I visited one of our members in the nursing home. He told me that he didn’t have long to live because of his diagnosis of cancer. So I inquired of his wisdom so I could perhaps glean some jewels of knowledge to help me along my life journey.
One question that I asked him, was “What one thing would you say would be the most important thing to remember in life?”
His reply was “Enjoy life each day to it’s fullest, accept no substitutes.”
– Floyd Freeman 11/2005
Turn to II Kings 4:18-37
As you’re turning in your bibles, the questions we will explore today are
What things do we place our trust in that often replaces our relationship in Jesus Christ?
What do we substitute as a stronghold--or are committed with in our life--other than our intimacy with Christ?
What experiences or rituals, or routines do we often depend that hinders our growth in knowing Jesus Christ and his purpose for our life?
Elisha’s background
Little is written about Elisha during the few years between the time of his calling, until Elijah’s very curious departure in a “chariot of fire”
Having inherited a “double portion of Elijah’s spirit”, which was actually the Holy Spirit of God, Elisha became the new leader of the company of Prophets
In 2 Kings 2:19-22 you’ll find that after Elijah’s departure, Elisha went to Jericho where he miraculously transformed a poison water supply into a clean spring
Also in 2 Kings, you’ll find that from Jericho, he travelled to Bethel where he was accosted by a large gang of teenagers that kept teasing Elisha by calling him “baldy” -- Elisha called down a curse on his attackers, and 42 of them were mauled by 2 bears that then came out of the woods
Other miracles Elisha performed that you’ll find in the book of 2 Kings was when was a supply of water when Jehoram’s army was suffering from thirst
He also was used by God in increasing the poor widow’s supply of oil
And again, when he restored the life of the son of a woman of Shunem
Other instances of Elisha included, the multiplication of 20 loaves of bread into enough to feed 100 men
The curing Naaman the Syrian of his leprosy
He made an iron axhead float in the waters of the Jordan
Elisha died in his own house of an unspecified illness (2 Kings 13:14-20). It is interesting to note that the man who once had the powers to cure sickness and raise the dead, himself had to actually suffer through a terminal illness, like so many others commonly do.
What may be a surprise to many of you is about a year after Elisha died, a dead man who was hastily buried in Elisha’s tomb was resurrected after touching the bones of Elisha
READ Shunamite Woman’s story 2 Kings 4:18-37
key verse 31—the wooden staff was not enough, although it came from a powerful prophet.
Many times, the things in our life we count on as great, are not enough to sustain our life and growth in Christ—we try to coast by in our Christianity in hopes that we’ll grow in Christ
I call these “Deadwood” areas, the most popular one in our churches today is…
Deadwood – Remembering how it once was – Revelation 2:2-4
In the second chapter of the book of Revelation, Jesus states: “I know your deeds, your hard work and your perseverance. I know that you cannot tolerate wicked men, that you have tested those who claim to be apostles but are not, and have found them false. You have persevered and have endured hardships for my name, and have not grown weary.”
This sounds pretty good, doesn’t it? But Jesus continues, “Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken your first love. Remember the height from which you have fallen!”
The Ephesian Christians used to be radically in love with Jesus, but now they’re just working for Him.
And I believe that one of the first signs of “Deadwood” in our lives is often found in the MINISTRY OF SERVING
Ministry in serving meaning praying to God for someone to be healed while at the same time, ignoring Jesus knocking at your hearts door prompting you to visit them or bring them food
So often, we replace service in Christ for relationship, focusing more on what we do for God than on loving Him for who He is and what He is doing in your life today.
We are like the older son in Jesus’ parable who complained to his father, “Look! All these years I’ve been slaving for you and never disobeyed your orders. Yet you never gave me even a young goat so I could celebrate with my friends.”
To which his father replied tenderly, “My son, you are always with me, and everything I have is yours.”
Is our focus sometimes on the Father and knowing His awesome generosity or is it on our ’slaving’ for Him?
Every now and then what we do for God can become our rod or staff that we depend on -- just as Elisha did with the Shunamite woman’s dead son
Another sign of “Deadwood” In Remembering how it was -- is often PAST SPIRITUAL EXPERIENCES
Past spiritual experiences that have become stale – Question: When was the last time you had an encounter with God that profoundly changed your normal pattern of life? This year? Last year? 5 years ago? 10 years ago?
Not just a spiritual experience, but one that profoundly changed your pattern of normal living…
Something that God had used in a mighty way at one time, but now has chosen something new to do in your life…
But instead, we still are clinging on to that old wooden staff that has done great things in the past hoping that God will use it again.
Another sign of “Deadwood” In Remembering how it was – can be CHURCH TRADITIONS
Traditions – what safe traditions do you depend on to let you know that everything is OK in your life with Christ? Is it the way you worship? Is it the place you sit? Every Sunday? Is it the songs we sing?
Sometimes tradition can turn into “Deadwood” in our lives when we become so comfortable to the point that we’re complacent
Titus 1:3 reads “They profess to know God, but by their deeds, they deny Him, being detestable and disobedient and worthless for any good deed.”
God used the brazen serpent in a mighty way – but in 2 Kings 18:4, we find that the people held on to that and focused on worshipping the tool instead of the truth – Hezekiah said “get rid of it”.
In Judges chapter 8, Gideon made an Ephod out of the gold given to him from people who were grateful of his service but the soon became dependant on it and they began worshipping the cloth – because it reminded them of what a mighty act God had done through Gideon.
What has become your staff or rod that you lean on for that comfort when you are in God’s church
Others of us place a higher value on studying the Bible than on developing a deep relationship with God--loving the ’book of the Lord’ more than the ’Lord of the book’.
We become a fountain of scripture spouters, but lack the heart and love of Christ in the person God puts before us
Often when people are in need of the love of Christ when they are going through a rough situation—the last thing they need is for someone to give them an impersonal Bible verse with the care and love that is attached.
We get so busy and stray from the table the Father has prepared for us or the everlasting water—we pack some of the bread of life in a lunchbox and fill our thermos full of the fountain of life and get lost in the wilderness.
And when we’re in the wilderness -- we stray from the true source because we have become used the way things should be and the way things we are comfortable with through TRADITIONS
ILLUSTRATON: "THE ROPE"
The story tells about a mountain climber who wanted to climb the highest mountain
He begun his adventure after many years of preparation
But since he wanted the glory just for himself, he decided to climb the mountain alone
The night felt heavy in the heights of the mountains
And the man could not see anything--all was black.
Zero visibility and the moon and the stars were covered by clouds
As he was climbing, only a few feet away from the top of the mountain he slipped and fell into the air falling at great speed
The climber could only see black spots as he went down and the terrible sensation of being sucked by gravity
He kept falling…and in those moments of great fear, it came to his mind all the good and the bad episodes of his life.
He was thinking about how close death was getting
When all of a sudden, he felt the rope tied to his waist pull him very hard.
His body was hanging in the air…only the rope was holding him
And in the moment of stillness, he had no other choice but to scream: Help Me God!
All of a sudden, a deep voice coming from the sky answered:
What Do You Want Me To Do?
Save Me God! Yelled the climber
Do you really think I can save you? Answered God
Of course I believe you can!
Then cut the rope tied to your waist.
There was a moment of silence
And the man decided to hold on to the rope with all his strength
The rescue team tells, that the next day, a climber was found dead and frozen.
His body hanging from a rope. His hands holding tight to it…
…only 10 feet away from the ground.
How attached are you to your rope?
Will you let go?
Let go of the rope! Get out of your comfort zone! Throw away the deadwood staff! Try something new! Sit somewhere new next Sunday
Let’s step outside of the church now…as we look at another sign of “Deadwood” as we look at our families
Deadwood– Responsibility within the family – James 4:13-14
We can have “Deadwood” even within our own families as things become the same ol’ thing over and over again.
A “rut” – which is nothing but a grave with both ends knocked out of it
“If you want something you once had, then you’ve got to do something you once did.”
Work: Are you working to provide for your family or is your family providing for you to work more? Look at your family and ask them. Do I work too much?
James 4: 13-14 – Come now, you who say “Today or tomorrow, we shall go to such and such a city, and spend a year there and engage in a business and make a profit.” “Yet you do not know what your life will be like tomorrow. You are just a vapor that appears for a little while and then vanishes away.”
Don’t let your pursuit for the things you think are important rob you from the things that are already important in your life.
Ask them: What would you like me to work on? Is it intimacy with them?
Activities? – are activities cause your life to dry up like “Deadwood” because they are draining your energy?
Many times what we think are important are nothing compared to what the Father has in store for us.
Activities that we think are making our kids a better person, or maybe it’s through constant activity you think will make you a better parent in your child’s eyes
ILLUSTRATION: “REAL PEARLS”
The cheerful girl with bouncy curls was almost five. Waiting with her mother at the checkout stand, she saw a circle of glistening white pearls in a pink foil box. "Oh please, Mommy. Can I have them? Please, Mommy, please?"
Her mother checked the back of the little foil box and said, "Jenny, these pearls cost $1.95.
If you really want them, I’ll think of some extra chores for you to do and raise your allowance. It won’t take long for you to save enough money to buy them yourself."
Her mother was right. After only two weeks, Jenny had enough money saved for the pearls.
Her mother took her back to the store, where Jenny proudly counted out her money to the cashier.
Jenny loved her pearls. They made her feel pretty and grown up. She wore them everywhere-Sunday school, kindergarten, even to bed.
The only time she took them off was when she went swimming or took a bubble bath. Her mother said that if they got wet, they might turn her neck green.
Jenny also had a very loving daddy. Every night when she was ready for bed, her daddy would stop whatever he was doing and come upstairs to read her a story.
One night when he finished the story, he said to Jenny, "I love you, sweetheart. Do you love me?"
"Oh yes, Daddy," Jenny replied. "You know that I love you."
"Then give me your pearls," her father said.
Jenny was confused. "Oh, Daddy, not my pearls," she said. "But you can have Princess, the white horse from my collection. Remember, Daddy? The one you gave me last year? She’s my favorite."
"That’s okay, Honey," Jenny’s father said. "Daddy loves you. Good night." And he brushed her cheek with a kiss.
About a week later, after story time, Jenny’s daddy said once again, "I sure do love you, sweetheart. Do you love me?"
"Daddy, you know I love you." -- "Then give me your pearls."
Jenny was confused again. "Oh Daddy, not my pearls. But you can have my baby doll. The brand new one I got for my birthday. She is so beautiful. You can have the yellow blanket that matches her sleeper, too."
"That’s okay," Jenny’s father said. "Daddy loves you. Good night." And as always, he gave her a gentle kiss.
A few nights later when her daddy came in, Jenny was sitting on her bed with her legs crossed. As he came close, he noticed her chin was trembling and one silent tear rolled down her cheek.
"What is it, Jenny? What’s the matter?"
Jenny didn’t say anything, but lifted her little hand up to her daddy. And when she opened it, there was her little pearl necklace. With a little quiver, she finally said, "Here, Daddy, it’s for you."
With tears gathering in his own eyes, Jenny’s daddy reached out with one hand to take the necklace. With the other hand he reached into his pocket and pulled out a blue velvet case and gave it to Jenny.
When she opened it, she found a beautiful strand of genuine real pearls.
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Another sign of “Deadwood” is ourselves—our own desires
Deadwood– Routines within yourself
Your own desires develop a “When it’s convenient for me” philosophy your life -- Can I call you at 3 am if I need you for an emergency? Or will you not even answer the phone? Or even answer it and be angry that you were awakened?
God is using us to try and get some sap flowing in our “Deadwood” to fulfill our purpose as a church family in reaching out to eachother
To band together in fighting the enemy and get him OFF of our turf
Don’t let the enemy fool you into thinking that your staff “your own desires” are enough to get the job done—you’ve got to stretch out your arms and give of yourself
For many of us, our past failures have become our “Deadwood” that we have been used to leaning on and often pins down
God has forgiven me, but I don’t know if I can forgive myself.
We’re used to leaning on that piece of staff knowing of God’s forgiveness, yet refusing to let the sin or the memory of that sin go. We can’t seem to lay it down and move on.
If you want something you’ve never had, then you’ve got to do something you’ve never done.
Doubts: Have you left room for Satan’s “Scare Tactics”?
Unless you take your sin and place it into Jesus’ nail scarred hands so His blood can cover it, Satan will always pull it out and place it in front of you to remind you of your failure—which then produces doubt.
The Bible says that Satan is the god of this world, but one thing we need to realize is that Satan has no power over the blood that cleanses us from ALL sin
Revelation 12:11 says “They overcame him because of the blood of the lamb and the power of their testimony”
When you look in the mirror, your seeing opposite of what is actually you.
- People see you differently that what you see in the mirror—it’s not you
And what happens is that Satan has painted such an ugly picture of who you in the mirror that we often look in that mirror with DOUBT as we ask ourselves “Can this be a child of the King who I see in the mirror?”
If you want to have to see yourself as who you really are, not backwards—not who you wish you were -- not going off somewhere to find yourself in a different light—but who you are
You’ll find it through the people around you—because people see you as you really are
Finding yourself is as easy as asking God “who am I”? “Why am I here” “What purpose do you have for me?” “I want to know you” “I want to see myself through your eyes God”
…and then watch who God sends in your life to show you the real you…
Phillipians 2:13 for it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work His good pleasure.
Phillipians 3:13 Brethren, I do not regard myself as having laid hold of it yet; but one thing I do (say with me) forgetting what lies behind (pause) and reaching forward to what lies ahead,
Don’t let doubt has become that “deadwood” in your life that keeps you from the intimacy of Jesus Christ
Maybe it’s time to say GOODBYE to that Deadwood—no matter how comforting you find it in your life—no matter how used to it you have become.
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OPTIONAL SERMON MEDIA POINT:
Show the DVD “CASTAWAY” at Chapter 24 (1:40:36) “Where’s Wilson” end it when Tom Hanks lifts his hand toward the ship (1:47:11)
-Sometimes, we need to let go of our "Wilson" in order for us to move on.
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So What is "Intimacy" With Christ?
God can reveal Himself to us more in one minute of quality time spent with Him, than in hours of ’distracted’ time. This is the road to true intimacy.
JOHN 15:5 “I am the vine, you are the branches; He who abides in me, and I in him, he bears much fruit; for apart from me, you can do nothing”…except turn into “Deadwood”.
Intimacy is a place of transparency—a risk of ridicule and vulnerability: where we receive both His incredible, unconditional love and also healing for our hurts.
Sadly, many who seek to minister in Christ’s name give relatively little time to attaining true intimacy with Him, preferring constant activity instead.
Their spiritual growth of knowing Christ in a personal way is diminished and stunted—they become a “spiritual runt”.
They have no significant Spiritual growth from year to year as they minister out of their emptiness.
You soon realize that your wooden rod or staff in which you are using to steady yourself as Elisha had become dependant upon isn’t enough.
We all need a staff or rod in our life—a ministry in helping the church, and knowledge of studying the bible, or even the use of our past experiences
But never let it become as “Deadwood” replacing the intimacy of Christ to performing the wonders He has for you through Him.
Elisha’s staff was an example of our good works accomplishing great things, but when Elisha laid flat with his arms outstretched over the boy, was a picture of how Christ revives us from our death in sin
When it’s time to throw away or break the “Deadwood” in our lives, often God uses a little technique called “pain” to get our attention
Rick Warren, author of 40 Days of Purpose, calls pain “God’s megaphone” –because pain always seems to stop us in our normal routine of life.
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OPTIONAL SERMON MEDIA POINT
show the VCR CLIP “FORREST GUMP”. START where the boys are throwing rocks at Forrest and END after the old man say’s “man that boy is a running fool”.
God realized that pain was needed to break the things that kept us from running the race—even though pain was involved in the process
He knew the LAW was the braces on our feet that we depended on for years instead of God himself —it needed more—He needed to fulfill the law with a personal relationship.
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How are you following Christ?
God realized that He needed intimacy so no longer people would seek Him by a cloud or pillar of fire as the Israelites did coming out of Egypt.
No longer would we be contained in a relationship by a tent or tabernacle or through chosen priests
He realized we needed to touch Him physically, feel His emotions, walk with Him through the dusty roads of life.
See His miracles and power up close and personal.
He knew we needed His only son—Jesus to accomplish that
He knew we needed to be held when we are blinded by life’s situations as He reached down with the mud and put it on the blind mans eyes to be opened and see clearly
He knew we needed to be held when Mary’s brother—Lazarus died—and Jesus felt the pain of what it’s like to lose someone close
Little did Elisha realize that, by outstretching his arms over the dead boy, and breathing through Him, was what Jesus would do with mankind by breathing life everlasting into us who are willing to receive Him
Don’t let your pursuit for the things you think are important rob you from the things that are already important in your life.
SHOW POWERPOING MEDIA CLIP “HELD” - AVAILABLE UPON REQUEST
What are you substituting for intimacy with the Christ?
What is the “Deadwood” that you have been using in your life that you need to set aside or let go?
Is it a past experience with God that you have set on your knickknack shelf only to admire?
or is it a ministry you’ve been holding fast to but is now becoming dry and empy?
Is it Family responsibilities perhaps you need to rethink and prioritize?
Is it Your routines that have become a rut in your life day by day?
Whatever it is that you have tried in using something else in hopes that it will accomplish great things as Elisha tried
Today is the day to break break it in half
Won’t you come today and break your “Deadwood” and receive a fresh breath of the Spirit?
Come, stretch out your hands as Elisha did with the boy and ask the Spirit of Christ to renew your life—breath in full with the breath of Christ and become free again so you can enjoy life.
“Enjoy life each day to it’s fullest, accept no substitutes.”
In a dying mans last words and testament to me, I ask you today…what has been the substitute, that has kept you from enjoying life?
--------POWERPOINT SLIDES AVAILABLE UPON REQUEST------
