Kingdom Provision

1 Kings 17:2-4

“Then the word of the LORD came to him, saying, "Get away from here and turn eastward, and hide by the Brook Cherith, which flows into the Jordan. And it will be that you shall drink from the brook, and I have commanded the ravens to feed you there.”

 

1 Kings 17:8-9

“Then the word of the LORD came to him, saying, "Arise, go to Zarephath, which belongs to Sidon, and dwell there. See, I have commanded a widow there to provide for you."

 

There are some observations the Lord quickened to me from these two stories.

1.      It was a time of famine.

2.      God commanded provision.

3.      God revealed the source of provision to His servant.

4.      The provision came from a most unlikely source.

5.      God provided for the provider as well as the servant of God.

 

I want to encourage you today, that even though we live in times of tremendous financial uncertainty, that God’s kingdom is not dependent on the kingdoms of this world. We need to move our source of confidence and provision from this world system and our system of support and put our confidence completely in God for our provision.

 

God commanded provision. Commanded is past tense. Even before the need arose and even before he revealed it to his servant, God had already prepared the provision. ( pro vision means seeing something before it happens.)

 

Hearing God’s voice. This is why it is so important that we put our focus totally on God as our provider. The provision is already there, we just need to hear from God to access it. We need to seek God for our provision and respond to the voice of His Spirit. God may nudge you to send and encouraging email to someone or to maybe contact someone that you have not touched base with in a long time. It is when in the business of our lives we take time to hear and obey those simple little nudges of the Spirit that we open the door for the supernatural.

 

Unlikely source. Who would have ever thought of depending on ravens and a starving widow for provision? Sometimes we keep dipping into the same wells all the time, when God’s provision is from some new place totally unexpected.

 

If Elijah had not obeyed the prompting of the Spirit and asked the widow to give him the last little bit of bread she had, she and her son would have starved to death. When we respond to the prompting of the Spirit in presenting our need, it not only brings provision for us but it may be the salvation of the giver, and part of God’s plan for their provision.

 

Jesus said in Matthew 6 that we should not be concerned about what we are going to eat or wear, “for your Father knows the things you have need of before you ask Him.” Matthew 6:8

 

Whatever your need may be, may you discover God’s provision for you and may you be a source of blessing or provision for someone else.

Bread of Life

John 6:57-58 - "Just as the living Father sent me and I live because of the Father, so the one who feeds on me will live because of me. ⁵⁸ This is the bread that came down from heaven. Your ancestors ate manna and died, but whoever feeds on this bread will live forever.”

There  life in Christ. Life for the present and the future. To obtain this life we must feed on Jesus who is the bread of life. 

How can we receive this life? 

We receive it when we recognize we are sinners and that we need Christ to save us. Yet, this is only the beginning. We must daily receive Him. We must daily partake of Him. Even as it is not sufficient to eat once, but we need food daily to live. We can't live on past food. We need to eat every day to be healthy and strong.

How can we feed on Jesus?

We feed on Jesus when we daily spend time with Him in prayer and His Word. We feed on Jesus when our thoughts are continually going back to Him. We feed on Him when we listen to the voice of the Spirit. We feed on Him when we come together as believers seeking Him and worshiping Him. We feed on Him when we obey what we know that we are to do. If you hear and read the Word of God, but don't apply it to our lives, you are only playing with the food, but not consuming it.

Whom or What do you Seek

John 6:26-27 - "Jesus answered, “Very truly I tell you, you are looking for me, not because you saw the signs I performed but because you ate the loaves and had your fill. ²⁷ Do not work for food that spoils, but for food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. For on him God the Father has placed his seal of approval.”

Why are you a believer in Jesus Christ? Why are you following Him?

Many a person is a Christian, not because they are seeking Christ but seeking what Christ can give them. Not to long before Christ made this statement, He did the feeding of the five thousand. He had already done many miracles, this is why more than five thousand people were following him. Yes, they loved His teaching, but more than that was what He had done or could do for them. 

Are you following Christ because of what He has done for you? Are you following Christ because you are seeking something from Him? Many a church, this is what they preach. They preach the blessings of God. They tell us we need to do certain things so that we are not judged, but blessed by God. We often preach a Santa Claus God. This is all fine and good, but first of all Christ wants us to recognize that we are sinners who are lost and separated from Him. Secondly, Christ doesn't want us to serve Him because of what He has done or will do. He wants us to seek Him because we love Him and want to know Him. We must be careful that we are not so focused on the blessings that we don't seek the one who gives the blessings. We all know that if we love someone because of what we can get from them. This is not true love. It is a noble endeavor to seek to go to heaven. Yet, it is better to seek Him who is in heaven.

Work Ethics

In I Timothy 6:1-4, Paul tells Timothy to exhort those who are salves to serve their masters well, and especially those masters who are believers. It does seem strange that believers in Paul's day had slaves. Yet, it was not prohibited by the Jewish law and an accepted practice of that day. Therefore, Christians in general did not see anything wrong with it.

Yet, this scripture has applications beyond master and slave relationships. It teaches us to be good workers. We are to serve those over us well no matter what our station or position in life. It doesn't matter whether the person over us is a believer or non believer, we are to be faithful in our duties and obligations. It doesn't matter whether we have a good boss or bad one, we are to work the same for both of them.

Paul says, we are took work even harder and better for those over us who are believers in Christ. Yet, sadly to say this is often not the case. Often a believer who is working for a believer serves them worse because they know the believer is to love them and forgive their faults and short comings. Many believers take advantage of believers in this way because they believe they can get away with it because the one they are serving is a brother or sister in the Lord. They know with an unbeliever they would not be able to get away with their poor work ethics.

As believers, no matter who we are working for, we are to do it as unto the Lord with all our strength and ability. We are to seek excellence. We are to do everything in our power to serve others well. Christian workers should be the best workers in our society.

Ephesians 6:5-9 put is this way, "⁵ Slaves, be obedient to those who are your masters according to the flesh, with fear and trembling, in the sincerity of your heart, as to Christ; ⁶ not by way of eye service, as men-pleasers, but as slaves of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart. ⁷ With good will render service, as to the Lord, and not to men, ⁸ knowing that whatever good thing each one does, this he will receive back from the Lord, whether slave or free.
⁹ And masters, do the same things to them, and give up threatening, knowing that both their Master and yours is in heaven, and there is no partiality with Him.

Finally bosses, we are to treat those who work for us well. We are not to be harsh or over demanding. We are not to take advantage of our workers in anyway. We are to treat them with honesty and without favoritism. We are to be the best boss we can be. We are to show love, walk in truthfulness, and seek the wisdom of God in all that we say and do.

Trail Left Behind

1 Timothy 5:24-25 - "The sins of some are obvious, reaching the place of judgment ahead of them; the sins of others trail behind them. ²⁵ In the same way, good deeds are obvious, and even those that are not obvious cannot remain hidden forever."

We are all to live godly lives, but the fact of the matter most of us are missing the mark. Most believers are not committing the obvious sins that all clearly recognize and see. We are committing what we like to call the little sins. The sin of holding someone in your heart, a little white lie, unclean or evil thoughts, unrighteous thoughts, an ill spoken word, gossip, back biting, cheating, pride, selfishness, and taking advantage of others to name a few. Others of us may be sinning behind closed door where prying eyes can not see. Yet, even these cannot remain hidden forever.

No matter what kind of sin we are committing, we are leaving a trail behind us. What kind of trail are you leaving behind you? Are you leaving a trail of destruction and a trail of negativity? Are you leaving a constructive trail and a trail of hope? How are our actions affecting those around us? Are the affecting people in a good way or bad way? How are they affecting our own lives? As Newton law says, every action there is an equal and opposite reaction.

As believers, we are to be light and salt. We are to walk in love, joy, peace and righteousness. We are to impact those around us for their good. We are to impart the life of Christ.

Church & Family Obligations

I Timothy 5;3-15 talks about many good things. One of the central themes is church and family obligations. More specifically the churches obligation towards widows and the families obligation towards one another.

Let us look at the churches obligation first. The church is responsible to care for widows who are over sixty, have no family to care for them and are truly in need. Yet, the widow must have been faithful to her husband. She must be known for her good deeds, such as bringing up children, hers or other. She must have a servants heart and be devoted to helping others as she is able. She must have a life of purity.

Let us look at the families responsibility. The children or great grandchildren are responsible for caring for their mother or grandmother who is really in need. We not only have a responsibility to care for our widowed mother or grandmother, but we are responsible in caring for all those in our family who depend on us to live or really in need. Fist our immediate family, then extended family. 

Hypocritical Liars

Paul in 2 Timothy chapter 4 talks about hypocritical liars who have followed deceiving spirits, and things taught by demons. They not only follow them but teach and persuade others to do the same.

What are some of these things that are taught that do not come from God?

Paul is referring specifically to those who were teaching about abstaining from certain foods because they were sinful. Also, those who were promoting celibacy as godliness. He was referring as well to legalism which was stifling the Spirit of God. Lastly he speaks against those who are teaching godless myths and old wives tales as if they were the very Word of  God.

What would be some demonic teaching taught today? Demonic in the sense that they are not from God and are destructive. The following are not put in any specific order. Some may seem greater evil than others, but all are lies from hell.

1) Macro-evoloution
2) It is fine to be homosexual.
3) Divorce and remarriage, no matter what the reason is not sin.
4) Tithes and offerings are optional.
5) You don't have to be baptized or a member of a local church.
6) Abortion is not evil or a sin.
7) Living together is not a problem or a sin.
8) Rules and regulations on how you dress and comb your hair.
9) The work of the church, Christ's body is for a few (leaders).
10) The Word of God and prayer of not great importance.
11) I  don't need other believers or be accountable. It is just me and God.
12) Anyone who is not a member of my church or denomination is lost and going to hell.
13) Jesus is not the Son of God or put more simply not one of the God head.
14) The greatest sin is adultery or fornication.
15) As long as you believe God exists, and are a good person, you are on your way to heaven.

I am sure there are many others I have not mentioned here.