Longevity and Perseverance

Young Adults June 2021 The power of longevity and perseverance.... 2Kings 2:1-18 This weekend I spoke about self-control. One of the questions I brought when talking about keeping in step with the spirit was praying "Is this a good opportunity, or a future mess". So here's a question: In a situation with opportunities around, how do you decide? If you follow what I said in my sermon and pray and you don't get clarity, then what? Discuss: * If someone asked you for advice about an opportunity they were considering, OUTSIDE OF "Pray about it", what advice would you give them? Made tons of mistakes * got married out of high school - divorced within 2 years. * Took a job early in my career that was a mistake * Opportunities can be like a minefield Also, Thank God, I've made some good decisions along the way: There is something to longevity.... * Bounced around until I hit Memorial Hosp. Spent 19 years there o Opportunities abound - recruiters, looking for my own opportunities by inviting recruiters o Challenges: boss, financial downturn, lay staff off - would have been easier to leave o Marriage - 25 years.... That's not a bad run :) o Church - on staff - challenges / opportunities / decide to stay Contrary to what the world is telling us: * Look for new opportunities * Care for yourself / take care of #1 * Side hustle * Follow your heart - LAST THING I SHOULD DO - Jer 17:9 - The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it? Punch: Would argue - one of the biggest mistakes I've made and mistakes I see are those who are on their journey with Jesus - great trajectory - but their walk with Christ is derailed because: o Running from issues they never deal with o Jumping into opportunities that take them away from what God wanted for them and the opportunity ended up being a mess **** NOTE ***** - This message is not to keep you in a terrible relationship or a terrible job - Don't hear that from this message - if you are being hurt, or if there is something going on that you know is unhealthy, then you should not persevere - you should move on. This talk is addressing a "hoping / jump from one place to another". Look at an account in 2Kings that might have good nuggets on navigating an opportunity... Background 1Kings 19:19-21 - burn the plow Longevity / Perseverance (2Kings 2) 1. Longstanding / deep relationships matter o Elisha and Elijah were together for about 6 years before this occurred. There is a sense in 2Kings 2 that they had been traveling together o This isn't just friend relationships - this is a relationship with a person or group of people who hold you accountable o Nehemiah asked the king (Artaxerxes) to leave, out of relationship - had been with him for a while - was the cupbearer - CAME BACK! o Disciples relationship with Jesus for 3 years o Joshua - relationship with Moses - hung out with him while he was praying and hanging at the tabernacle o My relationship with my boss for 12 years @ the hospital - great relationship * Relationship with boss 2 years after that PAINFUL - but the only way I got through it was a deep relationship with their boss o My relationship with Mark Pope Question: Do you have relational depth with people that are helping you / stretching you? 2. Notice God along the journey o First town Gilgal - Joshua 4:19-24 / 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 to this day. * So this little passage gives us the reason why it is called Gilgal. Gilgal means the 'rolling' or 'roll-away' and so it is called Gilgal because God was saying to them 'I have rolled away the past. o Second town - Bethel * Genesis 28:10-19 Jacob left Beersheba and set out for Haran. When he reached a certain place, he stopped for the night because the sun had set. Taking one of the stones there, he put it under his head and lay down to sleep. He had a dream in which he saw a stairway resting on the earth, with its top reaching to heaven, and the angels of God were ascending and descending on it. There above it stood the LORD, and He said: 'I am the LORD, the God of your father Abraham and the God of Isaac. I will give you and your descendants the land on which you are lying. Your descendants will be like the dust of the earth, and you will spread out to the west and to the east, to the north and to the south. All peoples on earth will be blessed through you and your offspring. I am with you and will watch over you wherever you go, and I will bring you back to this land. I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you.' When Jacob awoke from his sleep, he thought, ' Surely the LORD is in this place, and I was not aware of it .' He was afraid and said, ' How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God ; this is the gate of heaven.' Early the next morning Jacob took the stone he had placed under his head and set it up as a pillar and poured oil on top of it. He called that place Bethel, though the city used to be called Luz.' * The first city is to do with separation. The second city is to do with a desire for God and a desire for His presence. o Third town - Jericho - Faith.... * Walls came down from the faith to listen and do * Jericho teaches about the walk of faith. o Fourth location - Jordan * The Jordan, like the Israelites Red Sea experience... In each location - the Lord was working and the location was specific not only for Elijah, but also for Elisha.... o In my life - watch the journey - started Project WARM from a business decision - decision to visit to other churches - don't take the 1st opportunity - came to the Vineyard - started a journey of invitations, learning, receiving and more invitation * Nehemiah - orchestrating the king who could bring resources that Nehemiah needed to rebuild the walls o Rarely do surprise opportunities flash out of nowhere without some sort of bread crumb trail o NOTE - relational depth with someone can help with this! - Elisha had Elijah, Disciplines had Jesus, Joshua had Moses * Proverbs 15:22 Question : Along the journey what is the Lord orchestrating that I need to pay attention to? 3. Other options can be tempting o Elijah tells Elisha to "stay here" - like don't go with me - multiple times, but Elisha's response looked ahead at what God might have in store o Company of Prophets - other schools of the prophets - had much in common - would have been tempting. told Elisha that his leader was going to leave "today"... tempting o 1Kings 19:21 - resolute, what should change that now? o Decided to stick with it o Read the book of Judges and Kings 1 and 2 o Not always the case in scripture - Judas - one disciple with the divided heart Psalm 86:11 - 11 Teach me your way, Lord, that I may rely on your faithfulness; give me an undivided heart, that I may fear your name. 1 I was tempted with promotions and $ - would search for jobs, looking to see if the grass was always greener - other people said I would be committing career suicide. If people don't have the mind of Christ then should I listen to them? Instead of looking at the neighbors grass, water your own. Question: Are there things that are dividing your attention / tempting you? 4. The benefits of longevity and perseverance come from God o Wanted a double portion of what Elijah had, but the double portion came from God, not from other Elijah.... o Too often I look to the person for the benefit when the person is just a part of the journey. - After 14 years at hospital - longevity - looked to a person for affirmation and for benefit - was significantly disappointed for 2 years. Looking for affirmation in the wrong place! o Too often people get rejected / not affirmed / don't get the benefit they think they deserve from a person and they end up running yet God is not done with them o People are helpful (Elijah - Super helpful), but what's God doing? Super helpful Too often we look to a person / organization for the benefit - that they will give us something, but the person giving us something is God. Psalm 107:8-9 - 8 Let them give thanks to the Lord for his unfailing love and his wonderful deeds for mankind, 9 for he satisfies the thirsty and fills the hungry with good things. 2 Phil 1:6 - being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus. 3 Question: Am I looking to other people to get satisfaction or benefit - Do I need to look higher? Prayer for decisions / prayers to stay / prayers to shift. 1 The New International Version (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2011), Ps 86:11. 2 The New International Version (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2011), Ps 107:8-9. 3 The New International Version (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2011), Php 1:6. --------------- ------------------------------------------------------------ --------------- ------------------------------------------------------------