YOU HAVE ASKED A HARD THING
2 Kgs. 2:7-10
INTRODUCTION
A. HUMOR
1. Churches have often been better known for their banquets than their spirituality.
2. The pastor of one Church was asked what was required to join his church. He said, “You need to be saved and to have an 8½ X 11 casserole dish!” I hope that’s not what’s uppermost in your minds today!
B. TEXT
7... Elijah and Elisha ...stopped at the Jordan (river). 8 Elijah took his cloak, rolled it up and struck the water with it. The water divided to the right and to the left, and the two of them crossed over on dry ground. 9 When they had crossed, Elijah said to Elisha, “Tell me, what can I do for you before I am taken from you?” “Let me inherit a double portion of your spirit,” Elisha replied. 10 “You have asked a difficult thing,” Elijah said, “yet if you see me when I am taken from you, it will be yours—otherwise, it will not.”
C. THESIS
1. This passage is about a man named Elisha. The key thing about Elisha was that he understood the value of being filled with God’s Spirit and was determined to keep seeking God until he was filled.
2. We Christians also have a promise from the Lord Jesus of being filled with His Spirit; “But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you and you shall be witnesses of Me [to all nations]” Acts 1:8.
3. The Holy Spirit came upon the early church on the Day of Pentecost; “...they were all together...in one place. Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent
wind came from Heaven and filled the whole house... and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke in tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance” Acts 2:1-4.
4. The Apostle Peter told us that this anointing of the Spirit is for all Christians of all times (Acts 2:38-39). It’s God’s will for all believers to be constantly filled with His Spirit (Eph. 5:18, Greek).
5. Being filled with God’s Spirit is an easy thing, when it happens. The hard part is for modern Christians to prepare our hearts and to seek Him until we’re filled.
6. So we’re going to look at the Value of the Holy Spirit to us and how to prepare ourselves to receive His anointing.
I. WHAT IS THE VALUE OF THE HOLY SPIRIT TO YOU?
A. THE SPIRIT MAKES YOU A CHILD OF GOD
1. Jesus said, “Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit. You should not be surprised at my saying, ‘You must be born again.’” John 3:6-7
2. Just as you were born into this physical world, you must be “born” into God’s spiritual world – it happens by faith in Jesus Christ. He implants His divine nature in you and you become a new creature (Rom. 8:15, 2 Cor. 5:17) -- a Child of God.
B. THE HOLY SPIRIT GIVES YOU POWER TO LIVE VICTORIOUSLY
1. God says, “I will put My Spirit in you and move you to follow My decrees and...laws,” Ezek. 36:27. Not only does the Spirit convict us of sin (Jn. 16:8), but His indwelling presence overcomes our temptations, when we cooperate with Him (Rom. 8:3a,2).
2. That’s why John said, “Greater is He that is in you than he that is in the world!” 1 Jn. 4:4. He transforms us into the likeness of Jesus (2 Cor. 3:18).
C. HE GUIDES US & LEADS US, Jn. 16:13
1. ILLUS. a. The ancient Norsemen were the first
Europeans to reach America. They had no scientific instruments to guide them. They used the stars, but sometimes they became uncertain which way to go. Then they would release a raven.
b. As the bird flew high into the air, the daring sailors would follow the same direction that the bird took, knowing that the raven, with its keen eyesight and higher vision would lead them to land.
c. When we don’t know which way to go, that’s when we turn to the Holy Spirit, who points the direction for us.
2. Paul said, “As many as are LED by the Spirit of God, are the sons of God” Rom. 8:14.
D. HE’S THE VOICE OF GOD TO US
1. The Spirit of God illumines the Word & opens our minds so we can understand God’s truth. He’s our infallible teacher (Luke 12:12; John 14:26). He reminds us of everything Jesus has said to us.
2. Isa. (30:21) said, “...your ears will hear a voice behind you saying, ‘This is the way; walk in it.’” That’s the voice of the Holy Spirit.
3. Our society tells us there’s times when people need DESIGNATED DRIVERS -- where one person let’s another person drive for them. We need to let the Holy Spirit be our Designated Driver!
E. HE GIVES US BOLDNESS TO WITNESS
1. The Lord Jesus sent the fullness of the Spirit upon the Church, not to save us, but to give us wisdom & courage to witness (Acts 1:8).
2. The coming of the Spirit brings boldness; “And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the Word of God with boldness” Acts 4:31.
3. Jesus said, “But when they arrest you, do not worry about what to say or how to say it, for it will not be you speaking, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you” Mt. 10:19-20. WE NEED THE HOLY SPIRIT!
4. Coming back to Elijah’s statement, what is the difficulty of receiving the Spirit?
II. WHAT’S ‘DIFFICULT’ ABOUT BEING FILLED WITH THE HOLY SPIRIT?
A. IT’S HARD…BECAUSE THERE MUST BE A HUNGER FOR GOD
1. William Booth warned of the 5 CHIEF DANGERS OF THE 20TH CENTURY;
1. Religion without the Holy Spirit
2. Christianity without Christ
3. Forgiveness without Repentance
4. Salvation without Regeneration
5. Heaven without Hell. Beware being one of those Christians who don’t think they need the Holy Spirit! WE NEED TO BE HUNGRY!
2. Jesus said, "If any man thirst, let him come to me and drink," "Blessed are they that hunger and thirst after righteousness, for they shall be filled."
3. Total consecration means putting our hand to the plow. If you want the anointing that the first century Christians had, you'll have to pay the same price!
4. Christianity without passion will never have the fire of Pentecost. The anointing of the Spirit will never be gained unless it is pursued. Nothing is pursued unless it’s first desired. Where there’s no desire, there’s no fire.
5. The Olympic runners carry a flame in the Olympic Torch. That flame symbolizes the fire that burns in their hearts. WE NEED THAT KIND OF FERVOR!
B. HARD…BECAUSE IT REQUIRES WAITING ON GOD
1. We live in an "instant gratification" generation. People play the lottery because they want to get rich NOW. We eat Fast Food because we want to eat our food NOW. We have cell phones because we want to call NOW.
2. HUMOR. There was a Pastor who was teaching on the fruit of the Spirit. One night he taught on patience. After the service a man came forward and said, “I want patience and I want it NOW!”
3. But God calls us to wait upon Him. "They that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength;" "Be still and know that I am God." We can’t rush it; we have to wait patiently and expectantly – asking God to fill us with the Spirit.
4. The early church prayed and sought God for 10 days before the Holy Spirit came down on them. Elisha received the mantle because he was willing to wait until it fell on him. Are we willing to wait?
C. HARD…BECAUSE WE DON’T HAVE THE VISION OF THE GIVER
1. We want the empowering of the Spirit so our salvation can be confirmed or because it's a measure of spirituality; or because it reminds us of the good old days and it makes us feel good.
2. God wants to empower us because He sees lost people all around us who desperately need Jesus. "You shall receive power... and you shall be MY WITNESSES," Acts 1:8. "Go therefore and MAKE DISCIPLES of all nations" Matthew 28:19.
3. Our DESIRE should come from a NEED to have HIS POWER. Most of us don't need his power! Oh yes -- we live right and understand His Word, but if you step out with God, you'll NEED His power! Be a witness. Pray for the sick. Have a passion for souls.
D. HARD…BECAUSE ONLY GOD CAN GIVE IT
1. Most of the religious things we do don’t require God at all. Christian leaders have said that if God took the Holy Spirit out of the world today, most churches wouldn’t even know it and they’d go on functioning normally.
2. But the early church wasn’t like that. If the Holy Spirit had been removed during their time, they would have been completely shut down, because they were depending on the Holy Spirit to save, heal, and deliver! They worked in unison with the Spirit.
3. Now there’s only one place you’re going to get fire like that – it originates in the altars of Heaven! We’re not talking about “strange fire” or earthly fire, like Nadab & Abihu offered, but the fire that descended from heaven and burned up the sacrifices, consumed the stones, and licked up the water from the trench.
4. This means we have to go to God individually, get rid of our phones & watches, and wait on God until He endues us with power from on high!
E. HARD...BECAUSE IT TAKES DETERMINATION TO RECEIVE IT. God wants you to say, “I won’t take ‘No’ for an answer! I MUST have it, no matter what the cost! I WILL BE FILLED, even if it takes me a year of seeking. By God’s grace I will have the same baptism the early Christians had!”
F. IT MIGHT BE HARD…BUT IT’S PROMISED!
1. It seemed like a difficult thing, but it had already been promised. In 1 Kings 19:16, Elijah was told to “anoint [Elisha] to be prophet to occupy your office." It was a "done-deal."
2. God spoke about US through the Prophet Joel, "The promise [of Spirit baptism] is to you... your children... to them that are afar off... even as many as the Lord our God shall call" Acts 2:38. This is a universal promise that we can ALL be filled if we will seek God for it. WILL YOU?
CONCLUSION
A. ILLUSTRATION: NOT CONNECTED TO THE POWER
1. A young missionary, Herbert Jackson, was given a car to help him in his work. The car was a major asset, but it had one difficulty—it would not start without a push or a jump-start.
2. Jackson devised a system to cope with the car’s inability to start; he would always park on a hill or to leave his engine running when he stopped for short visits. For two years he employed this ingenious method to enable him to use that car.
3. When poor health forced the Jackson family to leave the field, a new missionary arrived to lead the mission. As Jackson explained his methods for starting the car, the young man opened the hood and started looking at the engine.
4. “Why, Pastor Jackson,” he interrupted, “I believe the only trouble is a loose cable.” He gave the cable a twist, pushed the switch, and the engine roared to life.
5. For two years, Jackson had used his own devices and endured needless trouble. The power to start the car was there all the time—it only needed to be connected. It’s the same with US and the Holy Spirit!
B. THE CALL: HOW CAN YOU RESTORE THE FIRES OF THE HOLY SPIRIT IN YOUR LIFE?
1. 1st, SURRENDER YOUR LIFE TO GOD’S PURPOSE. Samson’s power was a result of his consecration to God. Spiritual power always begins with consecration. Surrender your life completely to God; then He’ll use it.
2. WHEN YOU SENSE THE SUPERNATURAL, DON’T SUPPRESS IT, BUT YEILD TO IT, WITH FAITH. Paul said, “I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God” 2 Tim. 1:6. “Fan the flame” is the Greek word “anazopureo,” which (Guthrie says) means, to “Kindle afresh, to “keep in full flame.” Can you honestly say you’re keeping the Spirit’s fire in “full flame” in your life? Then you need to “fan the flames!”
3. ALL WHO WANT TO BE FILLED WITH THE SPIRIT, COME TO THE FRONT. Let’s all find a place in the altars and seek God for Holy Spirit filling. PRAYER.
[This is a rewrite of a message by Ron Barnard in 1996]
