Are we sanctified for the Lord`s service and ready to give an answer for Him?

Sermon notes from Sunday 3 September 2017
"But Jehoshaphat said, Is there not here a prophet of the Lord, that we may inquire of the Lord by him? And one of the king of Israel`s servants answered and said, Here is Elisha the son of Shaphat, which poured water on the hands of Elijah."

1 Peter 3 verse 15 says "But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts; and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear."  The one who saved you, called you, the one who lifted you out of the miry clay, took your sin away and is one day taking you to heaven is asking you today to set the Lord apart from everything else that is in your life.  Today we read of a man who did just that and who was ready to give an answer no matter what the crowd or company thought of him.

He was a man that was respected.  This man of God was respected in Israel.  Israel was on the brink of war.  The king of Moab was compelled by Ahab the king of Israel to give an offering every year of so many sheep.  He had a fear for Ahab and he gave it willingly every year.  There came a change in the monarchy though when Ahab died and his son came to the throne - Jehoram.  The king of Moab decided not to send any more lambs.  He gathered the armies of Israel together, brought Jehoshaphat the king of Israel with him against the king of Judah.  In verse 9 we discover there was a problem - no water for the men and the animals.  What would they do?  Jehoram thought it would be God`s plan to bring them down.  Jehoshahat in verse 11 asked if there was a prophet that they could ask for his opinion from God.  The king had respect for the man of God.  The world has no respect for you or I today but there are times when that respect may be seen but only by those who live close to the Lord.  "But know that the Lord hath set apart him that is godly for himself." (Psalm 4 verse 3)  The Lord has a purpose for your life today.  If we have been called from the world the Lord has done that.  He has a plan for you.  When there is a problem in your family, in your community, in your neighbourhood, in your work place do people come to you about it?  Why is that?  Because they have a respect for your testimony?  They will seek your advice and help.  God sets us apart when he saves our souls and sometimes that can be seen when there is trial and difficulty.  Remember the maid in Naaman`s house?  Naaman was a man the people looked up to and respected but he had leprosy.  His maid probably told her mistress about the prophet back in her own country who could heal Naaman.  God calls you and I in every situation.  In chapter 2 of 2 Kings we read that Elisha was asked for his advice by the government of the land.  In chapter 3 it was the kings of the land who asked for his advice and in chapter 4 a woman who came to him for advice.  We earn respect by living a godly life among the people around us.  People have got to see the change, the difference that God makes in us, that he has set us apart.

The man of God`s reference.  Notice in verse 11 the contempt and scorn the servant of the king of Israel had for Elisha.  "which poured water on the hands of Elijah."  People today can pour scorn on our fellowship with each other.  People question who we are and what position we have in society, that is the contempt of the world.  God will use this man that is looked down upon.  God uses men and women who are looked down on today.  The implication was that Elisha was merely a servant of Elijah`s.  That is how he started off his work.  He walked with Elijah, communicated with him.  He had such a humble beginning.  Remember the great work of God in the 1859 revival started off with 4 men who came together to pray in a small school house.  "I was no prophet, neither was I a prophet`s son, but I was an herdman and a gatherer of sycamore fruit." (Amos 7 verse 14)  Think about Samuel - "And all Israel from Dan even to Beersheba knew that Samuel was established to be a prophet of the Lord." (1 Samuel 3 verse 20)  Samuel as a young child was taken by the hand of his mother into the temple of God and presented to the priest Eli.  He heard the word of God even at that young age.  Martyn Lloyd Jones was a great believer in allowing children to remain in church rather than be taken out for their own meeting because he believed they needed to hear the word of God and they would miss out in leaving the service.  Samuel ministered unto Eli by opening the door of the temple each morning and closing it at night.  He made sure that Eli got into bed each night and he became a mighty prophet known from Dan in the north to Beersheba in the south.  God can still do that today and he will take us step by step.  Sometimes it is painful and sore but the Lord can teach us s much through these times to make us men and women of God.

This man`s reluctance.  Notice Elisha`s response in verse 13 - "what have I to do with thee?"  He looked into the face of the king of Israel and asked him this question.  Sometimes we have to be careful of our company.  Elisha was careful with those he associated with.  In verse 2 we read that Jehoram the king of Judah "wrought evil in the sight of the Lord but not like his father and like his mother for he put away the image of Baal that his father had made."  He turned his back on God, he followed an evil pattern but he put away the image of Baal.  Jehoram took this image and locked it away.  He took it out of sight.  He didn`t destroy it, he didn`t burn it or cut it down.  Sometimes we put things away, put them out of sight, camouflage them.  This man was seeking the advice from the man of God.  The prophet was not going to have anything to do with this idolotrous man.  We cannot get involved in some of the things people are doing.  Today some would say that the Reformation was a big mistake, they feel a great deal of hurt.  They say that today we should be softer because times have changed, that Rome is more open to the gospel but that is not true and we need to be careful.  The Thessalonians turned from their idols (chapter 1 verse 9) and the believers in Ephesus brought out their magic books to be burned in the town square. (Acts 19 verse 19)  That is why the apostle Paul said "come out from among them and be ye separate." (2 Corinthians 6 verse 17) "for what fellowhip hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communication hath light with darkness?" (2 Corinthians 6 verse 14).  We have to be careful.  That is why Martin Luther and those men long ago would not be involved in things others were doing.  That is why they were set apart and they got involved in the Reformation.

The man of God and his reliability.  Jehoshaphat came to Elisha because he knew he could be trusted.  That is the lesson for us today - that we may be trusted.  There were countless prophets of Baal but Jehoshaphat didn`t trust one of them.  Sometimes we are expected to be glib but that is not what the bible teaches us.  If someone is not living up to God`s standards we should have nothing to do with them.  In Acts 6 when the church was in its birth they picked out 7 men who were full of faith and full of the Holy Ghost, men that could be relied upon.  Can you and I be relied on today?  To keep the church burning bright?  To see people saved by God`s grace?  Are we going to be reliable?