Sustain

good to be in the house of the Lord today amen Lord we call on your name we trust you right now and believe you for great things God we have sung songs we have prayed our faith Lord has reached out Beyond who we are and we have asked in Your Name Lord to move once again Lord I make myself available to you I so desperately need you today God we need a word for this hour Lord Jesus in your name anoint every one of us God we pray in the name of Jesus in the name of Jesus the name of Jesus hallelujah thank you so much brother Duran thank you to our singers and worshiper leaders and our Sunday school leaders and our media and staff everybody Outside Inside thankful today for you and for your investment in the Kingdom a man you can be seated if you feel like you need to yeah good days bad days we're all here today huh I know that all of us at times in our lives we we have times of refreshing we have moments that that we we live through and long telling nights that are challenging to expect that God can still move in our lives some of you know exactly what I speak of when you're sick you're just hopeful that you can survive another day called life for a reason look at your neighbor say Okay living life did anybody say no anyway I know that as a child sometimes time can stretch man it's like forever uh here here we are and the month of soon to be August um kids going back to school all the parents breathe a sigh of ah Christmas will be here tomorrow and then on and on it goes the last day of school yeah you haven't even started and some of you are already looking to the last day see it just works that way doesn't it anybody ever plan a vacation and you got all the planning and then it just like takes forever to get there and then once it happens it's over like magic I say there's a whole bunch around here you young parents with these young kids around here don't blink whatever you whatever you do man it just what happened where did it go it happens every day we we do realize every day that life is a treasure as you begin every day you assume that everything will be just kind of normal and same old same old but then things happen uh things begin to change in altar maybe something blows up or something transpires in somebody's Health whatever it is we are focused so many times on just what we know to be normal and we claim to be usual and sometimes the the focus gets blurry have you ever ever had a struggle in your life come on you don't have to jump up and down and say yeah I had a struggle but we know what they are don't we yeah have you ever faced a mountain of uncertainties I know I sure have some of you listen carefully Pastor have you ever faced death and looked it right in the eye and wonder if you were going to survive huh have you ever wondered if you would see tomorrow's sunrise I'd realize right now I'm I'm giving a whole lot of what would seem to be impossible and impossible things but the fact of the matter the longer you live and the more situations you face I have had some people call me and under duress and under concern and out of the the the possibility of what might happen in their whole world collapsing around them they don't know what else to do and what can I say or do to help them when I have faced those places and believe me I've I have faced those moments and I walk out of a hospital and I'm walking in circles saying God I don't even know what's going to transpire next well what will I do if this or that and my mind begins to paint pictures yeah have you ever wished for something to happen and with your whole heart you wanted it but it didn't it may understand disappointments now I realize that not all of life's choices and decisions are life-threatening we get that for an example this morning I had a crisis in my life I'll share it with you I spilled my coffee then I poured another cup brother Seth him it's built too my wife said what troll I went nothing I don't even want it now that's a crisis for some come on sisters that's a crisis for some of us all right the longer I live and the more sun rises that I see the more that I realize that every one of those sunrises is a gift and every one of them have been given to me for a purpose aside from the spilled coffee I learn a lot of things I don't want to waste them now I'm good at that today is not a funeral message y'all stay with Pastor man the Lord is the Lord's already showed up here Psalm 118 24 this is the day the Lord is made we will rejoice and be glad in it songwriter declared that rejoicing daily is a choice that you got to make we will we determine this is what we'll do in fact today can be a better day than yesterday this week and will be a whole lot better than last week anybody understand what I'm saying it's the process of life now it might be listen carefully it might be today you got up and everything was fine only to find out that it was a disaster in the making that only takes really for some of us I'm telling it only takes one difficult challenge hiccup bump in the road or whatever to throw us and spin us into a tailspin doesn't it I mean I almost never recovered from that spilled coffee I want to take a few minutes if I could I want to I want to share with you a story that happened an account that transpired generations and generations ago listen carefully let me explain something about life's choices there was a prophet of God he was sent to be a voice for his generation and I referred to this I do often because Elijah is such a powerful powerful figure in the Old Testament by his sheer name Elijah by definition by translation means god is Jehovah God himself just by the name imagine that being your name Elijah meaning God himself you okay over there hang on to me all right stay with me Eli but if you read the history of Elijah stay with me there is not a whole lot of history about him you don't find a whole lot of details about where he came from what he did what is worth any of that you don't get into a lot of even historians themselves say it's it's as if he came and and he had this prophetic voice and an entire worlds were changed because of this man but understand that Old Testament prophets had a very very challenging and difficult path to walk the people of God were in the path that they were on on walking because the voice of the Prophet said do this don't do this Kings would come every King had a prophet then they began to have judges they things began to transpire why because they were looking for something beyond what they had and they would have to depend on a prophet to say I see this when we look at Elijah we understand that listen carefully Elijah had the ability in his words to stop nature stay with me first Kings chapter number 16 verse 33. Ahab made a Grove Ahab did more to provoke the Lord God of Israel to anger than all the kings of Israel that were before him and Elijah is on the scene when this Ahab guy is on the throne how many knows that for a king for it to be said of a king to be the worst King since all the other kings how many know that's a great title to achieve not something I would want that's in First Kings 16. Ahab was a according to the scripture the story he was a terrible person as a king he did more to provoke God than all the kings before him his representation to humanity was simply this I come to worship idols I come to build my own place he even built Groves The Groves of course you'd heard about we talked about last week even a few moments there were there were prophets of the Groves that they worshiped by out and in doing so what they worship was there these entire Gardens were planted and put into place with the trees and the flowers and all the pretty stuff and in there they would put idols and they'd walk through these Gardens and these Groves of trees and they would worship the idols and then they would stop and worship the trees First Kings 17 notice what happens Elijah the tishbite that's about all we've got about him who was of the inhabitants of Gilead unto Ahab as the Lord God of Israel liveth before whom I stand there shall not be do nor Reign these years but according to my word this Elijah the Tish spite stands before the king and he says listen to my voice what I'm going to tell you no rain Tony neighbor say none come on we're bilingual NADA tell somebody all right yet whatever language you want to use do this nine nor ten none of that no rain not even due in the morning no moisture no grass to pick up the Dew no rain from the sky a terrible situation that Elijah had pronounced to the king but his word stuck God honored the word of the Prophet when he would decide ultimately for there to be rain upon the Earth God would hear that word and God would release the heavens and Rain would fall but I've come to tell you those 42 months they were dry dry dry look to your neighbor say dry but today's message I don't want to Simply talk about this but I'd like to take us a step further if you will follow Pastor for just a moment First Kings 17 and 2 the word of the Lord came unto him saying get thee hints this is to Elijah the word of the Lord is speaking turn the Eastward hide thyself by the Brook cherith that is before Jordan and it shall be that thou shalt drink of the Brook and I have commanded the Ravens to feed thee there so he went did according to the word of the Lord he went and dwelt by the Brook cherith that was before Jordan and the Ravens brought him bread and fish in the morning blood and bread and flesh excuse me in the morning and bread and flesh in the evening he drank of the brook came to pass though listen to this after a while that the brook dried up because there had been no rain in the land Elijah simply spoke a word to the king Ahab listen no no water is going to come it's going to get dry dry dry and then God speaks to him and says I need you to leave this place and I want you to go to cherith there's a brook there everybody say a brook water running babbling turning twisting you could see the leaves you can it should be a nice pleasant place it's called a brook but remember the words of the man said no rain how does a brook make itself rain he's by this Brook water's flowing the birds sure enough show up they give him flesh they give him bread he's sitting there eating he's enjoying the water the whole planet if you will at that point that they know of it's dry dry and here's the prophet of God he's eating he's enjoying it Birds bringing him flesh and bread and he now where did the birds get flesh Story Another Day where do they get bread story for another day they didn't Amazon it anyway he would eat in the morning he would eat in the evening but I've come to tell somebody today that what God had spoken to this man Elijah's he told him to go to the brook cherith Cherish cherith by definition simply means this a place of Separation a cutting place a Gorge an in-between no destination God says to the man of God go to a place of separation you wait there I'll protect you I'll take care of you I will provide for you but when you get to cherith you be there because something is transpiring in the world understand the Bible says verse 7 it came to pass after a while that doesn't mean a day a week a month just a while is all we have the brook dried up come today to help somebody recognize in this particular Story the blessing of God can be in your life the mercies of God working in your life the things of God presenting themselves in your life but you need to understand something when you separate yourself and when you get to a place that you've got to make some tough choices am I going to be what God wants me to be or am I going to give in to the things of this world you need to know something there's going to come a moment in a time that you're going to have to decide the brook has dried up because of what I said I suffer also and what happened in that region was there was no water so it dried up the Ravens stopped coming the word of the Lord comes again things are happening to him at that moment would you give me just a moment here could it be that in that place that he wished that he would just simply die because he was realizing and recognizing what he had spoken actually happened and now in this place of Separation needless to say he's rising up in the morning and he's wondering how much longer will this happen how much longer will it be taken care of how much longer will the water I see it's getting less and less every day but the word of the Lord says again in first king 17 y'all stay with me for just a moment verse number eight the word of the Lord came again came to him saying arise get thee to Zarephath which belongeth to zaidon and dwell there behold I have commanded a widow woman there to sustain thee so he arose listen where was he in cherith but the brook had dried up there was no longer provision there stay with me he wanted to die there he could have died there but he was in a place of separation and now he's going to Zarephath there's a woman there she'll sustain he arose went to Zarephath when he came to the gate of the city behold though the widow woman the winner woman was there Gathering of sticks and he called to her and said fetch me I pray thee a little water in the vessel what had just happened to the water that he had dried up a little water in a vessel that I may drink and as she was going to fetch it he called to her said bring me I pray the immortal of bread in thine hand no longer The Raven left the bread but now he is having to discover by faith the past that God was leading him y'all stay with me she went to she went the Bible said as the Lord liveth I have not a cake but a handful of meal in a barrel a little oil in a cruise and behold I am Gathering two sticks that I may go in dress it for me and my son listen that we may eat and die Elijah said to her fear not go do as thou has said but make me thereof a little cake first and bring it unto me and after make for thee and thy son for thus saith the Lord God of Israel the barrel of meal shall not waste neither shall the crews of oil fail until the day the Lord sinneth rain upon the Earth and she went and did according to saying of Elijah and she and he and her house did eat many days and the barrel of meal wasted not and neither did the cruise of oil fail according to the word of the Lord which he spake by Elijah knowing he left this place of Separation you would consider it to be enough but then God tells him you need to go to seraphath now Zarephath by definition a smelting a place where metals were mined and they were heated and separated for use for people so he leaves the place of Separation The Gorge the place that brought him aside and now he goes into the smelter the stench the smell the heat the place where he went it wasn't a pretty place it wasn't a place designed for normal folk if you will this was a place for hard workers that would come listen Elijah came to this hot smelly place where it was dry it was nasty it was messy it was hot listen to me carefully in 2023 the story we read is a great story to refer to it's a great story to go back to but sometimes you and I can feel like that we've been separated for the things of God but then God sends us to a place that maybe it's nasty and ugly and smelly and there's a lot of hard work going on I've come today to Simply help somebody to recognize and to realize that what Elijah was going through in his day perhaps some of you are resting on today in this place I submit to you today that if God is indeed God of all things if the god Jehovah is indeed on the throne doing great and mighty things in people's lives I will submit to you this remember that if you spoke a word by the understanding of God's word and the power in that word then you can stand by it you can go to the bank with it you can build a kingdom on it God it's in your word I'm going to live for you I'm going to love you I'm gonna serve you I'm going to bless you I'm going to praise you I'm going to declare your glory I'm going to tell you on the mountain in the valley wherever I go but when the hard times come and when you've got to separate yourself and go to a place where simply God Is providing for you don't get stuck it might dry up it might go away but if you listen to the word of God he will again declare get up from where you are and go where you're going you might not like it it might be smelling nasty smell like hard work and sweat but I've come to tell somebody today until you get to verify you'll never get to the releasing for the reign of almighty God to be in your life Elijah had to trust the plan of God even when he could not understand it listen the lady came out and simply said I've got two sticks I've got a handful of this and that I'm going to make something we are going to die what happened we were looking for the beauty of the brook we were simply looking for the blessings that came from the Ravens bringing us bread and meat the best life how many remember that song The Blessed Life the positive life but what can we learn from this man Elijah y'all stay with me for a few moments longer in whatever the situation and whatever the problem and whatever the circumstance that you are in you need to know something God still provides notice when Elijah went to the smelting place a woman was there God had given him the understanding a woman will be there and she will take care of you this woman she was there to sustain him he ate at her house he drank from the water she had in the middle of a drought but God did not allow the crews of oil nor the meal to dry up and go by the wayside God provided not only for the man of God but for the woman that would trust the man of God listen to me carefully I want to help somebody today in this place are you listening to what pastor's saying not all things are about you fine not everything is about us I am convinced that the boy and the mom were needing a miracle and Elijah had to get there to be the provision for the miracle Stay With Me something happened in this story the Bible says that the oil stayed the meal stayed until rain happened according to historians probably a little bit over a year this would have been the case she was going to call it quits and be done I got two sticks a little oil a little meal but because of her obedience to what God had spoken through the prophet God sustained her and her son listen to me carefully but something happened Bible says in this story in this text of First Kings 17. that her child died the child got sick the child died for the Gibson there went his testimony I thought God sent the woman to you Elijah and you went to her so that God could be all that she needed in this time of difficulty and trial God had provided but now the boy is dead read the stories First Kings 17. verse 24 this is what the woman said to Elijah now I have something to say to you because when Elijah found out her son was dead the story tells us that he went into the boy and he laid the boy out and he laid himself on top of that boy and he prayed and he backed away three times he did this and he prayed back the way he prayed and he backed the way the Bible said life came back into the child he lifted the boy up he walked out of the room and said behold look here's your future here's your son he's alive the woman says to Elijah at that point now by this I now listen to me that thou art a man of God and that the word of the Lord my mouth is truth wait a minute had not God provided meal and oil for her had not God made sure that the flower didn't run out and the oil didn't run out I mean and she's looking at oh well and I know that it was by your command and your voice that that was done but now now I know listen to me God had fed them God had kept them the mighty hand of God had been in their life but this woman did not declare the fact of who Elijah was until her son faced death it was at that moment it was not at all about Elijah nor her it was about her son and when she faced death in the eye she knew that I got nothing now I need somebody to hear the pastor for just a moment it might be in your life you feel like you have reached the end you know the goodness and the blessings and the mercies of God you know God has provided for you you recognize everything in your hand comes from the almighty God himself but for whatever reason you won't declare that until death looks you in the eye and begins to sting you I'm not talking about that physical death that death where you lose somebody in your life and it hurts you and your heart's broken because of the Void left there I've come to declare to somebody in this place that whatever steps you are going through in your life and wherever you find yourself right now it very well could be that it is time for you to declare you know what God I know you are God I recognize my problems have grown they have grown they have matured I face it I look I come to tell somebody today some of y'all are fighting battles I you don't know how you're gonna get through you know God's been good to you but you feel like right now that everything's dead dried up and gone by the wayside I come to declare to you when this lady looked Elijah in the eye and the miracle was standing before her there was nothing else she could say I know that it's the truth you're a man of God why listen to the preacher because you can eat in your belly be full all day long but until you face The Impossible of death there's not a thing you can do but trust in the Lord God and his word to come to life and to do something in you I fear today in this hour some of us have given up on a promise some of us have failed to believe the promise some of us feel like it ain't rained in here for a long time some of you feel dried up and Dead and Gone by the wayside but I declare to you by the voice of God in this room the wind of power of the word of God can once again breathe into you if you'll simply face it I declare there is truth in the word of God I look you in the eye death and the word of God says I will not die I will live he will sustain you he will take care of you he will provide for you he will come through for you he is still God he is still on the throne what are you waiting for another miracle another bird to fly by with something to eat or somebody willing to say I might have to go to the smelting place but I will see the glory of God in my eyes amen today I submit to you that the struggles that you have faced the problems that you have wrought the things that you're going through at the end of it all God knows and he's got something going on in you and what his desire is for you today it might be your sitting here today you're watching online and your life is just a big mess and you have wondered where is Joy where is peace how can I sustain life through this dryness it was after this chapter said she declared I know truth is what you said God speaks and says Elijah speak it buddy speak what do I speak arise I hear the sound of abundance of rain it's not going to sprinkle it's not gonna be like a morning dew but it's going to saturate everything about your life it's gonna run through every Valley it's gonna run through every dry place it's gonna pick up anything in this place and it's gonna pull it Forward I come to tell somebody today you need to hear the word of the Lord there is truth in the promises of God there is yes and amen in the word of God I hear the sound of abundance of rain somebody needs to get up from your smelting pot and you need to run and you need to look for the miraculous to happen in your life it is time that the glory of God opened the windows of Heaven and the reign of the spirit of God blowing your life it's not gonna be a drizzle it's not gonna be a spatter but it's going to be abundantly pouring out rain upon the Earth stand with me listen carefully it might be that you have felt dried up like last year's bird nest you haven't been able to feel emotionally spiritually anything from the promises in the word of God some of you are identifying right now it's been so long since you've been able to lift your hands above your head in Victory it's been so long since you've been able to declare with a mouth wide open to God be the glory if you have battle within your mind your health problems your family issues your job situation your lack of you have wrestled with it and you have wondered how can I ever how will this ever pass I come to declare to somebody today I hear the sound of abundance of rain and he will sustain you he will get you to that place knowing this full well that that lady stood there that day Brother Sam with her son right up next to her and as the heavens open and the rain began to come down all she could do was look at her boy and she could see the promises of God had come to fulfillment and her and him stood on the streets of that city of seraphat No Doubt and began to shout and say the rain has come the rain has come the rain has come God is going to clean the air God is going to wash the atmosphere God is going to take care of us God's gonna let it run into the wells he's going to let it run into the streets he's gonna let it run into the pond into the rivers into the streams the ocean everything about it why because when God opens the heavens you cannot contain it it is an abundance of rain it is an abundance of praise God will sustain you Elijah you're the one that opened your mouth it will not rain there will be no do Elijah it's been three and a half years buddy open your mouth okay hey get up take off running y'all know the story but I don't see it come back no wait wait wait wait wait wait wait there's a cloud there's a cloud brother Lauren is it a big one hmm no it's the size of a man's hand huh you better get up buddy you better run as hard and fast as you can but it hasn't happened yet hold but it's going to why because the voice of the Prophet said God spoke to me and said I'm going to open the windows of heaven and there will be an abundance of rain that will fall therefore it was at this point that the shoes were shot and the feet got all together somebody took off running overcame The Chariot ran into the court it's coming it's raining it's raining it's raining it's raining it's raining look at the thunder clouds now look at the Skies open it's raining it's raining what are you saying I'm saying God has sustained us and we will live right now in this place whatever battle whatever Mountain whatever discouragement you're facing I'm to challenge you by the Holy Ghost go past it with your praise right now come on lift your voice God let it rain in my life let it rain in my family let it rain in my circumstance Let It Rain Jesus I pray Let It Rain Jesus come on Rain on Me George Rain On Me Jesus oh that's right that's right you shall not die you or live you will live you will live he sustains you on me the name of Jesus he sustains you in this place oh that's right come on the Lord's faithful the Lord God's faithful the Lord God is faithful believe it you've got backslip children believe God for the outboard believe God for the outpours that's right if you've got health issues believe what the outpour is trust God for the miraculous yes Jesus place he will sustain he will sustained Hallelujah won't you turn around pray with somebody close by you there come on retail pray with somebody that's right that's right God you can do the work God we're trusting you for it God you made a way yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah oh come on that's right come on there's Revelation in this place the Lord hasn't left you the Lord knows exactly where you are yeah yeah yeah come on yes Church believe for the Lord believe for it believe foreign you've been away maker you're so faithful you are so faithful Jesus oh come on pray somebody believe God that's right come on God's doing things in your life oh come on that's right Faith grow let taste grow let's take girl right now let it grow right now God you can open the windows you can do a work in my life you can do a work in my home you can Jesus you've not left us you've not forsaken us you've made a way you have made a way come on get out of your chair go pray with somebody else come on let the Lord use your prayer today come on go pray with somebody else oh god of glory god of glory god of Glory great God of Glory the name of Jesus in the name of Jesus foreign sweet Jesus sweet Jesus Lamb of God lamb of God rain did come miracles did happen life continued God sustained them God sustained rain came back life moved things happened the Lord is in this place come on somebody come on reach for him oh god I've got to have you don't know what else to do I must have Eugene oh come on that's right he breathes life there is hope in Jesus there is hope in Jesus the Lord is in this place hey the Lord is in this place he's in this place oh yes Lord Jesus Jesus Jesus thank you he will sustain the Lord is in this place oh great God great God great God oh you believe in him today won't you give the Lord a hand clap of Praise together you are my sustained thank you Hallelujah by by the the mere name Elijah peace rested on them because God is Jehovah come on if you know God to be your number one why don't you love him right now come on Lord you are first in my life great God you are first in my life I praise you Jesus so glad you all came out to the house for the Lord today again to Our Guest we're so glad you came today those online watching we're so glad you came we've got a full week this week don't forget next weekend guys it's going to be a fun weekend I have a lot of old folks that used to come here they've been invited they've rsvp'd said yeah we're going to come and rejoice with y'all Saturday is going to be a full day listen don't let there be more of guests than us come on you got nothing else to do Saturday if you got my pastor used to say if you got dishes in the sink leave them they'll be there when you get home foreign all the time they'll be there when you get home come and enjoy it bring your fan with you like a funeral home fan you'll might need it it's going to be a little warm outside I love all of you I'm glad you're here shake hands and be friendly greet one another go with God enjoy your week this week