"Widow In Spirit"

Chaplain (MAJ) Ken Harris

U.S. Army Chaplain

12 November 2006

Fort Ord Military Chapel

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THE BIG IDEA: TRUSTING GOD IS IMPORTANT BECAUSE HE IS IN CONTROL OF THE BELIEVER’S LIFE!

REFERENCES: I Timothy 5:3-16 MSG (Take care of widow who are destitute. If a widow has family members to take care of her …); Deuteronomy 14:29 KJV (Keep it in reserve for the Levite who won’t get any property or inheritance as you will, and for the foreigner, the orphan, and the widow who live in your neighborhood. That way they’ll have plenty to eat and God, your God, will bless you in all your work.; Deuteronomy 24:17 KJV Make sure foreigners and orphans get their just rights. Don’t take the cloakof a widow as security for a loan; Deuteronomy 26:12 Every third year, the year of the tithe, give a tenth of your produce to the Levite, the foreigner; Mark 5:28-34 KJV (For she said, “If I touch even his garments, I shall be made well.” And immediately the hemorrhage ceased ….”); I Timothy 5:5 (KJV) A widow who has no family …; Luke 4:26 (KJV) But God didn’t send Elijah to anyone except a widow at Zarephath in the territory of Sidon; Mark 12:41 (As Jesus sat facing the temple offering box, he watched how much money people put into it. Many rich people put in large amounts. A poor widow dropped in two small coins, worth less than a cent …);

Pericope: 1 Kings 17:8-16

PURPOSE: To motivate the BELIEVERS to affirm to others that TRUSTING GOD is important because He is IN CONTROL OF THE BELIEVER’S LIFE.

TEXT: 1 Kings 17:9,12 (Arise, get thee to Zarephath, which belongeth to Zidon, and dwell there: behold, I have commanded a widow woman there to sustain thee.

And she said, As the Lord thy God liveth, I have not a cake, but a 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).

SERMONIC THEME: “WIDOW IN SPIRIT”

INTRODUCTION: My brothers and my sisters let us not forget that we are a NATION AT WAR. As a result of our NATIONS Wars … there are many WIDOWs. As the result of sin, and the Enemy of our Faith … there are many “WIDOWs in Spirit”. Appropriately, on Saturday, 11 November 2006, all across America (in various forms) America celebrated VETERAN’S DAY.

Now, as Americans and historians, most of you are aware that it was November 11, 1918 when America originally celebrated signing the treaty which ended the war of all wars – World War I.

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One year later, on November 11, 1919, President Wilson proclaimed November 11 as the first commemoration of Armistice Day. But, in 1954, after World War II had required the greatest mobilization of Soldiers, Sailors, Marines and Airmen in the Nation’s history; and after American forces had fought aggression in Korea, the 83rd Congress, at the urging of the veterans service organizations, amended the Act of 1938 by striking out the word “ARMISTICE” and inserting in its place the word “VETERANS”.

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Consequently, with the approval of this legislation (Public Law 380) on June 1, 1954, November 11th became a day to honor American veterans of all wars.

Please join me by standing in unison for a “Moment of Silence” … in honor of all Veterans in the past and all veterans in our PRESENCE … that have served and is serving OUR GREAT NATION … Please join me in applauding all of them! You may be seated.

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MOVE I: Now, according to Webster’s Dictionary, the word “WIDOW” can be defined as … a woman who has lost her husband by death and has not remarried.

a. WIDOW … can also be used as a VERB with object as to make (someone) a widow. For example, one might write a sentence saying, “She was widowed by the war.”

b. In our text today, we find a WOMAN who is simply known (by God) as a WIDOW. The scripture doesn’t tell us specifically how this WOMAN became a widow … it just simply says that she is a Widow Woman.

c. For you see my brothers and sisters … in the Bible there is no provisions made for WIDOWERS – men who had loss their wives; the provisions were for women who had loss their husbands.

d. In fact, Biblical Research shows that “Widow” in the Old Testament refer mainly to the question of remarriage.

e. If a man died without children, his widow was obliged to marry her deceased husband’s brother, and if the latter refused to take her to wife he was put to shame before the people (Deuteronomy 25:5-10).