Welcome to the Kerwin Baptist Church broadcast today. Our desire is for the Word of God to be spread throughout the world.
So that all may know Christ. Join us now for a portion of one of our services here at Kerwin Baptist Church, located in Kernersville, North Carolina. 1 Kings 17, and this, I want to give you really the message, but then there's a tail end of this message, just an interesting perspective we're going to talk about. Let's pray and ask God to bless us tonight. Lord, I love you.
Thank you for the good reports from Couples Conference. Certainly the services I got to watch were such a blessing. Thank you, Lord, for the sermon last week from Brother Pat, how well he explained those things. And, Lord, I thank you for that perspective. Lord, as we think here we are again tonight, not just to have virtue, but to have knowledge, to learn temperance and godliness.
And Lord, I thank you for that. Thank you for how you put things together. I pray you would bless tonight. And Lord, I pray you'd help my little guy to be able to come home tomorrow. That's what they're continuing to try to work out.
And I pray that that'll happen. And I know he wants to be home. Thank you so much for a church that's been so faithful to pray and so supportive. We're just so grateful and thankful. For that.
And Lord, bless our people for being faithful tonight and being here. We don't want to just waste their time. We want your word to be something that they can apply to their lives. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.
All right, number one, if you're keeping notes, we're going to begin in chapter 17, verse 1. This is a story of Elijah, the Tishbite, they call it. But now, number one, I want you to go ahead and write down a point before we ever even read it. Number one is this: God prepared the problem. This whole thing starts in chapter 17 because there ends up being a problem, which creates the need for provision.
And so I want you to notice sometimes in your life, You don't have problems sometimes. It's not because you caused it. And sometimes, listen, I have plenty of problems in my life because I cause them. I have plenty of things that happen to me because I made a wrong decision or I couldn't shut my mouth or I didn't have the right spirit or attitude or I was just disobedient, just cantankerous, whatever you want to call it. I have plenty of things that happen in my life that I cause.
But what we're talking about here is that sometimes in your life, things will arise, circumstances will happen in your life, and God allowed that, and God allowed it for a purpose, although you might not know it right away. A lot of times, God allows a circumstance that creates a need so that God can fulfill and supply that need, and your faith can grow. And plus, he does a whole lot of other things in the process that you might not even be aware of.
So look at verse 1. And Elijah the Tishbite, who was of the inhabitants of Gilead, said unto Ahab: By the way, everybody gets Elijah and Elisha confused. Let me tell you how I have always remembered it: J comes before S. That's the redneck version of how to remember the word of God. All right.
So Elijah was the older prophet. Elisha came after Elijah. And S comes after J. That's how.
So write that down. I just want you to have a blessing from tonight. All right, look at verse 1. And Elijah the Tishbite, who was of the inhabitants of Gilead, said unto Ahab.
Now, we already know most of you are enough Bible students, you know, Ahab's not a good thing. Ahab's a bad king. Ahab's bad.
Okay.
So Elisha's coming to speak to Ahab. Notice what he says. As the Lord God of Israel liveth, before whom I stand, there shall not be dew nor rain these years, but according to my word. What is going on here?
Well, obviously, God's displeased with Ahab. He sends the prophet Elijah, and Elijah takes what God tells him to say. God says, listen, you go tell Ahab that until he changes, I'm going to stop the rain, and it's not going to rain again until you come and tell him. And so you go tell him that.
So Elijah. Here, doing what God said to do. This was God's ideal. This was God's plan. He shows up to Ahab and he does what God told him to do.
He proclaims not just the word of God, but the word that God asked him to give to Ahab. Isn't that great? That he has that kind of energy and Obedience, are y'all with me tonight? Isn't that great? Wouldn't it be great if God tells you, listen, you go to the king or you go to rulers, you go to somebody in charge, you tell them what I said, and we ought to be obedient and willing to do that.
It didn't turn out so good.
Now look at verse 2. And the word of the Lord came unto him, saying, So. Elijah does what God said to do.
So notice first, God prepares this problem. God kind of creates this whole thing. Notice number two, God has a personal plan.
So in verse two, and the word of the Lord came unto him, saying, Now the word of the Lord is exactly what Elijah just said to Ahab. And then, as soon as he does what God tells him to do, God comes to him in verse 2 and he says, You better go hide. Look at verse 2. And the word of the Lord came unto him, saying, Get thee hence, turn thee eastward, and hide thyself. What do you mean, God?
I just did what God told me to do. I just said what God said to say, and then God says, Hey, you better go high. They're trying to kill you now. Yeah, thanks God.
So notice here that this is God is orchestrating this whole thing. God prepared the problem. He says, go and tell him this. Elijah goes and tells him this.
Now God comes to Elijah again and says, Got another word for you. Go hide. He's going to try to kill you. Notice what he says. He says, Get thee hence, turn thee eastward, hide thyself by the brook Cherith that is before Jordan.
So God prepared the problem. And then God had a personal plan.
Now, I want you to notice, verse 2: the word of the Lord came unto. Him. Same. There are some things God says to everybody. And there are some things God only says to you.
And what I want to challenge you is that, no, this is God's plan. He said what God said to do, and then God says, all right, now you're in trouble. Let me tell you where to go hide. God comes to him with a personal plan. A lot of times in your life, God might ask something specific of you that people in your life do not understand.
But God didn't tell them. God told you. They might ununderstand when you come to this, hey, God's called me to such and such. Hey, God's asked me to, hey, listen, God's told me to get such and such out of my life. I talked to a preacher today, this afternoon, about some things.
He's actually an evangelist. Hmm. And just calling him, asking him some questions about some things, advice on some things. Has nothing to do with really us or him, but just getting some advice. He was talking to me.
He says, You know, he said, Brother Daniel, he said, um. I have not been on social media. for probably five months. He said, God laid on my heart one day praying. He said, This is causing you stress.
This is causing you. And if you're not careful, you're going to try to keep up with what everybody else is doing and keep promoting yourself and promoting yourself and promoting yourself. He said, God said to get off that. He said, You would not believe the people in my ministry and in my life that says, What in the world are you thinking? And I asked him this: I said, Have you had a lot of revival meetings come in?
He said, More than ever. Listen, you don't have to promote yourself.
Now I think it's fine to say what God's doing. But God told him to do something. And everybody in his life didn't understand that. And there might be some things in your life God's going to tell you. that other people don't understand.
You need to remember that.
Now notice number three, look at verse four. And it shall be, this is God's instructions to him. He tells him where to go, and then he says this. That thou shalt drink of the brook And I have commanded the ravens. to feed thee.
So notice number three, God gives a promise. provision. God created the problem. God's the one that prepared the whole problem in the first place. Why he would have the need to be fed, why he would have the need to have drink or water, why he would have the need came because he did what God said to do.
And he did what God said to do. The problem came from that, and God had a personal plan that probably a lot of people didn't understand. But he ends up where God tells him to go. And God said, This: Listen, you're going to drink water by this brook, and I'm going to have the ravens. feed you.
Now I don't know about this one. to be honest with you. It is miraculous. It's like God has command of everything. I've commanded the ravens.
It's like God's had a conversation with the ravens. And this is what they're going to do. They're going to feed you. God made a promise of provision.
Now, here's Elijah.
Now, he realizes Ahab and his whole kingdom's after him. They want to kill him. God tells him to go hide in a cave over here by a brook. And God says, Listen, you're going to drink water by the brook, and I'm going to have birds come bring food to you. Huh.
Mm-hmm. It is a promise. God did say That I've commanded the ravens to feed you. God did say, I'm going to give you water. God did say, I'm going to get you food.
That is a promise. It's not the most. Thrilling promise. that I've ever heard. But it is a promise.
This is a reminder, by the way. that God promises to meet your needs. God never promised to meet your comforts, meet your desires. You and I get confused sometimes about what is a need. in what is just a desire.
Now I can give you plenty of verses that God oftentimes gives you the desires of your heart too. That's not what I'm saying. But you and I have to understand, we can't get mad every time God doesn't fulfill a desire. What we can expect is that God's promise to meet our needs. Let me illustrate.
I um You know, I've tried to make sure I didn't come back and that's all you hear about. But let me just talk about the Philippines just for a minute. It was very eye-opening. to meet over 140 pastors. And over the process of time, got to speak to, train, do sessions with almost 140 pastors.
And then plus Tons of other people. And I was amazed when talking with these pastors. how little they have. how little they need. and how content they are.
And these pastors have about a 20th of what the average pastor in the States has, but they have triple the joy. And you can't help but be there two weeks and look around and see what they have, and realize when it comes to needs. When we're really talking about what you absolutely need to survive, look at me. You and I have a whole lot of fluff in between that. What we have grown to expect Many times is not a need.
Listen, I realized for two weeks that there was plenty of times I existed without air conditioning.
Now, did I enjoy it? Absolutely not. But I would tell you air conditioning is a need for me. But is that really unique? Yes, it is for me.
So that's what we're talking about tonight. That's why God has provided it in my life, okay? Just because He knows it's a need for me. Can I tell you something that you you you look at what All of a sudden you start to Think maybe God hasn't been as good to me. You see what some people have, this and that.
And it can happen. You sitting right here in church. There's always somebody that has more than you, and there's always somebody that has less than you. But can I tell you something? If you and I aren't careful, we will grow.
Unappreciative. for the needs that God meets every day. Because we have our minds so focused on desires and things that are above that that we forget to just every day say, God, thank you. I I I mean if I can just eat some rice. Listen, this Bible College.
Up above Bayambong, there in the Philippines. Let me tell you about these college students. There's almost, there's a little over 60 college students there right now. And this pastor, he feeds them on $15. Um A month.
Every day, these students get two cups of rice and a piece of meat, a small piece of meat. Guys, girls, doesn't matter. That's what they get every day. Two cups of rice and a little piece of meat. They get one cup of rice for lunch.
For dinner, they get a cup of rice and a piece of meat. That's what they do for four years in college.
Now Let me just put out a promotional bulletin. Let's start a college, and let's put that on the promotional bulletin. Hey, come to Kirwan Baptist College. This is what you're going to eat every day. Jeez, kids nowadays.
Adults nowadays, I'm not criticizing this generation, let me tell you something. What I saw while I was in the Philippines is there's a whole lot of this generation that are on fire for God. A whole lot. What I'm saying is this, is that this reminds us that God said, listen. I'm going to give you something to drink and I'm going to give you something to eat.
I'm going to take care of you. Maybe you and I should get back to where we're kind of we're thankful. for the needs that God meets every day. I want you to notice number four. God gives the place of provision.
No, we're talking about a promise. But now notice this in verse 4. And it shall be. that thou shalt drink of the brook And I have commanded the ravens to feed thee, and I left this word out. in the point before.
He says, I've commanded the ravens to feed thee. Where? Kerwin fee v. Where? There.
You know what's interesting? God didn't just say, I'm going to meet the needs wherever you go. God said, I'm going to meet the needs as long as you go where I tell you to go. For some reason, you and I think that we can live how we want to live. Live in disobedience to the Word of God, but God is obligated.
In our life. And dear friend, no, he's not. Listen, God said, listen, this is where you're going to go. You're going to go to the brook Cherith, you're going to go here. You're going to be able to drink water there, and I've commanded the ravens not to feed thee.
He said, I've commanded the ravens to feed thee there. You're going to eat, you better be where I told you to be. Because, guess what? The Ravens are going to bring the food every day and they're going to drop it there. If you're not there, you don't get to eat.
Do y'all see this in the Word of God? Are y'all here?
So you and I need to understand something that there God makes promises to us But a lot of times, listen, you gotta understand, these promises are very important, that these promises are backed up by us. Obeying God's word. When we disobey God's word, you need to understand we have no right to make demands on God. When we've gone against where he's told us to go or what he's told us to do. Notice, if you would, number five, look at verse five.
I want you to see this. Elijah's perseverance brought God's provision.
Now look at verse 5. Notice number one. He stepped out by faith.
So he stayed. He Went.
So he went. That's a stage a lot of Christians would never even get to. They're still asking questions. They're still mad about the fact.
Well, I just did what you told me to do, God.
Now I'm in trouble.
Now I got all these problems. Why would you do that to me, God? All I did was what you asked me to do. I mean, you told me to do this. You told me to go here.
You told me to do this in my life. You told me that this is what you wanted me to do. And now look at all this stuff that's happened. Yeah.
Well, you know, sometimes my mind gets and I don't want to offend anybody. Susan, would you be okay if I mentioned? Are you okay? Um listen, butch and susan. Started coming to our church a couple years back.
Fell in love with it the moment they got here. Butch started keeping notes. Butch has soaked in everything he can soak in. Every time he seemed, he's like, man, I just learn and learn and learn here. He went through, you know, we discipled Butch a long time, went through our discipleship.
Every day, our staff guys even came in because we all enjoyed sitting there discipling with Butch. And what happens? Butch gets right in here, faithful to God. Guess what happens? A stroke.
Guess what happens? Now we got therapy.
Now things aren't like they were, and now we're going through this. And you pray, we just found out this week Susan has cancer.
Now I'm going to tell you something. Wait a minute, God. I'm where you told me to go.
Now, I'm learning the Word of God like you've told me to learn, and I'm studying, and I'm in it, and I'm reading my Bible every day, and I'm making these decisions. Why is this still happening? Anybody else understand? Anybody else ever been there? My family's there a little bit right now.
Some of you have been there. You did what was right, and you did what God asked, and now I got a problem.
Now I have a need, and now I need provision for that need. And all I'm here to tell you is this: listen, if God's allowed it, God's got a plan for you. God knows exactly what He's doing, and you've got to trust His provision in the midst of this. Look at verse 5. He went.
Most Christians are still asking. Most Christians are still questioning. But he stepped out by faith. He went. He had probably never stayed there at that brook.
He probably never lived there. Whatever the case is, it's all new to him. But he went, he stepped out, and he did it. Notice that God's provision is coming because, number one, He stepped out by faith. Notice number two.
He obeyed by faith. Notice the verse.
So he went. And did.
So he went. And did.
There are some people that go but never do. I'll give you one in the Bible. What about Judas? Judas went with Jesus everywhere. But it was never here.
He went, but he didn't do. Here he is. What does this mean? It means Elijah took a step of faith to go. But he also obeyed the word by faith because he did what God told him to do.
So there was a step of faith, and there was obedience by faith. Notice number three. According to verse 6, he was rewarded. for his obedience.
Now, Elijah's perseverance is what brought God's provision. God said, This is where I want you to go, this is what I want you to do. He stepped out, he went, and he did. And guess what? Verse 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. Yeah.
Exactly what God said would happen. is what happened.
Now. I've always wondered what this really looked like. I mean, every morning you can imagine at first there was this amazement that ravens would just start. Bringing bread. Where did they get that bread?
Now he's at the Brook Chairs, he's in the wilderness, not a lot of people baking bread. Look at me. Every day those ravens brought bread and flesh. I don't know what state the flesh was in when it came. It could have been chariot roadkill or something like that.
See, my problem is them ravens start bringing flesh. I want to know where did this come from? Is this grade A prime beef, or is this, you know, is this squirrel? That has rabies. I don't know what this is.
But I'm going to tell you what I've always found amazing. Look at me, they brought bread too. I guarantee you some of those birds. Flew a long way. to just get a piece of bread.
It didn't matter how long it was, didn't matter where the bread was, didn't matter. God was going to make sure He had already commanded them. God had already the provision ready. God had bread somewhere where those birds could come and get it. I don't know if maybe there is a lady in a village and she's baking bread, and maybe they put it there on the window seal to cool off.
And then if she's over here getting ready for breakfast, she turns around, bread's gone. And here's a raven. Who knows how this all took place? I don't know. It doesn't say grain.
It doesn't say that Elijah had to bake it himself. The Bible says that the ravens brought bread. I mean, Ravens don't show up at a store. Like, how much is that bread? $3, and let me get my change here.
Somehow God had bread prepared. That means this, for the raven to bring bread, God had somebody else prepare that bread. The Ravens didn't prepare it. Elijah didn't prepare it. God had all this lined up.
He's got people making bread everywhere, and he's got where the ravens know exactly where to go, where to find it, where to get it. God had people probably, there's animals that probably died, and ravens found the animal over here, and ravens got meat from here and got flesh from here. I don't know how the whole thing went down. I don't know. But I just think it's a miracle that every day, ravens.
Brought bread. Brought meat. And he had cool, clear, fresh spring water to drink. the entire time. Yeah.
What a miracle, right? How many days would it take for you to get tired of bread, flesh, and water? Probably about two days at the most, right?
Now it's run its course. Hey, look at manna in the wilderness. We don't even know what manna was. The word manna means it came from God. But they got tired of what God was giving.
I don't know. Listen, this whole story, this whole process, all I know is this: the reason Elijah enjoyed the provision of God is because he stepped out by faith, because he obeyed by faith. He was rewarded for that. You and I need to understand God has made a promise of provision to your life. But God also expects for you to take steps of faith and God expects for you to obey his word.
Are we all clear about that? Say amen. Let me just show you this in closing. I want you to see this in verse 7. I don't have time to go through this whole story, I'm not going to.
But in verse 7, I want you to see, number 6, God's plan does not always make sense.
Now we all know that. But God's plan is not. Look at verse 7. And it came to pass after a while that the brook dried up, because there had been no rain in the land. And the word of the Lord came unto him, saying, Arise, get thee to Zarepheth, which belongeth to Zidon, and dwell there.
Behold, I have commanded a widow woman. to sustain thee.
So he goes from the wilderness to a widow.
Now let me ask you something.
Okay, God's done this miraculous thing. Commanded the ravens, they brought bread, they brought meat every day. God planted him right by a brook, and then all of a sudden, the brook dries up. Why did the brook dry up? The verse tells us why.
Because what had not happened? Who controls the ring? Could God just have brought rain? I mean, if God's taking care of Elijah, he said, go here, you're going to drink from the brook. We got a meal plan.
It's like a Disney meal plan, you know? You're going to get two meals a day. Ravens are going to bring it instead of a mouse, you know, kind of a thing. We got all this taken care of. And then all of a sudden, now the plan that God gave, now that's stopped.
And now God uproots him, moves him to a widow's house. Listen, if God's gonna go through all that trouble to take care of Elijah, I mean, instead of commanding a widow woman and instead of him having to travel, and instead of having to take everything, why didn't God just bring rain? Why don't you say, Well, God, you could accomplish the same thing. You just bring rain, then the brook will start again, then I've got drink. I mean, why didn't God just do that?
God could have done a thousand things here instead of sending him elsewhere to a widow's house. God could have done all kinds of these things. Why didn't God do that? We don't know. It doesn't always make sense.
It would have been easier if God would have sent rain. Hey, it would be easier if God would just go ahead and get you a job. Hey, it would be easier if God would just go ahead and pay your bill. Hey, it would be easier if God would just go ahead and encourage somehow that wayward child to come. It would always be easier, but we don't know all that God is doing.
Now here's what's interesting. Verse 10. God created a need. to meet someone else's need.
Now, this is what I find interesting about this. I don't have time to give you all the teaching on this story, it would take too long. But Elijah, we've learned about God's provision in the first part. He stepped out by faith, he obeyed by faith. But now, think about this.
God dries the brook because He doesn't send rain. God created the initial problem that brought him to the brook. God created the second problem that took him away from the brook. Because it's because there was no rain, and God's in control of that. God can stop that or start that anytime he wants to.
But remember what he told him. He said, you go to Ahab and you tell him it's not going to rain. Until I tell ya.
So, if God would have brought rain and the brook would have flown, and then he could have drunk from the brook, then God would have broken his promise.
So, God's not going to bring rain because he told Ahab it's not going to rain. And so now Elijah gets moved. God creates the second problem. But here's what's interesting. Elijah didn't know this, but here's a widow woman and her son that are down to nothing.
They have just enough left to make one meal, and that's going to be their dying meal. And God takes them from a brook where ravens are bringing little pieces of flesh and bread. And now God gets him to interrupt. The greatest news that anyone can receive is the news of the free gift of salvation found in Jesus Christ. It is our desire for you to know him personally, Would you take a moment to hear this today?
Every man is born with a sin nature. Romans three twenty three says For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God. No matter how hard we try, we're not good enough to obtain God's glory. or to get to heaven. Because of that, sin carries the penalty of death.
Romans 6.23 says, for the wages of sin is death. But the gift of God is eternal life. through Jesus Christ our Lord. The wages of our sin, or the payment of our sin, only equals death and separation from God. But it's only through God's gift salvation through Jesus Christ that we can accept Him as our Savior.
Jesus Christ paid for your sin debt. The Bible says in Romans 5:8, But God commendeth his love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. All you have to do is receive Christ. by faith as your Saviour. Romans 10.9 says, That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.
Verse 13 continues For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. It's as simple as admitting that you're a sinner believing that Jesus is the only way. and calling upon his name. Bible says whosoever that's anyone can call upon the name of the Lord to be saved. Have you accepted Christ as your personal Savior?
There is no greater day than today to take care of this. Would you accept Christ as your Savior? If you have any questions, please give us a call at 336-993-5192 or visit our website at CurwinBaptastChurch.com. or visits that person at one of our three service times. We hope you have a great rest of your day.
God bless you. Mm-hmm.
