Praise the Lord everyone,
welcome to Imperative Life
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Lessons. I'm Pastor Ryan Johnson
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I'd like to examine an aspect
of our experience with Christ
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that is often overlooked,
downplayed, something that we
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don't always appreciate.
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Let's begin with a little
review of I Kings, chapter 17.
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Elijah the prophet is on
the run from Queen Jezebel,
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why, for the word of God
and the testimony of Jesus.
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Hey, isn't that also why
John the revelator was exiled
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on Patmos in
Revelation chapter one?
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But, but, we're discussing
I Kings 17, where Elijah
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has spoken against
worshipping images.
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So God declares to King Ahab
who has sanctioned the idolatry
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that there would be no
rain upon the land and Elijah
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boldly said king, Worship
God for the hour of His judgment
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has come and the queen didn't
like that and caused Elijah
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to enter a time of
persecution, a time of trouble.
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Man this story does have
a revolutionary sound to it
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doesn't it? Well maybe we
can pull on that thread another
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time. But again, in I Kings
chapter 17, Elijah is pursued
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by Queen Jezebel for
delivering the word of God
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and he goes into hiding.
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At first, Elijah is fed by
birds, (ravens), and he gets his
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water from a creek. That's
I Kings chapter 17, verse 6
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but when the brook evidentially
dries up, God sends Elijah to
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a widow in a city called
Zarephath and this is where
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our narrative begins so
friends why don't we pray.
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Father in Heaven, be with
us as we examine the phenomena
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of having a God who is
wise enough give us enough.
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Save us, in Thy name
we pray. Amen and Amen.
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The widow enters the Biblical
scene in a similar fashion
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to the way the Samaritan
woman enters the well scene with
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Jesus and John, chapter 4.
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In fact, there are many
similarities between those two
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accounts and both stories
the women have no husband
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though for different reasons.
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In both stories their
encounters with the word of God
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are ordained, both encounters
begin with a simple physical
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request and both end
in an offer of everlasting
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sustenance from God.
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Let's read it for
ourselves in verse eight.
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Notice that verse eight
begins. with the declaration
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that the word of the Lord sends
Elijah to the widow for aid
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Is it not for the word of
the Lord that got Elijah into
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trouble with the King
and Queen in the first place?
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Yes, it is. You know God may
send you into difficult places
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to speak the word of
truth, and doing so may lead to
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persecution but the same
word chuckles, the same God
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He will sustain you.
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Oh, Amen! So now, I ask
you to take a moment here
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just put yourself in
the story, in the very place
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of this widow...I realize
that the scripture was written
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a few thousand years
ago in Hebrew no less...
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and then my version is
translated into an old form
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of English, the thee's and
thou's which we don't really use
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in everyday
conversation anymore.
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But the time and lingual
distance don't matter, do they?
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Because this is a cry of
desperation, the lady said
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we have all but run out
of food, we have just enough
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for today. We will eat
what we have then we will starve
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to death. These
are words of necessity,
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they cross all languages and
cultures and even time no matter
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who you are or when
you are you can understand
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where this lady is coming from
because everybody has been there
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before, whether it was
food or money, or patience,
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or your health, or
strife at home, whatever.
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Elijah, prophet,
pastor, this is all I got,
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I've labored all I
can, I've held it together
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as much as possible but
I'm afraid you caught me
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at the worst of times
preacher, I don't have any more.
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Is that you? Are
you this widow? Hmm.
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Let's continue. It
says in verse 13...
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I know many of you heard the
story before, but even if you
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are super familiar with
this scripture, there's a little
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lesson about God's provision
that we need to remember
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right about now. Now in
the midst of this chaos,
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now in the middle of our crazy.
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The widow only had enough
meal for herself and for her son
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correct? But she took what she
had and gave it to the prophet.
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She wasn't sure how it was going
to work but she trusted the word
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of the Lord. I wonder
how she felt that first day
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as she made the cake for
Elijah watching as the flour
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and the oil dwindled to
almost nothing, would there be
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enough provisions for tomorrow?
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How would they
even eat that day?
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My friends, to those of
you who are trying to survive
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hour by hour, you been praying
haven't you for our finances
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yeah, depression, hmm,
anxiety, been in prayer for our
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marriages, for our children,
beseeching God, Lord we've given
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all we have but we barely
made it through yesterday.
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Tomorrow is not promised,
how are we going to make it
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today? How indeed?
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Please notice how the
Lord provides for this
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starving widow and her boy.
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He doesn't send a Walmart
truck to the little house,
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and have two strapping
young people unload a three-year
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supply of oil and flour.
No, rather when she goes to
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the cupboard every morning
she finds that she has enough
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for that morning. Listen
now, every evening as the
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sun went down, she might
have looked in the cabinet
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and it appeared as though she
wouldn't have what she needed
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but every time she went
back in and the sun came up,
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there was enough flour and
oil, enough, enough tuition for
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church school. Come on
friends, provisions for the
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lights to stay on that day
at home, food for the family,
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bread on the table every
single day but, but, day by day.
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See friends, here's the
point regarding how the Lord
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blesses us in times of need.
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If you were to quantify all
of the oil and all of the flour
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that the widow invested in her
family and in Elijah's ministry
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over those three years, it
would add up to more than she
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should have
been able to provide.
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Bushels, barrels even,
but if you would have asked
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that widow on any given
day, how much oil and flour
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did the Lord give
you? Her answer would be
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today, the Lord
has provided enough.
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[Chuckles] And that's
how He often blesses friends.
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We may not be given the surplus,
the riches, the unshakable
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certainty of the next few
years, the next few weeks,
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or even the next few
days but when we trust Him
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we will always have enough.
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Let's not play around here,
let's cut right to the difficult
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question, why does God do that?
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Huh. Is God messing with
us? Is He playing with us?
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What's the deal here? Is
He just leading us on like
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a carrot dangling from a
stick? where the carrot is our
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daily needs, our strength
for the day and religion is
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the stick and God's just
dangling it in front of us?
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A little every day just to
get us to do what He wants.
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Just to get us to go where
He wants. Here's a little oil,
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here's a little flour,
here's some health for ya
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here's a dollar, that's
all you get, see ya tomorrow.
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Is God like
that? Is He like that?
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This is an important question,
does Jesus sometimes give us
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just enough so that
we'll keep us hanging on?
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And as long as we keep
reaching for that carrot,
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He can use the stick to lead
us wherever He wants us to go.
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That's terrible, isn't it?
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Especially if you're hungry
right now, if you're hurting
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right now. But you know
that's the kind of question
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one asks if one
does not know God.
00:12:13.36\00:12:17.57
No, no seriously, if one doesn't
know Him, one doesn't trust Him
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and if one doesn't trust
Him, one wonders stuff like
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Hey God, are you
just leading me on?
00:12:26.81\00:12:29.81
You trying to manipulate me God?
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And this friends is at least
one reason that it is important
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to take time to know Him.
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Because knowing Him in
this context literally means the
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difference between understanding
His love for us or thinking
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that He doesn't
really like us that much.
00:12:51.37\00:12:54.37
You ever heard somebody
talk about God who doesn't
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even know God? It's rough
isn't it? Angry, disrespectful,
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and you know why Satan
doesn't want you to study,
00:13:01.98\00:13:05.71
doesn't want you to go to
church to pray, hang out with
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church folk, because as
long as you don't know God
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you will think God is your
enemy and that's been Satan's
00:13:11.89\00:13:17.79
argument all along
from the very beginning.
00:13:17.83\00:13:21.36
But, I'm going to say
something crazy, can I do that?
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Now don't go tell on me
but I'm going to say something
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controversial. If
you've had thoughts like this,
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if you've been feeling like God
has just been leading you on,
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don't feel bad, God
isn't even mad at you.
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It is normal to
feel that way sometimes.
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We are not the first people
to wander, you're not the first
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my friend, to ask why sometimes
God only gives us just enough.
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The problem comes in
when we don't take time to ask
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and get to know Him for
ourselves or we do know Him
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and we discredit Him anyhow.
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We see it
throughout the entire Bible
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God giving His people exactly
what they need and we His people
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wondering why,
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In the book of Exodus,
chapter 16, we find a perfect
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example, you know
what? let's look at it.
00:14:25.09\00:14:27.10
Exodus 16 verse 3 it says...
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Okay, just stop right there,
I'd like you to appreciate this
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God has delivered the
Israelites from slavery in Egypt
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by bringing 10
plagues, by parting the Red Sea,
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they have seen God work but now
they're hungry in the desert.
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They are
uncomfortable, they're scared,
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and they say why didn't
the Lord just kill us in Egypt?
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Wait a second, the
Lord! God wasn't the one who
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had enslaved them
and doomed them to death.
00:15:22.98\00:15:26.35
He's the God who freed them,
gave them a chance at life.
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How easy for trials cause
us to forget and blame God.
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But look further, they say we
sat by fleshpots and ate bread
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to the full, we had
so much food they say
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that we could eat all-day
they say and not worry about
00:15:47.28\00:15:52.48
tomorrow. We had enough
for today, we had enough for
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the next day, the
next week, the next month,
00:15:55.88\00:15:59.05
none of this day-by-day stuff.
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But they were slaves, they
had bellies full enough to think
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they didn't need God. The
Egyptians had them pacified,
00:16:08.80\00:16:12.97
brainwashed even, hey
Israel we got a deal for ya
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you're going to love this
one, we'll trade you bread
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for bondage,
food for your freedom.
00:16:20.71\00:16:25.48
Are we like that? Satan offers
us stuff for our salvation
00:16:25.51\00:16:32.35
mercy, mercy. Now, who is
it that is dangling the carrot?
00:16:32.39\00:16:38.33
The devil is the
dangler, God, He's the Saviour.
00:16:38.36\00:16:44.23
God needed to break that
mentality even as he taught
00:16:44.27\00:16:49.40
Israel who He is. So, look
at what He does in response.
00:16:49.44\00:16:55.58
Look at verse 4, it says...
00:16:55.61\00:16:58.18
Did you see that? God said
I'm going to give them bread
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from the sky, I'm going to
break open a case of miracle
00:17:31.18\00:17:35.05
on these people, I will provide
but He says at a certain rate
00:17:35.08\00:17:43.26
every day, except on Friday,
so they can keep the Sabbath.
00:17:43.29\00:17:49.56
I want them to learn to gather
day by day what they need.
00:17:49.60\00:17:54.50
I want them to
have enough. But why?
00:17:54.54\00:18:00.48
Why Lord, can we never have
the comfort of having more than
00:18:00.51\00:18:05.88
enough? What's wrong with
having more than just enough?
00:18:05.91\00:18:10.05
Well, nothing. Job
had more than enough.
00:18:10.09\00:18:13.82
Abraham had more than
enough, Joseph of Arimathea had
00:18:13.86\00:18:18.69
more than enough, Joseph,
the son of Jacob built up
00:18:18.73\00:18:22.23
the storehouses of Egypt so
that during famine they would
00:18:22.26\00:18:26.67
have more than enough
so what's the problem?
00:18:26.70\00:18:29.67
In the book of
Revelation chapter 3, verse 17,
00:18:29.70\00:18:35.34
you're familiar with this,
John whom we mentioned earlier
00:18:35.38\00:18:39.65
writes what Jesus
Himself says of the last church
00:18:39.68\00:18:44.35
called Laodicea, listen to this.
00:18:44.39\00:18:48.46
Laodicea says I have more
than enough Laodicea says,
00:18:53.40\00:19:02.77
I don't need God, I don't need
church, I'm going to worship
00:19:02.80\00:19:09.84
on my own, in my way.
Listen, guys, let's be honest
00:19:09.88\00:19:15.68
if God gave us everything
we needed all the time,
00:19:15.72\00:19:19.82
some of us would
turn away from Him.
00:19:19.85\00:19:21.92
It's not that He doesn't want
us to be happy but some of us
00:19:21.96\00:19:26.49
need a day-by-day experience
with God or else we wouldn't
00:19:26.53\00:19:31.23
know Him at all.
00:19:31.27\00:19:32.60
It's hard, I know, but
that doesn't make God the enemy,
00:19:32.63\00:19:37.51
It makes Him a Father.
Huh, listen, you got kids?
00:19:37.54\00:19:45.81
I have kids, I
have two beautiful kids.
00:19:45.85\00:19:49.98
Now in this country, a
person is considered an adult
00:19:50.02\00:19:53.25
at the age of 18, so follow me,
what if when my oldest was born
00:19:53.29\00:19:58.43
I bought the little baby,
I brought the little baby.
00:19:58.46\00:20:02.60
into the kitchen and
I sat her in the basket
00:20:02.63\00:20:05.23
and I said okay Jaylyn
here goes 18 years of food
00:20:05.27\00:20:10.67
knock yourself out, girl.
00:20:10.71\00:20:12.04
Now, imagine me standing
before the judge and explaining
00:20:12.07\00:20:18.15
your honor, I don't know what
happened, I provided her with
00:20:18.18\00:20:21.98
everything she needed,
I didn't want her to think
00:20:22.02\00:20:24.99
I'm a bad father for
holding back or for interfering
00:20:25.02\00:20:28.59
and preparing her daily needs
so I gave her everything she
00:20:28.62\00:20:32.83
needed at once.
Now that's crazy.
00:20:32.86\00:20:34.63
But let's break it down.
A good or sane father knows
00:20:34.66\00:20:38.90
what his children
can handle at the time.
00:20:38.93\00:20:42.50
Now maybe your kids were master
chef, dieticians when they
00:20:42.54\00:20:46.07
were born, but my kids
weren't and father knows best,
00:20:46.11\00:20:49.68
father knows best, I
should take all those provisions
00:20:49.71\00:20:56.85
and meal by meal prepare
what she needs since she can not
00:20:56.89\00:21:03.06
provide for herself and
doesn't understand for herself.
00:21:03.09\00:21:07.66
As she grows, I should
give her enough and through this
00:21:07.70\00:21:12.73
interaction she learns who
her father is and maybe one day
00:21:13.67\00:21:18.04
she can handle the surplus.
00:21:18.07\00:21:19.81
So when we pray
and God provides for us
00:21:19.84\00:21:25.01
not with everything we
will ever need all at once
00:21:25.05\00:21:28.52
but with just
enough, it's a blessing.
00:21:28.55\00:21:31.65
It is an indicator of a loving
Father a thinking, caring, God
00:21:31.69\00:21:38.06
and not a tyrant, let's not
overlook the blessing of enough.
00:21:38.09\00:21:44.93
And yeah, so and so may
have more than enough [chuckles]
00:21:44.97\00:21:50.87
but every child is
different aren't they?
00:21:50.91\00:21:54.28
Don't worry about so and so
this is about you and your walk
00:21:54.31\00:22:01.15
with your Father, He will
bless you in ways that are good
00:22:01.18\00:22:06.12
for you. Still not convinced?
00:22:06.15\00:22:09.86
In Matthew chapter 6
and in Luke chapter 11,
00:22:09.89\00:22:15.46
we find the amazing Lord's
prayer for Jesus teaches His
00:22:15.50\00:22:20.20
followers to pray. You
know let's review it and see
00:22:20.24\00:22:23.91
the blessing of
enough. He says...
00:22:23.94\00:22:27.51
Our Father who art
in heaven, you see that?
00:22:27.54\00:22:31.51
God is our Father, it goes on,
00:22:31.55\00:22:34.32
Hallowed it be thy
name. Thy kingdom come,
00:22:34.35\00:22:37.95
Thy will be done on
earth, as it is in heaven.
00:22:37.99\00:22:42.56
And then look at
what Jesus says next.
00:22:42.59\00:22:46.03
Give us this
day our daily bread.
00:22:46.06\00:22:50.77
Give us today O' Lord
what we need for today
00:22:50.80\00:22:55.00
give us the strength O
Lord that we need for today
00:22:55.04\00:22:59.31
give us enough. For thine
is the kingdom and the power
00:22:59.34\00:23:03.35
and the glory forever, Amen.
00:23:03.38\00:23:05.35
Oh friends, out of Jesus' own
mouth, don't neglect the power
00:23:05.38\00:23:12.12
of when God gives
us just what we need.
00:23:12.15\00:23:16.52
That power saves us from sin,
so as you awake each morning
00:23:16.56\00:23:24.70
under a cloud of anxiety
and depression, as you pour over
00:23:24.73\00:23:31.01
your finances, as you realize
you barely made it through
00:23:31.04\00:23:34.84
yesterday and
tomorrow don't look so good.
00:23:34.88\00:23:37.85
Know that the God who
brought you through yesterday
00:23:37.88\00:23:42.48
and the God who will take
care of tomorrow is the God
00:23:42.52\00:23:48.12
who will give you today
exactly what you need for today
00:23:48.16\00:23:54.96
and you'll make it because
God gives because God is enough.
00:23:55.00\00:24:02.14
The morning was quiet in
the little town of Zarephath
00:24:02.17\00:24:09.28
the soft clinking of
earthen vessels, the crackle
00:24:09.31\00:24:14.65
of a little fire, the
muted sound of oil being poured
00:24:14.68\00:24:18.75
and dough being needed,
the soft scrape of that dough
00:24:18.79\00:24:23.32
being slid into the
oven, a little water is poured
00:24:23.36\00:24:28.00
into a cup, maybe a
dried herb for visual appeal
00:24:28.03\00:24:32.17
and then the whispered
prayer of thanks as the widow
00:24:32.20\00:24:38.01
appreciated how yet
again God had provided enough.
00:24:38.04\00:24:45.75
It's a blessing, God
does the same for you.
00:24:45.78\00:24:50.19
I have Rheumatoid Arthritis,
I don't know if you can see it
00:24:50.22\00:24:58.13
in my hands at this
point from where you are
00:24:58.16\00:25:01.70
but when it first
showed up, it showed up angry,
00:25:01.73\00:25:07.10
it completely crippled me.
Within the space of a month
00:25:07.14\00:25:13.58
I was in a wheelchair.
A little bit after that
00:25:13.61\00:25:18.11
I was completely bound to
the bed, I got decubitus ulcers,
00:25:18.15\00:25:23.25
bedsores on my elbows, you
know those things go to the bone
00:25:23.28\00:25:27.76
all the way to the bone,
but I was still trying to preach
00:25:27.79\00:25:31.99
so you gotta imagine the
preacher getting up in church
00:25:32.03\00:25:38.03
on a cane walking like
this and I'd lean that cane
00:25:38.07\00:25:44.14
against the pulpit and
lean this elbow right here
00:25:44.17\00:25:48.11
to shake like
this and I would preach
00:25:48.14\00:25:51.48
the best I could.
00:25:51.51\00:25:52.85
I remember this one
Sabbath I was up there preaching
00:25:52.88\00:25:56.05
and while I was
preaching the cane fell down
00:25:56.08\00:25:59.42
and I didn't have the strength
to come away from the pulpit
00:25:59.45\00:26:03.06
and pick up the cane.
00:26:03.09\00:26:05.43
Somebody had to get
up from the congregation,
00:26:05.46\00:26:08.36
make their way up front,
Pick my cane up, lean it against
00:26:08.43\00:26:12.33
the podium right there...There
are people who go through this,
00:26:12.37\00:26:15.67
you know this pain...I remember
going through the supermarket
00:26:15.70\00:26:20.88
and angering people as
they came around and saw
00:26:20.91\00:26:25.35
they had to wait
behind a crippled man.
00:26:25.38\00:26:27.85
And one day I told my wife,
I can't live like this anymore
00:26:27.88\00:26:31.99
Oh, my woman and my momma
began to pray, they prayed,
00:26:32.02\00:26:36.06
they prayed, now I will allow
the fact that I am standing here
00:26:36.09\00:26:39.86
like this...tell the
rest of that testimony
00:26:39.89\00:26:42.60
God brought me up, He brought
me out but He did not remove
00:26:42.63\00:26:46.77
the arthritis, I still got
it and I still have hard days.
00:26:46.80\00:26:51.47
But you know what? Whenever
I need to stand and preach
00:26:51.51\00:26:57.05
I have enough strength to stand
and preach, God had the wisdom
00:26:57.08\00:27:02.32
to keep me on my knees
by not taking the illness
00:27:02.35\00:27:05.25
and the greater wisdom to
give me exactly what I need
00:27:05.29\00:27:09.52
when I need it, I have
enough, and I praise Him for it.
00:27:09.56\00:27:14.20
He will give you enough, praise
Him for it, that is the mark
00:27:14.23\00:27:22.14
of a good father.
00:27:22.17\00:27:25.31
Oh, our father, give
us enough our daily bread,
00:27:25.37\00:27:31.58
our daily strength, and help
us to appreciate that you are
00:27:31.61\00:27:36.35
leading us all the
way, save us in your kingdom
00:27:36.38\00:27:39.49
in thy name we
pray, Amen, and Amen!
00:27:39.52\00:27:41.49
You know God has plans for you
00:27:41.52\00:27:43.66
you just walk with your hand
in His hand and He will lead you
00:27:43.69\00:27:47.96
to His destination.
May He bless you, friends
00:27:48.00\00:27:51.57
and as always, be encouraged.
00:27:51.60\00:27:54.87