Famine
Pt. 3 - Refusing Rations
I. Introduction
I have challenged you to examine your own level of passion, pursuit and hunger for God. I told you that I believe we as a movement - Christianity - we are in the midst of a famine. However, I want to tell you that I believe the famine has come to roost and taken up root in Passion. Here are some of the symptoms I said reveal this fact ... the glazed over eyes, lack of passion, participation or anticipation for worship, lack of concern, lack of action, lack of obedience to the Word, lack of any discipline when it comes to study, treating gathering, as commanded by Scripture, as optional and low on the priority list. All signs of a famine. I can feel it. I can see it. I also told you this famine is a direct result of the plague of plenty. We are so blessed that we take for granted what we have. We long for yesterday thinking it was better and we become incredibly picky because when you have plenty you begin to become more concerned about preference than presence. So the type of worship song, the preference for style, etc. cause us to turn away as if it won't sustain us. I asked you an incredibly important question . . . What if manna is still the means by which God desires to fill you. Our desire for fish when God is still using manna could cause us to starve while pushing away angel food cake!
But I also told you that I also believe the famine is in its early stages and we can take steps inside this body and personally to stop it. We can take steps to stop the long term terrifying implications of it. Which brings us to today. I want to talk to you about one of the keys to stopping a famine before it becomes wide spread and fatal.
One of the key issues when folks begin to live in or experience famine is become acclimated or content with rations. Forget the fact that Jesus said "I have come that you might have life and life more abundant." Forget that Jesus said, "Greater works you will do!" Instead, because we have been famished a little morsel, crumb, or taste is all we expect, desire, and really want. Just enough to get us by from Sunday to Sunday. In the process we have dismissed and discarded authority, dominion, power, and overcoming.
We must realize that God does not feed people that are not hungry. In fact, Mary sang a song when she is told that she will give birth to Jesus that speaks to this . . . He has filled the hungry with good things but has sent the rich away empty. Those that are hunger are filled. Those that are self sufficient become self reliant and end up empty. Jesus would later say . . . Blessed are those who hunger and thirst after righteousness! In other words, you are not blessed if you are not hungry. Remember . . . Jesus responds to those that are hungry with a miracle of multiplication. Right in the middle of a sermon He stops and deals with hunger! No hunger - no miracle! No hunger and we become satisfied with rations.
Our church will grow in proportion to our hunger. We will grow at the speed of hunger.
If we are full of hungry people, then and only then will we grow. If we are full of content people, then we will stagnate. If we are full, then we will become satisfied with rations. We cannot become content with a ration of salvations. A ration of impact. A ration of influence. A few scattered crumbs of presence. An occasional glimpse of glory. A once in a while move.
As I have stated, I don't think we are alone in being satisfied with famished. However, this body is our responsibility and just because it is common doesn't mean we have to or should accept it. Just because the cry for me has drowned out the cry for more in other places doesn't mean that can be or allowed that to be the case here!
Let me see if I can show you this practice of becoming friends with famine and reveling in rations in Scripture.
Text: 1 Kings 17:5-15
Elijah obeyed God’s orders. He went and camped in the Kerith canyon on the other side of the Jordan. And sure enough, ravens brought him his meals, both breakfast and supper, and he drank from the brook. Eventually the brook dried up because of the drought. Then God spoke to him: “Get up and go to Zarephath in Sidon and live there. I’ve instructed a woman who lives there, a widow, to feed you.” So he got up and went to Zarephath. As he came to the entrance of the village he met a woman, a widow, gathering firewood. He asked her, “Please, would you bring me a little water in a jug? I need a drink.” As she went to get it, he called out, “And while you’re at it, would you bring me something to eat?” She said, “I swear, as surely as your God lives, I don’t have so much as a biscuit. I have a handful of flour in a jar and a little oil in a bottle; you found me scratching together just enough firewood to make a last meal for my son and me. After we eat it, we’ll die.” Elijah said to her, “Don’t worry about a thing. Go ahead and do what you’ve said. But first make a small biscuit for me and bring it back here. Then go ahead and make a meal from what’s left for you and your son. This is the word of the God of Israel: ‘The jar of flour will not run out and the bottle of oil will not become empty before God sends rain on the land and ends this drought.’” And she went right off and did it, did just as Elijah asked. And it turned out as he said—daily food for her and her family. The jar of meal didn’t run out and the bottle of oil didn’t become empty: God’s promise fulfilled to the letter, exactly as Elijah had delivered it!
A woman satisfied to eat rations and die. Hear the finality in her statements. Taste a few crumbs and give up. Famine has become accepted and once fully accepted it will become fatal. Notice the irony of the scene . . . Here is a woman ready to settle for a last meal and she is face to face with an abundant supply, more than enough, every need met.
That is the perfect picture of us. Face to face with all we need, more than we can imagine, all we could desire and we, like this woman, are convinced that it is OK to eat a little bit and die. We must refuse rations!
Notice what it took for her to come to the place that she refused rations:
Someone has to convince us to refuse rations.
Elijah calls her out. Elijah arrives in the middle of her settling for rations and says God has more for you than that! Notice text says that God told Elijah "I have instructed a widow to feed you." But when Elijah deals with this lady she didn't act instructed but rather dejected. Elijah had to call to the more that was hers to have. He had to uncover the miracle/destiny/plan that was in her hand. He had to convince her that this wasn't acceptable and that more was available.
I have been trying to do that for the last 3 weeks. I am trying to call out the promises that God has given us. I am trying to call you back to the feast! Let me remind you what is available and promised to us!
We are called to be passionate.
We are called to have life.
We are called to impact a community.
We are called to see hundreds saved.
We are called to change the climate.
We are called to impact and the next generation.
We are called to raise up young mighty men and women of God.
We are called to be a revival and restoration center where those who are hurt are healed and set free.
I am calling you to get engaged in Passion with those expectations again. Don't show up here satisfied with a few morsels or snacks. Expect more! I challenge you. Show up ready for a meal and refuse rations. Fight apathy. Fight the glazed looks. I am calling you to your instructed and commanded level of abundance, authority, anointing and passion. Don't lay down and die. Let hunger drive you to dig deep. Let hunger lead you to blessed. I am not saying be picky I am saying be pushy. Refuse to settle for starvation. The enemy knows if we settle for rations we will miss revival.
Obedience leads to abundance.
This woman was instructed to do something simply. However, simple obedience leads to abundance. I have said it before . . . Miracles are always found on the other side obedience. If you want to have more than rations you simply have the take the simple steps of obedience. I have noticed satisfied people don't want to obey they want to argue. Full people don't obey they fight. Full people want to wait on others to do what they were instructed to do. Hungry people are willing to obey and do something that may make no sense – like serving someone else when you are struggling. Hungry people are willing to take crazy leaps of faith. She didn’t argue, complain, make excuses, she obeyed. Hungry people obey! I am convinced that for most of us the lack of obedience in the simple things leads to famine!
So today, I call to you to do something simple. Obey. Simply pray. Simply give. Simply believe. Simply fast. Simply serve. Simply worship with everything you have. Simply prepare. Simply expect. Simply invite. As we simply obey we will see famine broken in our life and in our church. What has God told you to do here? Have you obeyed? What has God told you to do at work? Have you obeyed? What has God told you to do at home? Have you obeyed? What has God said to do at school? Have you obeyed? Obedience leads to abundance. Refuse rations by willingly obeying!
Last thing notice her obedience broke her famine. You can't sit around waiting on someone else to obey in hopes that it will break your famine. I can't obey enough to break your famine. The worship team can't obey enough to break your famine. The youth pastor, your spouse, your small group members . . . You must obey for your abundance! What simple but uncomfortable instructions has God given you? Obedience leads to abundance.
