Christian Fellowship
Sunday Morning 4-17-10
1 Kings 17: 7-23
2 Kings 1:8
Matthew 3:4
“A New Breed For A New Time”
We are starting with the beginning of Elijah’s ministry this morning. Elijah begins by delivering a word from God to the worst King that has ever been for the children of Israel, King Ahab.
Before King Ahab came into the scene, the Israelites were ruled by Solomon who was a wise man. He built a Kingdom and became very wealthy. He was visited by QUEEN SHEBA one day and she was flattered by his accomplishments. Its believed that she visited Solomon to negotiate business matters. After he answered all the questions, she gave King Solomon over 4 tons of gold, she gave him large quantities of spices, she gave him large amounts of stones and beautiful woods.
King Solomon built a tabernacle for the Lord with this gold, stone and wood, he also built him a palace with it as well. Solomon life style had changed, he became worldly and bowed into the political pressures of his day. His expensive pocket book filtered down to the citizens and a heavy tax burden was now lying in their lap.
The Israelite’s future vision has now faded away and the unity of the people has now split. What was once a spiritual nation has been ruined by lavish living and temptations of the ungodly Politicians.
The Israelite’s become two different nations and after Solomon’s death, between the two they have at least 39 different rulers who come to the table for leading them.
Now is when we pick up with Elijah delivering a word from God.
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God is now turning to a new breed of men to do his work. The Kings has failed and scattered his people so its time to turn the page and try something different.
Elijah the PROPEHT, is where God has turned for help.
Elijah is quiet different than Solomon and all the other Kings who were rulers. Their fine living, dinning and activates is why God has turned to a new breed of people like Elijah.
THE DRESS CODE OF ELIJAH ---- 2 Kings 1:8 ---- They relied, He was a man with a garment of hair and with a leather belt around his waist, The Kings said , That was Elijah the Tishbite.
He did not wear fine lining like Solomon.
When God sent Elijah to deliver the word to King Ahab, he told him there would not be any rain upon the land for three years. After this he sent Elijah away to hide in the Kerith Ravine. Elijah was what we call a mountain man, he lives off the land, he dresses from the land, he is a sole survivor of the land.
I suppose Elijah was the wildest of all the prophets as he dranked from the streams, eat food from the birds mouth, he begged for food as he needed, he lived in the wilderness. What Elijah did learn from all this is a tremendous faith in God.
After the streams dry up, God sends Elijah to another unlikely place for survival, he sends him to a widow woman and her son who only has enough food and oil for one more meal before they are completely out and prepared to die. As well I remind you that this widow woman lives in the territory of Jezebel who has ordered all the prophets to be killed.
Why would God send his man into such a place as this.
Its not where he is sending his man, it’s the kind of man he has chosen. A new breed of leaders.
When you find utmost faith in God in a persons life, then you the favor of God on their life. The favor of God is on the life of Elijah.
This poor widow woman could not imagine having to share her and her sons last meal with a stranger. The woman did have enough faith and trust in the God he told her about that she did share, her flour nor oil ever run dry, there was always plenty after she obeyed the word of Elijah.
Why did she have enough faith and trust in a stranger is such a time in her life?
She had to have seen and felt the favor of God in the life of Elijah.
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Some time after this the woman’s son became ill and stopped breathing. She chastised Elijah and accused him of only coming to bring up her sins and cause her son to die.
Elijah took the boy from her, went up stairs to his bed and laid over the boy and called out to God three times, “Oh Lord you have caused tragedy to come on this woman by her son dying.
“Oh Lord my God, let this boy’s life return to him“.
God hears and answers Elijah’s prayers.
This widow woman was not of the Israelite people, she was not of the Jews, she was a common lady. She was a Gentile who the Jews turned up their noses to, they were outcast and were thought to be people who God did not care for.
God shows through sending a simple man to a simple woman, and giving her food and oil of plenty when everybody else was living on limited supply, as well raising her son from death, that GOD HAS NOT FORGOTTEN THE LITTLE PEOPLE.
It’s the little people who God has chosen to do his work, spread his sons life and name upon this land.
Israel’s future depended on how well they paid attention the prophets like Elijah just as our people today, the salvation of our people depend on the simple man who the favor of God is on their life.
Lavish living does not get you to heaven, the simple life of simple people is what God is showing us today.
Matthew 3: 1-6
In those days John the Baptist came preaching in the Desert of Judea and saying, Repent for the kingdom of heaven is near. This is he who was spoken of through the prophet Isaiah. A voice of one calling in the desert, Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for him. John’s cloths were made of camel’s hair and he had a leather belt around his waist. His food was locust and wild honey. People went out to him from Jerusalem and all Judea & the whole region of the Jordan. Confessing their sins, they ere baptized by him in the Jordan River.
