Elisha
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1 Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us,
The Bible admits that it’s hard.
We have these witnesses cheering us on, but the problem is that all we can here is the noise and we are talking about, what it would be like if one of these greats … these giants came out of the stands to encourage us. What would they say?
Today, we are looking at Elisha… not Elijah.
Elijah did not die. He was taken to heaven in a chariot. He was a mighty man who confronted evil and saw 14 miracles. Elijah shows up at the Mount of Transfiguration. He is an important guy… so whay are we talking about Elisha?
We can identify with Elisha. He spent most of his life wondering if his life would count for anything. But later he saw 28 miracles… double that of Elijah. Elisha spent most of his life plowing behind his oxen. What a view of life… the backsides of two Oxen. Probably did not smell too good wither.
He would tell us that he had no idea that he would become like the person, and actually greater than the person he admired… Elijah.
Most of us don’t see ourselves correctly either. We go M-F doing our work and that’s it.
For when you wonder if your life counts...
For when you wonder if your life counts...
Give Your Best Wherever God Puts You.
Give Your Best Wherever God Puts You.
Even when you are working… no matter how mundane it is, God is watching. Elisha would tell you that God is watching you to see if you are faithful so that God can do what he wants in you.
Where ever you are...
Where ever you are...
Give your best in obscurity and God will reward it.
Give your best in obscurity and God will reward it.
God sees it and he will reward you best.
19 So Elijah went and found Elisha son of Shaphat plowing a field. There were twelve teams of oxen in the field, and Elisha was plowing with the twelfth team. Elijah went over to him and threw his cloak across his shoulders and then walked away.
Elisha had 12 teams of oxen… he was rich.
Elijah walked away. For 10 years nothing happened. He lived and worked in obscurity.
4 so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.
Pray in secret
Fast in secret
Give in secret
Elisha would say that until you are ok with working in obscurity, God won’t do bigger things.
Give your best in small things and God will give you bigger things to do.
Give your best in small things and God will give you bigger things to do.
This principle applies to everything in life. work… ownership… Take care of details. Do fewer things but do them with excellence.
21 So Elisha returned to his oxen and slaughtered them. He used the wood from the plow to build a fire to roast their flesh. He passed around the meat to the townspeople, and they all ate. Then he went with Elijah as his assistant.
He went from wealthy to broke and an assistant to Elijah . If you can’t handle the small things, God won’t give you bigger things. Details matter.
ILL - cleaning carpet to managing 100 people.
10 “Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much, and whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much.
Give your best in the natural and God will do the supernatural.
Give your best in the natural and God will do the supernatural.
We have to do what we can do and then God will do what he is going to do.
9 When they had crossed, Elijah said to Elisha, “Tell me, what can I do for you before I am taken from you?” “Let me inherit a double portion of your spirit,” Elisha replied. 10 “You have asked a difficult thing,” Elijah said, “yet if you see me when I am taken from you, it will be yours—otherwise, it will not.”
What would you say if God looked at you and said, What do you want me to do for you?
All Elisha had to do was the natural… ask.
Have you stopped asking God for the big things? Are we insulting God by asking for small things?
All we have to do is ask, and God will do the supernatural. Look at this...
12 Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father. 13 And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. 14 You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it.
Jesus said if we will ask, we will do greater things than he did. How, because when we do the naturalm God does the supernatural.
He would say, don’t stop dreaming big dreams for God. How?
Elisha’s Words of Encouragement.
Elisha’s Words of Encouragement.
1. Learn how to cultivate the presence of God in your life.
1. Learn how to cultivate the presence of God in your life.
3 kings went to fight the king of Moab.
Don’t let the culture influence you. Everything that’s outside of God will fail and all those who are chasing crazy stuff will come back. And we won’t be ugly, we will love them and serve them...
15 But now bring me a harpist.” While the harpist was playing, the hand of the Lord came on Elisha
Elisha knew he had nothing for them until he got close to God and he had to worship to get close to God. When you get to God, God talks to you. Sometimes he talks to you in dreams… WOG…
Dreams are birthed in God’s presence.
Dreams are birthed in God’s presence.
13 When they saw the courage of Peter and John and realized that they were unschooled, ordinary men, they were astonished and they took note that these men had been with Jesus.
The one thing that set them apart for everyone else was that they had been with Jesus.
When people look at you, do they say, he/she has been with Jesus?
Elisha would also say…
2. At some point, you have to wake up and do something.
2. At some point, you have to wake up and do something.
Go do something…
You need to get involved o one of the Dream Teams. children, greeters, ushers, worship, youth, tech, cooking, prison, .
If you want to explode your growth, come worship in one service each week and serve in a service this week.
This will change your life
16 and he said, “This is what the Lord says: Make this valley full of ditches.
There wasn’t a sign of a cloud anywhere.
Dreams must go from inspiration to participation.
Dreams must go from inspiration to participation.
You may feel stuck… go do something. Dig some ditches.
17 In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.
Get to work. It will come.
3. Don’t base your life on the seen, but on the unseen.
3. Don’t base your life on the seen, but on the unseen.
17 For this is what the Lord says: You will see neither wind nor rain, yet this valley will be filled with water, and you, your cattle and your other animals will drink. 18 This is an easy thing in the eyes of the Lord; he will also deliver Moab into your hands.
We get discouraged when we don’t see something happening. We have to learn to walk by faith and not by sight. Don’t get discouraged when what we see doesn’t match up to what we are dreaming of.
18 So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.