1 Kings 18:19 (NLT)

Now summon all Israel to join me at Mount Carmel, along with the 450 prophets of Baal and the 400 prophets of Asherah who are supported by Jezebel.”

1. Elijah is calling for a national believers conference.

1 Kings 18:20 (NLT)

So Ahab summoned all the people of Israel and the prophets to Mount Carmel.

2. Everyone shows up for the Mt. Carmel Believers Conference.

1 Kings 18:21 (NLT)

Then Elijah stood in front of them and said, “How much longer will you waver, hobbling between two opinions? If the LORD is God, follow him! But if Baal is God, then follow him!” But the people were completely silent.

3. The theme of the conference: WHO DO YOU SERVE?

a. the people had gotten so caught up that their light was no longer shining

b. they were not living a separated, holy life

c. you couldn’t tell the difference between and Israelite and a Philistine

4. When the preacher brought our what the Lord told him to say...

a. the people were completely silent

b. nobody said a word; nobody made a move

5. Nobody spoke up for God anymore.

6. Jesus addressed the same situation.

Matthew 6:24 (KJV)

No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.

a. with Elijah is was Baal

b. with Jesus, he pointed out mammon

mammon - Gk - mamōnas - Chaldian origin (confidence, i.e. figurative wealth, personified)

a. meaning confidence in money

b. avarice (deified) - extreme greed for wealth or material gain

7. So Jesus is saying that the god of today is money or material gain.

And the way to identify if money is some ones’ God:

hate (the one) - Gk - miseō - to detest (especially to persecute)

love (the other) - Gk - agapaō - to have an intense feeling or desire for

hold (to the one) - Gk - antechō - to adhere or cling to tightly

despise (the other) - Gk - kataphroneō - to think against, disregard

Matthew 6:24 (NLT)

“No one can serve two masters. For you will hate one and love the other; you will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.

8. Here we see that the two masters being referred to is God and money.

9. So, by definition, if you;

Hate God - you will persecute those who talk about money in the church

Hate money - then you will have problems with those who don’t believe like you do

Love God - you will have no problem giving according to what He laid out

Love money - you will withhold from God causes and everyone else

Hold God - you will be happy about your contribution to God causes

Hold money - you will resent those who try to get money from you

Despise God - you will have a strong feeling against God causes

Despise money - you will have strong feelings with those who don’t contribute

Matthew 6:24 (MSG)

"You can't worship two gods at once. Loving one god, you'll end up hating the other. Adoration of one feeds contempt for the other. You can't worship God and Money both.

10. Most preachers hack this to pieces and try to guilt people into giving more.

a. that’s not our intention

Matthew 6:25 (KJV)

Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment?

11. By definition, mammon was also defined as extreme greed.

12. What is the root cause for greed...take no thought for your life.

a. it’s when you only think about you and fuss at those around you

13. Both God and mammon will have you bear fruit;

a. with God you will manifest peace, love and joy

b. with mammon, you will manifest greed

greed - an intense and selfish desire for personal gain or convenience

I want to point out the ancient definition of mammon.

mammon - Gk - mamōnas - ancient Chaldian origin meaning confidence

confidence - assurance

a. the belief that one can have faith in, depend on or rely on someone or something

14. Some Believers only serve God when it is convenient, but when things get difficult in their lives, WITH A FLICK OF THE SWITCH, they switch to the world’s system.

15. The issue lies in ones confidence in God.

a. your confidence is either in God

b. or your confidence is in money

c. let’s go back to

Matthew 6:24 (KJV)

No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.

serve - Gk - douleuō - to be a slave

a. a person who is the legal property of another and is expected to be obeyed

- we have been bought with the blood of the Lamb

- God desires us to obey so we can walk in the blessings

b. a person who is excessively dependent upon or controlled by something

- we have the Holy Spirit who would like to be in the drivers seat

16. So, Jesus is saying:

YOU WILL ONLY SERVE AND OBEY IN THE ONE THAT YOU ARE CONFIDENT ENOUGH TO BELIEVE THAT YOU CAN BE SOLELY DEPENDENT UPON.

17. Both God and mammon require you to serve them.

a. Elijah said... pick one.

b. Jesus said ...you cant have both.

1 Timothy 6:17 (MSG)

Tell those rich in this world's wealth to quit being so full of themselves and so obsessed with money, which is here today and gone tomorrow. Tell them to go after God, who piles on all the riches we could ever manage—

being full of yourselves = pride

Psalms 121:2 (KJV)

My help cometh from the LORD, which made heaven and earth.

18. With a flick of a switch, believers are known to jump from God into the world.

1 John 5:14 (KJV)

And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us:

19. Why not break the switch and wire it directly to God.

a. He’s listening