Title: Quick Bring Me Another Jug!
Text: II Kings 4:1-7
Read Text!!!
Pray!!!
Introduction:
The story is told of two old friends bumping into one another on the street one day. One of them looked forlorn, almost on the verge of tears. His friend asked, "What has the world done to you, my old friend?"
The sad fellow said, "Let me tell you. Three weeks ago, an uncle died and left me forty thousand dollars."
"That’s a lot of money."
"But, two weeks ago, a cousin I never even knew died, and left me eighty-five thousand free and clear."
"Sounds like you’ve been blessed...."
"You don’t understand!" he interrupted. "Last week my
great-aunt passed away. I inherited almost a quarter of a million."
Now he was really confused. "Then, why do you look so
glum?"
"This week... nothing!"
- People today, whether Christian or not tend to live life like this person. And how did this person live? He lived life by feelings. He had to receive things in order to make him happy.
- This message this morning points in one direction and that is to live a life of Faith and trust in God.
- Understand it is God’s will for you to be blessed and prosper.
- But not just Materially, but Emotionally and Spiritually.
- It is a fact today that people receive without having to trust in the Lord, they receive materially and physically.
- But there is one thing that people don’t receive from God and that is His peace.
The Bible says in John 14:27, “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.”
- The world offers things only for a season. Satisfaction and pleasure found in materialism, or security in your job for example is only for a season, but there is one thing the world can not offer and that is true lasting peace that only comes from God.
- So how does this apply to our text this morning?
- Very simple, it’s God’s will for you to live in abundance in all things.
- Materially, Spiritually, Emotionally. And not just for a season but into eternity.
- We see this point in our text, that in the worst of conditions God sustains His people that ask Him for help.
- This woman had lost her husband, and was on the verge of losing her two sons.
- Also the nation of Israel was in apostasy and in shambles.
- She was in poverty and had absolutely nothing and was going to lose everything, including her own flesh and blood.
- Yet this woman still trusted in God despite the worst of conditions.
- We also see a side of God, and that being one of blessing in Abundance and responding to the cry of Faith.
Transition:
- There’s a few points I would like us to see, to help us understand that our God is a God of Abundance.
- Before we begin, let me explain a well known fact.
- There are many examples in the Bible of how certain objects mean certain things.
- For Example, Baptism shows the people around watching that the person who is being baptized has been changed on the inside by God.
- Baptism is a picture of what happens in the inside of a person who has just received Christ as Savior and Lord and has asked God to wash away there sins.
- They are telling themselves, the people watching and God that I am going to serve you all the days of my life.
- I want to be your child forever, and the person shows that desire by becoming baptized in water.
- Well in our text the oil represented something.
- To the people of that day, to us and God.
- It would prove to the people then, that God was a God of abundance. That He supply’s all our needs.
- Oil was not just for cooking and lighting, it had a spiritual twist to it, that Elisha and the people understood.
- So what does the oil represent? And what did the people of Elisha’s day see and come to understand, so that we can apply and meditate on today?
Point 1: Oil Symbolizes Gladness (Is 61:3 says, “to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning and a garment of praise instead of despair. They will be called oaks of righteousness a planting of the Lord for the display of his splendor.” But Lack Of Oil Symbolizes Sorrow Or Humiliation (Joel 1:10 says, “The fields are ruined, the ground is dried up, the grain is destroyed, the new wine is dried up, the oil fails.”
- Spiritually speaking oil represented gladness if you had alot, or humiliation if you had none.
- Meaning, it was and still is, God’s will for people to be joyful and happy, not sorrowful and downcast.
The Bible says in Psalm 45:7, “You love righteousness and hate wickedness; therefore God, your God, has set you above your companions by anointing you with the oil of joy.”
- Today physical oil doesn’t bring joy, but oil represents true joy that comes from the Spirit. Joy comes from the Lord and is reserved for those who trust in Him.
- Like I said people that don’t know God, can experience joy and happy emotions, but it only lasts for a season.
- True joy in the midst of divorce, death, financial ruin or what ever the situation comes from God.
- Now sin brings division between man and God, thus stopping the flow of oil, or the Spirit from becoming a part of our lives.
- The text shows that God wants to pour out happiness and joy into broken, sorrowful, dry, humiliated lives.
- Despite our present world condition with wars and hatred, despite your own personal situations, God wants to pour joy and gladness into our lives.
- Sin brings shame, and regret into the heart of a true believer.
- But if we will trust in God for the oil of gladness to be released into our lives, which is the Spirit of the Lord, and not our own thinking and gadgets to get out of our dilemma, we will experience the Abundant blessing God wants to bestow on His people.
- If we don’t feel anything when we sin and disobey God, we had better examine our hearts before Him. The Bible says in Rom 8:9, “You, however, are controlled not by the sinful nature but by the Spirit, if the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Christ.”
- There are 4 conditions that must be met in order for us to receive Abundant blessing from the Lord:
A. Inquire of the Lord - Translated (Humble Yourself) Vs 1
- Confess your need, the woman did when she went to Elisha.
- She did not turn to her own resources first, but to God and asked Him for help.
- That’s humility, letting the Lord help you.
- Pride can keep us from inquiring of the Lord first before anything else.
B. Listen to the Lord - Translated (Obey the voice of God) Vs 3
- The woman obeyed the Lord, through Elisha.
- Sometimes God speaks from the Word, sometimes it’s audible, and sometimes it comes from God’s servants, like pastors etc.
- God still speaks today, the question is are we listening and willing to obey and believe in faith.
- The church has a hard time with believing. God sometimes wants people to do odd things. For example: Noah and the ark.
- We need to listen to the Lord and do what He is telling us to do.
C. Apply what God is saying - Translated (Apply what God has said to your life) Vs 5
- Live by the principles that are set out in the Word.
- God wanted the woman and her sons to bring the jugs home and close the door.
- I don’t know why God wants us to keep things quiet, maybe it’s because the blessing is for them only. Because they humbled themselves and sought God.
- Maybe it’s because God didn’t want them to brag about it.
- After it was all done I am sure they testified to the goodness of the Lord, but for that time they were to keep it quiet and to themselves.
D. Believe that God wants to Bless you - Translated (Faith) Vs 6
- There faith was determined by how many jars they collected.
- Your faith is measured by how much effort you put in to what God has told you from His Word, concerning your life.
- Believe that God wants to bless and help. Give God a chance to help, but you must do things His way.
- Humble yourself, listen, apply and believe.
Point 2: Oil symbolizes comfort, spiritual nourishment and prosperity.
Dt 33:24 says, “Most blessed sons is Asher; let him be favored by his brothers, and let him bathe his feet in oil.” Meaning let Asher be comforted.
Job 29:6 says, “when my path was drenched with cream and the rock poured out for me streams of olive oil.” Means God wants to bring nourishment to our souls.
Psalm 45:7 says, “You love righteousness and hate wickedness; therefore God, your God, has set you above your companions by anointing you with the oil of joy.” Meaning God abundant blesses people with joy, peace, security and financially. God prospers us.
- To prosper just doesn’t mean with money, but also with joy, peace, security etc. Things the world can only have for a season.
- But the child of God has it for all eternity.
- The woman had enough to pay all debts, (Comfort) live on what’s left (Spiritual nourishment) not for a week but for the rest of her life, (Prosperity)
- When the money ran out from the miracle, God would do something again.
- We serve a great God, who blesses us abundantly.
- As long as we have faith, God will provide.
- We must make provisions in our lives, to manifest our faith in Him.
- It seems to be the pattern of scripture that God wants us to act first in our faith, before He comes through. That is the provision we make.
Conclusion:
- Let’s put it all together: God wants to be an abundant God in your life.
- In the midst of poverty, death and captivity, and woman is sustained by God, with Joy, comfort, nourishment and prosperity.
- In the midst of your stressful situation God wants to prove Himself to be abundant in every way for you and your family.
- God wants to prove Himself Abundant to you in your dry, spiritual condition.
Lets Pray!!!
