Signs of the Spirit
Notes
Transcript
Sermon Tone Analysis
A
D
F
J
S
Emotion
A
C
T
Language
O
C
E
A
E
Social
Welcome/Prayer
You ever wondered if the Spirit of God is in you? Or how you can know?
Have you ever wanted to experience the power of God in your life?
Well, our text 2 Kings 2-3, is going to show us a man who did a few things to show not only himself, but the kingdom of Israel, that the Spirit of God was with him...
As we look to the things he does for evidence of the Spirit’s presence, we’ll look at how the Spirit’s indwelling in us today is manifested in similar but greater ways....
(Go ahead and turn there)
Our text brings us to the end of Elijah’s ministry as recorded in Kings… which started back in 1 Kings 17...
And today we’ll read of Elijah’s ascension and Elisha’s succession… one that was prophesied back in 1 Kings 19:16 on Mt Horeb...
I have the text broken into 5 segments to help us understand more clearly…
The first segment, 1-12, record for us Elijah’s ascension and Elisha’s request… which sets the stage for the remaining four segments....
Each of which record for us a sign or miracle that Elisha did in part to show that he is Elijah’s successor and the Spirit of God is upon him....
Likewise, we who believe we are disciples of Christ ought to be able to do some things that only the Spirit of God can do…
And we’re not talking about feeding the poor or clothing the homeless… we’re talking life changing miracles...
Of course, the signs mentioned today are not an exhaustive list… but certainly a foundation to help us begin to evaluate whether or not the presence of the Spirit is in us...
Now, whereas the Spirit that works through Elisha is the same that indwells us… there is a difference...
In fact, we are living in an age where the power of God is manifested among His people in a greater way...
For His Spirit indwells all of us who call upon His Name and we are living in the following the death, resurrection, and ascension of Christ.
We have the fullness of God’s revelation for this side of eternity...
We know things Elijah, Elisha, and even Moses did not know… hence why Jesus says in Mt 11:11
11 Truly, I say to you, among those born of women there has arisen no one greater than John the Baptist. Yet the one who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.
And He goes on in Mt 13:16-17 with these words...
16 But blessed are your eyes, for they see, and your ears, for they hear. 17 For truly, I say to you, many prophets and righteous people longed to see what you see, and did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it.
And Peter further explains it in 1 Peter 1:10-12...
10 Concerning this salvation, the prophets who prophesied about the grace that was to be yours searched and inquired carefully, 11 inquiring what person or time the Spirit of Christ in them was indicating when he predicted the sufferings of Christ and the subsequent glories. 12 It was revealed to them that they were serving not themselves but you, in the things that have now been announced to you through those who preached the good news to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven, things into which angels long to look.
So, as we look at each work of Elisha, let us consider what work we ought to see that acts as evidence of the presence of the Holy Spirit within us...
Let’s begin by reading the first 12 verses of chapter 2, looking at Elijah’s ascension...
2 Kings 2:1–12
1 Now when Yahweh 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 Yahweh has sent me as far as Bethel.” But Elisha said, “As Yahweh 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 Yahweh 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 Yahweh has sent me to Jericho.” But he said, “As Yahweh 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 Yahweh will take away your master from over you?” And he answered, “Yes, I know it; keep quiet.” 6 Then Elijah said to him, “Please stay here, for Yahweh has sent me to the Jordan.” But he said, “As Yahweh 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.
The faithfulness of Elisha (1-12)
A man who was chosen by Elijah (1 Kings 19) and left his whole life behind faithfully sticks by Elijah to the end...
Not wanting him to go, but knows it must happen for it was Yahweh’s will...
Think of the disciples of Jesus…
Not wanting Jesus to go… but yet, Jesus had to go… John 16:7...
7 Nevertheless, I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you. But if I go, I will send him to you.
Then in Acts 1… at the ascension of Jesus… after Jesus says His final words to the disciples… v. 9… Acts 1:9
9 And when he had said these things, as they were looking on, he was lifted up, and a cloud took him out of their sight.
And it took two angels to get them to stop looking up and carry on with life and await the Spirit that Jesus promised to send.
And when the Spirit of the Messiah finally does arrive and indwells the disciples.... they devote themselves to the ministry of the Word… yes, they performed signs and miracles, but that was not their focus...
There is a greater power in the ministry of the Word… a saving power...
Miracles and signs do not save… salvation is not found in them… Miracles and signs do not transform… but the ministry of the Word, in the power of the Spirit, saves and transforms… with or without the presence of signs/miracles
Rom 1:16, 1 Cor 1:18, 22-23
16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.
18 For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.
22 For Jews demand signs and Greeks seek wisdom, 23 but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles,
So, Elisha here in 2 Kings 2, desires the spirit of Elijah to be on him…
We, like the disciples, desire Jesus, and Jesus has said by His going away He will send the Holy Spirit to be in us…
Therefore, let us continue and see how Elisha shows himself and others that Elijah’s spirit, Elijah’s power is upon him…
And consider how the Spirit of Christ is evidenced in us...
Let’s look at the first sign… v. 13-18 2 Kings 2:13-18
2 Kings 2:13–18 (ESV)
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 Yahweh, 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. 16 And they said to him, “Behold now, there are with your servants fifty strong men. Please let them go and seek your master. It may be that the Spirit of Yahweh has caught him up and cast him upon some mountain or into some valley.” And he said, “You shall not send.” 17 But when they urged him till he was ashamed, he said, “Send.” They sent therefore fifty men. And for three days they sought him but did not find him. 18 And they came back to him while he was staying at Jericho, and he said to them, “Did I not say to you, ‘Do not go’?”
Elisha parts the Jordan (as Elijah did)…
Elisha is able to make a way across the Jordan…
He does so with the other prophets serving as witnesses
There is a power to be found in parting water.... but there is a greater power, one that from the Spirit of God that allows for the parting of spiritual matters...
What is righteous from the unrighteous… what is holy and unholy...
We have been given a sword to cut and divide the matters of eternity...
17 and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God,
12 For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.
You must utilize the Spirit via the Word of God to discern the will of God… to discern you’re own intentions.
1 I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. 2 Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.
It is one thing to cross the Jordan by parting the waters then walk confidently across...
But to discern between evil and good and then walk in it is another...
Again that is a power given and provided only by God Himself....
27 And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to obey my rules.
21 And your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, “This is the way, walk in it,” when you turn to the right or when you turn to the left.
Let us continue on and look at the second work of Elisha… verses 19-22 2 Kings 2:19-22
2 Kings 2:19–22 (ESV)
19 Now the men of the city said to Elisha, “Behold, the situation of this city is pleasant, as my lord sees, but the water is bad, and the land is unfruitful.” 20 He said, “Bring me a new bowl, and put salt in it.” So they brought it to him. 21 Then he went to the spring of water and threw salt in it and said, “Thus says Yahweh I have healed this water; from now on neither death nor miscarriage shall come from it.” 22 So the water has been healed to this day, according to the word that Elisha spoke.
Here Elisha transforms water that kills to a living water… a water that brings life...
He uses salt in the process… but it’s not the salt itself that heals the water… but by Yahweh’s Word as spoken by Elisha…
An act that shows that as Yahweh was with Elijah so He is with Elisha...
So, what act of healing do all who believe in Christ have that they can bless others with?
Is it a physical healing? No… a greater healing… a spiritual healing...
Hear the words of the psalmist in Psalm 107.20...
20 He sent out his word and healed them, and delivered them from their destruction.
By what are the people healed? His Word…
This psalm is about people being delivered from death due to their sins… by God’s Word… and delivered into a new life...
This is our experience… we who believe, we, who have ourselves cried out for deliverance by God’s grace… and as such the Spirit indwells us and empowers us to share the good news that saved us and is available to save all who believe.
See the one who speaks faithfully the Word of God by having the Word of God abiding in them… they are the salt of the earth… like Elisha’s salt in the water… a healing presence in the midst of a dying and suffering world.
Here the words of Paul in Romans 10:11-14
11 For the Scripture says, “Everyone who believes in him will not be put to shame.” 12 For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, bestowing his riches on all who call on him. 13 For “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” 14 How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching?
Let’s look to the third work of Elisha… v. 23-25 2 Kings 2:23-25
2 Kings 2:23–25 (ESV)
23 He went up from there to Bethel, and while he was going up on the way, some small boys came out of the city and jeered at him, saying, “Go up, you baldhead! Go up, you baldhead!” 24 And he turned around, and when he saw them, he cursed them in the name of Yahweh. And two she-bears came out of the woods and tore forty-two of the boys. 25 From there he went on to Mount Carmel, and from there he returned to Samaria.
This event is to Elisha what the two companies of fifty men were to Elijah...
Evidence that Elisha is a true man of God and that Yahweh will not tolerate insolence towards His prophets...
We need to understand that these children/young boys/men are the fruit of a godless nation 2 Chr 36:16… describes the spiritual state of Israel in this way...
16 But they kept mocking the messengers of God, despising his words and scoffing at his prophets, until the wrath of the Lord rose against his people, until there was no remedy.
In Elisha’s day, as well as in the days of Jesus, we see unholiness acting out in the presence of godly men…
It’s still true today… We need to understand that the presence of God’s Spirit upon a person will inherently exposed what is unholy and judge accordingly… this is part of the discernment we spoke about earlier… John 16:8
8 And when he comes, he will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment:
It is one thing to be able to command a couple of wild animals to slay a pack of young boys…
But it is a whole other thing… a greater thing to slay the sins and lusts of our souls… and note I am focusing on the sin within us… not in others…
Just as the Spirit through Elisha was exposing and judging the sin among God’s people… today, the Spirit in us exposes our sin so that we may deal with it...
And yes… the Spirit does help us identify what is unholy in others as well… but that is the easier thing to do… to point and judge, and it is possible to do such a thing apart from the Spirit...
Yet, it is only by the Spirit of God that we can be free from our own sin which leads to death… here the words of Paul Rom 6:17-18...
17 But thanks be to God, that you who were once slaves of sin have become obedient from the heart to the standard of teaching to which you were committed, 18 and, having been set free from sin, have become slaves of righteousness.
Then Rom 6:22...
22 But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the fruit you get leads to sanctification and its end, eternal life.
This sanctification is the crucifixion our fleshly desires and sins.... Gal 5.24
24 And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.
And in verses 19-21 Paul explicitly states what those passions and desires are… Gal 5:19-21
19 Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, 20 idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, 21 envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.
Now, let us go to the final event, 2 Kings 3, that Elisha does following Elijah’s ascension to show Israel, as well as Judah, that he is indeed Elijah’s successor and that Yahweh is with him as He was with Elijah...
Here we have the kings of Judah, Israel, and of Edom going to battle against Mesha, king of Moab.
They have marched along the way of Edom (v. 8) in doing so they have run out of water...
Good king Jehoshaphat - v. 11 asks for a prophet of Yahweh (hears of Elisha, servant to Elijah)
Elisha speaks only because of Jehoshaphat’s presence
He asks for music to be played, but we must not make much of it… the prophets of God used a variety of methods to hear from God… and today we are given one.
Elisha tells them God will bring water, by flooding the area from rains from afar.
And that they should go forth and attack 2 Kings 3:18-19
2 Kings 3:18–19 (ESV)
18 This is a light thing in the sight of Yahweh. He will also give the Moabites into your hand, 19 and you shall attack every fortified city and every choice city, and shall fell every good tree and stop up all springs of water and ruin every good piece of land with stones.”
And this is what happens… 2 Kings 3:25
25 And they overthrew the cities, and on every good piece of land every man threw a stone until it was covered. They stopped every spring of water and felled all the good trees, till only its stones were left in Kir-hareseth, and the slingers surrounded and attacked it.
But in v. 27 the king of Moab offers his oldest son as a burnt offering.. turns the battle against Israel
Elisha being involved in bringing water to Israel calls to mind the time when Elijah brought the rain back to end the drought… he also speaks of the outcome of the battle to come…
Thus, Elisha by providing this knowledge adds to the evidence that Yahweh is with him...
The Spirit of God knows not just the things of man… the outcomes of battles and wars… but the Spirit of God knows the things of God… the means, the hows, the whys, so forth...
So, that brings us to final sign of the Spirit within you...
Do you know the things of God? If the Spirit of Christ is in you… you ought to.... of course, not all the things… that’s not possible…
If you want knowledge and wisdom for how to live in this world look to Jesus to receive His Spirit so that you may have knowledge of the Creator… the one who created all of which we live in...
Thus you’ll know how to live and you’ll know the fullness of God’s love.
2 Why do you spend your money for that which is not bread, and your labor for that which does not satisfy? Listen diligently to me, and eat what is good, and delight yourselves in rich food. 3 Incline your ear, and come to me; hear, that your soul may live; and I will make with you an everlasting covenant, my steadfast, sure love for David.
9 But, as it is written, “What no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man imagined, what God has prepared for those who love him”— 10 these things God has revealed to us through the Spirit. For the Spirit searches everything, even the depths of God. 11 For who knows a person’s thoughts except the spirit of that person, which is in him? So also no one comprehends the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God. 12 Now we have received not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might understand the things freely given us by God. 13 And we impart this in words not taught by human wisdom but taught by the Spirit, interpreting spiritual truths to those who are spiritual. 14 The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned.
See the natural person, that is… the person of this world, apart from Christ rejects the Spirit and lacks the knowledge of God, the power of God within them....
So, ask yourself… do you have these signs? Do you have these marks? Are you able to discern what needs to be discern?
Can you part holy matters as Elisha parted the Jordan?
Can you bring life and healing by the Word of God to those who are dead or those who are suffering?
Can you judge and remove in your life what is unholy and abhorrent to God?
Do you desire to understand God? To know Him more?