When Followers Lead

Introduction

Good morning and welcome!

If you don’t care, start turning in your Bibles to .

In just a moment we will be reading from verses 11-14.

It is good to see that everyone has survived the first day of school!

It is amazing how time flies by and how quickly things change.

It seems like only yesterday the kids were getting out for the summer and now they are already back in session.

And the one thing that I have learned over the years is that you cannot slow down time.

We know from Ecclesiastes that there is a time for everything and we also know that that time will come whether we are ready for it or not.

And this morning we are going to be talking about the subject of time a little bit.

And if you have picked up on the sermon title, you may have already realized that what we are talking about is when it is time for the follower to step up and become a leader.

You hear the saying that some people are followers and some people are leaders.

This is somewhat true, but I will also tell you that even though we must all start out as followers, there comes a time when we must be able to step up and become leaders.

Following is exercise and training in how to lead.

God wants us to be leaders.

God wants us to lead our families, lead our communities, and to lead our church.

But what happens many times is that fear and doubt creep in and hinder us from stepping into the leadership role that God has designed for us.

However, there are times when God has to almost force leadership on us in order for us to step into the role that God has designed for us.

And this is exactly what is going on in our passage for this morning.

We have the great prophet Elijah and his assistant-his apprentice if you will, Elisha.

Elisha has always been the follower and Elijah the leader, but now things were about to change.

Now, Elisha was going to have to step up and lead…which brings us to our passage this morning.

So, if you have found 2 Kings in your Bible, I’d invite you to stand with me as we read from chapter 2, verses 11-14.

Again that is .

Scripture Focus

2 Kings 2:11–14 NIV - Anglicised

11 As they were walking along and talking together, suddenly a chariot of fire and horses of fire appeared and separated the two of them, and Elijah went up to heaven in a whirlwind. 12 Elisha saw this and cried out, “My father! My father! The chariots and horsemen of Israel!” And Elisha saw him no more. Then he took hold of his own clothes and tore them apart. 13 He picked up the cloak that had fallen from Elijah and went back and stood on the bank of the Jordan. 14 Then he took the cloak that had fallen from him and struck the water with it. “Where now is the Lord, the God of Elijah?” he asked. When he struck the water, it divided to the right and to the left, and he crossed over.

Content in Following

Now, the verses that I read there was from the end of the passage here in 2 Kings.

And while we get a glimpse of Elisha’s initial attitude after Elijah being taken away, we don’t really get a full picture of the dynamics of Elijah and Elisha’s relationship.

Like I said in the beginning Elijah was the leader and Elisha was the follower.

After all this makes sense because when they met, Elijah was already a great prophet and Elisha was a farmer.

In , the Bible records that . . .

1 Kings 19:19–21 NIV - Anglicised

19 So Elijah went from there and found Elisha son of Shaphat. He was ploughing 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 good-bye,” 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 ploughing equipment to cook the meat and gave it to the people, and they ate. Then he set out to follow Elijah and became his attendant.

What’s amazing here is that there is no hesitation by Elisha.

When Elijah showed up and wrapped his cloak around Elisha you can almost tell by the actions Elisha took that God spoke to him.

Because immediately he went back slaughtered his oxen, gave away the meat, burned his equipment and followed Elijah.

And to be honest, we could preach a whole sermon right here on being obedient and accepting the call of God.

Because when the Holy Spirit speaks to us, instead of accepting the call, many times we spend a lot of time debating and trying to figure out if there is a way we can appease God and-notice I said APPEASE and not PLEASE- and still be a farmer.

And I am NOT SAYING quit your job today and hang out at the church waiting on God to tell you what to do.

Instead what I am saying is when God opens a door of opportunity and tells you to walk through it, have the faith to walk through that door.

God will make a way.

And that way for Elisha was to be Elijah’s assistant, or his attendant as the NIV puts it or ministered unto him, as the KJV puts it.

The Hebrew word means “servant” or “assistant.”

And Elisha was fine with this because he didn’t have any real responsibility in the matter.

He just did whatever Elijah told him to.

If there was any backlash or issue that came up, that was on Elijah, since Elisha was just doing what he was told.

Which is precisely where many of us are in relation to our calling from God.

Because for many of us, God first called us to repentance, and we repented.

Then God called us to baptism and we were baptized.

Then God called us to join the church, so we joined the church.

Then God called us to some type of ministry or “job” in the church.

This is where we began to get a little more uncomfortable with the whole situation.

Because all of a sudden now we are called to carry some level of responsibility.

And many people stop right here and never go any further.

They draw the line in the sand.

They will come to church but that is as far as they are going to take it.

But others will weigh their options and will eventually step into some role in the church.

And they are fine with that because usually there is a leader that is overseeing and directing their activities.

And like with Elijah and Elisha the leader bears the brunt of the responsibility and the backlash if anything doesn’t go as planned.

This is why we see Elisha clinging to Elijah in the earlier part of our passage from 2 Kings.

Don’t Speak of It!

In the very beginning of the chapter, it says this . . .

2 Kings 2:1–6 NIV - Anglicised

1 When the Lord was about to take Elijah up to heaven in a whirlwind, Elijah and Elisha were on their way from Gilgal. 2 Elijah said to Elisha, “Stay here; the Lord has sent me to Bethel.” But Elisha said, “As surely as the Lord lives and as you live, I will not leave you.” So they went down to Bethel. 3 The company of the prophets at Bethel came out to Elisha and asked, “Do you know that the Lord is going to take your master from you today?” “Yes, I know,” Elisha replied, “but do not speak of it.” 4 Then Elijah said to him, “Stay here, Elisha; the Lord has sent me to Jericho.” And he replied, “As surely as the Lord lives and as you live, I will not leave you.” So they went to Jericho. 5 The company of the prophets at Jericho went up to Elisha and asked him, “Do you know that the Lord is going to take your master from you today?” “Yes, I know,” he replied, “but do not speak of it.” 6 Then Elijah said to him, “Stay here; the Lord has sent me to the Jordan.” And he replied, “As surely as the Lord lives and as you live, I will not leave you.” So the two of them walked on.

Do you see the dynamic at play here?

First they start out toward Bethel and Elijah tells Elisha to stay, but Elisha is not having anything of it. “As surely as the Lord lives and as you live, I will not leave you!”

When they get there, the prophets come out . . . “Do you know that the Lord is going to take your master from you today?”

Elisha knows but tells them, “do not speak of it!”

Then they get ready to head out to Jericho and the same thing, Elijah tells Elisha to stay to which he refuses.

They get to Jericho and the prophets inform Elisha, but he doesn’t want to hear it.

Then down to the Jordan River, where Elijah tells Elisha not to go, but he does anyway.

And what is going on here is that Elisha thinks that as long as he is with Elijah, nothing is going to happen and God’s not going to come and get him.

He is clinging to his leader, not wanting Elijah to go.

And probably in the back of his mind, he knows that God is calling him, Elisha to take over and be the prophet that takes Elijah’s place.

And probably God has been telling Elisha this for a while, trying to prepare him for what is to come, but Elisha isn’t having anything of it.

Elisha is probably thinking the same thing we think sometimes, “I didn’t sign on for this…I was just supposed to be the assistant!”

Then all the doubts and fears (really tricks of Satan) begin to creep in, “I can’t do this,” or “I’m not as good as Elijah,” or “I don’t have a clue what to do.”

However, the reality is YES YOU CAN!

Because the whole time that Elisha was serving as an assistant he was watching and learning.

And the whole time YOU have been doing what you’ve been doing, whether it is sitting on a pew or volunteering in whatever capacity you are, you have been doing the same thing.

You have been watching and learning.

And God has been talking to you as well.

Telling you that there is more to do, more to learn, more opportunity to grow.

But in order for us to realize what God has in store for us, we have to be willing to push past the doubt and fear.

We have to be willing to reject the “I can’t” mentality and embrace the “I can do all things through Christ,” mentality.

Because ultimately it is not about what we can or cannot do, it is really about what are we willing to let God do through us and in us.

How are we willing to let God use us for the advancement of His Kingdom, not our own.

And this is the cross-roads that Elisha is at.

He knows that God is getting ready to take Elijah and also knows that God is calling him to fill Elijah’s shoes.

And this morning, what is God telling you?

What role is God leading you into?

Think about it.

What Can I Do For You?

Moving forward in our narrative a bit, Elijah senses Elisha’s apprehension a bit.

Starting in verse 7, the Bible says this . . .

2 Kings 2:7–10 NIV - Anglicised

7 Fifty men of the company of the prophets went and stood at a distance, facing the place where Elijah and Elisha had stopped at the Jordan. 8 Elijah took his cloak, rolled it up and struck the water with it. The water divided to the right and to the left, and the two of them crossed over on dry ground. 9 When they had crossed, Elijah said to Elisha, “Tell me, what can I do for you before I am taken from you?” “Let me inherit a double portion of your spirit,” Elisha replied. 10 “You have asked a difficult thing,” Elijah said, “yet if you see me when I am taken from you, it will be yours—otherwise not.”

Now starting out, this probably isn’t the most reassuring thing for Elisha.

They approach the Jordan River and what does Elijah do…He takes off his cloak, rolls it up, hits the water with it, and it parts so they can walk across on dry ground.

And Elisha’s probably thinking, “Man, how in the world am I going to be able to do stuff like that?”

Think about it, this is Elijah’s attendance, his assistant, his servant and God is going to turn HIM into a prophet.

Yeah right!

Elijah though senses the problem and . . .

2 Kings 2:9 NIV - Anglicised

9 When they had crossed, Elijah said to Elisha, “Tell me, what can I do for you before I am taken from you?” “Let me inherit a double portion of your spirit,” Elisha replied.

What can I do to help you Elisha?

You look troubled, what do you need?

And Elisha pounces on the opportunity, “let me inherit a double portion of your spirit!”

Not just the same amount, but a DOUBLE PORTION.

In other words, “I want to be sure I can do this, so give me double what you’ve got!”

Now, we’ve got to stop there for just a minute though.

What Elisha was interpreting as Elijah’s spirit, was not Elijah.

Elijah in himself had no power.

This was the power of God being manifested through Elijah.

This was the Holy Spirit at work.

And what Elisha is really saying is, “God you filled Elijah, give me twice as much! Fill me twice as full!”

And that should be each and every one of our prayer as well.

We don’t want what God has given somebody else.

That is their calling and their portion of the Holy Spirit.

We want what God has intended for us and ALL OF WHAT GOD HAS INTENDED FOR US.

Not a little bit, not a smidgen, but the WHOLE ENCHILADA!

That’s where the power of God comes into play.

So, Elijah responds . . .

2 Kings 2:10

2 Kings 2:10 NIV - Anglicised

10 “You have asked a difficult thing,” Elijah said, “yet if you see me when I am taken from you, it will be yours—otherwise not.”

And what Elijah is really telling him is that the confirmation of his prayer will be him seeing God take Elijah away.

And the Bible never says, but probably in Elisha’s mind, Elijah is going to die.

He doesn’t know how or when, but he naturally is thinking that the confirmation of God’s anointing is going to be witnessing Elijah’s death.

And why not, because they had never witnessed God take anybody any other way except through death.

Chariots of Fire!

So, they are walking along and something completely unexpected happens . . .

2 Kings 2:11–12 NIV - Anglicised

11 As they were walking along and talking together, suddenly a chariot of fire and horses of fire appeared and separated the two of them, and Elijah went up to heaven in a whirlwind. 12 Elisha saw this and cried out, “My father! My father! The chariots and horsemen of Israel!” And Elisha saw him no more. Then he took hold of his own clothes and tore them apart.

2 Kings 2:

Now, talk about not seeing that coming!

Chariots of fire, horses of fire, and a great whirlwind and Elijah is carried up into heaven.

Now, do you think that God confirmed Elisha’s calling?

I really don’t think God left much room for debate or questioning whether this was really God or not.

And it probably took Elisha a few minutes to realize what had just happened.

He is probably, like most of us would be, in shock.

After things sort of sink in and Elisha realizes what has just happened, he also realizes that his friend, his mentor, his leader was gone.

He was gone and he was not coming back.

So, he responds out of grief and mourning . . .

2 Kings 2:12 NIV - Anglicised

12 Elisha saw this and cried out, “My father! My father! The chariots and horsemen of Israel!” And Elisha saw him no more. Then he took hold of his own clothes and tore them apart.

Even though Elijah didn’t die, Elisha still mourns because his friend is gone.

Then he takes a step back and realizes that he is now the prophet.

He is now the leader.

Look what he does . . .

2 Kings 2:13 NIV - Anglicised

13 He picked up the cloak that had fallen from Elijah and went back and stood on the bank of the Jordan.

Now, you’ve got to picture what is going on here.

Elisha has this cloak in his hand.

He doesn’t feel any different than he did just a few minutes before, other than be scared to death about what he just witnessed.

But he doesn’t feel any more anointed or touched by the Holy Spirit.

So, he’s standing there wondering, “Is this for real…Has God really given me the ability to do all the things that Elijah did.”

So, he rolls up the cloak and . . .

2 Kings 2:14 NIV - Anglicised

14 Then he took the cloak that had fallen from him and struck the water with it. “Where now is the Lord, the God of Elijah?” he asked. When he struck the water, it divided to the right and to the left, and he crossed over.

2 Kings 2:

And he knew at that moment that God was with him and God had enabled him to do what God had called him to.

Altar Call

And the lesson for all of us is that just like time passes quickly and we can’t change or control time, things can change quickly, in an instant even.

And God may call any one of us into service at any time and in any place.

Are we ready for that?

Are we ready to step up to what God has called us to?

First, if we do not have a relationship with God through Jesus Christ, then the answer to that question is “no.”

Without first having a relationship with Jesus Christ, we are not ready for anything that God has for us, including Eternal Life.

That is the first step and we have to take that step if we want to enjoy anything that God has to offer.

If you’ve not done that, will you be willing to come and do that today?

If you are here and you have received Christ, are you doing what God has called you to do?

Are you moving along God’s timeline designed to grow and deepen your walk with him?

If not, you can start that journey today.

You can even restart that journey if you jumped off somewhere along the way.

The needs are many and great, but God is willing and able to meet those needs, if we are willing to turn them and ourselves over to God.

Are we willing to do that today?

Are we willing?