God Works with a Powerful Purpose

Introduction

Pray at the beginning of message

God Works with a Powerful Purpose

1 Kings 17:17–24 CSB

17 After this, the son of the woman who owned the house became ill. His illness got worse until he stopped breathing. 18 She said to Elijah, “Man of God, what do you have against me? Have you come to call attention to my iniquity so that my son is put to death?” 19 But Elijah said to her, “Give me your son.” So he took him from her arms, brought him up to the upstairs room where he was staying, and laid him on his own bed. 20 Then he cried out to the Lord and said, “Lord my God, have you also brought tragedy on the widow I am staying with by killing her son?” 21 Then he stretched himself out over the boy three times. He cried out to the Lord and said, “Lord my God, please let this boy’s life come into him again!” 22 So the Lord listened to Elijah, and the boy’s life came into him again, and he lived. 23 Then Elijah took the boy, brought him down from the upstairs room into the house, and gave him to his mother. Elijah said, “Look, your son is alive.” 24 Then the woman said to Elijah, “Now I know you are a man of God and the Lord’s word from your mouth is true.”

The purpose of miracles is to bring glory to God, not everything is about you.

Quickly retell the story

After this… after what

after he had announced the drought to the king

an evil king who had married a worshipper of Baal, the Canaanite god of the storm

these two built altars to Baal in Israel

Elijah went and lived by a stream and allowed the Lord to care for him by ravens bringing him food twice a day

traveled about 100 miles and met this widow, who was about to make the last meal that she could and expected to starve to death

but the Lord, through Elijah announced to her that the jar of flour and jug of oil would not empty until the rain began again

then Elijah, the widow and her household had food for “many days”

The child gets sick

we do not know how old he is, but young enough to hold in her arms

we assume he was not a long illness, as she never asked Elijah for help or prayer prior to him being dead

it comes across as something that happened quickly

the widow’s initial response it to blame

blame Elijah, maybe if he hadn’t been there

maybe if he wasn’t there, God would not see her sinfulness

God brings the boy back to life

Elijah lays on top of the boy three times, why?

no body knows, the text does not say

Elijah cries out, proclaims, prays passionately to the Lord

does not claim to understand why it has happened

he asks for the boys life to return to him

The lord listens to Elijah

wow! what a great thing to see, the Lord listens

Elijah brings the boy back to his mother

she believes not just that Elijah is a man of God, but trusts more in the Lord

The Persistence of Sin

I want to be careful how I speak of this

1 Kings 17:17–18 CSB

17 After this, the son of the woman who owned the house became ill. His illness got worse until he stopped breathing. 18 She said to Elijah, “Man of God, what do you have against me? Have you come to call attention to my iniquity so that my son is put to death?”

A teenager once wrote this letter to Ann Landers: “I am a 15 year old and my biggest problem is my mother. All she does is nag, nag, nag. From morning till night. It is, turn off the TV. Do your homework. Wash behind your neck. Stand up straight. Go clean your room. How can I get her off my case?” (signed) Pick, Pick, Pick. The response: “Dear Picky: Turn off the TV. Do your homework. Wash behind your neck. Stand up straight. Go clean up your room.”

We feel guilt for past sin for two reasons

first - we have an accuser that is busy day and night bringing accusations against us, God’s people

second - we are guilty

Pain and disfunction is a result of sin

it is heartbreaking and wrong that we are not allowing friends and loved ones in to see those in our nursing homes and hospitals

it was not the way that God designed this place, yet when we like to blame

because like Adam and Eve standing in the garden listening to a snake, Satan is always there to remind us of our sin and to tell us why God does not love us

God brings sin to mind to bring us to repentance, not to punish

repenting is turning from your sin, not simply acknowledging it

do not simply dismiss the bringing up of past sins as an attack of Satan

knowing that if it is God bringing it up, it is for your good, your sanctification

Romans 6:23 CSB

23 For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

2 Peter 3:9 CSB

9 The Lord does not delay his promise, as some understand delay, but is patient with you, not wanting any to perish but all to come to repentance.

1 John 1:9 CSB

9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

God’s natural response is grace and compassion, but because he is also just, sin must be punished

our natural response is to blame others, hide our sin and justify our behavior

because this is our natural reaction, we tend to expect it from God as well

Satan does not want you to know this truth

Satan’s desire is for you to never repent

Satan’s desire is for you to always feel guilt

God’s desire if freedom of sin, guilt and death

The widow went directly to past sins as a reason for her sons death,

revealing guilt that she still felt

Elijah, God didn’t even entertain he statement, just, “Give me your son.”

The Power of God

Miracle - a surprising and welcome event that is not explicable by natural or scientific laws and is therefore considered to be the work of a divine agency: the miracle of rising from the grave.

I believe that this is understood by most people

we would call this a miracle that happened

1 Kings 17:19–22 CSB

19 But Elijah said to her, “Give me your son.” So he took him from her arms, brought him up to the upstairs room where he was staying, and laid him on his own bed. 20 Then he cried out to the Lord and said, “Lord my God, have you also brought tragedy on the widow I am staying with by killing her son?” 21 Then he stretched himself out over the boy three times. He cried out to the Lord and said, “Lord my God, please let this boy’s life come into him again!” 22 So the Lord listened to Elijah, and the boy’s life came into him again, and he lived.

This is the first miracle of its kind

we are not surprised when we read of dead being raised in scripture

nobody is looking in shock or awe right now that we just read this

why? because we have heard the stories taught to us, read the scripture and heard of God doing amazing things

we have the past to look back to

Elijah had none of that, there had been no person raised from the dead, miracles, sure but this was another level

but Elijah himself had seen a couple miracles, fed by Ravens, jars never empty

Elijah believes that anything is possible with God

Luke 1:37 CSB

37 For nothing will be impossible with God.”

There are some that will tell you that if you believe enough, have enough faith that God will always heal, God will always give you a miracle

I personally do not believe that for a few reasons

I believe that it focuses on you and your faith, not on God

I do not believe that is what scripture teaches

I believe that it misses the point of the miracles

there is a balance that we must understand, and we cannot go too far one way or the other

will God always give a miracle… no

but there are many Christians who live their lives without believing in the true power of God

they live their lives without believing that God can and will perform miracles in their life

James wrote in his letter, “you have not, because you ask not...”

he went on to say that some ask for the wrong reasons, some ask without faith, doubting that God will actually do something

God chooses to save some, God chooses to take some

I am not trying to explain why sometimes he performs miracles and others he does not

I do not believe that we are to try and figure out when and where he will

I am trying to tell you that your faith is lacking if you do not believe that the God who created all things by the power of his word cannot do anything that he desires to do inside that creation

we serve, believe in a God that can do anything, “For nothing will be impossible with God!”

The Purpose of Miracles

Miracles are not performed to make us happy of comfortable

we misread scripture if we believe that miracles take place just to make us happy or that following Jesus will always leave us comfortable

I actually see in scripture that we will not fit into society, that wide is the road that leads to destruction, narrow is the path that leads to righteousness

that blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness sake

and we are foolish if we read that and think it means anywhere but the USA, it means in this world

1 Kings 17:23–24 CSB

23 Then Elijah took the boy, brought him down from the upstairs room into the house, and gave him to his mother. Elijah said, “Look, your son is alive.” 24 Then the woman said to Elijah, “Now I know you are a man of God and the Lord’s word from your mouth is true.”

The purpose of miracles is to reveal who God is

remember that there is a battle going on in Israel

a spiritual battle to show who the true God is

this battle is going on today

we are in a spiritual battle in our country

many people have believed in a man, a party a government as god and their faith is rocked

many believe that god is back in control because their man, party and the government is looking the way it does today

I believe that God has revealed to many people that they worship a government of their liking over a God that created them

the miracle will come when he makes a new heaven and a new earth and all of this will die away

The purpose of miracles is to bring glory to God

The widow’s faith has grown

now I know...

Yada - to know, the greek translation is ginosko, or in english, intimate knowledge

Elijah’s faith has grown

remember we started looking at Elijah leaving the king was to be trained

important for future battles

not in how to perform miracles, but to learn to trust in God and know that nothing is impossible with God