Elisha's Ministry Begins

Chapter 2, 2 Kings chapter 2 verses 11 to 18. We're going to look at Elisha and his ministry as it begins We've already seen the call of Elijah.

We've seen the commitment of Elijah and now we're going to see the commencement of Elisha's Ministry, we know that he was called by God Elijah came through his mantle on him. He went after Elijah He asked to go back and say goodbye to his family. He burned The wood that he was using for a plow. He he boiled the oxen He had a farewell dinner and he left and followed Elijah and he was with him some 10 to 20 years Commentators vary on how long they were together until 2nd Kings chapter 2 and we have very little conversation between the two men That's recorded in Scripture.

And when you come to chapter 2 Elijah is about to depart. Everybody knows he's leaving how they all know I don't know but maybe God told them Maybe Elijah told them we don't know but the prophets in Bethel and the prophets in Jericho all knew that this was a day That Elijah was going to depart and so Elijah tests Elisha and asked him if you want to stay here in Gilgal And he says no or you want to stay in Bethel? No, I don't want to stay here. Do you want to stay in Jericho? No, I want to go where you go.

So wherever you go Elijah I'm going and so they crossed over the Jordan and of course Elijah was taken away and Elijah said to Elijah keep your eyes on me. What do you want me to do for you? Elisha, what do you ask of me? He says I need a double portion of your spirit That's what I need. I if I'm going to fulfill the call of God on my life I need the power of God in my life to make that happen And so I need a double portion of your spirit and Elijah, of course said you've asked for a very hard thing not an impossible thing But something very difficult because the call of God to preach the gospel and to represent him to a lost nation is very very Difficult, but you must keep your eyes on me.

Keep them focused on me Do not look away. And if you don't look away you will receive that double portion But if you look away, you will not receive it. And of course the chariots of fire came with the horses Elijah was swept away and in a whirlwind he went off into glory. And of course Elisha Was left all alone One moment. He's a follower Next moment. He's the leader at one moment. He was the assistant of Elijah He was a servant of Elijah and now he is the prophet for Israel Now he's the leader in Israel in one Brief moment He goes from being the servant of Elijah for the last 20 years And all that God did in that time through Elijah and his ministry to train Elisha on how to do this We don't have any record of but all we know that now all of a sudden Elisha is now the prophet in Israel and there there was no no music that came as Elisha watched Elijah go off in the glory that somehow he received this power from God There was no song from heaven that came out Now you've got the power, you know, how do you know you got the power He had to believe what Elijah said you keep looking at me Don't take your eyes off me and you will receive that double portion You will receive the power you need to accomplish that ministry now all of a sudden Elijah Elisha is The man For 20 years.

He's been in the wings of the man Elijah but now Elijah is gone and the ministry for Elisha now begins So, let me read to you a portion of scripture We're going to discuss this evening Verse 11 and as they were going along and talking behold there appeared a chariot of fire and horses of fire Which separated two of them and Elijah went up by a whirlwind to heaven Elisha saw it and cried out my father my father the chariots of Israel and its horsemen and he saw Elijah no more They took hold of his own clothes and tore them in two pieces He also took up the mantle of Elijah that fell from him and returned and stood by the bank of the Jordan He took the mantle of Elijah that fell from him and struck the waters and said where is the Lord the God of Elijah?

And when he also had struck the waters they were divided here and there and Elisha crossed over Now when the sons of the prophets were who were in Jericho opposite him saw him They said the spirit of Elijah Rests on Elisha and they came to meet him and bowed themselves to the ground before him They said to him behold now there are with your servants 50 strong men Please let them go and search for your master Perhaps the Spirit of the Lord has taken him up and cast him on some mountain or into some valley And he said you shall not send but when they urged him until he was ashamed he said send They sent therefore 50 men and they searched three days but did not find him they returned to him while he was staying at Jericho And he said to them did I not say to you do not go Now you read that and you wonder okay.

So what's the application for us? How does that fit in to us today? You will be surprised at what this text says for you and you will leave here. So glad that you came tonight And you're gonna pity all those who didn't come because they're gonna miss the blessing we're gonna look first of all in your outline that we have there for before you the departing of Elijah and then we're gonna look at the dividing of the Jordan River and Then the difficulty of the prophets at Jericho and you're gonna see how God is gonna work in your heart tonight and realize that the the words of Scripture are so practical and so applicable to your everyday life.

It's It's astounding Almost embarrassing to think that the Old Testament doesn't even apply to me, but it does Let's look first of all at the departing of Elijah remember Elisha was told you must keep your eyes on me and do not look back.

Do not look away and So Elisha was fixed on Elijah and when the chariots of fire came with the horses and they came they took Elijah away He went to a whirlwind. It was swept up into glory. He never moved from looking at Elijah and Elijah becomes for us a type of Christ in terms of our Responsibility to keep our eyes on the Lord above we talked a little about this last week But I want to begin with it this week because I'm gonna end with it today You'll see how it all comes together for you. Remember Hebrews chapter 12.

We told you this It says therefore since we have so great a crowd of witnesses Surrounding us. Let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin What so easily entangles us and let us run with endurance the race that has set before us In order for you to run the race in order for you to be steadfast in your ministry in order for you not to quit in Your ministry there must be number one a separation Elisha had a separation He separated from his family.

He separated from his friends He gave up everything to follow Elijah. He didn't know how long he was gonna follow Elijah He didn't know where they were gonna go together. He didn't know what they were gonna do together All he knew is that the mantle of Elijah had fallen upon him and he was anointed now to follow the great prophet Elijah and Elijah was a wanted man. So he had no idea whether or not he was going to die with Elijah He was gonna live with Elijah. He had no idea what's gonna happen Is that he was separated from his past life and that Separation was evident in the man's call and commitment And so when you look at your life, there are the there is this there's a separation that we have we lay aside The weights the things that hold us back They're not sinful things because he says lay aside the weights and the sin which so easily besets you So the sin and the context is a sin of unbelief, but the weights are not sinful things They are extracurricular things that keep you from running as you ought to run.

It could be a relationship It could be a a position of employment. It could be all kinds of things. It could be a hobby It could be anything that would keep you from being all that God wants you to be There needs to be a separation from those things Elisha had that separation and from that separation there needs to be a fixation for then it says Fixing our eyes on Jesus the author and finisher or perfecter of faith who for the joy set before him endured the cross despising the shame and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God you need to take your eyes off of everything else and Fix them solely on Jesus.

There's a fixation upon Jesus Christ our Lord Elijah said to Elijah do not take your eyes off of me. No matter what happens you stay fixated on me focused on me and the same is true for you and me because if we were to run the race with Endurance and be steadfast we must keep our eyes focused on Jesus Christ our Lord He is the perfecter of our faith. He is the author of our faith He is the leader and the originator of our faith And so he sets the tone for all of us. You take your eyes off Jesus. You become very powerless You keep your eyes on Jesus and you become very powerful And so there needs to be a separation that separation leads to a fixation and that fixation that leads to a Consideration for then it says the verse 3 for consider him who has endured such hostility by sinners against himself So you will not grow weary and lose heart.

There was a consideration involved Elisha not taking his eyes off Elijah means look you look at me you stay focused on me because for 20 years Elijah was his leader for 20 years Elijah was his mentor for 20 years Elijah faced difficulty hardship, but did not quit and was the prophet of God and there needed to be a Excuse me a consideration of all that Elijah had done and so it is with us We consider him the Christ the person and passion of the Christ And once we see him once we fix our eyes up on him We add up all the things that he has done and we begin to realize the power of God and this is that which keeps Us from growing weary.

This is that which keeps us on the path of the straight and narrow Fulfilling our call in life. And so when Elijah says to Elisha Listen, this is what you do. You stay focused on me. Do not take your eyes off of me Elisha didn't he learned well And as a result of that he would receive the power he would have the power he needed to accomplish the task that was before him and then He saw Elijah leave and then once he saw Elijah leave he said those famous words my father my father the chariot of Israel and its horsemen a Powerful statement about Elijah's ministry It will be the exact same statement that will be said of Elisha in 2nd Kings chapter 13 When he himself goes off into eternity it will be said by the king of Israel at that time but here Elijah says or Elisha says to Elijah my father my father because Elijah was Elisha's father in a spiritual sense.

He had left his family behind. He had left his father. He had left his mother He had left his brothers and sisters and he went after Elijah and followed him for upwards of 20 years and Elijah was a spiritual father his spiritual leader He saw him as it as such and so when he says my father my father. He looks to Elijah as his Provider and when he talks about the chariots of Israel and its horsemen. He talks about Elijah as his protector because chariots, this is a word for war chariots were symbols of power and authority in the in the life of a King and so Elisha saw Elijah as not just his provider But as his protector he saw Elijah as the provider and protector for a nation That's how he saw Elijah because yes, he was a prophet Yes, he was a priest because he would preach the Word of God and he would pray for the nation itself But on top of being prophet and priest he was provider and protector for the nation Elijah Elisha saw Elijah as such and Elisha now would follow in his footsteps and now he would become the provider for a nation and the protector of the nation now this whole phrase about chariots of horses is a phrase that began to develop in Exodus chapter 14 With the chariots of Pharaoh In fact, it says in Exodus chapter 14 verse number 23 Then the Egyptians took up the pursuit and all Pharaoh's horses his chariots and his horsemen Went in after them in the midst of the sea and of course You know the whole story as Pharaoh went after them with all of his chariots and horses They went into the sea as it had been divided and when he went into the sea the waters Encompassed him and Pharaoh and his chariots and horses were drowned And it says the next is 15 verse number 3.

The Lord is a warrior. The Lord is his name Pharaoh's chariots and his army He has cast into the sea and the choices of his officers are drowned in the Red Sea the deeps cover them They went down into the depths like stone So from that statement there in Exodus chapter 14 and actually chapter 15 what became known among? the the people of Israel and the people in that land was that chariots and horses became a symbol of security a symbol of Power a symbol of authority and that's why the Lord would say these words over in Psalm 20 verse number 7 some Boast in chariots and some in horses, but we will boast in the name of the Lord our God They have bowed down and fallen, but we have risen and stood upright In other words, there are some who boast in their chariots.

There are some who boast in the physical realm There are some who boast in the horses There are some who boast in the mighty realm, but we will boast in the name of the Lord our God They will always be brought down and fall, but we will always rise up and stand firm Psalm 20 verse number 7 is taken from the book of Exodus and Pharaoh Falling and being destroyed because of the name of the Lord God of Israel and That's why the Lord would say in Isaiah chapter 31 woe to those who go down to Egypt for help and rely on horses and Trust in chariots because there are many and in horsemen because they are very strong But they do not look to the Holy One of Israel nor seek the Lord In other words, listen, you can't trust in anything but the Lord but listen the application for us is this as Elisha sits there and says My father my father the chariots of the chariots of horses in Israel he is speaking to the fact that he recognized Elijah being used by God to provide and to protect not only him, but the nation as well and It goes to show you that Elijah was a man who depended upon the name of the Lord He would use modern-day Vernacular to describe the power of Elijah the spiritual power of Elijah as it related to Israel And it will be the same thing instead of Elisha when he dies in 2nd Kings chapter 13 and we'll go back to this eulogy Because we need to be those kinds of people We need to be the kind of people that don't trust in the physical realm But in the spiritual realm that trust in Christ that trust in the name of the Lord our God Because we will rise up and stand firm But if you trust in the physical realm if you trust in your mighty finances or your mighty power or your own intellect You will be brought down and you will fall But if you trust in the name of the Lord, you'll rise up and stand firm and that applies across the board to all of us What Elisha knows that he recognizes that in Elijah and it just spills that out He recognized that's why he tears his robes because there is sorrow for Elisha He's lost this great leader.

He's lost this great prophet a nation has lost their protector a nation has lost their provider a nation has lost their prophet a nation has lost their priest a nation has lost the leader Now what and there's sorrow there, but there's there's not sorrow as that unbeliever would sorrow Because he would not sorrow long. He would tear his robes out of sorrow, but he would pick up that mantle And he would go to work He would go to do the things that God had called him to do And so the departing of Elijah becomes very unique for you and I to understand not only what Elisha saw But what Elisha said Which leads us to the dividing of the river the dividing of the River Jordan Yet that's yourself the question.

Why does Elijah? Take Elisha across the Jordan Okay Into a place by themselves away from the other prophets of Jericho. Why does he do that? because Elijah knows That Elisha has to get back across the Jordan Elijah knows that and the only way that Elisha Will be able to convince the prophets of Jericho That the power of God that was on Elijah is now on Elisha is To get back across the Jordan and that's exactly what happens Elijah knows the story of Moses and Joshua Elijah knows the story that Moses was that great leader of Israel and that Moses was going to die and that God says to Joshua and Joshua chapter 1 that Moses your leader has now died Now you Joshua you'll be strong and you be courageous Because now you're the leader and you got to put yourself in Joshua's sandals Because you realize that the nation wanted to kill the greatest leader Moses who ever lived And now I'm gonna follow the greatest leader who ever lived if they want to kill the greatest leader Whoever lived what will they want to do with me?

Joshua's got to be thinking that so God says in three times Joshua you be strong and courageous you be strong and Courageous as I was with Moses, so I will be with you very important statement So, how does Israel know?

That Joshua is going to be that next leader and be able to do the things that Moses did Well, if you go back to Joshua chapter 3 verse number 7 The Lord says now the Lord said to Joshua this day I will begin to exalt you in the sight of all Israel that they may know That just as I have been with Moses, I will be with you This is so important. Why because Joshua's got to be thinking what am I gonna do? How am I gonna handle this? I got over a million Jews here and They didn't necessarily always like the things that Moses did how am I ever going to lead this people into the promised land and Survive their grumbling bad attitudes.

How am I gonna do that? And God says don't worry. I got a plan and They're on the other side of the Jordan They are where Elisha and Elisha are in second Kings chapter 2 And so in order for them to get across the Jordan the priest at the care of the ark of the covenant They had to step in the Jordan and the waters part and the people go by on dry land You know the story you with us in our study of Joshua They went through on dry land and God said take 12 men put 12 stones in the middle of Jordan as a memorial So you can go back and tell your children what happened and they crossed over on dry land They crossed over the Jordan all 1.1 million Jews and in Joshua chapter 4 verse number 14 it says on that day the Lord exalted Joshua in the sight of all Israel so that they Revered him just as they had revered Moses all the days of his life Elijah knows that story Elijah knows it real well So what's Elijah gonna do?

He's gonna take Elisha across the River Jordan. He's gonna part the waters, right? They did that there was mantled down the waters were separated. They went through the Jordan He tells them what should I do for you? Asked for me what you want He said I want a double portion of your spirit great. Don't take your eyes off me The Lord comes takes him away chair to fire whirlwind. Okay, he's on the other side of the Jordan now What's he gonna do? He's got to get back Okay, the waters have come back together again Elijah knows that so Elijah had a plan for Elisha to prove That the power of God was on Elisha as it was Elijah So Elisha takes up the mantle having sorrowed toward his robes he sorrowed there for a brief moment But knew he had to go to work picked up the mantle and goes to cross the Jordan now.

He has no idea That he's endowed with power Because there was no song out of heaven that came There was no voice out of heaven that came There was no little halo over his head There was no big s on his chest to prove that he was Superman Okay, there was nothing he had. How does he know? He's gonna take what Elijah said at face value he's gonna believe the words of Elijah the prophet of God and So he has to go to the Jordan and cross the Jordan and so it says He also took up the mantle verse 13 of Elijah that fell from him and returned and stood by the bank of the Jordan there He stands he's got to get across the Jordan River How's he gonna do that?

He's gonna go across He's gonna go back the same way He came He's gonna part the waters He's gonna pray to God He's gonna part the waters So he took the man of Elijah that fell from him and struck the waters and said where is the Lord the God of Elijah? When he also had struck the waters they were divided here and there and Elisha crossed over And now look what it says in verse number 15 Now when the sons of the prophets who were at Jericho opposite him saw him They said the spirit of Elijah rests on Elisha You see Elijah knew that the prophets of Jericho needed to be absolutely convinced that Elisha was the prophet of Israel that Elisha now was the leading prophet now Elisha was the man.

How is that gonna happen by them seeing? Elisha do Exactly what Elijah did and that was convincing in their minds That Elisha Wow was the new man He was the leader at the power of God was on Elisha as it was Elijah Wow And see a lie Elisha prayed in the name of Elijah's God The God who was all-powerful the God who who caused there to be no rain for three and a half years Elisha knew that he experienced that He knew that this was the God who caught fire down out of heaven this was the God who took care of Elijah in the wilderness and fed him with with with with with birds and and And gave him food to eat took care of Elijah The God of compassion the God of holiness the God of power Where is that God the Lord the living God of Elijah?

and sure enough he cried out to God and just like his Predecessor he became not just the prophet of Israel, but the priest of Israel He then became the protector and provider of Israel. He now is the successor to the great prophet Elijah in his ministry begins with a miracle And it will be miracle after miracle after miracle some 20 different miracles We will see every week we come together. There's always something new he's doing always something significant he's doing Because he was the man of miracles and God used him in a very powerful way in the life of a nation As he divided those waters So we've seen the departing of Elijah The dividing of the River Jordan and now you come to the difficulty of the prophets of Jericho and this Is going to be so practical to your life.

Listen to what they say They said to him Behold now there are with your servants 50 strong men Please let them go and search for your master. Perhaps The Spirit of the Lord has taken him up and cast him on some mountain or in some valley Now think about that These are seminarians these are future prophets in Israel These men are being trained in theology and yet They have a warped view of God That somehow God has taken Elijah's body and thrown it in some gorge someplace Some valley someplace or threw him on some type of mountain Well, what kind of view of God is that?

Listen, I've been to Bible College. I've been to seminary. Let me tell you something There are a lot of guys that come out of seminary there that they have real wacko views of God Okay, just because you go to seminary doesn't mean you come out of seminary with the right view of God Some of them come out with all kinds of wacko views I sat in class with some guys that I looked at and said, where are you from?

What rock? Did you crawl out from under how could you ever get into this school with that view of God? But they have some wacko views and that's why Elisha was ashamed You mean to tell me you guys are studying about God in your view of God Is that somehow he he tricks you or somehow he is cruel to Elijah? The provider and protector of Israel that somehow God would just just discard him and throw him away someplace. Well, let's go find him What? That's your view of God but see It just wasn't the prophets of Jericho remember Obadiah Turn back with me if you would to first Kings first Kings chapter 18 remember Obadiah We met Elijah The drought now is going to be over.

It's been three and a half years of drought and God says now I want you to go to Ahab. Okay, so Elijah says, okay, I'll go find Ahab and Ahab. Of course once Elijah dead but God says I Want you to go to Elijah and on his way Obadiah and Elijah Obadiah is a king's servant they are out looking for grass for their horses and Elijah runs into Obadiah And it says in verse 7 now as Obadiah was on the way behold Elijah met him and he recognized him and fell on his face And said is this you Elijah my master?

No, it's not Because Elijah wasn't his master. Listen to what he says. He said to him it is I go say to your master Behold Elijah's here. Don't call me your master Elijah. I'm not your master. You're a servant of the king You're a servant of the king and then he says what sin have I committed that you are giving your servant into the hand of a head to put me to death as The Lord your God lives there is no nation or kingdom where my master has not sent to search for you And when they said he is not here He made the kingdom where nations swear that they could not find you My master has searched high and low for you Elijah, and he wants you dead Now you want me to go tell him I've found you It will come about verse 12 when I leave you that the Spirit of the Lord will carry you where I do not know So when I come and tell Ahab and he cannot find you he will kill me Although I your servant have feared the Lord from my youth in other words Listen God is gonna hide you from me God's gonna trick me and my master's gonna kill me see his view of God Obadiah professed to be a believer in the Lord God of Israel But his view of God was warped Because he was not under the Prophet Elijah.

He was not under a good Bible Teacher he was under Ahab. He was in the king's palace He wasn't in and under the Word of God on a continual basis he developed a warped view of God and So therefore he was more controlled by the people's belief in Baalism Then he was in the belief of the one true God of Israel Listen, if you are not under the Word of God if you are not in if you are in a weak Bible teaching church You will have a warped view of God You will not have a strong view of Almighty God You will not have a solidified view of Almighty God.

You will have a weak view of God not a strong view of God And so you had the prophets in Jericho who had a warped idea that God would take Elijah throw him on some mountaintop somewhere Let's go find him and bring him back Let's know what God was doing. God took him home And then you have Obadiah who thinks that God's gonna trick him and kill him because he has found Elijah But that's not exact that's not what happened at all But see this happens all the time to Christians in the church They have a wacko view of how God operates and This was the difficulty with the prophets in Jericho.

This is why Elisha was so ashamed What Are you guys kidding me? And so they just kept going after him and urging him. Please. Let us go We'll go find him if I says go just go go go go go and they come back and he comes in I told you I Told you you're not gonna find him. He's gone He's not here I told you not to go but you just had to go Because of your view of God and your warped view of how he works in the lives of his people let's hit you this way a Wrong view of God is as idolatrous as Worshiping a false God you need to have a proper view of Almighty God So many people don't and That's why God said in Psalm 50 verse number 21 When he pointed out the fallacy of idolatry He said to Israel you thought that I was just like you remember the French agnostic Voltaire who said God created man in his own image and man returned the favor In other words God created man his own image and then man recreated God in his image You see we want to bring God down to our level we want to Have a God that we can understand even though he is incomprehensible And even though he is infinite.

We want a God that somehow we can grasp and we can understand and yet the Bible says That the knowledge of God is eternal life You know what the problem in the church is for most people is that they just have no idea who God really is And the problem is they think they do But they really don't They have a warped view of God.

So when disaster happens They want to blame God When hardship comes They think it's coming because of their sin and God's punishing them because of their sin when when tragedy strikes They ask the question where is God And so when difficulty happens when tragedy happens with when hardship comes Because we don't have the right view of God in terms of who he is We like the prophets of Jericho we like Obadiah come up with some fallacy concerning how God operates and all of a sudden We have trouble functioning from day to day Your knowledge of God is crucial.

That's why the Lord God said in Daniel 11 verse number 32 those Who know their God? Listen those who know God Display strength and take action Those who know their God Display strength and do great exploits Elisha knew his God So when Elijah was taken from him, even though he sorrowed because he lost his provider and protector Because he knew God he could display strength he could take action He could do great exploits for God because he knew him He knew the Lord God of Israel. He knew the God of Elijah.

He had been with him for 20 years He had been in his teaching for 20 years. He had heard the word of the Lord Now he was ready to represent that God to a nation Let me ask you a question.

Do you know God? Do you display strength? Or do you display weakness? Do you take action or do you sit back and wonder what's gonna happen next? Those who know the true and living God and They understand this God they serve They display great strength and they take action Let me say it to you another way turn with me to 2nd Peter chapter 1 for a moment 2nd Peter chapter 1 And you in the back you're gonna have to give me the time element here because I could go on all night So you've got to make sure you give me my 10 minutes my 5 minutes.

So I know where I'm going here But if I go back to 2nd Peter chapter 1 Listen to what Peter says and I'll this is your test. Look every look here. This is your test or whether or not? You know God Because if I was to go around after do you know God? Oh, yeah. I know God. Oh, yeah. Oh, yeah I know do you know? Oh, yeah, I know God Absolutely. I know him. I know his name I can spell his name Okay, I can I can I can list the attributes of God for you. I can tell you where they're found in Scripture I can yeah, I know God Okay, let's get real practical here.

Here you go. Ready? Southern Peter a bond servant an apostle of Jesus Christ to those who have received a faith of the same kind as ours Okay, you've received a faith if you're born again, you're born again because you received a gift of faith God granted you the faith to believe in his name. It's not faith that you mustered up It's not faith that I had in my own my own being God granted you the faith to believe He says by the righteousness of our God Savior Jesus Christ Okay, grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord If you know God grace and peace are Multiplied in your life If you know God you have grace to sustain you and peace to stabilize you If you know God you understand the grace of God and the peace of God if you truly know God it comes because Grace and peace are being multiplied in your life We know that grace is divine favor that God bestows upon his people But that grace listen if I if grace is being multiplied in my life two things are evident ready I approach the throne of grace and I apply the teaching of grace If I know God that is multiplied in my life If I know God I am continually Approaching the throne of grace that I might receive grace to help in time of need in other words If you know God you are on your knees if you know God you are at the throne of God if you know God You are crying out to God because you know He's a God of grace who bestows grace to those in their time of need and not only do you approach the throne of grace?

You truly apply the teaching of grace Titus chapter 2 Titus chapter 2 verses 11 and following says this For the grace of God has appeared bringing salvation to all men. Okay? Instructing us. Listen, if you know if you've received the grace of God you are now being instructed by that grace Grace of God teaches you so not only do you approach the throne of grace you apply the teachings of grace Instructing us to deny ungodliness worldly desires and to live sensibly righteously and godly in the present age Looking for the blessed hope and appearing of our group glory of the glory of our great God and Savior Christ Jesus Who gave himself for us to redeem us from every lawless deed and to purify for himself of people for his own possessions zealous for good Deeds these things speak and exhort and reprove with all authority.

Let no one disregard you Listen, the grace of God is a teacher and because you know God Not do you just approach the throne of God, but you apply the teachings of grace You apply them to your lives because God's grace is teaching you that you deny all ungodliness all worldly pleasures all lust and you live a righteous sensible pure in holy life in this present age because you are Continually looking for the God of grace to appear again If you know God Grace is multiplied in your life So much so that you are continually approaching the throne of grace and continually applying the teaching of grace Because grace is the only thing that will sustain you Peace is the only thing that will stabilize you and so grace and peace are multiplied According to the knowledge of God Okay, so you say, you know God how anxious are you about tomorrow or do you live in peace?

How anxious are you about your future or do you live in peace? Because those who know God Have great peace And nothing causes them to stumble Psalm 119 165 They have great peace. Do you have great peace? Do you have peace that when you go to bed at night, you don't worry about anything else? Because if you're worried about something you don't know God very well Who is the protector of all men? the king of the universe the ruler of the nations You see peace is multiplied only in those who know God It's not multiplied in those who don't know God And so Christ says I will keep him in perfect.

Peace Whose mind is Stayed on me Isaiah 26 3 God says I will keep him in perfect. Peace in the Hebrew It says I will keep him in peace peace Okay, because he didn't know how to state the state of supreme Tranquility there was no word in Hebrew to describe that So it's more than this. I will keep him in peace. I will keep him in peace. Peace I will keep him in perfect. Peace whose mind is fixed whose mind is stayed on me And that's why Jesus said in John 14 27 my peace I give unto you not as the world gives give unto you, but my peace I give unto you What kind of peace is that?

The peace that a lot of them sleep when there was a storm in the boat and everybody else was afraid that kind of peace You have that kind of peace What kind of peace do you have? Is peace being multiplied in your life because you know God Or do you live a life of supreme anxiety supreme worry supreme fear You don't know This God very well at all No matter what you say Because if you know this God the God of Scripture You know that he is omnipotent You know that he has a plan that runs on course You know listen those whose minds are fixed on Christ when they get the report From the doctor that their life is going to end They're in perfect peace They're not worried about it They're in perfect peace Because they know God They know God has a plan for their life.

They know God's gonna take them to glory Elijah was in perfect. Peace. I'm not sure Elijah knew how he was gonna depart that day I'm not sure God told him the prophets of Bethel knew the prophet Jericho knew this is the day that Elijah is going to depart Now he as far as he knew Elijah was gonna die Well, I didn't know he's gonna be swept away The chariot of fire by a whirlwind up in the glory. He didn't know that he had no idea I'm sure he would have given that to Elijah to know Didn't know But he wasn't all worried about it.

He was thinking about Elijah. What do you want me to do for you? I'm leaving What do you need? He know if he's gonna die didn't know what was gonna happen and God had a plan God Will keep him in perfect. Peace. Whose mind is stayed on thee. That's why that's why when there's a separation Hebrews 12 1 There's a fixation The reason we aren't fixed upon Christ is because we haven't separated ourselves from all those other things that weigh us down That's our problem Once there's a separation there can be a fixation once there's a fixation There can be a consideration and that consideration allows me to run the race Without worry to run the race with endurance to run the race with steadfastness To not quit to not grow weary to not be tired But to live for the glory of my king in this my friend is God's Word for you and for me Listen to what the Lord God said to the Prophet Jeremiah Jeremiah 17 verse number 5 thus says the Lord Cursed is the man who trusts in mankind And makes flesh his strength and whose heart turns away from the Lord For he will be like a bush in the desert and will not see when prosperity comes but will live in stony waste and in the wilderness a land of salt without inhabitants Blessed is the man Who trusts in the Lord and whose trust is the Lord?

For he will be like a tree planted by the water that extends its roots by a stream and will not fear when the heat comes But its leaves will be green and it will not be anxious in a year of drought nor cease to yield fruit that is the definition of Isaiah 26 verse number 3 He will keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on thee and then the verse concludes because he trusts in the Lord and God tells Jeremiah listen blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord cursed it is the man who trusts in mankind Cursed it is the man who trusted anything outside of me You are a cursed man because in the day of drought in the day of heat you will Flounder, but if you trust me and you give your life to me You will be a prosperous person and when the drought comes you will still bring forth green leaves Because you have perfect peace and you've rested in me Now, let me ask you a question.

Do you know God? Do you really know him? Do you think you know him or do you really know him? This is why Elisha was so ashamed Because they should have known better they should have known better They should have had a higher view of God than they did and they're in seminary. They're studying theology They should have a clearer grasp for the sovereignty of God The power of God the justice of God the mercy of God the love of God They should have a better grasp of God, but they didn't let's go look for him.

I'm sure God just threw him someplace Really Why she was ashamed shamed Simply because people who should know God Didn't know him very well at all And we have to look at our lives and ask do do we know the God of Elijah the God of Elisha Do we understand do we display Strength and do great exploits or do we display weakness and do nothing?

Is grace and peace being multiplied in our lives because we know God? That we are so at peace with him. We are so in communion with him that no matter what takes place no matter how severe the tragedy no matter how deep and Painful the devastation We trust in the Lord and believe in his name because there is no one else And so when we go to bed at night We rest at ease because there's a sovereign God who rules the universe and everything runs on course on time for his glory and Because my mind is fixed on him He will keep me in perfect.

Peace. Let me pray with you Father we thank you for today Thank you for your word the truth of it Thank you for Elisha We pray father that as we go through this man's life and begin to see and understand the things you do in and through him That every one of us would be convicted of where we are not with you where we should be And that Lord you can move us on to maturity that we would live for the glory of your kingdom Help us Lord to have grace and multiplied Grace and peace be multiplied in our lives Because we have come to know you even more tonight than before we arrived We pray in Jesus name.

Amen