WEEKLY SERMON & BIBLE STUDY NOTES
"You Don't Need Alot, Use What You've Got!"
April 3, 2011
by Pastor Lorraine Chatmon
Scriptural Text: 2 Kings 4:1-7
Elisha could see that the young widow was desperate. She threw herself at the old prophet's feet and sobbed, "The creditor is coming to take my two sons to be his slaves!" The woman's husband had died unexpectedly and left her with a huge debt. In Bible times, a lender had a right to repossess property and even take children as payment if a family could not pay the bills (Job 24:9). "What do you have in the house?" Elisha asked the distraught mother. "I have nothing in the house but a jar of oil," she replied. Little by little she had handed over all the furniture and valuables in her home to the cruel creditor until nothing remained but her two boys and this little jar of oil. Olive oil was considered a most basic essential. It was used for lighting, heating, cooking, and healing. Elisha told the widow and her boys to go and borrow as many empty vessels as possible from their neighbors. They should bring them home, shut the door, and then pour the oil from her little jar into the empty containers. They did as Elisha instructed, and a wonderful miracle occurred. The oil in the little jar continued to flow out until all the vessels in the house were filled! "What shall we do now?" the young mother asked the prophet. "Sell the oil, pay your debt, and then you and your sons can live on the surplus," he said. This woman and her boys left Elisha's presence rejoicing and free because of the miracle of the oil. The Lord wants to free you from a ruthless creditor named Satan. This miracle will happen when He fills your cup to overflowing with His special oil!
POINTS OF POWER:
1. Are you believing God for a miracle? God wants to do miracles in all of us.
2. The jars must be EMPTY. God can't use something or someone who is FULL (of it). Empty yourself out so that God can fill and usue you.
3. She had enough left over. God is able to do exceedingly, abundantly, above what we can ask or think, according to the POWER that worketh within YOU.
by Pastor Lorraine Chatmon
Scriptural Text: 2 Kings 4:1-7
Elisha could see that the young widow was desperate. She threw herself at the old prophet's feet and sobbed, "The creditor is coming to take my two sons to be his slaves!" The woman's husband had died unexpectedly and left her with a huge debt. In Bible times, a lender had a right to repossess property and even take children as payment if a family could not pay the bills (Job 24:9). "What do you have in the house?" Elisha asked the distraught mother. "I have nothing in the house but a jar of oil," she replied. Little by little she had handed over all the furniture and valuables in her home to the cruel creditor until nothing remained but her two boys and this little jar of oil. Olive oil was considered a most basic essential. It was used for lighting, heating, cooking, and healing. Elisha told the widow and her boys to go and borrow as many empty vessels as possible from their neighbors. They should bring them home, shut the door, and then pour the oil from her little jar into the empty containers. They did as Elisha instructed, and a wonderful miracle occurred. The oil in the little jar continued to flow out until all the vessels in the house were filled! "What shall we do now?" the young mother asked the prophet. "Sell the oil, pay your debt, and then you and your sons can live on the surplus," he said. This woman and her boys left Elisha's presence rejoicing and free because of the miracle of the oil. The Lord wants to free you from a ruthless creditor named Satan. This miracle will happen when He fills your cup to overflowing with His special oil!
POINTS OF POWER:
1. Are you believing God for a miracle? God wants to do miracles in all of us.
2. The jars must be EMPTY. God can't use something or someone who is FULL (of it). Empty yourself out so that God can fill and usue you.
3. She had enough left over. God is able to do exceedingly, abundantly, above what we can ask or think, according to the POWER that worketh within YOU.
THE SUPREME SACRIFICE
Apr 18, 2010
Guest Speaker: Minister Gwendolyn Butts of EJWC
Scriptural Text(Gen 21:8-15)
The story of Abraham, Haggai, and Sarah. Abraham was a man of faith and power who was BOUND to the bondservant, Haggai. Abraham had to let go (sacrifice) that which he thought he needed in order to embrace what God knew was actually HIS (the purpose to bring forth a nation). Did it hurt Abraham to have to let go of Haggai AND his son, Ishmael? Sure it did! Did Abraham let his potential hurt hold him back from his apparent promise (Isaac)? Absolutely not! Abraham let go and let God! He even did so still praiseing God in the midst of a painful situation.
SACRIFICE OF PRAISE (Heb 13:15, The Fruit of Our Lips)
There is no longer a need or a requirement to bring God sacrifices of wheat, barley, grain, or drinks; He
requires a more serious sacrifice from us...OUR PRAISE.
You will not be accountable for your neighbor's commandment to praise God, but you will have to answer for your own responsibility to praise God.
David said, "I will bless the Lord at all times, His praises shall CONTINUALLY be in my mouth."
David understood the command of the Lord to praise the Most High.
David was also the one who said, "I will not give the Lord something that didn't cost me anything." A sacrifice is requires MORE of you. It may cost you something. It may cost you:
1) to press your way past how you "feel" and praise Him anyhow.
2) to open your mouth and bless Him even when the situation seems opposed to the promise.
3) to let go of some things you "thought" you loved in order to embrace what He knows you NEED.
Praise is much more than a faith move for the invincible. "Speaking praises" changes situations around you. Open up your mouth and confuse the enemy.
Guest Speaker: Minister Gwendolyn Butts of EJWC
Scriptural Text(Gen 21:8-15)
The story of Abraham, Haggai, and Sarah. Abraham was a man of faith and power who was BOUND to the bondservant, Haggai. Abraham had to let go (sacrifice) that which he thought he needed in order to embrace what God knew was actually HIS (the purpose to bring forth a nation). Did it hurt Abraham to have to let go of Haggai AND his son, Ishmael? Sure it did! Did Abraham let his potential hurt hold him back from his apparent promise (Isaac)? Absolutely not! Abraham let go and let God! He even did so still praiseing God in the midst of a painful situation.
SACRIFICE OF PRAISE (Heb 13:15, The Fruit of Our Lips)
There is no longer a need or a requirement to bring God sacrifices of wheat, barley, grain, or drinks; He
requires a more serious sacrifice from us...OUR PRAISE.
You will not be accountable for your neighbor's commandment to praise God, but you will have to answer for your own responsibility to praise God.
David said, "I will bless the Lord at all times, His praises shall CONTINUALLY be in my mouth."
David understood the command of the Lord to praise the Most High.
David was also the one who said, "I will not give the Lord something that didn't cost me anything." A sacrifice is requires MORE of you. It may cost you something. It may cost you:
1) to press your way past how you "feel" and praise Him anyhow.
2) to open your mouth and bless Him even when the situation seems opposed to the promise.
3) to let go of some things you "thought" you loved in order to embrace what He knows you NEED.
Praise is much more than a faith move for the invincible. "Speaking praises" changes situations around you. Open up your mouth and confuse the enemy.
Judges 7) Gideon and 300 men went forth with torches, broke them and shouted of wars at one time. Midianites became so excited they begin fighting one another and those who didn't fight ran.
Power Point(s):
There are times when we don't want others to know the pain (Giants) we are facing and so we hide behind them with our smiles, but we must remember that we don't have to pretend with God because the Battle is the Lords'
Message/Lesson: 2 Timothy 1:7
7 For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.
Paraphrased: The Battle is the Lords'
Power Point(s):
There are times when we don't want others to know the pain (Giants) we are facing and so we hide behind them with our smiles, but we must remember that we don't have to pretend with God because the Battle is the Lords'
Message/Lesson: 2 Timothy 1:7
7 For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.
Paraphrased: The Battle is the Lords'
