Sermon Series
Lord, We Need A Miracle – Part 2
"Before We Run Out of Everything!"
Pastor Jerry
1 Kings 17:1-16 (NLT)
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The coronavirus epidemic outbreak is affecting our world on medical, financial, and political levels more than any challenge we have ever seen in my lifetime.
Are you worried? If you are worried, that’s understandable. But God has reassurances for all our fears today.
Our God is a God of miracles.
We began a new sermon series last week entitled:
Lord, We Need a Miracle. And today we are going to continue with that theme with a message entitled,
“Before We Run Out of Everything.” Sometimes, you don’t know that
God is all you need until God is all you’ve got. Could that be why God sometimes allows a shortage, a lack in our life? If I were to ask you,
“What are you lacking today?” What would you say …(and I don’t mean toilet paper) …what would it be …
I need more money… I need more love…I need more faith.”
In today’s message we’re going to look at the things that cause people to feel hopeless. We’ll do that by looking at the life of a man named Elijah. His story is in 1 Kings 17 and it teach us lessons on how God wants to do miracles when there are things that are happening in our lives that cause us to lack what we need.
The Bible tells us that the current king and queen were the worst of all the previous; they were named Ahab and Jezebel. The reason why they were so bad, not only were they terrible leaders politically, economically,
but spiritually-they got rid of the worship of God and they brought in a false god called Baal. Therefore, God sends Elijah as a prophet, to go confront King Ahab. And say because of your wickedness it’s not going to rain any more in this country until I, the prophet of God says so.
This message did not sit well with Ahab. They said we’re going to kill you. Elijah was on the run for his life. Maybe you feel that way in this coronavirus outbreak. On the run from something that’s after you …afraid of something trying to sneak up on you to kill you! During the time of Elijah’s running, God did some miracles for Elijah and taught some lessons to Elijah that you and I need. God wants us to learn the same things. So let’s let God teach us.
The first experience in Elijah’s journey of faith is the ravine, the Kerith Ravine.
Kerith was a place and a time of separation. Elijah was to hide there. God had great plans for Elijah. But first he said
“You need time alone. You need time to focus on ME. God often uses private darkness in your life to prepare you for other days of light later on.
Do you need a time of getting closer to God?
During this time that Elijah’s in this lock-down experience, God supernaturally provided for him –birds – bring food over the top of the ravine and drop it. So for a year, Elijah’s eating leftovers in this (you could say) stay-at-home experience and his only support is from God.
Remember: you don’t know God is all you need until everything is taken away and God is all you’ve got.
But then in vs7 it says
“The brook dried up.” Some of you right now are in a situation where the brook has dried up in your life. The job has ended. The money’s stop coming. Your HOPE has dried up. Things have dried up in your life. What do you do when the brook dries up in your life? You do three things. There are
three reasons why brooks dry up in your life and you need to know this because it’s going to happen more than once in your living.
- Brooks dry up to keep you from depending on the brook.
That’s the first reason. Brooks dry up in your life to keep you from depending on the worldly water instead of the living water God. So God says whatever you’re trusting in if it’s not ME, I’m going to turn it off. I’ve been trusting in my job for my security – well that just might get turned off. I’ve been trusting in an easy life of freedom – well that might just get turned off.
God says you must trust in ME. Anything you put before me is a false god. It’s an idol. What has become the bird and the brook in your life? It’s whatever you’re looking for to give you security and happiness. When God gives us something and then it’s taken away, we start getting mad at God. Saying God is unfair! No gift God gives on earth is eternal …except eternal life. That’s the gift HE wants you to have.
Do you have that gift? First thing to remember is that the brook dries up so we don’t depend on the brook …
- The second reason brooks dry up…is to move you to a better place in your life.
God had no intention of leaving Elijah in the ravine, in that place of separation, for the rest of his life. It was simply a one year temporary stay-at-home for reflection. He was protecting Elijah. God doesn’t intend for you to live in the place you’re in for the rest of your life.
We get very complacent about the activities and routines in our life. Let’s admit it. As long as the brook was bubbling and the birds were bringing food, Elijah wasn’t going to move. And sometimes God dries up stuff in your life to move you forward.
Where is God wanting to move you to? What is God wanting you to experience new?
Remember, first, God often dries up the brook in your life to keep you from depending on the brook instead of HIM, and second, He dries up the brook to move you to a better place in your life rather than letting you remaining as you are.
- The third reason brooks dry up …to prove that God is God and Has a Miracle waiting for you.
The first test of Elijah’s faith is in the ravine—to stop depending on the brook. The second test of faith is when Elijah decides to get on the road—to go to a better place. The third test of Elijah’s faith will be an encounter with God. 1 Kings 17:8-9 says
“So then the Lord said to Elijah ‘Now get up and go to Zarephath and live there. I’ve prepared a widow there [in Zarephath] to take care of you.’” So Elijah obeys. He went to Zarephath. God says, “Get ready for your miracle!”
Then God says, When you get to Zarephath, I’m going to have a very poor widow to take care of you.
This is a test of faith. When you’re running out of everything and you’re scared to death, all you can do is pray, O Lord we need a Miracle!
Miracles never happen in your comfort zone, when everything’s going great, when everything’s convenient. You don’t need a miracle when everything is settled in your life. You only need a Miracle when you’re on the edge, when you’re scared to death, when you need help.
Are you at a place right now in your life where you need a Miracle? Do you need God?
God does miracles in ways you don’t understand. Why? God says in Isaiah 55
“My thoughts are completely different from yours. My ways are far beyond anything you can imagine.” The way you want to meet the need in your life is not the way God wants to meet the need in your life. You don’t have to try to figure it out. You just have faith. You just trust God.
Every time God does a miracle …God gives you a command, he tells you to do something. Then he gives a promise and says, if you do it here’s what I’ll do. Then you take the risk. You step out in faith. You probably don’t understand it! But God says I give the command, here’s the promise. Now you take the risk. Then comes the miracle; then comes the fulfillment; then comes the answer.
“When he reached the town gate, Elijah asked a widow to please bring me a drink of water and a small piece of bread, too.’” “The woman answered, ‘…I swear I have no bread. I only have a handful of flour left in a small jar and a little olive oil left in a jug. … I came here to gather some wood so I could go home and cook our last meal. My son and I will eat it and then we’re going to die of hunger.’”
This is a test. The test is do you believe God or do you believe yourself. He says God will supernaturally replenish it. You’re never going to run out and you’ll always have reserve. If you’ll do what I tell you to do on the promise of God. When Elijah obeyed God, God took care of his needs!
Do you think God can take care of you? Do you think God is asking you to do anything?
God wants to teach you about faith. God doesn’t need anything from you. But He wants to teach you to be like him. He wants to teach you to trust him. It’s a test of faith. God’s saying I want your heart.
Are you ready to receive your miracle?
The Bible says this
“My God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus.” Notice he doesn’t say God will meet all your greed. God has said I will meet all your needs in Christ Jesus.
Are you ready for your miracle?
God is going to tell you to do something. He has a promise to fulfill for you if you do it; If you take the risk; If you step out in faith. You probably won’t understand it all! It may not make sense at all. But God says I give the command, here’s the promise. Now you take the risk. Then comes the miracle; then comes the fulfillment; then comes the answer. Are you ready?
God says I love you! I sent my Son to the cross to die for your sins! If you will accept Him as the gift I am giving you for a new life – My promise is that I will make all things new in your life – and give you eternal life. This is a miracle I want you to have, now!
