DO YOU HAVE OIL?
2 Kgs. 4:1-7
INTRODUCTION
A. HUMOR: LIFE INSURANCE
1. A very nervous airline passenger began pacing the terminal when bad weather delayed his flight. During his walk he ran across one of those insurance machines.
2. It offered $100,000 in the event of an untimely death aboard his flight. The policy was just $3. He looked out the window at the threatening clouds and thought of his family at home. For that price it was foolish NOT to buy, so he took out the coverage.
3. He then looked for a place to eat. He settled on his favorite – Chinese food. It was a very relaxing and calming meal until he opened his fortune cookie. It read, “Your recent investment will pay big dividends! [#1112]
B. TEXT
“A certain woman of the wives of the sons of the prophets cried out to Elisha, saying, “Your servant my husband is dead, and you know that your servant feared the Lord. And the creditor is coming to take my two sons to be his slaves.” 2 So Elisha said to her, “What shall I do for you? Tell me, what do you have in the house?” And she said, “Your maidservant has nothing in the house but a jar of oil.” 3 Then he said, “Go, borrow vessels from everywhere, from all your neighbors—empty vessels; do not gather just a few. 4 And when you have come in, you shall shut the door behind you and your sons; then pour it into all those vessels, and set aside the full ones.” 5 So she went from him and shut the door behind her and her sons, who brought the vessels to her; and she poured it out. 6 Now it came to pass, when the vessels were full, that she said to her son, “Bring me another vessel.” And he said to her, “There is not another vessel.” So the oil ceased. 7 Then she came and told the man of God. And he said, “Go, sell the oil and pay your debt; and you and your sons live on the rest.” 2 Kgs. 4:1-7.
C. THESIS
1. This is the account of a family in trouble. The curtains are pulled back and we look right into the home.
2. The woman’s husband was a better preacher than financier. He died and left his family in debt. The title of this message is, “Do You Have Oil?”
I. THE CREDITOR IS COME
A. GODLINESS MAY LEAD TO POVERTY
1. “Pastor, I thought that God causes the righteous to prosper.” Yes He does, but sometimes Christians end up in poverty. Don’t judge a person’s character based on how much money they have.
2. Christians often have suffering or die in poverty. In many places in the world there’s persecution of Christians. In many countries Christians aren’t allowed to get an education or a good job.
3. An example of this is Egypt where there are 1.5 million Coptic Christians who are terribly persecuted. Another is China where the government is enforcing communist party membership for many jobs and freedoms, which excludes Christians.
4. In 2 Kgs, this widow’s husband lived during a time of intense persecution under Jezebel. His property might’ve been confiscated. Just like riches aren’t a sign of God’s favor, neither is poverty a sign of God’s disfavor. Jesus said that few wealthy will be saved! James said that God has chosen the poor in this world to be rich in faith (2:5).
5. This should be an encouragement to any here who are disadvantaged. God hasn’t forgotten you and in due time He will lift you up. However poor you are, your Master was poorer. You have God’s love and His promise of heaven’s riches!
B. THE CREDITOR & HIS INTENTION
1. The CREDITOR in this story is a type of SATAN. He doesn’t have any sympathy or mercy. He only cares about what’s owed him.
2. PROBLEM: WE’RE ALL DEBTORS! Our DEBTS are our SINS. The Lord’s Prayer tells us to pray “forgive us our debts.” That’s our sins. We all are debtors.
3. What is it that Satan wants? HE WANTS OUR SONS TO BE SLAVES! He wants to steal the inheritance of God’s people, our fruitfulness, our destiny. Sometimes it takes a miracle to save them
4. The culture of this country is so hostile to Christian beliefs that we’ve got to be very careful to bring our kids up with strong foundations in Christ. Don’t aim at minimum exposure, but maximum exposure!
5. Christianity is more ‘caught’ than taught. If it doesn’t “possess” you -- if Jesus doesn’t absolutely control our time and hearts -- then our kids will only be surface Christians who will easily abandon their faith when the going gets rough.
6. WE MUST LEAD OUR KIDS INTO EXPERIENCING THE SUPERNATURAL FOR THEMSELVES! That’s what happened to the widow’s boys. They saw the miracle for themselves. They became believers in Jehovah for the rest of their lives, because they were a party to what God did. They saw it with their own eyes! Your kids need to see it!
7. The devil wants our young people. Fathers, be careful not to major on criticizing them; they need your love & prayers.
C. THE WIDOW WENT TO GOD IN HER TROUBLE
1. It’s important that this widow went to God in her trouble. She didn’t go to the banker, or the psychiatrist, or to the politician, or to the pharmacy for “mother’s-little-helpers;” she went to seek God for the answer to her needs!
2. We Christians should “cast our burdens upon the Lord!” We should “know from whence cometh our help, our help cometh from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth!” If you’ve got a problem, take it to the Lord! He has the answers!
II. “WHAT DO YOU HAVE IN YOUR HOUSE?”
A. THE APPARENT LACK OF RESOURCES
1. Some of you are saying, “I don’t have any resources to meet my need.” This widow, when asked what she had in her house answered, “Nothing except a little oil.”
2. WE ALL HAVE SOMETHING IN OUR HOUSE. It may seem like nothing to us, but God can see the potential we can’t. We all have something God can use to help us.
3. When she said, “Nothing but a jar with a little oil” the prophet said, “That ‘something’ is the miracle in your house today!” Her nothing was God’s something!
B. ILLUS. OF THE McILHENNY FAMILY
1. Edmund McIlhenny was a man in the 1800’s who married Mary Eliza Avery of Avery Island, LA. The island produced salt from a mine and they raised cattle and food on their farm.
2. During the Civil War, Union troops under General Nathaniel Banks invaded the island and destroyed the mine, livestock, and farm (in the early 1860’s).
3. The McIlhenny family was living hand to mouth. One of the few things left on this ruined farm were some plants that had reseeded themselves in the garden.
4. So McIlhenny started experimenting with these plants to make a sauce to help the taste of the food they were left with. What plants had survived? Jalapeno peppers.
5. Using the provision that God had left him, McIlhenny began to produce a sauce he called Tabasco Pepper Sauce. It was quickly picked up and became a staple all over the United States.
6. Sometimes we don’t realize what we have around us or how God can use it for blessing!
C. DO WE HAVE THE WRONG THING IN OUR HOUSE?
1. If we want God to work in our house, we must be careful what we have in our house. Some things can keep God from working in our house.
2. DO WE HAVE WORLDLINESS IN OUR HOUSE?
a. Many Christians want the best of both worlds.
b. We want to have God on Sunday, and then on Monday thru Friday we want a little alcohol, a little profanity, a little TV filth, a little pornography. One minister preached on it and 21 church men confessed.
3. “Master” is the Greek word from which we get our word “despot.” It emphasizes Christ’s absolute lordship. In 2 Tim. 2:21, Paul talks about dirty vessels not being useful to the Master, except for purposes that you don’t want to think about. Have you ever been in a restaurant and received a dirty plate, glass or fork? Would you want to eat with a dirty utensil? Of course not. You’d demand a clean fork or plate.
4. In the same way, God doesn’t want to use a dirty life. But if we’ll allow Him, He will clean us up in a moment!
D. SHE ONLY HAD A LITTLE OIL
1. I wish we could all say with her, “I have nothing but a pot of oil.” Question: Do we have oil in our house?
2. Oil represents the Holy Spirit. Thank God she had some, but she needed a lot more of the Spirit to bring deliverance to her & her boys.
3. The oil is the missing ingredient in spiritual things. The anointing of the Spirit brings liberty (Lk. 4:18) and breaks the yoke of bondage (Isa. 10:27, KJV). It has healing power.
4. The oil represents the anointing, unction, power, presence and person of the HOLY GHOST. The absence of oil in our lives is recognized by dryness, emptiness, and friction.
5. When oil is present, rust and corrosion cease to hinder. Oil lubricates, makes things run more smoothly. Oil is associated with joy and shining faces (Ps. 104:15). Oil makes things FRESH and adds beauty.
6. YOU NEED THE OIL OF THE SPIRIT! Get hungry & thirsty!
III. MIRACLE OF THE FLOWING OIL
A. NEEDED: EMPTY VESSELS!
1. Only empty vessels would be filled. If we want God to fill us, we can’t be full of pride, selfishness, or our own goodness.
2. Some of you say, “I’m sure I’m no good as a vessel – I’m so dry, so lost, ruined, I’m such a sinner” – you’re just the vessel Jesus wants!
3. “I’m so numb I can’t even weep!” That only proves how empty you are. The more empty you are, the better a candidate you are to be filled!
B. BORROW MANY VESSELS – SEEK MUCH
1. Elisha felt it necessary to urge her to great efforts. If she borrowed few vessels, she would have very little oil; if she borrowed many vessels they should all be filled, and she would have much oil.
2. She was herself to measure out what she should have. I believe that you and I release or stifle the flow of God’s blessings to us.
3. We make our blessings little, because we only seek God a little. We have as much of God as we want. HOW MUCH OF GOD DO YOU WANT, REALLY?
C. SIZE OF THE VESSELS UNIMPORTANT
1. In this miracle, the oil flowed into the vessels until they were full. It didn’t matter what size they were. Some were small and others large.
2. When a sinner receives Jesus, however much grace we need is how much we receive. If we have mountains of sin, or tons of baggage from our past, thank God, the blood of Jesus is sufficient to cover it!
3. If we have stubborn natures, like a donkey, praise God, He has the patience and endurance to keep working with us until all the carnal nature is driven out.
4. My Mother is 91 years old and has said many times, “Why hasn’t the Lord taken me yet?” I say, “Mom, you’re probably
not ready yet; there’s still some areas He needs to work on in your life.
5. However much grace you need God will provide. If she’d borrowed some plastic swimming pools, God would still have filled them. Your need isn’t too big for God.
D. HOW LONG DID THE MIRACLE LAST?
1. It flowed as long as any empty vessel was left. It should have run out, but it didn’t. They bent over and looked inside to see where it was coming from.
2. “Sons, bring another vessel!” “There are no empty ones left; every vessel in our house is full of oil!” (It was more than enough to pay all her debts and still have money left over for them to live on! God is a God of abundance!)
a. We need to have every PERSON in our house full of oil!
b. Dad & Mom – you may provide a lot of things for them, but if you don’t take care of the spiritual – you’ve failed in your most important calling! Dads – you’re the priest of your home!
3. Anytime anybody in the Bible gave their all, they found there was never a limit on what God would do. How bad do you want it? Pour out ALL your oil. Remember the little boy’s lunch? It’s the Law of God’s Dynamics – “You pour in your little, and I will pour in My much!”
4. The Holy Spirit says, “Bring your empty vessels.” There are many here whom Christ has filled. But aren’t there some vessels here who’ve not been filled? “And the oil stayed.” If it hadn’t, the whole country would have been flooded!
CONCLUSION
Your kids will be saved if your house is full of the Holy Spirit.
A. ILLUSTRATION: YATES POOL
1. It’s a true story that sounds like a remake of the Beverly Hillbillies. During the Great Depression a man named Yates was operating a sheep ranch in the rolling hills of West Texas.
2. His business wasn’t generating enough money to pay the principal and interest on his mortgage so he ended up living on a government subsidy. His days were filled with stress over the financial concerns of his family. They lived, dressed, and ate in poverty.
3. One day a seismographic crew asked if they might explore his land for oil. Yates agreed and signed a lease contract. At 1,115 feet they struck a huge reserve of oil. The first well produced 80,000 barrels of oil a day while many subsequent wells generated more than twice that amount.
4. Thirty years after the discovery, one well was estimated to still have the potential flow of 125,000 barrels a day. This vast sea of wealth, known as Yates’ Pool, had always belonged to Yates.
5. He was a multi-millionaire who spent years in heart-
wrenching poverty just because he didn’t realize what he already possessed.
6. When we don’t explore and realize the tremendous resources that God has provided for Christian service, we experience spiritual power and frustration. You may be dwelling on a huge reserve of talent and joy that God is ready to release if you will just let Him! [McHenry’s Stories, #1046]
B. THE CALL
1. Is there worldliness in your house? Get it out!
2. Moms & Dads, are you providing the example you should?
Young people, the enemy is after you. The only sure remedy is the Holy Spirit in your life. Do you want to be set free?
3. Many of you are bankrupt – you have problems and you can’t solve them. You’re waiting for a miracle but that miracle is waiting on you!
4. Do you have oil? Do you need to be filled with the Holy Spirit? Are you ready as a family to experience a miracle? Let’s come to God and get the answers!
