WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:06.700 So the big idea for us today, the big thing that this woman has been learning, the big thing 00:00:06.700 --> 00:00:13.599 ! that this story of Elijah has been leading us towards is this. When you and I come to know 00:00:13.599 --> 00:00:22.400 ! the God who brings life from death, then we know who to trust and never to shift from. 00:00:22.399 --> 00:00:30.199 Because it's true that in any time of trial and testing, we will instinctively find ourselves 00:00:30.199 --> 00:00:38.320 looking for a Savior. We will be turning somewhere to find help. And we are being reminded in this 00:00:38.320 --> 00:00:45.019 story that turning to the God of life and love, that makes all the difference in the world. 00:00:45.020 --> 00:00:52.900 Those other things that we can be tempted to rely on, like money that we thought about this morning, 00:00:53.380 --> 00:00:58.960 perhaps our intelligence or our position, our possessions or some other person, 00:01:00.020 --> 00:01:07.280 we know, don't we, that each of those has their limits. There will be a point where they are not 00:01:07.280 --> 00:01:16.320 able to help, and especially at the point of our death. And so wonderfully woven into the storyline 00:01:16.320 --> 00:01:23.760 of the Bible, we are invited to discover the uniqueness of our God. I am God, and there is 00:01:23.760 --> 00:01:33.040 no other. And to recognize that this is the God who gives life. We're invited to see here is the 00:01:33.040 --> 00:01:42.200 Redeemer we need. Here is Jesus, the Son of God, declaring, I am the resurrection and the life. 00:01:43.719 --> 00:01:49.920 And again, woven throughout the pages of the Bible and woven into our life stories is the reality that 00:01:49.920 --> 00:01:59.000 if we are followers of Jesus, our faith will be tested. And it's so important in those times of testing 00:01:59.000 --> 00:02:05.000 that we bring what we know about God into that new experience, that new circumstance. 00:02:05.780 --> 00:02:13.500 So Elijah and the widow have been discovering again certain realities about God that they need to apply 00:02:13.500 --> 00:02:21.460 into this new situation of testing. Because as I said at the beginning, this is part three 00:02:21.460 --> 00:02:29.680 of the story of the living God who gives true life, of the God who is showing Himself to be greater than 00:02:29.680 --> 00:02:37.819 Baal, the God who is greater than any false God who could be created. It is God alone we have seen who's 00:02:37.819 --> 00:02:45.400 in charge of the weather and the crops. It's God alone who can provide by miracle in order to sustain a 00:02:45.400 --> 00:02:53.439 prophet and a widow and a widow and a widow's family. And here as we come to the climax, God alone provides 00:02:53.439 --> 00:03:00.000 life in the place of death. And this is a lesson that the widow discovers joyfully firsthand. 00:03:02.159 --> 00:03:09.640 But think about the first readers of this book, exiles, because they've wandered away from God. 00:03:09.639 --> 00:03:16.359 What are they invited to learn? What are we invited to learn? That we should turn to the God who is able 00:03:16.359 --> 00:03:24.439 to bring life in place of death and never go anywhere else. So as we follow this story, 00:03:25.299 --> 00:03:29.379 two simple things that we're going to think about. We'll think about the narrative. We'll see this 00:03:29.379 --> 00:03:36.199 movement. It's a familiar Bible movement from tragedy to triumph. And then we'll think about verse 24 and 00:03:36.199 --> 00:03:43.719 her testimony to truth. And as we do that, we'll aim to learn some lessons about faith along the way, 00:03:43.839 --> 00:03:51.079 vital lessons for your faith and mine, so that we might have the kind of confidence that we hear expressed 00:03:51.079 --> 00:03:58.079 by the women in verse 24. Now I know that you are a man of God and the word of the Lord from your mouth 00:03:58.079 --> 00:04:05.659 is the truth, that we would know Jesus is Lord, that we would know He is the one and only Savior, 00:04:05.659 --> 00:04:12.620 to lean on, that we would rest and rejoice in Him. So let's think first of all about the story 00:04:12.620 --> 00:04:18.240 that tragedy leads to triumph, but it does that through a course of testing, which we see. 00:04:18.980 --> 00:04:23.879 And again, that's a theme. When you think about some of the most famous stories in the Bible, 00:04:24.680 --> 00:04:31.939 think about faithful Abraham. You know, he is called to exercise faith all through his life, 00:04:31.939 --> 00:04:38.259 given promises, and then has to wait for decades. And the climax of Abraham's life of faith 00:04:38.259 --> 00:04:44.360 is a time of intense testing. Take your son, your only son, and offer him as a sacrifice. 00:04:45.620 --> 00:04:51.439 And Abraham is willing to obey. And of course, we know that God intervenes and gives him his son back 00:04:51.439 --> 00:05:00.399 and reaffirms his blessing. We're going to see in a couple of weeks, Elijah moving from this great test 00:05:00.399 --> 00:05:07.699 of faith, where he has to stand on a mountain confronted by the prophets of Baal, and he has 00:05:07.699 --> 00:05:12.540 to show that his God is the one true and living God, and call Israel back to himself. And there's that 00:05:12.540 --> 00:05:18.040 high point followed by the immediate low, where Jezebel wants to have him killed. 00:05:18.040 --> 00:05:27.000 And again, as his faith is tested, God is there, and God brings him to this place where he will reveal 00:05:27.000 --> 00:05:36.460 himself, and he will speak, and he will show Elijah that there is hope. The widow's story reminds us in 00:05:36.460 --> 00:05:44.700 the same way that our faith in God, it will be tested, that we have exercised for Christians' faith 00:05:44.699 --> 00:05:51.819 in the past. But with every new day and every new situation, we need to pray again, we need to obey 00:05:51.819 --> 00:05:59.420 again, we need to trust again. For the widow, so we saw this last week, she's exercised great faith. 00:06:00.159 --> 00:06:07.419 Remember, we saw her gathering up the last couple of sticks. She's got her last few drops of flour and 00:06:07.420 --> 00:06:15.140 oil, and she's going to make one last meal. But she has to have faith to give that meal first to Elijah, 00:06:15.780 --> 00:06:22.300 trusting then that God will provide for her and for her family. And she had that wonderful discovery 00:06:22.300 --> 00:06:31.379 that where she expected death through starvation, actually life came. But now what's happened in her 00:06:31.379 --> 00:06:43.199 story? Her son has become ill and has died. Death comes, and life and peace are shattered, and she is 00:06:43.199 --> 00:06:52.920 thrust into the most intense test of her faith. Her response is significant. Where does she go? 00:06:54.779 --> 00:07:00.060 Notice she goes to the man of God. She speaks to Elijah, what do you have against me, man of God? Did you 00:07:00.060 --> 00:07:07.480 come to remind me of my sin and kill my son? So, she understands at a fundamental level, it's pointless 00:07:07.480 --> 00:07:15.420 to talk to Baal, because Baal is a non-thing. She knows that God is the God who gives life and 00:07:15.420 --> 00:07:23.920 who takes it. And so, what she does is she pours out her heart to the Lord, as we're invited to do. 00:07:24.500 --> 00:07:29.180 Psalm 63. And we hear the heartbreak, don't we, in her questioning. 00:07:30.060 --> 00:07:38.819 Elijah, is it the case that my son has died? Has God taken him in payment for something that I have 00:07:38.819 --> 00:07:49.840 done? Has he died for my sin? And of course, we come to discover the answer is no. And in God's 00:07:49.840 --> 00:07:57.439 redemption story, we understand the answer is no. But we know wonderfully, God's son will pay the price 00:07:57.439 --> 00:08:06.480 required to deal with the sin that we have committed. So, the woman has prayed. She's spoken to Elijah, 00:08:06.600 --> 00:08:12.420 and then Elijah acts. And again, we've seen Elijah, the man of faith and prayer, and here we see him 00:08:12.420 --> 00:08:21.199 again. Give me your son, he replied. And he took him, carried him to the upper room, and then he prays, 00:08:21.199 --> 00:08:28.019 Lord, my God, have you brought tragedy even on this widow I am staying with by causing her son to die. 00:08:30.839 --> 00:08:38.220 Here is a prophet, here is a man of God, a spokesman, one sent by God to this widow's family. 00:08:38.220 --> 00:08:47.800 And we get that sense from Elijah that here is a man who is moved with compassion. Here is a man who 00:08:47.800 --> 00:09:01.320 enters into this widow's grief, just like the great prophet Jesus, angered as he stood in front of the 00:09:01.320 --> 00:09:11.720 grave of his friend Lazarus, angry at that great enemy death. I wonder if you noticed the difference 00:09:11.720 --> 00:09:19.840 in how each spoke. Elijah, when you get to verse 21, 00:09:22.340 --> 00:09:28.520 prays to the Lord, Lord my God, let this boy's life return to him. Here's great faith, 00:09:28.519 --> 00:09:36.179 asking God to do a miracle and to give life. But he prays to God, knowing that Elijah's an authority, 00:09:36.360 --> 00:09:45.919 God does. Did you notice that Jesus spoke directly? Lazarus, come out. He is a prophet, but he is also 00:09:45.919 --> 00:09:55.000 God with authority, the one who gave life in place of death. Elijah's prayer is really significant, 00:09:55.000 --> 00:10:01.419 I think. Helps us to see one or two different things about Elijah and about our God. First of all, 00:10:02.740 --> 00:10:05.919 when you listen to Elijah's prayer in verse 20, 00:10:07.700 --> 00:10:17.700 perhaps we are reminded of another prayer, a prayer of Moses. And in both, we have a concern for God's 00:10:17.700 --> 00:10:27.259 glory. So, in this case, Elijah wants the widow and wants everyone around to know that only God is the 00:10:27.259 --> 00:10:34.280 Lord of life and that he doesn't fail his people. And so, he's really concerned for God's honor in this 00:10:34.280 --> 00:10:42.300 moment. Remember the prayer of Moses after the people made the golden calf, after they've rebelled 00:10:42.299 --> 00:10:48.019 against God. And God says, I'm going to get rid of those people, and I'll start again with you, Moses. 00:10:48.139 --> 00:10:55.039 And Moses, who is appointed as the interceder for the people, he prays, God, think about your reputation. 00:10:55.299 --> 00:11:01.379 Think about the honor of your name. What will Egypt think? They'll think badly of you. They'll think 00:11:01.379 --> 00:11:10.740 you've taken them. You've taken them into the desert only to kill them, both concerned for God's glory as they pray. 00:11:12.899 --> 00:11:23.480 And as Elijah prays, he also knows his God. He knows without a shadow of a doubt, it is the Lord who is in charge. 00:11:23.480 --> 00:11:31.940 And the Lord has power. Why else would he pray, let this boy's life return to him? 00:11:34.940 --> 00:11:43.139 Elijah knows from the past that God is concerned for this widow and to preserve this widow's family. 00:11:43.139 --> 00:11:54.279 Elijah knows that God has a passion for his glory, and he wants hearts and lives to be turned towards 00:11:54.279 --> 00:12:04.340 him as the one true God. He prays knowing God alone is the God of life with the power even to raise the 00:12:04.340 --> 00:12:11.720 dead. And so he prays boldly and confidently to the God he knows. 00:12:13.139 --> 00:12:21.740 And it reminds us of the power and the beauty that there is when as Christians we pray the Bible. 00:12:22.879 --> 00:12:27.860 When we take what we know about God and his character and the way that he works, 00:12:28.159 --> 00:12:36.379 and we talk to God in response to what we discover of him in his word. When we claim God's promises, 00:12:36.379 --> 00:12:45.200 when we express confidence in God's character. That's how Elijah prays here. And then we come to the 00:12:45.200 --> 00:12:58.899 climax of this story as God acts, as tragedy is turned to triumph. Verse 22, the Lord heard Elijah's cry, 00:12:58.899 --> 00:13:06.399 and the boy's life returned to him and he lived. Elijah picked up the child, gave him to his mother and 00:13:06.399 --> 00:13:16.539 said, look, your son is alive. And so this mother who'd been so grief-stricken and desolate is now a 00:13:16.539 --> 00:13:26.059 first-hand eyewitness to another of God's miracles of mercy and power. She can see with her own eyes, 00:13:26.059 --> 00:13:36.539 look, he is alive. It's interesting to stop and to think about why did this miracle happen? 00:13:37.399 --> 00:13:43.319 And what's the purpose of miracles in the Bible? What about Jesus' miracles? And there's a few things 00:13:43.319 --> 00:13:50.199 I think that we can say about that we may find helpful. When we look at miracles like this, we 00:13:50.200 --> 00:14:00.620 recognize here is God working in power to restore what is broken. And it's the same whenever Jesus 00:14:00.620 --> 00:14:08.320 does a miracle. You know, we live in a fallen, broken world. And whenever a healing happens, 00:14:08.460 --> 00:14:13.060 whenever a resurrection happens, we're given this window into the world we all want. 00:14:13.059 --> 00:14:21.239 The kingdom of God, free of suffering and death. Every time Jesus healed someone or raised someone, 00:14:21.319 --> 00:14:29.079 it was a picture of His coming kingdom, His determination in the end to put right everything 00:14:29.079 --> 00:14:38.959 that we had made wrong. And related to that, miracles so often give that pointer to God redeeming 00:14:38.960 --> 00:14:48.660 what would otherwise be lost. Here again is the God of life who is snatching victory from the jaws of defeat 00:14:48.660 --> 00:15:00.600 as He snatches life from the power of the grave. It's an action that God did for the whole people of Israel 00:15:00.600 --> 00:15:11.460 when He rescued them from slavery and death in Egypt. It's what Jesus did when He stood in front of His 00:15:11.460 --> 00:15:22.720 friend Lazarus' tomb and summoned Him out. And it's what God continues to do whenever He gives someone the 00:15:22.720 --> 00:15:31.960 gift of faith to repent of sin and to believe in Him. Then there is that movement from spiritual death 00:15:31.960 --> 00:15:42.879 to spiritual life, and all because of God's power and grace. And miracles then stand to also speak to us of 00:15:42.879 --> 00:15:52.200 this future glory. They function like the trailers that we see at the cinema, a preview of a story that is 00:15:52.200 --> 00:16:01.680 coming soon. And the story of Elijah helps us to catch a glimpse of the greater story of Jesus. 00:16:03.180 --> 00:16:11.440 Here is Elijah, the prophet, stretching himself over this boy, seeing death defeated and life restored, 00:16:13.060 --> 00:16:19.860 anticipating the still greater miracle of God's own Son stretched out on the cross, 00:16:19.860 --> 00:16:27.620 bearing our sin and shame, bearing our sin and shame, going down himself into death as he endured God's 00:16:27.620 --> 00:16:36.860 judgment and penalty against sin before rising again in victory. As 1 Corinthians 15 reminds us, 00:16:36.960 --> 00:16:44.420 Jesus has destroyed the last and greatest enemy of death. He is the one who now gives resurrection, 00:16:44.419 --> 00:16:55.519 life and power to all who will believe. And that work of bringing life in place of death will be completed 00:16:55.519 --> 00:17:05.519 on the day when our King returns. When Jesus returns, there will be final judgment. Everything will be made new 00:17:05.519 --> 00:17:13.099 in this world. In His kingdom, there'll be no sorrow, no sadness, no suffering, no death. There will be eternal 00:17:13.099 --> 00:17:28.799 eternal joy for all those who look to recognize the Son who died for us but is now alive. 00:17:30.099 --> 00:17:37.199 As we apply this to our own lives of faith, a couple of things to think about. One, 00:17:37.200 --> 00:17:45.059 the importance of learning God's character. I really like at the end of the Sermon on the Mount, 00:17:45.160 --> 00:17:50.299 that image that Jesus gives of the wise builder who builds his house on the rock so when the storms 00:17:50.299 --> 00:18:00.160 come, the house stands. That rock is Jesus and His Word. And stories like this remind us that when the 00:18:00.160 --> 00:18:09.720 storms of life hit, we need to know our God, to understand He's the only true and living God, 00:18:10.700 --> 00:18:17.580 that He is the God who is near and who hears and invites us to turn to Him in all of our pain and 00:18:17.580 --> 00:18:25.180 confusion, to understand that He is the Lord of covenant faithfulness, that He is the God who can 00:18:25.180 --> 00:18:32.299 bring good from evil even when we cannot see how that can possibly be the case. And He is the God 00:18:32.299 --> 00:18:41.740 who has brought spiritual life in place of death, in sending Jesus, who declared, I am the resurrection 00:18:41.740 --> 00:18:49.420 and the life. The one who believes in me will live even though they die. And that's why we need 00:18:49.420 --> 00:18:59.080 worship. That's why we need the Word of God. It's why we need the fellowship of other believers 00:18:59.080 --> 00:19:09.100 to show us, to teach us, to remind us to behold our God. So, we need to learn God's character. 00:19:09.099 --> 00:19:15.980 But we also secondly need to lean on the one true God. 00:19:18.859 --> 00:19:21.119 That's part of Elijah's ministry. 00:19:24.159 --> 00:19:28.559 Partly this relates to what we were thinking about this morning. There is a temptation, I think, 00:19:28.599 --> 00:19:36.519 when life goes bad, that even as we have turned to trust in Jesus for salvation, when life goes bad, 00:19:36.519 --> 00:19:43.759 we will still look around and we will search around for other things to save us and to get through the 00:19:43.759 --> 00:19:49.400 problem. Now, we don't know whether this woman was ever tempted to think, oh, if only I'd stuck with 00:19:49.400 --> 00:19:56.519 bail, things would have turned out better. But it's a good moment to ask ourselves the question, 00:19:57.539 --> 00:20:04.920 when trouble comes, when hardship comes, what do you and I reach for? 00:20:04.920 --> 00:20:16.900 Maybe we reach for the remote to distract ourselves from reality. Maybe we reach for the fridge or our 00:20:16.900 --> 00:20:32.440 phone or a bottle or a wallet. Were we able to ask this widow, what is your only hope in life and death? 00:20:32.440 --> 00:20:39.220 Wonderfully, she came to know. It's knowing the one true and living God. 00:20:40.200 --> 00:20:45.500 And what you and I need to learn and to keep learning is that we need to reach for, 00:20:45.740 --> 00:20:51.460 run to, and cling on to Jesus, the only Savior. 00:20:51.460 --> 00:21:01.759 It's so important that we learn to lean on the one true God. If we're not yet a Christian, we're here 00:21:01.759 --> 00:21:09.380 tonight. Consider the son in the story. He's not really the major character in one sense, but here 00:21:09.380 --> 00:21:23.340 is a child in a lifeless, helpless situation without God's intervention. The only source of life for him 00:21:23.340 --> 00:21:29.620 was God's man being sent to pray and to act and to give life. 00:21:29.619 --> 00:21:40.500 Each one of us needs God's life-giving power to bring spiritual life where without him we are spiritually dead. 00:21:40.500 --> 00:21:50.640 We need God to give us the gift of faith to see that we are lost and helpless and hopeless in our sin. 00:21:51.559 --> 00:21:59.619 That new life comes from God alone. Eternal life comes through the Son who is stretched out to save. 00:21:59.619 --> 00:22:09.219 And that you would seek him for forgiveness in new life, recognizing him as risen Lord and Savior. 00:22:12.500 --> 00:22:17.699 Well, having thought about this story and this movement from tragedy to triumph, 00:22:17.979 --> 00:22:23.619 let's think really briefly about the woman's testimony to truth. 00:22:23.619 --> 00:22:31.659 The woman said to Elijah, now I know that you're a man of God and the word of the Lord from your mouth is the truth. 00:22:32.539 --> 00:22:38.799 I picture all this woman has been through with her son in her recent past, 00:22:39.279 --> 00:22:43.019 making those desperate preparations, 00:22:44.899 --> 00:22:52.799 anticipating that hopeless last meal before waiting together for starvation. 00:22:53.619 --> 00:22:55.519 And in that moment, 00:22:55.519 --> 00:22:59.379 in step Elijah and in step Elijah's God. 00:23:00.039 --> 00:23:02.119 And every day since then, 00:23:02.500 --> 00:23:03.679 while Baal, 00:23:04.159 --> 00:23:09.319 the idol of the region has done nothing to cause the rain to fall or the crops to grow, 00:23:09.639 --> 00:23:11.779 the true God has been given to the, 00:23:11.779 --> 00:23:15.500 to the widow and to her son and to the wider household, 00:23:16.379 --> 00:23:18.719 oil and flour every day. 00:23:18.959 --> 00:23:21.799 He has been their source of life. 00:23:21.799 --> 00:23:23.700 And now, 00:23:23.700 --> 00:23:28.200 as she cradles the sun once again, 00:23:28.759 --> 00:23:30.879 no longer lifeless and gone, 00:23:30.960 --> 00:23:32.720 but returned to life and health, 00:23:33.139 --> 00:23:35.980 she knows and understands in a new way. 00:23:37.879 --> 00:23:41.039 Here is the true God. 00:23:41.579 --> 00:23:45.539 Here is the source of true life. 00:23:45.539 --> 00:23:50.839 He is the one who can give life even beyond the grave. 00:23:53.700 --> 00:23:56.940 Like every follower of Jesus, 00:23:57.940 --> 00:24:01.500 she has come to discover it is God's word, 00:24:02.000 --> 00:24:09.240 God's powerful word that gives life and sustains spiritual life. 00:24:09.240 --> 00:24:12.900 And like this woman, 00:24:13.039 --> 00:24:16.279 we are called to be like those disciples. 00:24:16.460 --> 00:24:16.539 Well, 00:24:16.599 --> 00:24:18.160 where else would we go? 00:24:19.539 --> 00:24:23.339 Because we know that Jesus alone has the words of eternal life. 00:24:23.339 --> 00:24:30.459 When we come to discover Jesus is the way, 00:24:30.579 --> 00:24:34.099 the truth and the life that no one comes to the father except through him, 00:24:34.299 --> 00:24:37.379 that Jesus is the resurrection and the life, 00:24:37.639 --> 00:24:41.419 that he is able to give us eternal life through his own death. 00:24:41.420 --> 00:24:45.380 We never shift from that. 00:24:45.980 --> 00:24:47.440 We never shift from him. 00:24:49.279 --> 00:24:51.480 But rather we know in a new way. 00:24:52.019 --> 00:24:52.920 And we celebrate. 00:24:53.180 --> 00:24:55.840 Imagine this woman sharing her story. 00:24:56.940 --> 00:24:57.740 Two more lessons. 00:24:58.980 --> 00:24:59.840 First is this, 00:24:59.960 --> 00:25:03.440 let wonder lead you to worship. 00:25:04.900 --> 00:25:06.440 There is that natural reaction, 00:25:06.640 --> 00:25:08.240 that natural reflex, 00:25:08.300 --> 00:25:09.200 and we see it in this woman. 00:25:09.200 --> 00:25:11.500 She's discovered something truly wonderful. 00:25:13.340 --> 00:25:15.759 She has seen her son die. 00:25:16.340 --> 00:25:18.580 And now she has seen her son alive. 00:25:19.500 --> 00:25:19.880 And so, 00:25:19.980 --> 00:25:20.600 of course, 00:25:20.720 --> 00:25:22.539 she is full of joy. 00:25:22.799 --> 00:25:23.500 And of course, 00:25:23.580 --> 00:25:26.380 she wants to celebrate this discovery. 00:25:27.299 --> 00:25:30.640 You sense the joy bubbling up in her words. 00:25:30.680 --> 00:25:31.480 And no wonder. 00:25:33.000 --> 00:25:34.140 God's mighty acts, 00:25:34.259 --> 00:25:35.180 God's righteous acts, 00:25:35.299 --> 00:25:36.100 God's saving acts, 00:25:36.099 --> 00:25:39.679 she's seen one up close and personal. 00:25:40.240 --> 00:25:41.439 And it's wonderful. 00:25:43.240 --> 00:25:46.619 And that's always the way it goes in the Bible. 00:25:47.059 --> 00:25:47.179 So, 00:25:47.259 --> 00:25:50.199 we read a little bit of Psalm 71 at the beginning. 00:25:50.339 --> 00:25:52.039 The testimony there, 00:25:52.419 --> 00:25:53.839 throughout the Psalm, 00:25:53.899 --> 00:25:55.679 I will proclaim your mighty act. 00:25:55.779 --> 00:25:58.019 My mouth will tell of your salvation. 00:25:58.019 --> 00:26:01.440 Though you have made me see troubles, 00:26:02.220 --> 00:26:04.359 you restore my life again. 00:26:05.759 --> 00:26:08.039 Wonder at who God is, 00:26:08.059 --> 00:26:08.660 and what He has done, 00:26:08.740 --> 00:26:10.720 leads to worship. 00:26:12.139 --> 00:26:15.240 There is a joy that is natural, 00:26:15.660 --> 00:26:17.680 only for the Christian. 00:26:18.960 --> 00:26:22.519 It's a joy that lies beyond circumstance. 00:26:24.279 --> 00:26:26.059 It's a joy that runs deep. 00:26:26.059 --> 00:26:27.299 Paul had it. 00:26:27.720 --> 00:26:28.700 The book of Philippians, 00:26:28.799 --> 00:26:30.099 we see it all over the place. 00:26:30.679 --> 00:26:31.399 He had joy, 00:26:31.779 --> 00:26:33.859 even although he was in chains. 00:26:34.220 --> 00:26:36.619 He had joy because he could see the gospel was spreading, 00:26:36.720 --> 00:26:37.700 even through the prison. 00:26:38.639 --> 00:26:41.480 He had joy because he was discovering news 00:26:41.480 --> 00:26:43.339 that people were getting closer to Jesus. 00:26:45.559 --> 00:26:47.519 And he joyfully exclaims, 00:26:47.619 --> 00:26:48.639 for me to live is Christ, 00:26:48.679 --> 00:26:50.859 and to die is gain. 00:26:53.139 --> 00:26:55.440 He saw the risen Jesus. 00:26:56.059 --> 00:26:57.919 He knew the power of God, 00:26:58.019 --> 00:27:01.000 turning him from an enemy into a friend, 00:27:01.419 --> 00:27:03.259 into a saint apostle, 00:27:03.839 --> 00:27:06.940 and it caused him to live his life worshiping. 00:27:08.980 --> 00:27:11.139 As we remind ourselves, 00:27:11.240 --> 00:27:12.440 as we gather for worship, 00:27:12.559 --> 00:27:13.759 as we remind ourselves, 00:27:13.799 --> 00:27:15.480 every time we read the Bible, 00:27:15.579 --> 00:27:18.519 as we reflect on the good news of salvation, 00:27:19.119 --> 00:27:22.460 we're reminding ourselves why Jesus deserves to be, 00:27:22.460 --> 00:27:25.539 and is our one hope in life and in death. 00:27:26.480 --> 00:27:29.079 And as we allow that wonder 00:27:29.079 --> 00:27:32.160 to lead us to worship, 00:27:33.500 --> 00:27:35.279 then that will also help us 00:27:35.279 --> 00:27:38.200 to talk about Jesus with others. 00:27:38.200 --> 00:27:41.360 It will come more naturally, 00:27:41.480 --> 00:27:42.720 because the second thing 00:27:42.720 --> 00:27:47.059 is that witnessing flows from worship. 00:27:48.660 --> 00:27:50.420 Telling others about Jesus 00:27:50.420 --> 00:27:52.259 flows from worship. 00:27:52.799 --> 00:27:54.559 Inviting others to discover 00:27:54.559 --> 00:27:56.759 here is the one who can give life 00:27:56.759 --> 00:27:58.299 in place of death 00:27:58.299 --> 00:28:01.480 comes when we reflect on 00:28:01.480 --> 00:28:03.819 God's beauty and truth and goodness 00:28:03.819 --> 00:28:06.880 and holiness and redeeming love. 00:28:06.880 --> 00:28:12.940 witnessing flows from our worship. 00:28:13.440 --> 00:28:14.860 You know, think about the widow's story. 00:28:15.360 --> 00:28:16.720 Can we imagine this widow 00:28:16.720 --> 00:28:19.720 not bursting to tell her friends and neighbors? 00:28:20.760 --> 00:28:22.980 Can we imagine this not making a difference 00:28:22.980 --> 00:28:24.020 in the community? 00:28:24.920 --> 00:28:26.920 You know, they've maybe been praying desperately 00:28:26.920 --> 00:28:28.940 to Baal, and there's still no rain, 00:28:29.300 --> 00:28:30.920 and their cupboards are bare. 00:28:31.600 --> 00:28:33.200 And then to hear this widow's testimony, 00:28:33.340 --> 00:28:34.800 the one true and living God 00:28:34.799 --> 00:28:37.419 has given my son life back from death. 00:28:38.720 --> 00:28:41.099 You can guarantee they're going to hear 00:28:41.099 --> 00:28:45.000 testimony about the power of God. 00:28:47.099 --> 00:28:49.599 As we let people into our lives, 00:28:50.220 --> 00:28:53.039 they're going to see how we face hardships. 00:28:53.819 --> 00:28:55.039 They're going to discover 00:28:55.039 --> 00:28:57.240 how important our faith is to us. 00:28:58.139 --> 00:28:59.039 And in those moments, 00:28:59.139 --> 00:29:00.500 we get to show them Jesus. 00:29:01.779 --> 00:29:03.139 We get to invite them to hear 00:29:03.139 --> 00:29:04.759 the true story of the gospel. 00:29:04.799 --> 00:29:07.819 of Jesus, the Son of God, 00:29:08.419 --> 00:29:10.659 the one who entered into this world of suffering, 00:29:11.220 --> 00:29:12.619 the one who embraced death 00:29:12.619 --> 00:29:14.680 to forgive our sin and give us life, 00:29:15.440 --> 00:29:16.940 the one who extends the invitation 00:29:16.940 --> 00:29:19.039 to all of us to know Him, 00:29:19.659 --> 00:29:22.819 to enjoy a hope that is death-proof, 00:29:23.299 --> 00:29:25.779 because it comes from the one true 00:29:25.779 --> 00:29:27.440 and living God, 00:29:28.399 --> 00:29:31.180 the one who gives eternal life. 00:29:31.180 --> 00:29:32.940 Let's pray. 00:29:32.940 --> 00:29:32.940 00:29:32.940 --> 00:29:33.000 Let's pray.