Sermon Tone Analysis

Be a Heavenly Hero

2 Kings 4:8-37 (Initial reading vs. 8-24)

Sermon by Rick Crandall

Grayson Baptist Church - June 23, 2013

*Who is your hero?

-- When I was a little boy, one of my heroes was Roy Rogers, "The King of the Cowboys!"

He was such a good guy, and what a great horse: Trigger!

Roy had those guns that would shoot about a thousand times without reloading!

And Roy always beat the bad guys.

*You can still see Roy Rogers on RFD-TV.

But today's movie-goers are turning out to see the latest version of Superman.

And next month they can see a new version of the Lone Ranger and Tonto.

*Movie and TV heroes get a lot of attention.

But right now the world needs real heroes.

This world needs real heroes as much as it ever has.

And the amazing truth is that we can be heroes for God.

*Of course Elisha is a hero in today's Scripture.

But so is the Godly woman here in the Word of God.

And she helps us understand some important qualities we need to be a hero for God.

1. First: We need to see with spiritual vision.

*We need to see life from a spiritual point of view.

How are you looking at life today?

One of the great things about this woman was that she looked at life from a spiritual point of view.

*We get a glimpse of her spiritual insight in vs. 8-9, where the Bible says:

8. Now it happened one day that Elisha went to Shunem, where there was a notable woman, and she constrained him to eat some food.

So it was, as often as he passed by, that he turned in there to eat some food.

9.

And she said to her husband, "Look now, I know that this is a holy man of God, who passes by us regularly."

*She said, "I know (Or perceive or understand) that Elisha is a holy man of God."

In other words: This lady looked at life from a spiritual point of view.

-She understood the things of God.

-And she cared about the things of God.

*There was a spiritual dimension to her life.

But without God, people's lives are flat.

And many people around us are living two-dimensional lives.

Things may be going great at work or school.

Things may be going great at home and in their health.

They may be on top of their golf game, rolling in the dough, feeling good and looking good.

But there is an emptiness in their lives that only Jesus Christ can fill.

*Jesus died on the cross and rose from the dead, not just so our sins could be forgiven, not just so we could go to Heaven, but so we could have a close, personal relationship with Him right here and right now.

Both in the Old Testament and in the New, God urges us to draw close to Him.

-In 2 Chronicles 7:14, the Lord said: "If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land."

-In 2 Chronicles 12:14, Solomon's son, King Rehoboam "did evil" (and why?), "because he did not prepare his heart to seek the Lord."

-In Psalm 34:8-10, King David pleads with us:

8. Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good; Blessed is the man who trusts in Him!

9. Oh, fear the Lord, you His saints!

There is no want to those who fear Him.

10.

The young lions lack and suffer hunger; But those who seek the Lord shall not lack any good thing.

-And Psalm 105:3-4 says:

3. . .

Let the hearts of those rejoice who seek the Lord.

4. Seek the Lord and His strength; Seek His face evermore.

*And the more we seek the Lord, the more we will see from a spiritual point of view.

We will be more like the Godly woman in vs. 9, who could say: "I perceive that this is a holy man of God, who passes by us regularly."

*Things like that can still happen today.

About 25 years ago, Robert Trey found this out in an unusual way.

This preacher was visiting a family at the funeral home.

And the front pew was filled with family members and friends that he did not know.

*Robert walked down the row introducing himself.

And he came to an elderly black lady who had worked for the family for many years.

She reached up, took his hands, and out of the blue, with deep conviction said: "I perceive that this is a man with the Spirit of God!"

*Robert was shocked, because he wasn't feeling all that spiritual right then.

It was one of those times when chills go all over your body.

(1)

*And things like that are not going to happen every day.

But God surely wants to give us spiritual insight!

And we should be growing so that we can see more of life from a spiritual point of view.

This includes the good things and even the bad things.

God wants us to be able to look at life from a Romans 8:28 point of view.

He wants us to be able to boldly say, "We know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose."

*God wants us to see our world and our lives from His spiritual point of view.

Some of the most challenging words Jesus ever spoke to the church urge us to see with this spiritual sight.

In Revelation 3:14-22, Jesus said:

14. "And to the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write, 'These things says the Amen, the Faithful and True Witness, the Beginning of the creation of God:

15.

I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot.

I could wish you were cold or hot.

16.

So then, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spew you out of My mouth.

17.

Because you say, 'I am rich, have become wealthy, and have need of nothing' and do not know that you are wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked;

18.

I counsel you to buy from Me gold refined in the fire, that you may be rich; and white garments, that you may be clothed, that the shame of your nakedness may not be revealed; and anoint your eyes with eye salve, that you may see.

19.

As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten.

Therefore be zealous and repent.

20.

Behold, I stand at the door and knock.

If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me.

21.

To him who overcomes I will grant to sit with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne.

22.

He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.''

*Jesus tells us to anoint our eyes with eye salve that we may see.

He wants us to see.

And we can be heroes for God, if we will see with spiritual vision.

2. But we also need to give with generosity.

*Here's another great thing about this Godly woman: She generously supported the work of the Lord.

We see her generosity in vs. 8-10:

8. Now it happened one day that Elisha went to Shunem, where there was a notable woman, and she constrained him to eat some food.

So it was, as often as he passed by, that he turned in there to eat some food.

9.

And she said to her husband, "Look now, I know that this is a holy man of God, who passes by us regularly.

10.

Please, let us make a small upper room on the wall; and let us put a bed for him there, and a table and a chair and a lampstand; so it will be, whenever he comes to us, he can turn in there.''

[1] Notice that she gave the right amount.

*She gave the right amount for the need: Both food for Elisha's hunger, and a place for him to stay.

She gave according to the need.

*And she gave according to her ability.

This woman was wealthy, and we know this, because vs. 8 tells us that she was a "notable" woman.

The KJV says she was a "great" woman.

And John Gill said she had "great wealth, riches, kindness and hospitality."

(2)

*The Shunammite woman was wealthy, so she was able to give a lot.