1
00:00:06,240 --> 00:00:08,179
In chains I was bound.

2
00:00:08,880 --> 00:00:09,939
I was a madman

3
00:00:10,320 --> 00:00:11,139
on the run.

4
00:00:12,080 --> 00:00:13,455
Through the hills I

5
00:00:41,575 --> 00:00:42,634
set me free.

6
00:00:43,814 --> 00:00:44,314
Oh,

7
00:00:44,934 --> 00:00:45,434
oh.

8
00:00:46,695 --> 00:00:48,634
Truth set me free.

9
00:00:49,655 --> 00:00:50,155
Oh.

10
00:00:51,814 --> 00:00:52,564
Oh. Truth

11
00:00:58,219 --> 00:01:00,799
Welcome to Tell the Truth, a weekly podcast

12
00:01:00,939 --> 00:01:03,759
about faith, current events, and life in general,

13
00:01:03,899 --> 00:01:06,159
brought to you from Mountain View Baptist Church

14
00:01:06,219 --> 00:01:08,755
live every Monday night at 6

15
00:01:09,215 --> 00:01:09,875
PM CST.

16
00:01:11,775 --> 00:01:13,395
Thank you for joining us tonight.

17
00:01:14,015 --> 00:01:15,775
Each night this week, we will be live

18
00:01:15,775 --> 00:01:18,015
streaming our revival service here at Mountain View

19
00:01:18,015 --> 00:01:18,915
Baptist Church.

20
00:01:19,215 --> 00:01:21,375
The message each night will be brought by

21
00:01:21,375 --> 00:01:24,429
brother Alan Carr, senior pastor of Calvary Baptist

22
00:01:24,429 --> 00:01:26,209
Church in Lenoir, North Carolina.

23
00:01:26,590 --> 00:01:28,750
Pastor Carr is also an instructor at West

24
00:01:28,750 --> 00:01:30,049
Lenoir School of Ministry,

25
00:01:30,349 --> 00:01:31,250
teaching homiletics,

26
00:01:31,869 --> 00:01:35,149
life of Christ, and manuscript evidence. We appreciate

27
00:01:35,149 --> 00:01:37,674
brother Carr for traveling to Sylvania, Alabama to

28
00:01:37,674 --> 00:01:40,474
bring us our revival messages this week. Here's

29
00:01:40,474 --> 00:01:41,295
brother Carr.

30
00:01:43,594 --> 00:01:46,075
I enjoyed that. That's only the second time

31
00:01:46,075 --> 00:01:47,215
in 40 years.

32
00:01:47,754 --> 00:01:49,834
I've heard someone do that in church, and

33
00:01:49,834 --> 00:01:52,350
I like it. You did a great job.

34
00:01:52,569 --> 00:01:54,750
That's one of my favorite Christmas songs.

35
00:01:55,450 --> 00:01:57,530
Can't sing it. Can't sing a lick, but

36
00:01:57,530 --> 00:01:59,150
I sure do like to hear it.

37
00:01:59,850 --> 00:02:02,250
Well, well, well, this is the last night.

38
00:02:02,250 --> 00:02:04,109
They do go fast. Don't they?

39
00:02:04,424 --> 00:02:06,185
And, seemed like you just get started and

40
00:02:06,185 --> 00:02:07,305
all of a sudden it's the end of

41
00:02:07,305 --> 00:02:08,685
the week, but I do appreciate

42
00:02:09,064 --> 00:02:10,745
you letting me be with you this year.

43
00:02:10,745 --> 00:02:13,145
Thank you so much for your hospitality and

44
00:02:13,145 --> 00:02:13,884
your welcome

45
00:02:14,344 --> 00:02:16,025
and all the kind of things you've had

46
00:02:16,025 --> 00:02:17,520
to say. I appreciate it.

47
00:02:18,000 --> 00:02:20,080
And pastor, thank you again. I look forward

48
00:02:20,080 --> 00:02:22,159
to hearing from great things coming out of

49
00:02:22,159 --> 00:02:22,819
this place

50
00:02:23,120 --> 00:02:24,960
down the road, and I'm sure I'll hear

51
00:02:24,960 --> 00:02:26,719
it when it happens and I expect it

52
00:02:26,719 --> 00:02:27,379
to happen.

53
00:02:27,840 --> 00:02:29,919
I've had a hard time kind of settling

54
00:02:29,919 --> 00:02:31,680
again on where I wanted to be tonight,

55
00:02:31,680 --> 00:02:33,275
where I felt like the Lord wanted me

56
00:02:33,275 --> 00:02:33,854
to be.

57
00:02:34,555 --> 00:02:36,794
It is because last night, my mom and

58
00:02:36,794 --> 00:02:38,395
I, after we left and she's with me,

59
00:02:38,395 --> 00:02:40,094
I'm glad she's here again tonight,

60
00:02:40,875 --> 00:02:43,275
we stopped to eat dinner at the place.

61
00:02:43,275 --> 00:02:43,775
And

62
00:02:44,155 --> 00:02:45,914
as we came out, I ran into a

63
00:02:45,914 --> 00:02:47,854
fella. He heard me talking

64
00:02:49,000 --> 00:02:51,639
and, he recognized he called my name. He

65
00:02:51,639 --> 00:02:53,099
recognized my voice.

66
00:02:53,719 --> 00:02:55,959
He'd been listening to the live stream. And

67
00:02:55,959 --> 00:02:56,939
he works with,

68
00:02:57,799 --> 00:02:59,659
Miss Nicole back there, right?

69
00:03:00,614 --> 00:03:02,875
Troy McElrath is his name,

70
00:03:03,334 --> 00:03:05,334
and he told me so many things that

71
00:03:05,334 --> 00:03:07,094
I've had to worry all day long about

72
00:03:07,094 --> 00:03:09,275
what to preach. I've had so many topics

73
00:03:09,814 --> 00:03:11,114
from which to choose

74
00:03:11,894 --> 00:03:13,194
that it's been difficult,

75
00:03:13,655 --> 00:03:15,995
but, I think we've whittled it down

76
00:03:16,669 --> 00:03:18,129
to just 1 or 2.

77
00:03:18,669 --> 00:03:20,750
I'm kidding. He only had nice things to

78
00:03:20,750 --> 00:03:21,250
say.

79
00:03:22,270 --> 00:03:24,430
He he's a real gentleman. He seems like

80
00:03:24,430 --> 00:03:26,370
I really enjoyed talking with him.

81
00:03:26,830 --> 00:03:29,490
His daughter's sweet too. Praise the Lord.

82
00:03:30,094 --> 00:03:32,094
And I said, oh, I saw you. Somebody

83
00:03:32,094 --> 00:03:33,694
called you by your name. You've never met

84
00:03:33,694 --> 00:03:34,355
him before.

85
00:03:35,534 --> 00:03:38,014
They recognize you by your voice, but it

86
00:03:38,014 --> 00:03:39,474
happened to me. I was on an

87
00:03:39,775 --> 00:03:43,395
airplane flying from Memphis, Tennessee to Greenville, Mississippi

88
00:03:43,694 --> 00:03:44,435
one time.

89
00:03:45,030 --> 00:03:46,389
And my wife and I were on there

90
00:03:46,389 --> 00:03:48,150
and we were just talking back and forth

91
00:03:48,150 --> 00:03:49,590
and some guy in the back, he said,

92
00:03:49,590 --> 00:03:51,609
Hey, is your name Alan Carr?

93
00:03:52,069 --> 00:03:53,669
And I said, Yeah. How do you know

94
00:03:53,669 --> 00:03:55,109
that? He said, I listened to you preach

95
00:03:55,109 --> 00:03:57,449
on the internet. I said, okay. It recognized

96
00:03:57,509 --> 00:04:00,705
my voice. All right. 1st Kings chapter 17,

97
00:04:00,764 --> 00:04:02,865
if you will. 1st Kings chapter 17,

98
00:04:04,205 --> 00:04:06,444
and if I had time tonight I'd preach

99
00:04:06,444 --> 00:04:07,965
a whole chapter because it's a good one,

100
00:04:07,965 --> 00:04:09,745
but I'm not gonna do that to you.

101
00:04:09,885 --> 00:04:11,965
I've held I've been like pharaoh all week

102
00:04:11,965 --> 00:04:14,385
and held God's people in bondage. So we'll

103
00:04:14,540 --> 00:04:15,659
try to get you in and out of

104
00:04:15,659 --> 00:04:17,439
here pretty quick tonight, Lord willing.

105
00:04:19,020 --> 00:04:19,259
And,

106
00:04:19,899 --> 00:04:22,399
probably less than an hour anyhow. So

107
00:04:23,259 --> 00:04:24,319
we'll do our best.

108
00:04:25,020 --> 00:04:26,160
1st king 17

109
00:04:26,620 --> 00:04:27,680
verses 1

110
00:04:28,779 --> 00:04:29,680
through 9.

111
00:04:30,935 --> 00:04:32,074
First Kings 17

112
00:04:33,095 --> 00:04:34,395
verses 1 through

113
00:04:34,775 --> 00:04:35,275
9.

114
00:04:36,615 --> 00:04:38,074
Don't talk about Elijah.

115
00:04:41,495 --> 00:04:43,835
First Kings 17 verse 1,

116
00:04:45,509 --> 00:04:46,970
And Elijah the Tishbite,

117
00:04:47,990 --> 00:04:50,629
who was of the inhabitants of Gilead said

118
00:04:50,629 --> 00:04:51,610
unto Ahab,

119
00:04:52,710 --> 00:04:55,270
as the Lord God of Israel liveth, before

120
00:04:55,270 --> 00:04:56,330
whom I stand,

121
00:04:57,245 --> 00:04:59,564
There shall not be dew nor rain these

122
00:04:59,564 --> 00:05:01,745
years, but according to my word.

123
00:05:02,685 --> 00:05:04,444
And the word of the Lord came unto

124
00:05:04,444 --> 00:05:06,305
him saying, get thee hence

125
00:05:06,925 --> 00:05:09,645
and turn thee eastward and hide thyself by

126
00:05:09,645 --> 00:05:10,625
the brook Cherith

127
00:05:11,165 --> 00:05:12,625
that is before Jordan.

128
00:05:13,460 --> 00:05:15,460
And it shall be that thou shalt drink

129
00:05:15,460 --> 00:05:17,860
of the brook, and I have commanded the

130
00:05:17,860 --> 00:05:19,720
ravens to feed thee there.

131
00:05:20,660 --> 00:05:22,420
So he went and did according under the

132
00:05:22,420 --> 00:05:23,939
word of the lord, for he went and

133
00:05:23,939 --> 00:05:25,560
dwelt by the brook Cherith,

134
00:05:26,074 --> 00:05:27,454
that is before Jordan.

135
00:05:28,074 --> 00:05:30,975
And the ravens brought him bread and flesh

136
00:05:31,035 --> 00:05:31,854
in the morning,

137
00:05:32,475 --> 00:05:34,415
and bread and flesh in the evening,

138
00:05:34,954 --> 00:05:36,975
and he drank of the brook.

139
00:05:37,754 --> 00:05:40,095
And it came to pass after a while

140
00:05:41,240 --> 00:05:42,939
that the brook dried up

141
00:05:43,560 --> 00:05:45,899
because there had been no rain

142
00:05:46,759 --> 00:05:47,740
in the land.

143
00:05:48,360 --> 00:05:50,220
Trust God will bless his word.

144
00:05:52,039 --> 00:05:53,419
I am not a horticulturalist.

145
00:05:55,345 --> 00:05:57,125
I don't know a lot about farming.

146
00:05:57,824 --> 00:05:59,524
I don't know a lot about trees,

147
00:06:00,384 --> 00:06:03,504
but I do understand that trees and other

148
00:06:03,504 --> 00:06:04,644
plants are

149
00:06:05,185 --> 00:06:06,725
vital and essential.

150
00:06:07,490 --> 00:06:09,810
In fact, around your home trees and shrubs,

151
00:06:09,810 --> 00:06:10,790
they can really

152
00:06:11,170 --> 00:06:12,870
be an asset to your property

153
00:06:13,490 --> 00:06:16,050
because they provide curb appeal. You know, when

154
00:06:16,050 --> 00:06:18,449
somebody drives by it just kind of makes

155
00:06:18,449 --> 00:06:19,910
a place look better.

156
00:06:20,654 --> 00:06:23,634
And also know that pruning will help ensure

157
00:06:23,774 --> 00:06:26,194
that your trees stay healthy,

158
00:06:26,735 --> 00:06:30,995
because pruning helps increase airflow and light penetration

159
00:06:31,214 --> 00:06:33,394
and it makes the tree healthier.

160
00:06:34,169 --> 00:06:35,850
And if you take the time to prune

161
00:06:35,850 --> 00:06:38,490
out the dead and the damaged, the dying

162
00:06:38,490 --> 00:06:38,990
branches,

163
00:06:39,689 --> 00:06:41,870
it's going to help your tree be healthier

164
00:06:41,930 --> 00:06:43,149
and prevent possibly

165
00:06:43,689 --> 00:06:46,910
some damage from those being near the tree.

166
00:06:47,425 --> 00:06:49,665
And I think pruning is the first step

167
00:06:49,665 --> 00:06:52,165
in ensuring that a tree establishes

168
00:06:52,625 --> 00:06:54,725
good form and structure.

169
00:06:55,345 --> 00:06:57,585
I've got a Japanese maple in my front

170
00:06:57,585 --> 00:06:59,905
yard and, I'd let that thing get out

171
00:06:59,905 --> 00:07:02,145
of hand. You know, it got way high,

172
00:07:02,145 --> 00:07:03,045
real high.

173
00:07:03,519 --> 00:07:05,120
And I, a couple years ago, I went

174
00:07:05,120 --> 00:07:07,120
out with my chainsaw and I trimmed it

175
00:07:07,120 --> 00:07:07,620
back.

176
00:07:08,000 --> 00:07:10,079
I left about that much of the stem.

177
00:07:10,079 --> 00:07:11,300
That's all I left.

178
00:07:11,600 --> 00:07:13,519
And now it's come back out. It's grown

179
00:07:13,519 --> 00:07:14,959
back and I gotta go home and I

180
00:07:14,959 --> 00:07:16,339
gotta trim my maple

181
00:07:16,785 --> 00:07:18,625
to shape it up the way I want

182
00:07:18,625 --> 00:07:20,245
it, so it won't be an eyesore

183
00:07:20,865 --> 00:07:22,485
like it used to be.

184
00:07:23,264 --> 00:07:24,085
My father-in-law,

185
00:07:24,785 --> 00:07:26,384
you folks never met him, but if you

186
00:07:26,384 --> 00:07:29,045
go to heaven you will. He loved pruning

187
00:07:29,105 --> 00:07:29,605
trees.

188
00:07:30,120 --> 00:07:33,000
I mean he loved them. I accused him

189
00:07:33,000 --> 00:07:36,120
of planting trees just so he could prune

190
00:07:36,120 --> 00:07:37,259
them down the road.

191
00:07:37,720 --> 00:07:39,899
But he wasn't so much of a pruner

192
00:07:39,959 --> 00:07:41,899
as he was a scalper.

193
00:07:42,665 --> 00:07:45,165
But I'm talking about intentional cuts

194
00:07:45,704 --> 00:07:47,245
that make the tree better

195
00:07:47,704 --> 00:07:49,644
and not just make it ugly.

196
00:07:50,264 --> 00:07:52,985
But as you know, God knows something about

197
00:07:52,985 --> 00:07:53,964
pruning too.

198
00:07:55,300 --> 00:07:57,399
Jesus said, I am the true vine

199
00:07:58,339 --> 00:08:00,519
and my father is the husbandman.

200
00:08:01,779 --> 00:08:04,579
Every branch in me that beareth not fruit

201
00:08:04,579 --> 00:08:05,879
he taketh away,

202
00:08:06,419 --> 00:08:08,199
that is he lifts it up,

203
00:08:08,634 --> 00:08:11,214
and every branch that beareth fruit he

204
00:08:11,754 --> 00:08:14,495
purgeth it that it may bring forth

205
00:08:15,034 --> 00:08:15,854
more fruit.

206
00:08:16,714 --> 00:08:18,875
When we begin to bear fruit for God,

207
00:08:18,875 --> 00:08:20,334
the Lord will take us

208
00:08:20,849 --> 00:08:23,490
and he will continually prune out the dead

209
00:08:23,490 --> 00:08:26,469
areas that draw our attention away from him

210
00:08:27,009 --> 00:08:29,009
so that he might use us to bring

211
00:08:29,009 --> 00:08:29,829
more glory

212
00:08:30,209 --> 00:08:31,430
unto his name.

213
00:08:32,289 --> 00:08:34,470
Now this passage we're in tonight,

214
00:08:35,315 --> 00:08:37,654
it shows us a little bit of insight

215
00:08:37,715 --> 00:08:38,535
into how

216
00:08:39,075 --> 00:08:40,855
God prunes his people

217
00:08:41,634 --> 00:08:44,674
to grow them and shape them into the

218
00:08:44,674 --> 00:08:45,174
saints

219
00:08:45,715 --> 00:08:46,535
he desires

220
00:08:46,914 --> 00:08:47,975
us to be.

221
00:08:48,740 --> 00:08:51,460
And our passage here introduces us to a

222
00:08:51,460 --> 00:08:52,519
man by the name

223
00:08:52,899 --> 00:08:53,720
of Elijah.

224
00:08:54,580 --> 00:08:58,100
Now Elijah's well known now. Everybody knows who

225
00:08:58,100 --> 00:08:59,080
Elijah is,

226
00:08:59,700 --> 00:09:02,259
but when he appeared out of nowhere in

227
00:09:02,259 --> 00:09:03,159
verse 1,

228
00:09:04,034 --> 00:09:06,534
Elijah was a virtual nobody.

229
00:09:07,475 --> 00:09:10,934
And Elijah the Tishbite, this unknown prophet,

230
00:09:11,554 --> 00:09:14,134
he came before the wicked king Ahab

231
00:09:14,835 --> 00:09:17,735
and he proclaimed that a drought would lay

232
00:09:18,120 --> 00:09:19,660
upon the land of Israel.

233
00:09:20,440 --> 00:09:23,080
In fact his faith was so great that

234
00:09:23,080 --> 00:09:25,080
he was able to say there will not

235
00:09:25,080 --> 00:09:26,620
be rain or dew

236
00:09:27,320 --> 00:09:29,340
until I say so.

237
00:09:29,975 --> 00:09:32,054
And by the way that was a message

238
00:09:32,054 --> 00:09:34,075
of judgment against Israel

239
00:09:34,934 --> 00:09:37,675
and her king, because they had sinned

240
00:09:38,134 --> 00:09:39,195
against God.

241
00:09:40,375 --> 00:09:41,434
Now this confrontation

242
00:09:41,975 --> 00:09:44,075
would have angered king Ahab

243
00:09:44,730 --> 00:09:47,690
and Elijah would have been in considerable danger,

244
00:09:47,690 --> 00:09:50,009
but of course he was safe in God's

245
00:09:50,009 --> 00:09:53,230
will. Ahab could not have touched him unless

246
00:09:53,450 --> 00:09:55,149
God allowed it to happen.

247
00:09:55,529 --> 00:09:56,269
But nonetheless

248
00:09:56,649 --> 00:09:59,470
God tells him in the very next verse,

249
00:10:00,245 --> 00:10:02,664
arise get thee hence and hide

250
00:10:03,044 --> 00:10:05,605
thou rather get thee hence and turn thee

251
00:10:05,605 --> 00:10:07,065
eastward and hide thyself

252
00:10:07,605 --> 00:10:10,024
by the brook Cherith. So God said

253
00:10:10,404 --> 00:10:12,485
you go down to Cherith and I want

254
00:10:12,485 --> 00:10:14,024
you to hide there.

255
00:10:14,879 --> 00:10:18,559
God did not send Elijah to Cherith in

256
00:10:18,559 --> 00:10:19,379
order to

257
00:10:19,759 --> 00:10:20,820
protect him.

258
00:10:21,519 --> 00:10:24,240
It is my opinion that God sent him

259
00:10:24,240 --> 00:10:24,740
there

260
00:10:25,120 --> 00:10:26,899
that he might prune him,

261
00:10:27,584 --> 00:10:30,565
because God had big plans for Elijah,

262
00:10:31,584 --> 00:10:35,264
but Elijah had to grow before God could

263
00:10:35,264 --> 00:10:38,404
use him to carry out the lord's plans.

264
00:10:39,309 --> 00:10:42,930
And through strategic pruning here in chapter 17,

265
00:10:44,029 --> 00:10:47,309
Elijah was developed into a man that God

266
00:10:47,309 --> 00:10:49,250
could use and did use

267
00:10:49,870 --> 00:10:51,090
for his glory.

268
00:10:52,034 --> 00:10:54,115
By way of thinking about this chapter, look

269
00:10:54,115 --> 00:10:55,335
at verse number 1.

270
00:10:56,355 --> 00:10:58,514
In the very first part of verse number

271
00:10:58,514 --> 00:10:59,014
1,

272
00:10:59,554 --> 00:11:01,575
excuse me, he is called Elijah

273
00:11:02,355 --> 00:11:03,174
the Tishbite.

274
00:11:04,730 --> 00:11:07,230
In the last verse of this chapter,

275
00:11:07,850 --> 00:11:10,269
he is called a man of God.

276
00:11:10,889 --> 00:11:12,429
How did he get that way?

277
00:11:13,129 --> 00:11:16,190
He got that way because God pruned him

278
00:11:16,845 --> 00:11:18,625
and God changed him

279
00:11:19,004 --> 00:11:19,904
and God

280
00:11:20,205 --> 00:11:20,945
grew him.

281
00:11:21,485 --> 00:11:23,904
And I'd like for us to follow along

282
00:11:24,044 --> 00:11:25,985
as God prunes Elijah.

283
00:11:26,605 --> 00:11:29,084
And I want to explore this, because whether

284
00:11:29,084 --> 00:11:30,945
you know it or not, whether you

285
00:11:31,480 --> 00:11:34,940
realize it or not, God prunes us too.

286
00:11:36,040 --> 00:11:37,100
He's always

287
00:11:37,639 --> 00:11:38,940
been pruning you.

288
00:11:39,720 --> 00:11:42,860
Ever since he saved you he's been

289
00:11:43,320 --> 00:11:44,299
pruning you.

290
00:11:45,375 --> 00:11:48,174
AW Tozer said this many years ago and

291
00:11:48,174 --> 00:11:51,294
I quote, he said the devil things and

292
00:11:51,294 --> 00:11:53,154
people being what they are,

293
00:11:53,774 --> 00:11:54,834
it is necessary

294
00:11:55,214 --> 00:11:57,154
for God to use the hammer,

295
00:11:57,970 --> 00:11:59,750
the fowl and the furnace

296
00:12:00,450 --> 00:12:03,269
in his holy work of preparing a saint

297
00:12:03,490 --> 00:12:04,629
for true sainthood.

298
00:12:05,090 --> 00:12:07,269
And this last part's what I'll get you.

299
00:12:08,289 --> 00:12:11,090
It is doubtful whether God can bless a

300
00:12:11,090 --> 00:12:11,990
man greatly

301
00:12:13,165 --> 00:12:15,504
until he has hurt him deeply,

302
00:12:16,125 --> 00:12:16,945
end quote.

303
00:12:17,325 --> 00:12:19,165
There's a lot of truth in that, isn't

304
00:12:19,165 --> 00:12:19,665
there?

305
00:12:20,205 --> 00:12:23,245
And what we learn from God's pruning of

306
00:12:23,245 --> 00:12:23,745
Elijah

307
00:12:25,004 --> 00:12:27,425
teaches us what God is doing

308
00:12:28,230 --> 00:12:30,330
when we feel his shears

309
00:12:31,110 --> 00:12:32,330
cut into us.

310
00:12:32,950 --> 00:12:35,509
So let's learn some lessons here and talk

311
00:12:35,509 --> 00:12:36,009
about

312
00:12:36,549 --> 00:12:37,769
divine pruning.

313
00:12:38,309 --> 00:12:40,169
Stay with me for just a minute.

314
00:12:40,754 --> 00:12:42,615
In verses 2 through 4

315
00:12:43,075 --> 00:12:45,894
I want you to understand first that God

316
00:12:46,595 --> 00:12:49,014
ordains the place of pruning.

317
00:12:49,634 --> 00:12:51,254
What did God say to him?

318
00:12:51,715 --> 00:12:53,495
God said give me hints

319
00:12:54,274 --> 00:12:55,495
and hide yourself

320
00:12:56,490 --> 00:12:57,790
down at Cherith.

321
00:12:58,410 --> 00:12:59,950
It's interesting to know

322
00:13:00,330 --> 00:13:03,309
that this name Cherith means to cut down

323
00:13:03,850 --> 00:13:05,070
or to cut off.

324
00:13:05,850 --> 00:13:08,110
God takes Elijah from nowhere,

325
00:13:09,074 --> 00:13:11,414
stands him up before the king of Israel,

326
00:13:12,274 --> 00:13:14,054
Elijah makes this prophetic

327
00:13:14,434 --> 00:13:14,934
announcement,

328
00:13:15,554 --> 00:13:18,674
and then immediately God takes him and hides

329
00:13:18,674 --> 00:13:19,414
him away,

330
00:13:20,034 --> 00:13:21,814
and God cuts him off

331
00:13:22,309 --> 00:13:23,529
from public view

332
00:13:24,149 --> 00:13:27,350
in order that God may cut him down

333
00:13:27,350 --> 00:13:28,169
to size.

334
00:13:29,190 --> 00:13:31,850
God desires to shape him

335
00:13:32,389 --> 00:13:34,970
into a man who is usable

336
00:13:35,735 --> 00:13:38,714
in the purpose God has for him.

337
00:13:39,334 --> 00:13:41,434
And I think one of the most difficult

338
00:13:41,574 --> 00:13:44,714
lessons for the saints of God to learn

339
00:13:45,495 --> 00:13:48,634
is that God must send you to Cherith.

340
00:13:49,440 --> 00:13:51,300
He must cut you off

341
00:13:51,920 --> 00:13:53,700
and he must cut you down

342
00:13:54,480 --> 00:13:57,460
before he will use you for his glory.

343
00:13:58,320 --> 00:14:00,800
He must cut you down so that his

344
00:14:00,800 --> 00:14:01,300
image

345
00:14:01,840 --> 00:14:03,620
may be more clearly revealed

346
00:14:03,920 --> 00:14:04,660
in you.

347
00:14:05,434 --> 00:14:06,654
Just like a silversmith

348
00:14:07,034 --> 00:14:08,254
will skim

349
00:14:08,634 --> 00:14:11,274
the draw soft the silver until he can

350
00:14:11,274 --> 00:14:13,695
see his image looking back at him.

351
00:14:14,154 --> 00:14:16,174
God will work in our lives

352
00:14:16,554 --> 00:14:18,654
to bring us where his image

353
00:14:19,160 --> 00:14:21,899
is more clearly seen in us.

354
00:14:22,600 --> 00:14:25,259
So Cherith is a hidden place,

355
00:14:25,879 --> 00:14:28,759
and God tells him in verse 3 that

356
00:14:28,759 --> 00:14:29,820
he is to

357
00:14:30,200 --> 00:14:31,899
hide himself there.

358
00:14:33,095 --> 00:14:35,034
Cherith is by definition

359
00:14:35,575 --> 00:14:38,394
a hard and lonely place,

360
00:14:39,095 --> 00:14:42,375
and here Elijah would be removed from the

361
00:14:42,375 --> 00:14:42,875
spotlight.

362
00:14:43,654 --> 00:14:46,394
He would dwell alone there while the lord

363
00:14:46,454 --> 00:14:47,595
shaped him and

364
00:14:48,019 --> 00:14:49,399
pruned his life.

365
00:14:50,100 --> 00:14:51,860
And I think one of the lessons we

366
00:14:51,860 --> 00:14:53,639
can learn from these verses,

367
00:14:54,419 --> 00:14:56,279
and in fact one of the most powerful,

368
00:14:56,899 --> 00:15:00,279
is that we must never overlook the power

369
00:15:00,980 --> 00:15:02,440
of the hidden life.

370
00:15:03,434 --> 00:15:06,495
In this place hidden away from public view,

371
00:15:07,274 --> 00:15:09,774
Elijah became a man of God.

372
00:15:10,634 --> 00:15:13,035
It was here that he learned to trust

373
00:15:13,035 --> 00:15:14,335
God completely.

374
00:15:15,370 --> 00:15:17,610
It was here that he was forced to

375
00:15:17,610 --> 00:15:18,110
learn

376
00:15:18,490 --> 00:15:19,870
to lean on God.

377
00:15:20,649 --> 00:15:23,629
And you and I must learn to receive

378
00:15:23,929 --> 00:15:24,669
from God

379
00:15:25,370 --> 00:15:28,429
before we can ever give out to anyone

380
00:15:28,569 --> 00:15:29,069
else.

381
00:15:29,894 --> 00:15:32,634
He must put something into our vessels

382
00:15:33,414 --> 00:15:36,375
before they can be poured out to help

383
00:15:36,375 --> 00:15:36,875
others.

384
00:15:37,975 --> 00:15:40,074
Jesus understood the power

385
00:15:40,534 --> 00:15:41,914
of this hidden life.

386
00:15:42,629 --> 00:15:45,190
Time and again we're told how he would

387
00:15:45,190 --> 00:15:47,670
slip off in the early morning or in

388
00:15:47,670 --> 00:15:49,590
the night time and he would go out

389
00:15:49,590 --> 00:15:50,410
by himself,

390
00:15:50,790 --> 00:15:53,529
where he would spend time with his father

391
00:15:53,990 --> 00:15:55,290
praying and seeking

392
00:15:55,830 --> 00:15:57,290
his father's will.

393
00:15:57,684 --> 00:16:00,504
And if Jesus needed that then my friends

394
00:16:00,805 --> 00:16:02,665
you and I need it too.

395
00:16:03,125 --> 00:16:04,745
We all need the benefit

396
00:16:05,365 --> 00:16:08,565
of a hidden life. You see there is

397
00:16:08,565 --> 00:16:10,585
a part of us the world sees

398
00:16:11,285 --> 00:16:13,065
and there is a part of us

399
00:16:13,460 --> 00:16:14,600
they never see

400
00:16:15,059 --> 00:16:17,720
and it's the part others do not see

401
00:16:18,100 --> 00:16:20,899
that defines us in the part they do

402
00:16:20,899 --> 00:16:21,399
see,

403
00:16:21,860 --> 00:16:24,519
because when we are all we should be

404
00:16:24,740 --> 00:16:27,080
in the place where they do not see,

405
00:16:27,514 --> 00:16:29,855
We will bring more glory to God

406
00:16:30,235 --> 00:16:32,335
when they do see us.

407
00:16:32,955 --> 00:16:35,535
And it's all that time spent alone

408
00:16:36,075 --> 00:16:39,455
in the presence of God praying and worshiping

409
00:16:40,300 --> 00:16:41,600
and studying his

410
00:16:42,059 --> 00:16:44,080
word that makes us usable

411
00:16:44,540 --> 00:16:45,759
for his glory.

412
00:16:46,300 --> 00:16:48,480
Now that being true, and it is,

413
00:16:48,940 --> 00:16:51,600
how much time are you investing

414
00:16:52,379 --> 00:16:54,160
in your hidden life?

415
00:16:56,245 --> 00:16:57,065
I think

416
00:16:57,845 --> 00:17:00,165
there are times when every one of us

417
00:17:00,165 --> 00:17:00,665
wonders

418
00:17:01,764 --> 00:17:04,505
why God doesn't use us more

419
00:17:04,884 --> 00:17:06,105
than he does.

420
00:17:07,204 --> 00:17:09,545
But when God hides you away

421
00:17:10,470 --> 00:17:12,730
and he puts you out of the limelight

422
00:17:13,670 --> 00:17:16,069
and he hides you from the eye of

423
00:17:16,069 --> 00:17:16,730
the world,

424
00:17:17,429 --> 00:17:19,690
he is shaping you in private

425
00:17:20,549 --> 00:17:23,450
so that he might display you in glory

426
00:17:24,125 --> 00:17:25,904
in his good time.

427
00:17:26,845 --> 00:17:29,424
And a life that is lived in solitude

428
00:17:30,125 --> 00:17:31,184
before the lord

429
00:17:31,565 --> 00:17:34,125
is a life that will one day be

430
00:17:34,125 --> 00:17:37,744
used by him to bring glory to God.

431
00:17:38,619 --> 00:17:41,279
And what God is looking for is people

432
00:17:41,579 --> 00:17:43,440
who will be faithful to him

433
00:17:43,740 --> 00:17:44,559
in secret.

434
00:17:45,419 --> 00:17:48,400
And when we are found faithful in secret

435
00:17:48,859 --> 00:17:49,839
he will expand

436
00:17:50,299 --> 00:17:51,759
our sphere of influence

437
00:17:52,394 --> 00:17:54,075
and he will bring us out and he

438
00:17:54,075 --> 00:17:55,215
will use us

439
00:17:55,595 --> 00:17:56,815
in great ways.

440
00:17:58,075 --> 00:18:00,974
Bottom line is we must be as willing

441
00:18:01,434 --> 00:18:03,455
to be hidden away by God

442
00:18:04,154 --> 00:18:07,615
as we are to be used by God.

443
00:18:08,339 --> 00:18:09,559
You need to be content

444
00:18:10,179 --> 00:18:12,900
when God is doing nothing but meeting with

445
00:18:12,900 --> 00:18:13,400
you

446
00:18:13,779 --> 00:18:14,679
in private.

447
00:18:15,380 --> 00:18:18,039
And you should be as content with that

448
00:18:18,500 --> 00:18:21,079
as when God is using you

449
00:18:21,460 --> 00:18:21,960
openly.

450
00:18:22,894 --> 00:18:24,194
This is the nature

451
00:18:24,734 --> 00:18:26,515
of a place called Cherith.

452
00:18:27,134 --> 00:18:29,554
It may mean being passed over.

453
00:18:30,174 --> 00:18:31,714
It may mean being

454
00:18:32,015 --> 00:18:32,835
left out.

455
00:18:33,294 --> 00:18:37,214
But never forget this, God knows where you

456
00:18:37,214 --> 00:18:37,714
are

457
00:18:38,190 --> 00:18:40,369
and he knows what you're facing

458
00:18:40,990 --> 00:18:43,490
and he knows what you deal with.

459
00:18:43,869 --> 00:18:46,289
And if God sends you to charity

460
00:18:46,589 --> 00:18:48,690
and he hides you away there,

461
00:18:49,149 --> 00:18:49,970
trust me

462
00:18:50,349 --> 00:18:52,049
he will reveal you

463
00:18:52,595 --> 00:18:54,375
in his time.

464
00:18:55,154 --> 00:18:57,634
Now notice the word use of the word

465
00:18:57,634 --> 00:18:58,855
in verse 4.

466
00:18:59,795 --> 00:19:01,734
The use of the word

467
00:19:02,035 --> 00:19:02,535
there.

468
00:19:03,634 --> 00:19:05,734
I have commanded the ravens

469
00:19:06,180 --> 00:19:07,640
to feed thee

470
00:19:08,259 --> 00:19:08,759
there.

471
00:19:10,019 --> 00:19:11,240
Cherith was a

472
00:19:12,100 --> 00:19:13,400
specific place.

473
00:19:14,100 --> 00:19:16,900
And it was the only place Elijah could

474
00:19:16,900 --> 00:19:17,400
be

475
00:19:17,779 --> 00:19:19,945
and be right with God. In fact, had

476
00:19:19,945 --> 00:19:22,825
he gone anywhere else he would have starved

477
00:19:22,825 --> 00:19:25,945
to death because God had meals on wings

478
00:19:25,945 --> 00:19:27,644
coming in every day to him

479
00:19:27,945 --> 00:19:29,965
and God had ordered provision

480
00:19:30,424 --> 00:19:31,404
to be delivered,

481
00:19:31,865 --> 00:19:34,525
but those ravens were coming to Cherith

482
00:19:35,000 --> 00:19:37,880
and for him it was the only place

483
00:19:37,880 --> 00:19:38,539
to be.

484
00:19:39,480 --> 00:19:41,980
I talked to a pastor today who is

485
00:19:42,279 --> 00:19:43,900
facing some significant

486
00:19:44,200 --> 00:19:44,700
obstacles

487
00:19:45,240 --> 00:19:47,660
in his church and in his ministry,

488
00:19:48,474 --> 00:19:49,934
And he is busy

489
00:19:50,474 --> 00:19:54,234
sending out resumes, you know, and looking here

490
00:19:54,234 --> 00:19:56,954
and looking there and trying to see a

491
00:19:57,034 --> 00:19:59,994
put out feelers that if maybe somebody wants

492
00:19:59,994 --> 00:20:02,974
him in this church or the other.

493
00:20:03,679 --> 00:20:06,740
My response to him is save your stamps,

494
00:20:07,359 --> 00:20:09,940
because God knows where you are.

495
00:20:10,559 --> 00:20:12,960
Just be all you can be where you

496
00:20:12,960 --> 00:20:13,460
are

497
00:20:13,759 --> 00:20:15,759
and when it's time for you to go

498
00:20:15,759 --> 00:20:16,900
I promise you

499
00:20:17,204 --> 00:20:18,505
he'll come to you

500
00:20:19,044 --> 00:20:20,265
and he will

501
00:20:20,724 --> 00:20:21,544
tell you.

502
00:20:22,325 --> 00:20:23,625
But isn't it true

503
00:20:24,724 --> 00:20:27,944
that when God sends us to a difficult

504
00:20:28,085 --> 00:20:28,585
place,

505
00:20:29,539 --> 00:20:32,039
we really want to be somewhere else.

506
00:20:32,980 --> 00:20:34,039
Anywhere else.

507
00:20:35,059 --> 00:20:37,079
After all, who likes pain?

508
00:20:38,579 --> 00:20:40,039
Who likes sickness?

509
00:20:40,980 --> 00:20:43,160
Who likes financial trouble?

510
00:20:44,225 --> 00:20:46,805
Who likes to struggle their way through

511
00:20:47,424 --> 00:20:48,325
every day?

512
00:20:49,025 --> 00:20:51,365
But we must learn that if God

513
00:20:51,744 --> 00:20:53,605
sends us to a chariot,

514
00:20:54,144 --> 00:20:56,865
where he humbles us and he cuts us

515
00:20:56,865 --> 00:21:00,019
off and he cuts us down. He knows

516
00:21:00,160 --> 00:21:00,980
what he

517
00:21:01,440 --> 00:21:02,420
is doing.

518
00:21:03,519 --> 00:21:05,140
The only place to be

519
00:21:05,839 --> 00:21:06,819
is where God

520
00:21:07,440 --> 00:21:08,339
sends us.

521
00:21:09,119 --> 00:21:11,679
And the only course of action in that

522
00:21:11,679 --> 00:21:12,179
place

523
00:21:13,174 --> 00:21:15,494
is to submit to the will of God

524
00:21:15,494 --> 00:21:16,474
for our lives

525
00:21:17,255 --> 00:21:19,035
and learn to trust him.

526
00:21:19,654 --> 00:21:20,634
Never forget

527
00:21:21,575 --> 00:21:22,795
who is in control.

528
00:21:23,894 --> 00:21:26,295
And if God sends you to Cherith I

529
00:21:26,295 --> 00:21:27,515
promise you this,

530
00:21:28,490 --> 00:21:30,910
that is his plan for your life.

531
00:21:31,690 --> 00:21:34,910
And you are not going to avoid it.

532
00:21:35,769 --> 00:21:37,230
But while you are there,

533
00:21:38,250 --> 00:21:40,269
God is gonna be working.

534
00:21:41,255 --> 00:21:42,554
Remember Romans 828,

535
00:21:42,855 --> 00:21:44,394
we love that verse. Right?

536
00:21:45,575 --> 00:21:47,815
For we know that all things work together

537
00:21:47,815 --> 00:21:50,615
for good to them that love God, to

538
00:21:50,615 --> 00:21:53,494
them who are the called according to his

539
00:21:53,494 --> 00:21:53,994
purpose.

540
00:21:54,454 --> 00:21:55,674
We love that.

541
00:21:56,149 --> 00:21:58,250
How about this one, Psalm 3723.

542
00:21:59,909 --> 00:22:02,710
The steps of a good man are ordered

543
00:22:02,710 --> 00:22:03,609
by the lord

544
00:22:04,230 --> 00:22:06,569
and he delighted in his way.

545
00:22:06,950 --> 00:22:09,509
That means every step in your life and

546
00:22:09,509 --> 00:22:10,009
mine

547
00:22:10,484 --> 00:22:12,585
has been ordained by God.

548
00:22:13,444 --> 00:22:15,065
Every step I take

549
00:22:15,444 --> 00:22:16,585
has been planned.

550
00:22:17,125 --> 00:22:18,744
He plans my steps

551
00:22:19,125 --> 00:22:22,105
and if he plans my steps, he also

552
00:22:22,164 --> 00:22:23,464
plans my stops.

553
00:22:24,960 --> 00:22:25,460
Yeah.

554
00:22:26,000 --> 00:22:27,619
Sometimes those steps

555
00:22:28,240 --> 00:22:29,779
lead me to a stop

556
00:22:30,319 --> 00:22:32,400
and God will hide me away for a

557
00:22:32,400 --> 00:22:34,259
time and it's always

558
00:22:34,799 --> 00:22:37,539
for my good. But when I get there,

559
00:22:37,679 --> 00:22:40,684
when you get there, we have 2 choices.

560
00:22:41,384 --> 00:22:42,924
The first is rebellion.

561
00:22:43,704 --> 00:22:46,424
We can fight God and we can stay

562
00:22:46,424 --> 00:22:47,244
there longer

563
00:22:47,785 --> 00:22:50,265
or we can submit to God, do what

564
00:22:50,265 --> 00:22:53,065
he tells us and God will work out

565
00:22:53,065 --> 00:22:56,279
our plan. Bottom line, you can choose to

566
00:22:56,279 --> 00:22:59,240
be miserable when God puts you in that

567
00:22:59,240 --> 00:23:01,579
kind of place or you can rejoice

568
00:23:02,200 --> 00:23:03,259
in being there

569
00:23:03,799 --> 00:23:06,220
knowing that what is meant to be

570
00:23:06,599 --> 00:23:08,859
will be and that what is

571
00:23:09,424 --> 00:23:11,605
is what is meant to be.

572
00:23:11,904 --> 00:23:13,365
And that's the bottom line.

573
00:23:14,304 --> 00:23:15,765
You might fight it,

574
00:23:16,544 --> 00:23:18,404
but you're never gonna change it.

575
00:23:19,105 --> 00:23:21,105
You might as well just jump in with

576
00:23:21,105 --> 00:23:21,924
both feet

577
00:23:22,380 --> 00:23:23,599
and enjoy yourself

578
00:23:23,980 --> 00:23:25,200
while you're there.

579
00:23:26,059 --> 00:23:29,519
There is a place that God has ordained,

580
00:23:30,460 --> 00:23:33,519
and no matter how bad it hurts,

581
00:23:34,619 --> 00:23:36,880
go ahead and yield to God

582
00:23:37,894 --> 00:23:39,434
and trust that God

583
00:23:39,734 --> 00:23:41,755
knows better than you do,

584
00:23:42,615 --> 00:23:44,154
because he does.

585
00:23:45,734 --> 00:23:47,994
But I think one thing that bothers us

586
00:23:48,855 --> 00:23:50,855
about this, and I'm gonna touch touch this

587
00:23:50,855 --> 00:23:53,349
and move on to a second lesson,

588
00:23:54,529 --> 00:23:57,109
is that we never know where these places

589
00:23:57,169 --> 00:23:57,669
are.

590
00:23:59,649 --> 00:24:00,710
You know what I mean?

591
00:24:01,970 --> 00:24:02,869
We never

592
00:24:03,649 --> 00:24:04,149
know

593
00:24:04,690 --> 00:24:05,190
what's

594
00:24:05,569 --> 00:24:06,069
coming.

595
00:24:07,664 --> 00:24:09,684
I never have read the horoscope,

596
00:24:11,744 --> 00:24:12,244
because

597
00:24:12,625 --> 00:24:14,784
it does not know what's gonna happen in

598
00:24:14,784 --> 00:24:15,444
my life.

599
00:24:16,384 --> 00:24:18,164
I've never called a psychic,

600
00:24:19,319 --> 00:24:21,480
because I figure if they're that good then

601
00:24:21,480 --> 00:24:23,099
why don't they call me first.

602
00:24:23,960 --> 00:24:25,019
Think about it.

603
00:24:25,559 --> 00:24:27,480
If they're that good they should ring me

604
00:24:27,480 --> 00:24:29,000
up and say, hey you're about to call

605
00:24:29,000 --> 00:24:31,319
me. Right? Can I have your credit card

606
00:24:31,319 --> 00:24:33,484
number? But they don't call me.

607
00:24:33,945 --> 00:24:35,705
So I never have called one of them,

608
00:24:35,705 --> 00:24:37,705
because they don't know. And I have no

609
00:24:37,705 --> 00:24:40,664
idea what's coming in my life tomorrow. I

610
00:24:40,664 --> 00:24:42,184
mean I could get up in the morning

611
00:24:42,184 --> 00:24:44,099
and I plan to drive home. And I

612
00:24:44,099 --> 00:24:45,779
could have a be in an accident on

613
00:24:45,779 --> 00:24:48,179
85 over there above Atlanta. I don't know

614
00:24:48,179 --> 00:24:50,259
what's gonna happen. I pray it doesn't, but

615
00:24:50,259 --> 00:24:51,000
it could.

616
00:24:52,259 --> 00:24:53,960
I don't know what's gonna happen.

617
00:24:55,059 --> 00:24:56,980
And this could be the last service I

618
00:24:56,980 --> 00:24:58,679
ever preach in my life.

619
00:24:59,534 --> 00:25:01,554
And if that's God's will for me

620
00:25:01,855 --> 00:25:03,234
I'm fine with that,

621
00:25:03,774 --> 00:25:07,534
because I want to be where he wants

622
00:25:07,534 --> 00:25:09,694
me to be and I hope you do

623
00:25:09,694 --> 00:25:10,194
too.

624
00:25:10,654 --> 00:25:12,095
So it bothers us that we don't know

625
00:25:12,095 --> 00:25:13,859
where those places are. Now how does it

626
00:25:13,940 --> 00:25:16,679
it always bothers because we don't also

627
00:25:16,980 --> 00:25:19,059
know what's gonna happen while we're there, how

628
00:25:19,059 --> 00:25:21,220
much it's gonna hurt, how long it's gonna

629
00:25:21,220 --> 00:25:22,759
last. We don't know nothing,

630
00:25:23,619 --> 00:25:25,160
but God knows it all.

631
00:25:25,859 --> 00:25:27,460
And the best thing you and I can

632
00:25:27,460 --> 00:25:28,200
do is

633
00:25:28,835 --> 00:25:29,815
trust him.

634
00:25:30,994 --> 00:25:33,494
But notice not only that God ordains

635
00:25:33,875 --> 00:25:35,414
the place of pruning,

636
00:25:36,195 --> 00:25:38,515
but in verses 4 through 6 I want

637
00:25:38,515 --> 00:25:41,335
you to see that God offers a promise

638
00:25:41,634 --> 00:25:43,575
in pruning. Look what he said.

639
00:25:44,099 --> 00:25:45,799
He said it shall be

640
00:25:46,420 --> 00:25:48,500
that thou shalt drink of the brook, so

641
00:25:48,500 --> 00:25:49,640
it's got water,

642
00:25:50,259 --> 00:25:52,980
and I've commanded the ravens to feed thee

643
00:25:52,980 --> 00:25:55,400
there. Oh he's got food too.

644
00:25:56,035 --> 00:25:57,795
So he went and did according to the

645
00:25:57,795 --> 00:26:00,375
word of the lord. So God sent him

646
00:26:01,154 --> 00:26:02,535
into the middle of nowhere,

647
00:26:03,394 --> 00:26:06,134
and he sent him there to train him.

648
00:26:07,075 --> 00:26:08,295
And God promises

649
00:26:08,674 --> 00:26:09,174
Elijah

650
00:26:10,019 --> 00:26:12,519
that God would meet all of his needs

651
00:26:12,660 --> 00:26:14,039
while he is there.

652
00:26:14,660 --> 00:26:16,359
And God always, listen,

653
00:26:16,740 --> 00:26:18,039
every one of God's

654
00:26:18,340 --> 00:26:20,519
commands is always accompanied

655
00:26:21,059 --> 00:26:22,359
by God's provision.

656
00:26:23,375 --> 00:26:25,554
He will never send you anywhere

657
00:26:26,494 --> 00:26:30,014
that he does not give you everything you

658
00:26:30,014 --> 00:26:30,835
need to

659
00:26:31,134 --> 00:26:32,274
make it there.

660
00:26:33,134 --> 00:26:35,534
But here's what I love about this, verse

661
00:26:35,534 --> 00:26:36,034
4.

662
00:26:37,019 --> 00:26:39,279
Before the need ever arose,

663
00:26:40,620 --> 00:26:41,840
God had already

664
00:26:42,299 --> 00:26:43,440
met the need.

665
00:26:44,299 --> 00:26:46,559
Notice the wording of verse 4.

666
00:26:47,100 --> 00:26:49,039
He said I have

667
00:26:49,340 --> 00:26:49,840
commanded

668
00:26:50,524 --> 00:26:51,184
the ravens

669
00:26:51,565 --> 00:26:53,024
to feed thee there.

670
00:26:53,724 --> 00:26:54,704
At some point

671
00:26:55,085 --> 00:26:57,184
in the midst of the past,

672
00:26:57,884 --> 00:27:00,224
God formed that little brook

673
00:27:00,605 --> 00:27:03,244
knowing one day the man of God would

674
00:27:03,244 --> 00:27:04,784
seek refuge there.

675
00:27:05,549 --> 00:27:07,889
Before Elijah ever went there,

676
00:27:08,190 --> 00:27:11,169
God had already commanded a bunch of ravens

677
00:27:11,549 --> 00:27:14,369
to take care of him. They're his birds

678
00:27:14,589 --> 00:27:16,750
and he said to them, I want you

679
00:27:16,750 --> 00:27:18,909
to take the prophet meat and bread every

680
00:27:18,909 --> 00:27:19,409
morning

681
00:27:19,765 --> 00:27:22,565
and meat and bread every afternoon. We're not

682
00:27:22,565 --> 00:27:24,804
going to ponder where they got it, but

683
00:27:24,804 --> 00:27:26,105
they took it to him

684
00:27:26,404 --> 00:27:27,865
morning and evening

685
00:27:28,244 --> 00:27:32,404
every single day. Here's the point, nothing ever

686
00:27:32,404 --> 00:27:34,744
catches God by surprise.

687
00:27:35,369 --> 00:27:38,650
He has never had a duh moment. God

688
00:27:38,650 --> 00:27:40,410
has never had one of those times where

689
00:27:40,410 --> 00:27:42,170
he said oh man, what we gonna do

690
00:27:42,170 --> 00:27:45,130
now? I didn't see that coming. No, it

691
00:27:45,130 --> 00:27:48,750
happened because God sent it. It happened because

692
00:27:48,809 --> 00:27:51,615
God planned it. And when God plans it

693
00:27:51,615 --> 00:27:52,755
for his people,

694
00:27:54,015 --> 00:27:55,475
God's going to take care

695
00:27:56,575 --> 00:27:57,795
of his people.

696
00:27:59,455 --> 00:28:02,515
Our Cherith always comes equipped

697
00:28:03,295 --> 00:28:04,515
with God's provision.

698
00:28:05,690 --> 00:28:08,170
One of our problems with God, I think,

699
00:28:08,170 --> 00:28:09,710
our understanding of God,

700
00:28:10,329 --> 00:28:12,990
is that a lot of times we reduce

701
00:28:13,049 --> 00:28:13,549
God

702
00:28:14,009 --> 00:28:15,470
down to human terms.

703
00:28:16,410 --> 00:28:18,970
We bring him down to term to terms

704
00:28:18,970 --> 00:28:20,349
we can, well

705
00:28:21,115 --> 00:28:23,115
we can understand him better. Right? You see

706
00:28:23,115 --> 00:28:24,575
this all the time in the bible.

707
00:28:25,115 --> 00:28:27,214
The psalmist talks about God's hands.

708
00:28:27,914 --> 00:28:29,615
He talks about God's feet.

709
00:28:30,474 --> 00:28:32,815
Talks about God inclining his ear.

710
00:28:33,409 --> 00:28:35,349
Talks about God's right arm.

711
00:28:36,369 --> 00:28:38,549
But did you know God is a spirit?

712
00:28:40,450 --> 00:28:42,450
And if God is a spirit, then God

713
00:28:42,450 --> 00:28:43,589
doesn't have hands.

714
00:28:47,409 --> 00:28:48,789
He doesn't have feet.

715
00:28:49,994 --> 00:28:51,455
He doesn't have ears.

716
00:28:52,234 --> 00:28:54,955
He doesn't have a right arm. He is

717
00:28:54,955 --> 00:28:58,015
a spirit. Of course Jesus, who is God,

718
00:28:58,234 --> 00:29:00,654
he took on flesh and he does,

719
00:29:00,955 --> 00:29:03,535
but the father is a spirit.

720
00:29:04,549 --> 00:29:07,210
Theologians call those kind of things anthropomorphisms.

721
00:29:09,269 --> 00:29:11,130
It's giving human characteristics

722
00:29:11,589 --> 00:29:14,470
to God so that we can understand him.

723
00:29:14,470 --> 00:29:16,250
And this is an area where sometimes

724
00:29:16,549 --> 00:29:18,474
we miss God because we think you know

725
00:29:18,474 --> 00:29:20,634
God's like us. I mean I mean we

726
00:29:20,634 --> 00:29:23,194
got places to be and we got things

727
00:29:23,194 --> 00:29:25,035
to do. Right? I mean I had to

728
00:29:25,035 --> 00:29:27,615
be here before 6 o'clock tonight

729
00:29:27,994 --> 00:29:30,494
because somebody expected me to preach.

730
00:29:31,599 --> 00:29:33,359
I had to be here. And all day

731
00:29:33,359 --> 00:29:35,519
long I've had to kind of watch my

732
00:29:35,519 --> 00:29:37,919
time so I didn't get behind, you know.

733
00:29:37,919 --> 00:29:39,139
So I could be here

734
00:29:39,440 --> 00:29:40,259
on time.

735
00:29:41,200 --> 00:29:43,779
Gotta drive back tomorrow, pick up my granddaughter,

736
00:29:44,224 --> 00:29:46,085
and I gotta be there at a certain

737
00:29:46,384 --> 00:29:46,884
time.

738
00:29:47,424 --> 00:29:48,724
You know how that is?

739
00:29:49,664 --> 00:29:51,424
At our church they expect me to show

740
00:29:51,424 --> 00:29:53,045
up. I don't know why, brother Mark.

741
00:29:54,065 --> 00:29:55,505
They could just mail me the check and

742
00:29:55,505 --> 00:29:57,025
I'd stay home. They can do it without

743
00:29:57,025 --> 00:29:57,525
me,

744
00:29:58,159 --> 00:29:59,859
but they expect me to be there.

745
00:30:00,399 --> 00:30:02,399
But did you know God doesn't have a

746
00:30:02,399 --> 00:30:02,899
wristwatch?

747
00:30:05,200 --> 00:30:06,799
And if he did, he wouldn't have a

748
00:30:06,799 --> 00:30:08,099
wrist to hang it on.

749
00:30:08,960 --> 00:30:11,140
And if he did, he wouldn't need it.

750
00:30:11,599 --> 00:30:13,380
Nor does God have a calendar.

751
00:30:13,994 --> 00:30:15,694
He don't even have an iPhone.

752
00:30:16,875 --> 00:30:17,615
He doesn't.

753
00:30:19,115 --> 00:30:21,055
God don't care what day it is

754
00:30:21,434 --> 00:30:23,694
because God lives outside of time.

755
00:30:24,394 --> 00:30:26,255
Where he is, it's just eternity.

756
00:30:26,954 --> 00:30:29,134
There is no time whatsoever.

757
00:30:29,809 --> 00:30:32,049
And we expect God to run on our

758
00:30:32,049 --> 00:30:34,369
timetable when God don't even have a train.

759
00:30:34,369 --> 00:30:35,990
He don't run on any time.

760
00:30:36,690 --> 00:30:38,470
So my point here is this,

761
00:30:38,929 --> 00:30:42,130
God said to Elijah, you go, I've already

762
00:30:42,130 --> 00:30:43,589
sent the food down there,

763
00:30:43,945 --> 00:30:45,224
and what I'm going to tell you is

764
00:30:45,224 --> 00:30:47,484
this, God works outside of time.

765
00:30:48,424 --> 00:30:50,585
In fact he works on both ends of

766
00:30:50,585 --> 00:30:53,865
time at the same time to accomplish his

767
00:30:53,865 --> 00:30:54,365
will

768
00:30:54,664 --> 00:30:55,565
in the middle.

769
00:30:56,289 --> 00:30:58,070
He's already in your tomorrow.

770
00:30:59,089 --> 00:31:02,150
And he's already got your provision laid down

771
00:31:02,369 --> 00:31:03,269
for tomorrow.

772
00:31:04,049 --> 00:31:06,309
Your daily bread is already

773
00:31:06,690 --> 00:31:07,190
there.

774
00:31:07,809 --> 00:31:09,910
The needs that arise tomorrow

775
00:31:10,289 --> 00:31:11,865
have already been met.

776
00:31:12,345 --> 00:31:14,365
The problems that are going to come up,

777
00:31:14,424 --> 00:31:17,164
the solution has already been tailored.

778
00:31:17,625 --> 00:31:18,444
It's alright.

779
00:31:18,744 --> 00:31:20,825
You don't have to worry. Do you get

780
00:31:20,825 --> 00:31:23,865
that? Elijah went down there and he did

781
00:31:23,865 --> 00:31:26,825
not have to worry. I can't understand all

782
00:31:26,825 --> 00:31:29,200
of that, but I won't say praise his

783
00:31:29,200 --> 00:31:32,579
name. I rejoice in it. I don't worry

784
00:31:32,960 --> 00:31:34,980
about what might happen tomorrow.

785
00:31:35,359 --> 00:31:38,579
I'm not there yet, but God is. And

786
00:31:38,640 --> 00:31:41,779
if I get there, God has already taken

787
00:31:41,920 --> 00:31:42,914
care of it.

788
00:31:44,835 --> 00:31:47,394
Regardless of the circumstance or the difficulty that

789
00:31:47,394 --> 00:31:47,894
comes,

790
00:31:48,595 --> 00:31:50,855
God has already ordered my path.

791
00:31:51,555 --> 00:31:53,315
That's the way Paul was when he had

792
00:31:53,315 --> 00:31:54,994
that thorn. I touched on him the other

793
00:31:54,994 --> 00:31:55,654
day, but

794
00:31:56,069 --> 00:31:58,549
just for sake of remembrance, you know, he

795
00:31:58,549 --> 00:32:00,789
prayed. God said no. And God said, my

796
00:32:00,789 --> 00:32:01,289
grace

797
00:32:01,829 --> 00:32:04,309
is sufficient for thee for my strength is

798
00:32:04,309 --> 00:32:05,049
made perfect

799
00:32:05,589 --> 00:32:06,490
in what?

800
00:32:08,069 --> 00:32:08,569
Weakness.

801
00:32:10,294 --> 00:32:12,054
In other words, god said, Paul, I've already

802
00:32:12,054 --> 00:32:14,234
met your need concerning the thorn.

803
00:32:15,015 --> 00:32:16,234
Don't worry about it.

804
00:32:16,775 --> 00:32:19,255
Yes. It weakens you. Yes. It's broken you.

805
00:32:19,255 --> 00:32:21,494
Yes. It hurts you. Yes. You want it

806
00:32:21,494 --> 00:32:23,194
gone, but forget all about that.

807
00:32:23,929 --> 00:32:25,869
You just settle down and enjoy it.

808
00:32:26,410 --> 00:32:28,269
It's gonna hurt, but it's gonna help.

809
00:32:28,730 --> 00:32:30,349
And so that's what he did.

810
00:32:31,289 --> 00:32:32,910
Now god fed Elijah

811
00:32:33,609 --> 00:32:35,549
with the ravens every day

812
00:32:36,250 --> 00:32:38,669
and god gave him water with that

813
00:32:39,404 --> 00:32:40,384
bubbling brook.

814
00:32:41,164 --> 00:32:44,384
But that raven business, that's always bothered me.

815
00:32:44,684 --> 00:32:46,205
You know what a raven is. Right? It's

816
00:32:46,205 --> 00:32:47,565
a big crow. I mean kind of the

817
00:32:47,565 --> 00:32:50,285
same thing, bigger than a crow. But here's

818
00:32:50,285 --> 00:32:51,265
what they are.

819
00:32:52,765 --> 00:32:53,825
They're scavengers.

820
00:32:56,349 --> 00:32:57,170
They eat

821
00:32:57,950 --> 00:32:58,930
dead stuff.

822
00:32:59,710 --> 00:33:00,450
You know?

823
00:33:00,750 --> 00:33:02,509
I mean, Ahab riding in his chair one

824
00:33:02,509 --> 00:33:04,349
day, it's a possum. Raven's gonna come and

825
00:33:04,349 --> 00:33:05,009
eat that.

826
00:33:06,029 --> 00:33:08,109
You reckon that that maybe he took him

827
00:33:08,109 --> 00:33:10,450
some swirl of squirrel one morning and,

828
00:33:11,015 --> 00:33:13,015
I don't know, some possum pudding one day.

829
00:33:13,015 --> 00:33:14,154
What do you think he took?

830
00:33:14,454 --> 00:33:16,234
I don't know where the food came from.

831
00:33:17,335 --> 00:33:19,335
But here's what I think happened. This is

832
00:33:19,335 --> 00:33:20,774
car theology. You can do it with what

833
00:33:20,774 --> 00:33:22,774
you want to. I kind of think every

834
00:33:22,774 --> 00:33:25,355
morning when the service fed Ahab and Jezebel

835
00:33:25,859 --> 00:33:26,839
over in Samaria

836
00:33:27,299 --> 00:33:28,900
and they set the food out for them

837
00:33:28,900 --> 00:33:31,140
to eat, maybe on the veranda, the raven

838
00:33:31,140 --> 00:33:32,900
just swept up, swept it up and took

839
00:33:32,900 --> 00:33:34,920
it away to Elijah. That's what I figured.

840
00:33:35,140 --> 00:33:36,660
Now I could be wrong about that. One

841
00:33:36,660 --> 00:33:38,894
day he'll tell me, because I'm gonna meet

842
00:33:38,894 --> 00:33:40,894
that old fellow. I'm gonna ask him what

843
00:33:40,894 --> 00:33:41,875
happened down there.

844
00:33:42,335 --> 00:33:45,075
He gonna tell me. The point is God

845
00:33:45,615 --> 00:33:48,355
overcame the very laws of nature

846
00:33:49,134 --> 00:33:51,715
in order to feed his man.

847
00:33:52,319 --> 00:33:55,200
And God will move heaven and earth if

848
00:33:55,200 --> 00:33:56,099
he has to

849
00:33:56,480 --> 00:33:58,559
to take care of you down there in

850
00:33:58,559 --> 00:33:59,059
your

851
00:33:59,519 --> 00:34:00,019
cherries.

852
00:34:01,039 --> 00:34:03,220
God will direct your path

853
00:34:03,839 --> 00:34:06,179
to where your need is met.

854
00:34:07,214 --> 00:34:09,135
My mother, again, is back there tonight and

855
00:34:09,135 --> 00:34:10,894
she may or may not remember this, I

856
00:34:10,894 --> 00:34:11,635
don't know.

857
00:34:12,494 --> 00:34:13,934
But I'll tell it and see if she

858
00:34:13,934 --> 00:34:14,434
does,

859
00:34:14,894 --> 00:34:16,514
because God used her

860
00:34:17,135 --> 00:34:19,954
as a raven in my life one day.

861
00:34:20,699 --> 00:34:22,539
I remember a time back in the early

862
00:34:22,539 --> 00:34:24,460
eighties, we lived in, Mary and I worked,

863
00:34:24,460 --> 00:34:26,320
my wife and I both worked in Morganton,

864
00:34:26,699 --> 00:34:28,380
and we went to church in Morganton. So

865
00:34:28,380 --> 00:34:29,199
on a Wednesday

866
00:34:29,659 --> 00:34:31,739
we didn't have enough gas to drive back

867
00:34:31,739 --> 00:34:34,394
home, drive back to church, drive back home,

868
00:34:34,394 --> 00:34:36,635
drive back to work on Thursday. We got

869
00:34:36,635 --> 00:34:38,635
paid on Thursday. So we're just gonna have

870
00:34:38,635 --> 00:34:40,954
to miss church on Wednesday night because it

871
00:34:40,954 --> 00:34:41,934
wasn't no money.

872
00:34:42,474 --> 00:34:44,954
Right? We're driving to work that morning, she

873
00:34:44,954 --> 00:34:46,720
said, what are we gonna do? I said,

874
00:34:46,720 --> 00:34:48,480
I don't know what you gonna do, but

875
00:34:48,480 --> 00:34:51,360
while you're sowing on that machine you pray,

876
00:34:51,360 --> 00:34:53,840
and while I'm working on machines I'll be

877
00:34:53,840 --> 00:34:56,340
praying and we'll see what God does.

878
00:34:56,960 --> 00:34:58,420
And that's what we did.

879
00:34:59,045 --> 00:35:01,605
Left for left for home that evening, still

880
00:35:01,605 --> 00:35:03,144
didn't have money for gas,

881
00:35:03,684 --> 00:35:04,985
and we get home

882
00:35:05,605 --> 00:35:07,704
and there's a white envelope

883
00:35:08,644 --> 00:35:10,724
sticking in the door. I know what it

884
00:35:10,724 --> 00:35:11,224
was,

885
00:35:11,760 --> 00:35:13,440
but I went up there and got it.

886
00:35:13,440 --> 00:35:14,659
You remember that mom?

887
00:35:15,760 --> 00:35:16,820
There was a $10

888
00:35:17,119 --> 00:35:18,099
bill in there.

889
00:35:18,480 --> 00:35:20,260
Now listen, back in 1984

890
00:35:20,640 --> 00:35:21,860
that's a lot of money.

891
00:35:22,960 --> 00:35:23,460
$10.

892
00:35:24,465 --> 00:35:26,385
And I drove an old Dodge Colt back

893
00:35:26,385 --> 00:35:29,025
then. Thank God, 35 or 40 miles a

894
00:35:29,025 --> 00:35:30,085
gallon, you know.

895
00:35:30,625 --> 00:35:32,704
So I was able to buy gas for

896
00:35:32,704 --> 00:35:35,285
the car and take the kids to McDonald's

897
00:35:35,664 --> 00:35:36,805
out of that $10

898
00:35:37,430 --> 00:35:39,210
and that taught me a lesson.

899
00:35:39,590 --> 00:35:41,989
So that a few years later, when a

900
00:35:41,989 --> 00:35:43,829
need came up in our home where we

901
00:35:43,829 --> 00:35:45,530
needed about a $100,000

902
00:35:46,789 --> 00:35:49,590
we trusted that to God and he met

903
00:35:49,590 --> 00:35:52,470
that need without a penny out of our

904
00:35:52,470 --> 00:35:55,075
pocket. Why am I telling you that? It's

905
00:35:55,075 --> 00:35:57,494
just in this, God when he sends us

906
00:35:57,715 --> 00:35:59,414
to that place of brokenness,

907
00:35:59,954 --> 00:36:02,835
that place of cutting off, that place of

908
00:36:02,835 --> 00:36:03,735
cutting down,

909
00:36:04,035 --> 00:36:05,494
that place of pruning,

910
00:36:05,954 --> 00:36:07,655
God always has

911
00:36:08,289 --> 00:36:08,949
the provision.

912
00:36:10,369 --> 00:36:10,869
Always.

913
00:36:11,809 --> 00:36:12,309
Always.

914
00:36:13,650 --> 00:36:14,150
Always.

915
00:36:16,449 --> 00:36:18,849
I remember 2,001, I had to have back

916
00:36:18,849 --> 00:36:19,349
surgery.

917
00:36:19,730 --> 00:36:20,949
Didn't have any money.

918
00:36:21,824 --> 00:36:23,425
Before they do back surgery, I had to

919
00:36:23,425 --> 00:36:24,244
have a myelogram.

920
00:36:25,664 --> 00:36:27,585
And I went down to the hospital and

921
00:36:27,585 --> 00:36:29,425
you got to talk to them about payment,

922
00:36:29,425 --> 00:36:30,164
you know.

923
00:36:30,704 --> 00:36:32,385
They said, I see that you don't have

924
00:36:32,385 --> 00:36:34,385
any insurance. How are you gonna pay for

925
00:36:34,385 --> 00:36:34,885
this?

926
00:36:35,820 --> 00:36:37,739
I said, well I'll ask my father. He's

927
00:36:37,739 --> 00:36:38,480
got it.

928
00:36:40,059 --> 00:36:41,660
The lady said, your father will give you

929
00:36:41,660 --> 00:36:42,160
$35100?

930
00:36:42,619 --> 00:36:43,680
I said, oh yeah.

931
00:36:44,380 --> 00:36:46,059
I said, ain't nothing to him. My daddy's

932
00:36:46,059 --> 00:36:46,559
rich.

933
00:36:47,260 --> 00:36:49,039
And I just left it right there.

934
00:36:49,715 --> 00:36:51,394
Walked back in a couple of weeks later

935
00:36:51,394 --> 00:36:52,375
to pay for it

936
00:36:52,675 --> 00:36:54,195
and she said, do you have the money,

937
00:36:54,195 --> 00:36:55,875
Mr. Carr? I said, oh yes ma'am, I

938
00:36:55,875 --> 00:36:58,775
do. And I counted out 35, $100

939
00:36:59,074 --> 00:36:59,574
bills.

940
00:37:00,515 --> 00:37:02,114
And she said, well your father did come

941
00:37:02,114 --> 00:37:03,554
through. I said, he did. Let me tell

942
00:37:03,554 --> 00:37:04,454
you about him.

943
00:37:05,090 --> 00:37:07,190
And I told her about my heavenly father,

944
00:37:07,650 --> 00:37:09,190
because he met that need.

945
00:37:09,650 --> 00:37:10,949
That's what god does.

946
00:37:11,809 --> 00:37:14,130
That's why there's no need to worry, no

947
00:37:14,130 --> 00:37:16,130
need to fret, no need to get upset,

948
00:37:16,130 --> 00:37:17,414
just trust god.

949
00:37:17,735 --> 00:37:20,775
Elijah is learning this and when god gives

950
00:37:20,775 --> 00:37:24,054
him this incredibly weird command to go and

951
00:37:24,054 --> 00:37:26,295
hang out by a brook and wait for

952
00:37:26,295 --> 00:37:28,535
some birds to fly in with his food.

953
00:37:28,535 --> 00:37:30,635
Do you know how crazy that sounds?

954
00:37:31,849 --> 00:37:34,409
It says in verse 5, he went and

955
00:37:34,409 --> 00:37:36,670
did according to the word of the lord.

956
00:37:37,610 --> 00:37:40,090
God said it, he said okay, don't make

957
00:37:40,090 --> 00:37:42,329
sense for me but I'm gonna go do

958
00:37:42,329 --> 00:37:44,349
it. And that is the secret

959
00:37:44,650 --> 00:37:45,309
to surviving

960
00:37:45,690 --> 00:37:47,070
your pruning experience.

961
00:37:47,744 --> 00:37:48,565
Just release

962
00:37:49,264 --> 00:37:50,964
it. Any question you have

963
00:37:51,264 --> 00:37:55,284
don't question God about it. Just obey him.

964
00:37:55,344 --> 00:37:57,984
Go where he sends you. Do what he

965
00:37:57,984 --> 00:38:00,565
tells you. It'll be okay.

966
00:38:01,940 --> 00:38:03,539
Because if you choose to go another way

967
00:38:03,539 --> 00:38:05,460
you like, Jonah will find out you'll pay

968
00:38:05,460 --> 00:38:06,359
your own way

969
00:38:07,299 --> 00:38:08,359
and it's steep.

970
00:38:09,699 --> 00:38:12,119
I think that's the primary lesson from for

971
00:38:12,819 --> 00:38:13,319
Elijah

972
00:38:14,445 --> 00:38:17,085
is that God's servants must come to a

973
00:38:17,085 --> 00:38:17,585
place

974
00:38:18,364 --> 00:38:20,704
where they can trust God alone

975
00:38:21,805 --> 00:38:23,905
and trust him without question.

976
00:38:24,925 --> 00:38:26,945
Just believe that God

977
00:38:27,900 --> 00:38:30,239
is as good as his

978
00:38:30,619 --> 00:38:31,119
word.

979
00:38:32,380 --> 00:38:33,679
What did Elijah have?

980
00:38:34,139 --> 00:38:35,839
He had nothing but God's promise

981
00:38:36,299 --> 00:38:37,980
and that was good enough for him to

982
00:38:37,980 --> 00:38:38,480
go.

983
00:38:39,420 --> 00:38:41,440
So notice how God organizes

984
00:38:41,819 --> 00:38:42,319
a

985
00:38:42,905 --> 00:38:44,204
plan for pruning.

986
00:38:45,144 --> 00:38:46,684
In verse 5 and 6,

987
00:38:47,464 --> 00:38:48,905
it says he went did according to the

988
00:38:48,905 --> 00:38:50,364
word of the Lord for he went

989
00:38:50,905 --> 00:38:52,425
and the bible said he dwelt by the

990
00:38:52,425 --> 00:38:54,744
brook Cherith that is before Jordan and the

991
00:38:54,744 --> 00:38:57,019
ravens just like God said, brought him bread

992
00:38:57,019 --> 00:38:58,619
and flesh in the morning and bread and

993
00:38:58,619 --> 00:38:59,679
flesh in the evening,

994
00:38:59,980 --> 00:39:00,880
and he drank

995
00:39:01,179 --> 00:39:02,239
from the book.

996
00:39:03,019 --> 00:39:05,099
Now that just teaches us that God is

997
00:39:05,099 --> 00:39:07,199
in absolute control of the whole situation.

998
00:39:08,139 --> 00:39:10,059
The ravens did what God told them to

999
00:39:10,059 --> 00:39:12,285
do. They brought food in every day, and

1000
00:39:12,285 --> 00:39:14,905
the brook continued to provide liquid refreshment,

1001
00:39:15,285 --> 00:39:17,364
and God ordered all of this to teach

1002
00:39:17,364 --> 00:39:20,005
the prophet that God was in absolute control

1003
00:39:20,005 --> 00:39:20,905
of what happened.

1004
00:39:21,605 --> 00:39:23,224
And when God puts you

1005
00:39:24,005 --> 00:39:26,429
where you can do nothing but trust him

1006
00:39:26,429 --> 00:39:28,050
for what you cannot see,

1007
00:39:28,750 --> 00:39:31,070
God has done you the greatest favor that

1008
00:39:31,070 --> 00:39:33,089
he can extend outside of salvation.

1009
00:39:33,869 --> 00:39:35,789
Because when he brings you to a place

1010
00:39:35,789 --> 00:39:37,489
where you reach the end of yourself

1011
00:39:37,805 --> 00:39:39,965
and you have to trust him and no

1012
00:39:39,965 --> 00:39:42,525
one and nothing but him, you have reached

1013
00:39:42,525 --> 00:39:44,545
a great level of growth.

1014
00:39:47,644 --> 00:39:48,625
And that's true.

1015
00:39:49,885 --> 00:39:52,385
And God God's plan was satisfying,

1016
00:39:53,529 --> 00:39:54,429
because Elijah,

1017
00:39:54,809 --> 00:39:58,009
he enjoyed the fulfillment of God's promise. He

1018
00:39:58,009 --> 00:39:59,069
received everything

1019
00:39:59,369 --> 00:40:02,250
God said he would. And Elijah learned that

1020
00:40:02,250 --> 00:40:05,069
God was as good as his word.

1021
00:40:05,684 --> 00:40:07,285
So that later on when he asked to

1022
00:40:07,285 --> 00:40:08,184
go to Zarephath

1023
00:40:08,485 --> 00:40:10,485
and ask a poor widow for a little

1024
00:40:10,485 --> 00:40:13,125
meal in oil, he knows God's gonna meet

1025
00:40:13,125 --> 00:40:15,545
his need because God's sitting there.

1026
00:40:16,005 --> 00:40:18,344
He tells him in verse 9, I've commanded

1027
00:40:18,405 --> 00:40:21,349
a widow woman there to sustain you.

1028
00:40:21,650 --> 00:40:23,269
He knew God would provide.

1029
00:40:23,569 --> 00:40:26,210
He didn't know how. So by that time

1030
00:40:26,210 --> 00:40:29,010
he's figured this out. God is in charge

1031
00:40:29,010 --> 00:40:31,250
of this. So when the woman's little boy

1032
00:40:31,250 --> 00:40:32,630
died later in the chapter,

1033
00:40:33,215 --> 00:40:35,454
Elijah was able to lay down upon him

1034
00:40:35,454 --> 00:40:38,094
and pray life into him and God raised

1035
00:40:38,094 --> 00:40:40,175
him from the dead. Then you turn over

1036
00:40:40,175 --> 00:40:42,494
to the next chapter and he stands upon

1037
00:40:42,494 --> 00:40:43,394
Mount Carmel

1038
00:40:43,695 --> 00:40:45,795
all by himself against 450

1039
00:40:46,820 --> 00:40:48,760
priests of Baal and what happens?

1040
00:40:49,139 --> 00:40:52,760
He prays a 63 word prayer in English

1041
00:40:52,820 --> 00:40:55,380
and the fire of God falls down from

1042
00:40:55,380 --> 00:40:59,000
heaven and God gives him a great victory.

1043
00:41:00,135 --> 00:41:02,934
That's what you glean from trusting God at

1044
00:41:02,934 --> 00:41:03,434
Cherith.

1045
00:41:04,375 --> 00:41:05,894
But the Bible says he went and dwelled

1046
00:41:05,894 --> 00:41:07,114
there. You know what that means?

1047
00:41:08,054 --> 00:41:10,375
That word dwelled means to abide or to

1048
00:41:10,375 --> 00:41:12,295
live. He didn't go there for an overnight

1049
00:41:12,295 --> 00:41:13,195
camping trip.

1050
00:41:14,429 --> 00:41:17,230
He went there to stay until God told

1051
00:41:17,230 --> 00:41:17,730
him

1052
00:41:18,109 --> 00:41:19,730
to go somewhere else.

1053
00:41:21,150 --> 00:41:23,409
That's where you begin to enjoy real victory.

1054
00:41:24,190 --> 00:41:26,690
We just settle down where God puts you

1055
00:41:26,750 --> 00:41:29,170
until God puts you somewhere else.

1056
00:41:29,765 --> 00:41:31,684
Had an old preacher friend, he's dead now

1057
00:41:31,684 --> 00:41:34,164
but he pastored the same church for about

1058
00:41:34,164 --> 00:41:36,905
40 years and somebody asked him one day,

1059
00:41:37,045 --> 00:41:39,125
they said sir, they said why have you

1060
00:41:39,125 --> 00:41:40,825
not gone? Why why?

1061
00:41:41,300 --> 00:41:43,139
Here's the here, let me get this right.

1062
00:41:43,139 --> 00:41:45,539
They said, how have you stayed there that

1063
00:41:45,539 --> 00:41:46,039
long?

1064
00:41:46,659 --> 00:41:48,119
And his answer's priceless.

1065
00:41:48,739 --> 00:41:50,840
He said, I just didn't go anywhere else.

1066
00:41:51,859 --> 00:41:52,679
That's it.

1067
00:41:53,300 --> 00:41:54,519
That's a good answer

1068
00:41:55,344 --> 00:41:58,405
And I understood that. He stayed where God

1069
00:41:58,785 --> 00:41:59,684
put him.

1070
00:42:00,625 --> 00:42:02,965
No matter how bad it is,

1071
00:42:03,824 --> 00:42:06,224
God can help you through it. My question

1072
00:42:06,224 --> 00:42:07,664
is for you and I know every one

1073
00:42:07,664 --> 00:42:08,244
of you

1074
00:42:09,389 --> 00:42:12,510
have these cherished situations in your life, don't

1075
00:42:12,510 --> 00:42:13,010
you?

1076
00:42:13,389 --> 00:42:14,769
Have these hard moments.

1077
00:42:15,869 --> 00:42:18,609
Have you decided just to stay there

1078
00:42:19,710 --> 00:42:20,849
until God

1079
00:42:21,869 --> 00:42:23,489
moves you somewhere else?

1080
00:42:25,164 --> 00:42:26,545
Or have you decided

1081
00:42:27,244 --> 00:42:29,424
to look for help from another source?

1082
00:42:30,364 --> 00:42:33,085
I mean, maybe Elijah gets out his iPhone

1083
00:42:33,085 --> 00:42:33,824
and says,

1084
00:42:34,525 --> 00:42:35,025
McDonald's

1085
00:42:35,324 --> 00:42:36,144
near me.

1086
00:42:37,659 --> 00:42:39,099
Look at where he can get a happy

1087
00:42:39,099 --> 00:42:41,280
meal out there in that place. No.

1088
00:42:42,300 --> 00:42:43,980
Of course he didn't have an iPhone, did

1089
00:42:43,980 --> 00:42:45,659
he? And if he had it, how do

1090
00:42:45,659 --> 00:42:47,199
you sell service? It don't matter.

1091
00:42:48,380 --> 00:42:50,400
Bad enough out there as it is. Right?

1092
00:42:51,755 --> 00:42:53,914
He made up his mind that he was

1093
00:42:53,914 --> 00:42:54,735
gonna stay

1094
00:42:55,594 --> 00:42:56,574
until God

1095
00:42:56,954 --> 00:42:57,934
moved him.

1096
00:42:58,474 --> 00:43:00,175
And how did he do that?

1097
00:43:00,795 --> 00:43:03,594
Because he was willing to take God at

1098
00:43:03,594 --> 00:43:04,414
his word

1099
00:43:05,170 --> 00:43:07,570
and trust him by faith. Four times the

1100
00:43:07,570 --> 00:43:09,030
Bible says the just

1101
00:43:09,409 --> 00:43:11,030
shall live by faith.

1102
00:43:11,570 --> 00:43:13,090
And I'm gonna say this and move to

1103
00:43:13,090 --> 00:43:14,710
the last thought and let you go tonight.

1104
00:43:16,769 --> 00:43:18,070
God wants you

1105
00:43:18,875 --> 00:43:20,094
to reach a place

1106
00:43:20,875 --> 00:43:22,894
where you do not know

1107
00:43:23,355 --> 00:43:25,534
which step to take next.

1108
00:43:27,914 --> 00:43:29,214
He wants you

1109
00:43:29,514 --> 00:43:30,815
to have no answers.

1110
00:43:31,849 --> 00:43:34,730
He wants you to be absolutely dependent upon

1111
00:43:34,730 --> 00:43:35,230
him.

1112
00:43:35,769 --> 00:43:36,750
He wants you

1113
00:43:37,130 --> 00:43:40,010
to rest in his arms by faith without

1114
00:43:40,010 --> 00:43:42,829
fear and he will put you by chariot

1115
00:43:42,969 --> 00:43:44,269
again and again

1116
00:43:44,650 --> 00:43:47,664
to teach you this. And the earlier you

1117
00:43:47,664 --> 00:43:50,164
learn it the better off you're gonna be.

1118
00:43:50,304 --> 00:43:52,944
That doesn't mean you won't go back because

1119
00:43:52,944 --> 00:43:55,184
he's gonna raise you to higher levels of

1120
00:43:55,184 --> 00:43:55,684
faith

1121
00:43:56,065 --> 00:43:57,925
time and time again.

1122
00:43:58,789 --> 00:44:01,210
And God's pruning is not

1123
00:44:01,510 --> 00:44:02,010
fun,

1124
00:44:03,190 --> 00:44:06,010
but it is essential to proper spiritual formation.

1125
00:44:07,190 --> 00:44:09,210
Notice one final thought, verse 7.

1126
00:44:10,230 --> 00:44:11,130
God orchestrates

1127
00:44:11,510 --> 00:44:13,929
problems in pruning. Look at verse 7.

1128
00:44:14,984 --> 00:44:16,904
It says, it came to pass after a

1129
00:44:16,904 --> 00:44:17,404
while

1130
00:44:18,025 --> 00:44:19,644
that the brook dried up

1131
00:44:20,025 --> 00:44:22,184
because there had been no rain in the

1132
00:44:22,184 --> 00:44:22,684
land.

1133
00:44:22,984 --> 00:44:25,724
So the stream of life giving water

1134
00:44:26,264 --> 00:44:27,565
began to dry

1135
00:44:28,610 --> 00:44:30,869
up. Imagine how he must have felt.

1136
00:44:31,250 --> 00:44:33,030
He's out there in the desert.

1137
00:44:33,809 --> 00:44:36,130
There's nothing there to give him water but

1138
00:44:36,130 --> 00:44:37,030
this brook,

1139
00:44:37,489 --> 00:44:38,710
and every day

1140
00:44:39,090 --> 00:44:41,670
he watches it get smaller and smaller.

1141
00:44:42,434 --> 00:44:44,934
Under one morning perhaps he gets up

1142
00:44:45,315 --> 00:44:47,335
and that that brook was gone.

1143
00:44:47,875 --> 00:44:49,974
Nothing was left but a dry

1144
00:44:50,434 --> 00:44:50,934
cracked

1145
00:44:51,235 --> 00:44:52,135
stream bed.

1146
00:44:53,394 --> 00:44:55,635
God lets that happen in our lives too,

1147
00:44:55,635 --> 00:44:56,535
doesn't he?

1148
00:44:57,150 --> 00:45:00,130
That job that we've invested our life in,

1149
00:45:00,349 --> 00:45:01,489
it dries up.

1150
00:45:02,269 --> 00:45:04,049
The maid we've given ourselves

1151
00:45:04,349 --> 00:45:06,210
to walks out on us.

1152
00:45:06,989 --> 00:45:08,690
Our health, which has always

1153
00:45:09,309 --> 00:45:10,609
been so robust,

1154
00:45:11,549 --> 00:45:12,289
it breaks.

1155
00:45:13,284 --> 00:45:14,025
And regardless

1156
00:45:14,644 --> 00:45:15,625
of the circumstances,

1157
00:45:16,164 --> 00:45:17,704
the brook dries up.

1158
00:45:18,644 --> 00:45:21,224
And when you're faced with one of life's

1159
00:45:21,284 --> 00:45:22,344
dry brooks,

1160
00:45:23,605 --> 00:45:25,204
I want to encourage you to keep 2

1161
00:45:25,204 --> 00:45:26,264
things in mind.

1162
00:45:27,045 --> 00:45:27,945
These are important.

1163
00:45:28,910 --> 00:45:30,289
The first one is this.

1164
00:45:31,390 --> 00:45:33,969
The god who provides the water

1165
00:45:35,390 --> 00:45:37,329
can also withhold the water.

1166
00:45:38,510 --> 00:45:39,650
Keep that in mind.

1167
00:45:40,750 --> 00:45:41,890
God's in control.

1168
00:45:42,734 --> 00:45:45,154
And as Elijah was about to discover,

1169
00:45:45,534 --> 00:45:48,194
God already had another place prepared

1170
00:45:48,494 --> 00:45:50,574
for him to go. And so it is

1171
00:45:50,574 --> 00:45:52,994
with us. When God lets our cherished

1172
00:45:53,375 --> 00:45:57,250
brook dry up, God has another provision ready,

1173
00:45:57,250 --> 00:45:59,890
another channel of blessing ready for us. So

1174
00:45:59,890 --> 00:46:01,809
when your brook dries up, get ready to

1175
00:46:01,809 --> 00:46:04,150
move on, because God's about to do something.

1176
00:46:05,489 --> 00:46:07,670
2nd principle, keep in mind here,

1177
00:46:08,769 --> 00:46:10,550
is that a dry brook

1178
00:46:11,114 --> 00:46:14,414
is not always a sign of God's displeasure.

1179
00:46:15,675 --> 00:46:17,835
Why is it that we think every time

1180
00:46:17,835 --> 00:46:19,295
somebody goes through hardship

1181
00:46:20,315 --> 00:46:22,735
it's because they've done something wrong?

1182
00:46:23,960 --> 00:46:25,900
You know why we feel that way?

1183
00:46:26,440 --> 00:46:28,619
It's because we're always doing something wrong

1184
00:46:29,480 --> 00:46:32,119
and we're projecting our guilt on somebody else.

1185
00:46:32,119 --> 00:46:32,859
That's why.

1186
00:46:33,400 --> 00:46:35,500
That's what Job's doing. That was their problem.

1187
00:46:35,719 --> 00:46:37,574
They came to Job and called him everything

1188
00:46:37,574 --> 00:46:39,175
but, you know, of just a decent man.

1189
00:46:39,175 --> 00:46:40,695
I mean, they called him a windbag and

1190
00:46:40,695 --> 00:46:42,215
all kind of stuff. They said this is

1191
00:46:42,215 --> 00:46:43,275
all your fault.

1192
00:46:44,215 --> 00:46:45,355
Turned out it wouldn't.

1193
00:46:46,215 --> 00:46:47,515
It's God's fault.

1194
00:46:48,054 --> 00:46:48,554
Every

1195
00:46:48,934 --> 00:46:49,889
bit of it.

1196
00:46:50,849 --> 00:46:53,329
Everything that happened to I know the devil

1197
00:46:53,329 --> 00:46:56,529
did it, but God gave him permission to

1198
00:46:56,529 --> 00:46:59,409
do it. God could have stopped it right

1199
00:46:59,409 --> 00:46:59,909
there,

1200
00:47:00,369 --> 00:47:01,429
but he didn't.

1201
00:47:02,335 --> 00:47:03,474
It's God's fault.

1202
00:47:04,094 --> 00:47:06,114
Every bit of it was on God.

1203
00:47:06,414 --> 00:47:08,574
In fact, if you go back and read

1204
00:47:08,574 --> 00:47:09,074
Job,

1205
00:47:09,934 --> 00:47:11,934
devil wasn't even talking about Job. He just

1206
00:47:11,934 --> 00:47:13,375
showed up at a meeting up there in

1207
00:47:13,375 --> 00:47:15,074
heaven before the throne of God.

1208
00:47:15,699 --> 00:47:17,780
And God said, if you consider my servant

1209
00:47:17,780 --> 00:47:18,280
Job,

1210
00:47:19,940 --> 00:47:22,340
God's the one that brought him up. And

1211
00:47:22,340 --> 00:47:24,360
the devil said, well, now that you mentioned

1212
00:47:24,660 --> 00:47:26,739
it, I can't do anything to him because

1213
00:47:26,739 --> 00:47:28,739
you got him cut off from me. God

1214
00:47:28,739 --> 00:47:30,684
said, take it. You can have him. Do

1215
00:47:30,684 --> 00:47:32,944
what you want to. Just don't kill him.

1216
00:47:35,324 --> 00:47:36,944
Now what do you take from that?

1217
00:47:38,045 --> 00:47:38,545
God

1218
00:47:39,164 --> 00:47:40,065
was behind

1219
00:47:41,565 --> 00:47:42,545
all of it.

1220
00:47:43,640 --> 00:47:45,180
Satan might have been the agent,

1221
00:47:45,960 --> 00:47:47,500
but God was the instigator.

1222
00:47:50,119 --> 00:47:51,739
Now sometimes I know

1223
00:47:52,760 --> 00:47:56,039
God will use harsh live life events to

1224
00:47:56,039 --> 00:47:58,039
chasten us when we walk out of his

1225
00:47:58,039 --> 00:47:58,539
will.

1226
00:47:59,285 --> 00:47:59,785
However,

1227
00:48:00,085 --> 00:48:02,644
sometimes God will let your brook dry up

1228
00:48:02,644 --> 00:48:04,265
because you're in his will.

1229
00:48:05,605 --> 00:48:06,664
Happened to Abraham,

1230
00:48:07,684 --> 00:48:10,085
when he was called on to offer up

1231
00:48:10,085 --> 00:48:11,785
Isaac as a burnt offering.

1232
00:48:12,659 --> 00:48:13,960
It happened to Joseph

1233
00:48:14,420 --> 00:48:17,059
as he ministered in Potiphar's house hadn't done

1234
00:48:17,059 --> 00:48:19,380
a thing wrong, but he went to prison

1235
00:48:19,380 --> 00:48:20,599
for 13 years.

1236
00:48:21,139 --> 00:48:23,780
It happened it happened to Paul as he

1237
00:48:23,780 --> 00:48:24,599
preached faithfully

1238
00:48:24,905 --> 00:48:27,304
in a town called Lystra and they took

1239
00:48:27,304 --> 00:48:29,385
him out and tried to stone him to

1240
00:48:29,385 --> 00:48:31,164
death. It happened to Jesus

1241
00:48:31,545 --> 00:48:33,484
when he agonized in Gethsemane

1242
00:48:34,025 --> 00:48:36,664
and gave his life a ransom for sin

1243
00:48:36,664 --> 00:48:37,405
on Calvary.

1244
00:48:38,090 --> 00:48:38,590
Sometimes

1245
00:48:38,969 --> 00:48:41,769
God lets the brook dry up because he

1246
00:48:41,769 --> 00:48:43,469
is pleased with us

1247
00:48:44,409 --> 00:48:46,909
and desires to take us on the new

1248
00:48:47,530 --> 00:48:48,829
and better things.

1249
00:48:50,090 --> 00:48:51,949
It's not always a bad thing

1250
00:48:52,855 --> 00:48:54,954
when you look at a dry brook or

1251
00:48:55,094 --> 00:48:57,974
a depleted barrel or a dead boy as

1252
00:48:57,974 --> 00:48:59,594
Elijah did in that chapter.

1253
00:49:00,215 --> 00:49:02,235
Every bit of it worked to his

1254
00:49:03,175 --> 00:49:03,675
benefit.

1255
00:49:05,730 --> 00:49:06,390
Of course,

1256
00:49:07,409 --> 00:49:07,909
sometimes

1257
00:49:08,210 --> 00:49:08,710
God

1258
00:49:09,250 --> 00:49:11,510
allows the brook to dry up because

1259
00:49:12,210 --> 00:49:14,710
we're trusting the brook more than we're trusting

1260
00:49:15,969 --> 00:49:17,750
God. You ever thought about that?

1261
00:49:19,695 --> 00:49:21,535
That blessing you've got in your life and

1262
00:49:21,535 --> 00:49:23,875
that's where all your attention and time goes

1263
00:49:24,335 --> 00:49:26,255
and you love that, you love it so

1264
00:49:26,255 --> 00:49:28,434
much, maybe you love it before God.

1265
00:49:29,775 --> 00:49:30,335
More God

1266
00:49:31,135 --> 00:49:31,635
beset

1267
00:49:32,094 --> 00:49:33,775
may you love it more than you love

1268
00:49:33,775 --> 00:49:34,275
God.

1269
00:49:34,969 --> 00:49:36,969
And God will at times dry up those

1270
00:49:36,969 --> 00:49:39,389
brooks to focus our attention upon him.

1271
00:49:39,849 --> 00:49:42,409
I can't imagine how Elijah must have felt

1272
00:49:42,409 --> 00:49:44,010
as he watched that brook dry up. Did

1273
00:49:44,010 --> 00:49:46,889
he feel forsaken? Did he feel abandoned? I

1274
00:49:46,889 --> 00:49:49,049
wonder if he felt that God had let

1275
00:49:49,049 --> 00:49:49,789
him down.

1276
00:49:50,825 --> 00:49:52,204
Maybe that's how you feel

1277
00:49:52,664 --> 00:49:54,365
when your brook dries up.

1278
00:49:54,744 --> 00:49:56,585
But I want you to know God hasn't

1279
00:49:56,585 --> 00:49:57,644
forsaken you.

1280
00:49:58,505 --> 00:50:00,525
If you're looking at a dry brook situation

1281
00:50:00,744 --> 00:50:02,045
in your life right now,

1282
00:50:02,425 --> 00:50:04,925
don't worry and don't fret. God hasn't forgotten

1283
00:50:04,985 --> 00:50:05,485
you.

1284
00:50:06,800 --> 00:50:08,500
God hasn't abandoned you.

1285
00:50:09,280 --> 00:50:11,039
God's doing something big in your life. I

1286
00:50:11,039 --> 00:50:12,340
don't know what he's doing,

1287
00:50:13,519 --> 00:50:14,900
but he's doing it.

1288
00:50:15,440 --> 00:50:16,880
And every one of us is gonna be

1289
00:50:16,880 --> 00:50:18,559
there before we get out of this life,

1290
00:50:18,559 --> 00:50:19,300
aren't we?

1291
00:50:19,864 --> 00:50:20,924
And, when it happens,

1292
00:50:21,224 --> 00:50:22,045
and it will,

1293
00:50:22,905 --> 00:50:25,784
never believe for an instant that God has

1294
00:50:25,784 --> 00:50:27,244
forgotten about you.

1295
00:50:28,025 --> 00:50:29,644
If you're in his will

1296
00:50:30,264 --> 00:50:32,125
and where he wants you to be,

1297
00:50:32,585 --> 00:50:34,684
you can rest in his promise

1298
00:50:35,619 --> 00:50:37,079
to take care of you.

1299
00:50:38,339 --> 00:50:39,320
And like Elijah,

1300
00:50:40,099 --> 00:50:42,440
God's gonna send you somewhere else

1301
00:50:42,900 --> 00:50:44,119
a new channel

1302
00:50:44,579 --> 00:50:45,320
of blessing.

1303
00:50:46,260 --> 00:50:48,199
Always think about Hagar and Ishmael.

1304
00:50:49,175 --> 00:50:51,014
When they're sent out of Abraham's home, you

1305
00:50:51,014 --> 00:50:52,394
know, in Genesis 21.

1306
00:50:53,094 --> 00:50:55,195
And they go out in this desert and

1307
00:50:55,574 --> 00:50:58,534
that's always mystified me. Abraham's a very wealthy

1308
00:50:58,534 --> 00:51:00,054
man, right? I mean he's got all kind

1309
00:51:00,054 --> 00:51:02,474
of money, got everything you can think of.

1310
00:51:03,219 --> 00:51:04,579
But when he sent them out, he sent

1311
00:51:04,579 --> 00:51:06,199
them out with 1 water skin.

1312
00:51:06,739 --> 00:51:08,440
I'm thinking that ain't cool, Abraham.

1313
00:51:09,219 --> 00:51:10,420
I mean, you could have sent him out

1314
00:51:10,420 --> 00:51:12,680
with a wagon load of water and somebody

1315
00:51:12,739 --> 00:51:13,640
feed it to him.

1316
00:51:14,019 --> 00:51:15,619
But he sent him out with 1 water

1317
00:51:15,619 --> 00:51:16,119
skin.

1318
00:51:16,585 --> 00:51:18,364
They get out there in the wilderness and

1319
00:51:18,824 --> 00:51:20,204
the water runs out.

1320
00:51:20,985 --> 00:51:23,465
And Ishmael apparently is dehydrated at the point

1321
00:51:23,465 --> 00:51:25,785
of death and Hagar leaves him under a

1322
00:51:25,785 --> 00:51:27,864
bush and she goes over here about a

1323
00:51:27,864 --> 00:51:30,045
bow shot away, about a 1000 yards away,

1324
00:51:30,380 --> 00:51:32,380
about a 1000 feet rather away, and she

1325
00:51:32,380 --> 00:51:34,460
sits down to mourn her son who is

1326
00:51:34,460 --> 00:51:36,160
dying. She don't want to hear his cries.

1327
00:51:36,860 --> 00:51:37,980
Then all of a sudden she hears a

1328
00:51:37,980 --> 00:51:39,039
voice out of heaven.

1329
00:51:40,619 --> 00:51:41,920
What aileth thee, Hagar?

1330
00:51:43,235 --> 00:51:44,594
And she says, well, you know, we're out

1331
00:51:44,594 --> 00:51:46,355
here in this desert and there's no water

1332
00:51:46,355 --> 00:51:46,855
and

1333
00:51:47,235 --> 00:51:48,454
my boy is dying.

1334
00:51:48,994 --> 00:51:50,994
And God opened her eyes and what'd he

1335
00:51:50,994 --> 00:51:51,735
show her?

1336
00:51:52,835 --> 00:51:54,054
He showed her a well.

1337
00:51:55,315 --> 00:51:57,094
That well had been there the whole time.

1338
00:51:58,280 --> 00:51:59,960
Brother Brown, there are 2 words for for

1339
00:51:59,960 --> 00:52:01,179
well in the old testament.

1340
00:52:01,880 --> 00:52:04,359
1 refers to an artesian well that's bubbling

1341
00:52:04,359 --> 00:52:04,859
up,

1342
00:52:05,320 --> 00:52:07,339
but the other refers to a dug well.

1343
00:52:07,639 --> 00:52:09,400
The word used there is for a dug

1344
00:52:09,400 --> 00:52:09,900
well.

1345
00:52:10,835 --> 00:52:13,554
God has had somebody passing through that desert

1346
00:52:13,554 --> 00:52:14,534
a long time ago.

1347
00:52:14,914 --> 00:52:16,295
He nudged their heart,

1348
00:52:16,835 --> 00:52:18,614
said dig a well right here.

1349
00:52:19,315 --> 00:52:20,614
You know why he did that?

1350
00:52:20,994 --> 00:52:23,494
Because he knew one day Hagar and Ishmael

1351
00:52:23,954 --> 00:52:25,174
would be right there.

1352
00:52:26,300 --> 00:52:27,039
And brother,

1353
00:52:27,340 --> 00:52:28,880
God met the need.

1354
00:52:29,500 --> 00:52:31,340
They thought the brook was dry and they

1355
00:52:31,340 --> 00:52:33,659
were gonna die, but God took care of

1356
00:52:33,659 --> 00:52:35,500
them and that's what he will do for

1357
00:52:35,500 --> 00:52:37,420
you. But in Elijah's case you know what

1358
00:52:37,420 --> 00:52:38,159
should have happened?

1359
00:52:39,005 --> 00:52:40,525
When the brook dried up, you know what

1360
00:52:40,525 --> 00:52:42,364
he should have done? He should have cleared

1361
00:52:42,364 --> 00:52:44,285
off about an acre and he should have

1362
00:52:44,285 --> 00:52:45,744
praised God. Why?

1363
00:52:46,844 --> 00:52:47,344
Why?

1364
00:52:47,805 --> 00:52:49,985
Well number 1, God had answered his prayers.

1365
00:52:50,605 --> 00:52:52,525
What did he tell Ahab? It ain't gonna

1366
00:52:52,525 --> 00:52:53,025
rain.

1367
00:52:53,450 --> 00:52:55,210
Well it hadn't been raining and what happens

1368
00:52:55,210 --> 00:52:56,809
when it doesn't rain for a while and

1369
00:52:56,809 --> 00:52:59,530
you have a drought? Brooks and creeks dry

1370
00:52:59,530 --> 00:53:00,030
up.

1371
00:53:01,130 --> 00:53:03,450
The brook dried up because God answered his

1372
00:53:03,450 --> 00:53:06,349
prayer. He should have also been praising God

1373
00:53:06,410 --> 00:53:07,710
because his prophecy

1374
00:53:08,090 --> 00:53:09,150
had been fulfilled.

1375
00:53:09,585 --> 00:53:12,545
He said it's not gonna happen until I

1376
00:53:12,545 --> 00:53:15,125
say it does. That's a prophet right there.

1377
00:53:18,065 --> 00:53:20,005
Dry brooks are always a blessing,

1378
00:53:21,025 --> 00:53:22,885
even though they don't appear to be.

1379
00:53:23,730 --> 00:53:24,469
You see,

1380
00:53:24,849 --> 00:53:27,829
Elijah's dry brook came about because he was

1381
00:53:28,050 --> 00:53:29,349
pleased with him.

1382
00:53:29,889 --> 00:53:31,489
And you and I need to understand that

1383
00:53:31,489 --> 00:53:33,750
sometimes the brooks dry up because God

1384
00:53:34,530 --> 00:53:36,449
is gonna do something bigger with us down

1385
00:53:36,449 --> 00:53:37,030
the road.

1386
00:53:37,574 --> 00:53:39,494
And he has chosen the dry brook as

1387
00:53:39,494 --> 00:53:40,234
a catalyst

1388
00:53:40,695 --> 00:53:42,454
to move us from where we are at

1389
00:53:42,454 --> 00:53:45,175
that moment to where he wants us to

1390
00:53:45,175 --> 00:53:45,675
be.

1391
00:53:46,454 --> 00:53:46,954
Now

1392
00:53:47,255 --> 00:53:48,234
I'm not a gardener

1393
00:53:48,695 --> 00:53:50,315
by any stretch of the imagination.

1394
00:53:50,840 --> 00:53:52,280
If you have a plant you hate and

1395
00:53:52,280 --> 00:53:53,400
want it to die, let me take it

1396
00:53:53,400 --> 00:53:55,159
home with me and either me or my

1397
00:53:55,159 --> 00:53:56,300
wife will kill it.

1398
00:53:56,920 --> 00:53:59,719
I promise you we both have 2 brown

1399
00:53:59,719 --> 00:54:00,219
thumbs.

1400
00:54:01,559 --> 00:54:03,079
But I do know this from talking to

1401
00:54:03,079 --> 00:54:04,380
folk who are gardeners.

1402
00:54:06,275 --> 00:54:08,055
If you wanna have beautiful roses,

1403
00:54:09,555 --> 00:54:10,855
you gotta prune them.

1404
00:54:11,795 --> 00:54:13,494
You gotta keep them pruned right.

1405
00:54:14,914 --> 00:54:18,215
Are the perfect bulbs, flowers, they will not

1406
00:54:18,275 --> 00:54:18,775
appear.

1407
00:54:19,809 --> 00:54:20,309
Pieces

1408
00:54:20,609 --> 00:54:23,030
of the living plant must die,

1409
00:54:24,049 --> 00:54:26,289
so that the plant is not allowed to

1410
00:54:26,289 --> 00:54:26,789
grow

1411
00:54:27,809 --> 00:54:28,309
wild.

1412
00:54:29,569 --> 00:54:32,549
And in our lives, we simply cannot celebrate

1413
00:54:32,769 --> 00:54:33,269
growth.

1414
00:54:34,594 --> 00:54:36,855
Tragically we seem to have forgotten

1415
00:54:37,234 --> 00:54:39,335
that genuine growth in Christ

1416
00:54:39,714 --> 00:54:42,534
requires careful pruning of our lives.

1417
00:54:43,635 --> 00:54:47,174
And through God's intentional action and our intentional

1418
00:54:47,474 --> 00:54:47,974
submission,

1419
00:54:48,510 --> 00:54:50,829
parts of us must die so that we

1420
00:54:50,829 --> 00:54:52,909
can become the people God wants us to

1421
00:54:52,909 --> 00:54:53,409
be.

1422
00:54:57,309 --> 00:54:58,449
It's no fun,

1423
00:55:01,244 --> 00:55:02,864
but it's the only way to grow.

1424
00:55:04,045 --> 00:55:05,424
It's not pleasant,

1425
00:55:06,684 --> 00:55:09,025
but it's the only way to grow.

1426
00:55:10,045 --> 00:55:11,804
And some of you tonight are looking at

1427
00:55:11,804 --> 00:55:14,464
a dry brook but you refuse to acknowledge

1428
00:55:14,525 --> 00:55:15,025
it.

1429
00:55:15,510 --> 00:55:16,489
You see it.

1430
00:55:16,869 --> 00:55:19,269
It's not bubbling. It's not running with water.

1431
00:55:19,269 --> 00:55:21,670
It's cracked and dry, but you won't even

1432
00:55:21,670 --> 00:55:22,650
acknowledge it.

1433
00:55:23,030 --> 00:55:25,590
Why don't you admit it? The brook has

1434
00:55:25,590 --> 00:55:26,730
dried up.

1435
00:55:28,385 --> 00:55:30,704
Maybe you need to thank God for your

1436
00:55:30,704 --> 00:55:31,525
dry brook.

1437
00:55:32,464 --> 00:55:35,105
Maybe you need to submit to it. Lord,

1438
00:55:35,105 --> 00:55:37,284
I don't know why you put me here,

1439
00:55:37,344 --> 00:55:39,505
but I wanna thank you for putting me

1440
00:55:39,505 --> 00:55:42,065
here. Help me to learn every lesson you

1441
00:55:42,065 --> 00:55:43,045
have for me

1442
00:55:43,409 --> 00:55:44,389
while I'm here.

1443
00:55:45,489 --> 00:55:46,309
Then, of course,

1444
00:55:47,089 --> 00:55:49,250
your dry brook could be pointing you to

1445
00:55:49,250 --> 00:55:50,469
Jesus for salvation.

1446
00:55:51,809 --> 00:55:53,909
God could be trying to get your attention.

1447
00:55:55,010 --> 00:55:56,690
You wonder why all the wheels are falling

1448
00:55:56,690 --> 00:55:58,150
off everything in your life?

1449
00:55:58,545 --> 00:56:00,464
It might be God saying you need something

1450
00:56:00,464 --> 00:56:02,085
you don't have, you need me,

1451
00:56:03,184 --> 00:56:04,724
and you need to come to him

1452
00:56:05,664 --> 00:56:06,724
and trust him.

1453
00:56:08,304 --> 00:56:08,964
You know,

1454
00:56:09,585 --> 00:56:12,005
my life is not perfect. Is yours?

1455
00:56:15,769 --> 00:56:17,469
Is it? Is your life perfect?

1456
00:56:18,329 --> 00:56:19,070
No. Nobody.

1457
00:56:19,769 --> 00:56:21,690
Nobody's got it perfect. I know you husbands

1458
00:56:21,690 --> 00:56:23,289
are watching your wives to make sure she

1459
00:56:23,289 --> 00:56:23,789
don't

1460
00:56:24,090 --> 00:56:25,769
let the cat out of the bag in

1461
00:56:25,769 --> 00:56:26,269
here.

1462
00:56:27,224 --> 00:56:29,704
But fact is none of our lives are

1463
00:56:29,704 --> 00:56:30,765
perfect. Right?

1464
00:56:31,945 --> 00:56:33,805
If if my life were perfect,

1465
00:56:35,065 --> 00:56:35,965
I would be

1466
00:56:36,345 --> 00:56:37,485
6 foot 4,

1467
00:56:38,985 --> 00:56:39,485
£235

1468
00:56:40,025 --> 00:56:41,644
of rock solid muscle.

1469
00:56:42,849 --> 00:56:45,109
I'd be driving a Lamborghini tonight.

1470
00:56:46,929 --> 00:56:48,389
Yellow bright yellow

1471
00:56:49,489 --> 00:56:50,710
with black stripes.

1472
00:56:51,969 --> 00:56:53,429
I live in a mansion

1473
00:56:54,369 --> 00:56:56,069
up in the mountains of North Carolina,

1474
00:56:56,484 --> 00:56:58,585
right in the dead center of a 1000

1475
00:56:58,644 --> 00:57:01,545
acres in a gated a gated home place.

1476
00:57:01,925 --> 00:57:04,085
Right and have to see nobody unless I

1477
00:57:04,085 --> 00:57:04,905
wanted to.

1478
00:57:05,764 --> 00:57:07,605
And I'd fly around from place to place

1479
00:57:07,605 --> 00:57:09,045
and I didn't want to drive in my

1480
00:57:09,045 --> 00:57:09,545
helicopter.

1481
00:57:10,119 --> 00:57:11,639
Trying to figure how I'm gonna spend all

1482
00:57:11,639 --> 00:57:13,019
my 1,000,000,000 of dollars.

1483
00:57:13,880 --> 00:57:15,179
My life's not perfect.

1484
00:57:16,679 --> 00:57:18,460
I'm not 62. I'm 511.

1485
00:57:20,039 --> 00:57:22,359
I'm just a tad above 235, but a

1486
00:57:22,359 --> 00:57:22,859
tad.

1487
00:57:24,585 --> 00:57:26,204
But it show ain't muscle, honey.

1488
00:57:27,065 --> 00:57:28,824
That's why I don't jog. If I jog,

1489
00:57:28,824 --> 00:57:30,664
I'll be jiggling 15 minutes later and it

1490
00:57:30,664 --> 00:57:31,405
ain't pretty.

1491
00:57:32,985 --> 00:57:34,585
I didn't mean to get that visual. It

1492
00:57:34,585 --> 00:57:35,324
ain't pretty.

1493
00:57:36,184 --> 00:57:37,565
I don't drive a Lamborghini.

1494
00:57:39,539 --> 00:57:40,280
You know.

1495
00:57:41,140 --> 00:57:43,300
I drive an 11 year old Chevrolet with

1496
00:57:43,300 --> 00:57:43,800
300,000

1497
00:57:44,340 --> 00:57:45,400
miles on it,

1498
00:57:46,500 --> 00:57:47,640
falling apart.

1499
00:57:50,900 --> 00:57:52,360
I don't live in a mansion.

1500
00:57:54,215 --> 00:57:56,315
I don't have a vast fortune.

1501
00:57:58,454 --> 00:57:59,514
I have problems.

1502
00:58:01,255 --> 00:58:03,275
Well, let me rephrase that.

1503
00:58:03,815 --> 00:58:04,875
God has problems

1504
00:58:07,670 --> 00:58:09,190
because I give them to him. How about

1505
00:58:09,190 --> 00:58:09,690
you?

1506
00:58:10,869 --> 00:58:12,889
I refuse to carry him.

1507
00:58:13,509 --> 00:58:15,349
I've done that before and it is a

1508
00:58:15,349 --> 00:58:16,809
quick way to kill yourself.

1509
00:58:17,750 --> 00:58:19,829
It's better just to lay it over and

1510
00:58:19,829 --> 00:58:22,565
trust God in the dry brook knowing he

1511
00:58:22,565 --> 00:58:23,784
has a better place.

1512
00:58:25,045 --> 00:58:26,724
Who knows? Maybe I'll get home tomorrow and

1513
00:58:26,724 --> 00:58:28,505
there'll be a Lamborghini in the mailbox.

1514
00:58:29,284 --> 00:58:30,344
I got a big mailbox.

1515
00:58:30,964 --> 00:58:32,804
But I don't want a Lamborghini anyway because

1516
00:58:32,804 --> 00:58:34,025
I keep fitting the seat.

1517
00:58:35,180 --> 00:58:36,400
So there you go.

1518
00:58:38,380 --> 00:58:40,160
I just use that as an illustration.

1519
00:58:41,260 --> 00:58:42,640
But you know what I'm saying.

1520
00:58:43,660 --> 00:58:45,420
If there's need in your life tonight and

1521
00:58:45,420 --> 00:58:47,099
you're looking at a dry brook, get to

1522
00:58:47,099 --> 00:58:47,599
God

1523
00:58:48,244 --> 00:58:49,684
and ask God to help you see the

1524
00:58:49,684 --> 00:58:50,585
beauty in it

1525
00:58:51,045 --> 00:58:53,304
because that place is a place of beauty

1526
00:58:53,844 --> 00:58:55,445
and God has sent you there to mature

1527
00:58:55,445 --> 00:58:57,844
you and grow you and make you better.

1528
00:58:57,844 --> 00:58:58,824
Let's pray tonight.

1529
00:58:59,445 --> 00:59:01,364
Our father, I wanna thank you for this

1530
00:59:01,364 --> 00:59:01,864
church.

1531
00:59:02,730 --> 00:59:04,510
These people have been so patient.

1532
00:59:05,050 --> 00:59:06,349
They've been so kind.

1533
00:59:06,809 --> 00:59:07,949
They've been responsive.

1534
00:59:09,210 --> 00:59:11,230
They've been friendly. They've been welcoming.

1535
00:59:11,929 --> 00:59:13,449
And I thank you for the time that

1536
00:59:13,449 --> 00:59:15,369
I've enjoyed with them in these days of

1537
00:59:15,369 --> 00:59:15,869
meeting.

1538
00:59:16,605 --> 00:59:18,525
I thank you for their pastor and his

1539
00:59:18,525 --> 00:59:19,025
family.

1540
00:59:19,965 --> 00:59:22,125
I I since he has a heart of

1541
00:59:22,125 --> 00:59:23,105
love for you

1542
00:59:23,565 --> 00:59:24,784
and for this congregation.

1543
00:59:25,965 --> 00:59:27,724
And I pray that you would bless them

1544
00:59:27,724 --> 00:59:29,344
and him and his family.

1545
00:59:29,730 --> 00:59:31,809
Father, meet the needs here. Let this church

1546
00:59:31,809 --> 00:59:32,309
grow.

1547
00:59:32,610 --> 00:59:34,469
Let it prosper. Give them,

1548
00:59:35,090 --> 00:59:35,750
give them

1549
00:59:36,050 --> 00:59:38,230
the ability to reach out in this community.

1550
00:59:38,530 --> 00:59:40,369
And I pray that you'd make the neighbors

1551
00:59:40,369 --> 00:59:40,869
responsive.

1552
00:59:42,530 --> 00:59:44,070
Father, bring them in

1553
00:59:44,825 --> 00:59:46,765
that your house may be filled.

1554
00:59:47,625 --> 00:59:49,305
And let us hear the good report of

1555
00:59:49,305 --> 00:59:51,805
what you're doing here at Mountain View.

1556
00:59:52,425 --> 00:59:54,425
Thank you, Lord, for this people in this

1557
00:59:54,425 --> 00:59:54,925
church.

1558
00:59:56,505 --> 00:59:58,265
Having known them just a few days, I

1559
00:59:58,265 --> 00:59:59,805
already count them as friends

1560
01:00:00,769 --> 01:00:02,230
And I thank you for that.

1561
01:00:03,010 --> 01:00:05,829
But now father to the crucial point tonight,

1562
01:00:07,170 --> 01:00:09,510
every one of us and you know this,

1563
01:00:10,690 --> 01:00:12,369
every one of us is looking at a

1564
01:00:12,369 --> 01:00:14,210
dry brook in some part of our life

1565
01:00:14,210 --> 01:00:14,949
right now.

1566
01:00:15,684 --> 01:00:16,184
Every

1567
01:00:16,724 --> 01:00:17,224
single

1568
01:00:17,844 --> 01:00:18,744
one of us.

1569
01:00:19,605 --> 01:00:21,204
And I pray you'd help us to get

1570
01:00:21,204 --> 01:00:22,264
honest about it,

1571
01:00:23,045 --> 01:00:24,984
help us to surrender to it,

1572
01:00:25,684 --> 01:00:27,684
and help us to live in it with

1573
01:00:27,684 --> 01:00:30,164
joy in our heart for the glory of

1574
01:00:30,164 --> 01:00:30,664
God.

1575
01:00:31,260 --> 01:00:33,019
Have your way right now in people's lives

1576
01:00:33,019 --> 01:00:34,159
and we'll thank you

1577
01:00:34,619 --> 01:00:36,559
in your name and amen.

1578
01:00:37,420 --> 01:00:38,320
Alright, preacher.

1579
01:00:40,219 --> 01:00:42,159
Special thank you to Carter Pridemore,

1580
01:00:42,460 --> 01:00:44,480
Brian Harris, Waverly Henderson,

1581
01:00:44,940 --> 01:00:48,105
Tatum Harris Spears, and Josie Partain for our

1582
01:00:48,105 --> 01:00:50,744
theme song, Truth Set Me Free. I've been

1583
01:00:50,744 --> 01:00:52,684
Tyler Goza on production and audio.

1584
01:00:53,144 --> 01:00:55,144
We hope you can join us live next

1585
01:00:55,144 --> 01:00:57,625
Monday at 6 PM CST. Thank you for

1586
01:00:57,625 --> 01:00:58,125
listening.