The Little Things
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Text: 2 Kings 4:8-17
8Now there came a day when Elisha passed over to Shunem, where there was a prominent woman, and she persuaded him to eat food. And so it was, as often as he passed by, he turned in there to eat food. 9She said to her husband, “Behold now, I perceive that this is a holy man of God passing by us continually. 10Please, let us make a little walled upper chamber and let us set a bed for him there, and a table and a chair and a lampstand; and it shall be, when he comes to us, that he can turn in there.”
11One day he came there and turned in to the upper chamber and rested.
12Then he said to Gehazi his servant, “Call this Shunammite.” And when he had called her, she stood before him. 13He said to him, “Say now to her, ‘Behold, you have been careful for us with all this care; what can I do for you? Would you be spoken for to the king or to the captain of the army?’ ” And she answered, “I live among my own people.” 14So he said, “What then is to be done for her?” And Gehazi answered, “Truly she has no son and her husband is old.” 15He said, “Call her.” When he had called her, she stood in the doorway. 16Then he said, “At this season next year you will embrace a son.” And she said, “No, my lord, O man of God, do not lie to your maidservant.”
17The woman conceived and bore a son at that season the next year, as Elisha had said to her.
Title: The Little Things
Pray
Intro:
• Who is Elisha?
◦ Elijah's successor (Elijah called fire down from heaven)
‣ Asked for a double portion of Elijah's anointing
‣ Saw Elijah ascend in chariot of fire
‣ Parted the Jordan to cross
◦ Worker of miracles
‣ Purified the waters at Jericho
‣ Called she bears out on those who made fun of his bald head
‣ Caused the oil of a widow woman to keep flowing until she filled all her jars and all her neighbor's jars, and was able to sell it and pay off all her debt.
◦ God's prophet on the earth
‣ Was known as the one who carried the Word of the Lord
‣ When the kings of Judah and Israel were looking for a prophet to inquire of the Lord, it was said of Elisha, "He was the one who poured water on the hands of Elijah, The Word of the Lord is with him."
• Elisha represents:
◦ God's presence/Word/ - God's messenger on the earth
Our Text:
• Elisha is the man and he frequently travels through this place called Shunem.
◦ 8Now there came a day when Elisha passed over to Shunem, where there was a prominent woman, and she persuaded him to eat food. And so it was, as often as he passed by, he turned in there to eat food.
‣ Shunem was central to much of Elisha's travel, so he was through here quite frequently.
• The woman gets the idea that they should build a room on their house for Elisha
◦ 9She said to her husband, “Behold now, I perceive that this is a holy man of God passing by us continually. 10Please, let us make a little walled upper chamber and let us set a bed for him there, and a table and a chair and a lampstand; and it shall be, when he comes to us, that he can turn in there.”
‣ Upper Chamber/ Upper Room
Little Upper room
• Upper room
◦ Reminded of another upper room where the Spirit of God broke through into the room with the 120...
‣ Acts 2:2-4
‣ 2And suddenly there came from heaven a noise like a violent rushing wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. 3And there appeared to them tongues as of fire distributing themselves, and they rested on each one of them. 4And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit was giving them utterance.
‣ Newer vs older scripture, but I can't help but see the similarities...
• Upper room
• Prepared for a visitation
◦ I find it significant that she put a bed in the upper room...
‣ This woman intended for this to be a place of rest for the man of God...
‣ Remember Elisha is the representative of the God on the earth at this point, so for this woman, she's looking at Elisha as an extension of God's presence...
‣ So if I know that the man who carries the Word and the Presence of God is passing by my house, it makes sense that she would want him to rest over their home...
• Upper room
• Place of rest there was a bed
• In other words, this is her gesture saying, "Rest on us..."
◦ If you want the Spirit of God to rest, you have to make room for Him...
• Make Room
◦ This woman makes room for Him to rest over her...
‣ it's one thing to say you want the Spirit to rest on you, it's another thing to begin to create space for Him...
‣ How can He rest on you, but you don't make time to talk to Him...
• It was the woman who persuaded Elisha to stop by her house.
• It was the woman who asked her husband to build a room for Elisha.
• It's our job to make room for Him in our day...
• It's our job to make time for prayer...
• It's our job to make room in our Spirit for His Word...
‣ God is not going to tie you up and make you talk to Him...
‣ Don't come in here and sing "REST ON US" but this is the only time in the week you've worshipped Him...
• Why would you come in here asking for healing and restoration and deliverance and provision, but you haven't talked to Him all week?
‣ Make room for Him! Make room... Make room...
• Come in here prayed up...
• Come in here full of His Spirit...
• This should be an extension of your prayer closet...
‣ If you wait all week to pray until you're at church, you haven't made room for Him!
‣ Make room for Him!
◦ Rest on us God!
• She put a bed in the upper room, as if saying, "Rest in this place... Make this place a place of peace"
◦ Another thing I find significant about this upper room is the way the woman described it:
‣ V. 10Please, let us make a little walled upper chamber and let us set a bed for him there, and a table and a chair and a lampstand; and it shall be, when he comes to us, that he can turn in there.”
‣ Remember, this woman is a prominent woman.
• She was a woman of influence...
• She had money and resources...
• So for her, this room was not something that was a huge undertaking...
◦ It was a small thing...
• TITLE: It's the little things:
◦ Little things illustrations:
‣ Measuring signs/buildings
‣ Hair in food
◦ Integrity/Character are not measured by big tests...
‣ The little things… character and integrity aren’t proven in the big tests. It’s the little things…
• You don't prove your character to me because you make a big speech in front of people...
• You don't prove your integrity when everyone is looking...
• Character and integrity are proven in the little things...
◦ The things that no one sees...
◦ Matt. 6:5-6 “When you pray, you are not to be like the hypocrites; for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and on the street corners so that they may be seen by men. Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full. 6But you, when you pray, go into your inner room, close your door and pray to your Father who is in secret, and your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you.
◦ Exegete
• I get you want to shake the nations, but first you should try just shaking your prayer closet...
• It's more important that you take hold of the little things... Form habits...
◦ It's the little things...
◦ Don't try to start with something unattainable. You'll end up burn up and burn out... (i.e. tithing your time during the day vs. starting with 5 minutes)
‣ Start with 5 minutes a day before anything else... Pretty soon that will turn into...
• It's the little things...
◦ Apparently, there were some who viewed waiting in the upper room in Acts 2 as unimportant...
◦ Acts 2 tells us there were 120 in the upper room, but Jesus appeared to 500 when He resurrected and gave them all the instruction to wait in Jerusalem.
‣ Where were the other 380?
‣ In Acts 1 He told them to wait in Jerusalem for the promise of the Father, but only 120 waited...
‣ If you read in Acts 1, many who followed Jesus were concerned about Him taking over in a physical governmental fashion:
‣ Acts 1:4Gathering them together, He commanded them not to leave Jerusalem, but to wait for what the Father had promised, “Which,” He said, “you heard of from Me; 5for John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.”
‣ 6So when they had come together, they were asking Him, saying, “Lord, is it at this time You are restoring the kingdom to Israel?”
‣ They were concerned about something entirely different than Jesus!
• What Jesus asked of them... probably seemed like a small thing in light of the government takeover they wanted to have, but it's the little things...
• It's the Little Things!
‣ Luke 16:10 “He who is faithful in a very little thing is faithful also in much; and he who is unrighteous in a very little thing is unrighteous also in much.
• Notice this works both ways... The little things are evidence of your true character...
◦ (Cuss vs praise story)
‣ Your words seem like a little thing, but the bible says the words of your mouth are an overflow of your heart...
◦ What do your little things say about you?
• Just a little bit of faith... maybe even as small as the size of a mustard seed...
◦ Matt. 17:20And He *said to them, “Because of the littleness of your faith; for truly I say to you, if you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move; and nothing will be impossible to you.
◦ Just a little faith...
‣ Imagine what would happen if the the Church as a whole had just a little faith...
• Your faith would combine with my faith...
• A snowflake is a delicate thing that can be destroyed by even the most insignificant amount of heat, but when you put a million of them together we call it a blizzard!
• But it all starts with a little thing...
‣ It was from a little dust that God formed man....
• Now mankind is the most influential force on the face of the planet, and it all started with a little thing...
‣
‣ Song of Solomon 2:15 tells us that it's the little foxes that spoil the vineyard.
•
◦ It's the Little Things... Closing... Call band...
◦ She made a place for him to rest over her, and look what happened:
‣ V. 11One day he came there and turned in to the upper chamber and rested.
• She made a place for him and he came and rested...
◦ If you will make a place for Him, He will come and rest on your life....
◦ Matt 7:7 “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. 8For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened.
‣ In other words, make room for Me and I'll be with you!
◦ Because she made room for him even with the little things, he came and rested...
• Make room for him! Not just in the big things, but in the small things...
◦ In the things that seem insignificant...
◦ In the things that seem like they wouldn't matter...
◦ "Who cares as long as I'm not hurting anyone..." THE LITTLE THINGS...
◦ Altar - Let us be faithful in the little things
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2 Kings 4
“Then he said, “At this season next year, you are going to embrace a son.” And she said, “No, my Lord, you man of God, do not lie to your servant.” Now the woman conceived and gave birth to a son at that season the next year, as Elisha had told her.”
2 Kings 4:16-17 NASB2020
https://bible.com/bible/2692/2ki.4.16-17.NASB2020
“This season next year” is literally translated “when the time revives” - check Hebrew
◦ Rest on us, shekina glory
‣ She laid him where the glory rested
‣ She laid the product of the promise in the place where the glory rested
• In the place of peace, then declared peace
It is well… Woman declared it is well to everyone until she got to the source of the promise.
She laid the product of the promise down in the place of the promise and went to find the source of the promise…
What have you had to lay down? - Person/Financial Situation/Healing/Promise…
• Product of the promise in the place of promise then went to find the source of the promise
◦ Don’t focus only on the product of the promise (Abraham)
◦ Don’t focus only on the place of promise
‣ (the church isn’t a building)
‣ Get out of the pew, don’t miss the need in the community or your family or at your job because you’re too focused on the place of promise
• Promised land example
She didn’t even entertain stopping with those who weren’t the source… It is well… She could’ve spent time whining, complaining, and gossiping, but she never slowed down until she reached the source of the promise…
◦ Don’t whine about the loss of your promise to someone or something other than the source of the promise
‣ Don’t pray to a bottle,
‣ Don’t pray to yourself (stress)
‣ Don’t pray to the preacher
• Pray for me,, no pray with me
2 Kings 4:8Now there came a day when Elisha passed over to Shunem, where there was a prominent woman, and she persuaded him to eat food. And so it was, as often as he passed by, he turned in there to eat food. 9She said to her husband, “Behold now, I perceive that this is a holy man of God passing by us continually. 10Please, let us make a little walled upper chamber and let us set a bed for him there, and a table and a chair and a lampstand; and it shall be, when he comes to us, that he can turn in there.”
11One day he came there and turned in to the upper chamber and rested.
12Then he said to Gehazi his servant, “Call this Shunammite.” And when he had called her, she stood before him. 13He said to him, “Say now to her, ‘Behold, you have been careful for us with all this care; what can I do for you? Would you be spoken for to the king or to the captain of the army?’ ” And she answered, “I live among my own people.” 14So he said, “What then is to be done for her?” And Gehazi answered, “Truly she has no son and her husband is old.” 15He said, “Call her.” When he had called her, she stood in the doorway. 16Then he said, “At this season next year you will embrace a son.” And she said, “No, my lord, O man of God, do not lie to your maidservant.”
17The woman conceived and bore a son at that season the next year, as Elisha had said to her.
