[0:00] Well, we come now to open God's Word, and this morning we're going to be in 1 Kings chapter 17. And so if you have a Bible, please turn there.
[0:12] If not, it'll be up on the screen. I'll be reading it out. And I'm going to read from verse 1 down to verse 16 just now.
[0:30] 1 Kings 17.
[0:49] Now Elijah the Tishbite of Tishbe in Gilead said to Ahab, As the Lord, the God of Israel, lives, before whom I stand, there shall be neither dew nor rain these years except by my word.
[1:10] And the word of the Lord came to him, Depart from here and turn eastward and hide yourself by the brook Kerith, which is east of the Jordan. You shall drink from the brook, and I have commanded the ravens to feed you there.
[1:26] So he went and did according to the word of the Lord. He went and lived by the brook Kerith that is east of the Jordan, and the ravens brought him bread and meat in the morning and bread and meat in the evening, and he drank from the brook.
[1:40] And after a while the brook dried up because there was no rain in the land. Then the word of the Lord came to him, Arise and go to Zarephath, which belongs to Sidon, and dwell there.
[1:56] Behold, I have commanded a widow there to feed you. So he rose and went to Zarephath. And when he came to the gate of the city, behold, a widow was there gathering sticks.
[2:09] And he called to her and said, Bring me a little water and a vessel that I may drink. And as she was going to bring it, he called to her and said, Bring me a morsel of bread in your hand.
[2:23] And she said, And Elijah said to her, Do not fear.
[2:50] Go and do as you have said, but first make me a little cake of it and bring it to me. And afterward make something for yourself and your son. For thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, The jar of flour shall not be spent and the jug of oil shall not be empty until the day that the Lord sends rain upon the earth.
[3:12] And she went and did as Elijah said. And she and he and her household ate for many days. The jar of flour was not spent. Neither did the jug of oil become empty, according to the word of the Lord that he spoke by Elijah.
[3:32] Lord, we thank you for your word, and we pray that you would speak to us through it, that we would trust you and know that all things are done according to the word of the Lord. Amen. 3,000 years ago in the ancient Near East, a lengthy drought was disastrous.
[3:53] If there was no rain for a long time, there was no harvest. And if there was no harvest, there was no food. And if there was no food, you weren't going to eat. If you weren't going to eat, you were going to die. Now, most people here in this room would not be concerned if it didn't rain for a long time.
[4:08] I mean, we might think there's something wrong with Scotland, but we wouldn't be concerned. We don't face the same problems that were faced back then, do we? Now, I remember five years ago, in March 2018, Britain was affected by an incredible snowstorm from Siberia called the Beast from the East, and also Storm Emma coming up from the South.
[4:40] This was in March 2018. And the bad weather affected transport. And suddenly, towns and cities all across the Great Britain, all across Britain, towns and cities were without bread and milk because deliveries couldn't be made.
[4:56] And so supermarket shelves were empty. I remember being in Morrison's, an East Co-Bride, just perusing the bread aisle, looking into empty shelves, wondering how we're going to get toast.
[5:11] Now, the shops were full of other food, but bread and milk, there was a real shortage throughout Britain, bread and milk. I remember standing in the bread aisle of Morrison's just wondering, and an old chap walked up to me and leaned in, and whispered into my ear and said, Green Hills Bakery.
[5:31] I'm putting out fresh bread right now, my friend. Go and get some. Now, it's not a big deal, you know, bread and milk. We've still got water on tap in Scotland.
[5:45] Other food. Perhaps, though, perhaps you've been at the edge many times, the edge of need many times. But it's interesting, at that point, it was interesting just to see such a self-sufficient people starting to panic.
[6:04] You know, we think we're so self-sufficient because we've got supermarkets and shops and we don't need to harvest our own food. But people started to panic.
[6:15] We think that we're in control of our daily bread, but we're not as in control as we'd like to think. And so where do we turn? Where do we turn when the shelves are empty?
[6:27] And who do you look to when everything you have runs out? As we said earlier, things in this world run out. Now, it might not be food.
[6:38] It might be something else. You said patience earlier. Where do we go when we run out of things? Have you ever felt like you have come to the last portion of your resources, whatever it may be?
[6:54] Have you ever felt like you've come to the very end of yourself and you think, I do not have any more to give. I don't have any more to give. Have you ever felt like that?
[7:04] Where you don't know if you have any more left in the tank? You ever come to a point where you don't know if you can give any more? Where you can fight any more? You don't know if you can hang on any more?
[7:17] Or where you don't know if you can keep going? I know some of you have. Maybe some of you are there right now. And the question, I think, of this passage is what keeps you going?
[7:30] What is the thing that keeps you going? Maybe you feel like you really don't know if you can keep going. And this is the situation for this widow in Zarephath.
[7:41] Modern day Lebanon, that's where we are. And she is not unlike the many widows that were in Israel during the famine. Jesus talks about this in Luke chapter 4 in Nazareth.
[7:53] In Nazareth, he says, there were many widows in Israel, but none of them were visited by Elijah but this one widow in Lebanon, in Zarephath, in Sidon.
[8:06] She wasn't an Israelite. She wasn't part of God's people. She wasn't even in the land. She was visited. Now, first, I want to explore quickly.
[8:17] So this woman, you know, she is no different from the Israelite widows. She has similar amount of resources.
[8:29] Her resources are running out. She's at the end of her resources. It's not because she's got more resources. It's not because she's got more opportunities. The difference between her and the widows in Israel is her faith.
[8:43] And yet, the thing is, she doesn't know it. She doesn't really know that that is the difference until she gets to the bottom of the jar. You hear that?
[8:55] She doesn't know that faith is the difference until she gets to the bottom of the jar. But firstly, why is there a famine in the first place? Right? At this point, King Ahab is king of Israel.
[9:07] It says this at the end of chapter 16. Imagine this was your introduction, right? This is what it says of Ahab. This is his introduction to this king of Israel.
[9:20] Ahab did evil in the sight of the Lord more than all who were before him. And as if it was a light thing for him to follow in the sins of his forefathers with the golden calves, he also married the daughter of Ethbal, king of Sidon, the Baal worshippers.
[9:37] And he built a house for Baal, this false god, in Samaria, which was the capital of Israel at the time.
[9:47] The kingdom had split into Israel in the north and Judah in the south. Jerusalem was the capital of Judah and Samaria was the capital of Israel. And this king of Israel, Ahab, built a house for Baal in the capital city of Israel.
[10:05] Not only that, he served and worshipped Baal and he made an Asherah. And it's said that he did more to provoke the anger of the Lord than all the kings who were before him.
[10:17] What a legacy. Hey, that's your introduction. That's the note of your life that's going to be left for generations to read. Basically, he's the worst of the worst, this king. He led the nation away from God and enticed them into idol worship.
[10:33] Ever since the kingdom split, Israel have only ever had bad kings. It's a terrible thing. Now, in Israel, for God's people, the king was the shepherd.
[10:45] That's what the king was called. You know, you think about Psalm 23, what David's talking about is God being his king. The king was the shepherd and so the sheep would follow the shepherd.
[10:57] Is that not the usual pattern? The sheep follow the shepherd and so if the king was bad, the shepherd was bad, then the people, the flock, would be equally bad.
[11:08] Where's he leading them to feed them? He's feeding them on bow worship. And so the people need a good king. The people need a good shepherd.
[11:22] Does that not trigger something that Jesus said? The people need a good king because he's the shepherd. And so, when God sends a prophet to hold the king and nation to account, the shepherd and the sheep, it's not a random thing for that to begin with the heavens being shut because in Deuteronomy 11, this is what Moses said and this was right after they did the sin of the golden calf in the desert and Moses said this to the people.
[11:50] He said, take care lest your heart be deceived and you turn aside and serve other gods and worship them. Then the anger of the Lord will be kindled against you and he will shut up the heavens.
[12:03] So there will be no rain, the land will yield no fruit and you will perish quickly off the good land that the Lord has given you. This is what's going to happen if you turn aside and serve other gods.
[12:16] The heavens will be shut, there will be famine and you will be, you'll die in the land. And so, this is not a random thing. There will be no rain until the hearts of Israel turn back to God, which will be three and a half years it will take.
[12:31] And it's not the first time there's been a famine in Israel, it's not going to be the last time and it was only by God's patience that the heavens weren't shut sooner than this because Ahab brought the nation to a new low, a point of idolatry that meant Israel was no different from the false worshippers round about them.
[12:51] It says this in the Midrash, which is a commentary in Old Testament law, it says in the Midrash that Ahab himself arrogantly, at this point with Elijah, Elijah came into the city for other reasons and it says that at this point Ahab actually brought up these words from Deuteronomy, from Moses and he said, well that's not happened yet so Moses must be lying.
[13:22] How arrogant of a king of Israel. It says in the Midrash that Ahab brought these words up in front of Elijah and says, well we've been doing these things and nothing's happened. We've had plenty of rain.
[13:35] Such arrogance. And so Elijah turns trusting in God's word and responds. And so Elijah and Ahab are effectively arguing over whether God's word is true or not.
[13:48] Do we not have many arguments like that now of days? Is God's word true or is it not? Well who's going to find out? We've come a long way. This king Ahab just disregards God's word completely and arrogantly calls God out in front of his prophet to say that his word is not true.
[14:07] We've come a long way from king David who said in Psalm 119, oh how I love your law. I love your law. It is my meditation all the day. Psalm 19, the law of the Lord is perfect, sure, right, and pure.
[14:22] The decrees of the Lord are true says king David but not Ahab. By them your servant is warned and keeping them there is great reward says David.
[14:35] But king Ahab is having none of it. He disregards it. He arrogantly denies its truthworthiness. King David said keep back your servant from presumptuous sins.
[14:47] Yet look at king Ahab. Presumptious sins in the face of the prophet. So, the question is what do you do with the word of God? Any one of us in every age and for every people that's the question what do you do with the word of God?
[15:03] A few of us were talking on Wednesday night in 2 Peter 3 what do people do with the word of God? When people are saying where's the promise of his coming and people scoff and say no everything's remained as it is since the beginning.
[15:18] Is that true? Time is passing by but it seems like the word of God isn't coming to pass. Do we fret or do we say no the word of God is sure it's true just because it hasn't happened yet actually the same in king Ahab's day as it is now that's God's patience you know because it is coming to pass God's word cannot be uttered and not come to pass and so the reason for the delay is because the Lord has been patient before judgment he's allowing time for people to repent Ahab had so much time to repent before God shut the heavens up but there will come a day where God's word will come to pass will there be found in Israel anyone who has repented will there be found on earth anyone who has faith God sends Elijah to Zarephath why that's strange well this is the same if you know the story of Jonah Jonah's asked to go outside of Israel and he runs the other way why does he run the other way usually when a prophet sent outside the land it's because
[16:25] God's turning away from Israel and it means that there's going to be an opportunity for someone out there to repent and Jonah said right at the end I knew that this would happen I knew that you're a gracious and merciful God and so what's going to happen when Elijah goes to Zarephath God's grace is going to go out there and someone out there is going to have faith when everyone in Israel has no faith this is what's going to happen now remember if you know the story Jezebel is from that place from Sidon from Lebanon this is where Jezebel is from and now she is the voice in Ahab's ear causing calamity in Israel Jezebel's God is Baal and she's bringing Baal into Israel and now no one in Israel is listening to God so God sends his prophet somewhere where somebody will listen into Sidon to this widow and this is exactly why Jesus brought this up in Luke chapter 4
[17:27] God came to his own people but they would not listen so he'll go to foreigners and find someone there who will listen now if Jezebel wants to come into Israel into God's country and turn God's people away from him then God's going to send his prophet into her country and turn her people away from Baal this is what happens God knows God knows this woman's going to listen to her so he sends his prophet 90 miles north God knows this woman's situation you need to know today that God knows your situation God knows that this woman is on her last meal God knows what little resources she has God knows what little you have left in the tank you don't need to be in a certain place you don't need to be in a certain race for God to know your need and for him to provide for you
[18:27] God sees you he knows how little you have left do you know how much God can do with a little do you know what God can do with a little bit of flour and a little bit of oil do you know that even your faith even your faith doesn't need to be more than a dribble at the bottom of the jug Jesus says it's not about how much faith you've got a little faith the size of a mustard seed can grow into the largest thing you ever feel like that's all you've got to offer sometimes I've been there with my faith where you feel like all you've got to offer is like a dribble at the bottom of the jug it's all the faith you can muster up you ever feel like that do you know what God can do with that you know that God doesn't need a full jar of flour God doesn't need a full jug of oil all he needs is a little it's not the measure of your faith it's the object of your faith and we know this a little faith in the right thing is better than a lot of faith in the wrong thing how many people have so much faith in the wrong things and it falls through you can have a lot of faith in the wrong
[19:48] God and he's going to do nothing for you this widow is at this point of running out of food has Baal done anything for her no a lot of faith in the wrong thing is no good a little faith this story proves that a little faith in a big God is far better than a lot of faith in a little God and so look at Elijah first and foremost before we get to this widow he's on his own he's hiding in the brook Kerith no food and no water until the famine comes and the famine is there and there's no food he's got nothing to harvest nothing and God says that he commands the ravens isn't that astounding don't worry I've got servants to bring you food Elijah now they might be black and they might be flappy but they're going to bring you food he commands the ravens this is like a
[20:49] Disney movie you know all the birds tweeting about and bringing you tea and all that kind of stuff this this is what this is what God can do everything at his disposal you need food I'll get it for you ravens go and bring them some food bread and meat where did they get the bread and meat from that's what I want to know is it like the little monkey in Aladdin that just steals it from other people where did the ravens get the food from who knows maybe it was like Robin hood stealing from the rich to give to the poor I meat and bread morning and evening it's astounding it's absolutely amazing this is what God is doing the ravens are feeding at God's command yet Baal is doing nothing now eventually the river dries up it doesn't say anything about God that just says the famine is real so the famine is real the river dries up and Elijah is getting nothing and God says don't worry go to
[21:50] Zarephath it's 90 miles north it's the West Island way you can make it there's a widow there that I have commanded to feed you now how unlikely was it that ravens should feed Elijah is it not incredibly extremely unlikely when in the history of the world have ravens been feeding someone unlikely for a raven to feed Elijah yet they did and so how unlikely in the middle of a famine would it be for a foreign widow to feed Elijah very unlikely so when God says this to Elijah it doesn't inspire confidence when he says don't worry there's a widow foreign widow in the middle of a famine up in Zarephath she's a widow she's going to feed you Elijah goes north not because he thinks oh yeah beauty this widow must have cupboards full of food Elijah goes because he trusts the word of the Lord what is it that kept
[22:51] Elijah moving step by step 90 miles it was the word of God not any confidence that some foreign widow had heaps of food I don't think he was under the impression every step of that 90 miles that the widow had cupboards full when he arrived he didn't find a widow with full cupboards he found a woman and her son resigned to death with nothing more than a small portion of oil and flour for a last supper that's what he found and yet God told Elijah that this woman would feed him and upon arrival he now sees that if she does feed him then he's going to be taking her last meal why should he ask such a thing of this woman because he now knows when he sees her that he's taking her last meal if he's going to be fed it's the same reason that kept him going on the journey it's the same reason that he trusted in the ravens he trusted the word of the
[23:54] Lord God said behold I've commanded this widow to feed you and if God said it it will be so he doesn't doubt it when the heavens will be shut when God said that it happened when God said I have commanded the ravens to feed you it happened and so when God says I've commanded a widow to feed you it will happen she knows she's got nothing more to give but what she doesn't yet know is that God has spoken a word over her life Elijah knows this she doesn't know that yet but Elijah knows that God has spoken a word over her life if you're trusting in Christ do you know that God has spoken a word over your life there were many widows in Israel God did not speak a word over them because they turned from God they're trusting in Baal see those in
[24:58] Israel have turned away from Yahweh and they're trusting in Baal to provide for them so is it God's fault that Baal didn't provide for them that's not God's fault out there in the world is it God's fault that the things that people are trusting are not providing for them that's not God's fault if you turn to God he will provide for you so many people here many people in this town not trusting in God but looking elsewhere for providence who are you trusting for your daily bread what is keeping you going and if you trust in Jesus do you know that he has spoken a word over your life for instance John 11 whoever believes in me though they die yet shall they live whoever believes in me shall never die he's spoken a word over your life those who come to me will never hunger those who believe in me will never trust will never thirst they will trust he's spoken a word over your life for God so gave his one and only son whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life spoken a word over you now
[26:21] Elijah knows the very thing that kept him going is the very thing that will keep her going and this is why he's not hesitating Elijah says this to her when she says oh listen you know a drink I could have got you but you're asking for food and I just want to know I want you to know my situation right I'm gathering some sticks I've got a little bit of flour a little bit of oil me and my son are going to eat it and then we're going to die because that's all we've got left so I just want you to know that up front Mr.
[26:48] prophet and Elijah says this do not fear go and do as you've said but first make me a little cake of it and bring it to me and then afterwards make yourself something for you and your son now does that sound harsh she's told him this is all I have and he says don't fear just give it to me and then afterwards give something to yourself and she's like but there's not going to be an afterwards if I give this to you it's gone there's not going to be an afterwards when it's used up it's gone now think about this to people in this world just an example it could be anything but people in this world who say there's not an afterlife when this is used up it's gone and Elijah is saying no no no no no don't fear use this and there's going to be some afterwards just you wait and see what God can do sounds harsh until Elijah finishes what he's saying Elijah continues to go saying for thus says the
[27:49] Lord the God of Israel the jar of flour shall not be spent the jug of oil shall not be empty until the day the Lord sends rain on the earth so this is going to last you the full famine and then rain comes and you're going to get more this is not going to end you see Baal cannot promise who is the bread of life we ask for our daily bread yeah is it not the word of God who became flesh when you're trusting in the word of God who are you trusting in because the word became flesh and his name was Jesus every day the widow and her son had food but only by the word of God and would it prove her faith otherwise she had faith but she had faith but she didn't know it until she was at the bottom of the jar and she had to give it away to this prophet she believed the word of the
[28:52] Lord I'm not saying you need to give your food away but Jesus does say he who wants to hold on to his life loses it but he who freely gives his life will gain it she went and did as the jug of oil become empty according to the word of the Lord that he spoke by Elijah the word of God never fails never fails it might look as if it's going to run out but the word of God sustains it because God can do anything isn't that incredible think about it think about in your house and you've got a little jar of flour a little jug of oil you're going to an end just keeps going then you put it away in the cupboard and you're like oh please tomorrow that should be empty but you keep going every day many days isn't that incredible
[30:00] Ahab had loads of resources in his palace the greedy man that he was he had loads of resources to keep him going through the drought but his resources would eventually come to an end because the very thing that would give him life was the very thing that he was rejecting and that is the word of God and the church this and other churches like it the church is under increasing pressure to conform to the world put his resources and things of the world but the time will come soon these things will run out the church is under increasing pressure to turn aside from the word of God but the word of God must really be central to everything we do because the word of God is what sustains us in everything see the encouraging thing that I've heard in the past six months here is many people say hearing this from many people the importance of the word of
[31:03] God and their lives and so folks are trusting in the right thing because we're under pressure personally as well to conform to the world I mean who here doesn't feel the pressure each and every day just to be like the world who here doesn't feel the pressure from the world to turn aside from the word of God you can't be believing in that stuff who here doesn't have a friend or someone in their life who disregards the word of God and thinks that you're silly for trusting in this word man shall not live by bread alone but by every word that comes from the mouth of God if you don't have the and who is the word of God the word of God the bread of life Jesus Christ the word became flesh John 1 in him was life says John 1 4 God gives eternal life and this life is in his son says 1
[32:07] John 5 11 Paul says in Colossians 3 Christ is our life what is it that keeps you going in John chapter 6 many people turn away from Jesus and he turns to his own disciples and he says do you want to turn aside to and Peter says this Lord to whom shall we go you have the words of eternal life and we have believed and come to know that you are the holy one of God is that not what the Christians in here have come to know the one who has the words of eternal life he's the holy one of God to whom else are we going to go there's nowhere else in the world that can give us what Jesus can give us that's what keeps us going true believers don't look like Ahab and his palace with all his pomp and his arrogant self sufficiency no a true believer looks like this widow in
[33:11] Zarephat going is that not what a true believer looks like doesn't look impressive looks like a widow with a little bit of oil that just keeps going and going every day and people look and say how can you keep going you should be dead and you say well one day I will be dead but then I'll be alive and I'll keep going for all eternity because I'm trusting in the word of God never runs out the things that Jesus gives never runs out doesn't look impressive and this life is not supposed to look impressive we live by faith not by sight one day it will believe me look glorious one day it will be seen what we really are when Jesus appears so will we in glory with him but for now our life is hidden hidden with Christ and God it's not supposed to look impressive and I can assure you that everyone in here agrees that it doesn't feel impressive does your
[34:15] Christian life feel impressive because I can tell you mine doesn't my Christian life does not feel impressive my faith does not feel impressive most often it feels like a little bit of oil at the bottom of the jug and yet it keeps going it keeps going does it look like we could just keep going and going all the way into eternity it doesn't but it's true according to the word of God I want to tell you that it really doesn't need to look that way it's not the design of it our lives are hidden with Christ and God it isn't God's designed to show the world just now what truly is tongue will confess what we know in our hearts to be true that Jesus Christ is Lord but right now these things in our lives our faith is like flour and oil and it is sustained and transformed by the word of
[35:16] God and all you need is a little bit of faith in the right thing and the word of God and the word himself you don't need to look at your little portion and wonder how you are going to get rest through the rest of your life you only need to think about how you are going to get through today and God is going to keep your oil and your flour going for today and then tomorrow you wake up and there's going to be more given every day every single day although it doesn't look impressive although we often look empty like a handful of flour and a little oil every single day the word of God I don't know about you it's changing me every day it's sustaining me every day it's keeping me in Christ as little as that little bit of flour is it's keeping me in Christ every day as little as that little bit of oil is it's keeping me going every day and little as that little thing that
[36:20] God transforms into eternal life what keeps you going the widow wasn't unlike those in Israel except her faith the difference between her and the widows in Israel was she trusted Yahweh and they trusted Baal whose name do you trust in and that's what it's all about the name that is above every other name that people would have faith in Jesus because he's the only one who can sustain us Jesus said I am the bread of life whoever comes to me shall not hunger whoever believes in me shall never thirst I am the way and the truth and the life I am with you always even until the end of the age Amen let me pray Lord we thank you so much for your word we can trust in your word because your word never fails it never has your word has never failed in the past ever your word never will fail and we thank you that you have revealed your word when your word became flesh and his name is
[37:31] Jesus we thank you for Jesus he is the word of God he is the one who has the words of eternal life and in him is life and to all who believe in him he gives eternal life help us to trust in him every single day no matter how small that faith is to have that little faith in a big God pray in Jesus name amen s do you go into that promise you can you hear you have instead you have had a org