Elijah said to her, Dont be afraid. Perfect move of God: . The premise is always that a small change in the past could have enormous repercussions in the future. Methodist, Gods promises made the difference for Elijah & the widow of Zarephath. . 17:7-17, 22-24 This will require both sacrifice and faith. Study Deuteronomy chapter 8, and Hebrews 12:3-11, and see also the answer to your questionings in the incident before us. He puts this demand in the context of a miraculous promise from God: 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.. Her planwithout God's miraculous intervention, which she must have hoped forshe and her son will starve to death. Sermons about The Widow From Zarephath - SermonCentral.com [3] Elijah and the widows son (v. 17-24). Tired and thirsty from his journey, he asks her for a drink of water. The same for Elijah. But dont miss v. 24. Thanks for visiting! Its easy to mistake scared for selfishness. Can you imagine? Hospitality can be spontaneous and simple (10-12). var sc_project=2352896; God's work, done in God's way, will never lack God's supply. 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. (1 Kings 17:10-12). 1Kings 17:1-24 Your small increase of faith, your small step in becoming more Christ-like in your daily walk, youre speaking up for something important to you. Far too often we cry out to the Lord to deliver us out of the test that He intends to walk us through it. Jesus said the kingdom of God is like the tiniest of seedsthe mustard seed. 1 Kings 17:8-9. Today the people of God are called to see the needs around us and respond with faithful generosity. Ingredient #1 Gods guidance includes your purification, A. Wont say much about this we just talked about how God uses Divinely Designed Difficulties to cut us down to size to deepen our faith . And if there is a chance you mine as well try. Widow of Zarephath. And you know what? We know that it lasted for 3.5 years because of two accounts in NT: (verses 15-16). God even provided the food. You cant outgive God, although its fun to try! When did we do all these things? And Jesus will reply: I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me (Matthew 25:40). But I believe another reason is that God wants to show us that hospitality doesnt have to be rich or fancy. All he knew was that God was sending him to Zarephath, B. One-step-at-a-time guidance can be challenging, 1. You wont always understand Gods ways. We must surrender all to gain Jesus! I wonder what that have must have been like for Elijah. The Widow of Zarephath. The periods in Elijah's life follow a definite instruction from the Lord. Yes, there are times you will want to plan ahead, clean the house for company, pull out the fine china and make things extra special for your guests. God didn't send Elijah to a 5 star hotel with a huge entourage / team of people. God convicted me and told me that no matter how bad my situation was I could still go to my water faucet and drink water and not worry about dying. Lids represent the limits of what we think God can and cannot do. Without further delay here's the Zarephath Widow: Then the word of the Lord came to him, saying, "Arise, go to Zarephath, which belongs to Sidon, and stay there. Elijah and the Widow at Zarephath - Some time later the brook dried up because there had been no rain in the land. By the time he arrives, he is parched and famished. And then, the boy suddenly died (v. 17)! That place where the flames are hot . At the city gates, he meets a widow gathering sticks for a cookfire. She looks at her child. And then, the boy suddenly died (v. 17)! He has the audacity to ask for food from a dying widow and child. This perhaps is one of my favorite verses of this story. I suspect he spent a lot of time instructing then in the things of the Lord. It may not be in the way that you hope or expect. When he came to the town gate, a widow was there gathering sticks. Often times they would die from the polluted water. But there are others of us who struggle with hospitality. THE WIDOW 'S UNRELIEVED DISTRESS. God sends Elijah to a poor widow deep in the heart of enemy territory to take care of his needs. A. Watch my video below for my struggles and how I got through it. 3Now wash and anoint yourself, and God was basically saying to the widow, that until the famine stops I will keep on providing for you supernaturally. We rarely know the reasons why things happen, and we just need to trust God in the midst of our trials. We can depend on God. The answer to prayer one. 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. read more, Denomination: As she goes to get the water, he also asks her for a piece of bread. Yet, God in his grace has promised to reward your hospitality. Not because I take enjoyment of a widow starving BUT because it was such an honest moment. Sometimes he says no, and we dont understand why. Denomination: you provide for us . Because I was in need, I knew what it was like for other people to be in need. The right place may not always be a bright, great or a place of profit but its sure the best place from where God She had been rationing, using just a little every day. His mom went to the jar again and there was more in there. Elijah was divinely led, a step at a time - Psalm 37:23. Her one handful of flour and oil lasted until the drought was over! But first make a small loaf of bread for me from what you have and bring it to me, and then make something for yourself and your son. She had an empty barrel but God always ensured that there was enough in the bottom for every meal for those years. Similar to the widow. The widows worries It was a dangerous tripover 100 miles, across a desert, during a time of drought, directly into enemy territory (there even was a bounty on his head; 1 Kings 18:10)! When Elijah arrived, he met a thread-bare widow who was gathering a few sticks to build a fire to cook a final meal for herself and her sonand then they would die of starvation! read more, Scripture: If that is your plight today, you may be wondering, , He is closer than you think. Lets see what we can learn by observing how God dealt with his prophet Elijah (1 Kings 17:8-24). A couple of other things made this trip particularly distasteful: Zarephath was in wicked Queen Jezebels home country, the source of idolatrous Baal worshipwhich involved even child sacrifice (essentially infanticide for religious purposes)! She went from dying to having a life. We have no food what will I do. So thats our first caution that comes with this principle that hospitality yields unexpected blessings. Many rich people threw in large amounts. Lutheran. We dont deserve Gods blessings, yet God in his grace has promised to reward your hospitality. If the widow had not provided hospitality for Elijah, Elijah would not have been there to pray for her son. A young woman was attending Wellesley College in Maine, a school that is steeped in the feminist movement and agenda. Let me ask, how do you handle it when youre running on empty? What Are Healthy Boundaries? Another prayer answered. var sc_invisible=1; I would pray that wed respond to the needs around us and be sources of hope and strength. We closed our time together last week with Elijah sitting beside a brook, waiting out the drought. It doesnt make any sense. . These are the four lessons you can learn from the widow of Zarephath the story is such a small section in the Bible, but it just goes to show how many lessons are PACKED into each and every verse and chapter. But first make a small loaf of bread for me from what you have and bring it to me, and then make something for yourself and your son. 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 sends rain on the land. 1 Kings 17: 13-14. With the looming economic meltdown, persons are tempted to not be faithful in their stewardship. . Independent/Bible. And this Gentile woman would have missed out on this amazing opportunity to learn about the God of Israel and his power and the power of his word. Our first principle this morning is that hospitality is God-directed and God-ordained. This is it. She shows how we can listen to God, even when you're not sure Who He is yet. Even if it is praying regularly for our church and the people in it, work on a committee. Congregational, God blesses those who put their faith to action. You cant share what you dont have, but you can share what you do have. Hospitality is God-directed and God-ordained. The widow at Zarephath pours a small bit of meal out of the jar and fashions a little cake from it. I DID. Elijah was a man who listened to Godand God listened to his prayers! But now he had to have the faith to ask someone else to believe it. Then, Elijah adds, Also, bring me a morsel of bread.. But before we get into I mentioned the widow of Zarapeth in my video specifically for single moms that you can watch below. My point is that while I was sitting around and complaining about the fact that I could not afford these two things. The bad news is that Im sending you to Zarephath right into the heart and soul of Baalism and idolatry. Today is the final in our stewardship series for the month of February. Use me. Though very little of his original text is in tact. Lessons At Zarephath Sermon by David Welch, 1 Kings 17 - SermonCentral This was not only unexpected; it was unprecedented! Concerning this gracious supply that the Lord made for Elijah and the woman, notice:-, 2023 Words of Life Ministries - an independent evangelical Registered Charitable Trust (no.269381) Cookie Policy | Privacy Policy Website by: TEKOA Creative. The Widow Of Zarephath Contributed by Kenneth Trent on Nov 23, 2002 (message contributor) based on 53 ratings (rate this sermon) | 29,658 views Scripture: 1 Kings 17:15-16 Denomination: Baptist Summary: Another wonderful example that our God is the "God of no shortages!" THE WIDOW OF ZAREPHATH In these moments, we are all tempted to pull out our victim cards, but the Widow did the very opposite. (verse 12). If you are new here, be sure to subscribe by email or feed reader so that you don't miss any future posts. 1 Kings 17, 1 Kings 17:1-24, 2 Kings 4:1-7, John 11:25, Lamentations 3:22-23, Luke 7:11-17, Mark 12:41-44, Matthew 6:33, Sermon Topics: Up until this point, God had called Elijah mostly to a ministry of solitude; now he is catapulted to public ministry. When it was time for Elijah to move on to his next assignment, the brook dried up. Going back to our story we can say that it just took simple obedience to God, God said it, Mrs oil did it, and then the miracle was done. How could I live with myself if I took food from a dying woman and child? 5. The Widow of Zarephath | Bible.org Grace and peace to all of you from God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit! Study 3 IN THE WIDOWS HOUSE AT ZAREPHATH, Study 9 THE HOME-GOING OF A SERVANT OF GOD. "And Elijah said to her, Do not fear; go and do as you have said, but make me a small cake from it first, and bring it to me; and afterward make some for yourself and your son." Faith was the key to Elijah's ministry. Allow the Spirit of God to express his supernatural life and love through you. IV. The Widow of Zarephath (7/6/2020) - Women of the Bible - Bible Gateway God likes a little. Elijah had just been in with wilderness where he learned that God provides in unexpected ways.
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