The Gifts of God's Power
TGP A Kingdom Provided • Sermon • Submitted
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· 9 viewsGod empowers His people to confirm their calling and to carry out His mission.
Notes
Transcript
Introduction
[Video: Made for something great]
When is it our turn to lead? Do you ever feel like you are still the little kid in church that is looking up to the adults. Then you look around and realize that the room is full of younger kids who are now looking to you?
No one is called to come sit in the chairs and just listen…example…learning how to swim instead of actually swimming.
Tractor pull? Power connection. Investment connection?
Tension
It is a powerful statement to grapple with isn’t it? God made me for a purpose! This is just as true for every person in this room. The fact that God did indeed make you and that He did not do it by accident. He ignited His spark of life in your being for a purpose.
There are so many questions that come gushing out of a statement like that isn’t there? Not the kind of questions that interrupt the morning routine when we are just trying to get everyone out the door on time, but more the “keep me up at night” kind of questions. God made me for a purpose…so what is that purpose? why am I here? Does my life have value? Is my life making a difference? Am I being who I am supposed to be? Am I doing what I am supposed to be doing?
They are good questions, they just aren’t easy ones. They come pouring out of deep places in our soul and they cannot be clogged up with simple “yes” or “no” answers. They are expansive in nature. Every time we get a glimpse of an answer, it invites a host of new questions.
Questions of purpose are questions of identity, value and the meaning in our life. God made me for a purpose, how do I know what that purpose is?
Mission of any Church / Mission of Friendship Church
God made me for a purpose, how do I know what that purpose is?
I am not sure that option is open to the Christian.
So maybe we should just ignore questions like these. Let the poets, the songwriters and artsy “our of touch” types grapple with this kind of stuff. We have all we can handle in our “real life” issues to go messing around with questions that we can’t quickly find an answer. I am not sure that option is open to the Christian.
You were never meant to sit here in these chairs. It would be like showing up to training and never doing the job.
5 The purpose in a man’s heart is like deep water, but a man of understanding will draw it out.
21 Many are the plans in the mind of a man, but it is the purpose of the Lord that will stand. 22 What is desired in a man is steadfast love, and a poor man is better than a liar. 23 The fear of the Lord leads to life, and whoever has it rests satisfied; he will not be visited by harm. 24 The sluggard buries his hand in the dish and will not even bring it back to his mouth. 25 Strike a scoffer, and the simple will learn prudence; reprove a man of understanding, and he will gain knowledge. 26 He who does violence to his father and chases away his mother is a son who brings shame and reproach. 27 Cease to hear instruction, my son, and you will stray from the words of knowledge.
21 Many are the plans in the mind of a man, but it is the purpose of the Lord that will stand.
5 The purpose in a man’s heart is like deep water, but a man of understanding will draw it out.
“A man of understanding” doesn’t sound to me like someone who is lost adrift in the possibilities. Sounds like someone who is anchored well in the realities of this life. Living intentionally in pursuit of his purpose.
It is “Sanctity of Human Life” Sunday and we are again participating in the “Baby Bottle Boomerang” to support our ministry partners at the APPLE pregnancy care center. I hope you all consider how you might get involved as a family in the “right to life” issue that has been plaguing our nation. Taking a Bottle would be a great start, but maybe there are other ways for us to get involved. There is contact information on the paper inside the bottle if you want to call them for more ideas.
Have you ever reflected on the phrase “Sanctity of Human Life”? “Sanctity” means sacred, holy or set apart. That EVERY human life has value, dignity and purpose because it is the sacred creation of our infinite and loving creator God. Listen to how one of the most popular passages on this topic lays it out. It is found in , and it so clearly lays out the sacredness of our lives, before and after our time in our mother’s womb.
But have you ever reflected on the phrase “Sanctity of Human Life”? “Sanctity” means sacred, holy or set apart. That EVERY human life has value, dignity and purpose because it is the sacred creation of our infinite and loving creator God. Listen to how one of the most popular passages on this topic lays it out. It is found in , and it so clearly lays out the sacredness of our lives, before and after our time in our mother’s womb.
One of the verses that we should all know in support of the rights of these children is from and it connects with our message today as well. It says..
so clearly lays out the sacredness of our lives, both in and out of the womb.
The Psalmist writes:
13 For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother’s womb. 14 I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well. 15 My frame was not hidden from you, when I was being made in secret, intricately woven in the depths of the earth. 16 Your eyes saw my unformed substance; in your book were written, every one of them, the days that were formed for me, when as yet there was none of them.
You want to know why we are so passionately opposed to abortion? Because God created that life that abortion destroys. That child was made and is known by God while still in the womb and the notion that there is nothing there but just unwanted tissue is a godless lie that we need to speak the truth into that lie at every opportunity.
But there is more in this passage than just a clear argument against abortion. Every life is a sacred thing because it is designed by God. Our lives are given to us to steward for God’s purposes. Did you hear what those verses say? Every day of our life was formed for us and the question is…Are we living in the days formed for us? Are we living the “sacred life story” that God wrote for us, before we were even born?
21 Many are the plans in the mind of a man, but it is the purpose of the Lord that will stand.
But it doesn’t stop there. Every life is a sacred thing because it is designed by God. It was given to us to steward for God’s purposes, how something . this of course begs the questions for every one of us. Are we living the sacred story that God wrote for us, even before we were born?
So this of course begs the questions for every one of us. Are we living the sacred story that God wrote for us, even before we were born?
We continue in our Gospel project to look at the lives of the greatest prophets of the Old Testament. Last week we looked at the great showdown between Elijah and the prophets of Baal when God turned the hearts of His people back to Himself by sending fire down from heaven that consumed everything set up by Elijah, even the rocks of the alter itself. And it worked. At the end of the big event the people were declaring, “The LORD, he is God; the LORD, he is God.”
This is such a fitting end to this great miracle that God did through his servant Elijah, but there is something fascinating that is easy for us to miss. You see the name Elijah means “The LORD, He is God”. So in a sense, the outcome of miraculous and dramatic event was a realization of God’s purpose for the “sacred life” story that he wrote for Elijah.
brought Elijah’s calling as a Prophet of God to the forfront. In this moment, Elijah experienced the realization of the “sacred life story” that God had written for him.
And then we talked about how after a significant experience like this there is often a significant attack from our enemy. Elijah experienced this as he got word that the evil queen Jezebel had sworn to kill him…So he ran. He ran really far. All the way down to Mount Sinai, the the mountain of the LORD. Elijah was ready to hang it all up. He was ready to be done. He felt like he had done what God asked of him and now he was ready to close the book, but God had written more in Elijah’s story. Among other things, Elijah was to find and anoint his successor and it is the “sacred life story” of his successor Elisha that we are going to look at this morning.
As you probably remember, when Queen Jezebel heard of all that had happened she determined to have revenge by killing Elijah. So he ran. He ran really far. All the way down to Mount Sinai to meet with the LORD. Elijah was ready to hang it all up. He was ready to be done. He felt like he had done what God asked of him and now he was ready to die, but God had different plans. Among other things, Elijah was to find and anoint his successor, and it is his “sacred story” that we are going to learn from this morning.
But then you remember that after Queen Jezebel heard of all that had happened, She threatened Elijah and he ran. He ran really far. All the way down to Mount Sinai to meet with the LORD and when he got there he declared his life to be over. He was the last one true to the LORD.
So turn with me if you will to , p. 301 in the Bibles in the chairs, I’ll pray and we will dive into this ancient story to see what connections we can make to our our own “sacred life” story.
Truth
Truth
Our first theme we see is that...
The successor commits fully to the mission ()
The successor commits fully to the mission ()
We will pick right back up with verse 19 of Chapter 19
19 So he departed from there and found Elisha the son of Shaphat, who was plowing with twelve yoke of oxen in front of him, and he was with the twelfth. Elijah passed by him and cast his cloak upon him. 20 And he left the oxen and ran after Elijah and said, “Let me kiss my father and my mother, and then I will follow you.” And he said to him, “Go back again, for what have I done to you?” 21 And he returned from following him and took the yoke of oxen and sacrificed them and boiled their flesh with the yokes of the oxen and gave it to the people, and they ate. Then he arose and went after Elijah and assisted him.
19 So he departed from there and found Elisha the son of Shaphat, who was plowing with twelve yoke of oxen in front of him, and he was with the twelfth. Elijah passed by him and cast his cloak upon him. 20 And he left the oxen and ran after Elijah and said, “Let me kiss my father and my mother, and then I will follow you.” And he said to him, “Go back again, for what have I done to you?” 21 And he returned from following him and took the yoke of oxen and sacrificed them and boiled their flesh with the yokes of the oxen and gave it to the people, and they ate. Then he arose and went after Elijah and assisted him. 1 Ben-hadad the king of Syria gathered all his army together. Thirty-two kings were with him, and horses and chariots. And he went up and closed in on Samaria and fought against it. 2 And he sent messengers into the city to Ahab king of Israel and said to him, “Thus says Ben-hadad: 3 ‘Your silver and your gold are mine; your best wives and children also are mine.’ ” 4 And the king of Israel answered, “As you say, my lord, O king, I am yours, and all that I have.” 5 The messengers came again and said, “Thus says Ben-hadad: ‘I sent to you, saying, “Deliver to me your silver and your gold, your wives and your children.” 6 Nevertheless I will send my servants to you tomorrow about this time, and they shall search your house and the houses of your servants and lay hands on whatever pleases you and take it away.’ ” 7 Then the king of Israel called all the elders of the land and said, “Mark, now, and see how this man is seeking trouble, for he sent to me for my wives and my children, and for my silver and my gold, and I did not refuse him.” 8 And all the elders and all the people said to him, “Do not listen or consent.” 9 So he said to the messengers of Ben-hadad, “Tell my lord the king, ‘All that you first demanded of your servant I will do, but this thing I cannot do.’ ” And the messengers departed and brought him word again. 10 Ben-hadad sent to him and said, “The gods do so to me and more also, if the dust of Samaria shall suffice for handfuls for all the people who follow me.” 11 And the king of Israel answered, “Tell him, ‘Let not him who straps on his armor boast himself as he who takes it off.’ ” 12 When Ben-hadad heard this message as he was drinking with the kings in the booths, he said to his men, “Take your positions.” And they took their positions against the city. 13 And behold, a prophet came near to Ahab king of Israel and said, “Thus says the Lord, Have you seen all this great multitude? Behold, I will give it into your hand this day, and you shall know that I am the Lord.” 14 And Ahab said, “By whom?” He said, “Thus says the Lord, By the servants of the governors of the districts.” Then he said, “Who shall begin the battle?” He answered, “You.” 15 Then he mustered the servants of the governors of the districts, and they were 232. And after them he mustered all the people of Israel, seven thousand. 16 And they went out at noon, while Ben-hadad was drinking himself drunk in the booths, he and the thirty-two kings who helped him. 17 The servants of the governors of the districts went out first. And Ben-hadad sent out scouts, and they reported to him, “Men are coming out from Samaria.” 18 He said, “If they have come out for peace, take them alive. Or if they have come out for war, take them alive.” 19 So these went out of the city, the servants of the governors of the districts and the army that followed them. 20 And each struck down his man. The Syrians fled, and Israel pursued them, but Ben-hadad king of Syria escaped on a horse with horsemen. 21 And the king of Israel went out and struck the horses and chariots, and struck the Syrians with a great blow. 22 Then the prophet came near to the king of Israel and said to him, “Come, strengthen yourself, and consider well what you have to do, for in the spring the king of Syria will come up against you.” 23 And the servants of the king of Syria said to him, “Their gods are gods of the hills, and so they were stronger than we. But let us fight against them in the plain, and surely we shall be stronger than they. 24 And do this: remove the kings, each from his post, and put commanders in their places, 25 and muster an army like the army that you have lost, horse for horse, and chariot for chariot. Then we will fight against them in the plain, and surely we shall be stronger than they.” And he listened to their voice and did so. 26 In the spring, Ben-hadad mustered the Syrians and went up to Aphek to fight against Israel. 27 And the people of Israel were mustered and were provisioned and went against them. The people of Israel encamped before them like two little flocks of goats, but the Syrians filled the country. 28 And a man of God came near and said to the king of Israel, “Thus says the Lord, ‘Because the Syrians have said, “The Lord is a god of the hills but he is not a god of the valleys,” therefore I will give all this great multitude into your hand, and you shall know that I am the Lord.’ ” 29 And they encamped opposite one another seven days. Then on the seventh day the battle was joined. And the people of Israel struck down of the Syrians 100,000 foot soldiers in one day. 30 And the rest fled into the city of Aphek, and the wall fell upon 27,000 men who were left. Ben-hadad also fled and entered an inner chamber in the city. 31 And his servants said to him, “Behold now, we have heard that the kings of the house of Israel are merciful kings. Let us put sackcloth around our waists and ropes on our heads and go out to the king of Israel. Perhaps he will spare your life.” 32 So they tied sackcloth around their waists and put ropes on their heads and went to the king of Israel and said, “Your servant Ben-hadad says, ‘Please, let me live.’ ” And he said, “Does he still live? He is my brother.” 33 Now the men were watching for a sign, and they quickly took it up from him and said, “Yes, your brother Ben-hadad.” Then he said, “Go and bring him.” Then Ben-hadad came out to him, and he caused him to come up into the chariot. 34 And Ben-hadad said to him, “The cities that my father took from your father I will restore, and you may establish bazaars for yourself in Damascus, as my father did in Samaria.” And Ahab said, “I will let you go on these terms.” So he made a covenant with him and let him go. 35 And a certain man of the sons of the prophets said to his fellow at the command of the Lord, “Strike me, please.” But the man refused to strike him. 36 Then he said to him, “Because you have not obeyed the voice of the Lord, behold, as soon as you have gone from me, a lion shall strike you down.” And as soon as he had departed from him, a lion met him and struck him down. 37 Then he found another man and said, “Strike me, please.” And the man struck him—struck him and wounded him. 38 So the prophet departed and waited for the king by the way, disguising himself with a bandage over his eyes. 39 And as the king passed, he cried to the king and said, “Your servant went out into the midst of the battle, and behold, a soldier turned and brought a man to me and said, ‘Guard this man; if by any means he is missing, your life shall be for his life, or else you shall pay a talent of silver.’ 40 And as your servant was busy here and there, he was gone.” The king of Israel said to him, “So shall your judgment be; you yourself have decided it.” 41 Then he hurried to take the bandage away from his eyes, and the king of Israel recognized him as one of the prophets. 42 And he said to him, “Thus says the Lord, ‘Because you have let go out of your hand the man whom I had devoted to destruction, therefore your life shall be for his life, and your people for his people.’ ” 43 And the king of Israel went to his house vexed and sullen and came to Samaria. 1 Now Naboth the Jezreelite had a vineyard in Jezreel, beside the palace of Ahab king of Samaria. 2 And after this Ahab said to Naboth, “Give me your vineyard, that I may have it for a vegetable garden, because it is near my house, and I will give you a better vineyard for it; or, if it seems good to you, I will give you its value in money.” 3 But Naboth said to Ahab, “The Lord forbid that I should give you the inheritance of my fathers.” 4 And Ahab went into his house vexed and sullen because of what Naboth the Jezreelite had said to him, for he had said, “I will not give you the inheritance of my fathers.” And he lay down on his bed and turned away his face and would eat no food. 5 But Jezebel his wife came to him and said to him, “Why is your spirit so vexed that you eat no food?” 6 And he said to her, “Because I spoke to Naboth the Jezreelite and said to him, ‘Give me your vineyard for money, or else, if it please you, I will give you another vineyard for it.’ And he answered, ‘I will not give you my vineyard.’ ” 7 And Jezebel his wife said to him, “Do you now govern Israel? Arise and eat bread and let your heart be cheerful; I will give you the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite.” 8 So she wrote letters in Ahab’s name and sealed them with his seal, and she sent the letters to the elders and the leaders who lived with Naboth in his city. 9 And she wrote in the letters, “Proclaim a fast, and set Naboth at the head of the people. 10 And set two worthless men opposite him, and let them bring a charge against him, saying, ‘You have cursed God and the king.’ Then take him out and stone him to death.” 11 And the men of his city, the elders and the leaders who lived in his city, did as Jezebel had sent word to them. As it was written in the letters that she had sent to them, 12 they proclaimed a fast and set Naboth at the head of the people. 13 And the two worthless men came in and sat opposite him. And the worthless men brought a charge against Naboth in the presence of the people, saying, “Naboth cursed God and the king.” So they took him outside the city and stoned him to death with stones. 14 Then they sent to Jezebel, saying, “Naboth has been stoned; he is dead.” 15 As soon as Jezebel heard that Naboth had been stoned and was dead, Jezebel said to Ahab, “Arise, take possession of the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite, which he refused to give you for money, for Naboth is not alive, but dead.” 16 And as soon as Ahab heard that Naboth was dead, Ahab arose to go down to the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite, to take possession of it. 17 Then the word of the Lord came to Elijah the Tishbite, saying, 18 “Arise, go down to meet Ahab king of Israel, who is in Samaria; behold, he is in the vineyard of Naboth, where he has gone to take possession. 19 And you shall say to him, ‘Thus says the Lord, “Have you killed and also taken possession?” ’ And you shall say to him, ‘Thus says the Lord: “In the place where dogs licked up the blood of Naboth shall dogs lick your own blood.” ’ ” 20 Ahab said to Elijah, “Have you found me, O my enemy?” He answered, “I have found you, because you have sold yourself to do what is evil in the sight of the Lord. 21 Behold, I will bring disaster upon you. I will utterly burn you up, and will cut off from Ahab every male, bond or free, in Israel. 22 And I will make your house like the house of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, and like the house of Baasha the son of Ahijah, for the anger to which you have provoked me, and because you have made Israel to sin. 23 And of Jezebel the Lord also said, ‘The dogs shall eat Jezebel within the walls of Jezreel.’ 24 Anyone belonging to Ahab who dies in the city the dogs shall eat, and anyone of his who dies in the open country the birds of the heavens shall eat.” 25 (There was none who sold himself to do what was evil in the sight of the Lord like Ahab, whom Jezebel his wife incited. 26 He acted very abominably in going after idols, as the Amorites had done, whom the Lord cast out before the people of Israel.) 27 And when Ahab heard those words, he tore his clothes and put sackcloth on his flesh and fasted and lay in sackcloth and went about dejectedly. 28 And the word of the Lord came to Elijah the Tishbite, saying, 29 “Have you seen how Ahab has humbled himself before me? Because he has humbled himself before me, I will not bring the disaster in his days; but in his son’s days I will bring the disaster upon his house.” 1 For three years Syria and Israel continued without war. 2 But in the third year Jehoshaphat the king of Judah came down to the king of Israel. 3 And the king of Israel said to his servants, “Do you know that Ramoth-gilead belongs to us, and we keep quiet and do not take it out of the hand of the king of Syria?” 4 And he said to Jehoshaphat, “Will you go with me to battle at Ramoth-gilead?” And Jehoshaphat said to the king of Israel, “I am as you are, my people as your people, my horses as your horses.” 5 And Jehoshaphat said to the king of Israel, “Inquire first for the word of the Lord.” 6 Then the king of Israel gathered the prophets together, about four hundred men, and said to them, “Shall I go to battle against Ramoth-gilead, or shall I refrain?” And they said, “Go up, for the Lord will give it into the hand of the king.” 7 But Jehoshaphat said, “Is there not here another prophet of the Lord of whom we may inquire?” 8 And the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, “There is yet one man by whom we may inquire of the Lord, Micaiah the son of Imlah, but I hate him, for he never prophesies good concerning me, but evil.” And Jehoshaphat said, “Let not the king say so.” 9 Then the king of Israel summoned an officer and said, “Bring quickly Micaiah the son of Imlah.” 10 Now the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat the king of Judah were sitting on their thrones, arrayed in their robes, at the threshing floor at the entrance of the gate of Samaria, and all the prophets were prophesying before them. 11 And Zedekiah the son of Chenaanah made for himself horns of iron and said, “Thus says the Lord, ‘With these you shall push the Syrians until they are destroyed.’ ” 12 And all the prophets prophesied so and said, “Go up to Ramoth-gilead and triumph; the Lord will give it into the hand of the king.” 13 And the messenger who went to summon Micaiah said to him, “Behold, the words of the prophets with one accord are favorable to the king. Let your word be like the word of one of them, and speak favorably.” 14 But Micaiah said, “As the Lord lives, what the Lord says to me, that I will speak.” 15 And when he had come to the king, the king said to him, “Micaiah, shall we go to Ramoth-gilead to battle, or shall we refrain?” And he answered him, “Go up and triumph; the Lord will give it into the hand of the king.” 16 But the king said to him, “How many times shall I make you swear that you speak to me nothing but the truth in the name of the Lord?” 17 And he said, “I saw all Israel scattered on the mountains, as sheep that have no shepherd. And the Lord said, ‘These have no master; let each return to his home in peace.’ ” 18 And the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, “Did I not tell you that he would not prophesy good concerning me, but evil?” 19 And Micaiah said, “Therefore hear the word of the Lord: I saw the Lord sitting on his throne, and all the host of heaven standing beside him on his right hand and on his left; 20 and the Lord said, ‘Who will entice Ahab, that he may go up and fall at Ramoth-gilead?’ And one said one thing, and another said another. 21 Then a spirit came forward and stood before the Lord, saying, ‘I will entice him.’ 22 And the Lord said to him, ‘By what means?’ And he said, ‘I will go out, and will be a lying spirit in the mouth of all his prophets.’ And he said, ‘You are to entice him, and you shall succeed; go out and do so.’ 23 Now therefore behold, the Lord has put a lying spirit in the mouth of all these your prophets; the Lord has declared disaster for you.” 24 Then Zedekiah the son of Chenaanah came near and struck Micaiah on the cheek and said, “How did the Spirit of the Lord go from me to speak to you?” 25 And Micaiah said, “Behold, you shall see on that day when you go into an inner chamber to hide yourself.” 26 And the king of Israel said, “Seize Micaiah, and take him back to Amon the governor of the city and to Joash the king’s son, 27 and say, ‘Thus says the king, “Put this fellow in prison and feed him meager rations of bread and water, until I come in peace.” ’ ” 28 And Micaiah said, “If you return in peace, the Lord has not spoken by me.” And he said, “Hear, all you peoples!” 29 So the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat the king of Judah went up to Ramoth-gilead. 30 And the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, “I will disguise myself and go into battle, but you wear your robes.” And the king of Israel disguised himself and went into battle. 31 Now the king of Syria had commanded the thirty-two captains of his chariots, “Fight with neither small nor great, but only with the king of Israel.” 32 And when the captains of the chariots saw Jehoshaphat, they said, “It is surely the king of Israel.” So they turned to fight against him. And Jehoshaphat cried out. 33 And when the captains of the chariots saw that it was not the king of Israel, they turned back from pursuing him. 34 But a certain man drew his bow at random and struck the king of Israel between the scale armor and the breastplate. Therefore he said to the driver of his chariot, “Turn around and carry me out of the battle, for I am wounded.” 35 And the battle continued that day, and the king was propped up in his chariot facing the Syrians, until at evening he died. And the blood of the wound flowed into the bottom of the chariot. 36 And about sunset a cry went through the army, “Every man to his city, and every man to his country!” 37 So the king died, and was brought to Samaria. And they buried the king in Samaria. 38 And they washed the chariot by the pool of Samaria, and the dogs licked up his blood, and the prostitutes washed themselves in it, according to the word of the Lord that he had spoken. 39 Now the rest of the acts of Ahab and all that he did, and the ivory house that he built and all the cities that he built, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel? 40 So Ahab slept with his fathers, and Ahaziah his son reigned in his place. 41 Jehoshaphat the son of Asa began to reign over Judah in the fourth year of Ahab king of Israel. 42 Jehoshaphat was thirty-five years old when he began to reign, and he reigned twenty-five years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Azubah the daughter of Shilhi. 43 He walked in all the way of Asa his father. He did not turn aside from it, doing what was right in the sight of the Lord. Yet the high places were not taken away, and the people still sacrificed and made offerings on the high places. 44 Jehoshaphat also made peace with the king of Israel. 45 Now the rest of the acts of Jehoshaphat, and his might that he showed, and how he warred, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Judah? 46 And from the land he exterminated the remnant of the male cult prostitutes who remained in the days of his father Asa. 47 There was no king in Edom; a deputy was king. 48 Jehoshaphat made ships of Tarshish to go to Ophir for gold, but they did not go, for the ships were wrecked at Ezion-geber. 49 Then Ahaziah the son of Ahab said to Jehoshaphat, “Let my servants go with your servants in the ships,” but Jehoshaphat was not willing. 50 And Jehoshaphat slept with his fathers and was buried with his fathers in the city of David his father, and Jehoram his son reigned in his place. 51 Ahaziah the son of Ahab began to reign over Israel in Samaria in the seventeenth year of Jehoshaphat king of Judah, and he reigned two years over Israel. 52 He did what was evil in the sight of the Lord and walked in the way of his father and in the way of his mother and in the way of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who made Israel to sin. 53 He served Baal and worshiped him and provoked the Lord, the God of Israel, to anger in every way that his father had done.
A couple of things that I wanted to point out for your consideration this morning.
Elijah, this great prophet of the LORD finds Elisha out doing the work of a plow man. It’s true that this was an agrarian society where most everyone played a part in bringing in the crops, but there were still companies of prophets of the LORD who met together an prayed and prophesied. Elijah wasn’t sent to the schools of the prophets, he was sent to the fields to find this plowman. Apparently, As God is writing our stories, He can call people from any walk of life into His service.
Apparently, As God is writing our stories, He can call people from any walk of life into His service.
Secondly, the very specific reference to the 12 yoke of oxen seems to stand out as significant, although historians don’t really agree on what this looked like. Was the ground so hard that you had to link together a long train of oxen just to plow it up or where there 11 other plowmen out there each responsible for their own team of two oxen and Elisha was just last in line. I am no farmer, but I picture a modern day comparison looking something like this [tractor pic]
Either way, what historians do agree on is the fact that having 12 yokes of oxen would mean that Elisha came from a wealthy family. Whether that family had one huge mechanism to pull their plows or 12 smaller ones hardly matters, either way the family was heavily invested in their farming operation. For Elisha, the call to follow God was one where he had to let go of the security of his current livelihood and his future inheritance in order to follow God into the purpose He was calling him to. Sometimes God asks his servants to make significant sacrifices to follow Him
Sometimes God asks his servants to make significant sacrifices to follow Him
Lastly, and probably most notable, is the fact that Elisha took steps to make sure that there was no turning back. We know of no ceremonial precedence that involved sacrificing your oxen on the wood of your plow to follow God, but somehow Elisha knew that this act was needed to show everyone from his old life that he was done with that and moving on. He was fully committed to the mission that God was calling him into. Sometimes when God calls us into something new, it means cutting ties with old ways of life.
Sometimes moving on to something new means we have to clearly cut ties with things in our past.
The next time we encounter Elisha is in 2 Kings chapter 2. Chapter one shares the story of Elijah calling down fire from heaven once again against an unfaithful king named Ahaziah and then in Chapter 2 we see the story turning to the calling of Elisha again.
We actually don’t here much else about Elisha until 2 Kings, but remember that originally a part of the same book . They were first separated after being translated from Hebrew to Greek because there are no vowel letters in ancient Hebrew so after they added them in Greek the scrolls got really long. Anyway, the point is that even though we are moving to a new book, we are really not moving to a new story.
se things were certainly true for Elisha as he left everything he knew to follow Elijah into whatever was next, but we actually don’t hear much else about Elisha until 2 Kings. Remember that 1 and 2 Kings were originally a part of the same book . They were first separated after being translated from Hebrew to Greek because there are no vowel letters in ancient Hebrew so after they added them in Greek the scrolls got really long. Anyway, the point is that even though we are moving to a new book in our Bibles, we are really just continuing in the same story.
we are going to pick up in chapter 2 where we find out that Elisha will soon be responsible for taking Elijah’s role of Prophet.
Publicly destroys his lively hood - the oxen He is all in with Elijah…but his role was not just to follow Elijah, but to follow after Elijah in the position of prophet.
It is interesting to note that even Elijah doesn’t figure very prominently in the rest 1 Kings. God uses other prophets in those final chapters, probably to show how Elijah really wasn’t the only one who was still faithful to the LORD.
2 Kings chapter one finds Elijah calling down fire from heaven once again against an unfaithful king named Ahaziah, but we are going to pick up in chapter 2 where we find out that Elisha will soon be responsible for taking Elijah’s role of Prophet.
starts right in on the final chapter of Elijah’s time here on earth.
1 Now when the Lord was about to take Elijah up to heaven by a whirlwind, Elijah and Elisha were on their way from Gilgal. 2 And Elijah said to Elisha, “Please stay here, for the Lord has sent me as far as Bethel.” But Elisha said, “As the Lord lives, and as you yourself live, I will not leave you.” So they went down to Bethel. 3 And the sons of the prophets who were in Bethel came out to Elisha and said to him, “Do you know that today the Lord will take away your master from over you?” And he said, “Yes, I know it; keep quiet.”
Publicly destroys his lively hood - the oxen He is all in with Elijah…but his role was not just to follow Elijah, but to follow after Elijah in the position of prophet.
Elisha knows that Elijah is about to leave, but he does not want to talk about it. And the same circumstances happen two more times and each time, Elisha tells the prophets that he knows so stop bringing it up.
4 Elijah said to him, “Elisha, please stay here, for the Lord has sent me to Jericho.” But he said, “As the Lord lives, and as you yourself live, I will not leave you.” So they came to Jericho. 5 The sons of the prophets who were at Jericho drew near to Elisha and said to him, “Do you know that today the Lord will take away your master from over you?” And he answered, “Yes, I know it; keep quiet.”
1 Now when the Lord was about to take Elijah up to heaven by a whirlwind, Elijah and Elisha were on their way from Gilgal. 2 And Elijah said to Elisha, “Please stay here, for the Lord has sent me as far as Bethel.” But Elisha said, “As the Lord lives, and as you yourself live, I will not leave you.” So they went down to Bethel. 3 And the sons of the prophets who were in Bethel came out to Elisha and said to him, “Do you know that today the Lord will take away your master from over you?” And he said, “Yes, I know it; keep quiet.” 4 Elijah said to him, “Elisha, please stay here, for the Lord has sent me to Jericho.” But he said, “As the Lord lives, and as you yourself live, I will not leave you.” So they came to Jericho. 5 The sons of the prophets who were at Jericho drew near to Elisha and said to him, “Do you know that today the Lord will take away your master from over you?” And he answered, “Yes, I know it; keep quiet.”
the very same thing happens again. This time Elijah tells Elisha he is going to Jericho and he should stay here but Elisha refuses again and the prophets of Jericho come out and tell him the same thing, “Do you know that today the Lord will take away your master from over you?” And he answered, “Yes, I know it; keep quiet.”
12 teams of oxen? Compared to a huge John Deere Tractor kind of investment. He was not going back.
And the same thing happens a third time…It appears that God is trying to get a message across to Elisha isn’t He? Have you ever had God hit you so many times with the same message until finally the true weight of it dawns on you?
You see it hit me this week that while Elisha showed great courage in abandoning everything to become Elijah’s assistant, he seems reluctant to take the next step. He is great with being Elijah’s assistant, but he is hesitant to become his successor. He just keeps putting these other prophets off, like “Yes, I know, and I don’t want to hear about it! ”. This is how the third time rolled out...
2 Kings 2:6-
6 Then Elijah said to him, “Please stay here, for the Lord has sent me to the Jordan.” But he said, “As the Lord lives, and as you yourself live, I will not leave you.” So the two of them went on. 7 Fifty men of the sons of the prophets also went and stood at some distance from them, as they both were standing by the Jordan. 8 Then Elijah took his cloak and rolled it up and struck the water, and the water was parted to the one side and to the other, till the two of them could go over on dry ground.
a sign of God’s power continuing with Elijah
Remember how Elijah invited Elisha into this ministry by placing his cloak over him, and now the same cloak is being used to as another sign of God’s power.
6 Then Elijah said to him, “Please stay here, for the Lord has sent me to the Jordan.” But he said, “As the Lord lives, and as you yourself live, I will not leave you.” So the two of them went on. 7 Fifty men of the sons of the prophets also went and stood at some distance from them, as they both were standing by the Jordan. 8 Then Elijah took his cloak and rolled it up and struck the water, and the water was parted to the one side and to the other, till the two of them could go over on dry ground. 9 When they had crossed, Elijah said to Elisha, “Ask what I shall do for you, before I am taken from you.” And Elisha said, “Please let there be a double portion of your spirit on me.” 10 And he said, “You have asked a hard thing; yet, if you see me as I am being taken from you, it shall be so for you, but if you do not see me, it shall not be so.”
9 When they had crossed, Elijah said to Elisha, “Ask what I shall do for you, before I am taken from you.” And Elisha said, “Please let there be a double portion of your spirit on me.” 10 And he said, “You have asked a hard thing; yet, if you see me as I am being taken from you, it shall be so for you, but if you do not see me, it shall not be so.”
2 Kings 2:6-
:6
Our second theme of this week is that...
The successor requests God’s power to complete the mission ()
The successor requests God’s power to complete the mission ()
Elisha rightly understood that Elijah was not powerful in and of himself, but God gave him these powers as signs that He was a Prophet of the LORD. Elisha must have thought that if anyone was going to respect him as they did Elijah then he would need twice the power to convince them. Of course this was more than Elijah could grant on his own, so he leaves it up to God to answer Elisha’s request in the final moments of Elijah’s ministry.
Elijah recognized that Elisha’s request was more than He could grant, but God could. So he leaves it up to God in how things role out in the end of His life.
11 And as they still went on and talked, behold, chariots of fire and horses of fire separated the two of them. And Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven. 12 And Elisha saw it and he cried, “My father, my father! The chariots of Israel and its horsemen!” And he saw him no more. Then he took hold of his own clothes and tore them in two pieces.
2 Kings
6 Then Elijah said to him, “Please stay here, for the Lord has sent me to the Jordan.” But he said, “As the Lord lives, and as you yourself live, I will not leave you.” So the two of them went on. 7 Fifty men of the sons of the prophets also went and stood at some distance from them, as they both were standing by the Jordan. 8 Then Elijah took his cloak and rolled it up and struck the water, and the water was parted to the one side and to the other, till the two of them could go over on dry ground. 9 When they had crossed, Elijah said to Elisha, “Ask what I shall do for you, before I am taken from you.” And Elisha said, “Please let there be a double portion of your spirit on me.” 10 And he said, “You have asked a hard thing; yet, if you see me as I am being taken from you, it shall be so for you, but if you do not see me, it shall not be so.” 11 And as they still went on and talked, behold, chariots of fire and horses of fire separated the two of them. And Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven. 12 And Elisha saw it and he cried, “My father, my father! The chariots of Israel and its horsemen!” And he saw him no more. Then he took hold of his own clothes and tore them in two pieces.
8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”
7 for God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.
This is one of those scenes in the Bible that none of us have a vivid enough imagination to really picture, but it is a lot of fun trying. Clearly these chariots of fire and horses of fire were sights that would have caused Elisha to be fearfully humbled, but what struck me this week is how in this moment it seems that Elisha is desperately trying to still hold on to Elijah.
I have desperately tried to imagine in my mind but I know that no matter how vivid my imagination I could never get close.
What stuck out to me this week, is how desperately Elisha is trying to hold on to Elijah.
Our third and final theme this week is...
Elisha wholeheartedly accepted the position of Elijah’s assistant. He said his goodbyes and even destroyed his path back to his old way of life, but when it came to stepping up into the role that Elijah had always been preparing him for, he seems much more reluctant. So God makes his calling crystal clear. He sent this symbol of his presence in to separated them and Elijah is then taken up in a whirlwind. Elisha is left alone and the option for Elisha to continue as Elijah’s assistant was now taken from him.
What would he do now? Would he follow through on the purpose that God had been calling him to? Or would he be paralyzed in grief and fear?
We see this in our third and final theme for this week:
a
13 And he took up the cloak of Elijah that had fallen from him and went back and stood on the bank of the Jordan. 14 Then he took the cloak of Elijah that had fallen from him and struck the water, saying, “Where is the Lord, the God of Elijah?” And when he had struck the water, the water was parted to the one side and to the other, and Elisha went over. 15 Now when the sons of the prophets who were at Jericho saw him opposite them, they said, “The spirit of Elijah rests on Elisha.” And they came to meet him and bowed to the ground before him.
12 And Elisha saw it and he cried, “My father, my father! The chariots of Israel and its horsemen!” And he saw him no more. Then he took hold of his own clothes and tore them in two pieces. 13 And he took up the cloak of Elijah that had fallen from him and went back and stood on the bank of the Jordan. 14 Then he took the cloak of Elijah that had fallen from him and struck the water, saying, “Where is the Lord, the God of Elijah?” And when he had struck the water, the water was parted to the one side and to the other, and Elisha went over. 15 Now when the sons of the prophets who were at Jericho saw him opposite them, they said, “The spirit of Elijah rests on Elisha.” And they came to meet him and bowed to the ground before him.
Our third and final theme is that:
Double portion 7x to 14 x
The successor is confirmed by a sign to begin the mission ()
The successor is confirmed by a sign to begin the mission ()
Gospel Application
Just like each one of us, God made Elisha for a purpose, and now he is living in that purpose, experiencing a double portion of the power that God gave to Elijah. When we first met Elisha he was plowman, probably fully expecting that any legacy that he was to leave on earth would somehow be in line with his ability to work the land, but God had different plans. He had a different purpose for Elisha’s life.
There is a
The wisdom of Proverbs tells us that
21 Many are the plans in the mind of a man, but it is the purpose of the Lord that will stand.
Each one of us was fearfully and wonderfully made and given a “sacred life” by our Creator who designed us for a purpose, the question is …Are we living in that purpose?
Are the plans that we have made for our lives just our plans? Or have we submitted them to the one who designed us for His purposes? The one who wrote out the days of our life even before one of them came to be. It’s possible, even probable that if you are struggling with questions of purpose, value and identity it is because you have not really submitted your life to the purposes that God created you for. You may have willingly embraced Jesus as your savior, to save you from sins, but you yourself have taken the position of LORD in your life. Doing only those things that fit within your plans.
If this is you, then it is time for a significant change. It’s time to repent and ask God to show you what it is that He has for your life.
Did you know that we have a saying in our culture that is based on this story. When someone “picks up the mantle” it means that they are assuming the responsibility of leadership that was previously held by another. You see when Elijah’s cloak or “mantle” fell to the ground Elisha had a choice to make. His mentor and leader is now gone, so if the ministry is going to continue then someone is going to have to step up into it.
Elisha could have left that mantle there, hoping that someone else would come along and continue the important work of Elijah. He could have thought that eventually someone else would pick it up and then he could offer himself as an assistant again. Something he was more comfortable with. But God never intended for Elisha to go on forever as an assistant. He was calling him to step up into the work of the ministry.
Many of us struggle with the idea of saying yes when asked to serve in ministry. Like Elisha we feel like we don’t have what it takes. We are just a plowman out in a field, you should be looking for help from the school of prophets. But that is not how our God has designed His Church to work. He does not call the equipped, he equips the called. It is not where you have been that God is looking at when He calls you to serve Him, it is what He wrote for your future.
says
says
11 And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers,
11 And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, 12 to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ,
11 And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, 12 to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, 13 until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ,
and we say - you see
He does not call the equipped, he equips the called. It is not where you have been that God is looking at when He calls you into an area of ministry, it is what He wrote for your future.
Every single one of us has been created for God’s purposes, we can know that there is a ministry area that He designed us for. Where do you think God is calling you?
And since every single one of us has been created for God’s purposes, we can know that there is a ministry area that He designed you for. Where do you think God is calling you?
I have heard from too many of you that “If someone else will lead it then I will help with this or that ministry ”. Hear me here church...if you are waiting for that “someone else” to step up they never will, because if God has placed a ministry on your heart - then the only person that anyone is waiting for is you.
Landing
I have had several of you tell me this, “If someone else will lead it then I will help, but I can’t lead.” Just like Elisha, we are great being the assistant, but to pick up the mantle of leadership is a scary thing. And it is scary, but that doesn’t mean it is not good. It was not Elijah who was so great, it was how God used Elijah. The same thing will happen with Elisha and the same thing can be true about you and me.
Just like Elisha, most of us are much more comfortable with an “assistant” role because picking up the mantle of leadership is a scary thing. But just because it is scary, does not mean that it is not good. If God has placed a ministry on your heart then He will give you everything that you need to serve there. It was not Elijah or Elisha who were so powerful, it was how God used them for His purposes, and the same God wants to work through you and me too.
We will come sit in the chairs and listen to the message, but we can’t lead a life group
We will come sit in the chairs and pray with the Church, but we can’t lead a praye gr
We will stand up from our chairs to greet people on Sunday, but we can’t call them during the week
We will come sit
Leadership is not a popular
Landing
Maybe if waited around long enough, someone else would pick up where Elijah left off and he could offer himself as an assistant again.
8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”
5 because our gospel came to you not only in word, but also in power and in the Holy Spirit and with full conviction. You know what kind of men we proved to be among you for your sake.
7 for God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.
11 And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, 12 to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, 13 until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, 14 so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes. 15 Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, 16 from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love.
Ephesians
Let’s pray
11 And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, 12 to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, 13 until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ,
2 and what you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses entrust to faithful men, who will be able to teach others also.
Eph 4: