EMBRACING GOD’S CALL
1 Kings 19:19-21; 2 Kings 2:1-25
What will you do with your life? That’s a mind-blowing question. As a graduating senior, it is like a freight train coming at you in a tunnel. Don’t fret, though, because it’s good practice for you. It seems I’ve spent most of my life in front of that freight train bearing down on me.
1. ANSWERING GOD’S CALL.
A. The Call.
1 Kings 19:19 So he departed from there and found Elisha the son of Shaphat, while he was plowing with twelve pairs of oxen before him, and he with the twelfth. And Elijah passed over to him and threw his mantle on him.
* In vs 16, God had instructed Elijah to anoint Elisha the farmer to be the next prophet in the land, but God had not yet told Elisha.
* Elisha is a farmer, not a preacher. He’s doing what farmers do. He is plowing in the field. Working hard. Minding his own business. Who is this hairy man that walks by and throws his coat on Elisha’s back? Elisha knew full well. Elijah the Prophet was known by all.
* Elisha immediately knew what it meant. God was anointing him to go and serve Him and Elijah.
B. The Commitment.
1 Kings 19:20 He left the oxen and ran after Elijah and said, “Please let me kiss my father and my mother, then I will follow you.” And he said to him, “Go back again, for what have I done to you?”
Elisha’s commitment is immediate. Let me go and kiss my family good-bye. I am going with you! No doubting. No struggling. God has called, I am answering God’s call.
C. The Sacrifice.
1 Kings 19:21 So he returned from following him, and took the pair of oxen and sacrificed them and boiled their flesh with the implements of the oxen, and gave it to the people and they ate. Then he arose and followed Elijah and ministered to him.
Elisha slaughtered his oxen and offered them on a fire made from his plowing equipment. He was not going back, only forward with Elijah.
** Burn the Ships. In 1519, Hernando Cortez took 600 men to Mexico with plans to conquer the Aztec nation that had a multitude of soldiers. Cortez, though, was committed to conquer them and take their gold. He knew the men would be afraid and likely to run away, so he burned all their ships so they had no place to run. They would either attack and conquer or they would all be killed.
If you are going to be successful in your life, it requires that same kind of commitment.
(1) Realize what the call of your life is all about.
(2) Commit yourself to do what is necessary to accomplish that call.
(3) Burn the ships. Determine what God’s will is and forsake everything else to see it thru.
2. SEEKING GOD’S ANOINTING.
We pick up Elisha’s story in 2 Kings 2. He has been serving Elijah for about 7 years. Elijah’s ministry is winding down and he has been training Elisha to take his place. Now, the time has come for Elijah to leave and Elisha to take over.
A. Obstacles to Ministry.
2 Kings 2:1-8 1 And it came about when the Lord was about to take up Elijah by a whirlwind to heaven, that Elijah went with Elisha from Gilgal. 2 Elijah said to Elisha, “Stay here please, for the Lord has sent me as far as Bethel.” But Elisha said, “As the Lord lives and as you yourself live, I will not leave you.” So they went down to Bethel. 3 Then the sons of the prophets who were at Bethel came out to Elisha and said to him, “Do you know that the Lord will take away your master from over you today?” And he said, “Yes, I know; be still.”
4 Elijah said to him, “Elisha, please stay here, for the Lord has sent me to Jericho.” But he said, “As the Lord lives, and as you yourself live, I will not leave you.” So they came to Jericho. 5 The sons of the prophets who were at Jericho approached Elisha and said to him, “Do you know that the Lord will take away your master from over you today?” And he answered, “Yes, I know; be still.” 6 Then Elijah said to him, “Please stay here, for the Lord has sent me to the Jordan.” And he said, “As the Lord lives, and as you yourself live, I will not leave you.” So the two of them went on.
7 Now fifty men of the sons of the prophets went and stood opposite them at a distance, while the two of them stood by the Jordan. 8 Elijah took his mantle and folded it together and struck the waters, and they were divided here and there, so that the two of them crossed over on dry ground.
Here, Elisha is following Elijah on his journey. It seems that Elijah, Elisha, and all the prophets in each town know that Elijah is going to heaven today. In each town they pass, Elijah tells Elisha to stay behind with the company of prophets, but Elisha refuses because he wants to serve Elijah right up to the end. He will not be dissuaded.
* Elijah performs his last miracle as he parts the waters to walk across.
* In your life, you will face many obstacles, but you must persevere if you want to experience all that God has for you in this life.
B. Desiring What is Best.
2 Kings 2:9-10 9 When they had crossed over, Elijah said to Elisha, “Ask what I shall do for you before I am taken from you.” And Elisha said, “Please, let a double portion of your spirit be upon me.” 10 He said, “You have asked a hard thing. Nevertheless, if you see me when I am taken from you, it shall be so for you; but if not, it shall not be so.”
Elijah loves Elisha and wants to do something for him before leaving. Elisha doesn’t ask for material things, he craves the anointing of the Holy Spirit of God, but that’s not Elijah’s to give.
* Many want fame, power, importance, recognition, respect, etc... even in ministry. What God desires for us to crave, though, is the anointing.
C. The Anointing of God.
2 Kings 2:11-14 11 As they were going along and talking, behold, there appeared a chariot of fire and horses of fire which separated the two of them. And Elijah went up by a whirlwind to heaven. 12 Elisha saw it and cried out, “My father, my father, the chariots of Israel and its horsemen!” And he saw Elijah no more. Then he took hold of his own clothes and tore them in two pieces. 13 He also took up the mantle of Elijah that fell from him and returned and stood by the bank of the Jordan. 14 He took the mantle of Elijah that fell from him and struck the waters and said, “Where is the Lord, the God of Elijah?” And when he also had struck the waters, they were divided here and there; and Elisha crossed over.
Elijah was like a father to Elisha and he takes a moment to grieve over Elijah’s departure. But Elijah has spent 7 years teaching Elisha the ways of God and preparing him for the future as any good father does for his children.
* The anointing, though, cannot be taught. It is bestowed by God. God has chosen his next prophet, the prophet has answered his call, and God has anointed him for ministry. Elisha takes the mantle and walks up to the river with full faith, the waters parted, and Elisha enters the ministry that God has called him to.
NOTICE:
(1) God called and Elisha answered that call.
(2) Elisha served in humility until God promoted him.
1 Pet 5:6 humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you at the proper time,
(3) Elisha walked in faith!
3. EMBRACING GOD’S MINISTRY.
Immediately upon entering God’s work, Elisha is faced with 2 challenges. We will see that God responds to the first challenge with mercy and to the second challenge with justice.
* God’s first 2 works for Elisha as prophet was “to comfort the afflicted and to afflict the comfortable.”
2000 yrs later, Jesus would come and do this very thing on a grander scale.
A. Comforting the Afflicted.
2 Kings 2:19-22 19 Then the men of the city said to Elisha, “Behold now, the situation of this city is pleasant, as my lord sees; but the water is bad and the land is unfruitful.” 20 He said, “Bring me a new jar, and put salt in it.” So they brought it to him. 21 He went out to the spring of water and threw salt in it and said, “Thus says the Lord, ‘I have purified these waters; there shall not be from there death or unfruitfulness any longer.’” 22 So the waters have been [m]purified to this day, according to the word of Elisha which he spoke.
* Nothing magical about the salt. God can use anything. The salt was a visual symbol for purification. God was the purifier. And God used Elisha to bring the Word of the Lord to purify and heal their land.
* That is God’s call upon all of His children. We are called by God and anointed with the Holy Spirit to share the Good News of Jesus Christ and lead them to salvation in Him. The sinner is born again and purified by the blood of Jesus Christ.
B. Afflicting the Comfortable.
2 Kings 2:23-25 23 Then he went up from there to Bethel; and as he was going up by the way, young lads came out from the city and mocked him and said to him, “Go up, you baldhead; go up, you baldhead!” 24 When he looked behind him and saw them, he cursed them in the name of the Lord. Then two female bears came out of the woods and tore up forty-two lads of [n]their number. 25 He went from there to Mount Carmel, and from there he returned to Samaria.
So a bunch of young men began yelling insults at Elisha and God sent 2 bears to maul them.
First, remember, Elisha did not send the bears, God did. He is God’s mouthpiece.
God determined to do it and Elisha just proclaimed God’s judgement against them.
Why would God do this?
(1) They disrespected God’s servant. As a child of God, God cares what the enemy brings against you. And He reminds us “that vengeance is His.”
(2) They disrespected the office of prophet. Not only is Elisha a child of God, but he is God’s anointed prophet. In God’s kingdom, you may quietly disrespect the man, but don’t disrespect the office. They were mocking him and basically saying “if you’re such a great prophet why don’t you ride on chariot to heaven like Elijah?”
(3) They disrespected the Lord God Himself. Elisha was God’s spokesperson. What he preached and the things he did was by God’s will. If you condemn the messenger, then you are condemning the one who sent the message.
** Elisha didn’t fight that battle, though, he turned and pronounced God’s judgement and continued on his way.
* In your life/ministry, you are going to face great challenges. Your job is to keep focused on what God has called you to do and trust Him to protect you from whatever is attacking you. The Battle is His.
As you leave this place today, follow the example of Elisha.....
(1) Answer God’s call upon your life.
(2) Seek the Anointing of the Holy Spirit.
(3) Embrace the ministry that God has called you to!
