“Live by the Spirit: The First Commandment”

Bible Text: 1 Kings 18:15-39 | Preacher: Pastor Mark Verbruggen | Series: Live By The Spirit | In I Kings 18 we have a dramatic depiction of the first commandment. We read about a
showdown between King Ahab and Elijah: the political leader and the spiritual leader of God’s
people. Elijah and Ahab have gathered the people together to settle an age-old question: “Who
is God?” Is “Yahweh”, the covenant Lord, the true God of heaven and earth? Or is it “Baal”, the
pagan fertility god? The prophets of Baal are brought together with the prophet of the Lord in
order to settle the issue. Elijah frames the essential question in I Kings 18:21 saying, “How long
will you waver between two opinions? If the LORD is God, follow him; but if Baal is God, follow
him.”
So, who is the true God? And if we know this God, how shall we now live? The Church of Jesus
Christ is the people of God who live by the Spirit of God in every area of life. To guide us in this
calling, God has given us his Law by which we know his will for our lives. In Christ we are set
free from slavery to our sin. We are set free from the kingdom of darkness in order to be
liberated for life in the Kingdom of God. From this foundation of grace, we then hear the 10
Commandments. (Grace always precedes Law). This morning we will consider the first
commandment which says, “You shall have no other gods before me.”