how are you using your position within your circle of friends the co-workers that you have within your own home to make sure this ball is not dropped on your watch how are you making sure that you being the truth of God the perspective of God to bear in every circumstance in which you must must find yourself how are you preserving and protecting the standard the truth of God amidst a culture that is turning its back on God modern day obad do you realize it's you and it's me who have to make sure this ball is
not dropped let's pray together Lord I Thank you for this church I thank you Father for what you have brought this church through and how you are going to use that to conform this body even more into the image of your son I thank you Lord for the influence I thank you Father that no demonic attack or assignment will flourish against it I pray father that the years that are to come will be greater than the years that have gone by and I pray Lord that today each and every individual man or woman boy or
girl I pray that all of us today will see ourselves and most importantly see you through the scriptures in Jesus name I pray amen okay when I was growing up um in junior high school I played volleyball now I want to make sure you get the picture here um our volleyball team was horrible we were terrible but we looked good we had good uniforms and we enjoyed putting our uniforms on coming out on the court like we were really F to do something but really we weren't that great at the game at the time I
went to a Christian school private school around the corner from my house real small school and because it was this little Conservative Christian School we wore kolots I don't know if anybody remembers kot they've kind of come back in fashion just a little bit now but they were you know midcalf length very wide pants but we wore those to play volleyball it might be fashionable to walk down the street in those sorts of uh pants now but we were playing a whole sport in them so we had you know the jerseys and then we had
these long Kool Lots red and white uniforms and we'd come out in our pristine uniforms really thinking that we looked like something and that we were going to do something maybe thinking for some reason those uniforms gave gave us some you know strength and power that we did not have in practice but it was clearly seen right after the team gave us the very first serve that we were in trouble 95% of the time no matter what team we were we were facing we were usually in trouble one of the things that got us into
the most trouble though was that as we stood there in our you know volleyball stance preparing oursel for the serve we would see that ball com sailing across the net and several of us would yell I got it we'd say it loud and clear and without apology I got it I got it I got it so we would hear three or four or five I got it yelling out from all over as in our unorganized way we all tried to get to the ball and because we were watching our other teammates and because we heard
other people yelling I got it you know what happened that ball came sailing across the net and we all backed up thinking that somebody else had it so the ball would crash down to the ground and inevitably we would lose the point and lose the game because we kept on dropping the ball I want to encourage you and I want to en challenge you and me today about dropping the ball y'all we can't drop the ball the ball of our faith the ball of the truth of God cannot be dropped on our watch not today
with the Enemy advancing so clearly against the culture against the globe and against the things that are happening underneath the roof of our own house the division sometimes we feel between us and our spouse the trouble we feel bubbling up to the surface between us and our children the struggles that we are having we have to stand firm and make sure that that we don't drop the ball when we're the ones that have been called to a position where God has strategically placed us so that we can be the Voice of Truth so that we
can bring God's perspective to bear so that we can be the ones that have hope even when those around us might be hopeless we're the ones that are supposed to make sure we don't spend our whole Christian experience saying I got it I got it I got it but then when the time comes to actually get it we all stop step back and drop the ball so many of us are waiting on everybody else to do what God has called you to do has called me to do listen you're the one you've been waiting for
there's a portion of scripture that keeps drawing my attention in this regard about not dropping the ball and about realizing how much we have strategically been placed by God in our homes in our neighborhoods in that classroom on those Zoom calls at that boardroom table in that industry in that genre in that craft in that office we've been placed there strategically placed by God so that when the ball of his purposes and plans Come Sailing In Our Direction we don't step back hoping that somebody else will do it we recognize we're the ones who have
been posted there by God to respond to his purposes that have come into our Arena and into our paths First Kings chapter 18 it's a portion of scripture that has stuck with me so much in this regard these chapters of the Old Testament are all about the Prophet Elijah you know he takes a front row seat in these chapters he is the Premier prophet of the Old Testament he makes such an impact that not only is he mentioned throughout the Old Testament but his influence reaches into the New Testament by the time you get to
the Book of James James even Jesus himself in the gospels references the work and Ministry of Elijah he's so impactful he must be that you and I are still talking about him today in these modern times so the spotlight the headliner in these passages is Elijah and yet in First Kings chapter 18 there is another guy named Obadiah Obadiah was a trusted Steward in Ahab King Ahab he's the king at the time he's a trusted Steward in his household and many scholars that I kind of studied when I looked at when I was looking into
this portion of scripture they either entirely skipped over him or they spent a very little amount of time and Landscape in their writing talking about him they don't focus on him that much and yet I'm drawn to him in this narrative about Elijah where Elijah really is the headliner and what draws me to him is First Kings 18 verse 16 look at this so Obadiah went to meet King Ahab and he told him that Elijah was there and then Ahab went to meet Elijah listen to that again Obadiah went to meet Ahab and Ahab went
to meet Elijah now I know you need some backstory here so that you can get the full clear picture of why this packs such a punch with me and we'll get there but before we do I want you to just take a moment to see that Obadiah is this bridge that exists between the Godless consciousness of an entire nation represented by King Ahab and this Divine agitator that is going to call an entire nation of people back to a Le to the one true God there is a link a holy connector between Ahab and Elijah
and that connector is Obadiah he's been strategically placed he's the holy connector and the link between these two individuals don't miss the strategy and the intentionality of God in allowing Obadiah to be in the right place at the right time so that when his God's purposes were Voli into his direction if he saw it clearly as from the hand of God and took it seriously and was intentional about it everything that is about to occur occurs because Obadiah doesn't drop the ball as a result of this meeting between Ahab and Elijah that famous story is
about to take place where Elijah marches up to Mount Carmel and he demands that the people of God stop living a lukewarm spiritually indifferent and apathetic existence and they choose this day whom they're going to serve he looks at the prophets of Veil the idol worshippers in their eyes and he says today the day you're going to see my God rain down fire from heaven and he praise and the Skies open up and fire Rains Down on Mount Carmel proving once and for all Yahweh is the one true God all that's getting ready to happen
because one man named Obadiah doesn't drop the ball I want to encourage you about making making sure that the ball doesn't drop on your watch I want you to see Obadiah here as a regular man in the story where two other characters are being highlighted King Ahab with all this power and position and Elijah as the prophet called by God to be the Voice of Truth and Unapologetic clear uh truth in this time and day and age between these two characters stands this one regular guy who recognizes that he too can be used by God
if he just won't drop the ball so I thought we'd look at Obadiah just a little more closely at the top of this chapter First Kings chapter 18 in verse three we find out more about Obadiah we find out that he had a relationship with King Ahab it says that the king called Ahab and he gave him an assignment we find out that that Obadiah he is over ahab's household he's the COO of the king's Holdings that means he is excellent at his job he has built enough Rapport and respect he is trustworthy enough that
when Ahab has an assignment that needs tending to he calls Obadiah in fact this would have been such an important important assignment I won't read all of the verses Now read them in your own time you will see that because of the three years of drought that the children of Israel have endured they are suffering from a horrendous famine and Obadiah is called by the king to go out throughout the land and to find in the valleys and near The Ravines find some green grass that might be left he says because my horses and mules
and our cattle they're going to die if they don't eat in other words the whole balance of the economy rested on what Obadiah was about to be assigned to do this was such an important assignment we find that when King Ahab asked Obadiah to participate with him King Ahab went one way to do the job and he sent Obadiah the other direction which means that this assignment was so important that the king said I got to take care of this myself it was so important that the king didn't pass it off to just anybody he
did it himself and called one companion that he trusted that was loyal that he knew was excellent at his job that he knew would have integrity and do the job well and do the job thoroughly he called that guy and said I need you to help me with this critical and important assignment the whole nation depends upon what you and I establish and find today Obadiah this tells us that sometimes we are in position for the purposes of God to be Voli into our path when we are just doing the job that is in front
of us to do it is while Obadiah is out searching for the grass that his employer has asked him to find that Elijah the prophet shows up and that he is able to have a dialogue with the prophet and take the prophet and introduce him to Ahab it is while he is just playing old flat out doing his job that the ball of God's purposes comes sailing as into his Direction and he finds himself strategically placed to be a key player on the narrative that God is building for his glory and for the good of
his people he is excellent in his field he is trustworthy at his post the question is are you I'm talking about on that 8 to five job you got I'm talking about in that task of raising those children or rearing those teenagers the project that you've been given by your employer or the ministry leader the volunteer services that you do the organization that you lend your creativity to are you a trusted partner in that work when it is is time for assignments to be done for things to be accomplished for creativity to be pulled on
are you the person that they can call because you've been loyal and you've been trustworthy you've had Integrity because those are the people that will be called onto the field of play and as you're going about just doing your regular job you will find that you are strategically placed to be the link to be the holy connector between the king ahab's and the Elijah that need to meet each other so that God's purposes can be served do you see that you and I don't have to be the king ahab's and we don't necessarily have to
be the Elijah there have got to be some faithful obadias some people who just keep showing up and washing the dishes and making the school plans and showing up on the zoom calls and participating in the meetings and strategizing and being creative we just keep showing up and we do our job as unto the Lord excellent recognizing that every time we are on assignment it is an opportunity to make sure that the ball of God's purpose is don't get dropped not on our watch not today think about Joseph in the Old Testament he became the
prime minister of Egypt he's the Prime Minister he's at a secular post when he's a very young man but it is in this post that God's sovereignty will volley circumstances into his life and he becomes a strategic IC player on the the grand scope of what God is doing in his Redemption story or Daniel he became one of the most significant and influential men in the Babylonian and Meo Persian Empire or Nehemiah he's described as being the cup Bearer to the king that's his job but he leverages that position to secure what is needed to
rebuild the walls of Jericho and then there's Esther Esther Rises up within the ranks of the per Persian Empire and here she is strategically strategically placed so at the right time she is in position for such a time as this to spare the Jews from complete Annihilation listen I venture to say that those of us who are in full-time Ministry and I could say that because I'm one of them those of us who are in full-time Ministry listen this is not necessarily the place where the most sturdy bridges are built between the Ahab and the
Elijah the people who who are carriers of the truth of God and those that are in positions of power and strategy and influence that call both together to the mount carmels the moment of decision where people are going to have to stop living with one foot of Allegiance over here and another an allegiance over here where they're going to be called to make a decision about the God that they serve the people that are most strategic in that aren't necessarily the people who are in full-time Ministry the folks that are called called to really reckon
with their spiritual reality man it's The Comedians and the actors it's the folks in film and in politics it's the people who are in music or the folks that are in the Arts it's the social justice Advocates the innovators the storytellers the accountants the teachers the lawyers the doctors the sanitation workers it's these people that no matter the field they're in they recognize they are strategically placed by a holy God for his glory and they refuse to drop the ball so they build rapport there they establish a trustworthy relationship and reputation they have integrity so
when the time comes for them to bring Elijah to the table they haven't burnt so many bridges along the way that people don't want to receive and respond to what they're bringing stop devaluing your post sis brother stop feeling like where you are is not significant enough oh Bia do you realize that this assignment that you're on the ball of God's purposes is getting ready to be sent your way don't drop the ball we're counting on you it's by Divine appointment that you're in that neighborhood it's by Divine appointment that you University student are in
that classroom it's by Divine appointment high school student that you walk down those Halls or that you're in that Zoom class it's by Divine appointment that you're a part of of that Outreach organization it's strategic you are supposed to be in that household without you in that household there won't be anybody to recognize God's purposes when they come so that that ball is not dropped it's the surgeon who has garnered so much credibility because he's done his job so well for so long that the administration can no longer ignore the matters of faith that that
are permanent fixtures at the meeting that that surgeon hosts it's the professional athlete who's so dog gone good on the field or the court or the baseball diamond that the young person leans in and pays attention to them when that athletes share their hearts about deeper spiritual things it's the social justice Advocate who has ushered in the implementation of so many actual changes they haven't just talked a good game but they've actually accomplished something and instituted change that now they are listened to because they've got credibility over the Long Haul they've been excellent at their
craft so that so now they are ready to connect the Ahab and the Elijah they're all willing to come to the table based on the recommendation of a person who has built rapport with them over the Long Haul so whatever it is that you do listen do it with all your might and for the glory of God the ball of God's purposes is on the way to you you wherever it is that you are right now Obadiah was not just in a strategic position I want you to see his unwavering pledge each day of OB
obadiah's life his I mean his actual life hung in the balance remember he was living during the days of Jezebel and King Ahab they were killing anyone and everyone who was faithful to Yahweh and so we find that Obadiah is actually described in verse three as someone who had an unwavering pledge despite the fact that his very life would have been in danger and he knew that he was very aware of that and yet he is described in verse three not only as someone who did his job well but someone who feared the Lord greatly
even as he did it this is the defining resolve of obadiah's life and his legacy despite his surroundings despite the decline in Morality in the culture despite the legislation of immorality and idolatry his Allegiance was pledged once and for all now I want you to notice something at the top of verse four this connecting phrase is at the top of verse four it says for it came about that's a connection they want you to connect the bottom of verse three with what's about to happen in verse 4 it says at the end of verse three
he feared the Lord greatly then verse three verse four basically says and as a result of that here's what happens verse four when Jezebel was destroying the prophets of the Lord Obadiah took hundreds of them he hid them by 50s in caves and he provided them with bread and water oh don't miss this the unwavering resolve and pledge and allegiance to Yahweh that Obadiah had it wasn't in Theory it worked itself out practically in the fact that when the prophets of Baal were being actively destroyed by Jezebel when she was trying and uh Ahab was
trying to make sure that the presence of God the truth of God the standard of God the one true God was torn down in society we find Obadiah fiercely protecting and preserving the prophets of God which represented the standard of God in that day and age this wasn't some past passive inactive Mission he was risking his very life to Harbor fugitives and sustain them with bread and water to ensure that the worship of Yahweh survived this devastating time period his goal was to protect and preserve the presence of God and he was willing to work
proactively to make sure that happened Obadiah shows us that not only do we have to be people who are strategically placed and recognize that we are but people people who have an unwavering pledge that manifests itself in our proactive preservation of the truth of God in a society that is very strategically and intentionally turning its back on the one true God how are you using your position within your circle of friends the co-workers that you have within your own home to make sure this ball is not dropped on your watch how are you making sure
that you being the truth of God the perspective of God to bear in every circumstance in which you must must find yourself how are you preserving and protecting the standard the truth of God amidst a culture that is turning its back on God modern day Obadiah do you realize it's you and it's me who have to make sure this ball is not dropped during a time when we are in cancel culture when to stand for righteousness to stand for the truth of God unapologetically in love but clearly making sure that our Allegiance is firmly rooted
in the truth of God we're going to have to be people that will make sure that we preserve and honor the truth of God even in spite of the culture in which we live and it's while Obadiah is doing this that he accidentally runs into Elijah it's while you're just you know washing those dishes do doing the next thing it's while you're showing up to change those dirty diapers it's while you're a continuing teacher to move forward with the difficulties of online learning with those students but you keep showing up it's while entrepreneur you keep
Gathering those employees to the table despite the uh the chaos that may have come as a result of these past months into your business or your ministry Ministry leader it's when you just keep on showing up and doing what God has called you to do it's when you are doing that faithful believe that God's purposes accidentally show up into your life but it is no accident it's God voling his purposes and plans your direction because that's where he needed you and me all along so that we could be in place not to just yell I
got it but to actually make sure that the ball of God's purposes are not dropped on our watch there are no accidents with God he is Sovereign and providential he makes sure that we are the obadias who were in the right place at the right time so that even the most mundane tasks have attached to them Divine Destiny you are the connection between Ahab and Elijah in fact Obadiah the reason why I think that you were supposed to be tuned in on this particular day and heed what it is that God wanted to show you
from these little simple verses from a guy that is often over overlooked within this story where other people are highlighted and celebrated and and underscored it's because he wants you to know that the ball of his purposes are on the way that if you will keep your spiritual eyes peeled to the horizons you're getting ready to see that the ball of God's purposes and his plans are headed in your direction and I implore you by the by the power of almighty God not to let the ball drop on your wife watch and I can't let
it drop in mine Obadiah wasn't in the spotlight and maybe neither of you he was just in the dim light of responsibility and assigned tasked face Faithfully putting one foot in front of the other and doing the job that was given him to do but all the while he had no idea that he was getting ready to build a bridge of trust between he and the king in the natural realm and that that was going to forge the Firm Foundation NE necessary for the supernatural keg of God's fire that was about to fall on Mount
Carmel what will God do if you and I just make sure we don't drop the ball Lord I pray that in Jesus name you would give us eyes to see that you would give us a clear perspective on the tasks that you have given our hands to do make us diligent give us Integrity father and that I pray when we see the ball of your purpose as sailing in our direction we will refuse to let the ball drop on our watch in Jesus name amen
