Sermon Tone Analysis

*“A Room, A Chair, A Table, A Lamp, A Cot”*

 

*A Chair*

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The story of the Shunammite woman

*2 Kings 4:8-17 (NKJV) * 

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

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

9And she said to her husband, "Look now, I know that this /is/ a holy man of God, who passes by us regularly.

10Please, 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."

11And it happened one day that he came there, and he turned in to the upper room and lay down there.

12Then he said to Gehazi his servant, "Call this Shunammite woman."

When he had called her, she stood before him.

13And he said to him, "Say now to her, 'Look, you have been concerned for us with all this care.

What /can I/ do for you?

Do you want me to speak on your behalf to the king or to the commander of the army?' "She answered, "I dwell among my own people."

14So he said, "What then /is/ to be done for her?"

And Gehazi answered, "Actually, she has no son, and her husband is old."

15So he said, "Call her."

When he had called her, she stood in the doorway.

16Then he said, "About this time next year you shall embrace a son."

And she said, "No, my lord.

Man of God, do not lie to your maidservant!"

17But the woman conceived, and bore a son when the appointed time had come, of which Elisha had told her.

In this series of sermons there are three things that will stand out in regards to this Shunammite woman.

Three things that are also applicable to us in regards to accommodating God’s move in our life.

They are: Perception; Reception: and Restoration.

*1.       *This Sermon Series is about *PERCEPTION*, *RECEPTION*, and *RESTORATION*.

She perceived that Elisha was a man of God.

For her day Elisha was the move of God and she decided to make preparation for that move.

What is your perception of what God is doing today?

Do you perceive that we are in the midst of probably the greatest move of God the world has ever seen?

I know that sin is rampant everywhere and it seems that evil is waxing worse, yet today more people are coming to Jesus than at anytime in all of history.

Truly where sin abounds grace does much more abound.

Our vision remains “More People won to Christ; More like Jesus one at a time.”

*2.       *Our church’s vision is:  “*MORE* PEOPLE WON TO  *CHRIST*; MORE LIKE *JESUS* ONE AT A *TIME*.”

So if we perceive that God is moving what preparations are you making in your life to receive and maintain it.

Elisha passed by once, she wanted it to continue so she prepared a little guest room whereby the visitor might occupy when passing by.

 

“Reach out and touch the Lord while He’s passing by.

You’ll find He’s not to busy to hear your hearts cry.

He’s passing by this moment your needs He’ll supply.

Reach out and touch the Lord as He passes by.”

 

Shunem was nothing it was a very insignificant place, sort of like Kingman

But she was not going to let this opportunity pass her by.

As Leonard Ravenhill has said, “The opportunity of a lifetime must be seized in the lifetime of the opportunity.”

Seize the Day seize the moment.

It may never pass this way again.

So we need to ask ourselves, are we making preparations of this move of God?

We need to recognize that it’s not just a one time move but on going – therefore adjustments must be made in our life to receive and maintain it.

*3.

*The Shunammite woman *PERCEIVED* the move of *GOD* and made *PREPARATION* to *RECEIVE* and *MAINTAIN* it.

The Shunammite woman perceived this move of God and made preparation to receive and maintain it.

She made a Room.

She furnished it with a Cot; a Table; a Chair; and a Lamp.

Each of these items are significant for us to keep what God wants to do.

The Cot is symbolic of our Rest in God for all that He has prepared for us.

The Table is the place of fellowship prepared for divine visitation.

The Chair represents the authority of God in your life.

And the Lamp signifies the illumination of God’s revelation of Himself to us.

Today we want to share about the Chair.

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*2 Kings 4:9-10 (NKJV) * 

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

10Please, 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."

The KJV says “let us set for him a stool”

*kicce',* or */kicceh/*, kis-say'; from Hebrew 3680 (kacah); properly /covered/, i.e. a /throne/ (as /canopied/) :- seat, stool, throne.

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English Words used in KJV: throne 127, seat 7, stool 1 [Total Count: 135]

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Webster defines:  throne

1*:*  the chair of state of a sovereign or high dignitary (as a bishop) b*:* the seat of a deity 2*:* royal power and dignity *:* *sovereignty* 3/plural/ *:* an order of angels — see *celestial hierarchy*

 

What is a chair?

-  a device that holds up or supports.

It also can mean - an official seat or a seat of authority – an office or position of authority ( a chair person).

*4.

*A *STOOL * represents a *THRONE*, a place of *AUTHORITY*.

Dad’s chair.

It is important for us to realize what supports us and who and what has authority in our life.

The Shunammite gave Elisha a chair – demonstrating her dependency was on God  and she gave God her seat of authority.

In the tract “Four Spiritual Laws”  it shows three chairs or thrones and the question is asked:

*5.       *Who is *SITTING* on your *THRONE*: is it *SELF*; is it *SIN*; or is it *CHRIST*

 

Someone is sitting on the throne of your life.

It is who you yield to.  Whoever is on the chair is the one you will serve.

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*Genesis 3:5 (NKJV) * 

For God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil."

*Isaiah 14:12-15 (NKJV) * 

"How you are fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning!

/How/ you are cut down to the ground, you who weakened the nations!

13For you have said in your heart: 'I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God; I will also sit on the mount of the congregation on the farthest sides of the north;  14I will ascend above the heights of the clouds, I will be like the Most High.'

15Yet you shall be brought down to Sheol, to the lowest depths of the Pit.

*Isaiah 14:10 (NKJV) * 

They all shall speak and say to you: 'Have you also become as weak as we?

Have you become like us?

In the time before rebellion there was only one will – after the rebellion there were two wills and since man’s fall there were suddenly three and four wills and now on planet earth there are over 6.6  billion wills.

Satan said – I will be like the most High.

Adam also said I will be like the most High!

 

*Isaiah 53:6 (NKJV) * 

All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned, every one, to his own way; and the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all.

*Invictus*

William Ernest Henley.

1849–1903

*OUT of the night that covers me, Black as the Pit from pole to pole,*

*I thank whatever gods may be for my unconquerable soul.*

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*In the fell clutch of circumstance I have not winced nor cried aloud.*

*Under the bludgeonings of chance my head is bloody, but unbowed.*

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*Beyond this place of wrath and tears looms but the Horror of the shade,*

*And yet the menace of the years finds, and shall find, me unafraid.*

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*It matters not how strait the gate, how charged with punishments the scroll,*