September 30, 2012
Scripture:
Scripture:
Let’s go back to Romans 8:32. God has given us His Son, but that is not all: read vv. 15 - 17. He made us children of God, and has given us the Spirit of God. That is the blessed unity that He brings us into!
Hymn 234 - Saviour lead me lest I stray
Prayer
We have been reading about the prophet Elijah. He was sent to King Ahab with the message that there would be no rain for three years. God then sent him to a brook, where ravens brought him his meals. Then he was directed to Zarephath: it was here that he helped a widow with a dwindling food supply.
1 Kings 18:1 - 18
The Lord gave Elijah some new instructions. He was to go back to King Ahab and tell him that there would be rain very soon. Remember, there had not been any rain for three years. Because of this, there was a terrible famine in Israel. Some of the residents of Israel thought that Elijah was a trouble-maker because of his prophecy of the drought. If you knew that people thought this, would you want to go to talk with King Ahab?
Obadiah was King Ahab’s right-hand man. He feared the Lord. When Jezebel killed many of the prophets in Israel, he hid one hundred prophets in a cave and fed them. Ahab called Obadiah to discuss a problem: they need to find a place for the animals to feed throughout the famine. It doesn’t seem like Ahab had repented of his sin, does it? He was more concerned about the animals than the people. Ahab and Obadiah decided to split up and scan Israel for good feeding grounds. While Obadiah was searching Israel, he met Elijah. God allowed these two to meet so that Obadiah could arrange for Elijah and Ahab to meet.
We can see God arranging circumstances even today. I recently heard the story of a missionary in Africa. In the village where this missionary was, a mother died during childbirth and the baby was given to the missionary to take care of. But they had a problem: they needed a hot water bottle for the baby. They prayed that the Lord would somehow provide a hot water bottle. That afternoon, they received a package from supporters, and in it was a hot water bottle; this package had been on its way from England for over 5 months!
Another example of God arranging circumstance happened during World War II. There was an air bombing in which a Christian pilot captain was involved. The bombing was successful; but on the way back, they ran out of fuel and had to land on an island, surrounded by the enemy. One of the crew members told the captain that this was his chance to prove that God really existed and answered prayer. This captain started to prayed fervently: he even prayed into the night. During that night the crew member who challenged the captain felt compelled to go to the beach. When he got there, he was surprised to see that several barrels of fuel had washed up on the shore. These barrels had come from a ship 600 miles away that had needed to lighten their load. The Lord allows things to happen in just the right time, so that He can get the glory.
King Ahab had sent people to search many different countries for Elijah, but none of them ever found him. Obadiah was afraid to go and tell Ahab where Elijah was because Elijah could have disappeared again before Ahab got there, and that would have made Ahab angry. Elijah told Obadiah not to worry: he would stay where he was. There are times when we are afraid of doing the right thing, just like Obadiah, but we need to trust the Lord in everything.
Luke 16
It’s interesting to see connections in Scripture. We may think that the subject here has changed since we have changed chapters; but, really, it’s similar. Just like the prodigal son was a waster, so this steward is a waster.
Jesus has switched from talking to publicans and sinners, and is now talking to his disciples; talking about the responsibility of his followers. Amos 3:1. Israel was the most privileged nation on the face of the earth. Why? God had chosen them for His own! V2. God had established his presence in their midst, both in the tabernacle and in the temple. All that He had done for them was a privilege, but it also put responsibility on them. V3. As an aside; we often take this verse out and use it in reference to marriage, but it’s a striking thought when you realise that “Enoch walked with God”. That meant that they were in agreement! Can we walk with God? Yes, but only if we agree with Him.
How responsible in makes us to know the truth; to have been brought up in it! Israel was responsible, and God was going to punish them for their unfaithfulness. They were most unfaithful with God’s Son. They didn’t receive Him, so he eventually went to those who did. Here in Luke’s parable, God says that Israel was responsible for what God had given them. God is personified as the rich man, and Israel as the unfaithful steward.
This steward was in charge of his masters files. God wants us to be faithful with our money, but He wants more than that. He wants us to be faithful in believing, living, and telling his truth. We shouldn’t be wasters like this steward.
Because of his wastefulness, this steward was fired. V2. Israel was cut off, and her position - right now - is given to others. This steward still had access to the files, though, and thought, “What shall I do? I don’t want to dig or beg.” So he decided to go and be an even bigger waster. He was in charge of his lord’s money collections, and he go cuts them - one by a half, another by a fifth. V5-8. His lord (notice - small ‘l’) commended him - which is strange - but still calls him unjust. What can we learn from this? This steward doesn’t gain our respect because of his justice, but rather because of his prudence. He invested today in view of tomorrow. He didn’t do it honestly, but he did it. Are we investing for our future? Are we making deposits in the bank of heaven by the way we live and what we do with our time? V9-11. We have two things: the little and the much. We do have earthly possessions, but our heavenly treasures are the true ones. What’s the key? Live now in light of eternity.
Vv.12-13. The mammon isn’t good, but the things we have can be used to serve the Lord. All we have is the Lord’s - not just ten percent - and it should be used to benefit others. 1 John 3:17 tells us, “Whoso hath this world’s good, and seeth his brother have need, and shutteth up his bowels of compassion from him, how dwelleth the love of God in him?”
Hymn 338 - I love my Saviour, my precious Saviour Prayer