The Path of Restoration
Notes
Transcript
Seven years ago....
1. Donald Trump was inaugurated as the 45th president of the United States, and Mike Pence was sworn in as the 48th vice president.
2. America was treated to the first total solar eclipse in 99 years.
3. More than 70 years after it was sunk by Japanese torpedoes, the USS Indianapolis was re-discovered by civilian researchers 8,000 feet below the Pacific surface.
4. Uber admitted that hackers had stolen personal data from 57 million customers and drivers during October 2016.
5. The e-commerce company Alibaba became the world's largest retailer.
6. Throughout 2017, Europe was hit by a wave of terror attacks. According to ABC News, the attacks included “a truck attack in Stockholm, the shooting of police officers at the Champs-Élysée boulevard in Paris, and twin vehicle attacks in Barcelona and Cambrils, Spain.”
7. Facebook had two billion active monthly users.
8. The top five Google searches were “Hurricane Irma,” “iPhone 8,” “iPhone X,” “Matt Lauer,” and “Meghan Markle.”
9. The average price for a gallon of gas was $2.41. A gallon of milk cost $3.16, a dozen eggs were $1.43, and one pound of sliced bacon was $5.79.
10. A Honda Accord cost about $22,455. On the other hand, a 2017 Chevrolet Corvette had a sticker price of $55,450.
World Series Champions: Houston Astros
Super Bowl Champions: New England Patriots
NBA Champions: Golden State Warriors
Stanley Cup Champs: Pittsburgh Penguins
U.S. Open Golf: Brooks Koepka
2017 - 7 years ago.
Much has happened since then...
And today we’ll walk through a text where 7 years is - relevant.
1 Now Elisha had said to the woman whose son he had restored to life, “Arise, and depart with your household, and sojourn wherever you can, for the Lord has called for a famine, and it will come upon the land for seven years.”
2 So the woman arose and did according to the word of the man of God. She went with her household and sojourned in the land of the Philistines seven years.
3 And at the end of the seven years, when the woman returned from the land of the Philistines, she went to appeal to the king for her house and her land.
4 Now the king was talking with Gehazi the servant of the man of God, saying, “Tell me all the great things that Elisha has done.”
5 And while he was telling the king how Elisha had restored the dead to life, behold, the woman whose son he had restored to life appealed to the king for her house and her land. And Gehazi said, “My lord, O king, here is the woman, and here is her son whom Elisha restored to life.”
6 And when the king asked the woman, she told him. So the king appointed an official for her, saying, “Restore all that was hers, together with all the produce of the fields from the day that she left the land until now.”
By this time - in Israel - many kings had come - and many kings had failed....
FAILED to LEAD - in a way that honored God.
BUT - WITHIN this time frame… we’ve ALSO seen many examples of God’s FAITHFULNESS to His people!
If you remember - back when the people of Israel FIRST asked for a king - and SAUL was chosen...
EVEN IN GOD CHOOSING a king - He was doing WHAT THE PEOPLE WANTED!
Well THAT didn’t work out...
YET - God’s faithfulness shone through - when David took over.
AND - probably even MORE SO - we see God’s faithfulness to His people - under guys like king AHAB!
Remember him?
He did MORE TO ANGER the Lord than all the previous kings COMBINED...
So HOW DOES HE show God’s faithfulness?
Well - the fact that ISRAEL is STILL AROUND by THIS TIME - HAVING HAD King Ahab in charge...
Shows us God’s Faithfulness - IN NOT DESTROYING His people!
TODAY - we’ll see God’s RULE - over His people.
And so Yes - WHILE Kings are set up in place - We see that GOD is still IN CONTROL.
HIS faithfulness - on DISPLAY in our text today...
1 Now Elisha had said to the woman whose son he had restored to life, “Arise, and depart with your household, and sojourn wherever you can, for the Lord has called for a famine, and it will come upon the land for seven years.”
If we go back to chapter 4 of this book of 2 Kings...
We might remember - a woman whose family ends up building an ADDITION onto their house...
For Elisha to use during his ministry.
Elisha takes her up on it… he stays there and he eats there...
And Elisha ends up granting her the right to a son.
So the woman is VERY hesitant at first...
16 And he said, “At this season, about this time next year, you shall embrace a son.” And she said, “No, my lord, O man of God; do not lie to your servant.”
You can tell here that the woman REALLY wants a child - and so when Elisha says she will have one...
SHE basically says - HEY - don’t PLAY GAMES!
Don’t PLAY WITH MY HEART - like that!
And so - She ends up having a child.
- What happens?
18 When the child had grown, he went out one day to his father among the reapers.
19 And he said to his father, “Oh, my head, my head!” The father said to his servant, “Carry him to his mother.”
20 And when he had lifted him and brought him to his mother, the child sat on her lap till noon, and then he died.
The child dies!
And now the question becomes - WHY would God go through ALL OF THIS - only to have the child die?
34 Then he went up and lay on the child, putting his mouth on his mouth, his eyes on his eyes, and his hands on his hands. And as he stretched himself upon him, the flesh of the child became warm.
35 Then he got up again and walked once back and forth in the house, and went up and stretched himself upon him. The child sneezed seven times, and the child opened his eyes.
So Elisha RAISES this kid from the dead.
And his MOM - knows God is the one who did it!
This RESTORATION of the child.
Now - Restoration is a HUGE part of God’s PLAN in this world.
As we know - The FALL of man is when SIN entered the world!
12 Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned—
18 For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us.
19 For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God.
20 For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it, in hope
21 that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God.
22 For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now.
23 And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies.
24 For in this hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what he sees?
25 But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience.
And so if ALL of creation - INCLUDING US - LONG for the RESTORATION of the universe...
Then that means - at one point - THINGS were - - GOOD!
And that’s what we see in Scripture!
In the creation story - We see it all culminates in...
31 And God saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day.
EVERYTHING was - very good.
And so - When SIN came - and SHATTERED existence...
SINCE then - God has been in the process of - RESTORING what has been shattered!
And in our TEXT today - we see a GLIMPSE of this - PLAN of God - to RESTORE all things.
the Path of Restoration
It began - for this woman - with her son…being raised to life…RESTORED...
And now...
1 Now Elisha had said to the woman whose son he had restored to life, “Arise, and depart with your household, and sojourn wherever you can, for the Lord has called for a famine, and it will come upon the land for seven years.”
As we’ve been focusing on the past SEVERAL months in this Old Testament...
What we see in this passage is a PICTURE of God, WHO He is…and WHAT He will end up doing in History - - HERE IT IS - FOR His people!
SLIDE: The Path of Restoration: God’s Providence
The Path of Restoration
The Path of Restoration
What is Providence?
Providence is...
SLIDE:
Providence: The care, guardianship, and control exercised by a deity; divine direction.
So it’s God’s care and guidance over His people.
God here - warns this woman - a woman who...
showed favor to God’s prophet
A woman who (some believe may have been a widow at this point)
But God - in His PROVIDENCE - warns this woman and her household of the coming FAMINE - and helps her escape the weight OF it.
As we saw last week - YES - God will discipline those He loves...
BUT - even then - we saw that BLESSING comes from God’s discipline!
Last week we saw that the FAMINE in Samaria was ended by FOOD supplied by - the Syrians...
THE SAME Syrians God used to BRING judgment on Israel.
BUT - even so - God ALSO providentially CARES for His people!
And it’s ACTUALLY PART OF - the restoration process.
38 For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers,
39 nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.
NOTHING can SEPARATE us from the Love of God in Christ!
Do you HEAR the Providence in this passage?
We saw God’s providence in the life of...
Samuel
David
Jonathan
Elijah
Elisha
And on and on...
Can YOU point to instances of God’s providence in YOUR life?
Seems hard to count.
And EACH instance - a part of the path of His restoration of OUR souls for His glory!
So the woman in our text today - She was told to LEAVE/Depart because a FAMINE was coming...
What does she do?
2 So the woman arose and did according to the word of the man of God. She went with her household and sojourned in the land of the Philistines seven years.
She obeyed!
Did she have good REASON to obey?
Of course - Her son had been raised from the dead!
She was a woman of - FAITH!
Do you remember how she handled the death of her son?
Did she panic?
NO - she started - QUIETLY making plans to save his life.
20 And when he had lifted him and brought him to his mother, the child sat on her lap till noon, and then he died.
21 And she went up and laid him on the bed of the man of God and shut the door behind him and went out.
22 Then she called to her husband and said, “Send me one of the servants and one of the donkeys, that I may quickly go to the man of God and come back again.”
23 And he said, “Why will you go to him today? It is neither new moon nor Sabbath.” She said, “All is well.”
ALL IS WELL!
Gehazi then comes to her - and she says...
26 Run at once to meet her and say to her, ‘Is all well with you? Is all well with your husband? Is all well with the child?’ ” And she answered, “All is well.”
This woman traveled 20 miles...
AND TWICE - while holding her dying child - she was asked how things were going… and she replied...
ALL IS WELL!
She KNEW Elisha could raise her child!
That GOD could raise her child!!
She was a woman of FAITH - and so when the MAN of GOD came and said -
Hey - a FAMINE is coming…DEPART...
She listened!
And for SEVEN years - she stayed away....sojourning through the land of the Philistines.
And so here we have - a woman of faith - Sojourning through the land of the Philistines… a foreign land.
How does the Bible describe believers - in this world?
14 “But who am I, and what is my people, that we should be able thus to offer willingly? For all things come from you, and of your own have we given you.
15 For we are strangers before you and sojourners, as all our fathers were. Our days on the earth are like a shadow, and there is no abiding.
And chapter 11 of Hebrews - which describes the FAITHFUL of scripture… says this...
13 These all died in faith, not having received the things promised, but having seen them and greeted them from afar, and having acknowledged that they were strangers and exiles on the earth.
14 For people who speak thus make it clear that they are seeking a homeland.
15 If they had been thinking of that land from which they had gone out, they would have had opportunity to return.
16 But as it is, they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared for them a city.
AS BELIEVERS - we are NOW - but ALIENS in this world.
This world is - NOT OUR HOME.
We look to a BETTER country - a heavenly one.
And so we seek to REMAIN steadfast…!
12 Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him.
This woman in our text today - SOJOURNED for 7 years...
As believers - we may SOJOURN through this life for decades...
But by WHAT power?
13 In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit,
14 who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory.
What does it say?
The GUARANTEE of our inheritance!
SEALED with the Holy Spirit - we are KEPT by God - as we NOW - even today - sojourn through this life…this world.
WHICH MEANS… on the path of RESTORATION…is...
SLIDE: The Path of Restoration: God’s Promise of Perseverance
The Path of Restoration
The Path of Restoration
One of the things that MUCH of the Christian world fails to grasp is that -
IF you are a child of God..
IF you are a FOLLOWER of Christ...
That you will WAKE UP TOMORROW - STILL a follower - NOT because of YOU...
BUT BECAUSE of God and His promise!
Many people believe that once they get saved - it’s now THEIR job to MAINTAIN their salvation!
That’s living a “check-box” life.
That’s US believing that WE have the power to KEEP OURSELVES in the family of God!
And that if we do GOOD ENOUGH - we won’t LOSE our spot in line.
This is not what we find in Scripture - and thank GOD for that!!
As we saw earlier - the Holy Spirit is our GUARANTEE of the inheritance...
Paul - the guy that PURSUED Jesus with EVERYTHING in him…said this...
6 And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.
Well - it sounds like Paul is giving credit to GOD - in WORKING IN and THRU the follower of Christ!
Well that’s EXACTLY what Paul was saying...
He even applies this concept to himself...
10 But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace toward me was not in vain. On the contrary, I worked harder than any of them, though it was not I, but the grace of God that is with me.
What’s he say here?
That it was GOD working in Paul’s life!
That LIST of suffering we see from Paul...
HOW DID Paul persevere?
GOD was working IN HIM!
The Spirit of GOD IN Paul!
20 I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.
Paul says - I NOW LIVE - BY FAITH -
It’s NOT ME (Paul) who lives my life - but NOW - Christ who LIVES through me.
But it wasn’t JUST Paul!
When Peter DENIED Jesus - 3 times -
Was Jesus DONE with Peter at that point?
No - in the gospel of Luke - we actually find Jesus giving us a Spiritual view to Peter’s denial...
31 “Simon, Simon, behold, Satan demanded to have you, that he might sift you like wheat,
32 but I have prayed for you that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned again, strengthen your brothers.”
33 Peter said to him, “Lord, I am ready to go with you both to prison and to death.”
34 Jesus said, “I tell you, Peter, the rooster will not crow this day, until you deny three times that you know me.”
Jesus here PREDICTS the denial - YES?
But He ALSO predicts something else!
Did you catch it??
v32
32 but I have prayed for you that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned again, strengthen your brothers.”
Jesus says- YES - you will deny Me - BUT - even so - your FAITH will not FAIL!
You WILL - rise again
And WHEN YOU DO - strengthen your brothers!
Jesus HERE - predicted the denial - but He also predicted - the RESTORATION!!
And what EMPOWERED the restoration??
Peter’s WILL????
NO - Jesus PRAYED that Peter’s fail not - CRUMBLE
JESUS - CALLING ON the power of God to SUSTAIN Peter!
And embolden him - AFTER the denial!!
KNOW THIS...
SLIDE:
The power to persevere is not our own, but the power of Christ in us.
The Shunammite woman in our text - sojourned for 7 years in a foreign land.
MUCH has happened in the past 7 years - for us...
But how do you think she made it?
What EMPOWERED her to not give up...
to not crumble under the weight of it?
Answer - GOD!
THINK of ALL the HARDSHIPS you’ve been through -
The DEEP valleys you’ve walked through...
OR MAY BE IN now...
THINK of the sleepless nights!
The times when you didn’t KNOW WHERE TO STEP...
The times when what you THOUGHT God wanted you to do - MADE NO SENSE!
Think of ALL the TROUBLE...
the DARK nights...
HOW DID YOU MAKE IT?
How are you STILL a believer??
9 I am praying for them. I am not praying for the world but for those whom you have given me, for they are yours.
10 All mine are yours, and yours are mine, and I am glorified in them.
11 And I am no longer in the world, but they are in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, keep them in your name, which you have given me, that they may be one, even as we are one.
12 While I was with them, I kept them in your name, which you have given me. I have guarded them, and not one of them has been lost except the son of destruction, that the Scripture might be fulfilled.
13 But now I am coming to you, and these things I speak in the world, that they may have my joy fulfilled in themselves.
14 I have given them your word, and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world.
15 I do not ask that you take them out of the world, but that you keep them from the evil one.
16 They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world.
17 Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth.
18 As you sent me into the world, so I have sent them into the world.
19 And for their sake I consecrate myself, that they also may be sanctified in truth.
20 “I do not ask for these only, but also for those who will believe in me through their word,
21 that they may all be one, just as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me.
22 The glory that you have given me I have given to them, that they may be one even as we are one,
23 I in them and you in me, that they may become perfectly one, so that the world may know that you sent me and loved them even as you loved me.
24 Father, I desire that they also, whom you have given me, may be with me where I am, to see my glory that you have given me because you loved me before the foundation of the world.
25 O righteous Father, even though the world does not know you, I know you, and these know that you have sent me.
26 I made known to them your name, and I will continue to make it known, that the love with which you have loved me may be in them, and I in them.”
WOW - How are you STILL a believer?
Jesus prayed - for - you.
That the Father would - KEEP YOU for His own.
Wow...
The woman in our text today - persevered those 7 years
Because God KEPT her.
And when the famine ended…what happened?
2 So the woman arose and did according to the word of the man of God. She went with her household and sojourned in the land of the Philistines seven years.
3 And at the end of the seven years, when the woman returned from the land of the Philistines, she went to appeal to the king for her house and her land.
4 Now the king was talking with Gehazi the servant of the man of God, saying, “Tell me all the great things that Elisha has done.”
5 And while he was telling the king how Elisha had restored the dead to life, behold, the woman whose son he had restored to life appealed to the king for her house and her land. And Gehazi said, “My lord, O king, here is the woman, and here is her son whom Elisha restored to life.”
6 And when the king asked the woman, she told him. So the king appointed an official for her, saying, “Restore all that was hers, together with all the produce of the fields from the day that she left the land until now.”
SLIDE: The Path of Restoration: God’s Power to Restore
The Path of Restoration
The Path of Restoration
Restored to the woman = is all that was hers before she left.
Restoration...
It’s what we’re ALL in the process of - RIGHT NOW...
BEING restored to what we were CREATED to be...
AND YET - how often to we NEGLECT the call of God in our lives...
Because of what we THINK we might miss out on?
Apart from faith in Christ...
We are AT HOME in this world.
We BELONG to this world… OF this world.
But ONCE we put our FAITH in Christ and Christ ALONE for our salvation...
We become Heirs of Christ...
And we become - ALIENS in this world - now BELONGING to another.
19 If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you.
By FAITH - chosen OUT of the world by Christ..
NOW sojourning through this world.
Waiting for the better country - a heavenly one.
And WHEN we ARRIVE - When our famine of Christ - is over...
When we’re done FASTING Jesus Christ...
And we see Him face to face...
3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,
4 to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you,
5 who by God’s power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.
SUMMARY
The Path of Restoration
God’s Providence
God’s Promise of Perseverance
God’s Power to Restore
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...”giving us every spiritual blessing - in the heavenly places”
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