2 Kings 2:1–14 NIV

When the Lord was about to take Elijah up to heaven in a whirlwind, Elijah and Elisha were on their way from Gilgal. 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. 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, “so be quiet.” 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. 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, “so be quiet.” 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. Fifty men from the company of the prophets went and stood at a distance, facing the place where Elijah and Elisha had stopped at the Jordan. 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. 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. “You have asked a difficult thing,” Elijah said, “yet if you see me when I am taken from you, it will be yours—otherwise, it will not.” 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. 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 garment and tore it in two. Elisha then picked up Elijah’s cloak that had fallen from him and went back and stood on the bank of the Jordan. He took the cloak that had fallen from Elijah 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 2:1-14

How bad do you want it?

Work for what you want

Not everything is given to you

You must make sacrifices

Illustration: Running a mile in High School

I remember back in high school, we did something that they don’t do much of anymore. We had gym class. Gym class was a requirement that everyone in high school had to be apart of and I remember the routine of going to the locker room, and changing clothes. Putting on my blue school issued gym shorts and the white T-Shirt with the school mascot logo on them. This particular day was different because it was becoming spring. So, today we were instructed by the gym teacher that we were to go outside. Everyone was excited until they understood the reason why we were going outside. Today was the day that we were to be evaluated and timed as we ran the mile. Now, for some of us, this was not a problem we understood that in order to get it over with, all we needed to do was to run the track 4 times. Because if you ran the track 4 times that equaled 1 mile. Some of us even prided ourselves in being one of the first to cross the finish line. But there was this one group that was too cool for school. They had just got their hair done. They were not about to sweat out their edges. And while everyone else were running. They were walking. They didn’t want it bad enough. They received and E that day because they didn’t want it bad enough.

Work for what you get

We were taught that you must work for what you get. That there is no such thing as a free lunch. An honest days pay for an honest days work. Can’t have your cake an eat it too. You eat what you kill. All of these sayings elude to the fact that if you want something you have to go get it. That nothing’s for free.

And sometimes you must do what you don't want to do to get the results that you desire. It may not feel good, but it’s necessary. And there are some of us who know what it is to want to quit and throw in the towel and give up but endured the struggle because the goal, the degree, the relationship was too important to us.

Immediate Success

Some people have that Beyoncé spirit, declaring that they woke up like this but some of us understand that I am not an overnight success, that there was a process that I had to go through to get to where I am. If you only knew what I had to go through!

Potential > Process > Promise

Process

When you stay in the gym

o Stay in late

Stay in late

o Show up when everyone stays home

Show up when everyone stays home

Endure the race

o Endure the race

o Trying of your faith

Trying of your faith

• Everyone in the bible who did anything great for God had to go through a process.

Everyone in the bible who did anything great for God had to go through a process.

Noah, Abraham, Moses, Ruth, David, Jesus

Those who shortcut the process to success, don’t hold on to success long.

Winning the Lotto

o Winning the Lotto

• God want to set us up for Success. How bad do you want it?

Text

Elisha – Farmer

God saw fit to send someone your way.

Discipleship, submit, someone is where you want to be

Apostle, prophet, evangelist, pastors, teacher…

God uses willing people.

Elisha Wanted a Double Portion

1. Lap 1 - Cutting Away – Gilgal - circle of standing stones

2 When the LORD was about to take Elijah up to heaven in a whirlwind, Elijah and Elisha were on their way from Gilgal.

a. Joshua erected 12 stones from the Jordan – God is alive

i. Remember where you’ve come from

ii. Remember how God brought you over

iii. Remember that God is alive

iv. Remember that God answers prayers

b. The men were circumcised – cutting away

i. The reproach of Egypt was removed

Joshua 5:9 Then the Lord said to Joshua, “Today I have rolled away the reproach of Egypt from you.” So the place has been called Gilgal[b] to this day.

ii. The past is erased

iii. You are separated from you

1. Old habits, relationships, ideas, mentality

2. Lap 2 - Seek His presence – Bethel

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, “so be quiet.”

a. Jacob had a dream

i. In the dream, God reminded Him of the promises He gave his forefathers

ii. Jacob call this place Bethel – The house of God

iii. The presence of the Lord is here

1. Where the ark was kept

2. Where people sought the Lord for answers

3. They wanted to experience the presence of the Lord

iv. We pray, praise, and worship

3. Lap 3 - Walk in Obedience – Jericho

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, “so be quiet.”

a. A man stood over Joshua when he went past Jericho

i. He wasn’t for either side, He wasn’t there to help one side or another

ii. He was there to take over

iii. God wants full control of your entire life

b. The first battle that Israel fought when they entered the promised land.

i. They received specific instructions

ii. Victory comes in complete obedience

1. Walk around a wall looking crazy when others are looking and talking about you

2. To keep quiet when everyone is criticizing you.

3. You victory and your defeat is in your mouth.

a. We sabotage our victory by speaking when God says keep quiet

b. Hold your peace and let the Lord fight your battle

4. Lap 4 - Die to yourself – Jordan

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.

a. The Israelites had to cross the Jordan to get to the Land that they were promised

b. Baptism – Death, Burial, & Resurrection

c. You much die – if a seed dies in a ground it brings forth much fruit.

i. Let go of your hopes and dreams

ii. God will replace your desires with His desires

7 Fifty men from 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, it will not.”

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 garment and tore it in two.

13 Elisha then picked up Elijah’s cloak that had fallen from him and went back and stood on the bank of the Jordan. 14 He took the cloak that had fallen from Elijah 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.

15 The company of the prophets from Jericho, who were watching, said, “The spirit of Elijah is resting on Elisha.” And they went to meet him and bowed to the ground before him. 16 “Look,” they said, “we your servants have fifty able men. Let them go and look for your master. Perhaps the Spirit of the LORD has picked him up and set him down on some mountain or in some valley.”

“No,” Elisha replied, “do not send them.”

17 But they persisted until he was too embarrassed to refuse. So he said, “Send them.” And they sent fifty men, who searched for three days but did not find him. 18 When they returned to Elisha, who was staying in Jericho, he said to them, “Didn’t I tell you not to go?”

5. Double portion of Elijah’s spirit

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...

a. He wanted the inheritance of the heir.

b. The oldest always received a double portion

i. He didn’t ask for a double portion of the anointing.

…of your spirit,” Elisha replied

1. That would have been an easier request

2. This could have been done with the laying on the hands.

ii. He asked for a double portion of his spirit

1. This comes with spending time with the man of God

2. The was the inheritance of the successor, the eldest son

3. Jesus said, greater works will you do