“After a long time, in the third year, the word of the LORD came to Elijah: "Go and present yourself to Ahab, and I will send rain on the land." So Elijah went to present himself to Ahab.
Now the famine was severe in Samaria, and Ahab had summoned Obadiah, who was in charge of his palace. (Obadiah was a devout believer in the LORD. While Jezebel was killing off the LORD's prophets, Obadiah had taken a hundred prophets and hidden them in two caves, fifty in each, and had supplied them with food and water.) Ahab had said to Obadiah, "Go through the land to all the springs and valleys. Maybe we can find some grass to keep the horses and mules alive so we will not have to kill any of our animals." So they divided the land they were to cover, Ahab going in one direction and Obadiah in another. As Obadiah was walking along, Elijah met him. Obadiah recognized him, bowed down to the ground, and said, "Is it really you, my lord Elijah?"
"Yes," he replied. 1 Kings 18:1-8
v.3-4 Ob playing a key role in building the kingdom of God - serving God and building the kingdom by personally taking care of these other men.
His role is much different than Elijah’s - Elijah is out front - up front, connecting with outsiders, teaching God’s Word, speaking with other leaders, confronting issues - he’s is front and center.
Ob. however is working backstage, in the background, not seen, hidden actually - taking care of others who were at 1 time and will be again, front and center.
Ob. is doing his part - playing the role God intended for him to play - moving and acting with the abilities, skills and gifts God has given him.
He is doing his part in building the kingdom.
This leads to the ?, are we doing our part in building the kingdom of God? Do we even know our part?
Are you doing your part? Do you know what your part is?
According to God’s Word, everyone of us has a role, a part to play in building the kingdom of God - of seeing the world
impacted w/ the the good news of J.C.
1 Corinthians 12
“Now there are different kinds of spiritual gifts, but it is the same Holy Spirit who is the source of them all. There are different kinds of service in the church, but it is the same Lord we are serving. There are different ways God works in our lives, but it is the same God who does the work through all of us. A spiritual gift is given to each of us as a means of helping the entire church.” v.4-7
You play a part
Treat everyone as if they have a need, because everybody does
3 needs:
physical - spiritual - emotional
3 ways we can serve:
To God - To believers - To unbelievers
Why should I be interested?
1. I’ve been created to serve - on purpose for a purpose.
“For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.”
Ephesians 2:10
2. I’ve been saved to serve
“It is God who saved us and chose for his holy work. He did this not because we deserved it, but because that was his plan long before the world began” 2 Timothy 1:9
giving life to Christ is not the end - it’s not the be-all, end-all - it’s the beginning - saved to serve!
3. I’ve been called to serve - every believer has been called.
“God in his grace chose me even before I was born, and called me to serve him.” Galatians 1:15
“...You have been chosen by God himself...so you can show others the goodness of God, for he called you out of the darkness into his wonderful light.” 2 Peter 2:9-10
4. I’ve been gifted to serve
“God has given gifts to each of you from his great variety of spiritual gifts. Manage them well so that God's generosity can flow through you.” 1 Peter 4:10 - S.H.A.P.E.
5. I’ve been authorized to serve “Jesus came to them and said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples” Matthew 28:18-19
- not just clergy
“We are therefore Christ's ambassadors” 2 Corinthians 5:20
defin: a person who acts as a representative
6. I’ve been commanded to serve
“Your attitude must be like my own, for I did not come to be served, but to serve” Matthew 20:28
7. I’m to be prepared for service
“It was he who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, to prepare God's people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up.” Ephesians 4:11-12
8. Others need me to serve
“Now all of you together are Christ's body, and each one of you is a separate and necessary part of it.” 1 Corinthians 12:27
9. I am accountable for my part
“So then, each of us will give an account of himself to God.”
Romans 14:12
there will come a day when each of us will be asked by God, did you play your part? - how do I know what my part is? shape
10. I will be rewarded for playing my part
“Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward.” Colossians 3:23-24
you will be rewarded for playing your part.
14"Again, it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted his property to them. 15To one he gave five talents[a] of money, to another two talents, and to another one talent, each according to his ability. Then he went on his journey. 16The man who had received the five talents went at once and put his money to work and gained five more. 17So also, the one with the two talents gained two more. 18But the man who had received the one talent went off, dug a hole in the ground and hid his master's money.
19"After a long time the master of those servants returned and settled accounts with them. 20The man who had received the five talents brought the other five. 'Master,' he said, 'you entrusted me with five talents. See, I have gained five more.'
21"His master replied, 'Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master's happiness!'
22"The man with the two talents also came. 'Master,' he said, 'you entrusted me with two talents; see, I have gained two more.'
23"His master replied, 'Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master's happiness!'
24"Then the man who had received the one talent came. 'Master,' he said, 'I knew that you are a hard man, harvesting where you have not sown and gathering where you have not scattered seed. 25So I was afraid and went out and hid your talent in the ground. See, here is what belongs to you.'
26"His master replied, 'You wicked, lazy servant! So you knew that I harvest where I have not sown and gather where I have not scattered seed? 27Well then, you should have put my money on deposit with the bankers, so that when I returned I would have received it back with interest.
Matthew 25
Each of us have a part to play in building the Kingdom of God -
I think that’s incredibly exciting!!!
That God actually wants me, the average Joe to be a part of something so big, so huge, beyond my comprehension - something that matters more than anything else in this world - I get to play a part - WOW!
“In the same way that you gave me a mission in the world,
I give them a mission in the world.” John 17:18
Each of us have a mission, we each play a part
Sunday, June 17, 2007
Monday, June 11, 2007
The Elijah Element - PUSH
Audio on iTunes:
1 Kings 17:17-24
quickly review vs. 7-16 - Amazing miracle - how cool would that be to never have to worry about or even think about getting any food - your pantry is just supernaturally replenishing - your friends ask if you have anything to eat -- uh.. yeah...
Dude I haven’t been to Krogers in 3 yrs. - my frig is full man.
17 “Some time later the son of the woman who owned the house became ill. He grew worse and worse, and finally stopped breathing.”
Here is this Big, Huge miracle in this widow’s life, but that doesn’t mean the trouble is over... life continues... we live in a fallen world... bad things are gonna continue to come our way - sad, but true.
This woman may have thought, “well God is providing this miracle of the everlasting food, so everything in my life is good, no worries, no problems... not the case.
God’s provision is never given in order to let us rest upon just that
18 “She said to Elijah, "What do you have against me, man of God? Did you come to remind me of my sin and kill my son?"
She turns on him quickly, right? At 1st he’s this great prophet of God, making way for God’s food miracle, now all of a sudden he’s a bum. She goes bi-polar on him and turns into a hater.
Tragedy will do that to us. Fear will do that do us - it happened to her - ever happen to you?
When things aren’t going as planned, when life isn’t all merry and fun, it’s not always that bed of roses -
something goes awry, something unexpected occurs and really spoils the moment or day, or week, or year.
She’s just lost her son, now she’s lost her control.
In all tragedy or fear we must trust and depend on God.
We need to depend on Him
when the 911 tragedy struck the hearts of every american and others... that tragedy created a lot of fear and anger and raised a number of ?’s and doubt... people began asking how could God allow such a thing? why would he bring this tragedy upon innocent people? lost spouse, parents, children, they hurt, they ?
Many people turned quickly just as this widow did.
What’s important to understand about living in a fallen, broken world, where the Bible describes us as born w/ every inclination of evil - that God doesn’t bring disaster upon anyone, we bring it
B/c we are sinful people, b/c we do not live in a perfect world, bad things are going to happen and we have to be able to trust that Father knows best. Our heavenly Father cares so much for us and knows us better than we know ourselves.
That we can trust that He will guide us thru this and take care of us all the way, and as long as we need.
You mean that much to Him.
And He wants you to call to Him and cry out to Him.
vs.19-20
"Give me your son," Elijah replied. He took him from her arms, carried him to the upper room where he was staying, and laid him on his bed. 20 Then he cried out to the LORD, "O LORD my God, have you brought tragedy also upon this widow I am staying with, by causing her son to die?"
It's OK to cry out to the Lord, it’s OK to ? God. Asking Him, Hey, Lord, what’s going on here? I don’t get it - what’s happening? - I think those thoughts run thru our minds everytime we cross a scenario like this where the child has past away before the parent(s).
David cried out - known as man after God’s own heart -
“My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Why are you so far from saving me, so far from the words of my groaning? O my God, I cry out by day, but you do not answer, by night, and am not silent.” Ps. 22:1-2
“How long, O LORD? Will you forget me forever? How long will you hide your face from me? How long must I wrestle with my thoughts and every day have sorrow in my heart? How long will my enemy triumph over me? Look on me and answer, O LORD my God” Ps. 13:1-3
God wants us to express every ounce of our being, every emotion, every thought laid out b/c He cares, He wants you to tell Him, He loves everything about you - even our questioning.
21 “Then he stretched himself out on the boy three times and cried to the LORD, "O LORD my God, let this boy's life return to him!"
Look at how Elijah prayed 3 times here.
Don’t stop after one prayer. Elijah prays once for child, we’ll geez I tried, sorry lady.
Our tendency is to quit to soon - we pray once, don’t get an answer, “well must not have been God’s timing or will - I quit”
(it can happen... marriage... relat.... job.. school)
If you call someone, let it ring once, didn’t answer, I guess they’re not available, go over to friends house
go up to door, knock once, they don’t answer - you leave.
Here is God teaching us perseverance in prayer.
“But those who wait on the LORD Shall renew their strength;
They shall mount up with wings like eagles, They shall run and not be weary, They shall walk and not faint. Is. 40:31
Sometimes God has a purpose in the wait, in strengthening us - He sees the big picture, we don’t have a clue what lies ahead - so don’t stop praying, seeking God for the answers you need in life.
Daniel prayer in ch. 9 - no immediate response, no immed. idea or sense that God is doing anything at all - then a few days pass, a week passes, then 2 weeks, 3 weeks - here’s what happens:
“Daniel... Since the first day that you set your mind to gain understanding and to humble yourself before your God, your words were heard, and I have come in response to them. But the prince of the Persian kingdom resisted me twenty-one days.” Daniel 10:12-13
an example of a delayed answer to prayer.
P.U.S.H.
Pray
Until
Something
Happens
in me, or the other, or the situation
22 The LORD heard Elijah's cry, and the boy's life returned to him, and he lived. 23 Elijah picked up the child and carried him down from the room into the house. He gave him to his mother and said, "Look, your son is alive!"
God wants to answer, He wants to please, to bring us great joy in life.
“I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly” John 10:10
"Which of you, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him! Matthew 7:9-11
Jesus also said that He wants to us ask of anything so that our Father in Heaven may be glorified.
“And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Son may bring glory to the Father.” John 14:13
Jesus wants us to call out, cry out, regardless of what it is, or even the emotion we are displaying as ugly as that may be in that moment, God says, be real with me - he knows how we feel anyway - He already knows, so He says, be real. (vid)
This is one way our relationship w/ Jesus Christ will grow - if we are real, not holding back anything, any emotions.
How many close relationships do you have that are not real? how close are your relationships that you are holding back about yourself, not really letting the know who you are, or how you feel? How close are you to those people?
J.C. wants to be our best friend - Talk to Him just like you’d talk to your best friend.
remember v.23, you son is alive
24“Then the woman said to Elijah, "Now I know that you are a man of God and that the word of the LORD from your mouth is the truth."
Really? Now you know? The whole everlasting food thing didn’t give you a clue. A little skeptical are you?
Look at how God brings her back around - Everything in life is going great - got the magical replenishing pantry, got a Prophet of God chillin’ in my house - then boom! tragedy strikes
and she loses it - Gets angry at God
and as Elijah crys out to God - PUSH - persevering
God answers - the widows son is brought back to life
and now she believes!
God is faithful - even when we get angry and upset, even if we blame Him, as she did - God is faithful, and He will prove it
everytime.
Doubting Thomas
Now Thomas (called Didymus), one of the Twelve, was not with the disciples when Jesus came. 25So the other disciples told him, "We have seen the Lord!"
But he said to them, "Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe it."
A week later (push - didn’t happen immed.) his disciples were in the house again, and Thomas was with them. Though the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, "Peace be with you!" Then he said to Thomas, "Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe."
Thomas said to him, "My Lord and my God!" John 20:24-28
1 Kings 17:17-24
quickly review vs. 7-16 - Amazing miracle - how cool would that be to never have to worry about or even think about getting any food - your pantry is just supernaturally replenishing - your friends ask if you have anything to eat -- uh.. yeah...
Dude I haven’t been to Krogers in 3 yrs. - my frig is full man.
17 “Some time later the son of the woman who owned the house became ill. He grew worse and worse, and finally stopped breathing.”
Here is this Big, Huge miracle in this widow’s life, but that doesn’t mean the trouble is over... life continues... we live in a fallen world... bad things are gonna continue to come our way - sad, but true.
This woman may have thought, “well God is providing this miracle of the everlasting food, so everything in my life is good, no worries, no problems... not the case.
God’s provision is never given in order to let us rest upon just that
18 “She said to Elijah, "What do you have against me, man of God? Did you come to remind me of my sin and kill my son?"
She turns on him quickly, right? At 1st he’s this great prophet of God, making way for God’s food miracle, now all of a sudden he’s a bum. She goes bi-polar on him and turns into a hater.
Tragedy will do that to us. Fear will do that do us - it happened to her - ever happen to you?
When things aren’t going as planned, when life isn’t all merry and fun, it’s not always that bed of roses -
something goes awry, something unexpected occurs and really spoils the moment or day, or week, or year.
She’s just lost her son, now she’s lost her control.
In all tragedy or fear we must trust and depend on God.
We need to depend on Him
when the 911 tragedy struck the hearts of every american and others... that tragedy created a lot of fear and anger and raised a number of ?’s and doubt... people began asking how could God allow such a thing? why would he bring this tragedy upon innocent people? lost spouse, parents, children, they hurt, they ?
Many people turned quickly just as this widow did.
What’s important to understand about living in a fallen, broken world, where the Bible describes us as born w/ every inclination of evil - that God doesn’t bring disaster upon anyone, we bring it
B/c we are sinful people, b/c we do not live in a perfect world, bad things are going to happen and we have to be able to trust that Father knows best. Our heavenly Father cares so much for us and knows us better than we know ourselves.
That we can trust that He will guide us thru this and take care of us all the way, and as long as we need.
You mean that much to Him.
And He wants you to call to Him and cry out to Him.
vs.19-20
"Give me your son," Elijah replied. He took him from her arms, carried him to the upper room where he was staying, and laid him on his bed. 20 Then he cried out to the LORD, "O LORD my God, have you brought tragedy also upon this widow I am staying with, by causing her son to die?"
It's OK to cry out to the Lord, it’s OK to ? God. Asking Him, Hey, Lord, what’s going on here? I don’t get it - what’s happening? - I think those thoughts run thru our minds everytime we cross a scenario like this where the child has past away before the parent(s).
David cried out - known as man after God’s own heart -
“My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Why are you so far from saving me, so far from the words of my groaning? O my God, I cry out by day, but you do not answer, by night, and am not silent.” Ps. 22:1-2
“How long, O LORD? Will you forget me forever? How long will you hide your face from me? How long must I wrestle with my thoughts and every day have sorrow in my heart? How long will my enemy triumph over me? Look on me and answer, O LORD my God” Ps. 13:1-3
God wants us to express every ounce of our being, every emotion, every thought laid out b/c He cares, He wants you to tell Him, He loves everything about you - even our questioning.
21 “Then he stretched himself out on the boy three times and cried to the LORD, "O LORD my God, let this boy's life return to him!"
Look at how Elijah prayed 3 times here.
Don’t stop after one prayer. Elijah prays once for child, we’ll geez I tried, sorry lady.
Our tendency is to quit to soon - we pray once, don’t get an answer, “well must not have been God’s timing or will - I quit”
(it can happen... marriage... relat.... job.. school)
If you call someone, let it ring once, didn’t answer, I guess they’re not available, go over to friends house
go up to door, knock once, they don’t answer - you leave.
Here is God teaching us perseverance in prayer.
“But those who wait on the LORD Shall renew their strength;
They shall mount up with wings like eagles, They shall run and not be weary, They shall walk and not faint. Is. 40:31
Sometimes God has a purpose in the wait, in strengthening us - He sees the big picture, we don’t have a clue what lies ahead - so don’t stop praying, seeking God for the answers you need in life.
Daniel prayer in ch. 9 - no immediate response, no immed. idea or sense that God is doing anything at all - then a few days pass, a week passes, then 2 weeks, 3 weeks - here’s what happens:
“Daniel... Since the first day that you set your mind to gain understanding and to humble yourself before your God, your words were heard, and I have come in response to them. But the prince of the Persian kingdom resisted me twenty-one days.” Daniel 10:12-13
an example of a delayed answer to prayer.
P.U.S.H.
Pray
Until
Something
Happens
in me, or the other, or the situation
22 The LORD heard Elijah's cry, and the boy's life returned to him, and he lived. 23 Elijah picked up the child and carried him down from the room into the house. He gave him to his mother and said, "Look, your son is alive!"
God wants to answer, He wants to please, to bring us great joy in life.
“I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly” John 10:10
"Which of you, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him! Matthew 7:9-11
Jesus also said that He wants to us ask of anything so that our Father in Heaven may be glorified.
“And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Son may bring glory to the Father.” John 14:13
Jesus wants us to call out, cry out, regardless of what it is, or even the emotion we are displaying as ugly as that may be in that moment, God says, be real with me - he knows how we feel anyway - He already knows, so He says, be real. (vid)
This is one way our relationship w/ Jesus Christ will grow - if we are real, not holding back anything, any emotions.
How many close relationships do you have that are not real? how close are your relationships that you are holding back about yourself, not really letting the know who you are, or how you feel? How close are you to those people?
J.C. wants to be our best friend - Talk to Him just like you’d talk to your best friend.
remember v.23, you son is alive
24“Then the woman said to Elijah, "Now I know that you are a man of God and that the word of the LORD from your mouth is the truth."
Really? Now you know? The whole everlasting food thing didn’t give you a clue. A little skeptical are you?
Look at how God brings her back around - Everything in life is going great - got the magical replenishing pantry, got a Prophet of God chillin’ in my house - then boom! tragedy strikes
and she loses it - Gets angry at God
and as Elijah crys out to God - PUSH - persevering
God answers - the widows son is brought back to life
and now she believes!
God is faithful - even when we get angry and upset, even if we blame Him, as she did - God is faithful, and He will prove it
everytime.
Doubting Thomas
Now Thomas (called Didymus), one of the Twelve, was not with the disciples when Jesus came. 25So the other disciples told him, "We have seen the Lord!"
But he said to them, "Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe it."
A week later (push - didn’t happen immed.) his disciples were in the house again, and Thomas was with them. Though the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, "Peace be with you!" Then he said to Thomas, "Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe."
Thomas said to him, "My Lord and my God!" John 20:24-28
Monday, June 04, 2007
The Elijah Element - Where God Guides, He Provides
Then the word of the LORD came to Elijah: "Leave here, turn eastward and hide in the Kerith Ravine, east of the Jordan. You will drink from the brook, and I have ordered the ravens to feed you there."
So he did what the LORD had told him. He went to the Kerith Ravine, east of the Jordan, and stayed there. The ravens brought him bread and meat in the morning and bread and meat in the evening, and he drank from the brook.
Imagine getting this assignment from God... hope you like camping - hope you like roughin’ it
in v. 3 God says, “Hide” (read) - last week we talked about living by faith & that Elijah moved and walked in obedience w/out hesitation - and that we should also apply this Elijah Element in our lives, to live by faith, walk in obedience to God’s Word.
It’s interesting to me here that God tells Elijah to hide, is it to you? When we talk about about walking in obed. to God’s Word sometimes that’s a bit challenging, our selfish wants and desires get in the way, or fear gets in the way so we become a little hesitant - but if God said, “Hey Joe, get out of here, run and hide” You’d think I’d just take off - “You mean you’re not telling me to stand up against the grain or do something that appears extremely difficult... sure... I’ll hide”
But I think, even in God asking us to run, we still question it.
“Why run, what’s the hurry God?” right?
Something in us that always want to ? the will of God.
If God says run, you better run. If God says hide, you better hide
You better put your tough guy Texan pride aside and GO!
A similar situation happened just about 1000yrs. earlier when we read the story of Sodom and Gomorrah being destroyed.
Look at what God’s message is to His followers:
So Lot went out and spoke to his sons-in-law, who were pledged to marry his daughters. He said, "Hurry and get out of this place, because the LORD is about to destroy the city!" But his sons-in-law thought he was joking.
15 With the coming of dawn, the angels urged Lot, saying, "Hurry! Take your wife and your two daughters who are here, or you will be swept away when the city is punished."
16 When he hesitated, the men grasped his hand and the hands of his wife and of his two daughters and led them safely out of the city, for the LORD was merciful to them. 17 As soon as they had brought them out, one of them said, "Flee for your lives! Don't look back, and don't stop anywhere in the plain! Flee to the mountains or you will be swept away! Gen. 19:14-17
If God says run... run!
There are different occasions in Deuteronomy and in Jeremiah
where God tells the people of Israel to flee or run b/c disaster is about to fall upon the cities they were in.
in 1 Corinthians 6:18 God tells us all to
“Flee from sexual immorality”
in 1 Corinthians 10:14 God tells us all to
“flee from idolatry”
Why is God telling us to run or flee from such things?
B/c disaster is about to fall - He is basically telling us, “you can’t hang - it will get the best of you, you can’t stand against it alone so get out of there. - don’t put yourself in compromising situations.
If God says run... run!
continuing in 1 Kings 17...
Some time later the brook dried up because there had been no rain in the land. Then the word of the LORD came to him: "Go at once to Zarephath of Sidon and stay there. I have commanded a widow in that place to supply you with food." So he went to Zarephath. When he came to the town gate, a widow was there gathering sticks. He called to her and asked, "Would you bring me a little water in a jar so I may have a drink?" As she was going to get it, he called, "And bring me, please, a piece of bread."
"As surely as the LORD your God lives," she replied, "I don't have any bread—only a handful of flour in a jar and a little oil in a jug. I am gathering a few sticks to take home and make a meal for myself and my son, that we may eat it—and die."
Elijah said to her, "Don't be afraid. Go home and do as you have said. But first make a small cake of bread for me from what you have and bring it to me, and then make something for yourself and your son. For this is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: 'The jar of flour will not be used up and the jug of oil will not run dry until the day the LORD gives rain on the land.' "
She went away and did as Elijah had told her. So there was food every day for Elijah and for the woman and her family.
For the jar of flour was not used up and the jug of oil did not run dry, in keeping with the word of the LORD spoken by Elijah.
1 Kings 17:2-16
In a nation that is required to take care of it’s prophets, it is ironic that God turned to ravens (considered unclean birds)
and a widow who is a foreigner from Jezebels homeland to take care of Elijah.
Where God leads, He feeds, Where God guides, He provides.
God has help where we least expect it. He provides for us in ways that go beyond our limited imaginations or expectations.
No matter how difficult life becomes or how hopeless our situation may appear we can count on God to pull us through.
Where God leads, He feeds, Where God guides, He provides
It’s usually a matter of timing:
God has made it easy for us to understand His timing. He made it simple to discover His time by giving us the seasons of life.
So we must understand that everything has seasons.
“There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven” Ecc 3:1
You see, to know the time for everything we need to understand that every activity has a season. Seasons are God’s clue to timing.
God’s Timing in your life can be discerned by determining what season you’re in, and when you find out the season you’re in, you can act accordingly.
For example, if it’s winter and cold outside, then it is time for you to wear a coat. You don’t have to pray real hard to figure out if you should wear a coat. Simply look outdoors and you’ll know what to do.
The same is true of life. In order to know what to do, simply find out what season it is in your life, and then act appropriately.
The key to success is acting relevantly to your circumstances. Simply waiting around for your ship to come in will never bring you success. Don’t wait for success? Success is who you are and what you do every day of your life. found in obed.
The problem with many of us is that we don’t know what to do.
Listen, it is easy to know what to do. Just as there are seasons of nature, there are seasons of life. Each season corresponds to a particular action that we need to take. For example, there is a time to plant and a time to reap. How do you know if it’s time to reap? You know it’s time when the harvest is ripe.-if it is ready. The same is true of your life.
So to find out God’s timing you simply need to ask yourself, "What season am I in?"
and listen He will provide.
God’s Provision
God is referred to as Jehovah-Jireh. which means "the Lord will provide."
This name comes from the story in Genesis of Abraham's obedience to offer Isaac to the Lord. You will find the story in Genesis 22. God commanded Abraham to offer Isaac as a burnt offering. Deciding to obey the Lord, Abraham took Isaac and set out to the place where God had chosen. He bound his son and laid him on the altar. As he was about to slay his son, God stopped him. He commended him for his willingness to obey and called his attention to a ram that he had provided for Abraham to offer. As Abraham offered the ram as a burnt offering to God, he called the name of that place Jehovah-Jireh. He had experienced the provision of God. He had come to experience first-hand the reality that God could provide. ever had a Jeh.Jir. exper? Obviously God made this happen.
As a father provides for his own children, so God is our provider. James 1:17 says, "Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights."
Philippians 4:19 says, "And my God shall supply all your needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus."
God not only gives us the stuff we need, He gives us the good stuff. He gives us what we really need, not simply what we think we need. And much of what God gives us you simply cannot buy with money. When you are overwhelmed, you may be able to buy a bottle. When you sober up, however, the problem is still there. What you need is supernatural peace in the midst of the problem. What you need is the ability to deal with the situation. Only God Jeh.Jir. can give you that.
Let me give you some thoughts on receiving from God.
The first is the principle of obedience. If we want to receive from God, we must be in God's will.
The first area in which we need to be in the will of God is our relationship with Jesus Christ. Our relationship with Jesus must be maintained if we are going to be in a position to pray for and receive what we need. Jesus said, in John 15:7, "If you abide in Me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish and it shall be done for you."
This is our first priority. Maintain that love relationship with Jesus Christ.
Another area in which we need to make sure we are in the will of God is our relationship to the church. If we neglect our fellowship with one another then we will find ourselves out of the will of God
Hebrews 10:24-25, "And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another"
If we want to be in the will of God, we must be in right relationship to one another in a local church where we can serve God.
A final area of obedience is obedience in giving. So many people take themselves out of a position where they can receive from God because they will not be obedient in this vital matter.
God has promised that if we bring His tithes into the storehouse, He will pour out blessings upon us. “Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, so that there may be food in My house, and test Me now in this," says the LORD of hosts, "if I will not open for you the windows of heaven, and pour out for you a blessing until it overflows." Malachi 3:10
You see, the principle God has established is that we first give than we receive. Luke 6:38 reads, "Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.".
v.13-14 -
Elijah said to her, "Don't be afraid. Go home and do as you have said. But first make a small cake of bread for me from what you have and bring it to me, and then make something for yourself and your son. For this is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: 'The jar of flour will not be used up and the jug of oil will not run dry until the day the LORD gives rain on the land.' "
Give to God 1st and He will provide!
But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Matthew 6:33
So we must be obedient to God in terms of our relationship with Jesus Christ and with His church, and in terms of our giving.
When we walk in obed. putting God 1st - He will provide.
Where God guides, He provides
So he did what the LORD had told him. He went to the Kerith Ravine, east of the Jordan, and stayed there. The ravens brought him bread and meat in the morning and bread and meat in the evening, and he drank from the brook.
Imagine getting this assignment from God... hope you like camping - hope you like roughin’ it
in v. 3 God says, “Hide” (read) - last week we talked about living by faith & that Elijah moved and walked in obedience w/out hesitation - and that we should also apply this Elijah Element in our lives, to live by faith, walk in obedience to God’s Word.
It’s interesting to me here that God tells Elijah to hide, is it to you? When we talk about about walking in obed. to God’s Word sometimes that’s a bit challenging, our selfish wants and desires get in the way, or fear gets in the way so we become a little hesitant - but if God said, “Hey Joe, get out of here, run and hide” You’d think I’d just take off - “You mean you’re not telling me to stand up against the grain or do something that appears extremely difficult... sure... I’ll hide”
But I think, even in God asking us to run, we still question it.
“Why run, what’s the hurry God?” right?
Something in us that always want to ? the will of God.
If God says run, you better run. If God says hide, you better hide
You better put your tough guy Texan pride aside and GO!
A similar situation happened just about 1000yrs. earlier when we read the story of Sodom and Gomorrah being destroyed.
Look at what God’s message is to His followers:
So Lot went out and spoke to his sons-in-law, who were pledged to marry his daughters. He said, "Hurry and get out of this place, because the LORD is about to destroy the city!" But his sons-in-law thought he was joking.
15 With the coming of dawn, the angels urged Lot, saying, "Hurry! Take your wife and your two daughters who are here, or you will be swept away when the city is punished."
16 When he hesitated, the men grasped his hand and the hands of his wife and of his two daughters and led them safely out of the city, for the LORD was merciful to them. 17 As soon as they had brought them out, one of them said, "Flee for your lives! Don't look back, and don't stop anywhere in the plain! Flee to the mountains or you will be swept away! Gen. 19:14-17
If God says run... run!
There are different occasions in Deuteronomy and in Jeremiah
where God tells the people of Israel to flee or run b/c disaster is about to fall upon the cities they were in.
in 1 Corinthians 6:18 God tells us all to
“Flee from sexual immorality”
in 1 Corinthians 10:14 God tells us all to
“flee from idolatry”
Why is God telling us to run or flee from such things?
B/c disaster is about to fall - He is basically telling us, “you can’t hang - it will get the best of you, you can’t stand against it alone so get out of there. - don’t put yourself in compromising situations.
If God says run... run!
continuing in 1 Kings 17...
Some time later the brook dried up because there had been no rain in the land. Then the word of the LORD came to him: "Go at once to Zarephath of Sidon and stay there. I have commanded a widow in that place to supply you with food." So he went to Zarephath. When he came to the town gate, a widow was there gathering sticks. He called to her and asked, "Would you bring me a little water in a jar so I may have a drink?" As she was going to get it, he called, "And bring me, please, a piece of bread."
"As surely as the LORD your God lives," she replied, "I don't have any bread—only a handful of flour in a jar and a little oil in a jug. I am gathering a few sticks to take home and make a meal for myself and my son, that we may eat it—and die."
Elijah said to her, "Don't be afraid. Go home and do as you have said. But first make a small cake of bread for me from what you have and bring it to me, and then make something for yourself and your son. For this is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: 'The jar of flour will not be used up and the jug of oil will not run dry until the day the LORD gives rain on the land.' "
She went away and did as Elijah had told her. So there was food every day for Elijah and for the woman and her family.
For the jar of flour was not used up and the jug of oil did not run dry, in keeping with the word of the LORD spoken by Elijah.
1 Kings 17:2-16
In a nation that is required to take care of it’s prophets, it is ironic that God turned to ravens (considered unclean birds)
and a widow who is a foreigner from Jezebels homeland to take care of Elijah.
Where God leads, He feeds, Where God guides, He provides.
God has help where we least expect it. He provides for us in ways that go beyond our limited imaginations or expectations.
No matter how difficult life becomes or how hopeless our situation may appear we can count on God to pull us through.
Where God leads, He feeds, Where God guides, He provides
It’s usually a matter of timing:
God has made it easy for us to understand His timing. He made it simple to discover His time by giving us the seasons of life.
So we must understand that everything has seasons.
“There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven” Ecc 3:1
You see, to know the time for everything we need to understand that every activity has a season. Seasons are God’s clue to timing.
God’s Timing in your life can be discerned by determining what season you’re in, and when you find out the season you’re in, you can act accordingly.
For example, if it’s winter and cold outside, then it is time for you to wear a coat. You don’t have to pray real hard to figure out if you should wear a coat. Simply look outdoors and you’ll know what to do.
The same is true of life. In order to know what to do, simply find out what season it is in your life, and then act appropriately.
The key to success is acting relevantly to your circumstances. Simply waiting around for your ship to come in will never bring you success. Don’t wait for success? Success is who you are and what you do every day of your life. found in obed.
The problem with many of us is that we don’t know what to do.
Listen, it is easy to know what to do. Just as there are seasons of nature, there are seasons of life. Each season corresponds to a particular action that we need to take. For example, there is a time to plant and a time to reap. How do you know if it’s time to reap? You know it’s time when the harvest is ripe.-if it is ready. The same is true of your life.
So to find out God’s timing you simply need to ask yourself, "What season am I in?"
and listen He will provide.
God’s Provision
God is referred to as Jehovah-Jireh. which means "the Lord will provide."
This name comes from the story in Genesis of Abraham's obedience to offer Isaac to the Lord. You will find the story in Genesis 22. God commanded Abraham to offer Isaac as a burnt offering. Deciding to obey the Lord, Abraham took Isaac and set out to the place where God had chosen. He bound his son and laid him on the altar. As he was about to slay his son, God stopped him. He commended him for his willingness to obey and called his attention to a ram that he had provided for Abraham to offer. As Abraham offered the ram as a burnt offering to God, he called the name of that place Jehovah-Jireh. He had experienced the provision of God. He had come to experience first-hand the reality that God could provide. ever had a Jeh.Jir. exper? Obviously God made this happen.
As a father provides for his own children, so God is our provider. James 1:17 says, "Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights."
Philippians 4:19 says, "And my God shall supply all your needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus."
God not only gives us the stuff we need, He gives us the good stuff. He gives us what we really need, not simply what we think we need. And much of what God gives us you simply cannot buy with money. When you are overwhelmed, you may be able to buy a bottle. When you sober up, however, the problem is still there. What you need is supernatural peace in the midst of the problem. What you need is the ability to deal with the situation. Only God Jeh.Jir. can give you that.
Let me give you some thoughts on receiving from God.
The first is the principle of obedience. If we want to receive from God, we must be in God's will.
The first area in which we need to be in the will of God is our relationship with Jesus Christ. Our relationship with Jesus must be maintained if we are going to be in a position to pray for and receive what we need. Jesus said, in John 15:7, "If you abide in Me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish and it shall be done for you."
This is our first priority. Maintain that love relationship with Jesus Christ.
Another area in which we need to make sure we are in the will of God is our relationship to the church. If we neglect our fellowship with one another then we will find ourselves out of the will of God
Hebrews 10:24-25, "And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another"
If we want to be in the will of God, we must be in right relationship to one another in a local church where we can serve God.
A final area of obedience is obedience in giving. So many people take themselves out of a position where they can receive from God because they will not be obedient in this vital matter.
God has promised that if we bring His tithes into the storehouse, He will pour out blessings upon us. “Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, so that there may be food in My house, and test Me now in this," says the LORD of hosts, "if I will not open for you the windows of heaven, and pour out for you a blessing until it overflows." Malachi 3:10
You see, the principle God has established is that we first give than we receive. Luke 6:38 reads, "Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.".
v.13-14 -
Elijah said to her, "Don't be afraid. Go home and do as you have said. But first make a small cake of bread for me from what you have and bring it to me, and then make something for yourself and your son. For this is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: 'The jar of flour will not be used up and the jug of oil will not run dry until the day the LORD gives rain on the land.' "
Give to God 1st and He will provide!
But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Matthew 6:33
So we must be obedient to God in terms of our relationship with Jesus Christ and with His church, and in terms of our giving.
When we walk in obed. putting God 1st - He will provide.
Where God guides, He provides
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