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.

Gentle Restoration

John 21:1-25

Good morning! Today we finish our more-than-year-long journey through the book of John. We began back in January 2012. We haven’t gone through John non-stop; we have had a series on love and relationships, a short series called Broken and Made Whole (on the cross and on the resurrection), a series on Law and Grace (looking at the Mosaic Law and on the book of Galatians), a series on Titus, and a short Christmas series. Together these other series might have taken roughly 6 months, but the remaining 9 months or so have been in John.

You could rightly call the first chapter of John a prolog to the book. It lays out the major themes. Recall: In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through Him all things were made; without Him nothing was made that has been made. In Him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. – John 1:1-4

Everything Changes

John 20:1-31

I said it earlier, I will say it again.  He is risen.  (He is risen, indeed.)  Yes, indeed.  What a glorious thought to consider.  It was not that our lives were bought in exchange for Jesus’ existence.  Yes, He suffered and He died.  He experienced the excruciating physical pain.  Even more painful, He experienced separation from the Father.  But because He was the pure and spotless, holy sacrifice, He overcame death.  He is not in the tomb.  He is not there.  He is no longer dead.  He has risen just as He said.

And now, everything changes. 

When God revealed Nebuchadnezzar’s dream to Daniel, he praised God saying,

“Praise be to the name of God for ever and ever; wisdom and power are his.  He changes times and seasons …”  Daniel 2:20-21

The Worst Day

John 19:17-42 

So the soldiers took charge of Jesus. Carrying his own cross, he went out to the place of the Skull (which in Aramaic is called Golgotha). There they crucified him… John 19:17-18 

I admit that when Carl asked me to preach on this passage, I was dismayed. This is one of the most familiar stories in the whole Bible – what is there to say about it that all of you would not have already heard? The gospel writers are very terse, really. John spends just 26 verses here describing the pivotal event in the history of the world. We sing about the blood of Jesus. We might wear a cross about our necks. It is all very familiar and well-worn. It is easy to gloss over the reality of what was happening that day. The soldiers took charge of Jesus, and they crucified him. Yes, I know it is what saved me, but let’s just move on to the resurrection and happier parts of the story.

Jesus’ death has become too familiar. In history recently we were reading accounts of the French Revolution and the Reign of Terror when thousands of people were publicly executed by the guillotine. It became a spectacle, an entertainment, for the crowd which came to watch. We read about the tricoteuses, the women who would bring their knitting and socialize during the executions. It became so commonplace that the spectators’ emotions were dulled, and they probably thought little of what was actually happening.

Trials

John 18:28-19:16

We are continuing our series on the Book of John and today I am speaking on the trials that Jesus was subjected to as described in the passages from John 18:28 thru John 19:16. 

Last week Carl shared some very insightful information on the high priest Annas and how he and his family were connected with the lucrative business of exchanging money and selling the sacrifice animals at the temple.  This made even more sense of why they were looking for ways to kill Jesus as described in the verses in Mark 11:17 and 11:18 just after Jesus turned over the tables of the money changers and drove them out of the temple.

And as he taught them, he said, “Is it not written: “‘My house will be called a house of prayer for all nations’? But you have made it ‘a den of robbers.’” The chief priests and the teachers of the law heard this and began looking for a way to kill him, for they feared him, because the whole crowd was amazed at his teaching.--Mark 11:17 -18

Affirmations and Denials

John 18:1-27

Good morning! Today we continue our series on the Book of John, taking up the first part of Chapter 18. Over the past several weeks we have gone through Jesus’ lengthy discourse to the disciples, preparing them for what was to come – He would be leaving them, He would be returning, the Holy Spirit would come – and He also spent time encouraging them, challenging them, and praying for them. At the beginning of Jesus’ discourse, Jesus had sent Judas away, who during this time was betraying Jesus, informing the Jewish authorities where Jesus would be. With today’s passage, we move beyond this discourse to the rapid unfolding of events that would lead in a short amount of time to Jesus’ death on a cross.

When He had finished praying, Jesus left with His disciples and crossed the Kidron Valley. On the other side there was a garden, and He and His disciples went into it. – John 18:1

I’ve got so much I want to share with you – I could literally spend the entire message on this verse. I’m going to cover as much as I can, but I am going to move quickly, so hold onto your hats.