Jordan River Crossing Principles

2 Kings 2:8-14 KJV And Elijah took his mantle, and wrapped it together, and smote the waters, and they were divided hither and thither, so that they two went over on dry ground. [9] And it came to pass, when they were gone over, that Elijah said unto Elisha, Ask what I shall do for thee, before I be taken away from thee. And Elisha said, I pray thee, let a double portion of thy spirit be upon me. [10] And he said, Thou hast asked a hard thing: nevertheless, if thou see me when I am taken from thee, it shall be so unto thee; but if not, it shall not be so. [11] And it came to pass, as they still went on, and talked, that, behold, there appeared a chariot of fire, and horses of fire, and parted them both asunder; and Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven. [12] And Elisha saw it, and he cried, My father, my father, the chariot of Israel, and the horsemen thereof. And he saw him no more: and he took hold of his own clothes, and rent them in two pieces. [13] He took up also the mantle of Elijah that fell from him, and went back, and stood by the bank of Jordan; [14] And he took the mantle of Elijah that fell from him, and smote the waters, and said, Where is the LORD God of Elijah? and when he also had smitten the waters, they parted hither and thither: and Elisha went over.

I. INTRODUCTION—THE PROPHET ELIJAH

-Elijah shows up at a very dark time in Israel’s history. Ahab provoked God more than any other king.

1 Kings 16:33 KJV And Ahab made a grove; and Ahab did more to provoke the LORD God of Israel to anger than all the kings of Israel that were before him.

-He was not so much a wicked man as he was a very weak man. He became the pawn of a very crafty, unscrupulous, cruel woman.

-He fell under the wicked sway of Jezebel’s spirit. After Ahab married this woman of Phonecian descent, she immediately set about to work to destroy Israel.

• She built a temple to Astarte in Jezreel.

• She built a commune that supported 450 priests of Baal.

• She built a temple in Samaria.

• She tore down the altars of Jehovah at Carmel and replaced them with shrines and groves.

• She begins to persecute the priests and prophets of Jehovah throughout the land with a fury possessed by hell.

-But here comes Elijah!

-In 1 Kings 17-19, Elijah encounters some of the most exciting things that would take place in the history of Israel. But after he had been serving for 5-10 years, he picks up a young man and God has ordained that this young man is work with him.

-He would spend somewhere in the neighborhood of 7-10 years with Elisha (907-896 B.C.). A whole lot of learning can be accomplished during this time frame.

-Elisha is a diligent student and takes careful notes of everything that Elijah does. In the course of time, Elijah is to be taken away from Elisha. That was a portion of the text that we read.

-Influence is a very powerful tool. We all have it and use it every day. Those who are around us are being shaped by whatever actions and deposits we are placing in their lives.

-I am the same today that I will be in five years except for the people I meet and the books I read. Great people and great books help you grow!

• Hang around with thinkers and you will be a better thinker.

• Hang around with spiritually hungry people and you will get hungrier for God.

• Hang around with positive people and you will be more positive.

• Hang around with people who are accomplishing something with their lives and you will too.

• Hang around with winners and you will be a better winner.

• Conversely, hang around with a bunch of complaining, griping, whining boneheads and you will get better at that too.

-Elisha got the most out of his relationship with Elijah and it would pay great dividends to him in the future.

II. PRINCIPLES FOR A JORDAN RIVER CROSSING

A. You May Have to Go Alone

2 Kings 2:12 KJV . . . And he saw him no more: and he took hold of his own clothes, and rent them in two pieces.

-After Elijah had left, Elisha is now alone. He is facing a Jordan river that had been crossed just a few hours earlier. But the difference is now that Elisha is all alone.

-But he had remembered a lesson from his mentor that would help him. Elijah had conveyed to Elisha that there will be times when you will be all by yourself. God’s vision, mission, and burden will be only be accomplished in the solitary places.