God Will Make a Way - October 3,, 2021

everybody's singing [Music] [Music] [Music] my name is [Music] [Music] [Music] me [Music] good morning scripture will be found in the book of romans 8 1-5 and it reads there is therefore no condemnation to those who are in christ jesus who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the spirit for the law of the spirit of life in jesus christ has made me free the law of sin and death for what the law could not do in that it was weak through flesh god did by sending his own son in the likeness likeness of sinful flesh on account of sin he condemned sin in the flesh that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the spirit for those who live accordingly to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh but those who live according to the spirit the things of the spirit may the lord add a blessing to the readers and the hearers and the doors of his word would you join me in a word of prayer lord we come with you to you right now thank you for your many blessings thank you for this opportunity just to come back and praise your holy name father we pray right now father that you continually bless us father and forgive us from all our sins and throw them in the sea of forgetfulness father i pray right now for the caregivers that are toiling right now taking care of patients that you will give them free sweet rest father i pray for the educators that are having to deal with so many different strives with the children in schools that you will strengthen them father and give them peace as well father right now i pray for pastor porner and all he's going through that you will continually bless him bless his family and allow him to get sweet rest when needed so that you can pour into him the word you will have him pour out to us so we can get a better relationship with you father i pray for those fathers that don't know you that you would reveal yourself to them as the true and living god and father for those that know you and chosen to walk away reveal yourself to them and allow them to be reminded that you are still on the throne and then father for those that are toiling in your vineyards trying to gain a better relationship with you just remind us that your grace and mercy is sufficient father right now i pray father that you will continue to bless saint mark in our leadership and allow us to make decisions that impact our local community in a positive way so that when they look at saint mark father that they see you now father i pray that you would continually bless us grow us keep us and allow us to focus on gaining a better relationship with you so that we can share that with our friends and loved ones father may the deeds of my hands match the desire in my heart to please you in jesus name i pray amen well good morning everyone and welcome to the sunday morning worship experience here at saint mark baptist church in little rock arkansas we're very excited that you all have decided to join us on this morning this first sunday in october and we're starting a new series this month called re-launching possibilities as we look at the life and work of the prophet elijah it should be an amazing series i'm excited about jumping into first king 17 on this morning and i know that you are as well because it's first sunday remember it's communion sunday so make sure you all have your elements there at home as you're watching our virtual worship service we're looking forward to celebrating the lord's supper with each and every one of you if you are calling in and you're not able to see me i just want to tell you this morning we're grateful for those of you who call in every single week many of you all are our golden saints we miss you all and love you all and thank you for joining us on today do me a favor in youtube on live stream and on facebook would you please do me a favor and just share this broadcast as we hop into a new series this morning's message is called god will make a way if you have ever known god to make a way or need him to make a way this morning's message should be an immense blessing to each and every one of you so thank you again for joining us we do believe that this experience this worship experience will be a blessing to you on today please do share it and we're going to be jumping into our announcements now please pay attention to our announcements as we start our worship experience god bless you all and we'll see you all in the chat good morning st mark family and friends on behalf of pastor p we want to welcome you to our online worship experience we are so glad that you have tuned in today we hope that as you worship with us online something is said or done that will impact and enrich your life [Music] saint mark really helped us decide the type of couple we wanted to be we decided like we want to grow and so we have to become a giving god giving was something that i could directly see the impact i'm able to see the people that are being helped and able to see very transparent how our giving affects our own community i'm growing and giving because of the teachings around giving and the emphasis is placed on giving that's a part of our union now saint mark baptist church you grow here this year has been all about relaunching relaunching in your learning serving and giving and even in the midst of the global pandemic we are maximizing our efforts to continue to grow relaunch sharing is our way of showing our faith in god and our commitment to the community we recently exceeded our goal for the 2021 restoration project raising 181 473.88 your generosity helps provide meaningful engagement in the lives of local students and their families through programs like program impact and reclaiming scholars both initiatives of our partner the tendaji cdc and the fruit of our generosity doesn't stop there we currently provide quarterly weekend backpack snacks of nutritious food items for our partner schools stevens washington romine bell east stem elementaries and capital city lighthouse charter school if everyone participates in sharing we have the potential to provide weekly food items for these students we've provided school uniforms for every student at capital city lighthouse charter school and because of your generosity we are purchasing washers and dryers so that their staff can help families who need assistance keep those uniforms clean allowing students to focus on learning we support several small businesses while serving our community including lindsay's hospitality house kitchen express stitch and glitz and so many others we support students at philander smith college by providing pantry items when needed for the student support services our care center and outreach teams continue to feed the homeless four days out of the week serving between 25 and 50 people daily with a hot meal for lunch and snacks pastor sifo and raimona continue to increase their efforts to engage our youth in virtual christian learning experiences with activity kids birthday celebrations new mom gives care packages of masks and sanitizers and more most of which is mailed out monthly to our youth and their families and we want to be a source of encouragement and hope to families through the holidays so if everyone participates in sharing we have the potential to provide much-needed essentials like diapers and formula for new parents and coats and toys for children this is just a sample of the many ways your generosity makes an impact let's continue to build our momentum your consistent gifts matter in the words of pastor hersey the more you give the more we are able to do and all tied sunday is november the 7th if you haven't tried god we invite you to start if you give periodically we encourage you to share consistently and if you tithe regularly we ask you go above and beyond your regular gifts let's all come together and relaunch sharing on november the 7th now let us lift up those who have lost loved ones this week please remember in prayer the following families rhonda colquitt and the passing of her husband tyler taylor and titus culquit in the passing of their father eddie kulquit jr kathy burnett in the passing of her sister and niece deontay hawkins and the passing of his aunt and cousin ola b purifoy and shasine limit quinn vault in the passing of her sister natasha booth in the passing of her aunt jayla anderson and cameron booth in the passing of their great aunt verna leaks brown maybelline hansberry in the passing of her mother lois davis raglan keith and latrice kelly in the passing of his brother-in-law roderick kennedy shayla mccullough in the passing of her grandmother margaret crump jermaine and angel smith in the passing of his uncle early smith vanessa pays hampton vanita pace and francis pace anderson in the passing of their mother russell hampton in the passing of his grandmother doris pace if you or someone you know is having a difficult time dealing with the loss of a loved one we encourage you to text smcare to 501 299 9009 we are here to help you walk through this season with journeying through grief and our stephen ministers you don't have to go through grief alone please reach out st mark family and friends we always want to stay connected with you and there are several ways you can help if you want to know more about being part of the saint mark family connect with me pastor john richards looking for ways to exercise your spiritual gifts in ministry contact me pastor woods to find your best fit if you are hospitalized or have lost a loved one be sure to text visit to 501-299-9009 to connect with me pastor shirley connect with us on twitter facebook youtube and instagram at st mark lr and for those who don't have internet access just use our call-in number to listen to services live 1-888-872-9708 you can also download the st mark baptist church lr app on your smart device be sure to allow push notifications so that you can stay up to date with news from the church and don't forget to push every gift counts whatever amount you choose to give when you share it benefits others and brings glory to god and we can't stress enough the importance of practicing healthy habits so that we can get back to in-person fellowship soon get vaccinated if you have not already there is more information on where to go at smart.org continue to wear your mask wash your hands cough or sneeze into your elbow or tissue avoid touching your face clean regularly avoid large crowds and seek medical attention if you experience any symptoms associated with the flu or coven 19. be protected stay safe and be healthy for more information about all the great things going on at st mark visit our website smart.org st mark baptist church you grow here [Music] praise the lord everybody good morning and welcome to this type of praise and worship this is the day the lord has made let us rejoice and be glad let's celebrate wherever you are come on put those hands together [Music] says i will praise you with my whole heart [Music] i will [Music] he's one glorious [Music] [Applause] [Music] i will praise him yes [Music] [Applause] with my whole heart [Music] i will i will i will i will with my whole heart [Applause] so many great things [Music] he's got glorious space for me for this [Music] the next part says this he redeem me [Music] me [Music] [Applause] [Music] for this i will i will well you might ask well what did he do for you he picked me up yesterday [Music] and he turned [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Music] [Applause] i will rejoice say that [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Music] [Applause] [Music] one more time i will return [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] so many [Music] [Applause] [Music] hallelujah [Music] we give you the high praise we give you our best praise lord lord you're worthy thank you jesus [Music] for being a good good father for foreign [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Music] we give you the praise lord we give you the glory lord [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] thank you jesus you didn't have to do it but you did it again [Music] glory [Music] [Music] hallelujah [Music] [Music] the lights beauty [Music] [Music] shine bright [Music] [Music] [Music] us the lights [Music] [Applause] [Music] you see [Music] oh [Applause] [Music] [Music] fine [Applause] [Music] hey [Music] these [Music] me [Music] now [Music] grace [Music] [Music] me [Music] [Music] if you leave me lord [Music] each day [Music] every day every day [Music] got me [Music] yes lord i shall i shall not lord [Music] [Applause] [Music] leave me lord [Music] yes lord yes lord yes lord [Music] [Music] [Music] ah every day every day with me each day each day each day with me turn it over [Applause] [Music] [Music] well drops [Music] mercy [Music] everybody [Music] watch this say leave me [Music] [Music] let me say welcome to those of you who are worshiping with us today and that's mighty good news for some of you who have to make critical decisions this week perhaps you've got some circumstances that you can't see your way through or your way out of or perhaps you're in a place in life where you don't know you're right from your left or you're up from your down the good news is that you have a god who will lead you and will guide you along life's way hey you're not too early you're not too late you're right on time and we're grateful to god that you are tuned in to this virtual worship experience today god has something special for you and you ought to honor him right where you are for the reminder for that refresher and friends i'm grateful for those of you who are worshiping with us today who aren't official members of saint mark thank you for worshiping with us virtually and we'd love to for you to get to know us and we would absolutely love to get to know you so do us this kind favor would you text the keyword welcome to 501 2990 again the word is welcome the number is 501-299-9009 we'll shoot you a digital guest card fill that out send it back to us let's keep in touch because we would love to be a continuing part of your spiritual journey and growth as you walk along life's way well friends we've come to the first sunday in october we are in the last quarter of the year and i am grateful that god has blessed us and kept us through 2021 another strange year it's been and yet god has been good to us and sustained us in spite of all that has gone on in the world i want us to be sure to finish out the year strong for you individually for your family collectively for saint mark as a body of believers i'm praying that we sprint to the finish line of 2021 that we put our foot on the gas and accelerate in all of the ways that we glorify god in our giving in our evangelism in our strengthening one another in encouragement and diligence toward the things that are part of our uh life's responsibilities that we maintain fidelity to god and to the call of god on our lives i'm praying that for you and i pray that you don't grow weary in your well-doing because in due season you will indeed reap if you do not lose heart let me say a couple of things very quickly and we're going to give to the lord and look into the word of god and i'm excited to start a new series today i can't wait to get to this text today let me say that october is breast cancer awareness month and we are certainly praying for those who are dealing with the disease presently those who perhaps are survivors we're grateful for your testimony and those families who've experienced loved ones who've received the ultimate victory of transitioning from life uh through that experience and friends we are certainly supporting those who are enduring that those who have been through it can testify god is able to bring you through and we want you to know that we love you and we are praying for you also the first sunday in november we're going to see what our potential is once again we're going to close out the year with another exhortation for all of us at the same time to bring all the tithe to see what god will do in and through saint mark because our expanding generosity gives us expanding ministry you all have been incredible over the course of 2021 your generosity has been outstanding and i am grateful for your partnership for your diligence for those who give consistently for those of you who've even given intermittently your generosity every time you give whatever you give it's making a difference i want you to be prepared on the first sunday in november to bring your tithe that's the tenth part of all that god has given to you one tenth you're going to bring that sin that as a part of that sunday's celebration and for those of us who give consistently we're going to be praying about perhaps giving something extra something more as the spirit so leads us to the effort that sunday so saint mark can end 2021 real strong and begin 2022 with a strong ministry outlook well listen let's rehearse that now let's get our hands in our hearts ready to give this is one of those opportunities where we demonstrate our gratitude to god in giving and so here are the ways you can do so at saint mark you can give to our church app that's saint mark little rock in your app store you can also go to our website that's smark.org.org you could also text the keyword 501 uh keyword uh s mark to 501-299-9009 again the keyword is s mark the number is 501-299-9009 and as always you can bring that gift if you're local to our area or mail it from wherever you are to our physical address 5722 west 12th street little rock arkansas 722-04 thank you again for your partnership in ministry thank you again for your continued contribution to the work of god here through the saint mark baptist church let's recite our giving affirmation then we're going to pray and after we pray we're going to start a series today i cannot wait it's called re-launching possibilities we're going to look at the life of the prophet elijah and see how his life is filled with power and possibility and see that he is not an isolated case that god can do for and through us what god has done for and through the prophet elijah y'all this series is going to bless your life if you haven't always already shared with us please share tell them to tune in this lesson today uh is worth the price of admission so let's recite our giving affirmation let's pray and then we're going to start this series in first kings chapter 17 and we're going to look and see what the lord will say let's recite that giving affirmation with energy and faith ready set let's read lord with a cheerful heart i sow my seed today i plant it in good ground i believe my needs are met my family is blessed and i'm expecting a supernatural harvest in jesus name a man well friends let's ask god to bless our giving and our time in the word today as we look together at what the lord will say god our lives are kept and blessed only by you every resource that we have every provision that has been given has come from you you've made us to be people who are not just recipients of resources but conduits of it so that we can be a blessing to those whose lives need your tangible touch so we give today to say thank you for what you have done to partner in what you're doing in other people's lives and to anticipate what you will do god you bless us when we give you bless others when we give and you are honored when we give so thank you for those things now god speak because your servants are listening god i need you to speak i need you to pour oil on my head give me clarity of thought and precision of speech use me as an instrument in your hand and grace all of us to hear to understand and to obey rebuke any potential distraction in our space and help us to be focused solely on the scripture as they reveal the good news of the lord jesus christ save the lost reclaim the backslider add to the church those who should be saved strengthen the believer get all the glory for yourself asking for this in jesus name amen and amen our thing this year is re-launch we want to rediscover what it means to grow in learning in serving and in giving as a church that's our mantra you grow here and because of that we we want to take 2021 we have taken 2021 to discuss some areas some aspects of our spiritual walk that that we want to re-emphasize and and renew one of those most significant areas y'all is this area of possibility this space in our spiritual walk set aside for dreaming for imagining for experiencing those supernatural encounters that cannot be explained with words and certainly 2020 and a lot of 2021 have taken from us a sense of optimism in many many ways there's this cloud hanging over our head this foreboding this this sense of dread and and fear things are bad and getting worse and if we're not careful we'll lose our capacity to dream and anticipate the goodness of god in our lives and for our families but over the next several weeks i want us to take a look at a prophet named elijah elijah that old covenant prophet who who's a unique figure but then is not really a unique figure in fact we're going to look at his life because the new testament is going to comment about him james chapter 5 verses 17 and 18 are going to say elijah was a man with a nature like ours and he prayed fervently that it might not rain and for three years and six months it did not rain on the earth and he prayed again and heaven gave rain and the earth bores fruit he's a man with a nature like ours yet this ordinary man is used by god to do extraordinary things and i want to look at him because he is an example of the possibilities listen of a yielded life man elijah becomes the premier old testament prophet who will be the predictive figure upon which we will be able to identify john the baptist he will also appear in the gospel of matthew on the mount of transfiguration with the lord jesus christ he prays and there's no rain for three years he prays and then there is rain he is the pre-figure of john the baptist he shows up on a mountain with jesus in the new testament elijah doesn't even die the same way we normally die he's caught up by a whirlwind into heaven yo that's some amazing possibilities but he's a man according to james with the nature just like ours i want i want you to know that however ordinary you might think you are however ordinary your life might be however ordinary your origin might be you can still be used to have great possibilities and i want to look at that first possibility in first kings chapter 17 verses 1 through 16. that is the substance for the sermon today first kings chapter 17 verses 1 through 16 listen to the word of the lord listen to the text read to us today now elijah the tishbite of tishbe and gilead said to ahab as the lord the god of israel lives before whom i stand there shall be neither do nor rain these years except by my word and the word of the lord came to him depart from here and turn eastward and hide yourself by the brook cherith which is east of the jordan you shall drink from the brook and i have commanded the ravens to feed you there so he went and did according to the word of the lord he went and lived by the brook cherith that is east of the jordan and the ravens brought him bread and meat in the morning and bread and meat in the evening and he drank from the book and after a while the brook dried up because there was no rain in the land then the word of the lord came to him arise go to zarephath which belongs to sidon and dwell there behold i have commanded a widow there to feed you so he arose and went to zarephath and when he came to the gate of the city behold a widow was there gathering sticks and he called to her and said bring me a little water and a vessel that i may drink and as she was going to bring it he called to her and said bring me a morsel of bread in your hand and she said as the lord your god lives i have nothing baked only a handful of flour in a jar and a little oil in a jug and now i am gathering a couple of sticks that i may go in and prepare it for myself and my son that we may eat it and die and elijah said to her do not fear go and do as you have said but first make me a little cake of it and bring it to me and afterward make something for yourself and your son for thus says the lord the god of israel the jar of flowers shall not be spent and the jug of oil shall not be empty until the day that the lord sends rain upon the earth and she went and did as elijah said and she and he and her household ate for many days the jar of flour was not spent neither did the jug of oil become empty according to the word of the lord that he spoke by elijah god will make a way god will make a way i want you to get that in your spirit this incredible initial possibility that we are discussing teaches us this simple central truth god ensures that god's people are always sustained in every circumstance by any means necessary did you hear it let me say it again the simple central truth is this god ensures that god's people are always sustained in every circumstance by any means necessary ladies and gentlemen brothers and sisters boys and girls let me introduce you to the man with a nature like ours the prophet elijah whom we first meet not performing miracles but needing them i like that friends that that we don't see elijah initially in strength but rather in need he does not come onto the scene of the biblical landscape riding on a horse and and swinging a sword but rather he's a poor prophet from a unknown space and place who needs god to make a way and god makes a way i don't want you to misunderstand what i'm saying i'm not saying god like makes a way like church colloquialism i i don't mean that god just sends something usual or normal i i don't mean that god for elijah or for us just uses these predictable patterns that that's that's that's not what i'm talking about in this sermon god can use mundane means to give us sustained provision but that's not this text and that's not this sermon there are times when there is literally no path to provision but god engineers a way that was not in existence before god's activity in our human circumstance god divinely interrupts the natural order of things to bring us to a place of sustenance and stability and some of you now are living in a place where there are no natural ways for you to get what you need but here's what i'm trying to tell you god will make god will make a way elijah's life is a testament to that and there are some people who are a part of this virtual service who already know that to be the case as well and and i want us to live in the light of that truth and in so doing to to to be aware and open to god's strange methods of provision and glorify god for the for the strange ways he sustains and not simply look for the mundane means of sustenance that that for us friends that understanding will will open up this text as as we meet elijah in first kings chapter 17 verse 1 we we see we see what life looks like when we live in the assurance god will make a way it it begins elijah is going to teach us initially that it begins by that we that we must re-engage our sense of purpose we must reengage our sense of purpose look at verse one again elijah is a tishbite from tishbe in gilead he goes to the king ahab and he says as the lord of god the god of israel lives before whom i stand there shall be neither do nor reign these years except by my word this this is elijah standing up to and before israel's worst king to that point in its history ahab ahab was israel's most wicked king and in fact he had reigned for 14 years prior to elijah coming on the scene y'all this is less than 40 years after the israel's height and zenith of power and prosperity under the reign of solomon and because solomon's son was unwise in the ways he entered into um the kingship of israel the kingdom splits and now there is a northern kingdom called israel that contains ten tribes of the children of god and then the southern kingdom called judah that has the two tribes judah and benjamin this this northern kingdom has a downward slope of kings who are wicked and more wicked and more wicked each than the previous king and we've come to ahab now who to this point in their history is the most wicked king they have they have encountered in and here's what he does he leads the people into idolatry he he does not just permit idolatry which which his other predecessors did he does not just commit idolatry which his predecessors had also done he doesn't just permit it and he doesn't just commit it no he leads the people in too he in fact makes the worship of the idol god bail the national religion of israel god gives him 14 years and and then and then here comes the prophet elijah from tishbe elijah the tishbite from tishbe where is tishbe well well it's in gilead but there is no real certain sight for tishbe it's it's a nothing town where nobody's from elijah is a nobody from nowhere and yet he stands up to ahab and has the audacity the unmitigated gall to speak for the eternal unchanging god of israel and of all of the world y'all listen elijah is teaching us that your pedigree is not a determination or does not determine your purpose that where you come from and who you come from does not determine the landscape of where god can take you elijah becomes not just the most prominent prophet of his day but the most prominent prophet of the entire old testament because he's willing to step out of nowhere and stand up for something because he is fully confident that his god will make a way for him this this prophetic word that there would be no rain is is is an interesting is an interesting notation friends it it's actually uh the fulfillment of a divine warning in leviticus 26 18 and 19 deuteronomy 11 16 and 17. uh deuteronomy 28 23 24 um deuteronomy 33 and 28 god says over and over and over again through moses to the people of god if you all fall away from faithfulness you will know that i'm trying to correct you because i'll shut up heaven and there'll be no rain this is is is in this agrarian society this is a incredible tragedy they they needed rain to grow their crops and and water their flux and and without rain there's there's no way to to sustain and to survive and and elijah's word is that god's warning is coming to pass ahab because of your wickedness and disobedience listen y'all it's interesting catch me now cultural chaos is often the soil in which personal purpose flourishes i know it seems strange that that the chaos of the culture reveals purpose in the people of god but sometimes god uses droughts to develop and to bring us to destiny droughts can be divine in fact in fact look at the gall and the courage of elijah as he lives out his personal purpose it's josephus the great jewish historian who's actually quoting the the greek uh writer menander who says that this before whom i stand that elijah that phrase in verse 1 is really the claim of a prime minister who is speaking on behalf of a king elijah has no fine clothes and royal robes in fact he's dressed in camel hair and a leather belt that's the uniform of the wilderness prophet that will be picked up by his successor john the baptist in the new testament he comes looking raggedy out of nowhere and claims to be the prime minister for god here's what i want you to know if god has placed god's hand on you and for those of us who are new testament followers of the lord jesus christ if in fact we have turned to his cross and trusted god's grace through the sacrifice of christ you and i are in fact in the same way as elijah ambassadors and ministers envoys and apostles of the lord jesus christ we are the ones who have been sent out with the message of both warning and hope we are sent out with the message that says that the wages of sin is death but the gift of god is eternal life and it's not just some pie in the sky spiritual pronouncement it is a reality that should be lived out in the way justice is done in society on earth the gospel's implications is that it takes people to heaven but it also gets us right while we're still on earth elijah says i am representing god that that ought to be your attitude and your uh proportion that ought to be your disposition and your demeanor you ought to live every day in the reality of who you represent no matter where you've come from stop selling yourself short stop minimizing your ministry stop falling short of the fullness of your identity god needs us to speak up god has called us to speak up uh ahab had the people worshiping baal this idol god and if i had time i would tell you how baal is really just an exaggeration of a political figure in genesis uh chapter 10 named nimrod nimrod's legend as a mighty hunter and warrior he's the first um um uh earthly king as it were uh recorded in scripture and nimrod's legend grows and becomes deified and he becomes the the fodder for the worship of this god named baal and this drought would have been according to thomas constable a challenge to baal since bale's devotees credited him with providing rain and fertility in fact some representations of bail that archaeologists have discovered picture him holding a thunderbolt in his hand listen god needs us to speak up because our culture is caught up in these false phony idols as well these things that seem to be providing but they are not the provider a culture that worships money and power or culture that is caught up in its own um racial superiority or its own economic superiority the concept that that false idea that somehow um claiming biblical uh uh heritage means that this has been or that people are a christian nation or christian persons no it is how we live our lives in the context of those who are marginalized the most that will determine whether or not we are true followers of the one living and true god or whether we're like israel at this time worshiping an idol god sometimes temporarily suspends natural blessings to remind us of his identity as the only true source of our blessings elijah can stand up in confidence because he recognizes god will provide for him so listen here's the exhortation don't be scared to tell the truth prophets are truth-tellers in an age of lies god needs us to not acquiesce to not cow tau to not to not to not give in to the falsehood however prevalent however popular however however vast it seems to be but to be sparks of truth in the darkness of deception in the days in which we live i i need to move on from that to tell you that that when we know god will make a way we will reengage our sense of purpose but when we know god will make a way it will cause us to rethink our concept of opportunity it's about to get good you ready elijah walks out god's will for his life and then god says because elijah you pronounced that there will be no rain but that's going to affect you too unfortunately walking in the purpose of god does not insulate us from the ills of society being in god's will does not insulate us from society's ills we too have to feel the issues the the pains the the struggles of this fallen world with its fallen people and all of the drought-like experiences that the world goes through however within our co-humanity within our being partners with people even in their fallen state when we consider ourselves redeemed we can trust that god knows how to present us with opportunities to experience his provision hey elijah go down by the brook cherith it's it's most likely a a a branch off of the river jordan and and i've i've i put i put you by that brook and and and watch what the bible says happens um that there are these ravens um that that feed him there they come listen every morning and every evening and he's drinking the water from the brook they come with meat and bread and that word bread does not necessarily mean yeast or dough or wheat but but but it refers to all kinds of food it could be nuts it could be berries it could be uh whatever was was found god says elijah let me show you where your opportunities like you ready watch me you ready um adverse or strange conditions can actually be the context for the greatest opportunities in your life okay i wish you all here i i wish i could look you in the face when i say this you ready your idealism is killing your discernment did you hear me you think it's got to be perfect to be god you think it's got to be ideal based on your carnally constructed concept of how god will bless you to actually be how god blesses you but sometimes god sends you by just a small bubbling brook and sends you a raven and that is the greatest opportunity of your life so far that that that that raven is a strange bird it it's a selfish bird it's a scavenger it it it doesn't touch cooked flesh and yet here it is bringing elijah um meat or fresh uh fresh flesh uh that has been cooked and and ravens are selfish they're not just um mean and ornery but they're selfish ravens don't even feed their own young sometimes and here they are coming twice a day to feed the prophet elijah god makes a wait watch me god makes the raven act against its nature to bless god's prophet i want you to hear me this is why you can't let people talk you out of journeying to your brook because they might know the nature of the thing but god sometimes transforms the nature of the thing to bless you when you walk in obedience listen sometimes brothers and sisters you got to walk to your brook and sit by your brook and be fed by these ravens because just because it didn't work for others doesn't mean god won't make it work for you god doesn't need the context of their experience to inform the content of your obedience elijah's by that brook these ravens are feeding him he's sustained and then because there's no rain that brook cherith dries up it's strange then that that god sends them to this kind of deserted isolated place and and makes these birds feed them that don't feed anybody it turns them against their own nature in order to to bring uh elijah necessary food but but but god does not god does not god does not create an everlasting stream of water in that brook no god lets that brook dry on up i need you to rethink your concept of opportunity ready because sometimes dry brooks are open doors the brook was necessary it was relevant it was right it was good for a while but god the unchanging source reserves the right to change the resource by which he provides for us so god's timing of elijah's dry brook is going to perfectly co-inside with this widow in zarath who's on her last bit of flour and oil elijah's brook dries up at the same time that this woman's flower and oil are about to expire because opportunity does not just come when god arranges and changes the nature of things to bless us opportunity comes sometimes when sovereign synchronicity partners us with people with different needs in these symbiotic relationships sometimes god closes a door for you so he can open a door for us i wish you would hear this sometimes god stops what's working for you so you have to engage and have to talk to and have to be in community with others so that it's not just you getting blessed it's you getting blessed by being in relationship and covenant community with somebody else listen elijah needed food the woman needed hope elijah needed food the woman needed a miracle from god to live elijah needed food the woman needed a divine experience that would transform her life and god hooks them up because sometimes your greatest opportunity is not a place like cherith sometimes it's a person like this with a woman i wish you would hear this this this symbiotic relationship is beneficial when we clearly communicate our needs and see others gifts as god's solution let me help you with it you ready listen ready the widow doesn't have anything elijah doesn't seem to have anything but for some reason their two negatives multiply and become positive so elijah takes that hundred mile trek from cherith to zarephath outside of israel to their neighbors in zidane and there in zarephath this woman who is a widow is standing there and elijah asks her for some water there she is bringing him water and then and then would you give me something to eat she says i really don't have much i got a handful of flour and a little oil i was gonna make my son and i a last meal and then we just plan to die elijah then offers for her another opportunity you ready um some opportunities are places cherith some opportunities are people widows some opportunities are priorities make me a cake first this is not elijah being selfish this is elijah as the ambassador of god representing god saying demonstrate that you will put god first and y'all she does this is why i exhort people to start their day in devotion put god first before you pick up your phone pick up your bible before you check social media check the spiritual media get get in touch with god before you get in touch with your boo you put god first put god first in in in in your energies and efforts to make sure that you're serving and your and your your opening uh opportunities for others that that you're part of being a blessing to people who have less speaking up for people who have no voice putting god first in that way putting god first in giving in your money that's why we're bringing uh all the tithe on november the first sunday in november again because when we sow into the work of god first god then blesses the rest the bible says if the first fruit is holy then the rest or the lump is holy as well and when she demonstrates god honoring priorities god makes a way i'm happy here i gotta go i gotta go we gotta we gotta we gotta re-engage our sense of purpose we gotta rethink our concept of opportunity finally and i'm through we gotta recalibrate our measures of abundance you ready and i'm through the bible does not say oh old traditional sometimes interpretations of this text says um that when she makes the prophet uh a cake of meal a whole cake hot watercorn bread i don't know what it was but whenever she whatever she made him the bible says listen that the flower would not be spent and the jug of oil would not be empty watch it in verse 14 until the day that the lord sends rain upon the earth that's the promise she does what the prophet says and verse 16 says the jar of flour was not spent neither did the jug of oil become empty according to the word of the lord wait a minute listen the the barrel some say started overflowing with flour but that's not what the text says it doesn't say that that that that there was this overflow of flour in that jug or or that oil just started running out everywhere it says whenever she went to the jawful flower there was some there and whenever she poured some oil out of that jar there was oil in there it doesn't say that she had more than she needed it says she had what she needed for three years of a drought according to the word of elijah until the lord sends ring that's three years for three full years she has what she needs what her son needs what her household needs every single day wait a minute i don't have time if i did i would tell you culturally this is interesting because this widow is a woman she has no economic means of providing for herself she has to live generally in this day tragically on the charity of the community around her and listen to her friends this widow woman who has no means of economic self-sustainability is given a means of economic self-sustainability by god who makes a way for her to find her way to what she needs wait a minute that oil and that flower never run out i i think we need to re-calibrate our measure of abundance because because this is three years it's one thousand ninety five days twenty six thousand two hundred and eighty hours one million five hundred and seventy six thousand eight hundred minutes 94 million 608 000 seconds of having what you need without interruption sometimes abundance you already and i'm through sometimes abundance abundance is not always having more than you can use in a day sometimes it's having enough to use every single day one more time abundance is not always having more than you need in one day abundance is having what you need every day without interruption see you're counting your money when you should be counting your days you're counting um the contracts when you should be counting the days you're counting cars when you should be counting the days you're counting the number of houses or bedrooms in your house when you should be counting the days you're counting the number of shoes in your closet when you should be counting the days that you have shoes to wear and i'm saying that god has let you be sustained every day without interruption and if he never gave you two past shoes the one pair that doesn't wear out is still abundance cause it works every day i understand why the old folks are saying lord keep me day by day that's why jesus taught us to pray give us this day our daily bread i wonder can you look back over the hallway of your history and see how many days in a row you've been able to eat how many days in a row you've slept under a roof how many days in a row you've had clothes to put on how many days in a row you've had a job to go to how many days in a row have you had a car to drive how many days in a row have you been able to cover your naked body with clothes how many days in a row has god woke you up after you laid in the image of sleep and death the night before every single day god has been providing and making ways for you so why if the testimony of all my yesterdays is that god makes a way why am i worried about tomorrow i i don't worry about tomorrow i just live from day to day i don't borrow from its sunshine because the skies may turn to gray i don't worry over the future because i know what jesus said and today he walks beside me for he knows what lies ahead many things about tomorrow i don't seem to understand but i know who holds tomorrow and i know he holds my hand father help us to walk to work to witness in the strength of what's possible your word says that with man things are impossible but with you all things are possible in fact your word says all things are possible to those of us who believe in the midst of continuing pandemic in the midst of a declining society in the midst of moral decay economic uncertainty relational and familial tension midst of even those internal unspoken issues and struggles and pains help us to remember what's possible god draw those who need to be saved and add those who need to be included in jesus name amen and amen listen do you need to connect with christ or church i want to i want to invite you to a conversation about what it means to be a follower of jesus christ i want to invite you to a conversation about what it really looks like to know beyond the shadow of a doubt that you are made right with god not by anything you do or plan to do but simply by what christ has done let's have a conversation about that maybe you say i'm connected to christ but i need to be connected to a church i want to let you know wherever you are whoever you are saint mark would love to be your church i would love to be your pastor i would love to help teach you the scripture to connect you with other believers because when we do life together that's what church is y'all it's not a building it's doing life together as follows of jesus christ and when we do that we become better and better and better so if you want to have that conversation about connecting to christ if you want to have a conversation about connecting to saint mark to these people to this community text the word connect to 501-299-9009 again that word is connect and the number is 501-299-9009 maybe you need prayer and we want to pray with you and pray for you whether you're a member or not doesn't matter you don't have to be a member of our church or any church for us to pray for you you can text the word prayer to that same number 501-299-9009 we'll take your prayer request we'll put it on on our prayer wall and we will call out to god with you on your behalf and we can't wait to see what is possible for you if you're connecting with christ connecting with church or whether we're connecting in prayer i'm glad we're connecting in some way today come now to the provision of the lord's supper we do it traditionally on first sundays but it is in fact not given a timetable jesus simply says as often as you do it do it in remembrance of me gather your elements now wherever you are bread of some form cracker anything something to represent the blood some something to drink to represent the blood of christ fruit of the vine a juice something of that nature but whatever your elements are they are sacred there as much as they would be in here because what sanctifies those elements are not their natural substance but their supernatural meaning they represent for us the body of christ and the blood of christ and as we focus on his cross and on his agony in our place and on our behalf those elements are sanctified let's lift this song together with our worship team i know it was the blood and as you sing it in your house consider the cross and let's worship god together before we commune [Music] i know [Music] [Music] this unleavened bread represents the body of the lord jesus christ whatever bread you hold in your hand does so as well his perfection his sinlessness is what qualifies him to be our all-sufficient savior [Music] christ alone is enough as we consider the agony he endured to pay that debt of sin that we owed he who knew no sin became sin for us that we might become the righteousness of god eat that element and remember his suffering [Music] jesus was so stressed in his prayers that blood began to drip from his pores a condition called hemohydrosis in the garden of gethsemane he then was beaten and whipped blood flowed from his nose and from his mouth from the ripping of his flesh with a whip that was leather and sheep bone and metal that ripped it from his back he was then crowned with thorns they platted a crown of thorns and placed it on his head and he bled again because the crown's piercing his head he put a cross on his back that had just been ripped to ribbons by that whip and marched him in a public square where he fell down in human and animal feces they got him outside the gate of the city and hung him out on a road the top of a hill so that everyone passing by as they stripped him naked could see him having already bled because of the stress having already bled because of the whip and the beating having already bled because of the crown of thorns they then drove nails into his hands and a spike into his feet and he bled again and he bled for six hours on that cross three in the light of the sun the morning and then three when at noon the sun stopped shining he kept bleeding finally as he cries out with a loud voice and he commends his spirit into the father's hands a soldier comes just to make sure he's dead and pierces his side and drives his spear into the heart of the lord jesus christ the physical heart he bleeds one last time even after he gives up the ghost all of that blood for all of your sins all of that blood should be all of your hope every time he bled he bled for you he bled because he loved you he bled because he wanted to forgive you he bled because he wanted to redeem you and whatever you hold in your hand is a symbol of that blood and as you consider the amazing love that endured that amazing pain to give you amazing grace drink whatever you have and remember his blood [Music] [Music] my prayer is that you never forget what it cost him to shed his blood our worship team is singing and we're going god bless you thank you for worshiping [Music] ah [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] me [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] look at the blood [Applause] look at the blood [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] look at the tears [Applause] [Music] [Applause] ah

Channel: Saint Mark Baptist Church

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Id: jizVeeMmYUM

Length: 90min 35sec (5435 seconds)

Published: Sun Oct 03 2021