Participants: C.A. Murray
Series Code: OTR
Program Code: OTR000814
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01:00 Good morning,
01:01 and welcome to 3ABN Camp Meeting 01:05 Spring Version 2007. 01:08 You know, you're gonna see a bunch of people 01:09 sitting before you almost automatically 01:11 want to say good morning and happy Sabbath. 01:15 We're just a little early for that. 01:17 But it is a good day to be in Christ Jesus. 01:19 It is a good day to gather together. 01:21 And we've been having a wonderful time. 01:22 Can you say that, 01:24 have we been having a wonderful time? 01:25 We have powerful messages, 01:27 had a little fun last night on the panel, 01:29 and got a little work done to praise the Lord. 01:32 So we're here today to join together again to fellowship. 01:35 How many had breakfast already? 01:37 So your stomach so nice and full, 01:39 hopefully your mind is still awake and alert. 01:42 And the biscuits were good. 01:44 I'm not a biscuit and gravy person. 01:47 That is not a New York dish. 01:48 And from New York, having come from New York 01:52 biscuits and gravy are not normal for us in New York, 01:55 I see Dr. Jesse Bradley from the East Coast. 01:57 That's not an East Coast thing. 01:59 That's more of a Southern thing. 02:01 I've learned to like grits, and biscuits and gravy, 02:06 and some of the Southern cuisine 02:08 that we're not quite used to in New York, 02:10 but it's quite good. 02:11 I see how you felt fatten up on this stuff. 02:12 It's not bad. 02:14 Not bad at all. 02:15 But God is so very, very good. 02:17 And we're glad to have you here this morning. 02:19 It's gonna be a good day in Christ Jesus. 02:20 Let's bow our heads for prayer. 02:22 Father God, we thank You 02:23 for keeping us through the night, 02:26 for keeping us and watching over us 02:28 as we slept. 02:30 We're thankful for the power of God 02:32 that woke us up this morning closed in our right minds. 02:36 We thank You for our eyes to see, 02:38 ears to hear, 02:40 hearts that beat in tune with Christ, 02:43 and minds that can understand Your will and Your love for us, 02:47 and go about our Father's business. 02:48 Now bless us this day, 02:50 through the seminars 02:51 as we approach the Sabbath hours. 02:53 May our hearts be in tune with Jesus. 02:56 May we hear from You. 02:57 But more than that 02:59 may we put into practice 03:01 those things that we know to be right, 03:03 so that we can be like Christ Jesus. 03:05 And we thank You, dear Father, in Jesus' name. 03:08 Amen and Amen. 03:10 Wanna take this opportunity 03:11 to introduce our special music for the day 03:15 and it is indeed special. 03:16 Steve Darmody has been given 03:19 a particular gift from the Lord, 03:20 a smooth dulcet baritone voice that we all love to hear. 03:24 And so we present to you now, Steve Darmody. 03:34 Scripture says, "Eye hath not seen, 03:37 nor ear hath heard, 03:39 the glories that the Lord has prepared for us 03:42 at heavenly places. 03:44 It's good for us to think about those things from time to time, 03:46 isn't it? 03:57 As I see the marks of sin 04:02 I feel a sadness 04:05 But there's a thought 04:07 That always brings a sweet release 04:13 Soon our Savior will appear 04:18 That day is drawing near 04:22 When tears, trials, heartaches all will cease 04:32 Oh, how wonderful 04:36 Heaven will be 04:41 To be with Jesus 04:44 Throughout eternity 04:50 No earthly thing can compare 04:55 To what is waiting for us there 05:03 Oh, how wonderful 05:08 Heaven will be 05:24 Oh, just think of all the countless joys of heaven 05:32 A better land, a better life 05:35 Than we could know 05:40 We will be forever safe 05:45 Through His forgiving grace 05:49 This gift is ours because 05:54 He loves us so 05:59 Oh, how wonderful 06:03 Heaven will be 06:07 To be with Jesus 06:10 Throughout eternity 06:15 No earthly thing can compare 06:21 To what is waiting for us there 06:30 Oh, how wonderful 06:35 Heaven will be 06:39 Oh, how wonderful 06:44 Heaven will be 06:49 To be with Jesus 06:53 Throughout eternity 06:58 No earthly thing can compare 07:05 To what is waiting for us there 07:16 Oh, how wonderful 07:22 Heaven will be 07:31 Oh, how wonderful 07:37 Heaven 07:41 Will be 08:10 Well done. 08:13 I beg your indulgence for this particular sitting. 08:18 I'm going to give you the digest of some things 08:20 that have been occurring to me. 08:22 And every now and again 08:25 you run across a little something 08:26 in the Word of God that just sort of tantalizes you 08:29 and you begin researching 08:31 and you start off with one mindset 08:33 and as you research 08:34 your understanding of the subject 08:37 grows and perhaps changes and evolves. 08:40 So I give you the right 08:42 even now that at the end of this 08:45 if you disagree you can flog me, 08:49 excoriate me, 08:52 do that which seem as good in your eyes 08:55 because as I said, this is it's something 08:57 that I'm playing with that is developing in my mind. 09:03 I'm, have often said 09:04 I don't have favorite anything's. 09:06 I don't have favorite texts. 09:07 I don't have favorite colors. 09:09 I don't have favorite foods. 09:12 I don't have a favorite of anything. 09:13 And people say, "What's your favorite Bible text." 09:14 I don't have one. 09:16 What I have are texts that are sort of hot for me 09:20 at that point in time. 09:22 You know, I have a text that is really exciting 09:24 at that point in my life. 09:26 And then maybe a month later, I get a new, 09:28 exciting text, you know, 09:29 and then that's my text for a couple of months 09:31 and I find another text. 09:32 So I don't have a one favorite text. 09:34 I have dozens of texts which have meant a lot to me 09:37 at a particular point in time. 09:39 Then I move on to another text, 09:40 you know, when I first started out, 09:42 Joshua 1:9, "Have I not commanded thee? 09:44 Be strong and of a good courage, 09:45 be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed, 09:47 for the Lord thy God is with thee 09:48 whithersoever thou goest." 09:49 That was my hot text for about two years. 09:52 And then I ran into John 16:33, 09:55 "These things I have spoken unto you, 09:56 that in me ye might have peace. 09:58 In the world ye shall have tribulation, 09:59 but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world." 10:01 That lasted for about a month or two. 10:02 Then I ran into Micah 6:8, "He hath showed thee, 10:04 O man, what is good, 10:05 and what doth the Lord require of thee, 10:07 but to do justly, love mercy, walk humbly with thy God?" 10:09 That went in and out for four or five years. 10:11 And right now I don't really have a favorite text. 10:13 But I do have a passage that I'm kind of stuck on. 10:16 And that's what I wanna talk to you about today 10:18 with your indulgence. 10:22 Paul said in 1 Corinthians 7:6, 10:24 "That he was speaking by permission, 10:26 and not commandment." 10:29 So I'm speaking by permission, not commandment. 10:32 This is just something that's in my heart 10:34 that we want to talk about. 10:36 I'm gonna ask you to turn with me 10:38 if you will to 2 Kings Chapter 2. 10:40 We're going to take a look at the life of really 10:46 one of the individuals that I am coming to understand 10:49 is one of the greatest of the Old Testament figures, 10:54 but is a little enigmatic, 10:57 and not really preached about too much. 10:59 But he is a fantastic guy. 11:04 And his name is Elisha. 11:07 2 Kings 2:9. 11:24 You know, the Lord is so kind, I forgot my glasses. 11:27 But I did pick up my big print Bible. 11:30 So I sort of compensates, you know, 11:32 'cause if I had my regular Bible, 11:33 we'd be in trouble. 11:35 But I got though my big print Bible. 11:38 So we praise the Lord. 11:39 Father, God, we just thank You again for Your Word, 11:41 and ask that You would feed us with Your Word 11:45 and give us an understanding of Your will for our lives. 11:48 And help us to walk in Your will and way. 11:50 And we thank You in Jesus' name. 11:52 Amen. 11:53 2 Kings 2:9, 11:56 "And so it was," and I'm reading from the... 11:59 This is my New King James. 12:02 "And so it was, when they had crossed over, 12:05 that Elijah said to Elisha, 12:09 'Ask! 12:10 What I may do for you, 12:12 before I am taken away from you?' 12:15 Elisha said, 12:17 'Please let a double portion of your spirit be upon me.'" 12:26 We tend to think of this particular incidents 12:32 as the high point in the life of Elisha 12:38 and his ministry. 12:41 After all, 12:43 what better could anyone ask for 12:49 than a double portion of the Holy Spirit? 12:54 If you look at the multitude of requests 12:58 that could have been asked, 13:02 you'll get much better 13:05 than asking for a double portion of the Holy Spirit. 13:07 Wouldn't you think? 13:10 Elijah was such a holy man 13:17 that we know he was taken to heaven. 13:21 Elisha was such a holy man 13:26 that we know he had part of at least two resurrections. 13:34 Elisha holds the singular position 13:39 of being the first, 13:42 the last, 13:44 and the only man 13:47 to raise someone from the dead 13:52 after he was dead. 13:56 You find that nowhere else in the Bible. 13:59 He raised someone from the dead while he was alive. 14:04 He raised someone from the dead 14:07 after he was dead. 14:12 Let me show you something. 14:14 You're in 2 Kings, back up to 2 Kings Chapter 4. 14:17 This is part of that very first resurrection. 14:20 Resurrection, you remember the story of Elijah 14:22 and the Shunammite woman. 14:25 The Bible says she was a very great woman 14:27 who did a very kind act for him. 14:29 She basically built a room in her house for him 14:32 so that he could rest during his travels. 14:35 It's a wonderful story. 14:37 She took care of him. 14:38 She put a chair, a lamp, a table, 14:40 so that while he was traveling back and forth, 14:42 he could relax there. 14:44 She, her husband, and her son, and she was so kind, 14:47 she was childless. 14:48 And we find that as sort of a reward 14:50 for acts of kindness, 14:52 God allowed her in her advanced age to have a son. 14:56 It's a beautiful story. 14:58 The son is raised. 14:59 He's a young man, he goes out to the field 15:01 and evidently suffers some sort of heat stroke, 15:04 something happens to him. 15:06 He cries about his head, 15:07 he is taken back to the house 15:09 and almost immediately she sits by aside 15:11 and watches her son die. 15:14 It's a very tragic story. 15:17 What is interesting though, 15:18 is that which is found in 2 Kings 4:22-23, 15:25 I don't wanna go there just a moment. 15:28 2 Kings 4:22-23. 15:35 Her son dies. 15:37 And, of course, she's troubled. 15:39 She has the boy taken upstairs to Elisha's room, 15:43 placed upon the bed. 15:45 Then she calls the servant and says, 15:47 "Get a donkey ready, 15:49 got to go find the man of God." 15:50 Now here's what the story is very interesting 15:51 'cause her husband says, 15:53 and if you got the story in verse 22, 15:54 her husband says, 15:56 "Then she called to her husband, and said, 15:57 'Please send me one of the young men 15:59 and one of the donkeys 16:00 that I may run to the man of God 16:02 and come back.' 16:05 So he said," that is husband, that is her husband, 16:08 "Why are you going to him today?" 16:11 Why are you gonna see the prophet for? 16:13 "It is neither the New Moon nor the Sabbath.' 16:17 "So there's no feasts going on, no special gathering. 16:20 "And she said, 'It is well.'" 16:24 Now this is a testament, ladies and gentlemen, 16:26 to the faith of that woman. 16:29 Her son, her only son is lying upstairs dead. 16:34 Her husband in effect says, "What's going on?" 16:37 What's her response? 16:39 It's well. 16:41 Everything is okay. 16:43 The boy's upstairs dead. 16:47 But she says, 16:49 "It's okay." 16:51 So either she is in shock 16:54 and has lost her mind. 16:57 Or she knows something... 17:02 or she knows someone. 17:07 It's a powerful statement. 17:11 Your only child, your child of later years, 17:15 your miracle baby lies dead in the house. 17:20 And she can say to her husband, 17:22 it is well. 17:27 "When peace like a river, 17:30 attendeth my way, 17:33 when sorrows like sea billows roll, 17:39 whatever my lot, thou has taught me to say, 17:43 it is well. 17:51 "That song was written as you well know 17:53 by Horatio G. Spafford. 17:57 Himself an interesting story. 18:01 In 1871, his son died mysteriously. 18:07 Teenage boy just died. 18:10 Later that same year, 18:12 his business was destroyed by the Chicago Fire, 18:17 totally wiped out. 18:20 Two years later, 18:24 he puts his wife and four girls on a ship 18:27 to go to England. 18:30 He intends to join them a few weeks later, 18:33 but he sends them on ahead. 18:36 About two days out of England, 18:38 the ship is struck by another ship. 18:41 His wife sends him a cable saved alone. 18:48 All four of his girls dead. 18:53 So in two years time, 18:54 he loses his son, 18:57 he loses his business, 18:59 he loses his four daughters. 19:02 And on the way over to collect his wife, 19:08 he writes this song. 19:11 He pens this on November 22. 19:15 "Though Satan should buffett, 19:18 though trials should come, 19:22 let this blest 19:25 assurance control, 19:30 that Christ has regarded my helpless estate, 19:33 and has shed His own blood for my soul, 19:38 it is well." 19:44 Business destroyed, 19:46 five children dead, 19:49 it is well with my soul. 19:54 You see, God's got to honor faith like that. 19:59 Somewhere in heaven there is respect for a person 20:02 who will hold on to the promises of God 20:04 when all seems black, 20:06 and bleak, and helpless, and hopeless. 20:10 Heavens got to honor your faith. 20:15 So Elisha goes to the house, closes the door, 20:17 you know the story, 20:19 stretches itself out upon the little boy. 20:22 The Bible says, eyes touch eyes, 20:24 cheeks touch cheeks, nose touch his nose, 20:26 chest touch his chest, arms touch his arm. 20:29 And he lays on that child and praise to God. 20:38 And the Bible says, "His flesh gets warm." 20:44 And then Elisha leaves. 20:47 Elisha walks around the house. 20:52 This is outer scene never seen in the Bible, 20:54 walks around the house, goes back upstairs, 20:56 lays on the child again. 20:59 Praise, 21:02 and then the Bible says, "The boy sneezes seven times." 21:07 Elisha says, "Go call your mother, 21:09 he's fine." 21:16 Later on in Chapter 13, 21:18 a band of Moabites are raiding a Jewish funeral. 21:23 And the funeral is thrown into panic 21:26 because the Moabites are coming. 21:30 And Elisha is dead. 21:35 And they've got this body. 21:37 And they don't know what to do with the body 21:39 because they want to get away from the Moabites. 21:43 And so they see a hole in the ground 21:45 and they say you know what, 21:47 let's just throw this body in this hole 21:48 and run for our lives. 21:51 And that's precisely what they do. 21:53 But they don't know 21:54 that the hole is the open grave of Elisha. 22:01 So they tossed the body in the hole 22:04 and head for the hills. 22:08 And the Bible says, 22:09 "When the body comes in contact with the bones of Elisha, 22:15 the dead man stands up." 22:25 It's a resurrection of a dead man 22:28 resurrecting a dead man. 22:32 Now I don't know about you. 22:36 But if I throw a body in a hole, 22:39 and he stands up... 22:46 it's time to either pray or run. 22:50 Yeah. 22:52 Or maybe pray and run. 22:58 But Elisha holds that singular state distinction 23:02 of raising people from the dead 23:04 before and after he himself was dead. 23:09 If you want to read a powerful ministry, 23:12 it is the ministry of Elisha. 23:17 But I beg your indulgence 23:18 because none of this is my real burden. 23:22 My burden comes from 1 Kings 19:19. 23:26 And this is what got me started on this whole study of Elisha. 23:29 1 Kings 19:19. 23:38 The Bible says this. 23:40 "So he departed from there, 23:43 and found Elisha," 23:44 this he, of course, is Elijah, 23:46 "the son of Shaphat, 23:48 who was plowing with twelve yoke of oxen 23:51 before him, 23:53 and he was with the twelfth. 23:56 Then Elijah passed by him 23:59 and threw his mantle on him." 24:04 There is an interesting hermeneutical device 24:06 that students of the Bible know. 24:09 It is called the theology of the first mentioned. 24:14 Simply means that 24:16 when the Bible first mentions a person, 24:20 take note of that first mention 24:23 because usually the Bible will give you clues 24:26 to his character 24:28 that will shape his entire life. 24:31 So whenever you first are introduced 24:33 to a Bible character, take note of the first time 24:35 you run into that person 24:37 because the Bible tells you something about him 24:39 that will stick with him throughout his life. 24:43 Elisha came from a very wealthy family. 24:49 He came in a time 24:51 when Israel was in the grips of rampant apostasy. 24:57 We know the story of Elijah, 25:00 and how God said 25:02 there are still 7000 who are faithful to me, 25:05 and who have not bowed their knee to Baal. 25:08 Elisha's family was one of those 7000. 25:12 He was a godly son from a godly father, 25:17 who lived in a godless age 25:20 in the days of Ahab and Jezebel. 25:24 Which says to me that, you know, 25:26 we can indeed be in the world, but not of the world. 25:29 Just because it's happening out there 25:32 doesn't have to happen in here. 25:34 We can still be salt and light in a godless age. 25:38 And that's what Shaphat, Elisha's dad was. 25:42 His heart, his mind was fixed on God 25:45 and he had passed these things on to his son. 25:48 But let's look at this rather odd little text 25:50 because it tells us a lot about Elisha. 25:52 The Bible says, 25:54 "He was plowing with twelve yoke of oxen." 25:57 Now yoke of oxen, of course, is 2 25:59 so we're talking about 24 oxen on the yoke. 26:03 That's impressive of itself. 26:05 Because if you look at most of the pictures 26:07 of the ancient near east, 26:08 you see a person plowing usually, 26:10 they're lucky to have one ox, 26:13 let alone a yoke of oxen. 26:15 He's got 12 yoke of oxen, which means 24 oxen, 26:19 so that bespeaks a wealthy family. 26:21 If you have a plough 26:23 and got 24 animals in front of you, 26:26 you got money. 26:29 But the key to Elisha's mindset 26:32 is found at the end of that verse, 26:34 the Bible says, "And he was with the twelfth." 26:39 It's a very important line. 26:41 In other words, 26:44 Elisha was on the oxen side of the yoke 26:47 pulling with the oxen. 26:51 Now did he have to do that? 26:53 No. 26:54 The fact that he's got 24 oxen means 26:56 he's a wealthy young man. 26:59 He probably you could have hired, 27:00 in fact, Ellen White says, 27:02 "He could have hired a servant to do this." 27:04 If you got enough money to afford 24 oxen, 27:08 that's like, you know, 27:10 now that I've come to Southern Illinois, 27:11 I understand what a John Deere tractor is. 27:15 I didn't know who John Deere was, 27:17 I thought he is an evangelist. 27:18 I don't know John Deere was. 27:21 But I've come to understand that a John Deere tractor 27:23 is a top of the line tractor. 27:26 They're green and yellow, you can always identify them. 27:29 And if you've got a John Deere tractor, 27:31 you've got an excellent tractor. 27:34 Well, having 24 oxen is like having a John Deere tractor. 27:38 But Elisha is on the oxen side, 27:42 he was with the twelfth. 27:45 He could have been behind, 27:47 or he could have been in the house 27:49 but he's on the oxen side of the load. 27:51 He's pulling the load with the oxen. 27:56 That shows the kind of young man he is. 27:57 One, he's faithful. 28:00 Two, he's attentive. 28:04 Three, he does what needs to be done. 28:10 And all of that is in couch in that one little verse, 28:12 "He was with the twelfth." 28:15 And it's those characteristics, ladies and gentlemen, 28:17 that stayed with Elisha throughout his life 28:20 and made him worthy 28:23 to be a disciple of God. 28:25 And to be a follower of the great Elijah. 28:31 "He was with the twelfth." 28:32 It is a statement of his character. 28:34 Ellen White says, Spirit of Prophecy, 28:36 I'm reading Patriarchs and Prophets, page 222. 28:39 "It was no great work 28:41 that was at first required of Elisha, 28:45 commonplace duties still constituted his discipline. 28:49 He is spoken of 28:50 as pouring water on the hands of Elijah, 28:52 his master." 28:54 Menial task. 28:55 "He was willing to do anything that the Lord directed, 28:59 and at every step he learned the lessons of humility 29:03 and service." 29:05 You see, my thesis is, 29:08 it's not your ability 29:09 that makes you great in the eyes of God, 29:12 it's your humility. 29:15 And ability without humility is of no use 29:19 to the kingdom of God. 29:22 But humility, 29:24 combined with ability makes you a powerful tool 29:27 in the hand of God. 29:29 "As the prophet's personal attendant, 29:32 he continued to prove faithful in the little things, 29:38 with daily strengthening purpose 29:40 he devoted himself to the mission 29:42 God had appointed him." 29:43 He didn't become a healer of the dead overnight. 29:46 He started with the little things. 29:47 Elijah said, "Get me some water to wash my hands." 29:49 He did it. 29:51 Little things. 29:52 So many times, we're waiting for big things 29:54 to do for the Lord, 29:55 waiting for big missions to come along. 29:57 And God says do what's right in front of you, 30:01 do what's right at your hand. 30:02 You're worried about the people over in Asia and Africa. 30:05 And there's somebody right next door 30:06 who needs to know about Jesus. 30:09 Do what's right in front of you. 30:11 The ministry of Elisha was a type of Christ. 30:16 Look at the record of his walk with God. 30:19 You've got the boys and a two she bears, 30:21 remember that story? 30:22 Where they were teasing him evidently as a very young man 30:25 he was bald. 30:27 Bless his heart. 30:30 And they teased him, 30:32 42 young men came out and teased him. 30:34 And the Bible says, 30:35 "Two she bears came out 30:37 and destroyed those 42 young men." 30:40 Then he had the school of the prophets. 30:42 Then at Gilgo, he cured, 30:44 you know, they had this story about this porridge. 30:47 And life was kind of tough. 30:50 So somebody went out and grabbed a lot of herbs 30:52 and threw them in a pot and made a stew 30:54 didn't realize he put some poison stuff in there 30:56 they're just about halfway finished eating 30:58 and they realized this stuff is poison. 31:01 And they went to Elisha and he cured them all. 31:05 Then, of course, you got the famous story with Naaman 31:08 that is Elisha. 31:11 Then he faced down at Jezebel 31:14 and Ben-Hadad. 31:18 Blindness on the army of Ben-Hadad, 31:20 remember that story? 31:22 The Syrians came in. 31:24 Elisha played 31:27 the Lord blind them all. 31:29 Elisha went out and said, "Listen, follow me. 31:31 You're blind. Just follow me. 31:33 I'll take you where you supposed to be." 31:35 So they followed him right into the middle of the city. 31:39 And, of course, the king is saying, 31:41 "Can I kill them now? 31:42 Can I kill them now? Can I kill them now? 31:43 Can I kill them now?" 31:45 And Elisha says, "We're not gonna kill these men, 31:46 we're gonna feed them, 31:48 pray for them, and send them back home." 31:52 Then story of the floating ax head. 31:54 Just a little story tucked in there, 31:56 fellow borrows an ax head from a neighbor. 31:58 He's chopping down wood. 31:59 The ax head breaks off of the stick, 32:02 sinks to the bottom of the well. 32:03 And the guy says, "Oh, my goodness, 32:04 it's not mine, I borrow this." 32:07 Elisha throws in a stick, a piece of iron, 32:10 the iron ax head floats to the top of the surface. 32:16 There is this long and impressive series of acts 32:20 that Elisha did 32:22 that accrue from the fact that as a child, 32:25 he was faithful to God. 32:28 Now this is very important 32:30 because Ellen White says of Elisha, 32:34 "That he got a double portion of the spirit 32:37 that rested on Elijah. 32:40 Now to realize what that meant." 32:44 We are also told 32:46 that from the days of Moses, 32:49 there was no prophet greater then Elijah. 32:54 Elijah was the greatest thing since Moses. 32:59 Ellen White says of Moses, 33:02 "As philosopher, statesmen, 33:04 general, legislator, poet, 33:07 and intellectual, 33:09 Moses was without fear." 33:12 There was nobody in the history of the Israeli economy 33:16 who was greater than Moses. 33:21 Elijah was equal to Moses. 33:25 Elisha was twice Elijah. 33:29 You follow that? 33:32 Moses, the greatest. 33:33 Elijah equal, Elisha twice 33:38 the greatest. 33:40 Now this is important 33:41 because Moses is in heaven. 33:47 Elijah is in heaven. 33:51 And yet Moses and Elijah as great as they were 33:55 both had major lapses in their relationship with God. 33:59 I want you to follow me. 34:03 Numbers 20:8, 34:05 "Moses is instructed to speak to the rock." 34:10 Why? 34:11 Because the rock represented Christ. 34:17 The symbolism is, 34:19 when you want something from Jesus, 34:22 you don't have to cut yourself. 34:24 You don't have to bleed. 34:26 You don't have to suffer. 34:27 You'll just ask. 34:29 Amen. 34:32 He is more willing to give you good gifts 34:34 than your earthly parents. 34:36 So if you want something from him, 34:38 ask him. 34:40 But Moses in anger did what? 34:43 Struck the rock 34:45 and from that act, God said, "You can't go over 34:50 because you misrepresented Me." 34:52 Seems like a little thing but it was a big thing, 34:55 big enough to keep Moses out of the Promised Land. 34:58 But praise God not big enough to keep him out of heaven. 35:02 So Moses has this major lapse. 35:06 Elijah, as great as he is 35:09 also had a major lapse. 35:12 Stares down, faces down, 35:15 250 men... 35:21 and one little woman. 35:29 All day fighting 250 men, no problem. 35:33 One woman bless his heart, 35:38 wrote him hastily scrawled note. 35:40 She said, "You killed 250 of my men, 35:43 by the end of the day, 35:45 one of us is gonna be like those 250 men, 35:47 and it's not gonna be me." 35:52 And the Bible says he turned tail and ran 35:55 and hid in the cave. 35:57 And God had to track him down and say, 35:58 "What doest thou here?" 36:04 So Moses and Elijah both had major lapses 36:09 in their relationship with God. 36:15 But Ellen White says, 36:16 "Elisha proved himself a faithful steward 36:19 as a young man. 36:21 And those habits served him throughout his entire life. 36:26 And he never ever lost 36:31 his faith in God." 36:35 Did you hear me? 36:37 Throughout his entire ministry, 36:40 you never see a lapse in faith, 36:43 never. 36:46 Not one. 36:48 There was never a time when he stepped back, 36:53 when he should have been going forward. 36:56 When his faith lapsed, 36:59 when he should have had strong faith. 37:01 You see, ladies and gentlemen, Luke 16:10 says, 37:04 "He that is faithful in little things 37:06 will be faithful in much." 37:12 So why did the Lord give him 37:13 a double portion of the Holy Spirit? 37:16 Because God could trust him 37:19 with a double portion of the Holy Spirit. 37:22 If God couldn't trust him, 37:24 he'd never got it. 37:27 Now I'm heading somewhere, I want you to stick with me 37:28 in these last 19 minutes. 37:33 There are only two times 37:35 that I can recall in the Old Testament 37:36 when God either directly or through someone else said, 37:41 "Anything you want, you can have." 37:46 That's impressive. 37:48 It's also kind of frightening. 37:51 God came to you and said, "Anything you want. 37:54 Name it, you got it." 37:57 What would you ask for? 38:00 The first time it happened was in 1 Kings 3:9-13. 38:04 We better turn there, 1 Kings 3:9-13. 38:07 God came to Solomon and said, 38:11 "Solomon, tell me what you want? 38:14 Get it for you. 38:15 I'll give it to you." 38:16 1 Kings 3:9. 1 Kings 3:9. 38:21 Let me get that real fast. 1 Kings 3:9. 38:30 1 Kings 3:9. 38:36 "Therefore give Your servant 38:38 an understanding heart to judge Your people, 38:41 that I may discern between good and evil. 38:44 For who is able to judge this great people of Yours?" 38:51 Solomon, ask God for wisdom. 38:55 It's not bad. 38:57 Amen. 39:00 And then verse 10 says, 39:02 "The speech pleased the Lord." 39:07 God was impressed with that. 39:09 "That Solomon had asked this thing. 39:11 Then God said to him, 39:12 'Because you have asked this thing, 39:14 and have not asked for long life for yourself, 39:18 or riches for yourself, 39:21 or the life of your enemies, 39:23 but have asked for understanding, 39:25 behold, I've done according to your words." 39:27 And if you read the rest of the text, it says, 39:29 best I'm gonna give you all you didn't ask for. 39:31 You ask for wisdom, you didn't ask for money, 39:34 gonna give you that. 39:35 You didn't ask for a long life. 39:36 I'll give you that just as a bonus 39:38 because I liked what you said here. 39:41 Now I'd hope if God would come to me 39:43 that would be that discerning 39:46 'cause I have months 39:47 when I've got more months than bills, 39:49 you know, 39:51 and this month you get a penny, 39:53 this month you get a penny, this month you get nothing, 39:55 I hold due to next month, I have that. 39:57 And I hope that I have enough God in me 39:59 to say, Lord, even though my money is short, 40:02 and I'm really short on things, 40:05 give me wisdom 40:09 to live for you 40:12 because that pleased God. 40:16 Now let's look at Elijah's response 40:20 to Elisha's request. 40:22 If asking for wisdom, 40:24 please God, 40:26 then certainly asking 40:28 for a double portion of the Holy Spirit 40:29 ought to be a good thing. 40:31 Wouldn't you think? 40:33 So let's go back to 2 Kings 40:37 2:9. 40:41 2 Kings 2:9. 40:50 Okay. 40:52 "And so it was, 40:53 when they had crossed over, 40:55 that Elijah said to Elisha, 'Ask! 40:57 What I may do for you, 40:59 before I'm taken away from you?' 41:00 Elisha said, 41:01 'Please let a double portion of your spirit be upon me.'" 41:06 Now look at the response. 41:08 "And so he said, 41:10 You have asked a hard thing." 41:15 Excuse me. 41:20 What kind of response is that? 41:25 Solomon asked for wisdom. 41:29 And God was happy. 41:32 Elijah asked for a double portion of the Holy Spirit 41:36 and his response is, that's a hard thing. 41:41 What kind of response is that? 41:45 Hard on who? 41:52 Do you think it's hard for God 41:53 to give a double portion of the Holy Spirit? 41:58 Jeremiah 32:17, 42:00 this was one of my former favorite text, 42:02 where it basically says, 42:04 "Our Lord God, you are in the heavens, 42:07 and we are here on the earth. 42:09 And the operative line is, 42:10 and there is nothing too hard for Thee." 42:15 So is it hard for God 42:17 to give a double portion of the Holy Spirit? 42:20 Of course, not. 42:22 God can do what He wishes. 42:29 The same God who made him can remake him. 42:33 So it's not hard for God. 42:36 Was it hard for Elijah 42:38 to give a double portion of Holy Spirit? 42:42 No, 'cause it wasn't his to give. 42:47 John 3:8 talks about the spirit goes where it wills, 42:50 you know, the wind blows where it wills 42:52 and you can hear the sound of it, 42:54 but you cannot tell where it's coming 42:56 or where it's going. 42:57 The spirit is God. 42:59 If the spirit wants to go to a person in double measure, 43:02 is that an issue? 43:03 Is that a problem? 43:05 No. 43:07 So it wasn't Elijah's to give, 43:10 the spirit would move in answer to Elijah's request. 43:15 And if the spirit didn't want to go, 43:18 there is nothing Elijah could do to make it go. 43:23 The Holy Spirit is gone. 43:29 We don't control the spirit, 43:31 Spirit controls us. 43:35 So Elisha couldn't make the spirit go, 43:37 unless Elijah was willing to accept it. 43:42 So it wasn't hard on God, 43:45 wasn't hard on Elijah, 43:48 who was it hard on? 43:50 The recipient. 43:54 It was gonna be hard on Elisha. 43:58 You see, brothers and sisters, 44:00 sometimes you ought to be careful 44:01 what you ask for. 44:07 If you ask for a double portion of the Holy Spirit, 44:10 you are asking for double accountability, 44:14 double responsibility, 44:17 double weight, 44:20 double watching, 44:22 double waiting, 44:24 and double working. 44:27 All of that comes with a double portion of the Holy Spirit. 44:32 You don't get the spirit to just say I got the spirit. 44:39 You get the spirit, 44:40 so that you can be a more effective tool 44:43 in the hands of God 44:45 for the salvation of the souls of men. 44:49 God expects more of those who got more, 44:54 if God gives you more, 44:56 He's gonna require more. 44:59 So when you ask for a double portion of the Holy Spirit, 45:02 you are covenanting with God, 45:05 I'm gonna work harder. 45:08 I'm gonna live dare I say, writer. 45:13 I'm going to do more. 45:16 I am not going to waste the Spirit of God in my life. 45:20 So with a double portion comes double responsibility. 45:26 God's gonna judge you a little harder, 45:28 you know, God's gonna look at those of us 45:31 who claim to be Seventh-day Adventist 45:32 with a little finer tooth comb... 45:38 than those who are not 45:41 because you know more. 45:44 And when you know more, 45:45 you ought to be better. 45:48 Amen. 45:50 Used to aggravate my soul. 45:51 My mother always said to me, 45:53 your brother's younger than you, 45:54 he doesn't know but you know better. 45:58 And that was her rationale for taken off the bill, 46:00 you know, I'm going through all those changes 46:02 we had to go through. 46:03 You're older you know more. 46:04 Well, you know more because you got more. 46:09 Elisha proved long before he got that double portion, 46:15 when he was out there with those oxen 46:17 pulling that plough, 46:19 that he was humble, 46:21 and that he could be trusted with the weight of having 46:25 a double portion of the Spirit of God. 46:30 But listen to what he said about Elijah. 46:33 "He upon whom had fallen in full measure the spirit 46:36 resting upon Elijah, 46:38 had proved faithful to the end. 46:41 Never had he wavered. 46:43 Never had he lost his trust, 46:44 never had he lost his power in omnipotence. 46:47 Always, when the way before him seemed utterly closed, 46:51 he had still advanced by faith, 46:53 and God had honored his confidence 46:55 and opened the way before him." 46:57 Elijah never lost 46:59 his faith in God. 47:04 Moses was a great man. 47:06 Elijah was a great man. 47:09 But Elisha, 47:11 a great man who made no retreat. 47:17 In 2 Kings 13:14... 47:23 we are given just a glimpse into his later life. 47:30 Moses, great man, great leader, 47:33 one mistake, heaven. 47:36 Elijah, great man, great leader, 47:39 one mistake, heaven. 47:42 Elisha, great man, great leader, 47:46 no mistakes, heaven. 47:49 No. 47:56 The text that I just alluded to says simply, 47:59 "He became sick of the illness 48:02 of which he eventually died." 48:05 We have to go to the Spirit of Prophecy 48:07 to find out what that actually means. 48:10 This great man of God 48:13 suffered a long 48:17 and protracted illness. 48:21 He wasn't whisked away to heaven in a fiery chariot. 48:25 He wasn't called to sleep quietly 48:27 and then escorted to heaven as Moses was. 48:30 He suffered a lingering, 48:33 Ellen White says, death. 48:37 Now the question you may ask yourself is why? 48:39 Why would God do that to him? 48:43 Moses made a big mistake. 48:46 He made it. 48:48 Elijah, let Jezebel, 48:52 turn his knees to jelly. 48:54 He made it. 48:56 Elisha never lost his faith in God. 48:59 Why didn't he make it? 49:02 And why a long 49:05 suffering illness before he died? 49:09 Now this is my thesis. 49:12 This is where we step into out of command 49:16 and go into just being allowed 49:19 to say something 'cause it's on my heart. 49:22 It occurs to me, ladies and gentlemen, 49:26 that in this last day, 49:30 there are going to be those 49:34 who are called to suffer for Jesus. 49:40 And that call will only come to those 49:45 who have enough 49:47 Holy Spirit 49:51 to hold on to Jesus 49:53 and glorify Him in suffering. 49:58 I want to say that again 50:00 because it's not something that hits the air correct. 50:04 I think in these last days, 50:06 that there will be a very few 50:09 who God will trust 50:11 and I use that term with suffering, 50:16 for their salvation, 50:18 and for His glory. 50:20 And God will give to that faithful few, 50:24 the Holy Spirit in measure 50:27 to allow them to glorify Him in suffering. 50:33 And if you look at the lives 50:34 of all the truly great men in the Bible, 50:40 all of them had times 50:42 when their faith was tested through suffering. 50:47 Elijah, we are told was a type of Christ. 50:52 And he suffered as the Christ. 50:57 My very first hospital visit 51:00 at the Ephesus Church was a lady 51:02 by the name of Kathleen Downs. 51:05 She was in Calvary Hospital in the Bronx, New York. 51:08 She's 5'6" about 140 pounds 51:11 when she went into the hospital. 51:12 By the time I got to see her, she was 5'6", 87 pounds. 51:20 Dying with cancer. 51:22 Her doctor told me this woman is in excruciating pain. 51:28 But she refuses to take medication. 51:31 And she spends her days singing about Jesus. 51:36 She was the talk of the entire hospital. 51:40 At her funeral, 51:43 the entire floor except for the nurse 51:46 that had to be on station came to that funeral. 51:50 They said we've never met a woman like that. 51:55 And we have to be in the church 51:57 that teaches whatever she's got 52:01 'cause she has got something that we want. 52:06 My first three baptisms 52:10 at the Ephesus Church were two nurses, 52:15 and an orderly that had attended Kathleen Downs. 52:20 Now here's my point, 52:21 could they have been brought to God 52:23 without her being sick? 52:25 Of course, they could. 52:27 But she was sick. 52:29 And she did have a relationship with God. 52:31 And God use that circumstance to bring three people to Jesus, 52:37 who may not have come otherwise. 52:40 And I am saying there are certain people 52:43 who God can trust with suffering. 52:48 God can't trust everybody with suffering 52:51 because some of you when you suffer, 52:52 you gonna curse God. 52:57 And some will bless God 52:59 and will say, "Though He slay me, 53:03 yet will I trust Him." 53:09 Not an easy thing. 53:12 But with great gifts come great responsibility. 53:16 If you want a double portion of the spirit, 53:17 then you better be ready and able to suffer for God. 53:23 Because the day you give your heart to Jesus, 53:24 you gonna pick up one enemy. 53:27 And he's gonna stay with you to the day you die. 53:30 You know, Ellen White, and my time is running out. 53:36 I'm in Testimonies, volume 1. 53:37 And if you get a chance, you need to read this. 53:39 This is very interesting. 53:41 When the Lord gave her mission, 53:43 and said, "You're gonna stand before kings, 53:44 you're gonna be the leader 53:46 of one of the co-founders of a movement 53:49 that is gonna usher in the Second Coming of Christ." 53:51 And she said, 53:52 "One of the great fears I'm in Testimonies, 53:54 first volume, Testimonies, pages 64 and 65. 53:59 "One of the great fears that oppressed me was 54:02 that if I obeyed the call of duty, 54:04 and went out declaring myself as one favored of God, 54:08 one favored of the Most High with visions 54:10 and revelations for the people, 54:12 I might yield to sinful, 54:14 to the sin of exaltation 54:17 and be lifted above the station." 54:19 Bet she's saying, 54:21 "My fear was 54:22 that I'm gonna get big headed and proud." 54:25 "I now entreated that if I must go 54:28 and relate what the Lord had shown me, 54:31 I should be preserved from undue exaltation." 54:36 Lord, I don't wanna be puffed up. 54:38 I don't wanna get a big head on. 54:40 Think a lot of myself, Lord, you got to keep me from this. 54:44 "Said the angel, 54:47 'Your prayers are heard 54:49 and shall be answered. 54:51 If this evil that you dread threatens you, 54:56 the hand of God will be stretched out to save you, 55:02 by affliction." 55:05 Did you hear me? 55:06 "The hand of God will be stretched out 55:09 to save you by affliction, 55:12 He will draw Himself, 55:15 He will draw you rather to Himself 55:17 and preserve your humility. 55:22 Deliver the message faithfully. 55:23 Endure unto the end, 55:25 and you shall eat the fruit of the tree of life 55:28 and drink the water of life.'" 55:31 So it was affliction. 55:34 Ellen White said, "Lord, I don't wanna get puffed up. 55:37 How we gonna keep me humble?" 55:38 And God said, "I'll take care of that. 55:43 I'll keep you humble." 55:45 If you look at her malady 55:46 she was hit in the face with a rock. 55:49 And if you look at the maladies 55:51 that are crude from that one hit, 55:53 its way above 55:54 what a little pop in the nose with a rock 55:56 when she came home. 55:58 When her dad came home two months later, 55:59 he didn't even recognize her. 56:01 She said, "Every feature had been changed." 56:03 Her own father didn't recognize her. 56:05 And throughout her life, there were times 56:07 that Ellen White could not move her body totally frozen, 56:09 except for her fingers. 56:11 They alone could move so she could write the Word of God. 56:13 There were times for weeks, she couldn't talk. 56:15 She stood in the pulpit 56:17 God gave her clarity of speech as she left the death. 56:21 Couldn't speak anymore. 56:24 God said, "Don't worry about it. 56:26 I'm gonna keep you humble through affliction." 56:30 You see, there are only certain ones 56:32 who God can trust with suffering. 56:35 So that He can get the glory. 56:37 Now that say God commends you to a life of suffering. 56:39 I don't think so. 56:42 I think it does say 56:43 and affirm what Paul said. 56:47 In every condition, 56:50 stick with Christ, 56:51 be content, 56:54 know that the Lord is your helper, 56:56 man cannot hurt you, 56:58 and you'll never ever be alone. 57:03 Elisha is worth emulating 57:04 because he never lost his faith in God 57:07 may that be said of each of us this day. |
Revised 2019-08-29