Jordan: Mantle & Mission (4 Of 4) Series

Scripture:

2 Kings 2:8–15 – “Then Elijah took his cloak, rolled it up and struck the water. The water divided to the right and to the left, and the two of them crossed over on dry ground… Elisha picked up Elijah’s cloak that had fallen from him… and struck the water. ‘Where now is the LORD, the God of Elijah?’ he asked. When he struck the water, it divided to the right and to the left, and he crossed over.”

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Introduction – The Final Marker

We’ve walked through Gilgal, where shame was rolled away.

We’ve stood at Bethel, where Jacob whispered, “The Lord shall be my God.”

We’ve circled Jericho, where footholds became strongholds, and strongholds crumbled at the sound of obedience and the blast of God’s trumpet.

But now — now we've arrived at the Jordan.

This is no ordinary river. Jordan is the place where things die, where new things are born, and where the mantle of God is no longer a symbol on your shoulders but a mission in your hands.

Here, at the water’s edge, the Spirit of God waits.

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1. Death – The Old Life Put Away

Israel crossed this very river under Joshua. The wilderness was behind them forever, and the Promised Land was ahead. (Joshua 3:17)

John baptized in this river, calling men and women to repent, to bury their old life and rise ready for Messiah. (Mark 1:4–5)

And here Elijah came, striking the waters, knowing his journey was over. And Elisha followed, knowing his was just beginning. (2 Kings 2:8)

Romans 6:4 says, “We were buried therefore with Him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead… we too might walk in newness of life.”

? Friend, you cannot carry the mantle while clinging to the old life. At Jordan, God whispers: “Let the old die, so the new can live.”

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2. Rebirth – A New Identity in Christ

The waters part. The riverbed is dry. And as Elijah is taken up, the cloak — the mantle — falls.

Can you see Elisha standing there? Dust swirling. Silence thick. His master gone. The cloak on the ground.

He bends down, trembling hands reaching for what he once only carried in shadow. Now, it is his.

2 Corinthians 5:17 declares, “If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.”

? Jordan is where you pick up what God has prepared for you. Where you stop saying, “That was my pastor’s calling… my parent’s faith… my mentor’s anointing.”

And you start saying: “This is mine. I am a child of God. I am Spirit-filled. I am called.”

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3. Calling – The Mantle Becomes Mission

Elisha doesn’t fold the cloak neatly. He doesn’t hang it on the wall as a relic. He takes it in his hand. He walks back to the Jordan. He strikes the water and cries out:

“Where now is the LORD, the God of Elijah?”

And the waters part again. The same God who worked through Elijah now works through Elisha.

Acts 1:8 says, “You will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses.”

? The mantle is not for display. It is not for nostalgia. It is for mission. And the question still echoes: “Where is the Lord God of Elijah?” Answer: right here, with His people today.

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4. Double Portion – God Does More

Before Elijah left, Elisha had dared to ask: “Let me inherit a double portion of your spirit.” (2 Kings 2:9)

And God answered. Elisha would go on to perform more miracles than his master — not because he was greater, but because God delights in doing more.

Ephesians 3:20 sings it: “Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly than all we ask or think, according to the power at work within us.”

? At Jordan, God doesn’t call you to settle for less. He calls you to believe for more. To expect more of His Spirit, more of His presence, more of His power.

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5. Gospel Connection – Christ’s Jordan, Our Jordan

Even Jesus came to the Jordan. He stepped into those same waters. Matthew 3:16–17 says, “When Jesus was baptized, immediately He went up from the water, and behold, the heavens were opened… and a voice from heaven said, ‘This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.’”

? If the sinless Son of God needed Jordan to mark His mission, how much more do we?

At Jordan, heaven is opened. The Spirit descends. The Father speaks. Mission begins.

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Refrain

At Jordan I learn: The old is gone. The new has come. The mantle is not just a covering — it is my calling, my commissioning, my mission.