My Time

The advertising, sales, and marketing industries have figured out that one of our most valuable possessions is our time. I made a list of 50 supposed time saver things that I could think off the top of my head. This is by no means in order or a complete list:

1.   Self-service gas pumps 
2.   Self-service checkout lines at the grocery store
3.   Washing machines & clothes dryers that can send a text message when done
4.   Dishwashers
5.   Microwave ovens

My Gift

'Tis the season for this topic!  There is no better time to think and talk about gifts than at Christmas.  For the vast majority of Americans, Christmas is all about the gifts.  Find the right gifts.  Balance the gifts out exactly between everyone.  Lots of people take a look at what others are doing.  Trying to be consistent with what others are doing.  Keep up with the Joneses.  I don’t want anyone to be disappointed or left out.

On the other side, how do we think about gifts?  What are we expecting?  How will we react to what we get?  How will react if we don’t get what we expect?  Gifts are so much a part of the American Christmas season that we respond to it as a right or an entitlement.  Gifts are what we do at Christmas!  The retail economy of our nation keys off of gift giving as their most profitable time of the year.

My Rights

Welcome! Today we continue our series entitled Mine, in which we explore the Biblical standards of ownership, stewardship, and lordship. Today’s message focuses on rights.

Although the concept of “rights” is muted in some cultures around the world, here in America, it is huge. You could almost say it is in our DNA – it is in our Declaration of Independence, almost from the very beginning:

“When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.”

My Stuff

Welcome! Today we continue our series entitled Mine. In this series we are exploring the implications of ownership, stewardship, and lordship in various areas of our lives. Last week Tim did a wonderful job investigating this topic in the area of relationships. Tim pointed out our relationship with Christ is to be above all other relationships; Jesus uses some extremely provocative wording about this, saying that we are to “hate” our mothers, fathers, spouses, children, and so on, in comparison to our love for Christ. We also looked at the account of Abraham being asked to sacrifice Isaac; apart from the messianic foreshadowing of this event, it was a test of Abraham, to see if his love for and trust in God went beyond even his love of his long-awaited son. We of course are to love our families, but God wants it to be a godly love, an agape love, not a selfish love. And a godly love of others keeps God above every human relationship. 

My Relationships

Today we start a new series of 5 messages relating to the issue of lordship and ownership. The image I have in my mind starting out is of a toddler holding a favorite thing, maybe a toy, yelling, “Mine! Mine!” – screaming and struggling all the more insistently if someone would try to take it away. We smile at the thought that a small child would consider that they actually own anything, since everything they have has been given to them. But actually, too often as adults even we are guilty of exactly the same behavior before God, who has given us everything. What does it actually mean that Jesus is Lord? How should that affect our attitude toward the things that we consider “ours” – our relationships, our stuff, our rights, our gifts, our time? Those are the topics of these 5 messages. Today we will look at relationships. Do our kids actually belong to us? What rights do we have in our family? What does it mean for me to love my neighbor as myself? What relationships do we have that might even be idols, getting in way of our relationship with God? If Jesus is Lord, he needs to be Lord of everything in our lives. Everything. How much are we willing to trust him?

Victory/Our Glorious Captain

Welcome! Today we conclude our series called Facing Your Enemy; today’s message is entitled Our Glorious Captain. Throughout this series we have explored the Bible’s military analogies to our roles and positions as Christian soldiers, looking at the battles we face, both from within and without, battles for our hearts, battles for our desires, battles for what we are to do while we remain on this earth. We are called “soldiers” on multiple occasions in Scripture, and part of our role as soldiers is to spread the good news of the gospel of Jesus Christ far and wide, being Christ’s hands and legs and mouth as we proclaim the salvation that is only found in Christ. 

Our roles on this earth include being godly parents, being godly spouses, being godly singles, being people who seek to remain pure and undefiled in this world, being people who seek to share the knowledge of Christ’s love all around us, being people who seek to work with other believers to demonstrate Christ’s love in “body life,” and so much more. All of this, even in an earlier age, could make one quite busy; in our modern times, with all the modern demands on our time, all of this can seem to be quite exhausting. 

The Rescuing Soldier

Hello and welcome to everyone!  Our God is so good, so faithful, and so true.  I want to pray again before we start this message.  My prayer is that He would speak into our time today.  We come to this place expecting to worship Him and to hear His Word proclaimed.  And yet, I do not want to presume upon our great God.  We have the promise that we can approach His throne with boldness and confidence.  

This week, I was reading in the book of Mark.  I read the story of blind Bartimaeus.  Bartimaeus was a blind beggar on the road leaving Jericho on the way to Jerusalem.  He heard that Jesus was passing by amongst a great crowd.  He began crying out, “Jesus, have mercy on me!”  The people rebuked him and told him to shut up.  But he cried out all the more, “Son of David, have mercy on me!”

Jesus stopped and said to the people, “Call him.”  They called the blind man, and it says Bartimaeus threw off his cloak, sprang up, and came to Jesus.  Jesus heals him and says, “Go your way.”  He immediately recovers his sight and follows Jesus on the way.

The Depressed Soldier

In this series of Facing Your Enemy we have looked at Choosing your Battles, Knowing Your Gear and Choosing Your Army.  We also looked at the Anxious Soldier, the Ashamed Soldier, the Coveting Soldier, the Lusting Soldier, the Bitter Soldier.  Today we will look at the Depressed Soldier.

Some of the objectives that I would like you to meet as a result of this message are:

1. Be able to identify the typical Depressed Soldier.

2. Be able to recognize the Depressed Soldier’s enemies and their locations. 
3. Be able to recognize some of the common symptoms of the Depressed Soldier.

4. Be able to provide the Depressed Soldier with immediate First Aid (we must learn how to do our part in helping the Depressed Soldier out of his or her depressed state).

The Bitter Soldier

Good morning! Today we continue our series entitled Facing Your Enemy. This is my third consecutive week in this series. In the past, my other co-pastors have jokingly (and maybe not so jokingly) remarked that I seem to give the hardest topics to them, saving the “choice lands” for myself. Well, last week I taught on the difficult topic of lust, and the week before that, on coveting, so I think I have had at least a share of the challenging topics. This week we shift our focus to the cheery topic of – bitterness.

What exactly is bitterness? In the Bible there are two main word roots for bitterness: mar or marah or maror in Hebrew, and pikraino or pikria or pikros in Greek. In these languages, as in English, the words have multiple meanings and connotations. In English, as an adjective, the four main meanings are:

1.  Having a sharp, pungent taste or smell.

2.  Painful or unpleasant to accept or contemplate.

3.  Extremely harsh; for example, intensely cold.

4.  Anger, hurt, or resentment because of one’s experiences or a sense of unjust treatment.

The Lusting Soldier

Good morning! Today we continue our series entitled Facing Your Enemy. This series has explored the Biblical view of Christians as soldiers, and I think there are two main ways this view of ourselves is helpful. First, it reminds us that we are not just here on Earth to enjoy its pleasures; we are here for a purpose, to be Christ’s hands and feet and mouth as we expand the Kingdom through telling people the good news of the Gospel. As soldiers, we are taking back ground for God; as each additional person comes to their own personal saving faith in Christ, Satan’s world gets a little smaller. We are involved in a rescue operation, freeing the captives, replacing darkness with light, despair with security and hope. We are on a glorious mission as we reveal to the world the true glory of Christ.

Second, although we are on the winning side, we are under attack, by multiple enemies. From I Peter 5:8, Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. And from I John 2:16, For everything in the world, the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life – comes not from the Father but from the world. Satan and the world and even our own flesh seek to conspire against us, to make us abandon the field of battle, to make us useless and completely ineffective as soldiers. This week, our focus is on this second aspect of being a soldier, especially as it pertains to the area of lust. This is a difficult topic to teach on, and it is a difficult topic to hear, because it is so personal, so private. But it is a terribly important topic to discuss because it is a stumbling block for so many believers.

The Coveting Soldier

Welcome! Today we continue our series entitled Facing Your Enemy. As I mentioned at the beginning of the series, there is a very real sense in which, as Christians, we are “soldiers” for Christ. The Bible repeatedly uses military analogies to describe our role and purpose in this world. God desires that, by His help, dependent on His power and His direction, we advance His kingdom, taking back ground for Him that has been taken by the enemy, the one called the Great Deceiver, Satan.

Our title today is The Coveting Soldier. I love Isaac’s picture of coveting; our hapless Christian soldier is coveting the other soldier’s gun. In what this symbolizes there is a great irony here. As Christians we know we are not supposed to covet, but how frequently do we not only covet but even covet other people’s faith, their spiritual gifts, in short, their Christianity? How wrong is that?

The Anxious Soldier

This morning I want to talk with you about anxiety.  I told Miriam that if she went into labor, I would lead her into the hospital, open the door and cry out for a doctor, exclaiming, “My wife is in labor.  We need pain medicine, nausea medicine and something for anxiety.  And my wife will need all those as well.”  

 

No matter what stage of life you’re in there’s always something to be anxious about.  When you’re in school you’re anxious about getting out.  Once you get out you become anxious about finding a job.  Once you find a job you get anxious about being single.  Once you get married you get anxious about kids.  And once you have kids...you give them to their grandparents.  

In Max Lucado’s book, Traveling Light, he shares an insightful story about living life with many burdens:

Choosing Your Army

 Those of you who have been with us for the last couple of weeks will know that we are in the midst of a series called “Facing Your Enemy.” The New Testament uses military analogies in several places to describe our life of faith. We have looked at several of them already: fighting the good fight, wanting to please our commanding officer. Last Sunday, John talked about the gear that we need as spiritual soldiers, in particular the armor of God as described in Ephesians. Today’s topic is Choosing Your Army. In what sense do we choose our army? Clearly there are choices to be made. There is no middle ground, as our cartoon friend is realizing, as he attempts to keep a foot in both camps – or is it a hand?

Knowing Your Gear

Today, we continue in our new series titled “Facing Your Enemy.”  Last week, Carl introduced the series and talked about “Choosing Your Battles.”  I told Carl afterward I thought it was one of his best messages.  It really struck home with me.  I often feel like I have a hard time articulating what brought me from where I was in my walk with Christ to where I am now.  And as Carl was talking, I could relate again and again the mistakes and pitfalls he described to my poor decision making and how I was confused along the way over the years.

The biggest point was how we can easily get pulled into fighting the wrong battles.  In particular, I used to exert a lot of energy in praying that I do not sin or praying repentantly after I have sinned.  I’ve got journals at home with those kinds of prayers written on pages and pages.  There was not a point in my life where I remember thinking, “I’m fighting the wrong battle.”  But, I don’t dwell on myself nearly as much as I did, but rather put my focus on Christ.

Choosing Your Battles

Welcome! Today we begin a new series entitled Facing Your Enemy. I hope you enjoy the illustrations; Isaac has made one for each message in the series. The character in the illustrations in one from a comic strip Isaac has been developing that he calls Iggleton.

I am really excited about this series and where it will take us. We will have multiple speakers as we go through this topical series, but our approach is not to micromanage what each person will speak on. Each speaker is given the title, just as you can see the list of titles in your bulletin, and that is really all they are given! We don’t plan out the details but instead pray and trust that the Spirit will direct each speaker and, combined with each speaker’s own gifts and life experiences, we pray that the Spirit will weave together the messages into a powerful unified whole.

The Gospels vs. Claims of Contradiction

Welcome! Today we have our final installment in our series on the reliability of the gospels. Two weeks ago we focused on atheists’ and others’ claims that the gospels are fabrications. We looked at when the gospels were written, using as evidence early copies, letters by Christians, and writings by those who were neutral or even opposed to the Christian faith. We saw strong evidence for a very small gap in time between the events in Christ’s life and the writing of the gospels as well as overwhelming evidence that the gospel accounts were not “doctored” in the following centuries.

Last week we focused on claims that the gospels must be in error based on what the gospels say. We focused in on the miracles of Jesus because that is one of the things people have a hard time with. As the atheist Christopher Hitchens has said, “Exceptional claims demand exceptional evidence.” I think we showed evidence that was pretty exceptional. Our main approach was to show that alternative explanations for how the gospels accounts were written and came to be strongly believed as fact were all severely flawed. For example, we talked about how if you start with the presumption that the miracles were “added in” you find the problem that the miracles are completely integrated into the entire story and, beyond this, essential! 

The Gospels vs. Claims of Error

Welcome! Today we continue our series on the reliability of the Gospels. Last week we began by explaining that we were focusing in on the Gospels because they are the most central documents of the Christian faith; they are “ground zero” for the fundamental claims of Christianity. If one accepts the Gospels as true accounts, the fact that Jesus and the Gospel writers clearly believed the Old Testament makes it natural to trust in the Old Testament as well. Similarly, the other material in the New Testament can also be believed because the fundamental teachings are clearly based on the historicity of the Gospels.

Last week we also focused in on atheists’ claims that the Gospels are fabrications. We addressed this by looking in some detail at when the Gospels were likely written, as evidenced by early copies of the Gospels, as evidenced by Gospel fragments, as evidenced by other early letters by Christians referring to the Gospels, and as evidenced by early letters by those who were not Christian but who acknowledged some Christian claims along with some historical events in the life of Christ. 

This week I want to discuss claims that the Gospels must be wrong, must be in error, because of what they say. There are two common types of arguments along these lines. First, people try to find and point out specific errors in the details between one gospel and another or between a gospel and a non-gospel piece of evidence such as an item from archaeology, another document, geographical data, etc. This category I will refer to as contradictions, and we will look at this next week.

The Gospels vs. Claims of Fabrication

Welcome! Today we begin a three-week series that is something significantly different from our usual Sunday morning. Normally we have a message that is either based on a particular passage of Scripture (sometimes our series take us through a book of the Bible), or a topical message that looks at a variety of passages from the Bible to see what it has to say about a given topic. Although these two types of messages have differences, they are the same in that the Bible is what we go to in order to learn.  

Personally, I trust the Bible. I love the Bible. I have been a Christian for close to 25 years, and over that time, my respect for the Bible as a source of wisdom, as being a trustworthy account of history, as being a tool God uses to personally speak to my life, has only grown year after year after year. In contrast, my respect for the world as a source of these things has fallen continually. In addition, my respect for myself, apart from the wisdom I have gained from the Bible, has also only become less and less over time. This has not happened because I have become increasingly brainwashed, or because I am losing my mind; it has happened because the Bible has proven itself again and again to me. Things I thought might have been wrong in the Bible have turned out be because I misunderstood what the Bible was saying or because I was led astray by other sources, Christian and otherwise. 

Jude: Build Yourselves Up in the Faith

Good Morning!  We will conclude our series “Persevering in the Modern World” this morning.  The series is based on three small, single chapter, one page books of the Bible, Obadiah, II John and Jude.  Today we will go through the book of Jude.  Before we do that, I would like to talk about perseverance.  What does it mean?  What function does it serve?  What impact does it have? As I grow older, I feel like the quality of perseverance becomes a more and more essential character quality just to make it through each day.  How else will we avoid becoming weary or tired, avoid discouragement, and not lose heart or give up doing good and right things?

Let’s pray and ask God to give us insight into this crucial aspect of life:  Perseverance

Lord Jesus, we do not want to falter or fail.  God we want to be ones that stand firm for you.  Our modern world does bring us a host of challenges, and yet the lies have not changed.  Apart from You, we are enticed by the same self-serving temptations that have been here since the Fall.  Strengthen our feeble arms and weak knees that we may accomplish Your good, pleasing, and perfect will.  In Jesus’ Name.  Amen.

2 John: Walk in Love

Carl has entitled this series, “Persevering in the Modern World.” The three little books that we are looking at – Obadiah, 2 John, and Jude – each have something to teach us as we live in the reality and the expectation of God’s kingdom. They might be neglected as being small and insignificant, but their message is as relevant now as it was when they were written. God wanted them in the Bible for a reason.

We need to persevere because the world is against us. We are “going against the flow” as followers of Jesus. We ought not to “blend in” with our surroundings and be indistinguishable from other people. What should identify us as Christians? As we look at 2 John today we will find one answer. What did Jesus say should be the primary mark or characteristic that sets us apart as his followers? Is it our doctrinal purity? Is it our avoidance of sin (certainly not a bad thing in itself)? The answer, of course, is in John 13:35:

By this everyone will know that you are My disciples, if you love one another.

Obadiah: The Kingdom will be His

Good Morning!  Today we will begin a new series.  The theme of the series is “Persevering in the Modern World.”  It is a short, three week series.  We are going to explore three of the smallest books in the Bible, Obadiah, II John, and Jude.  Each book is only one chapter long.  Obadiah comes from the Old Testament and II John and Jude from the New Testament.  Whenever we approach God’s word, it is important to reflect and be aware that it does not return void.  It accomplishes His purposes.  Whenever we pick up a Bible to read, it is a good idea to pray and ask God what he wants to say to you.  Each of these books has its own powerful message that has practical application in our lives today.  Obadiah has a focus on pride and the effects of pride.  It also has promises for God’s people which are encouraging.  Both II John and Jude contain warnings and encouragement and instructions on how we should live.  In combination, these three books give us an overview of God's coming Kingdom of righteousness and how we are to live while we wait for His kingdom to come.

Today, we will cover the book of Obadiah, but before we jump in, let’s take a moment and pray.

Pain in Disappointment

Welcome! Today we finish our “painful” series. I am really thankful for Brian’s, Fred’s and John’s teachings in the series, as there have been things in each that have helped me and made me think and pray differently. Today we talk about pain in disappointment.

All of us experience disappointment; it is a part of life. In the early parts of life, our disappointments often focus on specific actions and events. Let me give you an example from my life. As you all know, I play piano. I began taking lessons when I was five, and continued to take lessons all through my growing up years. As a teenager, I began to enter piano competitions. One of my keenest disappointments I remember at this time was practicing like crazy before a competition, and then, during the competition, playing my pieces well, even perhaps the best I had ever played them. Then we all had to leave the room while the judges deliberated, and when we were told to come back I was nervous, far more nervous than I was when I played for the judges! First maybe they announced the honorable mentions – I was not included. I still had my hopes up; I thought I was at least in the top 5, although I kind of doubted I was the best. One or two just seemed pretty flawless, although maybe I was more musical. Then they announce 3rd place. Not me. I guess I managed to be 2nd, I thought. Then they announced 2nd. Not me. 

Pain in Waiting

Before we pray for a minute, I just want to take you on a little side trip into Hebrews chapter 1:

God, after He spoke long ago to the fathers in the prophets in many portions and in many ways, in these last days has spoken to us in His Son, whom He appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the world. And He is the radiance of His glory and the exact representation of His nature, and upholds all things by the word of His power. When He had made purification of sins, He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, having become as much better than the angels, as He has inherited a more excellent name than they. For to which of the angels did He ever say,

“You are My Son,
Today I have begotten You”?

And again,

“I will be a Father to Him
And He shall be a Son to Me”?

And when He again brings the firstborn into the world, He says,

“And let all the angels of God worship Him.”                                        Hebrews 1:1-6

Pain in Grief

Understanding how to help myself and others after a loss

My prayer is that this teaching will equip you as you minister to yourself and others around you as you and they go through the grieving process due to the loss of someone very close to you.

        

First, what is Grief?

Definition of Grief: 
1.)   A cognitive and emotional response to a significant loss

2.)  The price you pay for getting attached to someone or something

The first definition is what a psychologist would give if asked the question “What is grief?”. The second definition is the same definition but translated into layman’s terms.

Pain in Physical Suffering

As I was putting the finishing touches on my message this week, God was putting His finishing touches on me. I had pretty much finished my sermon several weeks ago because I’m going to use some of the same material as I teach at L.I.N.C. this week in Flordia.  I was waiting on God to give me any last minute thoughts before I finished preparing.  As I was updating a few things in my message, my ribs were wrapped in ace bandage.  What happened?  A few days earlier, Alex and I were playing basketball.  One of the students, about half my age, rammed his shoulder into my ribs leaving me sore for days on end.  In case you’re wondering, I didn’t let him make the shot.  He missed.  Earlier that week the rheumatologist diagnosed me with unspecified spondyloarthropathy.  It’s a diagnosis that explains why I have had to deal with so much pain in my back for nearly 20 years. 

 As many of you know, Miriam has gone through much suffering over the years.  I’ll share a little bit more about that in a minute.  Let me share a few Biblical thoughts that have helped me over the years to understand pain in physical suffering. 

Pointing to Christ in Living and Dying

2 Kings 13:14-21

Welcome! Today we come to the end of our series on Elisha. Throughout the series we have mentioned that the story of Elisha’s life serves as a kind of foreshadowing of the life of Jesus. Now that we have been through most of the events of Elisha’s life, I want to briefly discuss these similarities together. For me it is quite a striking picture.

I want to start by summarizing similarities between Elijah the Tishbite and John the Baptist. We can say that Elijah was a “forerunner” for Elisha, and John was a forerunner for Jesus. The New Testament writers clearly understood this; in Matthew 11:13-15 and Matthew 17:10-13, John is called “the Elijah to come.” You can also read a prophecy pointing from Elijah to a future person who is very like him. People at the time of the gospels knew of this prophecy, and many wondered whether John the Baptist actually was Elijah. Where is this prophecy? Significantly, it is in the very last verses of the Old Testament, in Malachi 4:5-6. Talk of the Elijah to come closes the Old Testament, and talk of the new Elijah who has come is one of the first topics of each of the gospels. 

Leading in Difficult Times

2 Kings 6:24-8:15

Some time later, Ben-Hadad king of Aram mobilized his entire army and marched up and laid siege to Samaria. - 2 Kings 6:24 

There seems to have been some time that had passed (maybe years) since the memory of Elisha leading the Syrian band of invaders into the city of Samaria and then having the king of Israel Jehoram (son of Ahab) feed them and let them go. This time was enough to make them forget how powerful the God of Israel was. This time, instead of a small band of invaders, the King of Syria Benhadad gathered a large army and he went with them. The king of Israel was afraid because he was grossly outnumbered. So he shut himself up in the city because the walls of Samaria were strong. 

There was a great famine in the city; the siege lasted so long that a donkey’s head sold for eighty shekels of silver and a quarter of a cab of seed pods (dove’s dung) for five shekels. - 2 Kings 6:25

Helping Others to See

II Kings 6:8-23

Welcome! Today we continue our series on the prophet Elisha. As we have been going through this series over the past two months or so, we have seen that there is benefit in looking at the events of Elisha’s life on many levels. On one level are the accounts themselves, looking at them in the historical and cultural contexts of the Israelites in that period of history around 800 years before Christ. As we have talked about before, this was a turbulent and troubled time in Israel’s history. The nation built from 12 tribes had for some time been split into two, called Israel and Judah, a split that went back to the times of the generation after Solomon. The land of Judah, which included Jerusalem, the site of the Temple, oscillated back and forth between following God and giving themselves to the false gods worshiped by the people around them. The land of Israel, however, pretty much uniformly worshiped false gods and adopted many of the detestable practices of the peoples who were around them. Pretty much every king of Israel was described in negative terms; in contrast, at least a few of the kings of Judah had good things said about them. In Israel, because of the people’s wickedness, God basically removed His protection over the land, and there were frequent conflicts with their neighbors. Eventually this led to the complete overtaking of the land by their enemies. The passage we will look at today focuses on one of these conflicts with their neighbors.

Bringing up the Next Generation

II Kings 5:20-6:7

Good morning! We continue today with our series on the prophet Elisha. Last week, Carl took us through the account of the miraculous healing of Naaman the commander of the army of Aram. Elisha brought about this amazing miracle to heal Naaman of leprosy or a similar debilitating and fatal skin disease. It wasn’t Elisha that healed Naaman, of course. The Lord healed, but Elisha was one of the people that God worked through to bring about Naaman’s healing. Even more exciting than the healing is the transformation of the heart of Naaman. This idol-worshiping pagan from Aram comes to Israel as a last resort to seek healing. What he finds instead is the wonder-working power of God. He will no longer bow to idols who fail to heal. He even takes back dirt from Israel so that he can worship the true God in Aram on the blessed soil of God’s chosen land.

After his healing, Naaman returned to Elisha’s house in joy to bless him with gifts, literally a king’s ransom in gold, silver, and royal clothing. Yet, Elisha would not accept even one gift. We’re going to pick up the narrative after Elisha has turned him down and told Naaman to “Go in peace,” but first, let’s pray.

Being Used by God to Heal

II Kings 5:1-19

Welcome! Today we continue our series on the prophet Elisha. Last week, John Bullard told us about the events that could be named “Death in the Pot” – about how in the middle of a gathering of faithful believers in God, someone threw food into their communal pot of stew or soup or whatever they were making that made them sick. But as they cried out in fear and in pain, God brought them healing through Elisha. Also in last week’s passage, God had a person come seemingly out of the blue with some bread. It was not enough to feed the large group, but God, again through Elisha, miraculously multiplied the food so as to adequately feed everyone.

This latter miracle of course reminds us of how Jesus similarly multiplied food to feed a large crowd – a much larger multitude than the group with Elisha, and Jesus did it from a much smaller starting portion. This is a repeated pattern in Scripture – we see that Jesus’ miracles generally were not just completely new, out-of-the-blue things, but were enhancements and fulfillments of things that happened in the Old Testament. One reason for this is that it helped the people to know that Jesus really was the promised Messiah mentioned again and again in the Old Testament. And the supremacy of His miracles over those that had gone before also meant that the earlier miracles were only hints or shadows of what was to come – that Christ, Son of God, and God Himself, was to come to redeem us and save us from the penalty our sins deserved.

Receiving Help and Being God's Vessel

II Kings 4:8-37

Welcome! Today we continue our exploration into the life and ministry of the prophet Elisha. Last week we saw how Elisha was used by God to help out a desperately poor woman, a widow who was being hounded by creditors who threatened to take away her children to be slaves and whose slavery would serve to pay off her debt. Tim mentioned last week how hard it was to be a widow back then and how hard it is to be a widow even today, especially in poorer countries. All she had left was a jar of oil. God used Elisha to minister to her by having Elisha tell her what to do, in this case, to gather as many jars as she could find and then begin pouring the oil into these jars. The miracle here is that God multiplied the oil many times over, so much so that she could provide for her family.

I have continued to reflect on this passage from last week, and one thing really stood out to me: the genuine faith of the widow in God She did not go to a king or to a wealthy patron; perhaps they wouldn’t have done anything for her anyway. Instead she went to the prophet Elisha. Elisha was not rich; he had once had some wealth, as can be seen from the details of the events when Elijah had called him to be his servant or helper, but Elisha left everything behind to follow Elijah (that is, to follow God); he even burnt up his plow and ate his oxen! This reminds me of what Jesus said in Luke 9:62: “No one who puts a hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God.” Elisha was “all in”; he wasn’t half prophet and half something else. As prophet, Elisha lived as one largely dependent on the kindness of others. Elisha lived a simple, even Spartan life. We will see this confirmed in today’s passage.

Responding to Needs

2 Kings 4:1-7 

In our study of the ministry of Elisha so far we have seen several very public miracles that he did. Do you recall what the very first one was, after he took over from Elijah? He struck the water of the Jordan with Elijah’s cloak, and the river divided to the right and to the left, and he crossed over. It says that the company of the prophets from Jericho were watching, and they said, “The spirit of Elijah is resting on Elisha.” It was a public demonstration of God’s power, to establish Elisha’s authority as his prophet, reminiscent of Moses parting the Red Sea.

Then we have the healing of the water at Jericho, using salt, symbolizing the covenant faithfulness of God to His people, despite their disobedience. This miracle affected the drinking water supply for the entire town and made the land around it productive, so this was another highly-visible event, impacting many people. And last Sunday, Brian talked about the miracle of water suddenly flowing into the broad valley of the Arabah, allowing the thirsty armies to drink and appearing like blood to the Moabites, luring them into the confrontation with the Israelites that led to the destruction of Moab. This sign from the Lord via Elisha not only met an urgent, high-profile physical need for drinking water, but it seems to have given the Israelite armies courage to take on the Moabites and defeat them.

So we have God publicly establishing Elisha as His instrument to demonstrate His power and bring His word to His people. But now as we come to chapter 4 of 2 Kings we have a very different kind of miracle – God using Elisha in a very different way.

Delivering the Message

2 Kings 3 

I want to talk with you this morning about “Delivering the Message”.  We’re going to look at 2 Kings 3.  You don’t have to be perfect in order to deliver the message, you just need to be willing.  A couple months ago I was sharing the gospel with a student at Clemson.  His name is Justin.  After I shared the gospel with him he wanted to become a Christian.  Justin was very open.  I came at just the right time.  Before I left I prayed for him.  “Dear God.  Please help Justin to trust in you for his salvation.  Please help him to get to know you.”  It’s a great feeling when God uses you like that-to see someone leave the darkness and enter the light.  But before I left he said, “Um.  My name is Jordan, not Justin.”  So, I spent the whole time calling him Justin and even praying for “Justin”.  I’m glad that God knew his name.  You don’t have to be perfect in your delivery.  You just need to be willing.

Elisha was a great example of someone who was willing to deliver God’s message.  In 2 Kings 3:1-3 it says, 

“Jorama son of Ahab became king of Israel in Samaria in the eighteenth year of Jehoshaphat king of Judah, and he reigned twelve years.  He did evil in the eyes of the LORD, but not as his father and mother had done. He got rid of the sacred stone of Baal that his father had made. Nevertheless he clung to the sins of Jeroboam son of Nebat, which he had caused Israel to commit; he did not turn away from them.”   

Speaking Judgement

2 Kings 2:23-25 

Good morning! Today our main passage is just three verses of scripture, one briefly recorded event in the life of Elisha, as a part of our series on Elisha. Following a discussion of this passage, we will spend time remembering our Lord Jesus through the bread and cup, and then we will have our monthly sharing time, an opportunity for all of us to share what the Lord has been teaching us and helping us to do in this past month.

Today’s passage is considered a “hard” passage by many people – hard to understand, hard to reconcile with our understanding of God, hard to square with general things we might say about the overall message of Scripture – and because of this, one might be tempted to kind of “tack it on” at the end of another message on a longer section of Scripture about Elisha and only gloss over this passage, claiming that time limits a more detailed discussion.

I didn’t want us to do this, because I really believe 2 Timothy 3:16-17, which states that all Scripture is inspired by God and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work. I really like how this is worded in the New Living Translation, going back to verse 15:

Taking up the Mantle

Kings 2:12-22

Good Morning!  We will continue today with our series on the prophet Elisha.  Last week, Carl set the stage for us with an overview of Old Testament history from the time of King David through the first part of ministry of the prophet Elijah, a period of about 150 years.  Yes, we really heard about 150 years of history from David until Elijah.  Actually, it is only about 100 years from David’s death until the beginning of Elijah’s ministry; literally, a drop in the bucket of time.  I think for me I expect it to be far removed because that century span begins with the pinnacle moment of the temple of God being completed at Jerusalem.  Spiritually and politically, the people are united.  But just 30 years later, the united kingdom of the twelve tribes of Israel has been divided into two nations, Israel in the north and Judah in the south.  In 24 more years, the dynasty of Jeroboam, king of Israel, is ended violently with the death of his son.  Twenty six years after that, the succeeding dynasty is ended violently after only two kings.  The next king lasted only 7 days before he burned the palace in Tirzah down around himself.  The following king moved the capital of Israel to Samaria.  King Ahab was his son.

Becoming a Disciple

I Kings 19:9-21

Welcome! I am excited to begin a new series, a series on the life of the prophet Elisha. If you don’t know much about Elisha or where he fits into the chronology of the Old Testament, don’t worry; that is one of the things we are going to talk about today. We will also look at the events surrounding his becoming a disciple, or follower, or student, of the prophet Elijah.

Now, all of Old Testament history is linked, so it is difficult to know where to begin. But I think a good place to start is with David. The story of David and his son, Solomon, are described in I and II Samuel and I Kings. During their reign, we see the establishment of a kingdom that seeks, from the very top (meaning the king), to worship, follow, and obey God. It did not come without trials or without hardship – David had to deal with Saul, who did not follow God and tried to have David killed, and David also had to deal with border wars. But as time went on, the kingdom was established and stabilized, and under Solomon there was a time of peace and the first Temple of God was built, a place where God, in His glorious Spirit actually took up residence.