Just Want To Bless Somebody

TITLE: JUST WANT TO BLESS SOMEBODY

SCRIPTURE: II KINGS 4:8-17

I guess I have entered the stage in my life where I am beginning to focus more upon the mark I will leave on this world. I am beginning to focus upon “WILL ANYONE CARE OR REMEMBER” when it’s my time to leave this earth. When I’m dead and gone, will it have made any difference that I’ve lived on this earth?

• What will my children remember about their Father?

• What will my grandchildren remember about their Pop-Pop?

• Will the history of the Church be kind to me when the Church Anniversary comes around each year after I am gone?

In our text we find a women who was referred to as “GREAT.” Talk about leaving your mark in God’s Divine Word, which will endure eternity. This un-named women is characterized as great! This is an interesting text that simply drops in the middle of this 4th Chapter, however; it is full of rich treasure. There is something about this SHUNAMMITE WOMAN that caused the writer of this Old Testament Text to shine some light upon her.

• What is it about her that we can learn?

• Why is she mentioned here in the text?

• Why are we still mentioning her 2,800-2,900 years after she has lived?

• Why examine her from the Pulpit this morning?

• The answer is - so we can imitate the same reasons for greatness that characterized her existence

It is interesting to me she is never named, she is only called the "Shunammite." It isn't her name but character that is the focus.

• She is described as "well-to-do"

• A woman of means

• Her wealth however had not corrupted her

• Notice that she asks her husband to provide a room for the traveling man of God named Elisha

• It is also interesting to note she could tell Elisha was a genuine man of God

• She knew the Real from the Fake

Why are we in the Church today, not like this women, being able to tell the Real from the Fake? We are so easily fooled by the Charlatan in the Pulpits.

• Buy my bottle of holy oil for $9.99 – Crisco Oil from Wal-Mart

• Buy my handkerchief I sweated on and it will heal you

• Buy my prayer cloth I prayed over all night

• Fall for all this mess held up to be Spiritual but it is fake

It is also important that we take note as to what this women was not -

• Apparently she isn’t from royal blood

• Nothing indicates that she has great rank, or wealth, or high social status

• She apparently wasn’t endowed with great knowledge, or skill

• She wasn’t strikingly beautiful such as Sarah, Bathsheba, or Esther

• She didn’t save her people as did Esther

• Nor lead her people to God, as did the Samaritan women by the well

• She wasn’t a great leader or judge, like Deborah

• She didn’t even have a child who became great, like Hannah, or Jochebed

Let’s walk through the text for a few minutes this morning. The Prophet Elisha is traveling through a little town called Shunem. This was his calling, he was a “TRAVELING PREACHER,” he was an “ITINERANT PREACHER” -- he travelled from town-to-town, proclaiming God’s Word. We have them today, Evangelist – Guest Preachers – Revivalist – some travel the STATE – COUNTRY – WORLD. This women, for whatever the reason, took note of this travelling preacher as he continued to walk past her home during his preaching engagements.

The first thing we note in this text is – HER SPIRIT OF SERVICE -- It’s a curious thing to me, the text doesn’t give us her name, but takes time to identify the specific items of furniture in the room. I may preach on this significance next month. We find here, the first reason for this woman’s Greatness, it was HER SPIRIT OF SERVICE.

• I am convinced she didn’t make front page of the Shunem Gazette

• Daily Ardmoreite was not interested in picking up the story

• She did not make the Daily Oklahoman

• Frankly, I doubt if anyone in town even knew about it, or took notice

• Who noticed this women’s spirit of service?

• God did!

I think we often struggle today with service because we think it has to be some great act. If it’s not some great, newsworthy deed, we don’t think it is worth the effort.

• What kind of service is God looking for out of us?

• If a neighbor is sick and needs a hot meal, you don’t have to tell anyone, just take them one