Elisha The Disciple Series

Now back to John 14. “If you love me, obey everything I say” (because love means following me above all else). He says this three times and makes a promise each time. The promises are that you will receive the Holy Spirit who will never leave you. Do we believe the Holy Spirit is fully God? He says we know him and he will be in us.

Next promise, My Father will love you, and I will love you and reveal myself to you. And the third promise, My Father will love you and we will come and make a home with you. Is he just talking about the second coming here? No, he’s talking about after his resurrection when he will be seen in his glorified body on earth, and comes again after his ascension to live in us through the Holy Spirit before he comes bodily the second time.

The verse we missed there in Jn 14 is important, it says in verse 20, “In that day (what day?) when I am raised to life again and you have received eternal life, you will know that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you.” Logically then, what’s impossible for us with Jesus living in us? Do we have faith that God lives in us? Do we believe everything Jesus said? Yes the disciples had trouble believing all this until the Holy Spirit came. But they didn’t afterwards. And there’s my next point,

II. Disciples believe everything Jesus said

If God doesn’t come through on a prayer when to do so would clearly be in line with His will, is he a liar, or is it more likely something about us? Before his resurrection and ascension, and sending of His Spirit, Jesus rebuked his closest disciples on more than one occasion for their lack of faith.

I don’t want to be one of those people who say that if you don’t get healed it’s because you don’t have enough faith. But if you’re honest, when you prayed those prayers, or had prayers prayed over you, did you really believe God would do what the prayers were asking? Or were you doubtfully kind of hoping he would because you were doing what the Bible said. That is not the relationship He wants.

Belief is different than hope. We hope the doctor cares about us and will give us what we need to heal, but we know (which is what this belief means) that our parent will do anything it takes to help us. Do we hope Jesus is the son of God and that his death and resurrection gave us forgiveness and eternal life, or do we believe it, trust it, know it. I am asking you these questions because I am ask myself these questions and I have to say, my honest answers sometimes disappoint me. I’m not any different from you.

When Elisha made this promise to the Shunemite women, what do you think was his state of mind? “O God, now I’ve done it, please, please don’t make me look like a fool and disappoint this poor woman, why didn’t I keep my mouth shut”.

When he threw himself on the dead boy, was he saying well, “I’ll give this crazy thing a try and see what happens, what have I got to lose, he can’t get any deader?” I don’t think so, and I don’t think that was the attitude of the first century disciples who were performing miracles all over the place. They had extreme confidence in Him and the fact that His Spirit lived in them. That kind of belief is contagious.