Sermon Tone Analysis
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Have you ever been called to do something that you just weren't sure how you could do it?
Have you ever felt the call of God to help someone but then looked at your wallet, bank account, or pantry and decided that you could not afford to help someone?
We are back in a cycle of struggle that comes and goes every 20 years or so in the American society.
Groceries and Gas are at all time highs and the anxiety it brings is at an all time high.
For the first time in a long time alot of us are wondering how we are going to afford groceries.
We dont know how we are going to afford to put gas in our vehicles to make it to work.
Some people are even worried that they may be cut at work.
What do you do with these feelings?
Last week Art delivered a message on Gods care for us and how we should deal with anxiety.
This week it is my goal through the scripture to show you how God is not limited to what you see or even the realms of what we consider possible.
Today we will be in 1 Kings 17.
In First Kings 17 we are going to find Elijah who has been living as God called him to next to a river that has now dried up.
God told Elijah to pack up and move.
Elijah does as the Lord calls him to do and he is introduced to the Widow of Zarephath.
It is in this moment that God calls the widow to do something she does not believe she can do.
Read with me 1 Kings 17:8-16
Today you will be presented with 3 facts of this scripture.
First you will see that the is The Challenge.
Second you will see that there is the Concern.
Lastly, you will see The Change.
The Challenge
1 Kings 17:8–11 (ESV)
Can you imagine being this woman?
Here you are just doing your best to survive.
Just to make it through and God’s prophet shows up.
His first request seems doable so you set off to do that but then the second request is something you cannot do.
You look at what you have and you know that it is not possible.
You cannot take care of yourself and also do what he is asking.
How do you respond?
What is your response?
What does the Bible say our response should be.
It is so important that we put the Christian life into perspective.
The Christian life is not a life of ease and of comfort.
The Christian life is not a separation from hell and entry into a comfortable life.
As a matter of fact the Christian life will cause you to live more hell on earth than any other life.
What do I mean by this?
If you are truly a Christian and someone who desires to Love God and Love others you will be faced with daily challenges.
Some days the challenges will be easy and do able.
Other days the challenges will feel completely impossible.
Not only will you face the challenges but you will also be put in a place of constant inner evaluation.
A place where you have to truly decide if this life is worth it.
Walt Disney's original advisory board was filled with some pretty wise people.
Those early days were tough; but that remarkable, creative visionary refused to give up.They all loved how Disney responded to disagreement.
They said that Walt would occasionally present some unbelievable, extensive dream he was entertaining.
Almost without exception, the members of his board would gulp, blink, and stare back at him in disbelief, resisting even the thought of such a thing.
But unless every member resisted the idea, Disney usually didn't pursue it.
Yes, you read that correctly.
The challenge wasn't big enough to merit his time and creative energy unless they were unanimously in disagreement!
We look at Disney and while you may disagree with the way they currently are being run, we can all agree that Disney is one of the most successful businesses of all time.
Walt Disney was not afraid of challenges.
The Christian life is meant for challenges.
It is meant of us to be stretched and torn and put back together.
It is meant for us to feel success and failure.
The Christian life is not an easy life.
The Bible made it clear that as Christians you would be challenged.
What does the Bible say about challenges?
The Christian life is full of challenges and while many people want the blessings of God, they want it without the challenges.
This widow was issued a challenge.
She was asked to do something that would make her decide if it was worth it.
But just like you and I she had to address her concerns with this.
The Concern
This woman has been asked to do something by the prophet of God.
Everyone knows Elijah and what God has done with him.
Elijah was a celebrity in his time.
This woman is a widow and lives with her son, she is what the society would consider at the time a no body.
Not only is she a nobody but she has no steady income and no way to provide for her son.
This woman is out just trying to make the next meal which she knows is the last meal she can make.
Then comes this big name guy and he asks her for something that she does not have the means to provide.
Can you imagine being put in this position?
I dont know about you but I struggle when asked by people for stuff.
I have a mindset of saying does this person really need it?
Can I afford it?
I am always suspicious of people and always think that they have bad intentions.
This is a struggle for me.
I am constantly comparing what I can do based on what I have.
Are you in the same boat with me?
The Christian life though is not a life of what we have, it is a life of what God has.
This widow was challenged to give and she based it off of what she had.
Her answer to Elijah was look I only have enough for my son and I then we are going to both die of starvation, so leave me alone please.
What are your concerns when following what God is calling you to do?
I doubt many if any of us in this room are wondering if we are going to die of starvation.
Money though is a factor for everyone in here.
When someone asks for help and you feel compelled by the Lord to help are you prepared to follow through or are you like me and jumping to concerns?
I love being a father.
One of the greatest things about being a father is seeing your children grow.
My kids have grown so much over the years it seems like a dream because of how fast it is going.
Aubrey my only daughter and my princess is our oldest.
Aubrey started off with no fear.
She would climb on things and jump right off.
She used to love to get on the couch and see how many cushions she could jump over.
I of course was not going to encourage this and as a great did I did the only smart thing.
I added more cushions but in doing that I also stood on the other side to catch her if she fell.
It took a little convincing her but she finally jumped and just like a scene out of a movie it went horribly0 wrong.
Her right food caught the edge of the last cushion and I was talking to my dad as she made her leap so I was not watching at the moment she jumped.
As she fell towards the ground I was not ready to catch her.
She slammed into me knocking me back and into the coffee table.
She fell and hit her little face on the ground, I fell back and broke the coffee table.
I was fine and so was she but we went to the ER to have her checked any way.
When her mother got home from work she almost killed me as my dad gave her every little detail of what had happened.
That moment started a distrust with my daughter wanting to jump off things and trusting that I would catch her.
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