as well we have to be committed to something we as humans have a void that has to be filled that's just who we are that's how we're made so we're gonna fill that with something and if you're not committed to one thing you're going to be committed to something else the enemy will try to divide you just like they have divided israel there's one song that said it you're going to have to serve somebody it may be the devil or it may be the lord you're going to serve one of them whether you want to or not if you're not for god you are against him i'm coming to tell somebody this morning he is committed to us he is fully committed to us on calvary he showed us how committed he was he gave it all for us all of it but yet we struggle to commit to him matthew 6 24 no man can serve two masters for either he will hate the one love the other or he will hold to the one and despise the other you can't have two some people want all of it they want what they want they want this they want that that's not how it works because he's given you all that you need right here all you got to do is just take it just commit to that one translation when elijah used the word falter between two opinions this was a hebrew word used to describe a lame man in some ways so he was literally saying quit limping back and forth between two opinions they were halfway serving god they were halfway serving bell there was no more room for compromise they were weak in their faith so they were just limping through life they weren't committed the problem is that our flesh is constantly pulling us one way always life can be hard at times but that's why we have the comforter that's why we have to seek his voice to keep us because i'm just here to tell you if you're faltering between two opinions now is the time to commit to which one that you really want to commit to which one is that today that's what i'm here to ask you we have to keep that holy ghost fire alive inside of us we have to stay full of that oil so that we can be a lot to others if you're not on fire you're not going to light the way for others and if you don't even know which way you're going yourself you're not going to lead no one else amen galatians 2 20 paul said i am crucified with christ nevertheless i live yet not i but christ liveth in me and the life which i now live in the flesh i live by the faith of the son of god who loved me and gave himself for me you see paul knew there's a change that takes place when you do commit to this when you go through this salvation when you commit to what we have there is a change that has to come with that you can't keep doing what you were doing you can't keep going back to the old things and then come back to this on sunday mornings that's not how it's going to work you see when you repent and you turn from that and then you go down in the waters of baptism ain't that right brother ricardo brother tyler once you go down in that water that's when it's all washed away all those old things those old opinions they're gone you need to forget all about it because now you've got room for that holy ghost to live inside of you that's a pretty big commitment if you ask me so you need to stay true to that you need to leave him all the room that he needs to work inside of you you can't keep letting other things get in and push him out little by little amen a change takes place we make that decision hebrews 11 24 says by faith moses when he was come to years refused to be called the son of pharaoh's daughter that may have been the life he grew up in that may have been his background his past that may have been what he known he may have been a murderer but he refused to let that past life those past decisions affect his future was he perfect did he do everything right no but he knew which way he really needed to go maybe some of you here today are letting your past you're letting those old things still define you you're still being called by that old name but i'm here to tell you you can refuse you can lay it down right here lay that old name down lay that past down cause i'm here to tell you he's here to let you walk in the newness of life he's here if you will commit to him he will come down he will deliver you he will draw you forth to the living water you gotta want it you gotta refuse the old stop faltering stop being limp in your decisions you can't be weak you gotta work out your faith you gotta get it strong you gotta want it just as elijah asked i will ask why do you falter why do you waver between opinions everything you need is right here everything the world needs is right here sometimes they're not going to come for it we got to take it to them but you got to get enough of it in you to take out there to give to them amen there was a speech made by a certain man booker t washington his atlanta compromise speech there was a part of it that stuck out to me that i'm gonna read to you today he was talking about a ship that's lost at sea for many days suddenly sighted a friendly vessel from the mast of the unfortunate vessel was seen a signal water water we dive thirst the answer from the friendly vessel once came back and said cast down your bucket where you are but yet a second time the signal went out water send us water went up from that distressed vessel and it was answered once again cast down your bucket where you are the captain of the distressed vessel at last heeded that instruction that he was given twice he cast down that bucket where they were and up came full of fresh sparkling water from the mouth of the amazon river you see they were needing something but yet they were looking somewheres else for what they needed but yet what they really needed was right where they were all along they wasn't listening they was being told cast down your bucket where you are it may have took once twice three times they did it what are you looking for today what is keeping you from being fully committed i'm just telling you whatever you're out there trying to fill that with trying to fill up that bucket with it's right here just cast down your bucket right here see there's a living water that's right here at these altars wherever you may make your altar at home you just cast down that bucket you don't look nowhere else because what you need it is right there it will come up it will give you what you need john chapter 5 the man by that pool of bethesda he needed something he laid there over 30 years needing something waiting for his opportunity are you waiting for your opportunity to find what you're looking for maybe you've been waiting a long time maybe you just been laying there just figuratively speaking lame in your spirit whatever it is that's keeping you down that's you're just waiting for the waters to be stirred you're waiting for the right opportunity but you see oh he laid there all that time jesus came along and he asked him will you be made whole simple question yes or no the man did what many of us do he just gave an excuse every time i try to go down in the water when it's stirred someone else goes down in before me maybe some of us in here today maybe you're praise the lord maybe there's some other people in your life that you're letting get in the way of your blessing that you're letting get in the way of your calling well i would do this for the lord i would fully commit but you see this person here this person this thing here this job this addiction whatever it may be jesus is just asking you will you be made whole now is the time to say yes lord yes i will make me whole you see it wasn't the water that healed that man that day what he had been waiting on all that time it was a little talk with jesus that really made him whole some of you in here you may be lame in your spirit you're not sure what you're committed to these waters they are troubled right now these waters at these altars they're always stirred i'm asking you right now come in dip down in these waters don't just stick a finger in dive in make yourself whole he is ready for you amen and as i do draw to a close i'm just going to tell you what you need it's here already stop wavering between two different things stop letting one thing pull you just like the children of israel you've seen the miracles of god some of you in here you've been healed by god you've seen him heal others he's healed situations he's healed your mind you know he's brought you out of that bondage but yet you're still here you're being pulled over this side by whatever it may be as i close i'm just going to tell you this right here you may say well i try i do what i can i do this for god i do this but this i just i can't do that right now when it comes to the things of god if you're 50 percent right you're still a hundred percent wrong you've got to be a hundred percent into this thing in matthew 26 i'm not going to read through it jesus asked his disciples just to watch while he prayed but yet he came back in not even one hour and they were asleep is jesus going to come back and find you asleep is he going to come back and find you weren't committed to what he asked you to do he's just asking you just do this for me don't be asleep the time on earth is nothing he is coming back commit to him now is that time amen let's all give him a hand clap of praise thank you