The God-Off: A Call to Repentance and Obedience

Preaching from my favourite passage in 1 Kings 18

Recently, I had the great opportunity to preach on my all time favourite passage, 1 Kings 18, known colloquially as the “God-off”.

I’ve always loved this passage. I also love the [almost] word-for-word heavy metal version of the story from Disciple’s best album, By God, and can’t think of the story without Kevin Young’s voice shout/singing in my head.

Here’s a brief summary of the sermon:

• When the kingdom grows dark with idolatry and wicked leadership, God sends in His crack team—prophets. And with Ahab, the worst king so far, God sends Elijah to confront the spiritual decay.

• In one of the Bible’s most dramatic moments, Elijah goes head-to-head with hundreds of prophets of Baal and Asherah on Mount Carmel. It’s not even a contest. While the false prophets cry out in vain, Elijah’s God—the one true God—answers with fire from heaven and ends a long drought. It’s a clear display of who really holds power.

• Shockingly, after all that, nothing changes. Ahab returns to Baal. There’s no repentance. The kingdom continues its downward spiral.

• Disillusioned and afraid, Elijah runs. He hides in the wilderness and asks God: What was the point?

• God responds—not with rebuke, but with purpose. Elijah is told to return and anoint those whom God has chosen. His mission isn’t over.

• Through it all, we see God’s design:

  • 1. A call to repentance – We cannot live with divided hearts. Idols must go. We must cling to Jesus alone.

  • 2. A call to obedience – Faith isn’t just believing; it’s doing. It's action born from trust in God.

You can watch the full sermon in the YouTube link below, or subscribe to the Soul Revival Church podcast feed for future sermons from the team at SR.