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Due to the large amount of sermons and topics that appear on this site I feel it is necessary to post this disclaimer on all sermons posted. These sermons are original to the author and the leading of the Holy Spirit. While ideas and illustrations are often gleaned from many sources including those at Sermoncentral.com, any similarities and wording including sermon title, that may appear to be the same as any other sermon are purely coincidental. In instances where other minister’s wording is used, due recognition will be given. These sermons are not copyrighted and may be used or preached freely. May God richly bless you as you read these words. It is my sincere desire that all who read them may be enriched. All scriptures quoted in these sermons are copies and quoted from the Authorized King James Version of the Holy Bible.
Pastor James May
THE WIDOW’S CRUSE
I Kings 17:8-16
8 And the word of the LORD came unto him, saying,
9 Arise, get thee to Zarephath, which belongeth to Zidon, and dwell there: behold, I have commanded a widow woman there to sustain thee.
10 So he arose and went to Zarephath. And when he came to the gate of the city, behold, the widow woman was there gathering of sticks: and he called to her, and said, Fetch me, I pray thee, a little water in a vessel, that I may drink.
11 And as she was going to fetch it, he called to her, and said, Bring me, I pray thee, a morsel of bread in thine hand.
12 And she said, As the LORD thy God liveth, I have not a cake, but an handful of meal in a barrel, and a little oil in a cruse: and, behold, I am gathering two sticks, that I may go in and dress it for me and my son, that we may eat it, and die.
13 And Elijah said unto her, Fear not; go and do as thou hast said: but make me thereof a little cake first, and bring it unto me, and after make for thee and for thy son.
14 For thus saith the LORD God of Israel, The barrel of meal shall not waste, neither shall the cruse of oil fail, until the day that the LORD sendeth rain upon the earth.
15 And she went and did according to the saying of Elijah: and she, and he, and her house, did eat many days.
16 And the barrel of meal wasted not, neither did the cruse of oil fail, according to the word of the LORD, which he spake by Elijah.
Introduction:
Elijah had been sent by God to be ministered to by the Widow of Zarephath. In return for her faithfulness and obedience, the widow received much more than she gave. God expects our best, but not just our best; He expects our all in service to Him and to one another. Sometimes giving sacrificially of your self requires more than we believe that we can give. But god never asks anything of us that He is not willing to give to us in the first place.
God’s methods of bringing blessing upon His children are unlimited. None of us would have ever gone to a widow, a single parent raising her son alone, and asked her for the last bit of food in the house knowing that both she and her child were hungry and destitute. What kind of a Preacher would show up uninvited at your home and ask for your last dollar?
There are those who would do that, but those who do so are regarded as hirelings and money grabbers. While I concur with this thought, I must also be quick to say that we do not always understand how God will bring the blessing to our lives.
8 And the word of the LORD came unto him, saying,
9 Arise, get thee to Zarephath, which belongeth to Zidon, and dwell there: behold, I have commanded a widow woman there to sustain thee
God was in complete control of this entire scenario even before it began. He had already begun to prepare the circumstances that would bring about the hunger and thirst of Elijah that would force the prophet to move on from His comfort zone. Elijah had stayed by the Brook Cherith and been fed by the ravens from “God’s Table” and drank the cool water that God had provided. Elijah may have stayed there for much longer than necessary and the work of Lord may have suffered because of His inactivity.
I want you to know that God still prepares your way ahead of you. Nothing comes to Him as a surprise. The Bible says in Psalms 37:23-25, "The steps of a good man are ordered by the LORD: and he delighteth in his way. Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down: for the LORD upholdeth him with his hand. I have been young, and now am old; yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed begging bread."
Now that is a wonderful promise in God’s Word of His power and will to provide for our every need but we must realize that inside of this provision there is a little phrase that we don’t like to hear - Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down
We can expect the hard times. We can expect life to deal us an unfair hand at times. We must know that God never promises a life without pitfalls, potholes and flat tires. There is not one person who has not fallen, either through the nature of sin at our birth, or through our own rebellious heart and attitudes. Just as the scripture says, “there is none righteous, no not one.”
Elijah went to the widow’s home under God’s direction. God never wastes time or effort for He always accomplishes so much with every word or move of the Spirit. He is able to bless one or all at the same time through one single action. And so it was with Elijah and the widow. Elijah’s need was going to be met. At the same time God was testing the faith of both Elijah and the widow. If their faith and trust in God would only stay true, God would provide the needs of both and then the Work of God would go forth in renewed energy.
10 So he arose and went to Zarephath. And when he came to the gate of the city, behold, the widow woman was there gathering of sticks: and he called to her, and said, Fetch me, I pray thee, a little water in a vessel, that I may drink.
11 And as she was going to fetch it, he called to her, and said, Bring me, I pray thee, a morsel of bread in thine hand.
There have been those times in life when I really needed someone to talk to or someone who could give some encouraging words or meet a great need.
So often, when those times come, we look around and say to ourselves, “God you know my need, now how are you going to help me this time and who will you send?”
In the eyes of the natural we often cannot see the Hand of God moving in our lives. All we can see is the problem and the circumstances but we can’t see any possible way that God can provide a solution.
That’s the point when faith must become active. We must have faith and trust in God to see us through and hold on to His promises.
Where am I going with all of this? What’s the point?
I want you to think of yourself as begin represented by that poor widow of Zarephath. God is represented to us through the Prophet Elijah.
God come to each of us on a daily basis to ask us to exercise our faith and trust in Him.
He comes to the one who does not know Him as their Lord and Savior and asks, “Will you give me yourself? Will you give your life to me? I have need of your talent, your ability, your time and all that you are. I will take whatever you have if you will only be willing to give to me and I will change your life in return!”
God will take that life that is destitute, spiritually bankrupt, morally corrupt, dead in sin and has very little to offer Him. He will take that kind of life and begin a process of cleansing, forgiving, washing, teaching and continually refilling with His love and mercy. The life that was once destined for destruction is now destined for eternal life and glory.
God also comes to those who know Him as their Lord and Savior and asks, “Will you give me your all? Will you step away from the TV set, your everyday life and duties, even sometimes your family, and will you become uncomfortable and serve me? Will you give to me your best, the first fruits of your time, your energy, your increase? Will you work and labor in my fields and leave your fields unplowed?”
I believe that we are all, at times, facing the same situation as that poor widow of Zarephath.
God, I am nothing, I have nothing, I can do nothing, and I am barely holding on to my faith right now! How can you ask more of me than I can give? How can I give when there is nothing to give? Just what do you expect me to do? Do you expect me to teach when I don’t have much education? Do you expect me to pay tithes and give in offerings when I don’t even bring home enough to meet my monthly bills? Do you expect me to give up what little free time I have to get involved in ministering to other people or do a job in the church? GOD, I HAVE SO LITTLE! THAT’S ALL I HAVE! HOW CAN YOU EXPECT THAT OF ME?!
That was the same attitude of the widow that day. Verse 12 reads, “And she said, As the LORD thy God liveth, I have not a cake, but an handful of meal in a barrel, and a little oil in a cruse: and, behold, I am gathering two sticks, that I may go in and dress it for me and my son, that we may eat it, and die.
Our attitude is this. God, I know that you have work for me to do. I know that you want me to give everything to you and I have given so very much. I know that you desire me to minister, to work, to give of myself, my time, money and energy in the work of your Kingdom, but God, I don’t think I can give anymore. I am doing all I can do already.
The attitude of the lost is this. God, I have so little already. My heart is so heavy, my load unbearable, by soul is hurting. All I get out of life now is the little bit of enjoyment I can afford in the parties and worldly life. How can you expect me to give up my life to you? I can’t lose my friends. I can’t give up the things I enjoy. I can’t turn my back on everything I know!
DO YOU SEE THE PROBLEM THAT IS EVIDENT IN OF ALL OF THESE: THE WIDOW, THE CHRISTIAN AND THE LOST? There is a common flaw in all of their attitudes.
What is that flaw? It’s the big “I”. All we focus on is ourselves. All we can see is what we have to give up, what we have to pay, what we have to do, how will it effect my time, my life, my freedom, my personal desires, my personal goals!
We must learn to quit focusing on the big “I” and learn to focus on our BIG GOD!
God is bigger than our need. He is bigger than our desires. He is bigger than our lack of knowledge or understanding. He is bigger than our circumstances. He is bigger than any of our limitations.
If we could only learn to trust Him, give to Him in Faith, even when it seems to go against everything that is within us, what could God do with that life that is totally surrendered to His perfect will?
The widow’s answer was…” behold, I am gathering two sticks, that I may go in and dress it for me and my son, that we may eat it, and die.” Elijah, God, can’t you see that I’m desperate here? Can’t you see that I am already stretched beyond my ability to bear? Can’t you see that I am at my wit’s end? HOW CAN YOU EXPECT MORE OF ME!
What should we do? What do you suppose would have happened to that widow that day had she not had faith in God and His Word?
She and her son would have eaten their last meal. Eaten their “seed of faith” and then died and we would never have heard of her again.
What are you going to do with God’s request for time, giving, and work from you?
Are you going to say to God, I can’t do it! I will not give up what little time I have left. I will not give the last of whatever it is that God asks for but I must have it to maintain my own life and my own desires.
Matthew 10:39 & 16:25 both contain these words of Jesus to all of mankind, "For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it."
We can keep that thing that God asks of us for our selves. We can refuse to give the little that we have left to God when He asks for it. In so doing, we will save our own lives, but in the end, we lose it all.
I cannot provide every need that I have by my own strength alone, and neither can any of you. God uses people all around you, people you will never know about, and their skills and labor to provide you will what you need. Very few of us grow all of our food, build our own cars, build our own homes, create our own jobs, or support our church single handedly. It takes a community effort to get these things done. We must depend upon one another, and mostly, we must depend upon God for He alone can supply our every need.
13 And Elijah said unto her, Fear not; go and do as thou hast said: but make me thereof a little cake first, and bring it unto me, and after make for thee and for thy son.
14 For thus saith the LORD God of Israel, The barrel of meal shall not waste, neither shall the cruse of oil fail, until the day that the LORD sendeth rain upon the earth.
15 And she went and did according to the saying of Elijah: and she, and he, and her house, did eat many days.
The widow’s fear of death and starvation was turned into faith within her heart. Her faith and trust in God’s Words through Elijah brought obedience to give to God’s work and to the Prophet’s ministry. She obeyed God and received the blessing for her obedience and sacrifice.
Conclusion:
This is the point that I want to drive home to you this morning. IF WE WILL HEAR THE VOICE OF GOD, TRUST IN GOD AND HIS WORD, OBEY HIM AND GIVE TO HIM THAT WHICH HE REQUIRES OF US, HE WILL NEVER FAIL TO SUPPLY US WITH THE DAILY NEEDS OF OUR LIFE.
Malachi 3:10 says, “bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me now herewith, saith the LORD of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it."
That tithe isn’t just your money. It’s the first fruit of your time, you energy, your ability, your knowledge and everything else that God has blessed you with. It’s life itself.
God says, “PROVE ME, JUST SEE HOW MUCH I CAN BLESS YOU!”
How many of you would want to just see how much God can really bless you? How big is God to you? How much can you trust Him? How much are you willing to sacrifice for His work?
Surely we should give to God, not just to get the blessings but because we love Him and want to give to Him. But, isn’t it great to know that if we give our all that God will multiply His blessing back to us for our obedience, sacrifice, faith, trust and love for Him!
Give God your time and God will help you to have more time than you thought possible.
Give God your tithes and offerings and watch Him stretch your income like you never dreamed.
Give God your limited abilities, knowledge and skills and watch Him multiply them many times over in their effectiveness upon others and then watch as God increases your own at the same time.
Give God your life and watch Him give you a more abundant life in return.
YOU CAN’T OUT GIVE GOD!
Just as the widow’s cruse of oil and the earthen jar of meal never was empty but always contained more to sustain life – God’s provision for you will never cease to be sufficient.
The scripture doesn’t say that the jar of meal and the cruse of oil was always full to the brim and overflowing, but it always contained what they needed.
God may not make you rich in this world’s goods. He may not give you a new car, steaks every night, money in your savings account, or the best that money can buy, but He will supply your every need and bless you in so many ways that you can’t count them.
God is faithful. You can trust Him! Prove Him for yourself! Give God that thing that He is asking for of you that you just can’t bring yourself to give.
God will give it back to you and then use what you give to bless so many others.
IF YOU DON’T KNOW JESUS AS YOUR SAVIOR –
I want you to know that you won’t be giving up you life for God, you will finally be getting a life for a change. The devil has convinced most people that living for God is a drag, dull and boring. I want you to know that Jesus will give you an exciting, happy, wonderful life if you will give it to Him first.
God always gives back much more than we give to Him. Give Him your life this day and watch Him pour out the abundantly life on you.
