Plow buring faith - Part 1

February 9th 2025

Series: Days of Elisha

Topic Tags: Holy Spirit, Elisha, Faith, Calling

Sermon Title: Burn Your Plow

Key Passages: 1 Kings 19: 15-21

Sermon Blurb: In this message, we will learn not to fear God’s calling on our life and why we should burn our plan B.

Preacher: Grace – Erik EBENEEZER – Keith S. REDWOOD – Adam Grill

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Sermon

Hello Family Church!!!

Welcome to Family Church… whether you are in person or watching online…

Family Moment (Share something personal to help people get to know you and your family)

Celebrate salvations / re-dedications / baptisms last week.

Today we launch into another character study during our Holy Spirit series.

Starting today we are going to talk about a guy named Elisha.

And Elisha is an interesting man for many reasons.

If I could give only two reasons…

1st would be that he starts his life in a regular job like all of us…he was a farmer….

2nd would be that he becomes an incredible man of God that does MORE miracles that ANY other person in the Bible aside from Jesus!

So, buckle up for a fun study!!!!

You are NOT going to want to miss the next several weeks!

PAUSE

And I love our message title today: Burn your plow!

That makes no sense to you now….

But it will be the end of today.

Open your Bibles and turn with me to

1 Kings 19

New Person Bible Connection:

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After service, we will give you an AMAZING leather-bound study Bible!

Just go to ADD YOUR CAMPUS PLACEand get one for FREE!!!

PAUSE

Now last year we ended our study on the Holy Spirit in the life of a guy named Elijah…

Now if you are getting confused on the names; here is how I remember it.

J comes before S in the alphabet….

so EliJA came before EliSHA.

What's interesting about EliSHA is that he is just a regular guy.

He wasn't the son of a pastor.

He wasn’t some great theologian.

He is just a farm kid.

He was a regular guy who was living at home with his parents, working on a farm.

He lived in the 9th century B.C., before Christ and yes the whole dating system of the entire world is defined by Jesus if you never picked up on that in school.

He lived in a time when his country, Israel, was divided.

In a time when Israel had 19 evil kings in a row…

You might remember that from last year….

And EliJAH….

Was this amazing prophet we studied last year…

You can go back and listen to that series if you missed it.

EliJA had do all kinds of miracles through him that helped lead all kinds of people back toward God…

But if you remember at the end of that series….

EliJAH had one of the greatest victories ever on Mount Carmel, where he saw God work in a supernatural way.

Elijah had a standoff with 450 prophets of EVIL king and his wife and he didn’t just win….he slaughtered them…quite literally..

Then he prayed for rain…and after 3+ years of a drought a MONSOON poured down!!!

He has had some AMAZING victories in life!!!

PAUSE

But after that time, he slid into a very low point in his life.

This great prophet named EliJAH slid into a DEEP depression that was SO bad….

He asked God to end his life…

God then met EliJAH in his moment of depression and defeat and lead him slowly back to a mentally healthy place.

And where we pick up today is at the end of that story in Elijah’s life that will lead right to the beginning of the story of Elisha…

PAUSE

Let’s start reading at 1 Kings 19:15-21

15 The Lord said to him, “Go back the way you came, and go to the Desert of Damascus. When you get there, anoint Hazael king over Aram.

16 Also, anoint Jehu son of Nimshi king over Israel, and anoint Elisha son of Shaphat from Abel Meholah to succeed you as prophet.

Stop there….

Here is the FIRST mention of Elisha…

And what we see if a CLEAR call from God for EliJAH to GO anoint EliSHA as the prophet that will succeed him.

Which means EliJAH needs to go find this guy and train him to replace him as God’s prophet for the kingdom.

Then it says,

17 Jehu will put to death any who escape the sword of Hazael, and Elisha will put to death any who escape the sword of Jehu.

Here we see God saying that EliSHA will follow in the footsteps of EliJAH apparently in putting to death the enemies of God…

Let’s keep reading…

18 Yet I reserve seven thousand in Israel—all whose knees have not bowed down to Baal and whose mouths have not kissed him.”

19 So Elijah went from there and found Elisha. He was plowing with twelve yoke of oxen, and he himself was driving the twelfth pair.

Elijah went up to him and threw his cloak around him.

20 Elisha then left his oxen and ran after Elijah. “Let me kiss my father and mother goodbye,” he said, “and then I will come with you.”

“Go back,” Elijah replied. “What have I done to you?”

21 So Elisha left him and went back. He took his yoke of oxen and slaughtered them.

He burned the plowing equipment to cook the meat and gave it to the people, and they ate.

Then he set out to follow Elijah and became his servant.

Can someone say, "That is a weird start to a story.”

You all need to work with me up here from time to time!

Today we are going to break this passage down…

Go back to verse 19:

19 So Elijah went from there and found Elisha. He was plowing with twelve yoke of oxen, and he himself was driving the twelfth pair.

Let’s pause here….

At this point all we know is Elisha is a farmer.

He is out working in the fields.

He has probably been doing this his entire life.

He was working in the family business driving oxen…

Plowing fields…

Planting crops…

PAUSE

Let me try and help you step into EliSHA’s shoes…

What does he smell every day….oxen…

What does he see every day….the backside of oxen…

He has no headphones to listen to music…

It is just him….the oxen…and the field….everyday

I can see some of you cannot visualize this….

But the GOOD news is I found a video of Pastor Erik doing this as a kid!

If you did not know he grew up on a farm!

OX VIDEO

That video seemed way to long didn’t it?

It was only 1 minute long!

That was Elisha’s life.

Now, some of you may feel a little bit like Elisha.

You're not looking at oxen rears, but you are doing the same thing day in, day out.

And it can gets REALLY monotonous.

You're going to the same job, working with the same people and you're thinking, "There has to be more to life than this….."

Some of you may be in sales and it's just the same day in, day out.

You make your quota and it starts over again.

You make your quota and it starts over again.

Some of you might be students and you think, "I study, sports, work, homework. Study, sports, work, homework.

Those of you that are parents, what do you see all day long? Diaper, laundry, cleaning, diaper, laundry, cleaning.

You can start losing your passion when all you see is oxen rears all day long.

And this is where Elisha was.

But I want you to notice he was being faithful in the task at hand.

And I believe with all my heart that God loves to reward those who are faithful in the little things.

What the Bible says is when you're faithful with a little, God can trust you with much.

Elisha was being faithful in the little things….

Even though it might not have been his favorite thing to do!

And in the middle of his faithful daily routine, God sent someone to take him from where he was to where God designed him to be!

Let’s finish verse 19

Elijah went up to him and threw his cloak around him.

Now, why would he do that?

What is the purpose of that?

That is a REALLY ODD thing to do.

So let me explain why EliJAH did this….

At this point in history a person’s cloak, or what today would be your coat, represented a person covering, protection, and power.

If you put your cloak around another person, you were extending that to that person your blessing.

Your covering.

Your protection.

Your power.

So, by putting his cloak on Elisha he was saying, "I am offering you my cover, protection, and power.”

He was offering him to come be his student.

That is what he was saying in this action.

PAUSE

So, with the rest of our time today I want us to look at how to respond to God’s call on our life.

Because following God’s calling on your life can be SO HARD to do!

And it is SO HARD to follow God’s call for our life because from what I have seen in SO many people lives is that God’s calling on our life often times does NOT align with OUR desire for OUR lives.

I want you to take note of how Elisha responds because if we can learn to respond like Elisha our lives with radically change today.

How to respond to God’s call on our life. 1. You don’t need to know everything, just follow.

Repeat

When God calls you to do something, you don't have to understand all the details to follow.

Elisha is being called to follow Elijah and check out all the details Elijah gives him on what following him means.

Verse 20, here's what happens.

20 Elisha then left his oxen and ran after Elijah. “Let me kiss my father and mother goodbye,” he said, “and then I will come with you.”

Stop there….

Elijah puts his cloak around EliSHA…

Then EliSHA…what did he do???

Look in your Bible…

It says he left his oxen and

What Church?

He RAN after Elijah….

The bible says then he ran after Elijah.

This means EliJAH did a drive by cloaking…

I mean if he had to run to catch up….

That means Elijah throws his cloak over him and then just keeps walking!!!!

He did NOT stop to say anything….

He did NOT give any details…

So, Elisha takes a second to figure out what happened and then TAKES OFF running to catch up to EliJAH.

And…look in your Bible….

All EliSHA said to EliJAH was simply, "Let me kiss my father and mother goodbye and then I will come with you."

PAUSE

I want you to notice something.

He did NOT do what I would bet EVERY student listening to me would do before he took a job.

He did NOT do what EVERY parent in the room would tell their child to find out before taking a job….

Don’t miss this….

He DIDN’T say how much moneywill I make following you?

He DIDN’T say where are we going?

He DIDN’T say how longwill this be?

He DIDN’T ask if he would be safe?

He DIDN’T ask when he might get promoted to be the lead prophet…or BOSS….

What did he do….he RAN after Elijah and said I AM ALL IN!

Just let me say goodbye to my family.

Let me say goodbye because I might never see them again!

Let me say goodbye because I am following you wherever you lead me and may never come back!

PAUSE

And let me be honest with you….this is one of the things that brings tears to my eyes…

Because I think of my kids….

I want them to follow God…

And I fear that means they might leave me forever to do his work….

Like my daughter right now is in the Philippines…

Pastor Erik’s daughter is in Cypress.

One of Pastor Bob’s kids is in Oaklahoma.

Pastor Keith and Jamie’s families are all in North Carolina.

ALL parent’s want their kids to stay close to home….

But parents….

I have to remind myself….

Life is NOT about me…

Life is NOT about my desires….

I will be with my kids for ALL of eternity and if God calls them away….

To do His work….

IT WILL BE HARD….

But when we are reunited in heaven….

Not only will I have them again…but I will get to meet ALL the people the lead to Jesus where ever God sends them!!!!

And that is far more important!

And while that hurts to think they could be gone….

It matters more that they are doing God’s will….

PAUSE

Elisha simply followed.

Look at that point you wrote down….

You don't have to understand to follow.

PAUSE

Here is something I want all the leaders, managers, business owners in the church to listen to….

Here is something I want all those that want to be leaders one day to listen to….

Leave margin in your life so you can respond when God moves.

Leave margin in your finances so you can respond when God moves.

Leave margin in your family so you can jump on divine opportunities that we are not smart enough to predict them.

We cannot predict everything God will do….but we can get in a posture of spiritual readiness.

We can get ready so we can follow God’s leading even if we don’t understand fully.

One thing you will all notice as you get deeper into the Bible is that God rarely gives anyone all the details.

Sorry detail people.

Sorry long range planning people.

I believe God is strategically vague in his directions.

You want details, and I believe God would look at you often and say, "You can't handle the details.

If I showed you everything, you wouldn't show up.

I'm just showing you the next step."

We don’t have to understand to follow.

PAUSE

Think about it….God often God guides with just one word.

God told Moses, “GO” God told Abraham, “GO”

Jesus said to many of his disciples one word, “Come”

I mean think about our series on Elijah….many times God said, “GO” and left the details till later!

One word.

One word.

No details.

Just faith.

PAUSE

So, what does that mean for us today?

PAUSE

It means some of you, you may hear one word from God.

Maybe you’re about to quit on your marriage and you will hear, “Stay.”

You don’t have to understand why….listen to God….

Some of you, you might have a health situationand it doesn't look good, or maybe it's for someone you love, and God gives you one word and it's "trust,"

and you hang onto that word and have faith.

Some of you, you've got an idea, some business idea or a ministry idea or a book idea and you're bogged down in: how, when and I don't understand.

And God gives you one word "start."

You don't have to understand.

For some of you, you have been coming to church on and off for a while but you're still observing.

And God may give you one word, "commit."

Commit….Don't just watch, get involved, commit.

Some of you may be praying about the future of your family and you hear the word "adopt" or "foster".

You're like "wait, wait, what age and from where, domestic or international?

Boy, girl?

I don't understand."

You don't have to understand everything to take the next step.

Girls maybe you’re dating the wrong kind of guy. Everybody knows it and God may give you one word and when he does, you obey. What is God's one word? "Break up with him."

Ok that was 4 words…..

But maybe you need to 4 words because you are too special to settle for him.

Break up.

Can you read point #1 with me again…

1. You don’t need to know everything, just follow.

SHARE HOW THIS IS TRUE OF YOU OR SOMEONE YOU KNOW….Something like this….

Let me give you an example from my life from before I was a Pastor.

From back when I worked in a regular job like Elisha and all of you.

Years ago, Jenny and I were deciding between 3 different job offers.

There was this great job in Texas that I would get massive stock options and bonuses and it would have been amazing!

There was this one in Indiana that was going to create a position that had never existed just because they wanted me.

Then there was this one in Florida. A Jewish owned company. That paid less money...no stock options…no special created position just for Adam….

But Jenny and I both felt God saying, “Go to Florida.”

So, we took the path that made less worldly sense; but God knew why we needed to just hear “Florida.”

See because God was going to call us into ministry in about 6 months!

And both of the other jobs had a clause in my offer that if I left inside a year, I had to pay the company back all my relocation costs.

And the result?

We were in Florida for only a few months…

We were at dinner one night celebrating we found a GREAT house to rent while we built our dream house AGAIN…

When our phone rang…

And it was Pastor Jim Wall who said…. “Adam, God has told me I am supposed to call you and ask you to come be my mission’s pastor.”

One word….Florida….because God knew what was coming in just a few months that we had no idea was coming.

We don’t have to have ALL the details…

We DID NOT know this was coming!

We DID NOT know this is why God said, “Florida.”

You and I DON’T need to know all the details….

And what comes next is SO AMAZING!!!!!

But guess what…..

We are out of time today and you need to come back next week so we can keep unpacking this story!!!!!

PAUSE

Which leads us to our life application today….

If you are new, or newer, to Family Church we LOVE to end our messages with something for you to talk about with someone else.

Something to help you apply the message to your life.

So here is this week’s Life Application…

Life Application: What plow is God calling you to burn? How could you step out in faith and follow God’s calling for your life? As a result of today’s message, I will _________________________.

Prayer:

Make sure to do a salvation call!

Offering:

Thank you all for being here today!

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