At the Bottom of the Barrel
Elijah and the Widow
March 6, 2022

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1 Kings 17:8 - Then the word of the Lord came to Elijah, 9 “Arise, go to Zarephath, which belongs to Sidon, and dwell there. Behold, I have commanded a widow there to feed you.” 10 So he arose and went to Zarephath. And when he came to the gate of the city, behold, a widow was there gathering sticks. And he called to her and said, “Bring me a little water in a vessel, that I may drink.” 11 And as she was going to bring it, he called to her and said, “Bring me a morsel of bread in your hand.” 12 And she said, “As the Lord your God lives, I have nothing baked, only a handful of flour in a jar and a little oil in a jug. And now I am gathering a couple of sticks that I may go in and prepare it for myself and my son, that we may eat it and die.” 13 And Elijah said to her, “Do not fear; go and do as you have said. But first make me a little cake of it and bring it to me, and afterward make something for yourself and your son. 14 For thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, ‘The jar of flour shall not be spent, and the jug of oil shall not be empty, until the day that the Lord sends rain upon the earth.’” 15 And she went and did as Elijah said. And she and he and her household ate for many days. 16 The jar of flour was not spent, neither did the jug of oil become empty, according to the word of the Lord that he spoke by Elijah.

17 After this the son of the woman, the mistress of the house, became ill. And his illness was so severe that there was no breath left in him. 18 And she said to Elijah, “What have you against me, O man of God? You have come to me to bring my sin to remembrance and to cause the death of my son!” 19 And he said to her, “Give me your son.” And he took him from her arms and carried him up into the upper chamber where he lodged, and laid him on his own bed. 20 And he cried to the Lord, “O Lord my God, have you brought calamity even upon the widow with whom I sojourn, by killing her son?” 21 Then he stretched himself upon the child three times and cried to the Lord, “O Lord my God, let this child’s life come into him again.” 22 And the Lord listened to the voice of Elijah. And the life of the child came into him again, and he revived. 23 And Elijah took the child and brought him down from the upper chamber into the house and delivered him to his mother. And Elijah said, “See, your son lives.” 24 And the woman said to Elijah, “Now I know that you are a man of God, and that the word of the Lord in your mouth is truth.”

LESSONS ABOUT GOD:
– God is

over nature & humanity.

LESSONS ABOUT THE GOSPEL:
– Jesus is the giver and sustainer of

, even life.

LESSONS ABOUT THE FAITH:
– Faith follows God’s plans,

.

– Faith focuses on God’s not the world’s .

Will a person

God and God even when they are angry with God?

SO WHAT?

It’s

when you are trusting God.


Even when you get to the bottom of your barrel, .


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BIBLE STUDY QUESTIONS

LIFE GROUP LEADERS: TAKE ATTENDANCE!!
(Use the Church Center App)

1) What blessed you the most from this week’s sermon?

2) God often tests our faith to teach us about Himself and about ourselves. If you feel comfortable doing so, share with your Life Group at time in your life when you feel like God was testing your faith? (Keep your story short so everyone has a chance to share.) What did you learn about God? What did you learn about yourself? How did you grow spiritually?

3) Read each of the following passages of Scripture about resurrection and answer the questions:

Resurrection of Lazarus: John 11:38 Then Jesus, deeply moved again, came to the tomb. It was a cave, and a stone lay against it. 39 Jesus said, “Take away the stone.” Martha, the sister of the dead man, said to him, “Lord, by this time there will be an odor, for he has been dead four days.” 40 Jesus said to her, “Did I not tell you that if you believed you would see the glory of God?” 41 So they took away the stone. And Jesus lifted up his eyes and said, “Father, I thank you that you have heard me. 42 I knew that you always hear me, but I said this on account of the people standing around, that they may believe that you sent me.” 43 When he had said these things, he cried out with a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out.” 44 The man who had died came out, his hands and feet bound with linen strips, and his face wrapped with a cloth. Jesus said to them, “Unbind him, and let him go.”

What does this teach us about Jesus?

What does this teach us about ourselves?

How does this challenge our faith, repentance, and obedience to God?

Resurrection of Christ: Matthew 28:1 - Now after the Sabbath, toward the dawn of the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to see the tomb. 2 And behold, there was a great earthquake, for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven and came and rolled back the stone and sat on it. 3 His appearance was like lightning, and his clothing white as snow. 4 And for fear of him the guards trembled and became like dead men. 5 But the angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified. 6 He is not here, for he has risen, as he said. Come, see the place where he lay.

What does this teach us about Jesus?

What does this teach us about ourselves?

How does this challenge our faith, repentance, and obedience to God?

Resurrection of the Church when Jesus returns:
1 Thessalonians 4:13 - But we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about those who are asleep, that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope. 14 For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep. 15 For this we declare to you by a word from the Lord, that we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep. 16 For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. 17 Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord. 18 Therefore encourage one another with these words.

1 Corinthians 15:23 - But each in his own order: Christ the firstfruits, then at his coming those who belong to Christ. 24 Then comes the end, when he delivers the kingdom to God the Father after destroying every rule and every authority and power. 25 For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. 26 The last enemy to be destroyed is death.

What does this teach us about Jesus?

What does this teach us about ourselves?

How does this challenge our faith, repentance, and obedience to God?

4) Read the following three passages:

Psalm 46:1- God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. (ESV)

Jeremiah 10:23 - I know, Lord, that our lives are not our own. We are not able to plan our own course. (NLT)

Psalm 37:23 - The LORD directs the steps of the godly. He delights in every detail of their lives. (NLT)

Based on those three passages of Scripture and all that you have learned this week, what can you specifically do this week to better live by faith?

5) Pray for one another.