U.S. Army Chaplain (MAJ) Ken Harris
Fort Stewart, Georgia
BIG IDEA: MOTHERS GRIEVE DIFFERENTLY FROM FATHERS …
REFERENCES: John 11:25-26 (I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live…).; Matthew 14:1-12 (The Story of John the Baptist being beheaded, and the diciples came and took away his body and buried it, and went and told Jesus); Ecclesiastes 3:1-3 (Everything has its time: To everything there is a season, A time for every purpose under heaven; A time to be born, And a time to die; A time to plant, And a time to pluck what is planted); Job 14:1 (Man that is born of a woman is of few days and full of trouble); Job 2:9 (Mrs. Job’s dealing with the loss of 7 boys and 3 girls; and what looked like the imminent death HER HUSBAND – JOB); 2 Kings 4:18-26; Genesis 37:34 (When Jacob was told that Joseph was dead – he rose and rent his clothes); 2 Samuel 1:11 (When David and his men learned of King Sauls Death they … rent their clothes);
I. ANNOUNCE THE PERICOPE: 2 KINGS 4:18-26
II. READ THE PERICOPE: 2 KINGS 4:18-26
III. READ THE TEXT: 2 KINGS 4:26 (Run now, I pray thee, to meet her, and say unto her, Is it well with thee? Is it well with thy husband? Is it well with the child? And she answered, It is well).
IV. PURPOSE: To motivate the grieving parents to affirm to others that “IT
IS WELL”.
V. SERMONIC THEME: “IT IS WELL”
INTRODUCTION: (PARARELL… HOW…..WE (AS CHRISTIANS) MEN EXPRESS DEATH AND GRIEF DIFFERENTLY … FROM OUR CHRISTIAN WOMEN. FOR EXAMPLE, from the oriental perspective… 1. WHEN DAVID and his men learned of KING SAUL’S DEATH … they physically rent their clothes; 2. When Jacob was told that Joseph was dead – he rose and rent his clothes; 3. When Job loss 7 sons and 3 daughters – he rose and rent his clothes …using some of the scriptures above…)
in contrast … Who can ever forget the story of Mrs. Job … … for when she LOSS HER CHILDREN … and her husband was on the break of losing his life … SHE ENCOURAGED HIM TO CURSE GOD AND DIE … (THEOLOGICAL SUICIDE) … IN OTHER WORDS … mentally, and emotionally, she had experienced ENOUGH … IF YOU COULD HAVE SEEN MRS. JOB’S FACE … YOU WOULD ATTEST THAT SHE WAS mentally … and emotionally … GOING THROUGH because you could see it all over her countenance (red swollen eyes; with bags under them … as if she had cried every ounce of water … out of her body ….
LIKEWISE, ACCORDING TO OUR TEXT…(FOUND IN 2 KINGS 4:26) …
ALTHOUGH, THE SHUNAMITE WOMAN WAS A GODLY PERSON … SHE WASN’T EXEMPT FROM FAMILY BEREAVEMENT…
IN FACT, THE SCRIPTURES TELLS US THAT SHE HAD ONE SON…
****************TAKE 5 BEATS***************
MOVE 1: AND HE WAS DEAR TO HER HEART…
a. FOR IT IS BELIEVED … THAT SHE CLUNG TO HIM!
b. IN HER EYES … THERE WASN’T MUCH WRONG … HE COULD DO.
c. HE WAS HER BABY … AND HE WAS THE PRIMARY SOURCE OF HER
ENJOYMENT …
d. FOR HER HOPES AND DREAMS WERE WRAPPED AROUND HER SON …
e. HER SON … WAS THE REASON SHE WOKE-UP in the morning (and went to work) … AND THE EXCUSE … SHE USED FOR GOING TO SLEEP AT NIGHT ..
*****************TAKE 5 BEATS****************
MOVE 2: IN FACT … ON THIS PARTICULAR DAY (IN SCRIPTURE) HER SON WAS WITH HER … IN THE MORNING …
a. The Shunamite Mother … ENJOYED LOOKING ON HIS CHARM
b. She loved how he smiled and reminded her … so much … of her husband when he was 20 YEARS YOUNGER …
c. IN FACT, … IF THE TRUTH WAS TOLD … THIS MOTHER … OFTEN THOUGHT ABOUT HER SON’S FUTURE … AND THE SUCCESS THAT COLLEGE WOULD AFFORD HIM …
d. THE SHUNAMITE WOMAN’S … HAD EVEN IMAGINED … WHAT HER SON’S CHILDREN … AND HER GRANDCHILDREN WOULD LOOK LIKE …(PAUSE).
e. THEN SUDDENLY … when he became a grown man …
f. …LIKE A THIEF … IN THE NIGHT … AT AN UNSUSPECTING TIME … AND AT AN UNSUSPECTING PLACE …
g. …THE SHUNAMITE WOMAN’S SON … was struck down by THE HAND OF DEATH …
****************TAKE 5 BEATS****************
MOVE 3: ALTHOUGH … THE SHUNAMITE FAMILY WAS RELIGIOUS … AND BELIEVED IN GOD …
a. THEY WERE NOT EXEMPT FROM THE HAND OF DEATH …
b. EVEN THOUGH Sergeant Major Dean plays for the largest service on Fort Stewart … Victory Chapel Multi-Cultural Gospel Service …
c. HIS GUITAR PLAYING … HAS CAUSED MANY (soldiers and their families) TO REFLECT UPON THE goodness of Jesus … And all that .. he’s done FOR THEM …
d. STILL … THE HAND OF DEATH SHOWED HIS UGLY HAND … TO THEIR SON
e. THIS IS WHY … JOB said in Job 14:1 … a man that is born of a woman is of few days and full of trouble …
f. … We don’t know how long we’re going to live … BUT FOR SURE .. it will be a few days”
h. As believers … (Dean Family) we don’t know how many days are going to be good…
i. BUT FOR SURE … we know that they’re going to be FULL OF TROUBLE …
j. TROUBLE THAT WILL GRIEVE…SAVED FOLK …
k. ….FOR WHEN ELISHA … SAW THE SHUNAMITE … HE SAW GRIEF PORTRAYED ON HER COUNTENANCE …
l. SHE HAD A COUNTENANCE OF A WOMAN … THAT HAD SPENT SOME TIME … on the corner of … GRIEF AND SORROW BLVD …
****************TAKE 5 BEATS****************
MOVE 4: AND IT WAS THERE … (on the corner of Grief and Sorrow) that THE SHUNAMITE … SAW THE NEED FOR GOD’S HELP … and started looking for satisfaction from on high.
a. …SOMEHOW IN THE MIDST OF HER AFFLICTION … AND WHILE … TOSSING AND TURNING - IN - THE PAIN OF HER SON’S DEATH …
b. SHE STOPPED WHAT SHE WAS DOING … !! AND STARTING SEEKING GOD FOR HERSELF …
c. LIKEWISE, WHEN CHRISTIAN PARENTS LOOSE CHILDREN (OR LOVE ONES) … THEY SHOULD STOP WHAT THEY’RE DOING … AND GO TO GOD FOR THEMSELVES …
d. WHEN ELISHA … SAW THE SHUNAMITE … WOMAN FROM A DISTANCE … HE SENT GEHAZI TO MEET HER … AND TO ASK 3 QUESTIONS …
e. QUESTIONS … WHICH SEEMS INAPPROPRIATE FROM THE NATURAL EYE; BUT ARE VERY INSIGHTFUL SPIRITUALLY:
***************TAKE 5 BEATS***************
MOVE 6: IS IT WELL WITH WITH YOU? …
a. IS IT WELL WITH YOUR HUSBAND? ….
b. IS IT WELL WITH YOUR SON? …
c. …THAT’S WHY HE SENT THE COMFORTER..THE HOLY SPIRIT…
d. SHE ANSWERED …(BY FAITH) … “IT IS WELL”…
****************TAKE 5 BEATS****************
CELEBRATION:
FOR YOU SEE … THE MOTHER WAS STILL MISSING HER SON …
AND SHE WAS STILL HURTING … BUT … BY FAITH … SHE WAS TRUSTING
GOD TO TAKE CONTROL …
SHE WAS STILL WAS HURTING … BUT … BY FAITH … SHE WAS TRUSTING GOD TO DEAL WITH HER HUSBAND …
HER SON WAS STILL GONE … BUT BY FAITH SHE WAS TRUSTING GOD …TO CHECK-ON HIM … AND TO SUPPLY HIS NEEDS …
… SISTER DEAN … “JD” … IS NOT HERE …
… SERGEANT MAJOR … “JD’ … IS NOT HERE …
… BIG SISTER … “JD” … IS NOT HERE …
….”JD” … IS GONE … ( … I was finishing up my studies 3:30 this morning … when the Lord … told me tell you … in reference to “JD”
… “IT IS WELL”…
“JD” IS GONE … ON HOME …
