EMPTY VESSELS 1 Kings 17

 THE EMPTY VESSELS

                                            1 Kings 17:1-16

THE TEXT

1. And Elijah the Tishbite, who was of the sojourners of Gilead, said unto Ahab, As Jehovah, the God of Israel, liveth, before whom I stand, there shall not be dew nor rain these years, but according to my word.

2 And the word of Jehovah came unto him, saying,

3 Get thee hence, and turn thee eastward, and hide thyself by the brook Cherith, that is before the Jordan.

4 And it shall be, that thou shalt drink of the brook; and I have commanded the ravens to feed thee there.

5 So he went and did according unto the word of Jehovah; for he went and dwelt by the brook Cherith, that is before the Jordan.

6 And the ravens brought him bread and flesh in the morning, and bread and flesh in the evening; and he drank of the brook.

7 And it came to pass after a while, that the brook dried up, because there was no rain in the land.

8 And the word of Jehovah came unto him, saying,

9 Arise, get thee to Zarephath, which belongeth to Sidon, and dwell there: behold, I have commanded a widow there to sustain thee.

10 So he (Elijah) arose and went to Zarephath; and when he came to the gate of the city, behold, a widow was there gathering sticks: and he called to her, and said, Fetch me, I pray thee, a little water in a vessel, that I may drink.

11 And as she was going to fetch it, he called to her, and said, Bring me, I pray thee, a morsel of bread in thy hand.

12 And she said, As Jehovah thy God liveth, I have not a cake, but a handful of meal in the jar, and a little oil in the cruse: and, behold, I am gathering two sticks, that I may go in and dress it for me and my son, that we may eat it, and die.

13 And Elijah said unto her, Fear not; go and do as thou hast said; but make me thereof a little cake first, and bring it forth unto me, and afterward make for thee and for thy son.

14 For thus saith Jehovah, the God of Israel, The jar of meal shall not waste, neither shall the cruse of oil fail, until the day that Jehovah sendeth rain upon the earth.

15 And she went and did according to the saying of Elijah: and she, and he, and her house, did eat (many) days.

INTRODUCTION

Because of the evil of the King of Israel and his wife God stopped the rain

For several years, causing a drought in the land. Since there  is no rain there will be no crops for food. 

God sent the prophet to a widower in  Zarephath to provide for him. The 

Widower was down to her last drop of oil and meal. She had planned to make one last meal for her and son and die

She had run out of resources, with no one to help and no way to go. She

Accepted her lot and was prepared to starve to death. There was something special about the widower, for God to choose her to provide

For a stranger.  

According to the text God had prepared her heart. She was respectful.

She was generous. She was obedient. She was kind hearted.

1. NEVER DECIDE WHAT TOMORROW WILL BRING 

The widower decided that her tomorrow was death. She decided that

God had nothing left for her and her son to do. Maybe she decided that God had forgot about her and her son. God does not tell us, but

He tells she believed that tomorrow was her end.

The whole nation was suffering. She may have seen others die of starvation. What God has for you may not be connected to what is happening to others. This woman was chosen to escape the punishment of others.

She made it known to the prophet without knowing him that she believed in God. I believe she recognized that the prophet was a man of God (Verse 12). God knows how much we can take. The widower was at the end of her faith and needed a word from God.

A TEST OF CHARACTER 

Notice, God made one last test of her character before her blessing. Elijah as the woman upon meeting her to bring him water in a jar

So he could drink. She generous enough to return to her home to

Get water but look at the further test:

1 Kings 17:11-12

 And as she was going to fetch it, he called to her, and said, Bring me, I pray thee, a morsel of bread in thy hand. 

12 And she said, As Jehovah thy God liveth, I have not a cake, but a handful of meal in the jar, and a little oil in the cruse: and, behold, I am gathering two sticks, that I may go in and dress it for me and my son, that we may eat it, and die.

The widower, the mother revealed her situation, her plan and her lost hope. Her blessing was realized when she put the needs of the

Man of God before her family. 

Second, even though she couldn’t see it, and may not have understood it, she believed the word of God from the prophet.

1 Kings 17:13-15

13 And Elijah said unto her, Fear not; go and do as thou hast said; but make me thereof a little cake first, and bring it forth unto me, and afterward make for thee and for thy son.

14 For thus saith Jehovah, the God of Israel, The jar of meal shall not waste, neither shall the cruse of oil fail, until the day that Jehovah sendeth rain upon the earth.

FAITH AND WORKS BRINGS SUCCESS

1 Kings 17:15-17

 And she went and did according to the saying of Elijah: and she, and he, and her house, did eat (many) days.

16 The jar of meal wasted not, neither did the cruse of oil fail, according to the word of Jehovah, which he spake by Elijah.

God does not tell us why the widower, the mother believed the Word from Elijah or why she responded in faith. He does tell us that the promises of God are true.  

 

LESSONS FROM THE WIDOWER

    1. NEVER GIVE UP, YOU NEVER KNOW WHAT GOD HAS IN STORE    

        FOR YOU

2. DON’T DETERMINE THE END WHEN YOU DON’T KNOW THE THE BEGINNING

         The widower didn’t know what the reason for the drought was. It was  

          the sins of the King and his wife and the sins of the nation. The 

          drought was a punishment for the guilty parties.

         Just because everyone is suffering, does not mean God wants you to 

         Suffer. From the conversation with Elijah, you can see that her 

         character was one of obedience, love, generous and selfishness. 

         She believed in God, It was her faith that was lacking. 

         Perhaps God sent Elijah to the widower to draw her closer to Him

         Grow her faith.

3. BE GRATEFUL FOR WHAT YOU HAVE

          The situation was not as bad as it seemed to be to her. She had   

           oil  and meal for one more meal. Even though there was a  

           drought,  she had water to spare. God promised our daily bread.

           We have no evidence of her thanking God for oil and meal she had.

     4. BE KIND TO STRANGERS                                                                        

         You never know when you are entertaining  an angel.                          

         While the Widower were worried about tomorrow,                                   

         God had planned  her future. She was generous to Elijah even 

         Though she had her son to take care of.

     5. A little given to God is a lot in His hands

        The prophet ask for water and a cake of bread.                                         

         It was   multiplied with oil and bread for a season.

     6. OBEDIENCE IS REWARDED WITH SUCCESS

          Difficult situations are a test of character and faith.

          Elijah first ask for water, which she willingly return to her  

          Home.  But when he asked her to cook bread she gave him

          The excuse that she had only enough for her and her son

How could Elijah ask for the last the woman had for her and  her son?  He had the promise of the Lord. He trusted God’s word.

1 Kings 17:9

Arise, get thee to Zarephath, which belongeth to Sidon, and dwell there: behold, I have commanded a widow there to sustain thee. 

    The word of God is true. There should never be any doubt.                           

     The mother had given up hope. Either she didn’t pray or she didn’t

     Believe her prayers would be answered.  She accepted her fate.

     There is no evidence that she complained to God.

    7. The test of her faith was to trust the word that God would

        Provide meal and oil until He provided  rain in the land.                         

        God expects to be first in our life. If God is first, everything 

         we need will be provided.  We always have a choice. The widower

         Chose to believe the prophet.

1 Kings 17:14

14 For thus saith Jehovah, the God of Israel, The jar of meal shall not waste, neither shall the cruse of oil fail, until the day that Jehovah sendeth rain upon the earth.

   

    8. Hope in the Lord is never disappointed.

    9. God steps in when the world lets you down.

    10. It better to give than receive.

2 Cor 8:7

7 But as ye abound in everything, (in) faith, and utterance, and knowledge, and (in) all earnestness, and (in) your love to us, (see) that ye abound in this grace(of giving) also.

The character of the widower was evidence that she was pleasing to God.  His favor abounded in her generosity.

Her act of generosity was rewarded with food for her, her son 

And Elijah. A little given to God is a lot in His hands.

    

TWO KEY POINTS 

WE ARE EMPTY VESSELS WAITING TO BE FILLED BY THE LORD

THE FILLING OF THE LORD REQUIRES OBEDIENCE, DEVOTION AND ACTION

 

 

Family The Apple Of God's Eye Genesis 1:26-27

 FAMILY, THE APPLE OF GOD’S CREATION 

GENESIS   1:26-27

26Then God said, “Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so 

that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals, a and over all the creatures that move along the ground.”

27So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.

There are four points  I want to highlight in this lesson

1. Family was created out of God’s Love

2. Family was created to do God’s work

3. God’s design for Family is Mother and Father working together

4. Family was created to imitate God on earth

FAMILY WAS CREATED IN GOD’S LOVE

We celebrate Mother’s Day and we celebrate Father’s day each year. Being a mother or a father is more than DNA. A woman contributes an egg and a 

Man contributes a sperm and that results in a baby. But that does not make

Family.  It takes love to make a family

GOD’S DESIGN FOR FAMILY

In todays environment it is common for men to marry men and women to

Marry women and then decide that they want a child to make a family. That is a way, but it is not God’s way. 

Today it is common  for a baby to be born and abandoned at the hospital, fire station or left on the side of the road. DNA produced a baby but not a family. It takes sacrificial  love to produce a family.

God made man and woman to look like and imitate Him. To produce a family requires responsibility. It is the responsibility to live a life for Christ.

You and I have to live a life for Christ so those around us know the foundation for family.

Women are the coequal connection with God in producing family. Family did not begin until God gave Eve to Adam as his wife(Gen 2:24). She became the mother of the human race. Noah’s wife, Naamah became the mother of mankind after the flood. Sarah, Abraham’s wife, became the mother of the nation of Israel, the family line of Christ. Mary was the vessel God used to  become the mother of Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  Mary is the earthly mother of salvation. We are all part of God’s family.

Family is God’s premier institution. When family is not first, personal desires and selfishness take charge. My opinion is this, when there is no respect for God there will be no lasting respect for family, and eventually there will be no respect for self. Family can easily become a possession; my wife, my husband, my children. Can you see the degradation from God’s family?

It is good to review how we got to the point where man’s view of family has encapsulated the world’s view. It all started in the Garden of Eden. It began under God’s guidance in love, joy, peace and obedience.  Adam and Eve took their focus off God and listened to the wrong voice. He gave them one command, don’t eat from the tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil.  God gave them the consequence for disobedience. The day you do you will die.

1st Mistake 

TAKING GOD’S WORD FOR GRANTED

We have no idea how many times Adam and Eve passed by and looked

At that tree. How many times did they question in their minds why God

Gave them that command about that tree. Was there a desire growing

In them to eat from that tree? They had many trees, why this tree? God does not tell us, but maybe Adam and Eve questioned God's authority.

2nd Mistake

THEY LISTENED TO THE WRONG VOICE.

God does not tell us, but I suggest Satan was a small increasing voice in

Adam and Eve’s mind before he showed up as a beast in the garden.

Satan showed up and immediately challenged God’s Word. He did it in

Three steps

      LUST OF THE EYE    It was good to look at       Genesis 3:6

      LUST OF THE FLESH    It was good to eat     Genesis 3:6b

     

     PRIDE OF LIFE               It would make you like God     Genesis 3:6c

1 John 2:16-17

16 For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life, is not from the Father, but is from the world. 

Once Satan has your interest, he can go to work on the desires of the heart.

Satan called God a liar. You surely will not die. Anything that goes against God’s command is the lie.

3rd Mistake

THEY YIELDED TO THE TEMPTATION    Genesis 3:6d

They had the Word God. They knew right from wrong. They refused to stop, Pray, and ask God for advice. They followed the evil in their hearts Thus SIN AND VIOLENCE entered God’s perfectly made mankind.  The Hebrew word for sin is chatta’ah  which means an offence against God. Adam and Eve

Disrespected the God that made them. They offended the one who loved them.

FAMILY CREATED TO DO GOD’S WORK

What can we do to prevent committing an offense against God?

Psalm 119:15-17

15 I will meditate on thy precepts, and have respect unto thy ways.

16 I will delight myself in thy statutes: I will not forget thy word.

17 Deal bountifully with thy servant, that I may live; so will I observe thy word.

We are not born with respect, it has to be learned.  We need a guide to God’s righteousness. Life is a journey into unknown territory. Each day can

Brings  problems you have never seen. Every family is different and every family needs to be guided in the way God wants them to go.

Today we have GPS in our cars and on our cell phones that guide us to a destination.  However there are times when the GPS will lead us to the wrong place. It is not always accurate because the information is not in the system. The GPS may have several ways to get to a location and some will take you out of the normal way. When you get off God’s way, you can get distracted.

When we sin we lose favor with God.  Adam and Eve were kicked out of the Garden of Eden and had to start over again in a life of hardships. Their sons were born in pain and one murdered the other.  

Adam and Eve learned respect for God the hard way. They returned to the

Love of God.

Genesis 4:25

25 And Adam knew his wife again; and she bare a son, and called his name Seth. For, (said she), God hath appointed me another seed instead of Abel; for Cain slew him.

One of the works of God is forgiveness. God provides forgiveness, we must

Forgive ourselves also.

THE HOLY SPIRIT IS THE FAMILY GUIDE

All believers in Jesus Christ has one true guide that is never lost and always guides us in the right way.  That guide is the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit was sent by the Father and Jesus to you.  We cannot do family correctly without God’s guidance. 

John 16:13

13 Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he shall guide you into all the truth: for he shall not speak from himself; but what things soever he shall hear, (these) shall he speak: and he shall declare unto you the things that are to come.

The Bible contains all the truths about family, Life, love and respect that you and I need. But we have be guided through the Bible by the Holy Spirit. God didn’t tell us everything at once. He left some for us to learn. The Bible is so comprehensive that our finite minds can only handle  a small portion at one time.

John 16:12

 I (Jesus) have yet many things to say unto you, but ye cannot bear them now. 

The Holy Spirit will guide us to information we need when we need it.

The world is full of information. We are bombarded with tons of information

Each day. Sometimes it is difficult to determine what is true and what is  an outright lie. The Holy Spirit was given to guide us to the truth, the information that matters.

The true guide, the Holy spirit knows where we are going and He knows us,

Who He is guiding. The Holy Spirit know our innermost thoughts and our

Unspoken needs and the needs we don’t even know.

GOD’S DESIGN FOR FAMILY

Why is family so important? It is important because it is God’s creation. Family is Important to God.  You are important  to God

Eph 3:14-17

For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father, 15 from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named, 

16 that he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, that ye may be strengthened with power through his Spirit in the inward man; 

17 that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; to the end that ye, being rooted and grounded in love,

The foundation of family is in the GodHead, the Holy Trinity, the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. Family is grounded in love. 

Ephesian gives us key elements of God’s family

1. It named in Heaven

2. It worships the Father

3. It is rich in God’s glory

4. It is strengthened by  the power of the Holy Spirit

5. It is the dwelling of Christ

6. It is rooted in faith of the Word

7. It is grounded in love

FAMILY DESIGNED TO IMITATE GOD

MAKE SURE YOUR ROLE MODEL JESUS FOR YOUR FAMILY

The family of the world is not the family of God. However, every family can

Be God’s family if they choose to love Jesus.  Being in God’s family is a choice that parents need to make before they have children. Adam and Eve is an example of what happens when obedience to God’s Word is secondary to family. 

Today the world is full of violence. Any violence is a sin against family. It all started in the Garden of Eden with the first family. The world has become

More and more violent throughout generations. There are wars all around

The world. Wars divide and destroy families. Wars are the selfish desires to  eliminate families that hold different views. 

Hos 4:1-2

4 1 Hear the word of the Lord, O people of Israel! The Lord has brought charges against you, saying: "There is no faithfulness, no kindness,

no knowledge of God in your land. 2 You make vows and break them;

you kill and steal and commit adultery. There is violence everywhere—

one murder after another (written 700 years after the law was given)

How do we raise families that know God and hate violence? We are

Parents, grandparents and some great grandparents. We are key

influencers in the lives of those around us. If we don’t train and influence our families, the world will.  

My wife and I have three grandchildren in the city. We have been around them from the day they were born. Baby sitting is our joy. When they are in our midst we take time to read and teach the Word of God to them. We take

The job of training them in the application of the word seriously. We trained our children to know God and it is their job to train our grandchildren. But we don’t miss a beat to train and role model christian living before them.

WHY?  Because they are our grandchildren. But more important than that, they are God’s children.

We cannot do this job of parenting on our own. We need the guidance and direction of the Father through the indwelling of the Holy Spirit

I want to direct your attention to passages of scripture that give us insight to family development.

1. OBEDIENCE 

1 John 2:3-7

3 And hereby we know that we know him, if we keep his commandments.

4 He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him;

5 but whoso keepeth his word, in him verily hath the love of God been perfected. Hereby we know that we are in him:

6 he that saith he abideth in him ought himself also to walk even as he walked.

1. OBEDIENCE PROVES OUR SALVATION

2. OBEDIENCE TRANSFORMS OUR LIVES

3. OBEDIENCE RESULTS FROM OUR LOVE FOR GOD

4. OBEDIENCE GUIDES OUR WALK WITH CHRIST

2.   BENEFITS OF BEING IN THE FAMILY OF GOD

Ephesians 2:18-22

18 for through him(Jesus)  we both have our access in one Spirit unto the Father.

19 So then ye are no more strangers and sojourners, but ye are fellow-citizens with the saints, and of the household of God,

20 being built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the chief corner stone; 

21 in whom each several building, fitly framed together, groweth into a holy temple in the Lord; 22 in whom ye also are builded together for a habitation of God in the Spirit.

1. We Have Access To The Father

2. We Are Fellow Citizens With The Saints

3. We Are In The Household Of God

4. We Have The Unchanging Word As Our Guide.

5. Jesus Is The Foundation Of Our Family

6. We Are Part Of A Bigger Building, The Family Of God

7. We Are The Temple Of God

8. Our Earthly Temple Is The Habitation Of The Holy Spirit

This scripture defines us but it also outlines our responsibility. Everyone in the Family of God must strive to live to His expectations.

1. Our Family must resemble the Father

2. Family should be committed to the work of a Relationship with the Father

3. Family has the purpose that reflect the family name

4. Family is about the work of the Father

5. Family  must stay in communion with God

6. Families have to study the Word to Know the Word

7. The Holy Spirit was given to help us apply the Word in our lives

We must understand that world has redefined family that is degrading to 

Image of God. It is the job of every believer to promote family values to everyone God puts in our midst and live a life that imitates Christ.