Life in The Land of False Idols

Whether you are here with us or tuning in at home, if you'd like to turn now to the book of 1 Kings, and we are going to be reading from chap to 16 and verse 29, just to kind of reorientate ourselves, really, into the time of history in which we find ourselves in this book. And we're going to be reading through chapter 17 and to the next part of Elijah's story. It was quite funny in the first service. We had 1 of our children is called Elijah, and we were having Elijah in here. And every so often, you could hear Rory Bell, our children's workers shouting Elijah's name.

Telling him to move over there or to stop snoring, I think, at 1 point. Obviously, again, they were playing, but we had Elijah there and Elijah there. So Elijah is the theme the theme of the day. And as I say, we're reading chapter 16 and verse 29. In the 30 eighth year of Asa King of Judah, Ahab son of Omry became king of Israel, and he reigned in Samaria over Israel for 22 years.

Ahab son of Omry did more evil in the eyes of the law than any of those before him. He not only considered it trivial to commit the sins of Jaraboa, the son of Nebat, but he also married Jezebel, daughter of F Bale, king of the Sidonians, and began to serve baile and worship him. He set up an altar for baile in the temple of baile that he built in some area. Ahab also made an Asher a pole, and did more to arouse the anger of the Lord, the God of Israel, than did all the kings of Israel before him. In Ahab's time, Heel of Bethel rebuilt Jericho, He laid its foundations at the cost of his first born son, Abarum, and he sets up its gates at the cost of his youngest son Seggab, in accordance with the word of the Lord spoken by Joshua, the son of nun.

Now, Elijah, the Tishbite from Tish B and Gilead said to Ahab, As the Lord, the God of Israel lives, whom I serve, there will be neither June or reign in the next few years, except at my word. Then the word of the Lord came to Elijah, leave here, turn eastward and hide in the Carith ravine east of the Jordan. You will drink from the brook, and I have instructed the ravens to supply you with food there. So he did what the Lord had told him, he went to the Carith ravine, east of the Jordan and stayed there. The Ravens brought him bread and meat in the morning, and bread and meat in the evening, and he drank from the brook.

Sometime later, the brook dried up because there had been no rain in the land. Then the word of the Lord came to him, go at once to Zarifah in the region of sidon and stay there. I have instructed a widow there to supply you with food. So he went to Zarifah. When he came to the town gate, a widow was there gathering sticks.

He called to her and asked would you bring me a little water in a jar so that I may have a drink? As she was going to get it, he called, and bring me please a piece of bread. As surely as the lord your God lives, she replied, I don't have any bread, only a handful of flour in the jar and a little olive oil in the jug. I am gathering a few sticks to take home and make a meal for myself and my son that we may eat it and die. Elijah said to her, don't be afraid.

Go home and do as you have said, but first, make a small loaf of bread for me and what you have from what you have and bring it to me, and then make something for yourself and your son. For this is what the Lord, the God of Israel says. The jar of flour will not be used up and the jug of oil will not run dry until the day the Lord sends rain on the land. She went away and did as Elijah had told her, so there was food every day for Elijah and for the woman and her family. For, the jar of flour was not used up, and the jug of oil did not run dry in keeping with the word of the lord spoken by Elijah.

Good morning. My name's Pete Woodcock. I'm 1 of the pastors of the church. And if you are new here, it's it's lovely to have you with us. And for those that are on the internet watching, I I'm not I think the line goes straight through our head.

So that's the plastic that stops me spitting at all the people in front of me. We test the spit level to see who spits the most, but it's probably me. So it's good I've got that plastic there. I want to talk to you about what I'm calling the bale scale. Okay?

The bale scale. It's a way of measuring how influenced you are by bail. And I'm gonna ask you where are you on the bail scale, but before I ask you where you are on the bail scale, we're going to go back to the year 870 BC. We're in the northern kingdom of 2 kingdoms that or 1 kingdom of the people of God that have split. We're in Israel.

We're under the reign of King Ahab, as we've just read, and his wife, Queen Jezebel. And the Israelites are actually under the influence of this very powerful royal family that have basically swayed the people into a pagan view that baal is God. And that Bale is the God of weather and fertility, and that if you want to succeed in this world, you need to worship baile. He's the source of water and he's the source of food. So unless you worship baile, then you're gonna be in trouble.

And without the rain fall because he's the God of rain, then you're not gonna have any crops and without crops, you're not gonna have any life, and so you need to worship bale. So back to the Bales scale back then. What's going on? Well, you've got 2 extremes. The first extreme I'm putting down here on the bale scale, as it goes like this.

The first extreme I had a lovely graphic, but we haven't been able to you know, I drew this thing last night. So it's gonna be me doing this. Okay? So down here on the Bales scale is king Ahab and his queen Jezebel. They're totally devoted to bail.

They're completely committed to changing the laws of the land and the minds and the hearts of the people so that they would all worship bale. And they're the sort of people that won't accept just people saying it's okay to have baal as your God. It's not just okay for them to worship baal. They want you to worship bail, and they won't be happy until you do. So they work on the children, they work on the young people, They would work on the education system.

They would want to ban all the influences amongst young people and children, where Yahweh, the God of the bible is spoken of, and they want everybody's hearts and minds to bail. That's 1 1 end of the scale. Okay? Got that? The other end of the scale is Elijah himself, this prophet of God.

Now we saw last week that Elijah means my God is Yahweh. My God is the God of the Bible. And so he sees Baal as a false God a liar that brings immorality that if you follow bail, you will have your children and young people all kinds of in gross immorality going on, which they did with the Asherah poles and those things. And that ultimately, the fruit of bail is death. Ultimately, it is death, an eternal death.

So that's the other end of the scale. Now I guess between those 2 extremes, Elijah following yahweh and Jezebel and Ahab following bail, there's all kinds of in between is. At least they want to be seen as that. So different shades, different weights on the bale scale. There will be those I'm sure that say, well, yeah, you know, I do follow.

Of course I thought I'm a follower of yahweh but I don't want to be too extreme. I want to be in the middle somewhere and others would say things like we can have a foot in both camps. I could be a bail, you know, there's some stuff about bail that is good and I can worship and it makes me get on with life and, you know, people are friendly to me, but I can also more secretly perhaps follow Yairway. A foot in both gods. And then others would say, yeah, look.

Okay. The extremes of Baal worship, I don't like. The utter sexual immorality that goes on. I don't want my children to hear that or be around that. But, you know, there are other things about bale worship and our cult that, you know, that's world views that we embrace and they're good and they they help me get on in this world.

Let me show you how the bale scale works. As I said, I did a little diagram, but it's not working. So it's you have to watch me go like this. Okay? Which I quite like, I have to say.

This plastic between me. We I can see myself doing it. Oh, that's amazing. And so here we are on the Bayalsale. This is how the Balesale works.

If Israel listened to the Word of God and when I mean listen, they put it into practice in the way they lived, Then it was the weight on this end of the scale and so they would go up towards Elijah, the 1 who's living as Yahweh wants us to live. Yeah? But here here's how the it's very simple the Balescout, but it but this is what you've got to get. If they don't apply the word of God, the weight on this scale, they automatically go down to the bale scale. Do you see that?

That's how it works. The influence of the world will take you there unless you have the word of God weighing you that way. Do you see? That's how the bail steps. So there is activity and passivity in the Balescale.

If you're actively applying the word of God and putting it into your life, then you will go towards elijah towards following God. If you're passive, if you're not actively involved in applying the Word of God, then you automatically go down to bail. And follow Jezebail and Ahab. Do you get it? It's quite easy, isn't it?

So back to my question then, Where are you? We've seen what is Wells doing. Where are you on the bale scale? Now today, we don't talk about Gail, at bail. We hardly talk about gods, but there are Ahabs.

And there are Jezebels, and they are working and ruling and influencing our culture and it's like passive smoking. We're breathing in their words, and they're about eradicating the living God, Yahweh's word. They do it in the adverts. It's very interesting how they do it because sometimes they do it so prettily that you don't under see the influence they have. Just look at 2 new adverts that are on the TV at the moment.

There's only 2 but I've noticed them that I want you to look at. 1 is that the new Starbucks advert. Just see how that's influencing our people, in normalizing something that isn't normal. Look at the new Starbucks adverts. It's about a name.

Look at the new virgin advert. And see how it normalizes a way of life. Just see how it does that. And it's done very nicely. And it's very hard to argue with.

And it will influence us because there's jezebels and Ahabs promoting, entertaining, drip, drip, drip, indoctrinating their worldview and anti yahweh position. So they tell us what to fear. They tell us who to trust when you fear, and they do all of this without reference to yahweh. So, okay. With the Bales scale in mind, we're going to the next episode in the life of Elijah because we're working through his life.

And we're gonna hear the story of Elijah and this poor widow which I'll introduce to you a bit more detail in a minute. And we're gonna watch and I want you to watch them on the bale scale. Okay? I want you to watch them how as they apply the word of God faith grows. Yeah.

So here's my first oh, I'm supposed to be pressing buttons, aren't I? Here's my first point. It's not working. Is it? Okay.

Here's my first 0. Wait. There you go. Here's my first point, the story so far. So last week, we saw that Elijah brings the Word of Yahweh, the Word of God to Ahab, and you get it in verse 1, which is on there.

Now Elijah, the Tishbite from TishB in Gilead, said to Ahab, as the Lord, the God of Israel lives, whom I serve, there will be neither Jew nor Rain in the next few months except at my word. So it's a challenge of words here. Bale who's supposed to be in charge of rain, and Elijah is saying, no. We saw that last week. No.

Yairways in charge of rain. Now, while that word was being proved everyday, God takes Elijah off to this book called Carith or Cherith in the old version, and the Lord provides food and water for His faithful servant. By this Brook. Yeah. We saw that last week.

But and here's where we pick up the story. After a while, Elijah is not only reminded of his words to the world, to the nation that there will be no no rain. But he experiences that word really strongly for himself. So look at verse 7 of of of 1 kings. No.

1 kings chapter 17. It says, sometime later, the brook dried up because there had been no rain in the land. Now here's the first truth you need to learn. Even though God will supply students to his faithful ones, they still live in the same world. So they can't help but experience the sins of the world around them, the effects of those sins, and the judgments of God upon the world because they live in the same world.

And that's what Elijah was experiencing. The Brook dried up. When Jesus, the son of the living God came to this earth and he saw the hungry and thirsty and sick, He didn't sit back at the river Careith and say, well, I'm in my bubble. I'm being fed by God. He was moved to have gut trouble.

He had compassion in his stomach. When Jesus saw the false teachers and the money makers in the temple, he was moved to anger. He felt it. When Jesus went to his friend's funeral, lazarus, he wept. So Christians, you see, however faithful they are are not exempt from the the effects of judgment of the age.

Even while they're being sustained by God in this world. And we've got to get this. It's not You know, it's not just non Christians that get COVID-nineteen, is it? Because if it was then we would pull all this down and say, we're Christians, we don't get it. But we do.

And clearly, COVID is some kind of a judgment on the world, isn't it? To get our attention whether we're listening or not is a different matter. But do you see that? So it's not just non Christians that get this. We are sustained by God's word in ways the world doesn't understand.

Absolutely. But it doesn't mean that we don't feel the horror and the sadness, and it experience something of the sins around us and the judgments around us. So verse 7, sometime later, the book dried up. Because there had been no rain in the land. But also, Elijah under this point needs to needs also know that if we're going to live faithful to Yahweh in a world of bale influence, then he's constantly got to be refreshing his reliance on the Word of God.

You see, perhaps Elijah was a little comfortable by the by the Brooke, Kerith. I mean, in the end, it was quite nice, wasn't it in his splendid isolation? I mean, he was isolated from everybody else, He was isolated from the effects of the world while he was there. He was having a meat sandwich every day, brought to him by the Ravens, and some fresh water. I mean, what else could you want?

I mean, at first, it would have been nice, nasty to be isolated, but he probably got used to the isolation, didn't he? A meat sandwich and water every day? Well, it's quite good. Someone wrote this, I quite like this quote. Because of our proneness, to look at the bucket and forget the fountain, God has frequently to change his means of supplier to keep our eyes fixed on the source.

Do you get that? So perhaps he was getting a bit used to. Splendid isolation, and so God's going to move him on. So we get versus 8 and 9. Then the word of the Lord came to him, go at once to Sarafev in the region of sidon and stay there.

I've instructed a widow there to supply you with food. So we've had the story so far. Now we're on the place There we go. The place where he's instructed to go. So Elijah is instructed to move from splendid isolation to Sarafith.

Now, it's interesting. That Sarafheth means refining, and it comes from the word crucible. It comes from the word that you would you would refine gold. You know, you heat up gold, and then you get rid of all the drops and the the waste. And you refine it to purity.

So perhaps this was a a refining time for Elijah. And we've gotta get this because as I say, maybe he was comfortable at Kerith and now he's got to get uncomfortable because to follow the word of God, in a world of bail is not necessarily the comfortable thing to do. It refines you. It hurts He's got to now step out in faith. Is he going to follow the word of God and go to Zareth, which hurts, or is he going to stay by the brook somehow or try and get water somewhere else.

Zarath is a hundred miles away from Kerath. And it's across a desert. That's an amazing thing, isn't it? And as you see from the next chapter chapter 18, that actually Elijah is a wanted man. He's on the most wanted list because Ahab has sent his army out to search for him.

Because he sees him as such an anti an anti national figure because he's talking about Jehovah all the time. So you gotta get this. Here is Elijah coming out of splendid isolation. He's got to walk a hundred miles across the desert where there's no water. This is dangerous.

To follow the word of yahweh is not always the easy option. But will he do it on the bale scale? And get this, Sarapheth is in gentile land. In fact, scion is actually where Jezebel was born. Did you get this?

This is the heart of Balism he's got to go to. I love Matthew Henry on this, who's an old writer. I don't know whether I've got it. No. He says he says he's showing why why did God send Elijah to to to Sion.

And he says, to show Jezebil the impotent in impotency of her malice. God will find a hiding place for his servant even in her country. And he will. He's gonna show that, actually, Bale is a false God by providing for Elijah in Balesville. Yeah?

But it doesn't make it easy for Elijah. He has to trust the word and go across a desert with his no water to the place where Jezebel, his enemy was born? Yes. Not easy to obey the word of God. So we've had the story so far.

We've had the place. Let's go on to the person. The person he's got to meet there, look at verse 9. Go at once to Zereffect in the region of sidon and stay there. I've instructed a widow there to supply you with food.

Now, look, look, why didn't God, yahweh send Elijah to 1 of the prophets that you find in chapter 18 that is being hidden by obadiah and fed but why? What what why why not what you could have nice fellowship in isolation, couldn't you? But he's he's he's got to go to Zarephath and he's got to verse 9 meet a a widow who will supply the food. And of course, eventually, when Elijah gets there, as we'll see in a minute, she's 1 poor widow. She's an unimportant poor dying, gentile widow, brought up to follow bail.

Now, I want to say to you, this is classic, absolutely classic yahweh, isn't it? This is classic of the God of the bible. Some poor widow. Paul writes this in 1 Corinthians. Chapter 1 about Christians.

He says brothers and sisters. Think of what you were when you were called. Not many of you were wise by human standards, not many were influential, not many were of noble birth, but God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise. God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. See, bail is all about money and influence and power and wisdom and strength, But Yahweh chooses a poor widow woman.

Is amazing. So here's Elijah then. He's to head off for Balesville in Gentar land, But it's it's because of his faith, he and he's he's trusting the word and goes across the desert. That he's going to see again classic Yairway an individual woman trust in Yairway. It's a beautiful story as well.

See. So let's get back to the fourth point. My fourth point is the encounter the encounter. So he went to Sarafev. When he came to the town gate, a widow was there gathering sticks.

Now, there gotta be dry sticks because there's been no water. So they're not, you know, they're not wet sticks. And he went to her and asked, would you bring me a little water in a jar so that I might have a drink. As she was going to get it, he called and bring me please a piece of bread. As surely as the Lord, your God lives, she replied, I don't have any bread, only a handful of flour in a jar and a little olive oil in a jug.

I'm gathering a few sticks to take home and make a meal for myself and my son that I may eat it and die. My goodness. Now hold it. You gotta remember, where has Elijah just come from? He's just walked from a brook that's dried up so no water there.

He's walked a hundred miles across a desert This is 1 thirsty profit. I mean, I don't know how many days it takes to walk a hundred miles through the desert, but it's gotta be at least 3, isn't it? It's got to be, which is the maximum you can have without water, isn't it? So I guess he was quite thirsty I think the mask that he wore in the desert was a bit dirtier than our mask because it would have sand all in it, dry sand. And as he took the mask off, then his whole face would appear and he's gagging.

He's gagging. Would you bring me a little water? Now, for me to ask you that, it's not a big deal, is it? Even in COVID, even with plastic between us, You know, I can say I can say to Victor, can you give me a glass of water, please? And he'll be up and give it, and we might be distanced and grab it like this.

But actually, we've got some water here. Look, I've got a water and it's cold. But for her to give a glass of water, is God requisitioning everything? No no little deal here. You see that?

Bring me a glass of water. And then verse 11, she responds. As she was going to get it, she responds with generosity and kindness. Now she clearly understands that Elijah is a follower of yahweh. You can see that from verse 12 because she says as surely as the lord your God lives.

So she understands something about who Elijah is, although she may not know he's the exact prophet that spoke to Ahab, But she understands something of the word of God that this it's a dry land because because that's what the prophet had said. She understands something about Yairway, not everything, but something, but she responds to the little she understands, and so on the bail scale, she goes like that. There's an amazing amazing illustration that give that Jesus just before he's crucified. It's about a parable about a king who separates sheep from goats, basically. The unrighteous from the righteous.

I won't read it all for time's sake. But what happens is that there are unrighteous and righteous. But how do you know who is right and who is unrighteous. Well, it's to do with what you do with God's people. The unrighteous don't do anything for God's people.

The righteous bring them water. Listen to this end bit of what he says. He separates the righteous and the unrighteous like sheep and goats and he says, Then the king will say to those on his right, they're the righteous ones. Come you who are blessed by my father, God. Take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world.

For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat. I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink. And then verse 37, sorry, I left it up there. Then the righteous will answer Lord. When did we see you hungry and feed you or thirsty and give you something to drink?

When did we see you a stranger and invite you in or needing clothes and clothes you? When did we see you ill or in prison? And go and visit you. And the King replied, truly, I tell you, whatever you did to 1 of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine you did to me. Or a better version is, what you did to these little ones you did for me?

Do you see what's happening with the woman? She doesn't understand everything, but she sees someone who follows your way and she brings him some water. Whatever you did to the least of 1 of my brothers and sisters you did for me. A cup of cold water to a follower of yahweh will not go unseen by Father God. Do you see how her faith is growing?

She serves She serves the people of God that was in front of her, which she was a elijah on the bale scale. Then Elijah asks for food, did you notice that? And it's here that we see just how hopeless This woman's case is. It's devastatingly hopeless. She's at the end of all her resources.

He says, can can you make me a little cake? As well, a little bring me some bread. And she says, well, I'm fixing my last meal before death. And what a painful death starvation would be? I'm I'm just gonna go into the last throes of a painful death with my son.

I've only got enough for him and me. Welcome to Zarephath, Elijah. Do you see how difficult it is following the word of God sometimes? Is he gonna trust what? This is the woman that's supposed to provide for you and she's just waiting to die.

And so she's faced with a choice. To give up what she can see and touch and eat, Even though it's her final meal, but to give up what she can see and touch and eat. For something she can't see and touch and eat, and it's just a promise of the word of God. What's she gonna believe? Where's she gonna be on the scale?

It's like those old illustrations of pump of priming water pump, if you know it. You often have to prime a water water pump with some water to make it seal and then it will be able to suck the water up. And you've probably heard those illustrations that they they have a pump in the desert and there might be a jar of water. It's a bit foul and stale and it's been there for some time. But it is a liter of water and here you are a very thirsty person.

What are you going to do? Are you going to drink the liter of water which is there seen, you can touch it and drink it. Or are you going to pour that liter of water into the pump to prime the pump so fresh water will come. That's the choice. And she has to make that choice.

And that's the choice the gospel demands of us in following Christ. You give up all but of course the ore that we give up is only just a jug of filthy old water. It'll only provide you 1 meal. You give up that which is temporary. All that Bales offers All his education and getting on in this world is temporary for someone who speaks the words of eternal life.

And she did, bring me bread. And the wonderful thing is that as she just obeys, she meets God in her greatest need, which brings me on to my fifth point The provision, do you see it there in versus 16 and 17, sorry, 13 to -- sorry, in versus 13 to 16. Elijah said to her, don't be afraid. And there's a lot of stuff we could say about that, but we haven't got time. Go home and do what you have said.

But first, make a little loaf of bread for me from what you have and bring it to me and then make something for yourself and your son. Are you gonna follow God? So little thing here is a choice you've got to make. For this is what the Lord the God of Israel says, the jar of flour will not be used up and the jug of oil will not run dry until the day the Lord sends rain on the land. She went away and did as Elijah had told her.

So there was food every day for Elijah and for the woman and for her family. For the jar of flour was not used up and the jug of oil did not run dry in keeping with the Word of the Lord spoken by Elijah. In keeping with the Word of the Lord spoken by Elijah, Now she didn't know that was going to happen. It was just a promise until she put her faith in the Word of the Lord and then it happened. And God met this widow in the ordinary place of her kitchen.

Every day he met with her, Every day, she, her son, her family, Elijah, found the daily miracle of God providing in a world where bail has his influence. Every day, Now notice that the miracle wasn't like God saying, here's a 3 ton sack of flour, And here's a thousand liters of olive oil. I mean, that would have been a great miracle, but the trouble with that miracle is that then she and Elijah would have to worry about robbers and thieves coming in because they've suddenly got this sack of flour. Every day, like the manner in the wilderness, if you know that story, they received the grace food sufficient for the day every day. This poor widow was brought into the presence of yahweh who provides every day.

The daily journey of putting the hand of faith into the jar. The daily faith of just pouring the oil. Jesus tells us to pray, Give us this day our daily bread. It's a great prayer, isn't it? How do we cope in a world with influence of bale around us every day?

Put your hand in the jar, pour out the oil, give us this day our daily bread. Give us this day our daily bread. And notice that she doesn't have this miracle by hoarding. It's not like she says, okay, well, I, you know, I ate 1 day, the next day I'll just leave it and there'll be twice as much It's just the daily simple following of God's word, hand in the jar. So you get the story.

Let's just apply it. Let's make some applications and then we'll finish. First of all, in these dark and difficult times that we're in and we are in, And surely, COVID is something of God warning our world. As I say, I don't think we're listening, so more might come. To get our attention.

In these dark and difficult times that we're in, are we going to trust the word of the lord? Will we step out in faith like the widow? Everything that this world offers, everything Your work, your education, even your family will die. Everything. So will you listen to the 1 that has resurrection life?

Will you listen to the 1 that has the words of eternal life. The 1 that could deal with death and bring re re resurrection, we'll see that in the next part of this story of the woman clearer next time next week. Very, very good. But will you believe Yahway's promise in this world and obey him in faith. In small ways, That's how we grow.

In small ways, you trust him in times of COVID. You do what he wants us to do. That's what the widow did. She had to give up her sandwich which she could see For a promise that she was not sure of, that's the point of a promise. Will she believe the promise of God?

In these testing times, will you? That's the first thing. The second thing is Do you have faith like hers? The amazing thing is that God is is not like Bale. God does not look for fame but faith.

He's not interested in wealth, but he's interested in willingness. He's not interested in renowned but reliance. The only pedigree needed to serve God in this world is obedience. And this is what you get with Jesus. Jesus is being rejected in Luke chapter 4 by his own people his own his hometown.

They're rejecting him. They're not listening to his word. And it here that Jesus talks about this widow's faith. Listen to what he says in Luke 4 24. Truly, I tell you, he he continued.

No profit is accepted in his his hometown. I assure you that there were many widows in Israel in Elijah's time when the sky was shut up for 3 and a half years. And there was a severe famine throughout the land, yet Elijah was not sent to any of them but to a widow in Sarafath in the region of sidon. It's classic yahweh. He's interested in a little woman.

Not in some big, powerful person, but she humbly depends. Unlike the people in Nazareth that were rejecting Jesus and unlike the people of Israel that were following the Bales. He's looking for faith. She had nothing to offer. She had 1 little sandwich left.

She was at the end of all her resources. She was an empty vessel, but God loves to fill empty vessels. That's what the miracle is about. To remember him with the 5 loaves and the 2 fish, and he fed 5000 people, That's our God. He can use this woman.

See, the trouble is, we start talking like this. Don't we? Oh, you know, if we were in better days, if we had better circumstances, if COVID wasn't here, I would be able to serve the lord. Listen, it only takes a cup of cold water for a brother or a sister. And God honors that.

You do what you can, You obey in the little way you can and you'll find your start continuing daily to obey. Remember, it's her, I know, through God, that saved the profit. It's down to her that Israel had this profit. Isn't that amazing? God uses the little things.

Little you. Don't make circumstances. A reason not to serve him. Third thing. Do you use the daily bread?

Give us this day our daily bread. If you're going to survive in Balesville, and we certainly live there. When was the last time you heard God mentioned on any of the media? We we you know, just just look at those adverts, please. Go and see them.

See the advert for Starbucks and see the advert for Virgin. And just see how cleverly and beautifully they tell the story to so that you don't even realize and and it feels when you see them. Oh, that's nice. Oh. 0, that's lovely.

That's normal. How am I going to survive in a world that's influencing me so much for daily bread? I need daily bread. I need to put my hand. I need to say give me today my daily bread, lord, sufficient for today.

How many needs to be a hand in the daily bread, isn't it? Now I know every every every other person seems to be gluten free and whatever it is you are. But, you know, whatever it is you reach for every day, even if it's a horrible gluten free loaf of bread, which she wouldn't have given the profit and don't ever give a proper profit. But but she put but when you put your hand it's only a joke. When you put your hand into the daily, remember, I need not just this bread.

I need every word that proceeds from the mouth of God. And just small increments of trusting. 4 thing, do you feel the horror of a dry and thirsty land? We're not here just to judge the world. We're here to feel what Bale does to our children to our young people, the philosophies that are preached are tragic We're to feel the horror of that as we treated old people as nothing so it didn't matter about homes.

As we treat young people that are going through mental illness that we just give them everything that they want. The horror of a dry and thirsty land, we are meant to experience like the drying up of the brook. And then the fourth thing is, where are you then? Where are you on the Bales scale? Where are you?

Who are you listening to? Because if you don't apply the word of God, you automatically go down to Jezebel and you'll end up doing things and saying things and being things that you never thought you would be. It's every day applying the word, and on the bale scale we go up. To the man of God. Let's pray.

Father help us please. To listen to the wonderful truths in this story, to be refreshed and that you would bring faith where we haven't got it. And we would trust in your promises. Help us to do that in Jesus' name,