Elijah Series
The Making of the Man/Woman of God
April 19, 2020
This morning we are going to begin a new series about Elijah and discover how relevant his life is to you and I and our walk with God!
ASK: Before we dig into this though I want to ask what has God been teaching you or saying to you in this present time? –Not just spiritual but the natural and physical
Pastor Josh?
Me:
- Circumstances and Life can change in an instant!
- How God desires to hank evil situations inside out bring good out of them, which leads me to the man Elijah. God has chosen to use people to make His Kingdom know to everyone.
In the book of 1 Kings the man Elijah burst on to scene and is only know by the town he is from, he is Elijah from Tishbe in Gilead. He lived in a time of great evil and corruption among the common people as well as the Kings. As a matter of fact God raised him up during the reign of King Ahab & Queen Jezebel who were a wicked and sinful duo. But God raised him up to stand for righteousness in that day!
There are people listen today that God is raising up to take a stand for such a time as this. Even in this present Crisis God is preparing you, shaping you and molding you to be the man/woman of God as an answer for your day and time. So, let’s see how God prepared, shaped and fashioned Elijah. The first thing he did was to take Him into…
- The Pain of Isolation (I Kings 17:1-3) Now Elijah Tishbite, from Tishbe in Gilead, said to Ahab, “As the Lord, the God of Israel, lives, whom I serve, there will be neither dew nor rain in the next few years except at my word.” 2 Then the word of the Lord came to Elijah: 3 “Leave here, turn eastward and hide in the Kerith Ravine, east of the Jordan. NIV
Before I start to unpack what the Lord has given in these verses, let me ask: Why do you think he sends Elijah to hide, shelter in place at Kerith Ravine?
Possibility to:
- Separate and protect him from Ahab and Jezebel
- The Source of water to supply him
- I think most importantly to shape and fashion him spiritually – Never forget that God desires to use whatever happens to us, to do something in us, so he can do something beyond us!
God tells Elijah to go stay, shelter in place at the Kerith Ravine by a brook because of drought that is coming!
ASK: What do you think are some of the things that happened in Elijah’s day as they lived through a 3 year drought!
- Economic hardship
- Unemployment
- Food shortages/food lines
There is great similarity between Elijah’s day and our present day! Many of you can identify. We dare not miss the meaning of Kerith in the Hebrew, I am told…
- Kerith means “cut off” (1 K. 17:2)
- God takes Elijah through a period of isolation. As the drought cuts him off from the usual sources and patterns that he was used to
- God uses this being ‘cut-off’ to highlight things the things and sources that Elijah has become depend on
- Many people today are experiencing ‘Kerith’ today – feel isolated, feel cut-off
- Saying “Where are you God?”
- God is wanting to use this to do something powerfully deep in us! Kerith was necessary, preparatory to this work. You see…
- Pain is a powerful teacher!
ASK: What are some painful things have you experience caused a change in your life!
(Bee’s, failure – to study, etc.)
A.W. Tosier – It is doubtful that God can bless a man greatly until he has hurt him deeply! ASK Pastor Josh why do you think we struggle with that concept?
- The truth of this is seen in Elijah’s life, in Moses life, in Joseph’s life, and I know my life!
- You see Pain when responded to properly shapes us for greatness!
So, First God shapes and fashions Elijah through the pain of isolation and then molds him in…
Ask Pastor Josh to read text I K. 17:4-6
- The Process of Dependence (I Kings 17:4-6) You will drink from the brook, and I have ordered the ravens to feed you there.” 5 So he did what the Lord had told him. He went to the Kerith Ravine, east of the Jordan, and stayed there. 6 The ravens brought him bread and meat in the morning and bread and meat in the evening, and he drank from the brook. NIV
Do not miss that this process of the development of dependence has a couple seasons. First there is the…
- Season of Insecurity – Dependence on Ravens (I K. 17:4-5)
- Do you see it God told Elijah that he has placed a reoccurring food order for Him on Amazon Fresh! (Ok – was Amazon but Ravens but he had the order being delivered every morning and evening!
- In this season of food insecurity God teachers Elijah- I AM FAITHFUL! YOU CAN COUNT ON ME TO PROVIDE!
ASK: I think there are several miracles here – what miracles do you recognize here?
- This is miraculous! First that they are showing up with bread and meat in the middle of the drought, second, they come like clockwork and third they give up the food they are carrying to Elijah! (Never seen a bird give food up!)
The second season in the development of dependence for Elijah is the…
- Season of Limited Supply – Daily Dependence (I K. 17:6)
- My point here is that (Amazon Fresh – I mean Raven Fresh) deliveries weren’t a month’s order, a week’s order or even a full days supply – IT WAS JUST ENOUGH!
- Today some of us are learning in this uncertain season – That HE IS ENOUGH FOR THE DAY AND TIME WE ARE IN
- He is your peace and security for today
- He is your comfort and care for today
- He is your supply and provision for today
I sense I am talking to someone today who is learning the process of dependence in this season of insecurity and limited supply. You are trust God for enough!
(Depending on time ask the question – what does dependency on God in these seasons look like?)
Finally, After God shapes and fashions Elijah through the pain of isolation and then molds him in Dependence, he forges him in…
- The Progress of Obedience (I Kings 17:7-11,24) Have Josh Read Sometime later the brook dried up because there had been no rain in the land. 8 Then the word of the Lord came to him: 9 “Go at once to Zarephath of Sidon and stay there. I have commanded a widow in that place to supply you with food.” 10 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?” 11 As she was going to get it, he called, “And bring me, please, a piece of bread.” NIV
- Motivated to Move (I K. 17:7-9)
- Have you ever felt like God spoke to you, directed you, and you followed only to experience what seemed like he left you hanging? (Josh)
- This had to be what Elijah faced when the text says sometime later the brook dried up! God you said Go to Kerith Brook – Where are you!!! Why in the world did you bring me here!!!
- Perhaps we ought to stop asking God why and start asking God what are you up to? What do you want how?
- Some say that God guides by what he provides, but it is also true that God often guides by what HE DOES NOT PROVIDE!
- I FIRMLY believe that God did just that about a month ago as church couldn’t meet in their building and then realize the church isn’t the bldg. it the people — move people hearing the word on a Sunday now! He used it to show (motivate) the church something it would have seen otherwise!
Ask: What is it that God has motivate you to do since your ‘brook’ has dried up?
Finally, I want us to see that this process of obedience leads Elijah
- Motivated to Make a Bold Request (I K. 17:10-11)
Elijah moves from the brook to Zarephath and bumps into the widow in town and makes his request.
ASK: What was her reaction – put it in your words
Are you crazy are you the only guy who doesn’t know about the drought (thand the conditions, (Today – there are 22m unemployed and 100’s of thousand in food lines! We are in a recession the likes that has been seen in years) I have so little in fact got enough for one last supper before we die!
But not only does the Prophet make a bold request he makes a bold statement – the flour and oil you have will not run out!
Conclusion:
Some of you listen today are at Kerith – it’s a place of pain and God just maybe saying, “I’m doing something in you because one day I’m going to be doing more through you!”he
Some of you are in the Ravine right now, and it so painful and your hurting, Some are saying the things I used to trust in are gone, there not there anymore and I have nowhere else to go but God – I’m trusting in him.
Some of you listen your in a season where you really do real isolated, your not isolated in pain but your isolated and separated from God – your sin has separated you from him because that is exactly what sin does it separates us from a holy and righteous God. BUT hear me God doesn’t want to be separated from you – All he requires is that we come with our brokenness and humbly call on him repenting of our sin that cost his Son Jesus who was sinless. By faith recognize that His death was your substitute – He died for you! He rose again the third day and its only through this anyone can be saved. It doesn’t matter who you are or what you have done, YOU CAN BE FORGIVEN – YOU CAN BE CHANGED! Today call on the name of the Lord not to live a better life, not to turn over a new leaf but to experience the resurrection power in a supernatural new birth.
Do not delay or put it off. If you would like to receive Christ by faith, pray this simple prayer in your heart:
Dear Lord, I acknowledge that I am a sinner. I believe Jesus died for my sins on the cross, and rose again the third day. I repent of my sins. By faith I receive the Lord Jesus as my Savior. You promised to save me, and I believe You, because You are God and cannot lie. I believe right now that the Lord Jesus is my personal Savior, and that all my sins are forgiven through His precious blood. I thank You, dear Lord, for saving me. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
If you prayed that prayer, God heard you and saved you. I personally want to welcome you to the family of God. Please contact me at pastor@abundantlifegp.com we will get you some materials to help you follow Jesus and be his disciple.
