Notes from a sermon heard on Sunday 2 December 2012
2 Kings 4 verses 8 –
37
In this chapter we
meet this man Elisha and since God has raised him up he has been an instrument
in God’s hands. Remember he was
ploughing his field with a yoke of oxen when Elijah came down through the furrows
to meet him. As he stopped with him
Elijah would relate to him what God had placed in his heart. He was to be in his shoes. Elijah would leave this scene of time so he
said to him “are you prepared to leave your yoke, to take on God’s work and will,
to dedicate your life to him Elisha?”
Isn’t that a tremendous challenge for any man or woman – to dedicate our
lives wholly and fully without any reserves, to place our all on the altar for
God? That is what Elijah did. He stepped from the yoke of oxen and made a
sacrifice to the God of heaven.
This is the story of a Shunammite woman and the life she lived.
She was working so hard behind the scenes – that is what God is looking
for today. Those behind the scenes. He is still calling people out from
congregations that might go forth in the mission field. He is looking for those who are willing, dedicated
and sacrificial in their giving all to the Lord behind the scenes.
Think
of her awareness. In verse 8 we are introduced to this woman as “a
great woman”. This was her
characteristic. The Bible is saying she
was a rich, wealthy woman, of good standing and substance. Here was a woman aware of what was happening
around her. She didn’t get caught up
with her wealth, home and those around her.
As a child of God that is what we should be aware of – those around
us. Here was this woman not caught up in
every day affairs, she wanted to encourage Elisha. She got behind him to encourage him. In her home was an open door. She saw this man walking past and got to know
him. Then one day she constrained him to
come in for a bite to eat. Maybe she
lived on the main road, a direct route and every day she saw him coming past her door. Such was the concern on her heart she went
out and constrained him to come in.
Lydia met the Lord at the river side at Philippi. Paul and the team were about to move on. Lydia constrained them to come into her home
that she might offer them hospitality in return. We need an open door for the spirit of the
gospel ministry of God. This man was
refreshed with friendship and fellowship.
She had a great concern for the word of God. Elijah was a man who stood for God against
Jezebel. One day he pronounced judgment
on Israel. God told Elijah to go to the
brook Cherith and “I will command the ravens to bring you flesh to eat.” Then the brook dried up. It was all part of God’s will. When it dried up Elijah was told to go to a widow
woman. When Elijah went to the widow
woman she was out gathering a few sticks to light a fire. She had a cruise of oil and was about to make
a last meal for her and her child.
Elisha comes to a home of great wealth.
God does that. God will use the
rich and the powerful and the mighty and the weak, the young and the old if we
are willing to allow him to use us. It
doesn’t matter the category – we are in God’s will. He can use all sorts. She had a concern for this man. We need to be encouragers. There are a lot of people who are discouraged
today. These people are those in church
leadership, who are helping to teach Sunday school or work in youth work. They need to be encouraged. Are we as active to go out and bring men and
women in to hear the gospel? Do we have
the compassion? In Acts 18 the gospel came
to Ephesus. There was a man there by the
name of Apollos, the Bible tells us he was eloquent in his speech. He was a tremendous preacher. He caught your attention right away. He used some lovely words and painted some
lovely pictures. He knew the word of
God. He was on fire when he got into the
pulpit. He only knew the baptism of
John. In that congregation on that
particular day Priscilla and Aquilla were listening to him. They realised he had a message that didn’t go
the full way. They took him through the
scriptures and taught him fully. Are we
aware of the problems around us? Are we
ready to do something about it?
Notice
the ability she was blessed
with. Elisha ate with them and she realised
she could do more than just merely feed him.
She wanted to build a room for this man to spend time here. Jesus told the story of a man who went into a
far country. He didn’t want his work to
fall behind so he gave to each of his workers talents. He wanted them to use them wisely until he
came back again. He gave as he saw them
having the ability. When he returned he
called the workers to see what they had done with the talents. The first man doubled it and so did the
second. The third man though had difficulty
with his talent. He had put it in the
ground and hid it. The master told him “I
wanted you to use it and double it.”
Likened that story to Jesus going back to heaven, he didn’t want to see
the building of his church going to waste.
He gave us all certain talents.
He gave us the ability to do something for him, that the church might be
extended. One day he is coming back
again and I am going to stand before him and he will say to me “what have you
done with the talents I gave to you?” He
is not going to ask about preaching to the multitudes in darkest Africa or
great conventions because he didn’t give me that talent. He will ask me about my time in evangelism
and in this town, sitting around bed sides, standing on door steps. Will he say to you “I gave you the ability to
teach a Sunday School, to talk to your neighbours and friends, the financial
ability to see the word of God going forth?"
Wouldn’t it be awful to say “I have done nothing.” The apostle Paul when writing to the church
at Corinth in his letter he made bare his innermost being. He really laid it bare to those people he
loved. His heart was in the work of God. 2 Corinthians 10 verse 16 “I want to preach
the gospel in the regions beyond you”.
In other words” I want to go to preach in Spain, preach in Rome, I am a
debtor to the Greeks, Gentiles and Barbarians.”
He felt he stood with a debt over his heart to relate the word of God to
so many people. When we look back, take
ourselves back to Calvary to the day when we came under conviction of sin, God
showed you your need to salvation. There
was never a day before or like it again.
The Holy Spirit came and showed you your need. He took your heart and mind and he took you
to Calvary. He showed you something you
never saw before. When he was dieing on the
cross he died for you. He suffered the
agony and the pain for you. The Lord came
in and saved you. He took away your
sin. Paul said from that day I am ready
to preach the gospel. By the grace of God
I am what I am. This woman looked at her
house and gave everything she had to the Lord to use it as he saw fit. The Lord put it into her heart to give
something he could use. What you have
today is God’s. The very next breath in
your life is in God’s hand. What if God
were to close it? The health and
strength I enjoy is all from the Lord.
If the Lord was to take it all back where would you be standing?
The
attention to detail she gave – it was
not half hearted.
The award that followed. God didn’t overlook it. She didn’t have a child. God promised her a son in due time. Our rewards are waiting for us, not down here
but one day in heaven itself. What I put
into the work of God down here is waiting for me up yonder. “Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon
earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt and where thieves break through and
steal. But lay up for yourselves
treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt and where thieves
do not break through nor steal.” Here was a woman behind the scenes working to
get the word of God get through. Will we
give ourselves to God today? To be used
in whatever way he pleases for his glory and honour?
No comments:
Post a Comment