Supplies: Fake Vine, Scissors
Series Drought: Moving from parched to passionate
(1 Kings 17-19)
Week One: When the brook runs dry
Go ahead and be turning to 1 Kings 17, fill in blanks
I want to start out today with a question: What do Passover, an extra cup of wine, leaving the door of your house open and an empty chair all have in common?
No this is not some cheesy joke, ALL these things had to do with Jewish customs that revolve around one man: ELIJAH.
Elijah stood up boldly for God. Get this down in your notes Elijah's name E-LI-JAH when you break it down means "My God is the Lord. And he proved that through his obedience.
He proved that God is the one who owns and his in charge of everyone and everything! We are going to see God perform some pretty amazing miracles through the life of Elijah but that is not the reason we are going to study his life over the next three weeks. We are going to look at the life of Elijah because like James 5:17 reminds us Elijah was a human just like ALL of us in this room. God can use us in amazing ways as well, if we learn to move from being parched or dried up and withering to passionate flowing full of life followers of God and hopefully by the end of this series we will all have a better picture in our minds of what that looks like.
When we first meet Elijah he appeared before the King of Israel, King Ahab. King Ahab was a really bad king and just a bad person in general and God tells Elijah to go and announce that God is going to bring a curse on Israel. Look 1 Kings 17:1 with me (READ): Elijah said there was going to be a drought in the land, there wouldn't be any rain or even dew in the.
What do you need more than anything else in a drought?--Water! You guys are so smart! In the passage we are looking at today God lead a man named Elijah to a body of water during a drought in his land.
In 1 Kings 17:2-5 we read that...
I. The Drought Begins (Look at those verses with me)
Cherith = Separation. God was calling Elijah to separate himself from everyone and everything else to this body of water. This doesn't mean that we have to physically move if we find ourselves in a drought of life. There are over 6 billion brooks for us to draw from because the Brook symbolizes this book--The Word of God.
Hang with me here for a minute and let me show you what I mean,
Eph 5:25-26 says: Christ (also) loved the church and gave Himself for her that He might sanctify or separate and cleanse her with the washing of water by the word.
As we go about our everyday lives ALL of us get our lives dirty with sin. You may get into a different kind of dirt or mud than me but we've all sinned on a daily basis--we all have our different daily struggles and that is why it is so important to separate ourselves to the brook of the Word every day like Elijah did!
One of my favorite passages in the whole Bible is John 15:1-3. Listen to what it says (READ)
Let’s start by discussing the phrase “taketh" or "takes away” or some translation might even say "cut off" in vs. 2 because this is the most misunderstood phrase of the passage.
A clearer translation of that phrase is “take or lift up.” We find the Greek word used this way in Matt 14:20 when the disciples “took up” 12 baskets of food after feeding the 5,000. We also find it used when Simon was forced to “bear” or “take up” the cross of Christ as He walked to Golgatha (Matt 27:32). In fact no where in the Bible or any other Greek literature for that matter do we find this particular Greek word used to mean, “cut off.”
Let me paraphrase for you how a vineyard owner described this passage:
This vineyard owner said, “New branches (show branches) have a natural tendency to trail down and grow along the ground. But they don’t bear fruit down there. When branches grow along the ground, the leaves get coated in dust and dirt (coat them in both kinds of dirt.)
It doesn't matter what kind of dirt it is, dirt is dirt and sin is sin, when it rains they get muddy and mildewed.” My first response was, well I guess they just cut those branches off and throw them away. The vineyard owner has a completley different take. He says, “The [branches] are much too valuable [to cut off and throw away]. We go through the vineyard with a bucket of water looking for those branches”, he said and,”We lift them up and wash them off and pretty soon they are thriving.”
Some people will try to say that God will cut off or take away a believer who has dirtied their life in sin but how dirty is to dirty to save? Is one kind of sin too hard for God to wash off?--NO!
Followers of Christ no matter how dirty are much too valuable to Christ to cut off and throw away. God wants to use his word to lift us out of that dirt and wash us clean so we have a chance to bear fruit and thrive for Him.
God separated Elijah to this brook to wash Him with His Word and cleanse him but then look what happens in vs. 7. (READ)
Elijah was left with...
II. The Dry Brook
One has to wonder if after awhile, ELIJAH’S faith was focused more on that Brook than on God. Perhaps he started trusting in the BLESSING more than the BLESSER.
How easy it is for you and me to do the same.
.......For many years you have developed a friendship with someone, you have leaned on them during hard times, they have been a shoulder to cry on but then they betray your trust ........AND THE BROOK DRIES UP.
........You work for your EMPLOYER 30-40 years of your life, then one day your job is terminated or you retire..........AND THE BROOK DRIES UP.
.........You’re MARRIED fifteen, twenty, thirty years ......and little by little “the stream of love” gets smaller and smaller........and one day your mate says, “I want a divorce”...........AND THE BROOK DRIES UP.
.........For most of your life you have been AS HEALTHY AS A HORSE, then little by little your HEALTH begins to deteriorate........AND THE BROOK DRIES UP.
Listen to me church. Sooner or later “the brook WILL dry up!!”
Sooner or later, that one thing you have counted on ...........that one thing that has been a source of security for you...............that one thing that has given security and strength and comfort.............will no longer be in your life.
AND THE BROOK DRIES UP.
It is VERY interesting to note that the word translated Brook here is actually more like a wadi. Until I started studying for this lesson I had never even heard of a wadi but it sure is fun to say.(WHHHH DI..haha)
Get it in your notes like this: A “wadi” is a small body of water that doesn't appear, except during the rainy season. You know what that means? It means that God separated Elijah to a brook of water during a drought that EXISTED AT THE EXACT TIME HE NEEDED IT! Isn't that how God works?
He brings certain people into our lives for a season just when we need them most, He brings that surprise financial blessing the day before the rent is due or you can be reading a section of the Bible you have read a million times but God can teach you something you have never seen in that passage because you are in the exact situation or place in life when you need it most!
LORD I NEED YOU VIDEO
God provides what we need, when we need it just like he did for Elijah. We have no control over the times in our life when our brook runs dry. What we do have control over is what we do WHEN the brook runs dry.
Well, what did Elijah do? He did the last thing God told him to do, he came to the brook every day until he heard different instructions from God. Look at vs 8-12 with me...(READ 17:8-12)
We are going to see in just a minute how God uses this widow to minister to Elijah but first I want you to notice that God was already at work in this widow's life before Elijah even came into the picture.
Did you notice what it said in vs. 9? Look back at it again with me. (RE-READ vs. 9)
I believe God was working on this ladies heart to bring her into a relationship with him. When the widow meets Elijah she does not have a personal relationship with God. Did you notice in vs 12 she said, "surely as Jehovah YOUR God is living." not MY God.
Is God concerned with taking care of our physical needs? Was he interested in feeding Elijah--YES but I believe more than using the widow to take care of Elijah's physical needs the main purpose of God drying up the brook, and calling him out of his comfort zone was to take care of this widows spiritual needs.
Skip ahead with me to the very last verse of the chapter 17:24 (READ). It WORKS! Because Elijah was obedient he saw this woman come to a personal relationship with God. She said she knew personally that the word of the Lord was truth.
Who are some people in your life God may be working on right now? Watch this video to get you thinking. Goulash Invite VIDEO
When God puts you in that "awkward" situation with the waitress your co-worker or neighbor that could be God's way of showing you the people He has already been speaking to.
And if you don't take the opportunity to bring up spiritual things with them you may miss out on an opportunity for God to use you for HIS glory. So when you feel your heart beat faster and your palms begin to sweat say YES to God's leading, invite the to come over for a helping of God NOT Goulash!
God had moved Elijah from a dry brook and arranged for him to meet a widow and this widow was to take care of Elijah with #3
III. The Depleted Barrel 1 Kings (17:13-16)
God says, Elijah, I’ve arranged room and board for you with a poor woman who is about to starve to death. She’ll take care of you." Seriously God, that is your plan? We think there is no way this could possibly work out well.
TELL: Let me paint you a picture, imagine you walked out of church today Jesus tells you to walk down 287....approach the homeless person on 36 and 287 and ask them to give you something to drink and a meal. That's just weird. I bet Elijah is walking to town and if he was anything like me he was like this isn't going to work. I'm going to get robbed or shot, speared, whatever.
What God was telling Elijah to do didn't make sense but Elijah obeyed and God took care of him!
Often times, we, too, are in a difficult situation and our common sense tells us what the likely outcome will be. What are you dealing with in your life now? What do you believe the outcome will be?
Look at vs 13 with me...(READ)
Think about what Elijah asked the widow to do. She had just told him that after she made one more meal for her and her son, they would eat it and die. Yet, what did Elijah say? “Do not be afraid. Go in and do as you said. But FIRST make me a small round loaf of bread.
This didn't make any sense at ALL but Elijah & the widow both obeyed and just as God promised HE supplied enough food to feed Elijah, the widow, and her son until the drought ended.
Get it in your notes this way: The widow went ahead with her baking and used up her last handful of meal to feed this man of God FIRST.
I think this is a VERY clear lesson about FIRSTFRUITS.
The Jewish people celebrate what is called Pentecost which is the time of "FIRSTFRUITS." It is a celebration of harvest and giving to God the first and the best, of the grain they had harvested before they kept any for themselves. Their giving was not the "leftovers" -- it was the "firstfruits"
This is not a political statement...Illustration TELL story about inviting President over for dinner person over for dinner and serving them leftovers.
Does that mean that if we give God our first fruits and then we go blow through the rest of our paychecks on luxury that He will pay the mortage and electric bill for us?--NO, He promises to supply our need not our want. You don't see Elijah and the widow eating steak and lobster every night--they are eating a little bit of bread, just enough to meet their needs.
Keep in mind, giving is not just about money either, God asks us to give the first of everything our time, our talents and our money but let's be honest where we spend our money shows where our hearts are. "Where your treasure is your heart will be also." (Matthew 6:21) We will spend our money on the things we love the most. I know a LOT of people love fishing and will spend a LOT of money on fishing bait, and fishing reels and fishing boats but I'm not going to spend my money on that because that is NOT something I love, I may hear about this later but I'm going to say it anyways in fact I can't stand fishing I think it is one of the most boring things you could choose to do BUT I will spend money on golf. Yep that's right, I will pay money to walk around on grass and take a ridiculously expensive stick and hit a $3 ball into a little hole in the ground IF it doesn't get lost in the water first. Why will I spend my money on golf? Because it is something I love to do!
Do you think the widow wondered if it was worth it to spend her last little bit of food on this man of God?
What do you think the first thing she did a soon a dinner was over, do you think she offered dessert? went on an after dinner walk? turned on the tv or whatever they did to relax back then? I know what i would have done...I would have mad a bee line for my flouer and oil containers that were empty a few minutes ago and see if God had kept His promise, its a good thing im not God because I would have probably played a mean joke on the widow...
How hope must have leaped in her heart as she found fresh flour and saw the empty containers refilled. This is the same hope we can have today when we give to God first.
Elijah had done EVERYTHING God asked, he left the comfort of his Brook sought out this widow God said would take care of him
But another crisis came into Elijah’s life. Something happened that neither the widow or Elijah understood.
Look at vs 17 with me (READ 17:17) ...This leads us to #4
IV. The Dead Boy (1 Kings 17:17-24)
Sometimes it seems that’s what life is made up of, one crisis after another. You know what I’m talking about. You get one thing squared away, and something else falls apart. You get one car running, and the other dies. You get the doctor bills cleared up and someone else in the family gets sick. It never stops -- there’s just seems to be one thing after another. You’ve often heard it said, or said it yourself: “When it rains it pours." When trouble comes, it seems to be in floods.
And sometimes, these great crises in life come after some act of commitment, when you have determined to do God’s will. There may be some area in your life where you struggle to do what God has called you to do, and you give way to the Lord and commit yourselves to obedience, and you think everything’s gonna be fine -- but it’s not. And you begin to wonder, "What’s going on? Here I am doing what God wants me to do and this is the result!"
Somewhere we picked up the idea that doing God’s will means that life will always go smoothly, that there will never be hard times or distressing circumstances. And that just simply isn’t true.
What God is trying to do, throughout this entire chapter, is to bring Elijah and the widow to the end of themselves. It is only when we come to the end of ourselves and the end of our resources that we begin to recognize our great need for a dependence upon the Lord.
And sometimes the Lord has to take us there because it’s the only way he can get our attention and get us to realize what HE can do for us. That HE is our only hope and when the Brook runs dry we must put our faith in E-li-jah--God is our Lord, the one who owns and his in charge of everyone and everything!
Let's Pray
