No More Limping | 1Kings 18

Here at Piqua Baptist Church, we work our way through books of the Bible a little bit at a time. We’re in a series through the book of Kings, which is split into two books, 1 and 2 Kings. If you don’t have a Bible, or you’re not really sure where Kings is in the Bible, grab one of the black Bibles from underneath one of the chairs in front of you, and you’ll find our passage today, 1 Kings 18, on page 299 of the church Bible. Page 299. We’re going to be working through the entire chapter, 1 Kings 18 — lots of Bible to read.

Let me go ahead and pray for us, and then we’ll jump right in.

There is one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God who is Father over all and through all and in all. And Lord, we bow ourselves before You this morning, acknowledging, with some level of humility, that we cannot do for ourselves what is needful this morning. We need to hear Your Word. And by hearing Your Word, we need to be convicted of our sin, drawn to Your Son, empowered by Your Spirit to accomplish Your mission. So I ask, O Lord, that You would give us eyes to see the glories of God in this text, ears to hear the message of Christ in this text. Be with us. Grant us Your Spirit. For the grass withers and the flower falls, but the word of the Lord remains forever. Amen.

The central claim I’ll be making in this sermon this morning is this: because the Lord alone is God, we must turn away from every rival and follow Christ.

The Setup (vv. 1–19)

Anyone who knows a little bit about boxing has heard the name “Smokin’ Joe” Frazier. Joe Frazier, along with Muhammad Ali and George Foreman, was one of the premier heavyweight boxers of the late ’60s and early ’70s. Fewer people are familiar with his son, Marvis Frazier — and there’s a reason for that.

In the middle of the 1980s, Marvis Frazier was around twenty-five years old and had a 16–1 professional boxing record. Given his lineage, the boxing world had high expectations for this young man. But all of that would change when Marvis Frazier met a twenty-year-old phenom by the name of Michael Gerard Tyson. At that time, Tyson was 24–0, but he hadn’t really fought anyone of note, and a match with a serious heavyweight contender would be just the thing to introduce the world to Mike Tyson.

That match took place in late July 1986. The bell rang, and Tyson struck almost immediately with an uppercut, drove his opponent backward, and trapped him. Tyson landed one more uppercut, and that’s all it took. Frazier collapsed, the referee started a count, and the fight was called. It was over in thirty seconds. Marvis Frazier never even landed a punch. Tyson didn’t just answer questions that day — he erased them entirely.

In the passage before us this morning, the prophet Elijah sets up a contest between the one true God, Yahweh, and a false god called Baal. Now, some have called this a “showdown,” but I don’t think it is, because to have a showdown, you need to show up. And Baal never showed up. He never speaks. He never saves. He never protects. He never provides. Baal does nothing, because Baal is nothing — a false god made of deadwood and cold stone and shiny bronze. And the contest between the two is over in less than thirty seconds.

We’ll break this chapter down into four parts, and we’ll work through each one together:

1. The Setup — verses 1–19
2. The Staredown — verses 20–24
3. The Knockout — verses 25–40
4. The Victory Dance — verses 41–46

I’ll repeat them as we go along, if you’re taking notes and are interested in such things. Let’s get to work.

After many days the word of the Lord came to Elijah, in the third year, saying, “Go, show yourself to Ahab, and I will send rain upon the earth.” So Elijah went to show himself to Ahab.

Here’s the story behind the fight. It’s around the year 850 BC. There’s been a rift — the people of God have been split into two kingdoms, each with its own king. The kingdom in the north is simply called Israel; the kingdom in the south is called Judah. Our fight takes place in the north. In Israel, the king’s name is Ahab, and Ahab is a wicked king. He has led the people of God away from the worship of Yahweh and into the worship of a pagan deity called Baal.

Now, this is the setup for a contest between the two, so let’s meet our contenders. Baal is a make-believe Canaanite storm god who, in response to man’s oblations, sends rain upon the earth — except when he can’t, except when he’s detained or can’t be bothered, in which case there’s a drought. Yahweh is the one true God, the Creator of the heavens and the earth, who is all-powerful and sovereign over all men and all things. He had chosen a people for Himself and delivered them from slavery, and gave them a land upon which they were to live and serve Him and be a light to all the nations of the world.

Yahweh promised His people that if they would keep His commandments, He would send rain upon the land and it would prosper. But if they turned aside from the commandments of the Lord and worshiped pretend gods like Baal, then He would shut up the heavens and there would be no rain on the land. Well, that’s exactly what has happened. Back in chapter 17, in response to Ahab and the people of Israel worshiping Baal, Elijah the prophet comes out of nowhere with a word from the Lord for the king of Israel and says, “There shall be neither dew nor rain for three years, at least, until I say.” And for three years it did not rain, and the land suffered a severe famine.

Well, wicked kings don’t like bearers of bad news, and so Elijah the prophet is forced into hiding. Ahab and his wicked wife Jezebel have been searching for him for three years. The Lord has protected him and provided for him for three years. And then, in chapter 18 verse 1, the word of the Lord comes to Elijah and says, “Now it’s time to go. Reveal yourself to the wicked king Ahab and tell him: it’s about to rain.” Knowing the danger, Elijah packs up his bags and goes to meet Ahab. Let’s keep reading, second half of verse 2.

Now the famine was severe in Samaria. And Ahab called Obadiah, who was over the household. (Now Obadiah feared the Lord greatly, and when Jezebel cut off the prophets of the Lord, Obadiah took a hundred prophets and hid them by fifties in a cave and fed them with bread and water.) And Ahab said to Obadiah, “Go through the land to all the springs of water and to all the valleys. Perhaps we may find grass and save the horses and mules alive, and not lose some of the animals.” So they divided the land between them to pass through it. Ahab went in one direction by himself, and Obadiah went in another direction by himself.

And as Obadiah was on the way, behold, Elijah met him. And Obadiah recognized him and fell on his face and said, “Is it you, my lord Elijah?” And he answered him, “It is I. Go, tell your lord, ‘Behold, Elijah is here.'” And he said, “How have I sinned, that you would give your servant into the hand of Ahab, to kill me? As the Lord your God lives, there is no nation or kingdom where my lord has not sent to seek you. And when they would say, ‘He is not here,’ he would take an oath of the kingdom or nation, that they had not found you. And now you say, ‘Go, tell your lord, “Behold, Elijah is here.”‘ And as soon as I have gone from you, the Spirit of the Lord will carry you I know not where. And so, when I come and tell Ahab and he cannot find you, he will kill me, although I your servant have feared the Lord from my youth. Has it not been told my lord what I did when Jezebel killed the prophets of the Lord, how I hid a hundred men of the Lord’s prophets by fifties in a cave and fed them with bread and water? And now you say, ‘Go, tell your lord, “Behold, Elijah is here,”‘ and he will kill me.” Elijah said, “As the Lord of hosts lives, before whom I stand, I will surely show myself to him today.” So Obadiah went to meet Ahab and told him, and Ahab went to meet Elijah.

Now, this is not the Obadiah who is the prophet of the Lord and wrote a book in the Bible. This Obadiah is sort of the king’s chief of staff — he’s in charge of the king’s household, in charge of the king’s kitchen. We’re told that Obadiah fears the Lord greatly, risking his own life. He has a hundred of the Lord’s prophets hidden, and he feeds them secretly with food and water. It’s very likely he used the king’s own stores to keep alive the very men the king was trying to kill. In this way, Obadiah reminds us of the midwives who hid the Hebrew babies from Pharaoh. He reminds us of the way Rahab hid the spies in Jericho. He even reminds us of the ten Booms, who hid Jews during World War II.

Obadiah, servant of the king, acted shrewdly under his wicked ruler. But when the time comes to let the king know that he’s met Elijah, Obadiah is nervous, and for good reason. Remember, he told the prophet, “There’s nowhere the king has not sought to find you.” And what happens if he goes to the king and says “Elijah is coming to meet you,” and Elijah doesn’t show up because the Spirit of the Lord carries him away — which, I guess, happened at times? He doesn’t know what’s going to happen to him. But Obadiah keeps his promise to Elijah, and Elijah keeps his promise to Obadiah, and the prophet obeys the Lord and stands face to face with the king who’s been trying to murder him for three years.

Let’s begin reading verse 17.

When Ahab saw Elijah, Ahab said to him, “Is it you, you troubler of Israel?” And he answered, “I have not troubled Israel, but you have, and your father’s house, because you have abandoned the commandments of the Lord and followed the Baals. Now therefore send and gather all Israel to me at Mount Carmel, and the 450 prophets of Baal and the 400 prophets of Asherah, who eat at Jezebel’s table.”

King Ahab holds Elijah personally responsible for the judgment of God on Ahab’s own sin — he calls him “the troubler of Israel.” Well, this is often what happens to God’s people during times of God’s judgment. Do you remember when the Lord Jesus told His disciples, “The world will hate you because of Me” (John 15)? “If they persecuted Me, they will persecute you.” But Elijah knows his God. Elijah is fearless. Elijah speaks truth to power and says, in effect, “You have troubled Israel with your idolatry. You are the troubler of Israel. You have brought this upon yourself and upon this kingdom.”

And so Elijah sets up the stage for fight night: gather all of Israel at Mount Carmel, gather 450 prophets of Baal, 400 prophets of Asherah — Asherah being just another plastic figurine of Jezebel’s comic-book religion, the goddess of fertility. So that’s the setup: 850 prophets to one. And it won’t even be close.

The Staredown (vv. 20–24)

Now we get to the staredown — it’s like the weigh-in the night before the fight, where the two contenders are facing one another. Yahweh vs. Baal posters are hung up all around town.

So Ahab sent to all the people of Israel and gathered the prophets together at Mount Carmel. And Elijah came near to all the people and said, “How long will you go limping between two different opinions? If the Lord is God, follow him, but if Baal, then follow him.” And the people did not answer him a word.

Then Elijah said to the people, “I, even I only, am left a prophet of the Lord, but Baal’s prophets are 450 men. Let two bulls be given us, and let them choose one bull for themselves and cut it in pieces and lay it on the wood, but put no fire to it. And I will prepare the other bull and lay it on the wood, and put no fire to it. And you call upon the name of your god, and I will call upon the name of the Lord, and the God who answers by fire, he is God.” And all the people answered, “It is well spoken.”

Note that the author says Elijah “came near” to the people. This phrase — “came near” — appears several times in this passage. It is a kindness when the Lord comes near to expose our sin. The people of God are in famine due to their sin, and God in heaven may have let them starve — but instead, God in heaven comes near.

Friends, it is a kindness when a brother or sister in the Lord, or a pastor, comes near to disclose sin in our lives. Let us all take the posture of the psalmist David when he sang, “Let a righteous man strike me — it is a kindness; let him rebuke me — it is oil for my head; let my head not refuse it” (Psalm 141:5). When a brother or sister in the Lord, when a pastor, comes to us to expose our sin, it is not a holier-than-thou self-righteousness on display, friend — it is love. It is love. Hebrews 3 tells us to exhort one another so that no one will be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin. Christian, sin is deceptive, hidden, often, and very serious. The Bible says that God gives elders — pastors — to the church who are keeping watch over their souls. And so when we notice that a member has been missing church regularly, or has disengaged from the fellowship of the body, we reach out. We call, we text, and sometimes we don’t get a response. That might sound weird to you, but it happens — it happened to me twice last week. And so sometimes we have to send a letter. Missing church doesn’t always mean someone is unhealthy or in spiritual danger, but I will say that almost always, the first sign that someone is, is that they miss church regularly. So we reach out because we love them, because we need them, because they need us.

Israel is engaged in the worship of false gods, suffering under the consequences of their sin, giving Baal the place that only Yahweh deserved. So He shut up the heavens, and God withheld His blessing, and the people were suffering. God is not doing this out of spite, but to shake them up, to wake them up. The famine is a fire alarm. That is why Elijah comes near.

Verse 21 is the whole point of this chapter, by the way: “How long will you go limping between two different opinions? If Yahweh is God, follow Him. But if Baal, then follow him.” Notice: two options. You either worship God, or you’re an idolater. There is room for only one on the throne of the heart of man. Jesus said, “No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other.” That was true in Elijah’s day. That was true in Jesus’ day. That is true in our day. Through Holy Scripture, this same thing is spoken to us: if Yahweh is God, follow Him.

Who or what you are looking to for the proverbial rain is your god. Who you are looking to for blessing, for comfort, for approval, for safety, for power — that is your functional god. And if it is not the one true God, friend, you are an idolater. Now, you may not bow down to statues, but that doesn’t make you any less pagan.

Notice the tragic response of the people: “The people did not answer him a word.” Friends, the time is long past for no answer. Who is your God? Call upon His name. If Yahweh is God, follow Him. No more limping between opinions. The people were silent. Why? Well — it’s 850 prophets and the king, against one guy in a camel-hair suit. People are attracted to power, and Baal has all the power — or so they think. Their silence is about to be broken.

The Knockout (vv. 25–40)

Then Elijah said to the prophets of Baal, “Choose for yourselves one bull and prepare it first, for you are many, and call upon the name of your god, but put no fire to it.” And they took the bull that was given them, and they prepared it and called upon the name of Baal from morning until noon, saying, “O Baal, answer us!” But there was no voice, and no one answered. And they limped around the altar that they had made. And at noon Elijah mocked them, saying, “Cry aloud, for he is a god. Either he is musing, or he is relieving himself, or he is on a journey, or perhaps he is asleep and must be awakened.” And they cried aloud and cut themselves after their custom with swords and lances, until the blood gushed out upon them. And as midday passed, they raved on until the time of the offering of the oblation, but there was no voice. No one answered; no one paid attention.

From morning until noon, 450 prophets call upon the name of Baal. But — and this is just good writing — there’s no voice. No one answered. We become what we worship. Baal doesn’t speak. Baal doesn’t answer. The people don’t speak. The people don’t answer. The prophets limped around the altar; the people are limping between opinions. Baal is no more able to answer with fire than he has been able to answer with rain for the last three years. He doesn’t speak. He doesn’t save. He doesn’t protect. He doesn’t provide. He does nothing. He is nothing — deadwood, cold stone, shiny bronze. Baal is no more able to save Israel than Captain America is able to save you. He’s a comic-book figure. All we have from Baal is a dead bull on dry wood and 450 fools wailing at an empty sky.

And sometime around noon — probably because he was annoyed and impatient — the prophet Elijah begins to mock: come on, guys, cry louder. Maybe he’s charging his hearing aids, he can’t hear you. Maybe he’s busy on the toilet — that’s literally what it means. Maybe he’s fallen asleep. The prophets of Baal can’t squeeze even a single spark out of their dead god, and they assume it’s their fault. Oh, it couldn’t be that their god is make-believe, no way — we’ve got to show him we’re serious, let’s cut ourselves, let’s let the blood gush out, let him know we’re real serious.

That’s the way of every idol. Ask any addict — the idol promises and the idol fails, and the idol demands more. All false religions do the same thing: they make their promises, they don’t deliver, and then they blame the worshiper. You didn’t do enough. You didn’t give enough. It’s more, more, more. And every false religion suffers the same consequence — unanswered prayer, undelivered promises.

Verse 29, I’ll be honest, saddens me, because in my line of business I see this often, and its effect: “There was no voice. No one answered. No one paid attention.” All the offering, all the wailing, all the blood — wasted. What a contrast from what we read in Exodus chapter 2: the people of Israel groaned because of their slavery and cried out for help, and their cry came up to God, and God heard their groaning, and God remembered His covenant, and God saw the people of Israel, and God knew. Not Baal — he can’t hear, he can’t remember, he can’t see, he doesn’t know. PBC, listen: when you cry out to the Lord your God, He hears. He remembers. He sees. He knows. God pays attention.

Well, the 450 prophets finish their unholy hullabaloo, and there’s nothing from the storm god stuck on his pot. Baal never showed up. And then one greater than Mike Tyson enters the ring. Let’s pick up reading verse 30.

Then Elijah said to all the people, “Come near to me.” (There’s our phrase again.) And all the people came near to him. And he repaired the altar of the Lord that had been thrown down. Elijah took twelve stones, according to the number of the tribes of the sons of Jacob, to whom the word of the Lord came, saying, “Israel shall be your name,” and with the stones he built an altar in the name of the Lord. And he made a trench about the altar, as great as would contain two seahs of seed. And he put the wood in order and cut the bull in pieces and laid it on the wood. And he said, “Fill four jars with water and pour it on the burnt offering and on the wood.” And he said, “Do it a second time,” and they did it a second time. And he said, “Do it a third time,” and they did it a third time. And the water ran around the altar, and filled the trench also with water.

And at the time of the offering of the oblation, Elijah the prophet came near and said, “O Lord, God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, let it be known this day that you are God in Israel, and that I am your servant, and that I have done all these things at your word. Answer me, O Lord, answer me, that this people may know that you, O Lord, are God, and that you have turned their hearts back.” Then the fire of the Lord fell and consumed the burnt offering and the wood and the stones and the dust, and licked up the water that was in the trench. And when all the people saw it, they fell on their faces and said, “The Lord, he is God; the Lord, he is God.” And Elijah said to them, “Seize the prophets of Baal; let not one of them escape.” And they seized them. And Elijah brought them down to the brook Kishon and slaughtered them there.

See why so many people love this chapter? Our boy Elijah’s hardcore.

A few things I want you to see from this section. Elijah tells the people to come near — this is an invitation from the Lord. Yes, they have been guilty of false worship. Yes, they have abandoned true worship of Yahweh. But God is merciful. No matter who you are, no matter what you have done, there is still time to turn to the Lord. If you have turned from God, if you have let your faith grow cold, return to the Lord today. He is merciful. He is gracious.

The people come near. Elijah builds an altar of twelve stones. Why twelve stones? The text tells us: because it represents the twelve tribes of Israel. Elijah means to make a connection between the altar and the people of God. He builds a trench around the altar, cuts the bull and lays it with the wood, then tells the people, “Fill up four big jars of water and pour it out on the offering and on the wood” — which they do. And then, “Do it again” — which they do. And, “Do it again.” This whole thing is soaked. Water fills up the trench around the altar.

And then Elijah prays. Look again at verses 36 and 37 — Elijah’s prayer. You know what’s remarkable about that prayer? It’s not really remarkable at all. It’s two sentences in English. Elijah prays for thirty seconds. The priests of Baal wailed for hours, limping, cutting themselves. Elijah prays two sentences, and — whoosh — fire comes out of heaven, consumes the offering, consumes the wood, consumes the stone and the dust, and licks up the water in the trench. How hot does fire have to be to consume stone? Surely the heat of such a thing was felt far and wide.

I like what the commentator Philip Ryken wrote on this passage: he said we are thus reminded that God is His own proof — only God can prove His own existence. Elijah did not really prove God at all; God proved Himself. So yes, PBC, give an answer for the hope that is in you — but understand that the burden of proof that God exists is not on you. God will prove Himself.

When the people see this, they fall on their faces, no longer silent: “Yahweh, He is God,” they say. “Yahweh, He is God.” A fire falls on the altar of sacrifice, and idol worshipers are transformed into God worshipers. No more limping between opinions. Yahweh is God.

Do you see what happens here? Put the pieces together. The man of God builds an altar to the Lord — twelve stones standing in the place of twelve tribes — and fire from heaven, a symbol of God’s judgment, consumes the sacrifice and the altar completely. And by seeing God’s judgment poured out, God turns the hearts of sinners back to Himself. And then, next, He sends rain upon the land.

Do you see, Christian? This is your story. The man of God, Jesus Christ, came. He stood in your place. He represented you. And the fire of God, the judgment of God, fell on Him — on His cross, on His altar — and He died. Christ suffered the penalty of your sin, rose from the dead, and God turned your heart back. God the Father accepted the offering of God the Son, and then God poured out His Spirit and the blessing of obedience upon the people. Sinner, there is still time for you — turn from your sin, turn to the Lord this morning. The judgment of God for sinners has been poured out on the Son of God. When you repent of your sin and turn to Jesus Christ in faith, you’ll be forgiven of your sin and granted eternal life. The blessing of God is reserved for the obedient — and that blessing is poured out on you, not because you have been obedient, but because by faith you’ve been united to Him who was obedient.

How long will you go limping between opinions? Decide today. If Yahweh is God, follow Him. But sinner, let me be honest with you: if you don’t turn to God, there will be a reckoning. All who reject God’s offer of grace will fall under the judgment of God for their sin. That was the case for the prophets in Israel, and that is the case for all, even today.

Elijah’s slaughter of the prophets of Baal is ghastly, but Elijah is justified in doing so by the law of God. Under the covenant God had made with Israel, all false prophets were to be put to death, and no one in the country was doing it — so Elijah does it himself. Now we’re under the new covenant, and under the new covenant things are different. But the penalty of false worship is the same. Idolatry is as serious today as it was back then. Sinner, fear God. Repent of your sin. Believe in Jesus Christ.

The Victory Dance (vv. 41–46)

So the showdown wasn’t much of a showdown at all — it was pretty well over before it started. And our passage today ends with a victory dance. This is where we’ll end our time together this morning. Verse 41.

And Elijah said to Ahab, “Go up, eat and drink, for there is a sound of the rushing of rain.” So Ahab went up to eat and to drink. And Elijah went up to the top of Mount Carmel, and he bowed himself down on the earth and put his face between his knees. And he said to his servant, “Go up now, look toward the sea.” And he went up and looked and said, “There is nothing.” And he said, “Go again,” seven times. And at the seventh time he said, “Behold, a little cloud like a man’s hand is rising from the sea.” And he said, “Go up, say to Ahab, ‘Prepare your chariot and go down, lest the rain stop you.'” And in a little while the heavens grew black with clouds and wind, and there was a great rain. And Ahab rode and went to Jezreel. And the hand of the Lord was on Elijah, and he gathered up his garment and ran before Ahab to the entrance of Jezreel.

So here we see God hears the prayers of His people. God answers the prayers of His people because God cares for His people. Elijah prays; God sends the rain. By fire, hearts were turned. By rain, life was preserved.

The chapter ends by noting that the hand of the Lord is on Elijah, and — this guy outruns Ahab, who’s in a chariot, on his way to a town called Jezreel. It’s kind of funny — what is this about? Well, in those days, when a king would travel, his servants would go before him. Elijah is showing Ahab that he is, yes, a prophet of the Lord, but he’s also a servant of the king of Israel. He’s not trying to bring down the king — he’s trying to call the king to repent. This is an opportunity for Ahab to repent, to lead God’s people back to right worship of God, to restore their purpose.

It’s just — I think — an important point. After this great victory that Elijah was a part of, he shows himself a servant. This is what Christians do. This is what Christian victory looks like. It’s not gloating. It’s not even the slaughter. It’s service. Our win is that we preach Christ and present ourselves as servants for His sake.

Application

The point of 1 Kings 18 isn’t first, “go be like Elijah — go be bold, go be obedient.” The point isn’t, “be like Obadiah — be shrewd, be devoted, take risks.” The point of 1 Kings 18 is: look to the altar of God. We aren’t Elijah. We aren’t Obadiah. We are the people of Israel — limping between opinions, attracted to power, giving ourselves over to false gods. Like Israel, we need to see the fire upon the altar of God, upon the cross of Jesus Christ. We need to see what God has done for us there. And by sight of that divine glory, we too will be changed. And then, by that transformation, we too will declare God is God, and we will live like it.

Brothers, look to the cross. See what Christ has done for you there. No more limping between opinions. Declare that Yahweh is God, and follow Christ. Lead your family. Your wife is looking to you — love her, nourish her, cherish her, pray for her, study the Bible with her. Disciple your children. Prioritize church attendance. Seek the fellowship of the saints. Take your membership seriously. Evangelize the lost. Be a man.

Sisters, look to the cross. See what Christ has done for you there. No more limping between opinions. Declare that Yahweh is God, and follow Christ. Submit to your husband. Respect your husband. Pray for your husband. Use your words to encourage and build up, not to criticize and cut down. Be a woman of the Word. Memorize Scripture. Teach Scripture to your children and to your grandchildren. Make your home a refuge for the weary, a warm and welcoming place for both friends and for strangers. Refuse to grumble and to gossip. Fold other women into your life — older women training younger women, younger women showing up and being teachable.

All of us — no more limping between opinions. If the Lord is God, let’s follow Him. Let’s pray for revival. Let’s join a church. Let’s seek the welfare of our city. Let’s live below our means and give to see the gospel advance. Let’s show up at prayer meetings. Let’s encourage one another. Let’s admonish one another. Let’s bear one another’s burdens. We have seen the fire. We have beheld the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. There is no more limping. Let us all follow Christ.

Let’s pray. Our Father, we thank You for showing up and proving Yourself, for the way in which You have revealed Yourself — the fire of Your judgment on Your Son, which has moved our hearts back to You. We pray, O Lord, here this morning, for those whose hearts will not be turned, who have heard these words today and whose heart is stubborn — Lord, please soften hard hearts. Bring salvation as only You can. For the glory of God in Jesus Christ we pray. Amen.