Consider the Source 5/13/03
1 Kings 17:1-16
(Read 17:1-7)
Have you ever heard something and you had some doubt about it and you said, “Consider the source”? In other words, the source was not a reliable one.
Today we read about the prophet Elijah and God’s judgment on Ahab and the children of Israel. No rain, no dew, no water. You see King Ahab according to 16:33 did more to provoke God to anger more than any of the previous other Kings. He was a wicked King and worshipped Baal and built altars to this god. So God’s judgment was to cause a drought, but He provided for Elijah by giving him some room service. The ravens would give him two square meals a day and he would drink from the brook.
So here we have the source. While everyone else was starving due to the drought, Elijah was having room service. But we read in verse 7 that after a while the brook dried up. His source dried up. But was the brook really the source or was God the source?
Today I want to look at a few examples of someone thinking that their source dried up and what to do about it.
Finances
My Dad shared with me once about the time that the church he was pastor at just went out and signed a big note to have the funds to build the new church. At the time they had a well to do (millionaire) business owner faithfully attending and tithing to the church. The day after the note was signed; this person had a falling out with someone and left the church. Dad was concerned because he was counting on this person to provide a majority of the repayment of the loan. Dad felt like the brook had dried up per say. Consider the source.
Who owns the all the money? Haggai 2:8 tells us that God owns all the silver and gold. Who owns all the possessions? Psalm 24:1 The earth is the Lord’s and all its fullness, The world and those who dwell therein. Psalm 50:10 tells us God owns it all. It says that He owns the cattle on the 1000 hills. You see He is the source. It’s all His.
Now don’t leave here and go to the store and when you get to the cashier say, put this on God’s account. That will not work. You might be thinking that if God owns it all they why is He so stingy with me. You never promised that He would give us everything, just what we need. Philippians 4:19 But my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.
Needs and wants are two different things.
How many people could God give a million dollars to and them still stay close to Him? Not very many. It was asked to someone that if God gave them 5 million dollars if they would give Him back $50,000. Their reply was sure. Then they said good, now start by giving $5,000 of the $50,000 He gives you now.
God does not need our money. He needs our faithfulness.
I can tell you from experience that God never tells you to do something that He doesn’t provide the source to do it. Example (Haiti trip)
I was asked during the time of the man in Poca winning the lottery if someone in our church won the lottery if I would accept any money. Didn’t take me very long to give my answer. Sure I would. God used the ravens to carry the food to Elijah and the raven is considered a very dirty bird. So why can’t God use money that was won in a lottery to further His Kingdom? As long as the money was not dirty like coming from a bank robbery or something of that nature, then welcome.
So back to the story; millionaire leaves church; Dad is worried about paying the note. Who is the source? Was it the millionaire or was it God?
Dad goes to the post office a few weeks later. In the mail there was a check for an amount that was greater than would have been expected for a whole year from the millionaire, from a complete stranger who faithfully gave to the church even after the completion of the building. Consider the source.
Your Joy and Happiness
I can remember when I first started dating my wife Hope. She was practically engaged to another guy who was much younger than I was and had a full head of hair. Hope was confused about what to do. Which one was right for her? So she simply told both of us she wanted some time. It was like my brook had dried up. I had lost Hope, literally.
Now I’m not saying that I was not hurt, I was. And I felt that she was an answer to my prayers, and she was. But I feelt that God wanted me to consider the source. My joy and happiness should not be dependent on someone or something. When things don’t go your way, consider it joy.
James 1:2-3 My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trails, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patients.
Or I could say the testing of my faith brought me Hope. You see I prayed and told God this. God I thought you sent me Hope as an answer to my prayers. And it looks like I had that wrong. But I love you more than I love Hope and I know that you have something better in your plans for me.
In the mean time the other guy wouldn’t give Hope the space she had requested so eventually I won her heart.
God wanted to know that I loved Him more than Hope. I’ve seen so many people fall away from God because of someone or something was more important then their relationship to the Lord.
Jay told me something that Desiree told him before they got engaged that you never hear to often. She told him that one of the strongest attractions that she had for him, was that she was not #1 in his life. How many times have you heard that one? No most of the time our significant other wants all of our attention and wants to be #1. But consider the source.
I’ve seen many a retreat or a revival where people were happy and excited about God. This past weekend when we took the kids to the “Acquire the Fire” retreat. On the way back, Desiree told them how it is easy to serve and worship God when you are in a place with a bunch of other people are going through the same thing that you are. It’s when you get back into the real world when others don’t have what you do that it gets tough. When Cecil got saved last week, there was a lot of rejoicing. When Cecil starts that new job he will find out that others may not be so happy about his decision.
You see for every mountaintop. There is a valley on the other side. Like the song says, He’s the God of the good times, and the God of the bad times. God never promised you a rose garden without thorns that go with the roses.
Consider the source. If you have your priorities strait and you make Him Lord of your life and not just Lord in your life, then no matter what this world hands you, no matter how many brooks dry up, your joy and happiness is found in Him.
He is the source of you joy and happiness.
Psalm 100:1-5
Peace
Maybe you are here today and things are just great. Your job is great, your family is great, and your friends are great. Life is just great. Consider the source. All the things that I’ve mentioned can not give you peace that is eternal peace.
Take Job for example. He had a great life and then the brook dried up. He lost his family, he lost his provisions, he lost his health, and he lost his friends in a matter of days. How did Job respond? Did he cry out and say, “Why me Lord? What did I do to desire this?” No Job knew where the source was.
Job 1:21-22 And he said: Naked I came from my mothers womb, and naked shall I return there. The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; Blessed be the name of the Lord. In all this Job did not sin.
You too can have complications come into your life. The employees now days have the same loyalty as the employers. Years of service don’t mean what they use to. A better offer and it off they go. Friends will let you down; an illness or a tragedy can take a loved one. You can lose your material possessions. Consider the source.
Maybe you are here today and you have no peace. You have a good job, a great house, and a wonderful family. You have no peace because you’ve never accepted the Prince of Peace.
John 14:27 Peace I leave with you, my peace I give to you: not as the world gives do I give you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.
We are designed to be with a void that only God can fill. That’s why all of these stars with all there money and possessions are so miserable. Consider the source. Only God can give you that peace.
You see anytime you put your peace, your trust, your happiness, or anything other then the Lord Jesus Christ, then you are seeking the wrong source.
Now let’s look at our friend Elijah and how he responded when the brook dried up. (Read 8-16)
I like this ending. Elijah after hearing about the widow was to provide for him didn’t have a second of pity for the widows story of making her and her son a cake so they could eat it and die. In fact he tells her, go make me a cake first. You see not only was God providing for Elijah, He was providing for the widow and her household. Often we miss this principle. Do you think that God knew the plans of this widow? Not only did God prove to Elijah that He was the source, but He also proved it to the widow and her household. Consider the source.
Maybe there are times in our life that God wants us to be the Elijahs. He wants to use us to show others that He is the source.
Many years ago at the Tournament of Roses parade the Standard Oil Company, now known as Chevron, had a beautiful float. In the middle of the parade the oil company’s float came to a grinding halt and the rest of the parade with it. What had happened? It had run out of gas. The directors of the Chevron float had done everything well but they neglected to avail themselves of their companies vast resources of oil. The parade waited while someone ran to get a gallon of gas. Too often, I see this happen among us. Christians and churches breakdown right in the middle of the parade. I wonder what God must think when we neglect the source of our strength and power. When we fail to abide in Christ and render our selves ineffective.
Perhaps you are here today and you don’t know the source. You’ve never accepted Jesus as your Lord and Savior. You have a void in your life that you thirst for. Jesus told the woman at the well, I’ll give you the living water and you will never thirst again. Jesus is the source for you to fill the void in your life.
If you are here today and have already accepted Christ but you have been relying on the wrong sources. You can get back that joy and peace by asking God to forgive you and making Him your Lord and not just your Savior.
Maybe God is calling you to be an Elijah to someone today. He wants to use you to show others that He is the source. You can come and pray for God to make you a willing vessel.
Let’s Pray
