A little girl had just finished her first week of school and she complained to her mother. She said: “I’m WASTING my time. I can’t read, I can’t write—and they won’t let me talk!” That little girl was upset that she was wasting her time! And the question I want you to consider this morning is this: DO YOU WASTE YOUR TIME?
Think about it this way: what if you knew that you had only 24 hours to live? Would you spend that time differently than you do every other day? I suspect that if you knew that… you might. I suspect you’d rearrange your priorities.
Now, to be honest, most of us probably haven’t given that a lot of thought. But – in truth – we probably ought to. Mohammed Ali made an interesting observation - he said: “Live every day as if it were your last --- because one day you’ll be right!”
The Bible even says something like that: “Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom" (Psalm 90:12) You see if we were to NUMBER OUR DAYS - if we were live each day as if they were our last - that would show wisdom because it would force us to focus on the fact that time is precious, and the fact that none of us is going to live forever. If we thought like that, we wouldn’t be satisfied if we WASTED our time.
Now that brings us to our story today. We read about a man who KNOWS he’s going to die. 2 Kings 13:14 tells us “Elisha had fallen sick with the illness of which he was to die!” Elisha died! And what intrigues me about his death is what Elisha did BEFORE he died, and what happened AFTER he died. And what possible difference those things can have for us.
Elisha was a great prophet of God. The Bible tells us of 16 different miracles Elisha performed while he was alive. Miracles like where he multiplied a few loaves of bread to feed the hungry (2 Kings 4:42-44); Where, at his command, angels blinded an entire enemy army which he then led into the city of Samaria where he restored their sight (2 Kings 6:8-23); Where he healed a leper named Naaman (2 Kings 5:1-19); AND where he raised a young boy from the dead (2 Kings 4:18-37).
But even his power to resurrect the dead couldn’t save Elisha himself from death. Hebrews 9:27 says “it is appointed unto men once to die, but after that the judgment.” Death is an appointment most everyone must keep (unless Jesus comes 1st). Even great prophets of God.
So… Elisha is going to die, and I suspect he’s lying in bed, and he’s not feeling too good. In 2 Kings 13:14 we’re told that “when Elisha had fallen sick with the illness of which he was to die, Joash (also known as Jehoash) the king of Israel went down to him and wept before him, crying, "My father, my father! The chariots of Israel and its horsemen!"
Now, this is a very touching scene. The King of Israel comes to Elisha’s death bed and weeps for him and he refers to Elisha as “My Father.” Jehoash LOVED Elisha. The problem was – Jehoash didn’t love God. We’re told “Jehoash (Joash) … began to reign over Israel in Samaria, and he reigned sixteen years. He also did what was evil in the sight of the LORD. He did not depart from all the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, which he made Israel to sin, but he walked in them.” II Kings 13:10-11
Jehoash did evil things because he was a bad King. But, his one redeeming quality was that he loved Elisha. And I think Elisha loved him. So, here we have an evil king - that Elisha cared for, and Elisha HAS one last thing share with this king. Elisha wants him to know God… and God’s power.
Elisha said to him, "Take a bow and arrows." So Joash took a bow and arrows. Then he said to the king of Israel, "Draw the bow," and he drew it. And Elisha laid his hands on the king’s hands. And he said, "Open the window eastward," and he opened it. Then Elisha said, "Shoot," and he shot. And he said, "The LORD’s arrow of victory, the arrow of victory over Syria! For you shall fight the Syrians in Aphek until you have made an end of them." II Kings 13:15-17
Elisha (the prophet of God) was giving a gift of victory to Jehoash - a victory from God, because the arrow the King was to shoot… Elisha called it “the LORD’S arrow of victory.” Elisha even put his own hands on the King’s hands. It was Elisha’s way of saying – “This is my gift to you. I want you to know that GOD will give you the victory and it’s my prayer you’ll know God did this for you.”
Now granted… Jehoash messed everything up just a few minutes later. But that’s not my point! My point is – Elisha had risen from his death bed to point the King to God.
ILLUS: Earlier this year, John Rigle fell sick from an illness of which he was to die. And just like Elisha – he wanted to give a gift to those he cared for - a gift to people he’d been witnessing to for months. And several of those folks came to visit with him as he was dying, and John took opportunity to confront those people about Christ. He had one last chance and he bluntly told about 4 people that they needed to get into Church. And he baptized a few of them into Christ. Even as he was dying he wanted to give people a gift - the gift of life. This would be his last chance to tell them about Jesus, and he didn’t want to waste it.
ILLUS: The most important gift you can give to people you love is the gift of salvation. Jesus told the story of the Rich man and Lazarus. "There was a rich man who was clothed in purple and fine linen and who feasted sumptuously every day. And at his gate was laid a poor man named Lazarus, covered with sores, who desired to be fed with what fell from the rich man’s table. Moreover, even the dogs came and licked his sores. The poor man died and was carried by the angels to Abraham’s side. The rich man also died and was buried, and in Hades, being in torment, (the rich man) lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham far off and Lazarus at his side. And he called out, ‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus to dip the end of his finger in water and cool my tongue, for I am in anguish in this flame.’ But Abraham said, ‘Child, remember that you in your lifetime received your good things, and Lazarus in like manner bad things; but now he is comforted here, and you are in anguish. And besides all this, between us and you a great chasm has been fixed, in order that those who would pass from here to you may not be able, and none may cross from there to us.’ And he said, ‘Then I beg you, father, to send him to my father’s house — for I have five brothers — so that he may warn them, lest they also come into this place of torment.’ Luke 16:19-28
The rich man had cried out: “Send somebody to warn them!” The rich man had wasted his life… and now he couldn’t even spare his brothers the fate he now endured. What do you think the rich man would have done if he could have gone back to his brothers. He would have gotten down on his knees; he would have wept; he would have pleaded; he would have said whatever he had to say so that his brothers would turn to God and be saved.
He had wasted his life… he didn’t want them to waste theirs.
If you knew this was the last day of your life what would you do? Who would you talk to? Who would you try to convince to turn to God? Elisha KNEW he was facing the last days of his life, and so he tried to give a gift to the King… the gift of knowing who God was so that THE King wouldn’t waste HIS life!
My last point is this: Elisha gave TWO men gifts at the end of his life. He gave KING Jehoash the gift of victory over an earthly enemy; and he gave a DEAD man the victory over the enemy of death.
II Kings 13:20-21 tells us that “Elisha died, and they buried him. Now bands of Moabites used to invade the land in the spring of the year. And as a man was being buried, behold, a marauding band was seen and the man was thrown into the grave of Elisha, and as soon as the man touched the bones of Elisha, he revived and stood on his feet.”
A dead man touched the bones of Elisha and he came back to life. That man was DEAD… but now he lived. This dead man was given the gift of victory over the grave.
About 2000 yrs ago… another man died and his dead body was placed inside a tomb. But He didn’t stay there. He didn’t stay dead. He came back to life… His name IS Jesus! The man who touched Elisha’s bones came back to life, and the Bible tells us that anyone who “touches” the blood of Jesus has the promise that they won’t stay in the grave either. We will live again.
Hebrews 2:14-15 says “Since the children share in flesh and blood, (Jesus) himself likewise partook of the same things - that through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil and deliver all those who through fear of death were subject to lifelong slavery.
THE FEAR OF DEATH!
ILLUS: Most of us have seen the Disney video of “The Jungle Book.” It’s the story an orphan boy named Mowgli who is raised by wolves and is protected by a panther named Bagheera and a goofy bear named Baloo. The movie is based on a book by Rudyard Kipling. Kipling actually wrote two books on this subject - which most of probably haven’t even read… but we should sometime because it’s in the book we read about a lesson that Mowgli learned about life… and death.
Mowgli asked the animals what was the most feared thing in the jungle and he was told that when two animals meet on a narrow path one must step aside and let the other pass. The animal that steps aside for no one would be the most feared. So, Mowgli wanted to know what kind of animal would that be? What animal would NOT step aside for any other animal of the jungle. One jungle creature told him it was an elephant. Another told him it was a lion. Finally, the wise old owl said, “The most feared thing in the jungle is death. It steps aside for no one.”
Well… that’s not quite true. Death stepped aside for Jesus. And death will step aside for you when Jesus returns all because Jesus touched you with His blood.
I Corinthians 15:51-57 says “Behold! I tell you a mystery. We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall be changed. For this perishable body must put on the imperishable, and this mortal body must put on immortality. When the perishable puts on the imperishable, and the mortal puts on immortality, then shall come to pass the saying that is written: "Death is swallowed up in victory." "O grave, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?" The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
Just like Elisha promised King Jehoash VICTORY over his earthly enemies, Jesus promises us VICTORY over our ultimate enemy called death.
Don’t waste your life - claim the victory over death, and share the hope of that victory with others.
Romans 6:3-4 says “Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life.”
INVITATION.
