Promise Keeper

·39 min·3 clips

Elijah taunts 450 prophets of Baal before calling fire from heaven in a showdown on Mount Carmel.

The episode begins with a recounting of Elijah's confrontation with 450 prophets of Baal on Mount Carmel, where he calls down fire from heaven. It then shifts to Elijah's subsequent despair and flight after Queen Jezebel threatens his life, highlighting the contrast between victory and fear. Dr. Taylor draws a parallel to Abram in Genesis 15, who experiences fear after defeating four kings and rescuing his nephew Lot. God appears to Abram in a vision, telling him 'fear not' and declaring himself as Abram's shield and reward. Abram expresses hesitancy about God's promise of offspring, given his childlessness and age. God reassures Abram by showing him the stars and promising innumerable descendants, then makes a covenant through a ritual involving animal sacrifices. In this covenant, God alone walks between the animal pieces, symbolizing a unilateral promise. Abram's faith is counted as righteousness, a concept later expanded in the New Testament for salvation by grace. The sermon connects these biblical narratives to contemporary Christian life, addressing how believers can trust God amidst uncertainty and delay. It concludes with a call to faith in God's promises, particularly through Jesus Christ, and a prayer for belief in personal struggles.

As heard by us

A direct sermon on God's protection and reward in himself when faith is under pressure.

Promise Keeper follows Genesis 15 into God's words to Abram: "I am your shield" and "your reward shall be very great." It reaches that promise by way of Elijah's confrontation with the prophets of Baal on Mount Carmel, setting Israel's idolatry and Elijah's public courage beside…

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Why you'd press play

Press play when you want Genesis 15 to meet Mount Carmel, and fear to meet a steady promise.

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