The Spirit of Distraction
Notes
Transcript
The Spirit of Distraction
The Spirit of Distraction
It’s July 12, 2020 is still going to have victory over coronavirus!
As we delve back into teaching this morning, I’m reminded of an analogy Pastor used Wednesday night about a train on tracks.
At New Life, one of the core things that we believe in is the balance of ministry. Teaching is a part of that.
At the same time, as we need this structure, we also have to give room for the Holy Ghost to do what it wants to do.
Text
1 And it came to pass, when the Lord was about to take up Elijah into heaven by a whirlwind, that Elijah went with Elisha from Gilgal. 2 Then Elijah said to Elisha, “Stay here, please, for the Lord has sent me on to Bethel.”
But Elisha said, “As the Lord lives, and as your soul lives, I will not leave you!” So they went down to Bethel.
3 Now the sons of the prophets who were at Bethel came out to Elisha, and said to him, “Do you know that the Lord will take away your master from over you today?”
And he said, “Yes, I know; keep silent!”
4 Then Elijah said to him, “Elisha, stay here, please, for the Lord has sent me on to Jericho.”
But he said, “As the Lord lives, and as your soul lives, I will not leave you!” So they came to Jericho.
Introduction: “BE THE AFTERSHOCK”
Earthquakes have a mainshock, and what follows are aftershocks.
When and earthquake happens, there is no question of whether there will be aftershocks; they always follow.
The earthquake makes its mark, and the aftershock follows in its path. Aftershocks are so consistent that scientists can determine a range in which they will occur. There is no question of if, but when.
As disciples of Jesus, I wonder what would happen if we were to become the true aftershock of Jesus?
If we follow Him consistently, others will have no doubt of who Jesus is, and what He does will naturally flow through us. We can be His aftershock, following His lead and helping those He has touched to adjust to a new life in Him.
Distracted
In 2015, reports show that 3,477 people were killed and an estimated additional 391,000 were injured in motor vehicle crashes involving distracted drivers.
9% of all drivers fifteen to nineteen years old involved in fatal crashes were distracted at the time of fatal crashes.
In each year since these 2015 stats, the numbers have grown.
Distracted Driving’s 3 Forms:
Mental Distraction - mind is not focused on driving (talking, preoccupied with unrelated issues, or even listening to something).
Visual Distraction - looking at anything other than the road ahead (GPS, checking a child’s seatbelt, watching out the window).
Manual Distraction - taking one or both hands of the wheel (getting something out of a purse, pocket, or floorboard, grabbing something in the back seat).
We’ve now become pretty serious about the issue of distracted driving in our world. We advertise and educate about it.
But what is heavily on my mind today is the fact that there is a highway of life that we are all on today - AND IT’S FILLED WITH DISTRACTIONS THAT CAN TAKE OUR FOCUS OFF FOLLOWING THE LORD.
It is easy to be turned aside by things in life and to lose focus on what really matters.
We need to remember that those momentary glances at things that detract from following God could prove to be spiritually fatal!
OPTIONAL ILLUSTRATION: The news story about mashed potatoes appearing all over town in Jackson, MS. While police were preoccupied, someone robbed the bank. DISTRACTED.
The Lord Sent Elijah Several Places
Elijah Told Elisha to Stop Following
{Elisha begins following the prophet Elijah}
At each point in their journey, Elijah turned to Elisha and told him to remain in the place he found himself.
Elijah told Elisha to stay in Gilgal, then in Bethel, and then in Jericho. Each destination brought a pointed instruction to “stay.”
I’m sure that it would have been discouraging and disheartening to Elisha to be told to quit following, time and time again. After all, he had accepted the mantle and wanted to follow the prophet of God.
He had left all he had ever known, and following after Elijah had become everything to him. And yet Elisha continued to follow.
The Lord Wants to Know if We Will Continue to Follow Him
In living for God, the journey is not always as easy as we expect.
Many times we feel a major stop sign has just been thrown into our pathway. Other times life seems to be going along fine, and we anticipate great things happening.
...
Then… suddenly… distractions appear that could easily take our focus off of God.
...
And when that happens - the Lord wants to know if we will continue to follow Him!
He knows how easily we can be distracted from what really matters.
He knows it is easy to follow Him when He is answering our prayers and saying “yes” to our requests. But there will be times when it seems as if everything in life has turned upside down, and the journey could come to a standstill.
And it’s in those times that God finds out just how committed we are to following Him!
Sons of the Prophets Brought Distraction
Noises
Every day we are surrounded by noise!
The noise of traffic and workplaces, the noise of family and homelife, and even the noise that comes with being at church.
And within the noise are voices.
Voices are constantly vying for our attention and seeking influence in our lives.
The challenge is to know which voices to listen to and which ones are merely distractions!
Elisha was surrounded by the noises of his day as well as the voices of the sons of the prophets. It would seem they were well-intentioned voices. Each stop on the journey brought an audience of these men before Elisha.
So here is Elisha, waiting again, halted and asked to stay while Elijah goes away, possibly frustrated. And along comes a certain spirit...
The sons of the prophets have come to meet him where he stands. And what is it they asked him?
3 Now the sons of the prophets who were at Bethel came out to Elisha, and said to him, “Do you know that the Lord will take away your master from over you today?”
And he said, “Yes, I know; keep silent!”
In other words, “You do know that you’re about to lose Elijah, right? You’ve heard haven’t you? Don’t you KNOW?!”
And in the middle of Elisha walking according to the Spirit of God, enters the spirit of distraction.
And honestly, they were telling him the truth. But to Elisha, they were just telling him what he already knew. And in doing this, they had become a distraction that would easily cause him to lose focus.
Elisha Told the Distractions to Be Quiet and He Kept Following
How would Elisha respond to this?
What would he do with the spirit of distractions that kept showing up at every place he went following Elijah?
Perhaps Elisha would give in to the voices and taken away by negativity.
Better yet, maybe Elisha should stop and reason with the sons of the prophets and try to explain why he was doing what he was doing. Maybe he should just agree with them and convince himself that all this following was foolishness. (After all, he felt like he had been around the world and back.)
But what Elisha did is what we need to hear today.
Elisha chose the wisest response of all:
3 Now the sons of the prophets who were at Bethel came out to Elisha, and said to him, “Do you know that the Lord will take away your master from over you today?”
And he said, “Yes, I know; keep silent!”
The Bible is a fascinating book. It’s the Word of God. It can be quite entertaining.
You might feel as though Elisha was being somewhat rude here. Because the New King James Version says, “Yes, I know; keep silent!” But the Arkansas Plain Version of that would be: “I already know that, now shut up!”
But I believe it was entirely appropriate, because I believe that Elisha was facing the spirit of distraction that day.
We face the spirit of distraction even in churches. It doesn’t always present itself the same way, but it’s there.
He looked into the face of the spirit of distraction and said, “SILENCE!”
Yes, the voices were speaking truth. But Elisha knew if he gave in to them, he would quickly lose his way. If he followed distraction, it would take him down a road.
And by speaking to the voices and silencing them, Elisha allowed his focus to remain steadfastly on Elijah.
We Must Choose to Focus, Despite the Distractions
And ladies and gentlemen, it is totally up to US what we will do when distractions come. Every distraction requires a decision.
We can yield to distractions and lose sight of where God is taking us, or we can refuse to allow them to turn us aside from the journey.
And at times, we will have to take authority over the distractions in order to be successful.
5 casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ,
In other words, we must control our thoughts to avoid being distracted. The best solution for avoiding distractions is bringing every though captive to the knowledge of Jesus Christ and His purpose in our lives.
We are bombarded with distractions today. If there’s ever been a time to teach on it, it’s today.
Certain Distractions I See Today
World Events + News
We are being overloaded with information that invokes fear and drives worry. But the Church goes on! (CHURCHES NEEDED)
People (and the man of God, over his God)
You can become attached to a person, instead of their God.
1 Now after six days Jesus took Peter, James, and John his brother, led them up on a high mountain by themselves; 2 and He was transfigured before them. His face shone like the sun, and His clothes became as white as the light. 3 And behold, Moses and Elijah appeared to them, talking with Him. 4 Then Peter answered and said to Jesus, “Lord, it is good for us to be here; if You wish, let us make here three tabernacles: one for You, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.”
5 While he was still speaking, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them; and suddenly a voice came out of the cloud, saying, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. Hear Him!” 6 And when the disciples heard it, they fell on their faces and were greatly afraid. 7 But Jesus came and touched them and said, “Arise, and do not be afraid.” 8 When they had lifted up their eyes, they saw no one but Jesus only.
Gossip
We need to be more interested in talking about the answer in stead of the problems!
I’ve tried to make a habit of rejecting gossip.
It’s time for the church to look into the face of the Spirit of Distraction and say, “SILENCE! I’M HERE FOR SOMETHING BIGGER!”
Elijah Permitted Elisha to Make a Last Request
A Double Portion
Elijah knew the time for his departure was here. He had also seen Elisha’s faithfulness in following him.
It was then that Elijah made an incredible offer to Elisha - an offer that almost seemed too good to be true.
9 And so it was, when they had crossed over, that Elijah said to Elisha, “Ask! What may I do for you, before I am taken away from you?”
Elisha said, “Please let a double portion of your spirit be upon me.”
Can you imagine that? It was as if Elisha had received a blank check from the great prophet Elijah. He could ask for anything his heart desired.
And interestingly, Elisha did not ask for anything to make his life easier. Now financial or material things. No special thing of comfort.
Instead, he replied, “I pray thee, let a double portion of your spirit be upon me.”
Talk about reaching for the stars! He asked for what most people might not have considered. But his heart was on the things of God.
Elisha knew just how much the miraculous ministry of Elijah had impacted God’s people. More than anything he wanted a life that would be even more impacting.
He was not taken by the things of this world! He was not worried right then about food, shelter, clothing, world events, or what was going on in town! His heart was on the kingdom of God!
God Honors the Prayers of Those Who Follow Him
Jesus told His followers:
33 But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.
He was not telling people to ignore the needs of daily life. He was impressing upon them that it was more important to stay focused on the things of the Kingdom than to become distracted by the things of this world!
Elijah was Taken Away in a Fiery Chariot
11 Then it happened, as they continued on and talked, that suddenly a chariot of fire appeared with horses of fire, and separated the two of them; and Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven.
12 And Elisha saw it, and he cried out, “My father, my father, the chariot of Israel and its horsemen!” So he saw him no more. And he took hold of his own clothes and tore them into two pieces. 13 He also took up the mantle of Elijah that had fallen from him, and went back and stood by the bank of the Jordan. 14 Then he took the mantle of Elijah that had fallen from him, and struck the water, and said, “Where is the Lord God of Elijah?” And when he also had struck the water, it was divided this way and that; and Elisha crossed over.
15 Now when the sons of the prophets who were from Jericho saw him, they said, “The spirit of Elijah rests on Elisha.” And they came to meet him, and bowed to the ground before him.
Elisha Kept His Eyes on the Mantle
Where Is the Lord God of Elijah?
God’s Power Follow Those Who Follow Him
No Matter the Distractions, We Must Focus on Following the Lord