Sunday Message 7th Oct 07

An Unreasonable Request - 1Kings 17：8-16
The Widow at Zarephath
7 Some time later the brook dried up because there had been no rain in the land. 8 Then the word of the LORD came to him: 9 "Go at once to Zarephath of Sidon and stay there. I have commanded a widow in that place to supply you with food." 10 So he went to Zarephath. When he came to the town gate, a widow was there gathering sticks. He called to her and asked, "Would you bring me a little water in a jar so I may have a drink?" 11 As she was going to get it, he called, "And bring me, please, a piece of bread." 12 "As surely as the LORD your God lives," she replied, "I don't have any bread—only a handful of flour in a jar and a little oil in a jug. I am gathering a few sticks to take home and make a meal for myself and my son, that we may eat it—and die."
 13 Elijah said to her, "Don't be afraid. Go home and do as you have said. But first make a small cake of bread for me from what you have and bring it to me, and then make something for yourself and your son. 14 For this is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: 'The jar of flour will not be used up and the jug of oil will not run dry until the day the LORD gives rain on the land.' "
 15 She went away and did as Elijah had told her. So there was food every day for Elijah and for the woman and her family. 16 For the jar of flour was not used up and the jug of oil did not run dry, in keeping with the word of the LORD spoken by Elijah.

1. An unreasonable request
 How could a man of God takes away the very last meal from a widow?
 Only obedience to seemingly un-reasonable request brings forth unreasonable reward!

2. For without faith, it is impossible to please God! (Heb 11:6)
 We must act from the eyes of faith
 Fear not! v13
 See how an unreasonable request yielded unreasonable blessing
 One meal in exchange for more than 2 years of supply!

3. Background of the story
The prophet Elijah spoke the very word of God – the judgment to a rebellious people. A rebellion made more severe and poignant because they have repeatedly tasted God’s goodness. No other people in history has all the Exodus experiences, seen so much miracles of provision and deleiverance. The disobediecne and decay was on a slippery slope - sliding all the way downwards
As we read from 1King 16:29-34; King Ahab married the princess of Sidonite king, Jezebel – don’t tell me that you can marry anyone you like. It has the most crucial decision which will impact on your faith and your eternal destiny!!

In this case – it even affects the whole nation – our little action can affect our whole family, the whole church, and even the whole nation!!

So God told him to speak – words have power – and the drought came- usually because of sin. Let us no forget that we have to live the incarnation life – that means if we want to communicate massage we have to live among the people. We have to suffer the effect of sin with the people we minister. Elijah did that.

4. Grace at unexpected places
 God’s work is not confined to the church!
 Let us not have a false sense of security
 See Luke 4:26 – the recipient of healing are not Israelites!

5. What about reasonable requests
 Before we wrestle with those seemingly unreasonable demands
 What about those reasonable requests? Eg come to church on time, Worship God with all your heart and soul, give tithes, be friendly to people. How can you say you love God and hate people?
 How is your prayer and reading the word? No body is to blamed for your spiritual dryness. Some where along the line, you must have neglected to obey, neglected to read the word.
 Have you obeyed or fulfilled them? Or you have grown so self confident and so self-sufficient to not need God. Drs & surgeon start to think that the yare god!!
I am deeply conscious of how easy we allow our God given dreams to slip past us – because the devil specialize in stealing (John 10:10 – it started with little
- I'll tell you what is reasonable – when God bless you – go ands tell, when you have tasted God go and tell. Bless the people who seem to have offended you, pray for your neighbor. etc

6. Giving out of our lack is the best form of faith exercise!
 Give – your heart, your emotion, your substance – even in times of lack
 And the Lord will filled it again, and again
 We don’t just go through life, we shall grow through life.
 Are you willing to walk the extra mile? Jesus did so much for us. He wants to remove the false security so that he can become our real security. The false God for the real God.

7. This is the season of Great blessing and break through
But first, we must response in faith and not fear.
 1 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. 2 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God. (Romans 12:1-2)
 You cannot say you have been swimming when you are not even wet! Or go to a football match and jus sit still!
 Joshua 24:15 But if serving the LORD seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your forefathers served beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD."
 2 idols in our lives - Personal fulfillment & avoiding hurt/or self preservation; it can develop into such an obsession that we are living for happiness more than living for God! Repent!