“Let’s Go All The Way”
Text: II Kings 2:1-15
What motivated Elisha to request a double portion? Had he seen the power that Elijah had and determined it wasn’t enough? Was his motive carnal? Did he just want more power so that he could make a name for himself? Or did he recognize that problems and state of the nation demanded the necessity of a double portion?
I believe he realized that desperate times called for a desperate cry for more. I believe as he reflected on the fact that Jezebel was still on the loose, evil was rampant, famine was driving people to cannibalism, he determined that only a double portion was sufficient to accomplish the task that was before him.
Have you examined our place this morning? We too are in desperate time. A crucial, pivotal time in our history. We stand at the brink of fulfilling our destiny but in order for us to obtain the promise we must have a move of God the likes of which we have never seen before. It will take a double portion of God’s favor, power, anointing, and provision for us to move forward.
We need to understand that we will never get the double portion, more from God, revelation staying where you are. This account is a story of movement. To receive a double portion you have to go all the way. Half way won’t do, 3/4 is not sufficient, 99.9% won’t get the job done. This is an all or nothing proposition. We have to prove we will do whatever it takes. We have go all the way.
What this story is about it illustrates that Elisha wasn’t about ready to do things halfway. He wasn’t about to stop when everyone else did. He refused to quit until he pressed through. We need to take a journey this semester, we need to go all the way with God. We need to make up our minds that we won’t stop or quit but we will hang on until we get a double portion.
Notice out of this account that 50 Sons of the Prophets were at Bethel, 50 were at Jericho, and 50 were on the bank of the Jordan, but only Elisha crossed the Jordan. He was the only one willing to go all the way. But also remember that only Elisha received a double portion.
There will be people at every level of your experience who will try to stop us from going any further. It may even be spiritual people who have insight - they were prophetic enough to know that Elijah was about to be taken up - but not spiritual enough to know that the double portion cannot be had by staying where you are.
A. Bethel
You know that based on Jacob’s experience in Genesis 28 that Bethel means “The House of God.” The Sons of the Prophet were willing to stay at the House of God. We have plenty of people who go as far as the House of God. It is easy to go this far everyone else is worshiping God, seeking God, talking Christianese. We don’t have any problem going this far. It is comfortable and familiar. The problem is they just wouldn’t go any further. These 50 didn’t follow Elijah when he left they stayed at Bethel. Too many of us stop at the house of God. We are comfortable at this level. We know the game. We know the ropes and the way things work. We just don’t want to go any further. But Elisha refuses to stay there. He went all the way. We have to make up our mind that we will go further. We have to make up our mind that the House of God blessing isn’t enough to accomplish what we need accomplished. The anointing that everyone else has just isn’t going to do the job. We will get up and move to the next level.
B. Jericho
Elijah arrives in Jericho and there are 50 more Sons of the Prophet there. There are people who are willing to go a little further. They are at Jericho. You will remember that Jericho in Joshua 6 is a place of ridicule and the illogical. Every day the Children of Israel would march around the walls of Jericho without saying a word, without shouting, without talking. I am positive that the people of Jericho stood on the walls and threw insults, verbal jabs, ridicule at the armies of Israel. They probably laughed at them. It made no sense to do what they were doing.
Not everyone is willing to go this far. They will follow until the first person laughs. They will follow until they can’t understand something. They will follow as long as it fits their logic and plans. Most aren’t willing to follow when it demands,
You quit a great paying job to take a position where there is no income.
You go where you get no praise, attention, or acclaim.
You go where you are not in your area of talent or expertise.
You go where you have no connections or leverage.
Some will go this far but not all. The Rich Young Ruler wouldn’t go this far. He would follow to the House of God but he wouldn’t follow where it didn’t make sense. Many of us will go this far but no further.
C. Jordan
Notice that the Sons of the Prophet lost there desire to follow when it came time to cross the Jordan. This is where people drop out. They will serve in the House of God. They will even serve when people laugh or when it is illogical. But when it comes time to cross the Jordan they stop and watch from a distance.
Many of you have followed to Bethel. Many of you have followed as far as Jericho. But this morning I am calling you to cross. I am challenging you to make up your mind to call all the way.
The Jordan the place of death. We don’t like the idea of dying. It isn’t fun, it isn’t comfortable, it isn’t convenient but it is the only avenue to the double portion. You cannot find the double portion where it is easy. You can’t find it where it is logical. You can only find it at the place of death. In the place of death you can ask for difficult things and recieve them.
Today I call you to die to yourself. I call for you to count yourself among the dead. The place where we put to death convience, comfort,our rights, our desires, our plans and we position ourselves for a double portion.
We have to go all the way. We have to cross when no one else crosses. For us this place of death is a place of prayer and fasting. Not everyone is going to be willing to follow this far. But I am calling for some Elisha’s to follow to the place of death. It won’t be fun fasting these meals, it won’t be neccessarily easy or convient spending this time in prayer but it is the only palce we will find the double portion anointing that is sufficent for our needs.
In order for our past to be conqured and forgotten. In order for us to walk into freedom. In order for revival to break forth on this campus there must first be death. Are you willing to go all the way? While others stand at a distance and watch will you be the one who will cross into death? Do you recognize the desperate need we have for the anointing? The anointing we have previously had is not enough for today. We need a double portion. Who will go all the way and get it?
