When the Brook Dries Up.

I came across this thought while preparing for a different sermon a while back. I just kind of stuck a pin in it and said, “Whenever you’re ready Lord”  The thought has since blossomed into a few thoughts, and I’ve written them down here. Let’s look at a sermon I wrote entitled “When the Brook Dries Up”. Let’s begin reading in verse 1…

1 And Elijah the Tishbite, who was of the inhabitants of Gilead, said unto Ahab, As the Lord God of Israel liveth, before whom I stand, there shall not be dew nor rain these years, but according to my word.

2 And the word of the Lord came unto him, saying,

3 Get thee hence, and turn thee eastward, and hide thyself by the brook Cherith, that is before Jordan.

4 And it shall be, that thou shalt drink of the brook; and I have commanded the ravens to feed thee there.

5 So he went and did according unto the word of the Lord: for he went and dwelt by the brook Cherith, that is before Jordan.

6 And the ravens brought him bread and flesh in the morning, and bread and flesh in the evening; and he drank of the brook.

7 And it came to pass after a while, that the brook dried up, because there had been no rain in the land.

1 Kings 17:1-7

Off the jump, there’s some important stuff to unpack here. At God’s command, Elijah has just told the most powerful man in Israel that, because of his wickedness and refusal to follow the Lord, there would be neither dew nor rain for 3.5 years. On top of that, the Bible says in 1 Kings 16:30 that Ahab was worse than all the godless kings that had come before him. 

30 And Ahab the son of Omri did evil in the sight of the Lord above all that were before him.

1 Kings 16:30

Now, we know Ahab surely knew the consequences of his idolatry would result in drought. This is because, as a king, he was most likely very well acquainted with the law.

16 Take heed to yourselves, that your heart be not deceived, and ye turn aside, and serve other gods, and worship them;

17 And then the Lord’s wrath be kindled against you, and he shut up the heaven, that there be no rain, and that the land yield not her fruit; and lest ye perish quickly from off the good land which the Lord giveth you.

Deuteronomy 11:16-17

It was imperative that the Israelite people understood that their prosperity and agricultural success didn’t come from the pagan fertility gods, so God established in his law that he would shut up the heavens if this pagan worship ever happened, thus stopping agricultural success.

Ahab was a king.  He, more than any other, was aware of the laws and warnings laid out in Deuteronomy. The word Deuteronomy literally means “a copy of the law”.  He adamantly and choicefully refused to obey, and Elijah was the messenger that God sent to inform him of the consequences.

So hold up, before we even get past verse 1, think about your own life.  We have a book of law right here that we can touch and see. That’s what the Bible is.  This is a book that specifies rights and wrongs. It specifies blessings and curses that will come in response to your actions. Would God be a just God if I intentionally acted in opposition to his commands and he let it slide? No! God isn’t some mythical being that is thousands of miles away in space.  He is right here.  And because he is right here, and he is deeply invested and aware of what is going on in all of our lives, he will correct and chastise accordingly.

2 And the word of the Lord came unto him, saying,

3 Get thee hence, and turn thee eastward, and hide thyself by the brook Cherith, that is before Jordan.

4 And it shall be, that thou shalt drink of the brook; and I have commanded the ravens to feed thee there.

1 Kings 17:2-4

It was evident that Ahab refused to see this, and his anger was kindled against Elijah, thus God commands Elijah to go and hide himself by the brook Cherith.

Now, let’s do some geography here, Cherith flowed into the Jordan River.  If you were to look at a map of territories during Ahab’s reign, you would see that the west side of the Jordan River belonged to Israel, but the east side (the area of Gilead) was controlled by Syria.  In fact, in 1 Kings 22, Jehoshaphat, king of Judah, teams up with Ahab, king of Israel to attempt to take Ramoth-Gilead from Syria.  It is in that battle that Ahab is wounded by an archer and eventually dies

Why is this important?  When God tells Elijah to go hide at Cherith. He moves him just out the cusp of harm’s way. He’s eastward before Jordan.  Scholars debate, but as I read the text, I believe he was on the east side, just outside of Ahab’s reach.

God’ll move you out of the line of fire, but he’ll keep you near the battle.

8 And Pharaoh’s daughter said to her, Go. And the maid went and called the child’s mother.

9 And Pharaoh’s daughter said unto her, Take this child away, and nurse it for me, and I will give thee thy wages. And the woman took the child, and nursed it.

10 And the child grew, and she brought him unto Pharaoh’s daughter, and he became her son. And she called his name Moses: and she said, Because I drew him out of the water.

11 And it came to pass in those days, when Moses was grown, that he went out unto his brethren, and looked on their burdens: and he spied an Egyptian smiting an Hebrew, one of his brethren.

Exodus 2:8-11

God had orchestrated Moses to be in the king’s palace learning the skills that he would need to eventually lead the children of Israel. He wasn’t making bricks from straw under the watchful eye of Egyptian taskmasters.  He was living in a position of relative comfort and rest, but he KNEW his people.  He knew of the struggle of his people.  God didn’t lock him off from all contact. He saw what was going on. He saw the battle taking place.  And there was going to come a day when he was in the trenches, fighting alongside his brethren.  There was going to come a time when he would be leading them through the hot dusty wasteland of the desert, but that hadn’t happened yet.

There was a time of respite, a time of “pause”, in Moses’s life, just as there was a time of respite in Elijah’s.  It may have come at different times, in different ways, but God kept them near the battle, even though they weren’t in the line of fire.

I want you to know that, as long as you draw air on this earth, God is going to keep you near the battle.  The Great Commission must be carried out.  The lost must be reached. The saved must be discipled. But, even if we’re near the battle, God can shield each one of us from the line of fire.  How do I know this?

28 Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest

29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. 

30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.

Matthew 11:28-30

Notice that Jesus doesn’t say come to the church and it’ll give you rest.

The Bible doesn’t say come to work, make some money and it’ll give you rest.

The Bible doesn’t say come to your best friend, and they’ll give you rest. 

For many of us, in the battles of life, we have not made God our first resort. Rather, he is our last resort when we’ve exhausted all other options. As Adrian Rogers liked to say, “He’s not the president of our heart, he’s just a resident”.

The Lord has convicted me personally because it is much easier for me to sit down and zone out in front of the television when I’m dealing with something than it is to open my Bible and get into communication with God.  It’s easier to spend another few hours at work focused on steel and code, than it is to come home, grab a bite to eat, and have focused prayer time with the Lord.

Being in battles is a fact of life because we live in a sin-cursed world. We have burdens we must bear for Christ.  But there is still rest to be found in my God. He can still shield me from the line of fire.

It’s important we see that having rest isn’t always the result of something being physically removed from your life. There are many people stricken with problems and life circumstances who think they’d have rest if that THING was removed from their life.

 Yet, there are some who have rest REGARDLESS of the circumstance, because 

• They have learned how to lean on God.  
• They have learned to have faith in God’s plan over their own.  
• They have learned to see with their heart and not just their eyes. 
• They have learned to feel in their spirit and not just in their bones.

Sometimes, my mama will send me videos and audio of sermons, testimonies, and other things she finds interesting.  A few weeks ago, she sent me this video of Joni Earekson-Tada’s testimony.

She lived an active life until she was 17. That year, she misjudged the water depth when diving in the Chesapeake Bay. She became a quadriplegic, paralyzed from the shoulders down.  She’s lived that way ever since. She’s 73 now. Every morning, someone has to get her out of bed. Someone has to feed her and clothe her.  If you want to know just how good you have it, go listen to her testimony video.  

She struggled with depression and suicidal thoughts. Going from so active to completely sedentary crippled her mentally just as much as it did physically. But she clung to the Lord. She asked him for meaning and understanding and purpose. She learned to paint with a brush in her mouth and started making beautiful paintings.  She’s written over 40 books. She’s recorded several musical albums and starred in a movie about her life.  She tours actively, speaking on behalf of the disabled community, and testifying of the grace and mercy of God. She has achieved heavenly sight in a way that many of the people in this room may never experience because you haven’t begged the Lord for it.  Many of us have not been brought to a place where we see the need for it the way she did.

I don’t know about ya’ll but I don’t think we have to wait till heaven to get a taste of heavenly sight. We would do well to ask the Lord “Please give me a vision that is focused and directed on you, rather than the battle around me.” That is where true peace is.

Many have heard the phrase “keep your eyes on the ball”. Speaking from a place of absolutely NO athletic authority, I want to tell you that’s not always the best play though.  Sometimes it’s better to watch the person with the ball, so you can anticipate where they’re going next. You can see them turn their feet in the direction they’re about to dash or see their eyes lock on the player they’re about to pass to.  

The same applies to our walk with Christ. We are not removed from the game of life, but rather than focusing on the earth, we need to focus on the one who holds the whole earth in His hands.

And just by focusing on God, I’ve found that I can remove myself from the line of fire.  I still feel the heat of battle, I still FEEL the weight of the circumstance. but I know that God is handling it, and he will keep me safe regardless.

5 So he went and did according unto the word of the Lord: for he went and dwelt by the brook Cherith, that is before Jordan.

6 And the ravens brought him bread and flesh in the morning, and bread and flesh in the evening; and he drank of the brook.

7 And it came to pass after a while, that the brook dried up, because there had been no rain in the land.

8 And the word of the Lord came unto him, saying,

1 Kings 17:5-8

God miraculously provided for Elijah at the brook.  The ravens brought him food. Day and night.  The water was plentiful. He had all he needed.  God had given him solace. Everything was great, right?

Then Elijah began seeing the river slowly dry up.  Most likely it didn’t happen overnight.  Each morning he got up and it looked a little lower.  I don’t know about you, but I’d have been asking God some questions.

HEY GOD, DO YOU SEE THIS?  ARE YOU WORKING ON THIS?  I’M KINDA RUNNING OUT.

I know you told me there was gonna be drought, but I kinda figured since I was serving you we’d have a deal worked out. You’ve already got ravens miraculously bringing me food, maybe you can miraculously keep this brook filled?

Look at verse 8.  It’s odd. The verse ends with a comma. All it says is “and the Word of the Lord came unto him saying,”

When I was studying for this message, I remember thinking, “that sounds like an incomplete thought”.  That’s odd.  It’s not odd though, it’s EMPHASIS.  There is a reason God’s Holy Word is structured the way it is.

Go back to verse 7. Notice it says the brook dried up. The brook dries up in verse 7, “AND the word of the Lord” comes in verse 8.

Follow me here, don’t miss this. 

What does that tell us?  Elijah watched that brook go bone dry.  His place of comfort and solace turned into a barren wasteland just like everywhere else. And he saw it happen slowly with his own two eyes. Can’t you see where it would be easy to get a little perturbed with the Lord?

“God, you gave me something good.  You gave me a place of safety, a place of rest.  A place that was removed from Ahab. Why God?”

I have the word AND in verse 8 underlined in my Bible. This reminds me that there were some specific words of God that didn’t come to Elijah until AFTER that brook had dried up.  

There was something specific that God wasn’t going to tell Elijah until that place of comfort and rest was no longer a place of rest.   This time, God didn’t give Elijah direction until Elijah’s current predicament wasn’t viable.  Short of a miracle, there’s no way to live without water.  The brook dried up, THEN God told Elijah where to go next.

How about today?  

• “God you gave me a good job. I had good hours, good coworkers, nice benefits.  Lord I need money to provide for my family. Why God?”
•  “God, you gave me a soulmate. I thought that was my person. Now they’re gone.  Why God? Why would you do that?”  
• “God, you gave me good health.  I’ve always been healthy. I’ve eaten right, I’ve exercised. All of a sudden I’m experiencing this pain.  Now I go to the doctor and I’ve got to have this surgery or start taking this medicine. Why God?”

This is where we mess up folks.  We need to understand that we don’t find solace, comfort, and peace in the THINGS God gives us. The OPPORTUNITIES God affords us.  The PEOPLE God places us with.  NO. We find peace and solace in GOD ALONE.  All the other stuff is optional. Full stop.

It’s not pleasant to hear folks, but, when it comes to how you live your life in relation to Christ:

• The financial benefit of your job is optional.
• The companionship of your significant other is optional.
• The community of your family is optional
• The health of your earthly body is optional.

How do I know this?  Job. He lost all of that. He lost his cattle (there goes his money).  His wife told him to curse God and die (there goes his companionship).  All of his kids are eating at the oldest brother’s house when the house collapses on top of them, killing them all (there went his family).  His body was covered in sores (there went his health).

What did Job say?

Though he slay me, yet will I trust in him: but I will maintain mine own ways before him

Job 13:15

What he’s saying is, regardless of all this, I’m going to trust God and I’m going to do right.

Sometimes, just like Elijah, God brings us to the end of the rope before he tells us where to go next.  He brings us right to the cusp of “God I can’t do this anymore”, before the door opens.  Many of us have missed out on blessings, and, if we don’t change, will continue to miss out on blessings, because we throw in the towel before that direction comes.  We get frustrated and do our own thing. Our mindset isn’t “Though he slay me…”, it’s “While he blesses me…”

This isn’t how we ought to relate to God.  We should seek to deepen and mature in our faith.  We MUST mature to the point where we look past how God is structuring our physical situation to see how he is structuring our spiritual growth.

9 Arise, get thee to Zarephath, which belongeth to Zidon, and dwell there: behold, I have commanded a widow woman there to sustain thee.

1 Kings 17:9

Zarephath was somewhere between 85 to 100 miles from Cherith, so to travel to Zarephath took faith because Elijah was a marked man. 

I was studying some commentary regarding Zarephath from Dr. Robert Jeffress.  This is what he said.

Zarephath was eight miles south of Sidon. Sidon was the birthplace of Queen Jezebel, and Zarephath was known for one thing: it was the place where the idols for the worship of Baal were manufactured. Any time you wanted to make an idol or any piece of jewelry, there was a process for doing that. You would take the metal or the gold, you would heat it up until it became in a molten state, and once it was in a liquid state, the impurities of that metal or that gold would rise to the surface and would be skimmed off the top so that the molten gold or metal could be poured pure into the mold and make whatever object was being crafted. And that’s what Zarephath literally means in Hebrew. It means “to smelt” or “to melt.” It refers to the refining process. In fact, the noun form of Zarephath means “the crucible.” And that’s what Zarephath became for Elijah. It was a place where his faith would grow.

Dr. Robert Jeffress

Elijah went from a place of rest to right in the thick of it. The heart of Baal worship. 

When we were children, our family took a few family vacations to the mountains. Up around Gatlinburg and such. Mom was very much take it as it comes. See the sights, take unplanned stops, and pop into the little shops. There’s home video evidence. We’re driving down one of those windy mountain roads and she sees a sign for GENUINE apple butter next to a shack out in the middle of nowhere. So we pulled off to the shoulder of the road and, Much to the masked chagrin of my father, investigated. You see, I’m like my father, when I’m going somewhere, I need to know where I’m going, where I’m sleeping, where I’m going to be eating, and the location of the nearest bathroom. There’s a plan in place. A schedule. Howell men don’t play. We ALWAYS want to have the next step figured out. 

You see… it’s not like Elijah showed up to Zarephath with his restaurant and hotel already picked out.  He went a hundred miles on faith that a poor widow woman would sustain him as God said.

His brook dried up, then God put him in the crucible. Yet another test of faith. 

I wonder what Elijah thought. “God, I feel like you strung me out until the last minute at the brook, and now you’re sending me to Jezebel’s home place. What are you doing God?”

Let’s keep reading…

10 So he arose and went to Zarephath. And when he came to the gate of the city, behold, the widow woman was there gathering of sticks: and he called to her, and said, Fetch me, I pray thee, a little water in a vessel, that I may drink.

11 And as she was going to fetch it, he called to her, and said, Bring me, I pray thee, a morsel of bread in thine hand.

12 And she said, As the Lord thy God liveth, I have not a cake, but an handful of meal in a barrel, and a little oil in a cruse: and, behold, I am gathering two sticks, that I may go in and dress it for me and my son, that we may eat it, and die.

1 Kings 17:10-12

Unbeknownst to Elijah, while he’s watching that brook dry up, there’s a mother in Zarephath watching her pantry supplies dwindle.

You see, the entire time Elijah was at the book of Cherith, that widow woman was eating. She and her son were having meal after meal. The meals were getting smaller and smaller, but they were still eating.

God was timing it perfectly. When Elijah arrives in Zarephath, the widow woman is on her last meal before she’s officially out.

What’s the point Sam? 

Sometimes God puts you on hold so he can work on somebody else who you need to impact. Who you need to speak to. Who you need to influence. He may keep you stationary, while he gets someone else ready. But when it’s time to move, it’s time to move. And that’s what Elijah did with this widow woman.

I learned how to play chess in the 5th grade. Miss Kinney, the science teacher, thought it would be a good idea for all of us to learn to play. So she took time out of her class to teach us, and I learned to play. I enjoyed it. When I played with my classmates, I was pretty good. I won most of the time. Then, I had to go up against Miss Kinney. She whooped me in like five moves. She barely took any of my pieces, but she put me in checkmate. Her queen piece, the most powerful piece on the board stayed still. At the time, I didn’t understand that with every move she made, she was thinking about a bigger move in the future. And the piece she moved to actually win the game, the queen, the piece that she used to put me in checkmate, she didn’t move until the last move of the game. Everything else was the setup.

Sometimes God is using you as part of the setup, and sometimes you’re the piece that brings the game home.

I can think of a few people God has given me the opportunity to meet and impact, and, for the life of me, I can’t understand why. For instance, there was a boy I met in high school, and I’ll never forget this kid. He walked with a limp. He didn’t smell the best. His clothes were dirty and He was very quiet. Very much a loner. 

The first year I was at that high school we still lived 45 minutes away, so either Mom or Dad would come pick me up in the afternoons after they picked up my siblings, and drive us all home. One day I decided to sit next to this kid out on the grass bank and wait for my ride. We began to talk. And we kept talking for the rest of the year. He told me about the shack he lived in. He told me about his family. He showed me the tattered notebook he carried around with him, full of amazing drawings that he’d seen in his mind and put on the page. I talked with him about the Lord. All while we just sat out there waiting for our rides.

I don’t know what happened to him. After that school year ended, I don’t remember ever seeing him again. Maybe he moved, maybe he transferred. I have no idea. I don’t know why God allowed me to meet him and interact with him. I don’t know why he allowed me to be part of the setup. That’s why it is so important that we are faithful to the command of the Holy Spirit.  

When he tells you to move you move. When he tells you to speak, you speak. It doesn’t matter if you’re talking to your best friend or a stranger. It doesn’t matter if you’re walking down these aisle to the altar in a church, or walking down the street. We must be faithful to the command of the Holy Spirit.

You see, this widow woman evidently knew something of God as well. There must have been some degree of faith there at some point. How do we know this? Verse 9 tells God commanded her to sustain Elijah before he ever began journeying to Zarephath.

So she’s looking at her dwindling groceries as he’s making that journey thinking, “God, I don’t know how I’m gonna sustain myself, my son, and this prophet you’re sending my way. Lord, this isn’t gonna work.”

And she got defeated. In fact, she threw in the towel. The day Elijah showed up, she’s preparing for her death. Somehow God orchestrated that joker to where Elijah is rolling up at the gate right when she’s there trying to get her firewood for that final meal.

Folks, you need to see that some of us are interacting with people preparing for their final meal. God has placed you in the position to impact, influence, and encourage someone who’s worn out. Who’s done. Already, some of you can think of Christian brothers or sisters who really just need someone to lean on right now. If God has laid that on you, then that person is you, and you need to step up alongside them. 

How do we do this?  How do we uplift and encourage the person who is at their wit’s end, who seems to have nothing left. There are two predominant Biblical approaches to dealing with people who are in turmoil and distress.  

Give them compassion. 

Boaz– in Ruth 2 we see he showed compassion on Ruth, allowing her to pick up grain in his fields and drink water from the vessels his servants had drawn. 

Joseph – He tells his brothers in Genesis 45 that he will nourish them in the land of Goshen and protect them from the famine that would be across the land for the next 5 years.  These men which brought pain on him are now suffering, and he shows them compassion

Tabitha – we see in Acts 9 that she was a woman of great compassion. She made coats and garments for the poor. We know this because the Bible says she was “full of good works and almsdeeds”.  Almsdeeds is a translation from the word eleemosune,  (el-eh-ay-mos-oo’-nay) which literally means “compassion exercised towards the poor”.

The Bible is chock-full of examples of compassion.  We get caught up in thinking compassion is a kind word or a sympathetic look. Those things play a part yes, but true compassion involves action.  True compassion involves sacrifice.  

1. Boaz had to sacrifice of his financial gain to give Ruth grain. 
2. At some point, Joseph had to sacrifice his desire for carnal justice to be able to look his brothers in the eyes and seek to help them rather than hurt them.
3. Tabitha had to sacrifice of her time and energy to weave and stitch and dye those cloaks for people who couldn’t pay her back.

Are you exhibiting compassion to those who are hurting in your life?  What have you sacrificed?

1. Have you sacrificed physically by giving financially, of your time, or of the labor of your hands? 
2. Have you sacrificed emotionally by offering to be the shoulder to cry on or the listening ear?
3. Have you sacrificed spiritually, laboring in prayer and fasting?

Not only do you need to exhibit compassion like Christ, but you can also…

Give them purpose.

Notice that Elijah gave her a task in verse 10. Here she was, a woman who thought she had nothing left to give. She’d resigned herself to death, and Elijah came and simply asked her to fetch him some water in a vessel

10 So he arose and went to Zarephath. And when he came to the gate of the city, behold, the widow woman was there gathering of sticks: and he called to her, and said, Fetch me, I pray thee, a little water in a vessel, that I may drink.

1 Kings 17:10

Sometimes there is a state people reach where they don’t need a sympathetic pat on the back, they need a purpose. 

In times of distress and duress, having a purpose is what pulls people through. Our ultimate purpose should be to seek to please God, but that can manifest itself in different ways. There is a time to sit in silence with an aching brother or sister, as Job’s friends did, but there is a time to call to action. There is a time to exude a presence in a person’s life, and there is a time to point to a purpose. Point them back to God.

13 And Elijah said unto her, Fear not; go and do as thou hast said: but make me thereof a little cake first, and bring it unto me, and after make for thee and for thy son.

14 For thus saith the Lord God of Israel, The barrel of meal shall not waste, neither shall the cruse of oil fail, until the day that the Lord sendeth rain upon the earth.

15 And she went and did according to the saying of Elijah: and she, and he, and her house, did eat many days.

1 Kings 17:13-15

See what Elijah did here in these verses? What began as a simple task eventually was used to point back to God.

In your interactions, are you pointing back to God? In the steps that you take every day, are you seeking to glorify Him?

But Sam, all Elijah did was ask for some water and bread. No. Elijah asked that woman to demonstrate her faith one more time and stretch herself just a little bit farther.  

I’ve underlined the word first in verse 13. Do you really think he didn’t know she was on her last leg? She was a widow in ancient Israel. The majority of them were poor and destitute. 

Still, Elijah gives her a task. He asked to her to sacrifice herself and honor God by helping another person FIRST. He asked her to shift her focus from her present situation to a new opportunity. 

It seems almost backward to say it, but life becomes more meaningful TO YOU when you don’t live it FOR YOU.

The Lord is teaching me that during the times in my life 

• when my brook dries up, 
• when I get called to Zaraphath, 
• and when he places hurting people in my path, 

I find answers, peace, and satisfaction by choosing to live for HIM, rather than for ME. 

In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.

Proverbs 3:6

If that path means I’m sleeping next to a barren brook, or traveling to a bad city, or ministering to a broken person, I’m going to follow it, because I’m living a life for Him, and not for me.

Some of you don’t understand this line of thought, because you don’t have that relationship with Jesus. You’ve never accepted him as Savior, you’ve never had your sins washed away.  You haven’t accepted the pardon offered by the blood of Jesus, and, as such, you currently stand condemned to an eternity of torment. If that’s you this morning, I’d like you to consider the case of United States v. George Wilson

In 1829 two men, George Wilson and James Porter, robbed a United States mail carrier. Both were subsequently captured and tried in a court of law. In May 1830 both men were found guilty of six charges, including robbery of the mail “and putting the life of the driver in jeopardy.” Both Wilson and Porter received their sentences: Execution by hanging, to be carried out on July 2.

Porter was executed on schedule, but Wilson was not. Influential friends pleaded for mercy to the President of the United States, Andrew Jackson, on his behalf. President Jackson issued a formal pardon, dropping all charges. Wilson would have to serve only a prison term of 20 years for his other crimes. Incredibly, George Wilson refused the pardon!

What do you do with a man who refuses a pardon? The case made it all the way to the supreme Court, where the chief Justice wrote a pardon is a piece of paper whose value is conferred by the person to which it applies. If you don’t accept the pardon, you have to serve the punishment. God is offering a way out. He has given you a pardon, but if you don’t accept it you still have to serve the time. And that time is eternity in hellfire.

The Bible plainly teaches we all are sinners, people who have repeatedly broken God’s laws. For instance, 

Romans 3:23 states, “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God.”

 1 John 1:8 says “If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us”

What about the penalty of sin – what are the consequences? 

We are told in Romans 6:23 “For the wages of sin is death…”. 

The Old Testament concurs in Ezekiel 18:4   “…the soul that sinneth, it shall die.”

That does not sound like good news, but God has provided a pardon, one He makes available to us all.

In Isaiah 55 it says,

Seek ye the Lord while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near: Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the LORD, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.

If you have not already done so, the question is this: Will you receive or reject the pardon? We each must choose. 

John 3:18 says ”He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.” 

If the Lord has spoken to your heart, you need to respond. If you’re watching that brook dry up, and you’re in need of direction, now is the time to ask for patience and faith.  If you’re in Zarephath, and you feel like you’re surrounded, now is the time to ask for strength. If you are burdened for a broken person, now is the time to lift them up to the Lord.  If you’ve never accepted the pardon, the Bible says today is the day of salvation. You can become a new creature today. I encourage you to reach out to me if you have any questions.