Finally Feeling Full

Sermon on 2 Kings 4.42-44

Title: Finally Feeling Full

Theme:  God gives abundant life to those who are faithful to him.

Goal:  to encourage believers to be faithful and expect to be fed by the God who rewards his people with abundant life

Need:  We can easily fall into losing the notion of God being the giver of life abundant and then lose that from our daily life then as well.

Outline:

Introduction:

            What good are the stories of the Old Testament?

1. They teach us about God?  If we wouldn’t have the Old Testament we would only have the briefest little snap shot of God in the New Testament.  Thinking that it is okay to only know God as we find him in the Old Testament would be like saying you can know your spouse or knowing your friends without knowing a single thing about what their life was like before you met.
2. They teach us about ourselves.
1. We are only part of God’s creation.  We are the crowning part.  But we are the part that also messed it up the most severly
2. We are made in the image of God and are designed right down to our very being to be holy and follow each of the moral laws God gives. 
3. We can see how humans as God’s people have messed up time and time again and need something or someone to get us back on  track again.
3. They broaden our understanding, love and wonder at the things Jesus did.
1. Not knowing the Old Testament stories will handicap our understanding of what Christ was doing in the New.  We need to study the Old Testament because it enriches our faith foundation on Jesus Christ.

The primary theme again that comes through is that Our God gives life to those who are faithful.

1. Faith of the man.
1. He comes with the firstfruits of his harvest.
2. It is during a drought.
3. He obeys the words of the Prophet.

                                                               i.      We could stand to do the same.

                                                             ii.      Bringing the firstfruits

                                                            iii.      Especially during the hard times

                                                           iv.      We still obey and trust God’s word and what he promises

1. Lack of faith of the servant
1. Here we see what is probably Gehazi again.

                                                               i.      Last week I said how Gehazi probably would be mentioned by name, I think I am going to step back from that now.  It was probably Gehazi in the last passage again, but the one who got the vine of death was not Gehazi, it says it is one from the company of prophets.

1. His Failure is doubting Elisha and the power of God.

                                                               i.      Elisha says put the bread and grain in front of the prophets who are probably quite hungry during the time of the drought.

                                                             ii.      He is concerned about how he is going to look in front of everyone.

1.      I have to make sure when I step in front of them I am on top of everything.

2.      Kind of like us when we might not dare step up to do something in church.

a.       Prayer

b.      Lead the congregation

c.       Join a committee

d.      Do visits to the sick among us

1. But Elisha multiplies the bread for them all.
1. 100 are fed.                                                                i.      Probably the size of a specific group of prophets.
2. Christ, fed 4000 and 5000
1. Christ is trying to show us that he is the fulfillment of the prophets
2. He is the one who is going to take our little and make it much
3. He is the one who is sees us as the followers.
4. In those miracles it specifies how many baskets are left over.

                                                               i.      7 and 12

                                                             ii.      Shows that Christ multiplies the blessing to the hungry

                                                            iii.      Shows that it is for Jews and Gentiles alike and more than could possibly be needed.

1. Lord’s Supper is Christ’s multiplying of himself.
1. He feeds us during the spiritual famine.
2. Let’s look to him for our nourishment.
3.