This mysterious thing called faith The
Bible says it is impossible to please God
without faith So there are people who are
living lives where they are trying to please
God But they are not succeeding they are
failing They do
the right things They sacrifice They
might be sacrificing in terms of time or
money or effort And yet in spite of
all the effort they are putting in Their
lives are not pleasing.
They don't please God with all the good
they do Why?
Because it is not done in faith And
the Bible goes even a step further God
says what is not done in faith is
sin Do you realize dear brothers and sisters
what that means There might be some people
living in sin without knowing it They don't
kill anybody They don't steal They don't sleep
around They don't watch pornography And
yet in God's eyes they are living in
sin Because they're not living in faith What
is this mysterious thing called faith That seems
to be the key In unlocking the blessings
of heaven and eternal life to our souls
To some people faith is as a mysterious
kind of a woolly unclear thing You know
that to a certain extent even the theologians
Argue and debate and fight with each other
on the topic of faith Because
Because on the one hand the Bible says
God saves us through faith not through works
so that no one can boast before God
That's the one side of the of the
truth of faith On the other side we
hear that with that faith without works is
dead On the other side we hear that
with that faith without works is dead So
what is the faith that one needs to
be saved?
Because as I've said there's the possibility that
we can have faith, but it's dead It's
a faith, but it is a faith that
is not able to save our souls from
eternal damnation What
kind of faith what is the real faith
like the real faith that saves the soul
of a person and snatches him out of
an eternity in the worst suffering and pain
that you can imagine in hell and Makes
him pass over into glory into heaven and
escape all that punishment And
I found in God's Word an example of
a woman that had that kind of a
faith And she was to
a large extent just as Insignificant as this
little sparrow that was sitting on the wire
there Oh We
find her story in the first book of
Kings chapter 17 and from verse 8 See
First Kings 17 verse 8 then the word
of the Lord came to him saying What's
a figure is the God Jehovah go?
Yeah, not this hymn that the Bible is
speaking about is the prophet Elijah Elijah Verse
9 arise go to Zarephath which belongs to
Sidon and dwell there See I have commanded
a widow there to provide for you So
So he arose and went to Zarephath and
when he came to the gate of the
city indeed a widow was there gathering sticks
And he called to her and said Please
bring me a little water in a cup
that I may drink Why is a sugar
wire is a rafati is a figure a
sanguine Lomousi beggar um fellow guys Why a
kakasha corner one bees are what he again?
Let tell a English on a man's it's
chaining people's and as she was going to
get it.
He called to her and said Please bring
me a morsel of bread in your hand
It's a sugar one land one bees are
what he again?
Literally Nicole is all the same What is
something cycle so she said as the Lord
your God lives?
I do not have bread only a handful
of flour in a bin and a little
oil in a jar and See I am
gathering a couple of sticks that I may
go and in and prepared for myself and
my son That we may eat it and
I Get power to appeal a Google Jehovah
uncle uncle Waco Aguinaldo Cabellan one cook or
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Billy who goes a gingan And
Elijah said to her Do not fear Go
and do as you have said but make
me a small cake from it first and
bring it to me and Afterward make some
for yourself and your son Why is it?
Iliya Lord God
of
Israel, the bin of flour shall not be
used up nor shall the jar of oil
run dry until the day the Lord sends
rain on the earth.
So she went away and did according to
the word of Elijah.
She and he and her household ate for
many days.
The bin of flour was not used up,
nor did the jar of oil run dry,
according to the word of the Lord which
he spoke by Elijah.
So she went away and did according to
the word of the Lord which he spoke
by Elijah.
We'll just read thus far.
Friends, these days I couldn't get away from
this portion in Scripture.
Each time I read about it, it blessed
me more.
I spoke to a small group of people
where I shared this word, and afterwards I
thought, man, I haven't done justice to this.
And I trust that God will give me
the grace to just share with you a
little bit of what I experienced when I
read this.
The first thing that struck me is the
mystery of God selecting a vessel to use.
We as human beings will never fathom or
understand God's wisdom and the reasons why He
selects a specific vessel, a specific person to
use for His purpose.
Here we find Elijah, one of these select
servants of God, a special man, a
man that somehow stands out in the Old
Testament as one of God's specially selected servants
and specially blessed and anointed people.
This man must have been worth more than
20,000 people to God.
He was precious to God.
Remember on the Mount of Transfiguration, out of
all the heroes of the Old Testament, God
selected Elijah and Moses to come and speak
to His Son about the suffering He was
going to go through on the cross.
At a later stage, God used angels to
comfort him.
But at this stage, God didn't see it
fit to send an angel to strengthen Christ.
He thought that it would be an encouragement
and a strengthening to His Son to be
able to speak to Moses and Elijah about
the things He was going to go through.
Brothers and sisters, what a blessing!
What a privilege!
What a compliment from the God of heaven
and earth!
On top of that, Elijah was on a
very important mission.
Jezebel was on his tracks.
She had been hunting him like a buck
day and night to try and track him
down and kill him.
His life was in danger.
Not just from Jezebel, but there was a
drought and a hunger in the land.
And God had to send this servant of
His to a place where He knew somebody
would take care of this servant of His.
Do you know where He sent him to?
To the country that was under the rule
of the father of Jezebel.
Elijah was really in danger.
But God hasn't sent him to a great
king who can fight for him.
God hasn't sent him to a band of
mighty warriors who could stand up and protect
him and flee with him on their horses
and kill him.
And hide him in caves and help him.
God sends him to a widow of all
people.
And not just any widow.
A widow that was so helpless herself, she
could not even help herself.
Friends, how will we ever understand God?
God says He's chosen the weak of this
world to put to shame the wise and
the clever of this world.
That which is foolish in the eyes of
the world.
Those are the people whom God chose for
some of His most important work on this
earth.
In a way, maybe this woman was looked
down upon.
But you know, to me she was a
step worse than being looked down to.
Because if people look down on you, at
least they are aware of you and of
your presence.
At least they recognize that you are there
even though they don't think much of you.
But it's as if this woman was just
totally insignificant.
Nobody even bothered about her.
She was just nothing.
Nobody worried about her and her son.
Nobody took care of them.
She was like pushed aside and life went
past her as if she was not existing.
But God looked down from heaven.
And He saw this totally insignificant, weak, needy,
helpless woman.
Just listen to the words that God uses
in the Bible.
It's a mystery.
He speaks to Elijah.
He says, see, I have commanded a widow
there to provide for you.
This woman was totally unaware of God.
She was the last person to be in
the position to help anybody else.
And yet, God of heaven was not going
to command her.
He had already commanded her, He said, even
though she was oblivious of His command.
She was so busy with her own crisis.
She was so busy just trying to stay
alive.
That she didn't even think or consider the
possibility of God coming in and using her.
Friends, I think that's one of the strongest
weapons the devil uses.
He keeps us so busy with our problems.
He keeps us so busy with the hard
side of life.
That he blinds us to what God wants
to do through our lives.
Because he knows as long as he can
keep you busy with these problems that you
have, you will never be able to look
up to God and never be able to
hear God's voice and see God's guidance in
this.
What an absolute tragedy.
Just think if this woman missed the point
and missed the message.
Not only would she have missed being saved
from her predicament and from her problem.
She would have never known that God was
planning to use her.
And that is another mystery.
God doesn't just want to save her.
He wants to use her.
Dear friend, dear brother and sister.
Are you aware of the fact that God
wants to use you?
I don't worry about what crisis you are
in.
I'm not concerned about how difficult life is
for you.
I'm not concerned about all these impossible obstacles
in your way.
Have you ever realized, has it ever dawned
on you that God doesn't just want to
save you, but he actually wants to use
you?
Even if you are nothing, people don't even
look twice at you.
Some time ago I was in New York.
And we walked in Broad Street.
Broad Street is the most photographed place, they
say, in the world.
That's the center of the entertainment industry to
a certain extent of New York.
And you know, I saw the funniest things
there.
But you know what struck me?
Nobody was looking twice or blinking an eye.
In the middle of Broadway they have what
they call the naked cowboy.
There's this chap standing with his underpants in
the middle of the street.
With his cowboy hat on.
Playing his guitar in the middle of the
traffic that's driving past him.
Well my mouth hang open, I couldn't believe
what I was seeing.
But you know what was even more astonishing?
Nobody else was taking note of him.
Nobody else was looking at him.
And like him there were dozens of others
just as weird and just as strange doing
their thing and nobody was taking care of
them.
One of the people, the Christians I know,
said she was going to do an experiment
one day.
She was with her husband.
And she ran into the street and she
started singing the song from the Sound of
Music.
The hills are alive with the Sound of
Music.
And she moved her hands and she stood
singing in the street.
She says nobody even turned around to look
back at her.
That's the other side of democracy in its
extreme.
Everyone is free to just do what he
likes.
You do your thing, I do my thing
and that's it.
But there's something very terrible about it.
And that is, that makes of you the
most lonely person in the world.
If nobody cares and nobody worries about you,
you're the loneliest person in the world.
Someone said the biggest thing in the world
is to be needed.
Do you know what it feels like when
you realize I am not needed?
Nobody needs me actually.
Here was this woman feeling that nobody needed
her.
God in heaven had his plans, he needed
her.
Friends, God has a work and a job
to do for each one of us sitting
in this auditorium this morning.
This woman must have felt so lonely.
I don't think she ever dreamed that generations
to come, thousands of years to come, people
were going to read her story and speak
about her story.
When she was at that stage, she must
have not dreamt that we in the 21st
century would be talking about her and what
was happening to her on that specific day.
But God had already commanded her.
Oh brother and sister, may we not miss
the command that God has spoken over our
lives.
That's the worst tragedy in this world.
To miss the purpose for which God had
brought you and me into this world.
Leave alone our sins and the punishment for
our sins.
This will be maybe the worst punishment when
we get into eternity.
When my eyes are open to what God
wanted to do through me and I've been
blind to that.
I've listened to the devil.
And he's totally taken me away from the
blessing and the purpose that God had for
me.
The third thing I want to take note
of.
When God comes to visit us, He comes
at the time, very often, at the time
when we can least afford it.
God could have come to this woman at
any other time and it would have been
better than this day.
This was the day when she was least
of all prepared to minister and to be
a blessing and to serve somebody else.
Even if she wanted to serve God, she
didn't have anything to serve God with.
And I thought, how true is it?
God often comes to us at the time
when it's the most impossible time He could
have chosen.
It happens when we are still sinners and
He comes for the first time to us.
Maybe I've just got a bankruptcy behind me.
Maybe I'm an alcoholic and I'm down in
the gutters in the worst state a man
can get.
Maybe my marriage is on the rocks.
Maybe I've lost my family and I've lost
my friends.
Maybe I've even lost my self-respect.
I mean, you need a bit of self
-respect to be confident to be able to
do something.
Maybe I have such a lack of self
-confidence that you can't even do anything for
the Lord.
You're so embarrassed to stand up and speak
before people.
You're so self-conscious.
You're at your lowest.
And God comes to you.
And God says, well, what about that money
that you've stolen?
I know you're bankrupt.
You can't pay your debt back.
But you've got to face the reality that
you have sinned and that you owe money
to people which you have not paid back
to them.
And then we say, no, Lord.
You don't understand.
Come at another time.
I'm battling to survive.
I'm not in the position where I can
now face all the wrongs that I've done.
I'm not in the position where I can
now confront all the lies that I've told
in my life.
I'm not in the position where I can
go and apologize to somebody for what I've
said.
Lord, just give me some direction first.
Let me first see where you're going with
me.
Then I will start obeying you.
But that, friends, is the beginning of faith.
To obey God blindly even though you don't
know how you are going to get it
right.
And to go where he sends you.
And if he says, go back and apologize
for what you've said.
Don't say, Lord, no.
If I apologize now, that's going to just
strengthen so-and-so in this case.
It's going to prove to them that I
was wrong and they won't see their own
mistakes.
They had 80% of the error.
I just had 10% of the mistake.
God expected this woman to act when she
was at her weakest.
To start obeying God and to put him
and his kingdom first in her life.
Friends, I don't mind how weak and how
poor and how wretched you may be.
God expects you to put him and his
kingdom first now in your life.
Not tomorrow, now.
You know what's the other thing that strikes
me?
God appeared so loveless.
And the servant of God even appeared more
loveless.
You know, I can already imagine what some
people would have been saying.
Some Christians would have been saying about Elijah.
What kind of man of God is he?
He's only aware of his own needs.
He's not like the Good Samaritan.
The Good Samaritan went out of his way
to try and help this man who was
weak and wounded.
This proud man Elijah walks into my house.
He's not concerned about my needs and my
difficulties.
He just thinks of his own hungry stomach.
And you know, it's as if Elijah rubs
it in for this woman.
He first says to her, bring me a
bit of water.
Now, I remember it was a time of
drought.
Maybe water was more scarce than food.
Can you imagine what she felt like?
She didn't have so much left.
And I can just imagine her walking with
bowed shoulders to go and fetch the water
and think, well, let me just do it
for this man.
And I can just imagine him saying, as
she walks away, saying to her, oh, and
by the way, just bring me some bread
as well.
She must have thought this man is crazy.
God was stretching her absolutely to the limit.
She nearly, I think she nearly, nearly blew
it, if I can use that language.
Friends, if she turned around there, and she
allowed Elijah to have it, and she told
him off.
God wouldn't have worked the miracle.
She would have gone around, across the world,
and she would have been justified in the
eyes of everybody who heard her.
When she told them that the God of
Israel was a loveless God.
He's a God that doesn't feel for people.
He's a God that doesn't have compassion on
people.
And his servant, that man Elijah, he is
the most selfish man I've ever met in
my life.
She could have gone around and spread rumors
all over the world about this evil man
of God Elijah that's so selfish.
And meanwhile, she's been wrong.
She would have been the one that failed.
It wouldn't have been Elijah that made the
mistake.
It wouldn't have been God's mistake.
It would have been her own mistake.
But the whole world would have agreed with
her and said to her, yeah, no, you're
right.
Reminds me of the text in the Bible
that says the truth is justified by its
children.
People can say things against this book.
The theologians can tear it apart.
Or shall I say Godless theologians, because you
get the good ones also.
People can point out all the discrepancies and
try and point out all the mistakes in
the Bible.
But the life of one Christian in whose
life this word works justifies the whole Bible.
Friends, can you understand God's ways?
That God makes the respect that people have
for his word dependent in a way on
me and you.
Our faith must work.
People must see it work in our lives.
Then they'll have the Bible will be justified.
A man of God can help you up
to a certain point.
But friends, you reach a point where nobody
can do it for you anymore.
You have to go through with God now.
You have to go through.
You must get through to God and make
personal contact with him.
And develop that relationship with him.
Here was the prophet of God, a man
who worked miracles.
But he was helpless to do anything more
for this woman.
He had reached the point where he could
just stand and look at her and watch
her reaction and maybe pray for her.
I think it must have broken his heart
to speak so harsh to this woman.
But sometimes God expects of us to do
that.
Blessed is the person that is not offended
and annoyed when God sends a hard message
to him or her.
This was where her faith had to save
her.
And this is the crux of what I
wanted to say today.
She had to act in belief upon the
word of Elijah that what he was saying
was the truth.
She couldn't first wait to see whether he
was going to increase the flour and the
oil before she starts doing it.
Dear friends, this is faith.
Faith means to obey God in what he
tells you to do, even though I don't
know whether he is going to keep his
promise or not.
It's a faith that doesn't just stay here
in your head.
But it's a faith that comes out in
your deeds.
This woman would have been stupid if she
said, I believe what you say, Elijah, but
I'm waiting.
I want to see first.
Oh, how often have I not seen this?
People saying, yes, I believe what you say.
I believe God's word.
I believe it's the truth.
But they're not willing to change.
They still stay in the same old life
they've been in all the time.
Friend, if you're not willing to change your
life, then you don't believe.
If you're not willing to let go of
the sins in your life, then you don't
believe.
These days, I read a portion from Spurgeon.
And he says, would you believe if a
man tells you he cannot stop stealing because
it's too strong, the hold of stealing on
him?
He says, Spurgeon says, I won't believe him.
You can believe him, but I won't believe
him.
He says, or if somebody's living an immoral
life.
He says, and he comes and he tells
you, the lust has got too much control
over me.
I can't get free of this.
He says, would you believe that he's speaking
the truth?
He says, I don't believe him.
He's a liar.
He says, so friends, if you've been sitting,
and your life has not been changing, and
you've not been set free of the sins
that has been burdening you all the time,
he says, let me put a thunderbolt under
your slothfulness and your complacency.
He says, you are ready for the flames
of hell.
That's all that's good for you.
Friends, this is the faith that can save
our souls.
A faith that causes us to move, to
act, and to change.
This is the faith that will be able
to stand on judgment day.
That terrible day that's coming.
And the Bible says, it burns like an
oven.
The day when the just will only just
be saved, the Bible says.
When the mountains will shake, the earth will
shudder, and the Son of God will come
as the judge of this world on the
clouds of heaven.
And the people will be running away like
rats under the mountains and shouting to the
mountains to cover them.
There's one kind of faith that will keep
you standing on that day.
And that is a faith that has been
tested here in this world.
And a faith that has stood the test
of this world with all its difficulties and
temptations and sufferings.
If your and my faith hasn't stood the
trials of this life, if we have not
been victorious here, brothers and sisters, your faith
will not save you on judgment day.
On that great and terrible day, when the
sound of the trumpet of the archangel will
sound, and people will fear and pull their
hair out of their heads out of fear.
Then the children of God will stand bold
while the world is shaken around them.
They will stand firm in their faith because
their faith has been tested in the furnace
of this life.
Brothers and sisters, we dare not miss the
boat in this life.
There's no such thing as a place where
you can go after death as the Catholics
believe where you can still be made holy.
What God wants to do in my and
your life must be done here in this
world now.
Oh may God not find us wanting with
that quality of faith.
When I read about this woman, it lit
a fire in my bosom.
And I said, God, I want to be
like this woman.
Help me Lord, help my unbelief that I
can be like this woman.
You know what?
She had to be so desperate that she
would be willing to die if God was
not speaking the truth.
She would have taken her last bit of
flour and given that to the man of
God.
And she and her son would have had
nothing to eat.
And they would have died.
This is how important this decision was to
this woman.
But is that not what the Lord Jesus
said?
He said, unless we're willing to lose our
lives, we won't save it.
If we don't have such a faith in
God that I'm willing to die if God's
word is not true, then I will not
get my life.
There's so much one can say, but time's
running out.
But let me just mention this briefly.
This, by the way, I see in this
woman's situation the ideal situation for euthanasia and
for depression.
If this woman lived in Holland today where
euthanasia has been legalized, the temptation would have
been very big for her to go and
say, listen, there's no way out for me.
Give me an injection and let me just
die without hunger.
Because I'm going to die a slow, painful
hunger death.
I'm already old.
I've lived my life.
There's not much purpose for me anymore.
Friends, it's amazing how logic the devil can
make the reasons not to believe to us.
He may make it appear so logic that
we cannot believe.
Everything is telling me that I cannot believe.
Let me tell you this.
At the root of the idea of euthanasia
lies the conviction of unbelief.
You see, it has the appearance of something
actually quite noble.
You know, she doesn't strike out at Elijah.
She doesn't try to hurt him or she
doesn't speak against him.
No, like a lamb, she just keeps quiet.
And she just bears this difficulty.
And she just accepts the reality that's standing
in front of her.
If you're a realist, there's no future for
her left.
There's so little food left.
There are much younger people who need the
food more than what she needs the food.
So why would she still eat food at
a time when there's such a shortage?
Go to a doctor and ask him, man,
just give me an injection and just let
me die in peace, please.
Just let me die with dignity.
But do you know what lies at the
root of that?
Unbelief.
You do not believe in a God that
can work miracles.
You do not believe in the God of
this Bible.
The God that did all the miracles in
this world.
You do not believe that he can bring
purpose into your suffering.
You do not believe that he can bring
meaning into your life.
You are nothing and your life is worthless
and that's it.
But this woman went all the way.
She did everything that she was expected to
do.
Just listen to what he says to her.
He says, bake me a little cake first.
Dear friend, that's all that God is asking
of you today.
Just bake him a little cake.
He doesn't ask you to bake a huge
big cake.
Just bake me a little cake, please.
But he knows what it's going to cost
you to bake that little cake for him.
And even if you have met with Christ,
even if you are his child, then God
can say to you and me also today,
this morning, just bake me a little cake.
And God even comes to his children at
the times when they can least afford it.
When everything inside you cries out to save
your own life.
When you are in a difficult time and
you are in need.
God may send somebody to you.
And it's so easy as a Christian to
become irritated during those times.
And say, Lord, you're asking of me above
what I could do for you.
But I tell you, there's not one person
in this auditorium this morning to whom God
is not saying, just bake me a little
cake.
You know what a little cake is that
God wants you to bake for him.
Don't say no.
Resist the urge of your flesh to become
irritated and angry and say, Lord, I cannot
do it.
Walk in faith.
Exercise your faith that God can use you
to save his men and his heroes.
God didn't expect her to go and do
the things that Elijah did.
No.
She had a different calling.
Her calling was just to bake a little
cake.
God won't tempt us above what we can
bear.
And do you know what are the most
beautiful words for me in this whole portion?
Elijah's words to her when he realized the
turmoil she was in.
He said to her, do not fear.
Go and do as you have said.
Do not fear.
God realized she needed a little bit of
encouragement.
Just something to hold on to.
And he didn't expect more of her than
what she could do.
When he realized it was getting too difficult
for her, he gave her this comfort.
Do not fear.
Is that not what the Lord Jesus said
when he left this world?
He says, fear not, because I'm with you
all the days up till the end of
the earth.
Friend, I don't know whether you feel alone,
whether you feel lost and hopeless, whether you're
down in the dumps.
God says, fear not.
He's got a purpose for us.
If we are just willing to bow in
faith and obey him, faith without obedience does
nothing.
May God find that kind of faith in
mine and your hearts.
Thank you very much for this message of
profound importance to every one of us.
I believe the Lord is speaking and addressing
the sinner.
And using it to every heart as individuals
here.
Maybe there is a certain step of obedience,
something that you personally need to do, that
will confirm to God and to you and
to his people that you're putting him first.
It will be of salvation.
It will bring life and joy to you
and your family.
Even when others are starving to death, you
can live with abundant oil and flour and
let need never run dry.
We thank you Lord for this message which
has been so clear today.
Lord, we realize that the problem doesn't lie
with you but with us and in how
we'll respond and obey you.
Lord, you leave us with the question as
to who will trust you and believe you
and obey you today.
Grant Lord that we wouldn't leave here in
doubt but trusting that you've spoken to us
and addressed our needs.
Lord, we've heard how Satan tries to distract
us from looking above by focusing us on
our problems and difficulties.
Lord, help us by your grace that we
would listen and obey what you have spoken
to us today and be able to realize
and to reach that for which you've created
us.
Amen.