“Raisin’ The Roof”
Text: II Kings 4:8-16
Changing a visitation into a habitation!
A. No room in present structure. (There was evidently no room for the prophet to move in to make room they had to raise the room. They had to expand their present structure.)
Often there is no room in the present structure for habitation. In order to raise the roof you have to think outside the existing structure. Some of you have no room for habitation – you can’t move, operate, think outside the confines of a Clint Brown, Vineyard, Hymn. No room outside 3 songs, offering, a special, 3 songs, a sermon and go home.
No room in your present level of thinking, present level of worship, no room in present level of prayer, work. No room for expansion.
Same chapter Elisha tells woman to bring him something to eat. She replies she has no oil. Elisha responds that she should borrow some vessels because she won’t have enough room to handle outpouring. That is a picture of many of us. We have no room in our present structure to handle the outpouring. We are asking, praying, begging for a move but we have no more room. We must raise the roof. Must make room. Take it to the next level. Take it up to the next notch. Because the oil will quit flowing when capacity of expansion has been filled. We get the level of revival we have room for. Too many of us are already at capacity. We are as full as we will ever be until we raise the roof and make room outside our present structure and present level. We need to raise the roof.
B. You can not raise the roof without a firm foundation.
Family was able to build up because they had a firm foundation. Many of us don’t have a habitation because we don’t have the foundation capable of handling the weight of habitation.
The Hebrew word for glory is “Chabod” and it translates as “weightiness.” That is why some of us only get a visitation and no habitation. We have no foundation. We are described when Jesus said you couldn’t pour new wine into old wineskins. The pressure, the weight, the combustion will cause the old wineskins to explode. Some of us get a visitation and then explode and then go back to the way we were – there was no foundation. No discipline, no study habits, no fasting, no prayer. I don’t believe the parable that describes the man who built house on sand is not just dealing with withstanding temptation. Many of our houses fall down when a move of God comes along because we haven’t established our foundation. We are blown about by every wind of doctrine.
C. It is not enough to just raise the roof we must also furnish the room.
They didn’t just make a room and the prophet move in. They furnish it. What they placed in the room symbolically represents what we have in place to create an environment conducive for habitation.
1. Bed – Ps. 37:7; Matthew 11:28-29 (Message)
Represents a place of rest. We will rest on our laurels, our abilities, and our gift. But there will be no habitation until we learn to rest in him. Until we become dissatisfied busyness and activity, and learn to abide in Him. To rest on His approval rather than man’s.
2. Table –
Represents a place of communion. A place to be fed. A place of fellowship. We want habitation but don’t want take time to be fed, to commune, or to fellowship with Jesus. We are like Zacchaeus who wanted to see Jesus. We want to see Him, see His power work through us, and see His works. All the while, Jesus wanted to sup or commune with Zacchaeu. He does desire to use us but first desires to commune with us. There can be no habitation if there is not time of communion and fellowship.
Can’t eat and run. Come and dine. Spend some time.
3. Chair –
A place of total support. That is role of chair it is a place of support. Total dependence on its ability to hold me up. In order for there to be habitation we must come to the place where we rely on Him to hold us up. Where we live Proverbs 3:5 rather than just quoting it. Lean not unto thine own understanding. We will have a habitation when we come to the place where we don’t expect our reputation, our contacts, our education, our intelligence, our abilities, or our parents to hold us up but rather rely on our God.
Micah 3:11 – Too many of us are like this. We do our own thing and then ask God to support it by showing up. When the way it should be done is to find out what God is doing and we should show up.
4. Lamp –
Represents Word. Illumination. Can’t have permanent habitation without the light of the Word. I know you thought revival meant that you don’t have to dig it out yourself. But without knowing His Word you can’t know Him. If you read it yourself then you have to wait until someone comes along and brings it to you. But how long does an ember last once the fire is gone?
Jeremiah realized that it is God’s Word that brought a permanent fire into his bones. David realized that it was God’s Word that produces protection from sin, because “I have hid thy Word in my heart that I might not sin against thee.” And that God’s Word brought direction, “Thy Word is lamp unto my feet.” Some of you are waiting on a prophetic word, or a preacher to call you and tell you what to do. Why not read the written Word and find out for yourself.
Revival can not be and will not be permanent without the light of His Word.
The reason so many of us never experience a habitation is because we haven’t furnished the room so that there can be a move in.
D. Closing
1. Do you have room in your present structure? Have you boxed God
up so that He can’t move outside your structure? Has the oil quit flowing because you received to the level of your capacity?
2. Have you established a firm foundation? Or are you operating on a
weak base? Are you unable to handle the weightiness of a
habitation? Have you developed the disciplines necessary to support the fresh move of His spirit?
3. Have you furnished your life with a place of rest, communion, and
dependency. Have you made provision for light? Are you trying to live off of an ember that someone else dug up? Do you need fire?
