Introduction
1. Email funny (Dail Sleeper)
One year at Thanksgiving, my mom went to my sister’s house for the traditional feast.
Knowing how gullible my sister is, my mom decided to play a trick.
She told my sister that she needed something from the store.
When my sister left, my mom took the turkey out of the oven,
removed the stuffing,
stuffed a Cornish hen,
and inserted it into the turkey,
and re-stuffed the turkey.
She then placed the bird(s) back in the oven.
When it was time for dinner, my sister pulled the turkey out of the oven and proceeded to remove the stuffing.
When her serving spoon hit something, she reached in and pulled out the little bird.
With a look of total shock on her face, my mother exclaimed, "Patricia, you’ve cooked a pregnant bird!"
At the reality of this horrifying news, my sister started to cry.
It took the family two hours to convince her that turkeys lay eggs!
2. To believe in the God of the Bible...
is to believe in the personal involvement of God in the lives of His people . . .
The picture we see of Jesus...
Is a picture of the Messiah who is intimately involved with His followers...
Our Scripture tells of a remarkable story in the life of one of the prophets.
It is a beautiful picture of the personal involvement of God in the lives of His people.
READ THE SCRIPTURE: 2 Kings 4:1-7
3. Josephus, a Jewish historian, tells us that the lady involved in our story was the wife of Obadiah.
It starts on a sad note.
Obadiah died leaving a large debt.
It was such a large debt that it placed in her in poverty.
It is thought that she probably had the responsibility of caring for approximately 100 students at the School of the Prophets . . .
which would be considered the Seminary of that day.
It was something that Obadiah had started.
The debt was so heavy that the creditors were harassing her.
The deadline was approaching.
In the Old Testament culture it was permissible for people to sell themselves or their children into slavery in order to meet their financial obligations...
So, obviously, this was a very serious situation.
Under a heavy burden of debt . . .
fearing that she would lose her two sons . . .
she went to Elisha.
4. The prophet asked her what she wanted . . .
He asked her what she had in her house that might be used to pay off her debt.
She said she had a little bit of oil.
This oil was not a cheap kind of cooking oil.
Adam Clarke says that this oil had been set aside and was being saved for her burial needs.
This oil . . . even though it was just a little bit . . . was very costly.
I am reminded of the story in Matthew 26 . . . of a woman who had an alabaster box of ointment
And that she had poured this on Jesus’ head.
Some of the disciples were astounded at this apparent waste of oil...
but Jesus said, in Matthew 26:13, “When she poured this perfume on my body, she did it to prepare me for burial.”
5. Elisha told her to go and borrow containers from her neighbors . . .
all kinds of jars, bottles, and jugs...
and he added the special instructions of not just asking for a few...
but to try to get as many as they could.
If this were happening today...
I’m sure she would get as many Tupperware and Rubbermaid containers that she could find.
Something must have really struck her about this...
because she did exactly that...
There must have been something in his words or in his looks . . . because she did exactly as he asked.
It would have been interesting to hear what she and her sons told the friends and neighbors why they needed the jars.
When she and her two sons had rounded up all the jugs, jars, and containers they could from their neighbors...
And when they were satisfied that they had enough... they quit asking.
They shut the door and began doing as Elisha asked her to do.
She took her precious and costly jar of oil and began pouring from her jar into the other containers they had borrowed.
As soon as one was filled...
She’d call out...”hand me another jug, please”...
and one of her sons would hand her another jug to be filled.
When that one was filled one of the sons would go place it on the table...
or, if it was a big jar...
perhaps he placed it on the floor...
and then the other son got another jar . . .
and his mom filled that one too.
And when that one was filled the mother called for another . . .
and then another . . .
and then another . . . and another.
When she finally called for one more jug...
her son said,...”that’s it, we’ve filled every jug we’ve got in the house...
plus all the jugs we borrowed from the neighbors”...
When they ran out of containers...the oil stopped flowing.
Elisha told her to take the oil . . . and sell it . . . and pay off all the the debts . . .
and there was enough that she was able to live off the rest.
Body
I want you to see 3 things in this story...
1. First, notice that the first step in this miraculous process...was Ms. Obadiah’s confession of her need.
A. This story is based on a very real need.
This story tells us about how quickly things can change in our lives...
our circumstances can radically change in just a few days.
We can be going along just fine...
and then, BOOM...something happens...
and suddenly we are in great need...
For Mrs. Obadiah, it was the death of her husband...
and not only was she grieving the loss of her husband...
and trying to keep the seminary going...
but she was horribly in debt...
and the creditors were trying to take her children...
Almost overnight...everything changed.
B. Some people...they have a hard time asking for help...
I remember one time, I was trying to move a piano into our home by myself...
Kay was pregnant and was on lifting restriction...
so she couldn’t help...
Kay begged me to ask a neighbor to help...
but I wouldn’t listen...
I thought I could do it myself...
I unloaded the piano out of the back of our full size van...
I put a piece of plywood down over the stairs leading up to the yard from the road...
and began to push the piano up that plywood ramp...
the ramp began to bow and bend...
and I pushed and pushed and one of the wheels of the piano went off the plywood...
I tried to hold the piano up...
but couldn’t...
and the piano came crashing down onto the road...
pieces of the piano scattered everywhere...
One of neighbors finally saw me struggling...
and came over and offered to help...
I was grateful and accepted...
I ended up paying $200 to have that piano repaired...
All because I refused to ask for help when I was in need.
B. We must have a sense of our need before God will help us...
They say that the first step in recovery for an alcoholic is to admit that he has a problem.
Mrs. Obadiah had a problem...
and she told Elisha about it.
C. Elisha said, “How can I help you?
What do you have in your house?”
This sounds very familiar to some New Testament Scriptures when Jesus asked on several occasions...
“What can I do for you?”
It was asked of the paralyzed man at the pool of Bethesda.
James reminds us that...
“You do not have because you do not ask.” --James 4:2
James also reminds us that sometimes we ask with wrong motives . . .
we ask so we can satisfy our personal pleasures. James 4:2-3.
God knows what we have need of even before we ask. Mt. 6:8
But, it pleases God for us to ARTICULATE our need . . .
It pleases God to hear from us...
2. The second thing I want you to notice about this story...
God uses what we have.
A. Elisha asked...“What do you have in your house?”
We all know now that she had a small amount of oil in her house.
Oil in her culture met many needs.
As a cosmetic
As a medicine
As a food
As a source of light
As a commodity of exchange, like money
And for religious purposes: consecration, offerings and burials.
Oil was part of the daily economy of Palestine....
It became a symbol of peace and prosperity.
Oil had a whole different value 3,000 years ago then it does today.
It was costly and hard to come by . . .
that’s why people saved it.
B. It is interesting in God’s plan that God starts with what we have.
During the miracle when Jesus fed over 5,000 people...
Jesus started with what was available . . .
and in this case it was a little boy’s sack lunch that had some small fish and some pieces of bread.
Here, God started with oil that was available to Him.
God multiplied what Mrs. Obadiah had.
God multiplied the oil...and there was plenty left over...
God multiplied the bread and fish...and there was plenty of leftovers.
God has a plan for us and it begins with us and what we have.
3. The Third thing I want you to notice about this mircle...
God measures His miracles and blessings by our capacity to receive them.
A. The prophet told the widow and her two sons to get as many jugs and jars as they could...
He even warned them...
“Don’t borrow just a few . . . get as many as you can.”
This miracle required empty vessels...
the blessing given to Mrs. Obadiah was in the exact amount that she had vessels to receive...
We need to remind ourselves this morning that we have more to do with the measurement of God’s miracles than we think...
We need to remind ourselves that we are directly blessed by our capacity to receive that blessing.
The prophet asked the widow to bring her oil...
and bring the empty vessels . . .
and as she poured the oil into the empty vessels . . .
the oil multiplied . . .
until the last vessel that they had borrowed had been filled . . .
and it was only then that the oil stopped.
God is willing to give according to our preparedness to receive.
How prepared are we to receive the blessings of God?
God was not content to help her just meet the financial obligations that she had . . .
but He was helping her to meet her future obligations as well.
There was enough to care for the widow and her two sons for years.
B. The multiplication of the oil continued to flow according to the availability of vessels.
Whatever size or shape or number...
they were all filled to the brim.
God is speaking to us this morning...
Mrs. Obadiah’s miracle was measured by the number of containers she borrowed.
If we will listen to the Holy Spirit this morning. . .
He is saying...“Bring your vessels and not just a few”...
How many empty containers are you putting out?
Why not enlarge your expectations of God?
God is an awesome, powerful, and almighty God.
Ask and receive that your joy may be full. John 15:11
C. Some people are like me and that piano...
They don’t want to ask for help...
They want to try to make it on their own...
But, on their own...they aren’t able to accomplish a whole lot...
But with God, anything can happen!!!
D. Other people don’t have that problem about asking for help...
But their faith is so small...
they only bring a small thimble to be filled with God’s blessings...
Ask little, believe little, and receive little.
God will honor your faith.
Jesus said, “According to your faith will it be done to you" Matthew 9:29
Jesus delights in doing great things.
Jesus delights in grace that is greater than our needs.
It was the vessels that were exhausted . . .
not God’s supply of oil.
Conclusion
1. Jesus is ready, willing, and able to work in your life in incredible, miraculous ways...
First, have you expressed your need to Him?...
Or are you trying to go your own way?...
Secondly, what do you have that God can use?...
Do you have a little oil?...
Do you have a little money?...
Do you have a little talent?...
Do you have a little time?...
Whatever you have...let God use it!!
Third, God is only limited by our capacity to receive...
Are you ready to receive what the Lord has for you today?...
Are you ready to be filled to overflowing?...
Bring your vessels to Him
Sing #294 “Bring Your Vessels, Not a Few”
(Idea for this sermon came from one of my dad’s old sermons. I’m unaware of any original sources.)
