Burn The Plow
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Now listen, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money.” Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. Instead, you ought to say, “If it is the Lord’s will, we will live and do this or that.” As it is, you boast in your arrogant schemes. All such boasting is evil.
we don’t know what tomorrow holds
we don’t know how many days we are promised
even goes as far to say that when we just assume that we’re gauranteed tomorrow that we are boasting and arrogant.
What is life? A mist, here for a little while and then vanishes.
Because our life is so short, and because we don’t know what tomorrow holds… WE SHOULD BE PASSIONATE ABOUT OUR SALVATION, ABOUT OUR HEARTS BEING IN TUNE WITH JESUS, AND ABOUT OTHERS BEING IN TUNE, FINDING JESUS.
BIGGEST REGRETS MOST PEOPLE WILL HAVE IS WASTED TIME, WASTED OPPORTUNITIES, WASTED MONEY, OR EVEN A WASTED LIFE.
What do you mean by wasted time?? Missing out on the higher purpose God has for your life. Listen to me.... I’m not telling you today you need a new job.... new career.... new anything.... I’m telling you this morning that God has a higher purpose for you exactly where you are.
That higher purpose will bring life and fullfillment like you’ve never experienced.
............set up the story here...........
1 Kings
2 men.....
Elijah & Elisha..... J before S....Elijah before Elisha
Elijah has just defeated the prophets of baal and has just called down fire from heaven to prove God is the only God. Riding a spiritual high at the moment.....
until the king’s wicked wife named jezebel threatens him and he falls into fear and goes on the run.
So we have this one man named Elijah who is a mighty mighty mighty man of God..... He has seen victories and miracles.... spiritual highs
There he went into a cave and spent the night. And the word of the Lord came to him: “What are you doing here, Elijah?” He replied, “I have been very zealous for the Lord God Almighty. The Israelites have rejected your covenant, torn down your altars, and put your prophets to death with the sword. I am the only one left, and now they are trying to kill me too.”
TAD OFF TOPIC....But.... as a man of God/woman of God/ when you stand up for God in this world, and stand up for his word, and stand up against evil......MANY times you will find yourself feeling very lonely.... sometimes feel like its your versus the world. STAND FIRM! STAND STRONG!
When Elijah heard it, he pulled his cloak over his face and went out and stood at the mouth of the cave. Then a voice said to him, “What are you doing here, Elijah?” He replied, “I have been very zealous for the Lord God Almighty. The Israelites have rejected your covenant, torn down your altars, and put your prophets to death with the sword. I am the only one left, and now they are trying to kill me too.” 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. Also, anoint Jehu son of Nimshi king over Israel, and anoint Elisha son of Shaphat from Abel Meholah to succeed you as prophet. 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.
I love this...... LOVE IT LOVE IT LOVE IT.... because of what you’re about to see next.....
So Elijah went from there and found Elisha son of Shaphat. 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.
So Elijah went from there and found Elisha son of Shaphat. 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.
1 kings 19:
Notice whats going on..... EliSha…with an S… new guy.... is working away at his everyday job....
Elisha was JUST LIKE YOU AND ME…..normal guy….. he was the 12th in line…. Just plowing away. Being faithful to his everyday duties… all of you…. Faithful…everyday to your family…job… work hard…
but remember what we just read..... God was having a conversation with Elijah about Elisha and his future.... the higher calling he had for him.... elisha had NO IDEA…he’s just working away....
IT’S THE SAME WITH SO MANY OF US..... we get so wrapped up in our everyday procedures, everyday life......
MAKE SURE YOU HEAR ME WHEN I SAY THIS....THAT’S FANTASTIC.....ELISHA IS BEING FAITHFUL TO HIS JOB AND HIS FAMILY… DOING WHAT HE HAS TO DO...
EVER WONDERED WHAT JESUS WAS DOING BEFORE HE SAVED THE WORLD????
THERE’S A 30 YEAR STRETCH BETWEEN AND ..... BEFORE HE SAVED THE WORLD HE GOT UP EVERYDAY AND WAS FAITHFUL TO HIS CARPENTRY WORK… AND HIS FAMILY...
SO IMPORTANT.... BUT LISTEN..... ALL THE WHILE ELISHA IS WORKING AND BEING FAITHFUL WE SEE GOD PLANNING EVEN A HIGHER PURPOSE FOR HIS LIFE.
IT’S THE SAME FOR YOU..... SOME OF YOU IN HERE ARE WORN DOWN.... JUST WAKING UP EVERYDAY AND BEING FAITHFUL....LISTEN…GOD IS CALLING YOU FOR A HIGHER PURPOSE....
TEACHERS.... START BACK THIS WEEK…EDUCATION IS UTMOST IMPORTANCE…BUT AS A BELIEVER GOD HAS GIVEN YOU EVEN A HIGHER PURPOSE AT THAT SCHOOL.
LOOK WITH ME AT WHAT HAPPENS HERE.....
So Elijah went from there and found Elisha son of Shaphat. 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. 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?” 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.
BEFORE WE GO ANY FARTHER..... THIS IS NOT A MESSAGE ABOUT YOU BURNING UP YOUR WORKPLACE AND RUNNING AWAY.. . EVEN THOUGH YOU MAY WANT TO… NOT A MESSAGE ABOUT GETTING A NEW SPOUSE AND KIDS.... WELL.... EVEN THOUGH YOU MAY WANT TO....LOL
THIS ISN’T ABOUT THAT.... THIS IS ABOUT GOD HAVING A HIGHER CALLING FOR YOU EXACTLY WHERE YOU ARE.....
JOHN
Afterward Jesus appeared again to his disciples, by the Sea of Galilee. It happened this way: Simon Peter, Thomas (also known as Didymus), Nathanael from Cana in Galilee, the sons of Zebedee, and two other disciples were together. “I’m going out to fish,” Simon Peter told them, and they said, “We’ll go with you.” So they went out and got into the boat, but that night they caught nothing. Early in the morning, Jesus stood on the shore, but the disciples did not realize that it was Jesus. He called out to them, “Friends, haven’t you any fish?” “No,” they answered. He said, “Throw your net on the right side of the boat and you will find some.” When they did, they were unable to haul the net in because of the large number of fish.
THEY CAUGHT NOTHING… SECOND TIME THEY HAD BEEN IN THIS POSITION… NOTICE… THEY, LIKE YOU, LIKE ELISHA, WAS WORKING…TRYING TO BE FAITHFUL TO THEIR FAMILY.... BUT AS HARD AND AS FAITHFUL AS THEY WERE BEING THEY WERE COMING UP EMPTY....
MANY OF YOU IN HERE THIS MORNING… WORKING HARD… SOMTHING IS MISSING… STILL FEEL LIKE YOURE COMING UP EMPTY.....
LOOK AT WHAT HAPPENED..... THEY KEPT DOING WHAT THEY WERE DOING.... THEY JUST CHANGED THEIR DIRECTION AND FOLLOWED JESUS’S INSTRUCTION AND ALL OF A SUDDEN THEY HAD SUCH AN ABUNDANCE IT WAS ABOUT TO BREAK THE NET.
GOD HAS A PLAN FOR YOU EXACTLY WHERE YOU ARE.... JUST CHANGE YOUR PERSPECTIVE AND YOUR PURPOSE.
GO BACK WITH ME TO
So Elijah went from there and found Elisha son of Shaphat. 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. 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?” 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.
SOME THINGS WE HAVE TO NOTICE HERE.....
FIRST THING IS ELIJAH WENT UP TO HIM AND THREW HIS CLOAK AROUND HIM.... NO INDICATION OF EVEN A HELLO.... HE JUST WENT UP AND THREW THE ANOINTING ON HIM....
NOTICE… ELISHA WASNT LOOKING FOR A HIGHER CALLING.... HE WASN’T LOOKING FOR ANYTHING… HE WAS JUST WOKRING....
BUT NOTICE WHAT ELISHA DID WHEN HE THREW THE CLOAK ON HIM.... HE RAN TO HIM.... BECAUSE HE RECOGNIZED AT THAT VERY MOMENT THERE WAS AN INVITATION.... AND INVITATION FOR SOMETHING BIGGER… AND INVITATION FOR SOMETHING HIGHER.
THERES A HUNGER IN ALL OF US FOR SOMETHING BIGGER… SOMETHING MORE.. elisha realized when that annointing hit him that this was it....his opportunity… his chance.... SO LOOK AT WHAT HAPPENS NEXT.
“LET ME KISS MY FATHER AND MOTHER GOOD BYE”
Ok....here we go.... listen to me.... if you want God to bring you something bigger and better.... you want a higher purpose and a higher calling… you want something more… it’s time to kiss your old life goodbye.... bad habits… things that you know bring you down.... kiss them goodbye....
NOT because theres rules and regulations to follow as a christian.... but because God has something more.
Look at what was next.... “he took his yoke of oxen and slaughtered them. he burned the plowing equipment to to cook the meat and then he left.”
this man… just killed off his oxen and burned all the equipment he owned....
why???? BECAUSE WHAT ELIJAH NEEDED WAS IN FRONT OF HIM....NOT BEHIND HIM.... you see when serving God got hard.... it would have been easy to run back to those oxen and equipment....but Elisha said… i know theres something more.
ELISHA WAS NOTHING SPECIALLL......ELISHA WAS STARING DAILY AT THE BACKSIDE OF AN OXEN EVERYDAY....COMMON WORKING MAN… GOD SAID COME AS YOU ARE
PASTOR DUSTIN.... THIS IS OLD TESTAMENT STORY.... WHAT DOES THIS HAVE TO DO WITH ME????
“I tell you the truth, anyone who believes in me will do the same works as I have done and even greater works because I am going to the father.”
what????? THINK ABOUT THAT......
But pastor dustin.... yea im working and being faithful daily.... but there hasn’t been any elijah walk up to me and throw the cloack on me.... hasn’t thrown the mantle on me....
Thats a lie from the devil...
LISTEN TO ME..... JESUS....THE DAY HE DIED....THREW HIS CLOAK ON YOU..... HE THREW HIS ANNOINTING ON YOU....
“CAME TO GIVE LIFE MORE ABUNDANTLY”
HOW???? BY CHOOSING HIM.....
THIS IS WHY PAUL WRITES IN
Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead,
Jesus has made you for more.... he didn’t only die to save you but he died to change you. he died to make you dangerous for his kingdom. you HAVE A HIGHER PURPOSE!!! TO FIGHT FOR HIS KINGDOM.
BUT THIS VERSE SAYS “FORGET WHAT IS BEHIND AND STRAIN FOR WHAT IS AHEAD.”
You know how you forget what is behind????/ YOU BURN THE PLOW!!!!
LISTEN TO ME… LISTEN TO ME… SOME OF YOU ARE WASTING TIME, SOME OF YOU ARE MISSING OUT ON THE MORE GOD HAS FOR YOU BECAUSE YOU’RE STILL TIED TO THE PLOW....
SOME OF YOU CANT GO DEEPER WITH GOD BECAUSE YOU’RE STILL GRIPPING THE PLOW FROM THE PAST....
WHAT IS THAT PLOW?? COULD BE MANY THINGS....
1. Dependencies
2. Ways of thinking
3. Bitterness
4. Resentment
5. Excuses
6. BAD RELATIONSHIPS.....
7. BAD HABBITS
God is telling you this morning he has more… so much more.. BURN THE PLOW!!!!
Let go of that old life.... old tendencies… old thoughts… excuses… old relatipnship that bring you down… bad habbits.. stubborness…donkey....
Remember the old song....
The world behind me the cross before me
Context of the song
In the 1880’s a Welsh missionary who had endured severe persecution finally saw his first converts in a particularly brutal village in the Indian province of Assam. A husband and wife, with their two children, professed faith in Christ and were baptized. Their village leaders decided to make an example out of the husband. Arresting the family, they demanded that the father renounce Christ, or see his wife and children murdered. When he refused, his two children were executed by archers. Given another chance to recant, the man again refused, and his wife was similarly stuck down. Still refusing to recant, the man followed his family into glory.
Witnesses later told the story to the Welsh missionary. The reports said that when asked to recant or see his children murdered, the man said: “I have decided to follow Jesus, and there is no turning back.”
After seeing his children killed, he reportedly said, “The world can be behind me, but the cross is still before me.” And after seeing his wife pierced by the arrows, he said, “Though no one is here to go with me, still I will follow Jesus.
GIRL FROM OKLAHOMA….18 YEARS OLD…. SCARED THAT WE GET TOO COMFORTABLE…THAT WE HOLD ON TO SO MUCH THAT HOLD US BACK…..ALLLL IN…. PASSION….
JESUS SAID WHOEVER BELIEVES IN ME…. YOU… CAN… BE… PART… OF…. SOMETHING….BIGGER….
LIVE FOR SOMETHING BIGGER. MAKE A DIFFERENCE…. FRIENDS DAY…
make the decision today to burn up the plow… MOVING FORWARD… CHOOSING TO LIVE FOR SOMETHING BIGGER.......
