Choosing Kingdom Work

2 Kings 2:1–18 NASB95

And it came about when the Lord was about to take up Elijah by a whirlwind to heaven, that Elijah went with Elisha from Gilgal. Elijah said to Elisha, “Stay here please, for the Lord has sent me as far as Bethel.” But Elisha said, “As the Lord lives and as you yourself live, I will not leave you.” So they went down to Bethel. Then the sons of the prophets who were at Bethel came out to Elisha and said to him, “Do you know that the Lord will take away your master from over you today?” And he said, “Yes, I know; be still.” Elijah said to him, “Elisha, please stay here, for the Lord has sent me to Jericho.” But he said, “As the Lord lives, and as you yourself live, I will not leave you.” So they came to Jericho. The sons of the prophets who were at Jericho approached Elisha and said to him, “Do you know that the Lord will take away your master from over you today?” And he answered, “Yes, I know; be still.” Then Elijah said to him, “Please stay here, for the Lord has sent me to the Jordan.” And he said, “As the Lord lives, and as you yourself live, I will not leave you.” So the two of them went on. Now fifty men of the sons of the prophets went and stood opposite them at a distance, while the two of them stood by the Jordan. Elijah took his mantle and folded it together and struck the waters, and they were divided here and there, so that the two of them crossed over on dry ground. When they had crossed over, Elijah said to Elisha, “Ask what I shall do for you before I am taken from you.” And Elisha said, “Please, let a double portion of your spirit be upon me.” He said, “You have asked a hard thing. Nevertheless, if you see me when I am taken from you, it shall be so for you; but if not, it shall not be so.” As they were going along and talking, behold, there appeared a chariot of fire and horses of fire which separated the two of them. And Elijah went up by a whirlwind to heaven. Elisha saw it and cried out, “My father, my father, the chariots of Israel and its horsemen!” And he saw Elijah no more. Then he took hold of his own clothes and tore them in two pieces. He also took up the mantle of Elijah that fell from him and returned and stood by the bank of the Jordan. He took the mantle of Elijah that fell from him and struck the waters and said, “Where is the Lord, the God of Elijah?” And when he also had struck the waters, they were divided here and there; and Elisha crossed over. Now when the sons of the prophets who were at Jericho opposite him saw him, they said, “The spirit of Elijah rests on Elisha.” And they came to meet him and bowed themselves to the ground before him. They said to him, “Behold now, there are with your servants fifty strong men, please let them go and search for your master; perhaps the Spirit of the Lord has taken him up and cast him on some mountain or into some valley.” And he said, “You shall not send.” But when they urged him until he was ashamed, he said, “Send.” They sent therefore fifty men; and they searched three days but did not find him. They returned to him while he was staying at Jericho; and he said to them, “Did I not say to you, ‘Do not go’?”

INTRO: God desires to do great things through you. Seriously. Hear the words of Jesus in:

John 14:12 NASB95

“Truly, truly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do, he will do also; and greater works than these he will do; because I go to the Father.

Do you believe that? Take just a minute and exercise your imagination with me.

The year is 2017; you are the back-up quarterback for the Philadelphia Eagles… The team is doing great and life is good. However, as you near the playoffs, the starting QB has a season-ending injury. It’s now on you to step in, step up and lead the team. All eyes are on you.

What emotions are you feeling? Inadequacy? Fear? Uncertainty?

This was Nick Foles’ story. And, BTW, he led the Eagles to their first ever Super Bowl title. Though he had not led the team for much of the year, he did even greater things than the injured starter, Carson Wentz would record.

Of course, we all are not called to be Nick Foles, but we all are called to do great things for Christ through the leading and empowerment of His Holy Spirit. So, What is stopping you from doing great things for God?

Is God calling you to teach? To pastor a church? To take up the torch of leadership in the church? Are you called to mentor young couples? To leverage your knowledge and skills on the mission field? To begin a new ministry work?

In general, we are all called to the great and important work of making disciples- to use the gifts and skills God has given us to draw others into authentic relationship with Christ.

Yet, we often deal with the same kind of emotions as in our hypothetical QB scenario: We feel scared, uncertain, and inadequate.

Today, we get to take a look at the prophet Elisha as the torch is passed from Elijah to him. In so doing, we will observe how Elisha chose the great things of God and how we can too. The sermon is titled “Choosing Kingdom Work” and in our time I am going to highlight 3 choices we need to make in order for God to use us to do great things for His Kingdom. In your bulletin, you’ll find a sermon guide that you can use to follow along. You’ll notice that you have the 3 choices and also 3 action steps. I encourage you to do more than take notes.

Let’s begin. In Choosing Kingdom Work, we must first

Choose Calling over Comfort (1-8)

If you remember, Elijah was commanded by God to find Elisha and anoint him as his successor. Elijah did just that in 1 Kings 19:19-21. 10 years has passed, and all that time Elisha faithfully served and learned from Elijah as he prepared for this day.

This was the day that Elijah was to be taken into heaven by God. He would not taste death, but rather experience something that had never happened before. Evidently, God had made this declaration, and it was no secret. Elijah knew it, Elisha knew it, and all the prophets in all the cities they passed through knew it.

So let me draw your attention to the text. (READ 1-2, 4, and 6)

Three occasions where God directed Elijah and Elisha was given the opportunity to stay or settle. This is interesting. If Elijah knew that Elisha was supposed to take over his prophetic role, why would he urge him to stay?

I believe this was a test. You see, the easy path forward for Elisha would have been to settle in among a group of prophets and just serve together with them. This would have been less pressure and less work. Elijah, in urging Elisha to stay, was essentially forcing him to count the cost. If Elisha were not called by God for this, he would have taken the easy route.

In the same way, Elisha knew that this call was far more important than the promised comfort of staying put. Thus, Elisha replies assertively, “I will not leave you.”

For us, we need to recognize the reality that all positions are temporary. Elijah was a great prophet, but he was called for a time. Billy Graham was a great preacher, but he too had a season. The great heroes and influencers of the faith that we look to for direction and wisdom are all serving in temporary positions… What will happen if nobody steps up?

There are some of you here that God has placed a call on your life and you have been ignoring it. You have looked at it as too great, and have decided it would be easier if you just stayed put. You could be present and still be accepted, but in your heart you know that you are choosing comfort over calling.

As we look back to the text, we see that Elisha stayed with Elijah even passing through the Jordan River (8). 50 prophets stood by, but dared not go so far. Elisha was committed to the call on his life.

Folks, it is necessary that as God calls us to serve in these roles as pastor, missionary, teacher, deacon, etc., that we choose to obey His call upon our life over the comfort of staying put. Your action step for this choice is:

Action Step: DISCERN YOUR CALLING.

Next, we look on as Elijah was satisfied with Elisha’s commitment and asked “What shall I do for you?” Here is where we see Elisha’s 2nd choice for Kingdom Work, which is:

Choose Conviction Over Convenience (9-12)

I want you to notice Elisha’s request. (READ 9b)

At first, this might sound like a selfish request. Is he asking for double the power of Elijah?

If we take a closer look, we recognize that he asked for a double portion of his spirit- his mind, character. The best way to think about this is that Elisha desired to carry out his calling and understood the weightiness of that call. These were big shoes to fill!

Now, I think it’s relevant that you understand Elijah’s role. Yes, he was the primary prophet who confronted the king in regards to Baal worship, but beyond that he was seen as the headmaster of the schools of prophets that were in the area- specifically in Gilgal, Bethel, and Jericho. These were kind of like seminaries where prophets would learn and discuss the things of God, discern God’s voice and deliver needed messages as they applied to the nation.

Elijah had a great deal of responsibility and was only able to fulfil his role because of the power of God working through him.

And here’s the thing. Elisha understood that Israel still needed to hear the voice of the Lord and if he were to be the one to succeed Elijah, he needed God’s power in him as well. Thus, he asked Elijah for God’s power to be upon him in double the amount that he would receive as an heir to his role.

Now, Elijah knew that this was not up to him. This was up to God. But look at how he answers (READ 10)

If Elisha saw God take Elijah, then it meant that God enabled him to see the spiritual things. If not, then God did not enable him to see the spiritual realm. Since Elisha saw this, it meant that God indeed had given him this power. This actually foreshadows a moment later in Elisha’s ministry where he asks God to allow his servant to see the spiritual things (2 Kings 6:17).

For us, we need to note that a position without power is useless. If I stand before you as a pastor or preacher by title, but do not have the Holy Spirit leading me and applying His Word, then my words lack power.

John 15:5 NASB95

“I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing.

As a church or ministry, we can choose to wield the tools of convenience and host activities and programs that keep us busy, but without the power and conviction of the Holy Spirit, nothing we do will make a difference.

Elisha asked a big ask- If God granted this prayer, it meant that the tasks ahead of him would be too great for him to accomplish without God’s power. He would not be able to choose convenient ministry, but would be led by the conviction of the Holy Spirit.

If we want God to use us and to use this church, we must ensure that we are aligning our actions with God’s mission- that we choose conviction of God’s will over the convenience of the way we always done it.

Our action step for this choice is

Action Step: PRAY BIG, RISKY PRAYERS

We must choose Calling over Comfort, Conviction over Convenience and finally, in order for God to do great things through us, we must:

Choose Courage over Complacency (13-18)

The mantle or cloak of Elijah now lay before him. Elisha knew he was the successor, but his next steps would determine his ministry trajectory. Should he leave the mantle? If he picked it up, everyone would compare him to Elijah. What if he didn’t measure up? What if he just left it… would he then be rejecting his calling?

Let me point you back to the text. Look with me to v. 13-15 (READ)

Elisha took up the mantle… this took courage. He would have to trust God completely. And with 50 prophets on the other side of the Jordan looking on, Elisha demonstrated his trust by courageously attempting the miracle that Elijah had just performed in their presence - parting the river.

In so doing, he calls out to God. “Where are you Lord?” I believe this was a call of surrender of his own will to that of Yahweh’s. You see, the power of God was not in Elijah’s mantle, but in the spirit of God upon His servant!

It’s scary to trust God - after all people are watching! But God is faithful.

We face a similar challenge. You see, the reality in most churches is that people lack the courage to step into the roles that God has called them to. Leaders in the church grow old or move away, and yet there is a fear or hesitancy to take up the mantle and lead the ministry forward.

It’s easier to not do anything. After all, if you never do anything, no one will ever get mad at you or criticize you for failing. But then again, if you don’t do anything, then you won’t do anything.

This applies to you who have not yet placed your faith in Christ as well as those who sit idly as spectators.

How will God do great things through you if you refuse to take that step in faith? How will God do great things in you, if you reject His offer of salvation?

Folks, I want you to hear me: GOD IS FAITHFUL. Elisha picked up the mantle and God empowered him to carry on the mission of Elijah- He eventually would anoint the king that would eradicate Baal worship from Israel…

Elisha would never do what Elijah did, but God did great things through him. And God can do great things through you too. Just as God told Joshua in

Joshua 1:9 NASB95

“Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous! Do not tremble or be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”

So Jesus told us in

Matthew 28:20 NASB95

teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”

Your final action step is to

Action Step: LIVE LIKE GOD REALLY IS WITH YOU

Church, as we close our time together today, I want to ask: What is keeping you from doing great things for God’s Kingdom?

I urge you, wherever God has called you, choose Kingdom Work. Today might be the day that God changes your life. Discern your calling, Pray Big Prayers, and Live like God really is with you.

[PRAY]

Discuss: What specifically has God called you to do?

Discuss: Think about the prayers you have prayed this week. Are they BIG prayers that would place you on the front line of Kingdom work?

Discuss: Are you complacent in God’s Kingdom? What role is God asking you to step into?