3 KINGS WHO SEARCHED FOR THE PRESENCE
2 Kgs. 3:6-24
INTRODUCTION
A. HUMOR: SHOE ON THE OTHER FOOT
1. A minister answered his phone and a voice said, “Please send over a case of whiskey to ____ address.” The pastor recognized the voice as one of his church members. The Pastor said, “This is your PASTOR!”
2. He waited in silence for conviction to settle in on the wrongdoer. Instead, the voice said, “Pastor! What are YOU doing answering the phone at the liquor store?!”
B. TEXT
6 King Joram….7 sent this message to Jehoshaphat king of Judah: "The king of Moab has rebelled against me. Will you go with me to fight against Moab?" "I [& the King of Edom] will go with you," he replied. 9 After a roundabout march of seven days, the army had no more water...10 "What!" exclaimed the king of Israel. "Has the LORD called us three kings together only to hand us over to Moab?" 11 But Jehoshaphat asked, "Is there no prophet of the LORD here, that we may inquire of the LORD through him?" "Elisha son of Shaphat is here…”12 Jehoshaphat said, "The word of the LORD is with him." So the [3 kings]...went down to him. 14 Elisha said, "If I did not have respect for the presence of Jehoshaphat king of Judah, I would not look at you [King Joram] or even notice you. 15 But now bring me a harpist." While the harpist was playing, the hand of the LORD came upon Elisha 16 and he said, "This is what the LORD says: Make this valley full of ditches. 17 For this is what the LORD says: You will see neither wind nor rain, yet this valley will be filled with water, and you, your cattle and your other animals will drink. 18 This is an easy thing in the eyes of the LORD; he will also hand Moab over to you. 20 The next morning...there it was—water flowing from the direction of Edom! And the land was filled with water. 22...To the Moabites across the way, the water looked red—like blood. 23 "That's blood!" they said. "Those kings must have fought and slaughtered each other. Now to the plunder, Moab!" 24 But when the Moabites came to the camp of Israel, the Israelites rose up and fought them until they fled. And the Israelites invaded the land and slaughtered the Moabites. 2 Kgs. 3:6-24
C. THESIS
1. This tells the story of how 3 kings were going to war, but found themselves dying of thirst without water. They sought God’s Presence for help and God commanded them to do a crazy thing – to dig ditches in the desert. IF they dug them, He would fill them with water. The more ditches they dug, the more water they would get.
2. This is a great parallel that if we want blessings from God, we must do the spiritual work God calls us to: of repentance, faith in God, intercession & obedience.
3. The title of this message is “Three Kings Who Searched for the Presence.” My question for you this morning is, “Do YOU want the Presence?”
I. WHERE DOES THIS PRESENCE COME FROM?
“Repent therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord, and that He may send Jesus Christ, who was preached to you before.” Acts 3:19-20, NKJV.
A. FROM THE PRESENCE OF GOD
1. The valley they had to dig, represented their own hard hearts. God says, “Break up your fallow ground: for [it is] time to seek the LORD, till he come and rain righteousness upon you” Hosea 10:12. So revival must be preceded with disturbing our hard hearts. Only then can the rain of the Spirit be effective to make change come.
2. God is omniscient, that is, He’s everywhere, but we don’t feel or see Him except under certain conditions. His presence can become more concentrated until it becomes actually physical.
3. Moses was surprised to find God’s special presence on a burning bush in the desert. In the Bible that Presence came in response to preaching, praying, desperate needs, deep worship, prophesying, faith, anointing with oil, or spiritual hunger & desire.
4. God is still looking today for people who hunger & search for His Presence. He will still put His sacred fire and anointing on them. His presence will change your life!
B. EVERYONE IS SUPPOSED TO BE FILLED
1. The Apostle Paul commanded the Ephesian Christians to “be filled with the Spirit.” This isn’t some special blessing God reserved for only a few of His children....but is God's norm for every one of his children to be filled.
2. “Without the Spirit of God, we can do nothing. We are as ships without the wind, branches without sap, and like coals without fire, we are useless.”—Charles Spurgeon.
II. WAYS THE SPIRIT CAME IN BIBLE-HISTORY
A. GOD’S PRESENCE COMES AS WIND
1. At the Creation, the “Spirit of God (wind) hovered over the waters” of the world (Gen. 1:2).
2. Gen. 2:7 says that when God formed man of the dust of the ground, He “breathed into his nostrils the breath of life and he became a living soul.”
3. During the Exodus (14:21) a wind blew and drove back the Red Sea for their deliverance. The Lord spoke to Job out of a tornado (Job 38:1); God “sent a great wind upon the sea” to deal with Jonah (1:4).
4. God told Ezekiel to “Prophesy to the Wind” (Ezek. 37:9) in order to bring revival to the nation of Israel (and by extention, the Church). The Holy Spirit came at Pentecost as a “rushing, mighty wind” (Acts 2:2).
B. GOD’S PRESENCE ALSO COMES AS FIRE
1. God appeared as fire in the Burning Bush (Ex. 3:1-6), and at Mt. Horeb (Ex. 19:10-11,16-22) God descended in fire. God’s protected Israel as a Pillar of Fire and was seen as fire above the Tabernacle at night (Ex. 13:21; 14:24; 40:38, etc.).
2. When Elijah prayed the fire of God fell and awakened God’s people (1 Kgs. 18:38). God is described as a “consuming fire” (Heb. 12:29).
3. Fire appeared on the Day of Pentecost and sat upon the 120 & they were filled with the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:1-4).
C. GOD’S SPIRIT COMES AS WATER
1. Water quenches thirst, sustains life, purifies & cleanses, moves things, and generates power.
2. God says, “Sow to yourselves in righteousness, reap in mercy; break up your fallow ground: for [it is] time to seek the LORD, till he come and RAIN righteousness upon you” Hosea 10:12. Outpourings of His Spirit are referred to as the former & latter rains.
3. The Lord Jesus said He would open in us “wells of water springing up to eternal life,” referring to the Holy Spirit (John 4:14). The Holy Spirit is pictured in the Book of Revelation as a RIVER flowing thru New Jerusalem (22:1-2) that flows from the throne of God & the Lamb.
D. GOD’S PRESENCE IS LIKE OIL
1. When the poor widow needed money the prophet told her to multiply her oil, 2 Kgs. 4:1-7, representing the Holy Spirit. The Lord Jesus, in the Parable of the 10 Virgins, told of 5 which ran out of oil (the Spirit) before Christ came back (Mt. 25:1-13). They were not taken to the marriage feast!
2. 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.
3. Oil was put upon David and the Spirit rested on him from that time onward (1 Sam. 16:13). We must have the Oil of the Holy Spirit!
III. THE 3 KINGS WERE CALLED TO REPENT
A. GETTING RECEPTIVE TO THE SPIRIT
1. Elisha called for a HARPIST, who probably began to sing and play, “They that wait upon the Lord….” If you want to hear from God, you’ve got to get quiet. Get still. “Be still and know that I am God” Ps. 46:10.
2. The word of the Lord came to Elisha; “Make this valley full of ditches. For this is what the LORD says: You will see neither wind nor rain, yet this valley will be filled with water.” (16-17)
3. There they were, arrayed in full armor, swords in hands… they were ready on the outside, but NOT on the inside! There’s no way we can win a spiritual war without the power of the Holy Spirit!
B. CONDITION OF THEIR HEARTS
1. The desert symbolized the condition of their hearts and OURS: dry, barren, lifeless, dead, unsown, unrepentant. How could water penetrate such stony ground?
2. Today’s church is in the same condition. We need the Holy Spirit - yet He won’t come. The pride and self-will in us must be broken before the anointing will flow!
3. THERE’S ONLY ONE REMEDY: “Break Up Your Fallow Ground!” There must be GODLY SORROW for sin, indifference, disobedience, selfishness, and neglect.
4. The normal signs of revival may not be visible. Someone might have asked Elisha, “If water is going to come, why not let it just come? Why dig ditches?”
C. ISSUE OF REPENTANCE: NOT A POPULAR SUBJECT
1. Noah’s message to his generation was not, “Something good is going to happen to you.”
2. Jeremiah didn’t get put into a pit for preaching, “I’m ok, You’re Ok!”
3. Daniel wasn’t put into the Lion’s Den for telling people, “All roads lead to God.”
4. John the Baptist wasn’t beheaded for preaching, “Smile, God loves You!”
5. And the Two Tribulation Prophets won’t be killed for preaching, “God is in Heaven and all is right with the world.”
6. Instead, their message was the same one – “Repent!” It’s an important topic! WITHOUT REPENTANCE THERE IS NO SALVATION!
7. Repentance was the first message of the Lord Jesus. He said there’s only 2 options: “REPENT OR PERISH!” (Mk. 1:14-15; Lk. 13:3,5).
8. WHAT IS REPENTANCE?
a. IT’S NOT: being sorry for sin, admitting guilt, or even feeling the Spirit’s conviction. It’s not until we TURN AWAY FROM OUR SIN that we really repent.
b. TO REPENT IS TO “TURN AROUND.” “TURN ABOUT.” ‘Repent’ means to make a UTURN. To pull off the freeway of sin and head back the opposite direction. SO WHY DIG DITCHES? Because...
D. PREPARATION ALWAYS PRECEDES BLESSINGS
1. For us to receive blessings from God, we often are required to take some difficult steps to prove we really mean business! DO WE REALLY WANT REVIVAL IN OUR FAMILIES? We need to make this whole church full of ditches – repentance, crying, praying, intercession, abandoning sin, and making new consecrations.
2. Prepare largely – “make this valley FULL of ditches!” If you make a “few” ditches, you’ll get a small anointing/blessing. If you want a GREAT ANOINTING, make your valley FULL of ditches, and you’ll have in abundance!
CONCLUSION
A. ILLUS.: IS IT SAFE TO DELAY MAKING A DECISION?
1. A man came to Dr. Summers, M.D. with fluid around his heart. Dr. Summers called the man’s wife to discuss it. After they discussed it, she -- knowing Summers was a strong Christian -- said, "Dr. Summers, even more urgent is that my husband refuses to trust in Christ for salvation. I've talked and talked to him but it's no use." The Dr. said, "Let me talk with him by myself and I will see what the Lord shows me."
2. Summers met with the husband and said; "Sir, you have a fatal disease. So I suggest we begin treating you in a YEAR.” The man looked alarmed, “But doctor, I may be dead in a year!”
3. Summers said, “Well if you’re worried about it, we can start treatment in SIX months.” “Six months!? I don’t think that would be safe!” “Well, what about THREE months?” The man said, “Doctor, I have a fatal disease; I don’t think it’s safe to put it off at all!”
4. Dr. Summers said, “Sir, your fatal disease is sin! It’s more deadly than your heart disease. I prescribe immediate treatment. What is your decision?”
5. After a brief hesitation the husband replied, "I don't think it is safe to put that off either." They knelt together & in a few moments the husband was radiantly saved.
6. FRIEND, IT’S NOT SAFE TO PUT OFF A DECISION FOR CHRIST!
B. THE CALL
1. How many would say “Pastor I want to take care of my spiritual problem RIGHT NOW!”?
2. How many of you know that your spiritual fire has gone out and that you need to get recharged with the Spirit?
3. How many of you want new power operating in you? Let’s all come forward to ask for God’s help!
4. PRAYER
