The Resurrected Son

Sermon on 2 Kings 4.8-36

Title:  The Resurrected Son

Theme:  God brings life to those who obey.

Goal:  to encourage Christians that God brings life to those who obey

Need: We often see death as a finality.

Introduction:

1.     Where we have come from.

a.     Themes of the life and times of Elijah

                                                              i.      God is the only true God

                                                            ii.      God is the God of really real life

b.    Less Miracles:

c.     Transition to Elisha as he sees Elijah go up in the wirlwind.

2.     Where we are now.

a.     Miracles are much more a part of the story of Elisha than they were of Elijah.

                                                              i.      Dirty deadly water into clean drinking water with a little salt

                                                            ii.      Calling out the bears on the mocking youths

                                                          iii.      Battle with the Allies of Israel, Judah and Edom vs. Moab.  Water in the desert.

                                                         iv.      Oil for the widow

b.    Themes for the life and times of Elisha are different from Elijah.

                                                              i.      Elisha has inherited the double portion of Elijah’s Spirit.  He is the next prophet of God

                                                            ii.      God punishes those who are wicked with death

                                                          iii.      God gives life to the faithful in surprising ways.

Read the passage.

Here’s what I would like to do.

1.     Talk about the themes through out the life of Elisha

2.     Open it up to find what other important insights or questions or discussions you would like to have.

1.     First theme:  The passing along of the Spirit to Elisha.

a.     Who actually does most of the activity in the passage?

                                                              i.      Gehazi. 

1.     The servant of Elisha.

2.     Do you recall the last servant of a prophet mentioned.

a.      Elisha used to pour water on the hands of Elijah.

3.     Could it be that Gehazi will be the next?

b.    What does Gehazi do?

                                                              i.      He is the messenger between the woman and Elisha

                                                            ii.      He comes up with the idea for a son for the woman.

                                                          iii.      He is sent out to meet the woman when Elisha sees her in the distance.

                                                         iv.      He is sent with the staff to heal the son.

1.     Maybe just maybe he’s going to be the one???

2.     But does he succeed.  No He fails.

                                                           v.      One of the pagan practices saw power in the staff.

                                                         vi.      The power is not in the staff.

                                                       vii.      The power is not in Gehazi

c.     The power is with Elisha.

2.     Second theme:  God punishes the wicked with death.

a.     There is death. 

b.    But the woman is faithful

3.     Third theme:  God gives life to the obedient

a.     Evident twice.

                                                              i.      The promise of life comes to a woman who is baren.

1.     Sarah

2.     Elizabeth

3.     Mary

4.     God is the one going to make it happen.  He is going to give life.

                                                            ii.      DEATH:  The boy in the field has a head ache.  Maybe heat stroke or something like that. 

                                                          iii.      DEATH:  The first attempt at healing doesn’t work

                                                         iv.      The promise of life comes again through the healing of her son.

1.     Isaac:  Abraham brings him to the mountain to kill him.  But the Lord Provides.

2.     Jesus:  God brings him back to life after his sacrifice on the cross.

4.     The reminder is very meaningful for the situation that Israel is in when the acts of the prophets were finally written down.

a.     The faithfulness of the woman and the persistence knowing that God brings life.

b.    Israel in exile, thinking that all may be lost the kingdom gone away.

c.     For them.  The God of Israel will be faithful and bring life to his obedient people.  He will restore them

5.     The reminder has to convince us as ell.

a.     Christ accomplished the bringing of life to the nation of Israel once and for all.  He was the one with the perfect obedience. 

b.    Because of Christ’s righteousness the church is the life of God’s people.

c.     And it gives us the hope also for all of our loved ones Christ as the great prophet of God will bring the believers back to life for eternal life.