The Best Gift ---Teach Me How To Fish!

THE GIFT THAT KEEPS GIVING.

ARE WE INVESTING IN THE EFFORT TO PASS THE MANTLE TO OTHERS?

By Wade Martin Hughes, Sr.

Kyfingers@aol.com

This is a two part lesson!

I LOVE THE THOUGHT DON’T GIVE ME A FISH, I WILL NEED ANOTHER FISH TOMORROW.

TEACH ME HOW TO FISH, AND I CAN CATCH MY OWN!

I. WHAT IS SUCCESS?

A. To achieve a goal, favorable outcome.

Accomplishment of an aim.

Attainment of fame, position, or wealth.

A person or thing that turns out well.

A TEACHER LIVES FOREVER.

B. DO WE UNDERSTAND THAT WE ARE ONE GENERATION AWAY FROM EXTINCTION?

C. WITHOUT A SUCCESSOR THERE CAN BE NO SUCCESS.

We need to train people to follow and accomplish Godly goals.

D. Moses would have failed if there had not followed a Joshua to carry out God’s goal of His people stepping progressively and continually to attain

God’s promises.

II. AFTER SOME DARK DAYS ELIJAH FEELS SO ALONE IN GOD’S WORK.

ELIJAH HAS WHAT WE CALL A JUNIPER TREE EXPERIENCE.

A. The message and the messenger has been threatened, and the Preacher runs afraid of Queen Jezebel.

1 Kings 19:4 But he himself went a day’s journey into the wilderness, and came and sat down under a juniper tree: and he requested for himself that he might die;

and said, It is enough; now, O Lord, take away my life; for I am not better than my fathers.

B. GOD WARNS ELIJAH TO GET UP OUT OF THE PITY PARTY AND GROW.

God tells Elijah, I have 7,000 more in one city.

You are not the only one. Get up and pass on the mantle.

1 Kings 19:18 Yet I have left me seven thousand in Israel, all the knees which have not bowed unto Baal, and every mouth which hath not kissed him.

C. ELIJAH --- YOU MUST PASS THE MANTLE ON ...

1 Kings 19:19 So he departed thence, and found Elisha the son of Shaphat, who was plowing with twelve yoke of oxen before him, and he with the twelfth: and

Elijah passed by him, and cast his mantle upon him.

III. ELIJAH SEES A GREAT NEED ---

LOOSING THE CUTTING EDGE... LIFE HAS A WAY OR PROCESS OF DULLING

OUR WORKING TOOLS.

A. Elijah was a mighty man of God, but Elijah raised up a school for young people

to prepare for God’s work.

B. God blessed the Bible school and it needed to grow...

2 Kings 6:1 And the sons of the prophets said unto Elisha, Behold now, the place where we dwell with thee is too strait for us.

2 Let us go, we pray thee, unto Jordan, and take thence every man a beam, and let us make us a place there, where we may dwell. And he answered, Go ye.

C. WHEN YOU DECIDE TO GROW --- EXPECT THE ENEMY TO TRY TO DISCOURAGE

YOU AND HINDER THE WORK...

2 Kings 6:5 But as one was felling a beam, the axe head fell into the water: and he cried, and said, Alas, master! for it was borrowed.

D. THERE IS A DIVINE PLAN TO HELP THE PROGRESS AND CONTINUE THE WORK.

2 Kings 6:6 And the man of God said, Where fell it? And he shewed him the place. And he cut down a stick, and cast it in thither; and the iron did swim.

E. WHILE THERE WAS A DIVINE PLAN, AND THE SHARP EDGE RETURNS, THEY STILL HAD TO INVEST EFFORT AND REACH OUT TO EQUIP THEIR HANDS.

2 Kings 6:7 Therefore said he, Take it up to thee. And he put out his hand, and took it.

F. GOD HAS LET OTHERS INVEST IN US, WE NEED TO FIND OTHERS AND INVEST BACK IN THEIR WORK.

G. The church could be one generation away from failure?

What are we going to do to build a strong successor training system?

IV. GREED AND UNDERMINDING AUTHORITY KEEPS GEHAZI FROM BECOMING THE NEXT MAN OF GOD!

A. GEHAZI NEVER UNDERSTOOD HIS MASTER TEACHER.

B. GEHAZI THOUGHT ELISHA SHOULD HAVE HANDLED NAAMAN DIFFERENT THAN HE DID.

C. Gehazi thinks he deserves more than he is getting, no one will know?

2 Kings 5:20 But Gehazi, the servant of Elisha the man of God, said, Behold, my master hath spared Naaman this Syrian, in not receiving at his hands that

which he brought: but, as the Lord liveth, I will run after him, and take somewhat of him.

21 So Gehazi followed after Naaman. And when Naaman saw him running after

him, he lighted down from the chariot to meet him, and said, Is all well?

D. Gehazi just asks for a little, he deserves it?

2 Kings 5:22 And he said, All is well. My master hath sent me, saying, Behold, even now there be come to me from mount Ephraim two young men of the sons