Divine Provision Divine Restoration
Notes
Transcript
Introduction
Introduction
We are taking our text for this sermon from the book of 1 Kings 17:1-6. But before we begin this sermon let us pray and commit this teaching to the Lord
<PRAYER>
The book of 1 Kings 17:1-6 reads:
1 And Elijah the Tishbite, of the inhabitants of Gilead, said to Ahab, “As the Lord God of Israel lives, before whom I stand, there shall not be dew nor rain these years, except at my word.”
2 Then the word of the Lord came to him, saying,
3 “Get away from here and turn eastward, and hide by the Brook Cherith, which flows into the Jordan.
4 And it will be that you shall drink from the brook, and I have commanded the ravens to feed you there.”
5 So he went and did according to the word of the Lord, for he went and stayed by the Brook Cherith, which flows into the Jordan.
6 The ravens brought him bread and meat in the morning, and bread and meat in the evening; and he drank from the brook.
This text intrigued me when I was studying it for this sermon.
There were may twist and turns leading me to deeper revelation of God. But most importantly it is the promise it holds that I found most powerful
Is there anyone having worries about how they would get by the following day
Is there anyone worried about the future and what it holds in their life, marriage, workplace, school
Is there anyone worried about
how to provide for their family and children
bills
mortgage or rent
Then this message is for you
It is a message of provision in a time of nothing, and restoration after a period of emptiness
It is a message to give you hope and encourage you to remain in the presence of God
Context – Setting the Scene
Context – Setting the Scene
The Scripture introduces Elijah saying to Ahab in 1 Kings 17:1 that suffering and hardship is about to come:
1 And Elijah the Tishbite, of the inhabitants of Gilead, said to Ahab, “As the Lord God of Israel lives, before whom I stand, there shall not be dew nor rain these years, except at my word.”
This proclamation introduces a period of hardship and suffering for the children of God, Israel. One might ask why!
Isreal had fallen into great depravity under the leadership of Ahad, son of Omri according to 1 Kings 16: 29-31
29 In the thirty-eighth year of Asa king of Judah, Ahab the son of Omri became king over Israel; and Ahab the son of Omri reigned over Israel in Samaria twenty-two years.
30 Now Ahab the son of Omri did evil in the sight of the Lord, more than all who were before him.
31 And it came to pass, as though it had been a trivial thing for him to walk in the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, that he took as wife Jezebel the daughter of Ethbaal, king of the Sidonians; and he went and served Baal and worshiped him.
According to the text, the level of depravity was normalised and considered trivial i.e. of little value or importance, and insignificant for 22 years - 1 Kings 16:31–33 (ELABORATE)
31 And it came to pass, as though it had been a trivial thing for him to walk in the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, that he took as wife Jezebel the daughter of Ethbaal, king of the Sidonians; and he went and served Baal and worshiped him.
32 Then he set up an altar for Baal in the temple of Baal, which he had built in Samaria.
33 And Ahab made a wooden image. Ahab did more to provoke the Lord God of Israel to anger than all the kings of Israel who were before him.
Hardship and suffering are often brought about by bad or poor leadership or bad decisions being made by leaders or personal individuals
This could be in the government, workplace, church, schools and homes (ELABORATE)
The Introduction of Idol Worship
The Introduction of Idol Worship
This level of depravity in Israel was brought about by the alliance of Israel and Sidon through marriage – the marriage of Ahab to Jezebel daughter of Ethbaal, king of the Sidonians
Marriage in ancient times was not about love or affection but a consolidation of wealth and power
Kings married daughters of other kings for political reasons, amassing wealth, fostering peace, and building powerful armies
It was an assurance that both kingdoms will never go to war against each other and will pool their resources together to become more powerful
These alliances involved co-opting their culture and practices and as in the case of Ahab, a condition of the marriage to Jezebel ensured that Baal worship was introduced into and normalised within the kingdom of Israel
Sidon and Baal
Sidon and Baal
Sidonians (people of Sidon) had a reputation of idol worship of which their god was Baal
Baal was a pagan god of storms and fertility and was associated with powerful forces
The worship of these pagan deities involved self-mutilation, ritual prostitution, and infant sacrifice
Despite these despicable practices, the Israelite themselves adopted Baal worship which led to God’s punishment
As a result of this transgression by Israel, God punishes them by shutting the heavens and preventing dew or rain for three years thus resulting in a famine
Punishment and God’s Grace in Transgression
Punishment and God’s Grace in Transgression
If you have an adult child who is capable of working and make a good living for him/her self but this child decides not to do so but leaves under your provision and steals from you for a year or two years, what would you do?
What kind of punishment does this child deserve?
God decides to punish His children for only 3 years
This punishment is only a fraction of the crime committed by the children of God
Thus it signifies the graciousness of God by not exacting an equivalent proportionate punishment for our transgression and shortcomings
It is on this backdrop that the message of Divine Provision, Divine Restoration is so important
Exhortation
Exhortation
I have good news for you
Our God is a gracious God who looks beyond our shortcomings and faults to give us a chance for restoration – he will be your supply in the time of need
Because according to the book of Joel 2:25 (NKJV)
25 “So I will restore to you the years that the swarming locust has eaten, The crawling locust, The consuming locust, And the chewing locust, My great army which I sent among you.
So I declare to you today:
You will not lack when there is scarcity
You will be full when there is emptiness
You will be joyous when there is sadness
You will be watered when there is thirst
You will be fed when there is hunger
When the bills are high, you will have sufficient to pay
In this month of divine supply, you will celebrate the abundance of our Lord God in Jesus' name
Your cup will not run dry, there will be an overflow in Jesus' name
Prophetic Declaration – Divine Supply
Prophetic Declaration – Divine Supply
[Somebody say Divine Supply x 3] - What do we mean by divine supply?
According to the English dictionary supply means
To furnish or provide (a person, establishment, place, etc.) with what is lacking or requisite.
Divine (supernatural) supply is:
The provision or supply whose source or origin is beyond human or earthly sources
Provision or supply that is beyond the scope of human labour, wisdom, expertise or knowledge
Provision or supply that is inexhaustible, limitless, never-ending
Bus van and Nosa faith
Jesus in the book of Matthew states Matthew 6:26–32 (NKJV)
Read the text first then state - Mark that word More Value - “The quality that renders something desirable, valuable or useful”
26 Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?
27 Which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature?
28 “So why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin;
29 and yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.
30 Now if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?
31 “Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’
32 For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things.
Today I declare, if you believe, there will be divine supply for somebody because you are of great value to your heavenly Father
Say to yourself:
I am of great value to God, so I will not lack
I am of great value to God, and I will not want
I am of great value to God, I will not beg
I am of great value to God, My cup shall run over
I am of great value to God, My joy will overflow
I am of great value to God, My happiness will be restored
Going back to our text, according to 1 Kings 17:4 (NKJV) and 1 Kings 17:6 (NKJV) the provision of sustenance for Elisha was a divine act of God omnipotence (the quality of having unlimited or very great power)
4 And it will be that you shall drink from the brook, and I have commanded the ravens to feed you there.”
6 The ravens brought him bread and meat in the morning, and bread and meat in the evening; and he drank from the brook.
Let us dig deeper and examine this text
I want us to pay attention to two particular words here:
Command
Ravens
Command
Command
To command is to call to a task, and the use of this word is very interesting in this context
While exploring the texts we notice that God commanded the Ravens to provide food for Elisha. However, the second use of the word command in 1 Kings 17:8–9 (NKJV) is even more intriguing:
8 Then the word of the Lord came to him, saying,
9 “Arise, go to Zarephath, which belongs to Sidon, and dwell there. See, I have commanded a widow there to provide for you.”
The Ravens
The Ravens
A black bird which was forbidden among the Israelite as food (Lev 11:15; Deut 14:14) - Leviticus 11:13–15 (NKJV)
13 ‘And these you shall regard as an abomination among the birds; they shall not be eaten, they are an abomination: the eagle, the vulture, the buzzard,
14 the kite, and the falcon after its kind;
15 every raven after its kind,
The idea of such unclean and voracious birds being employed to feed the prophet was considered to be an abomination by the Israelite
These birds are notorious for neglecting their own young, and stealing from other birds and are considered in English mythology to be associated with loss and bad omen
However, God directed the ravens, birds that normally neglect their own young, to feed the Prophet Elijah
The theme of this whole narrative is that God has control over all aspects of nature and his creation. He will use anything or anybody to fulfil His divine purpose
Prophetic Declaration – Command, God will Cause …
Prophetic Declaration – Command, God will Cause …
Say to yourself, my God will cause a new thing in my life (x3)
The widow of Zarephath
Following the scripture carefully and thoughtfully, this text perfectly depicts the divine providence of God
We see in 1 Kings 17:8–12 (NKJV)
8 Then the word of the Lord came to him, saying,
9 “Arise, go to Zarephath, which belongs to Sidon, and dwell there. See, I have commanded a widow there to provide for you.”
10 So he arose and went to Zarephath. And when he came to the gate of the city, indeed a widow was there gathering sticks. And he called to her and said, “Please bring me a little water in a cup, that I may drink.”
11 And as she was going to get it, he called to her and said, “Please bring me a morsel of bread in your hand.”
12 So she said, “As the Lord your God lives, I do not have bread, only a handful of flour in a bin, and a little oil in a jar; and see, I am gathering a couple of sticks that I may go in and prepare it for myself and my son, that we may eat it, and die.”
Have you ever wondered; if God commanded (in essence, told explicitly) the widow to provide, why did she hesitate and challenge the request of Elijah?
In this context God command is basically setting in motion a series of events which causes a cause
For every effect, there is a cause that caused the cause leading to the effect of the cause
This is the mystery of God according to Isaiah 55:8–12 (NKJV)
8 “For My thoughts are not your thoughts, Nor are your ways My ways,” says the Lord.
9 “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, So are My ways higher than your ways, And My thoughts than your thoughts.
10 “For as the rain comes down, and the snow from heaven, And do not return there, But water the earth, And make it bring forth and bud, That it may give seed to the sower And bread to the eater,
11 So shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth; It shall not return to Me void, But it shall accomplish what I please, And it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it.
12 “For you shall go out with joy, And be led out with peace; The mountains and the hills Shall break forth into singing before you, And all the trees of the field shall clap their hands.
In essence, God caused an unlimited supply of provision from the widow, without the widow knowing beforehand that there is an unlimited supply of provision coming her way
God said, “...I have commanded the widow to provide for you...”, the widow said, “...I don’t have enough to feed myself and my household, let alone feed you...”
Elijah said, “…please bring me some bread...”, the widow said, “…leave me alone, I don’t have enough to feed you...”
Elijah said, “…please bring me some bread...”, the widow said, “…the end has come, I gather for my last meal with my son so we can eat and die...”
The widow of Zarephath had lost hope, she had given up, she had surrendered
who here has given up today
who here has lost hope today
who here has surrendered today
I want to declare to you as according to 1 Kings 17:13–14
13 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.
14 For thus says the Lord God of Israel: ‘The bin of flour shall not be used up, nor shall the jar of oil run dry, until the day the Lord sends rain on the earth.’ ”
God has commanded the and every situation to work in your favour. So …
Do not fear but make the move
Do not lose hope but believe
Do not surrender but make that next move
because your bin of flour shall not be use up nor shall the jar of oil run dry
Prophetic Declaration - Divine Restoration
Prophetic Declaration - Divine Restoration
Divine provision leads to divine restoration
God promises restoration to our lives as the book Zechariah 9:11–12 (NKJV) states
11 “As for you also, Because of the blood of your covenant, I will set your prisoners free from the waterless pit.
12 Return to the stronghold, You prisoners of hope. Even today I declare That I will restore double to you.
God promise of restoration is universal
This means it is complete and touches all aspects of our lives
Restoration is not just in financial terms but in spiritual and relational terms
Restoration of God brings us closer to God to know Him more
Restoration of God makes us more respectful of, connected to, and in-tune with the power of God
I asked this question last Sunday:
By the prophecy of Zechariah, why will God restore double to us (you)?
Answer - By the blood of your covenant
Zechariah points us to Jesus as the blood of our covenant which was declared in Matthew Matthew 26:28 and Luke 22:20
28 For this is My blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.
20 Likewise He also took the cup after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in My blood, which is shed for you.
Let me shock you - our restoration has already been set in motion for us
And it is …
Not by our good deeds
Not by our coming to church
Not by our righteousness
Not by our kindness to others
Not by our love we show to others
Not by our modesty - what we wear or dont wear
Let me prove it to you in one statement with evidence of the Old and New Testament:
Because of the blood of your covenant (Zechariah 9:11), which is the blood of Jesus (Matthew 26:28), the blood of the new covenant (Luke 22:20), shed for many (Matthew 26:28, John 19:17–18) to set prisoners free from the eternal damnation through sin (Zechariah 9:11, Matthew 26:28), God will restore double to you ( Zechariah 9:12) because, God’s word, when it goes forth from His mouth shall not return to Him void, but shall accomplish what He declares and will prosper in the thing for which He sent it (Isaiah 55:8–12).
So if God has said in:
11 “As for you also, Because of the blood of your covenant, I will set your prisoners free from the waterless pit.
28 For this is My blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.
20 Likewise He also took the cup after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in My blood, which is shed for you.
28 For this is My blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.
17 And He, bearing His cross, went out to a place called the Place of a Skull, which is called in Hebrew, Golgotha,
18 where they crucified Him, and two others with Him, one on either side, and Jesus in the center.
11 “As for you also, Because of the blood of your covenant, I will set your prisoners free from the waterless pit.
28 For this is My blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.
12 Return to the stronghold, You prisoners of hope. Even today I declare That I will restore double to you.
8 “For My thoughts are not your thoughts, Nor are your ways My ways,” says the Lord.
9 “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, So are My ways higher than your ways, And My thoughts than your thoughts.
10 “For as the rain comes down, and the snow from heaven, And do not return there, But water the earth, And make it bring forth and bud, That it may give seed to the sower And bread to the eater,
11 So shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth; It shall not return to Me void, But it shall accomplish what I please, And it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it.
12 “For you shall go out with joy, And be led out with peace; The mountains and the hills Shall break forth into singing before you, And all the trees of the field shall clap their hands.
It is time to SURRENDER
There are many who are yet to experience God in a personal way
But by His divine provision and restoration God will prove himself to you so that if today you did not know he was God you will know He is God just as the widow of Zarephath said:
24 Then the woman said to Elijah, “Now by this I know that you are a man of God, and that the word of the Lord in your mouth is the truth.”
It is time to ASK
God want us to ask of Him because in John 14:13-14, John 15:16, John 16:23-24 Jesus states
13 And whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.
14 If you ask anything in My name, I will do it.
16 You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain, that whatever you ask the Father in My name He may give you.
23 “And in that day you will ask Me nothing. Most assuredly, I say to you, whatever you ask the Father in My name He will give you.
24 Until now you have asked nothing in My name. Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full.
Ask for health and your health will be restored
Ask for your marriage and your marriages will be restored
Ask for your family and your family will be restored
Ask for your business and your business will be restored
Ask for your children and your children will be restored
Ask for your parents and your father and mother will be restored
Ask for every aspect of your life and every aspect of your life and anything concerning your will be restored in Jesus name
REMAIN BLESSED