[0:00] We've been talking about Elijah for a long time now, and finishing up Elijah tonight.
[0:26] We, in this particular section, have been talking about the fact that he's waiting to go home. He's waiting on a whirlwind, the title we used.
[0:38] And the last few weeks, we've talked about the fact that it was a time of watching. He was watching because he knew he was supposed to go home that day. Elisha was watching because he knew he was supposed to go home that day.
[0:50] The sons of the prophets were watching because they knew he was supposed to go home that day. People are always watching. Got to remember that. People are always watching us, always wondering what's going on.
[1:04] And we need to be watching for the Lord to return ourselves. We need to be waiting to see what is he, when is he coming? What is he going to do? It may be he could come at any moment.
[1:16] It may be we go home through death. But as a Christian, we're going home one way or another. Are you looking forward to the fact that God is coming and we're going to go home?
[1:27] Second of all, we talked about the fact that it was a time of walking. And last week, we were talking about he went to Gilgal, and then he went to Bethel, and then he went to Jericho, and then he went to Jordan.
[1:40] And we talked about all those different places and what they meant and why he was visiting those different places. The main reason, not to get too technical on you, the main reason he was going to those places, because in each time he went, it says, look at verse 4 of chapter 2.
[1:58] And Elijah said unto him, Elisha, Terry, here, I pray thee, for the Lord has sent me. Every place he went, it was because the Lord has sent him. He was going to do what God wanted him to do at that place.
[2:11] And every place he went, he had a chance to talk to the sons of the prophets. And he had a chance to be a testimony to them, give them some training, give them some encouragement, give them some instruction.
[2:23] Every place he went, God was sending him there. Which leads us into tonight is a time of working. He's getting ready to go home, but it's a time of working.
[2:35] We've kind of touched on this a little bit already as we've gone through this. But he didn't spend his last days just sitting around, twiddling his thumbs, watching TV, waiting for things to be over.
[2:48] He had a job to do. You know, he was busy doing the work of the Lord. He was ready whenever God should call him.
[2:59] He was ready to go. You know, he sets an example for all of us. But be ready at all times. But while you're waiting, be busy doing what God has called you to do.
[3:11] So what is he doing as he's doing this working? Well, first of all, he's trusting his Redeemer. He's trusting his Redeemer. He knows that God's going to come.
[3:22] He's going to take him home. He's trusting him. Look at verse 8. 2 Kings 2, verse 8. And Elijah took his mantle and wrapped it together, smote the waters, and they were divided hither and thither so that they, too, went over on dry land.
[3:39] They get to the Jordan, and they need to get to the other side. And he's trusting God to be able to get them to the other side. So what does he do? He takes his mantle off.
[3:50] He wraps it together, slaps the water. The water divides. And he went over on a swampy, kind of muddy, kind of, that's not what it says, does it?
[4:04] It went over on dry land. God says, here's the path for you. Here's the way to go. This is the direction I want you to go. So they go across. And, you know, it's interesting.
[4:16] Here he is, last day of his life. He's been through all kinds of things. And he's about to go over, and he's, like, still putting his faith in God to do the impossible.
[4:28] You know, you think about it. As you look at his life and the things that we've talked about during this study, especially on Mount Carmel, fire comes down, burns up the water, burns up the sacrifice, burns up the altar, burns up the dust even, it says.
[4:48] It takes care of it. It just wipes out everything. And is Elijah's attitude, well, you know, I've seen what God can do, and I've seen the very best that he's got.
[5:01] I've seen everything that God can do. He can't do anything else more than he's already done. No, that's not the attitude he has. He goes through and he says, you know what?
[5:12] We need to get over there. God, we need to get over there. Slaps the water, pathway appears of dry ground.
[5:25] You know, we never need to get to the point where we're in our walk with God when we think that we've seen it all. We've seen everything that he can do. God is still working today.
[5:37] We don't necessarily see it in the same way that they did then. But let me ask you this. Do we have the same faith that they had?
[5:51] You know, is the faith that we have in God like Elijah? Do we trust him that much? You know, as you go through the years and you get closer to the end of time, do not give up on the faith that God has given to you.
[6:06] What does the Bible tell us in Hebrews 11, 6? Anybody remember? Without faith, it is impossible to please him. You must believe that he is and he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.
[6:22] Are we seeking God? Are we trusting him? Are we still believing through faith that God can do the impossible? Because anything less than that, according to Romans 14, 23, the end of that verse says, yeah, all of a sudden there's lots of, if you don't have faith, it's sin.
[6:48] It's the general gist of that. I can't remember how it goes. Let me check real quick. Romans 14, 23. It says, for whatsoever is not of faith is sin.
[7:05] Romans 14, 23. For whatsoever is not of faith is sin. That's the last part of the verse. We have to have faith in God. We have to keep trusting him.
[7:15] We have to keep looking to him to do the impossible for us. I don't know about you, but in another month, it's all going to be 68.
[7:26] Some of you are older than that. Do you ever get to the feeling of, oh, I've seen everything God's going to be able to do in my life. He can't do anything else. You know?
[7:37] No. Keep faith in what God can do. Second thing he's got going on here, it's the day he's going to be going home. He is also still training his replacement.
[7:52] Elisha is with him. And he's seeing that. Look at verse 9. 2 Kings 2, verse 9. And it came to pass when they were gone over that Elijah said unto Elisha, Ask what I shall do for thee, because I be taken away from thee.
[8:10] And Elisha said, I pray thee that I let a double portion of thy spirit be upon me, and he said, Thou hast asked a hard thing. Nevertheless, if thou see me when I am taken from thee, it shall be so unto thee.
[8:24] But if not, it shall not be so. You think about what we were just talking about, having faith. Elisha still had faith. He was younger than Elijah. He was going to be taken over for Elijah.
[8:35] Elisha still had faith, because he says, I want double what you got. So was he thinking, You know what? Yeah, look at Elijah's life. Look at all the things that have happened in his life.
[8:46] Look at all the things God has done. Yeah, that's about the limit of what God can do. And Elisha's like, No, I want double. I want double of that, what you got.
[8:58] Can you imagine? How do we approach God? What kind of faith do we have when we come before God? Elijah is learning about obedience.
[9:10] He's learning about faithfulness. He makes this request, and Elijah says, Okay, but there's a, there's a, where do I want?
[9:27] There's a stipulation attached. You've got to see when I go. He's got to be able to see when I go. You know, Elisha's been receiving the best training possible.
[9:41] He's getting it from Elijah. He's getting to watch what God has done, has done, and is doing in Elisha's life. Elijah's life. You know, as we near the end of the road, don't give up on training other people.
[9:57] Don't give up on helping others to see what God can do. Help them to know that, you know, we need to be teaching them about faith.
[10:08] We need to be teaching them about obedience. We need to teach them about faithfulness to God, and to his house, and to the work that he has. We need to be teaching them about having a love for the Bible. We need to be teaching them that God is always faithful and will always be there for us.
[10:25] 2 Timothy 2.2. Let me read that to you. It says, that the things which thou hast heard of me among many witnesses, the same commit thou to faithful men who shall be able to teach others also.
[10:45] See, the things that we have learned from God were to teach to others so that they can teach others, so that they can teach others. How did you get to be, how did you get to be a Christian? How did you get to be saved today?
[10:58] When all of this took place, Elijah's case, 1,000 years ago, the disciples' case, well, thousands of years ago, the disciples' case, a couple thousand years ago, they were the first ones saved.
[11:12] They were the first ones to spend time with Jesus. How did we get to where we know Jesus? Other people taught. Because other people taught.
[11:23] Other people taught. Other people who taught other people. And he says, you know what you're supposed to be doing, Christian? Teaching other people. Getting them ready. Helping them to learn. He says, it's our duty to help.
[11:37] Now think about that for a second. It's our duty to teach others how to handle Scripture. How to handle the things that God has called them to do. How to conduct themselves in the way that things are supposed to go.
[11:51] For men, you know, think about we need to teach the next generation about how they should conduct themselves.
[12:03] We need to teach them how they should love their wives. You know, if there's one area I think this generation of Christian men have not got it, have not done it right, is how to love your wife.
[12:16] Well, as long as she obeys me and do what I tell her to do, then that's not, I don't think that's what he meant. You know, there is a part of that, but it's more on the wife's side.
[12:30] They learn to obey and do things that God, the men have asked them to do, but the men need to learn how to love their wives, he says there in Ephesians. Carrie? Carrie? Well, I just, brother, he just, came to Alan before he asked Sarah to marry him.
[12:49] And he said to Alan, he said, you know, he said, my dad and my grandfather, he said, a very good example on how a man is supposed to treat his wife.
[13:00] But he said, I'd like your view of it. So Alan looked at him and he said, well, you know, I did fail, he said, my first marriage. And he said yes, but he said, it wasn't all your failure.
[13:13] It was, you know, a combination of things. He said, but how, he said, how do I get Sarah to want to obey and be a good Christian wife?
[13:24] And Alan said, love her. He said, if you love your wife, she will do as you ask. Or she will be a helpmate with you, he said, so that you, you won't have a thing to worry about, but you do have to love her.
[13:39] He said, I'm not talking about the physical love or anything. He said, I'm talking about truly loving her like God meant for a man for a loving wife. And they're married.
[13:50] We've got seven kids. So yeah, learn how to love. Learn how to listen once in a while too. And that's what he told me. He said, it's a two-way street.
[14:01] He said, you've got to listen to them, but you've also, you've got to be the one to make the final decision. But he said, it's good to get there and put him because he said, let's take it.
[14:12] He said, those guys are dumb enough. I don't know if I'd go there, but, okay, yeah. So anyway. Not far out.
[14:25] So, you know, remind him that the marriage vows mean something. Yeah. Yeah. That they have to teach them how to be a good godly example.
[14:37] In Titus chapter 2, you don't have to turn this one I have down. Titus chapter 2, verse 2, it says, that the aged men be sober, grave, temperate, sound in faith, in charity, in patience.
[14:52] He says, teach them that. Teach them to be sober, grave, temperate, sound in faith, sound in charity, sound in patience. You know, so often, we don't learn to do that, to be sound in those things.
[15:07] And then the ladies. Ladies, you older ladies have a responsibility to younger ladies. Angela's the young lady here tonight. So you guys need to teach her how to do things as a lady.
[15:20] Here's what Titus goes on to say in Titus chapter 2, verses 3 through 5. He says, the aged women likewise, that they be in behavior as becometh holiness, not false accusers, not given to much wine, teachers of good things, that they may teach the young women to be sober, to love their husbands, to love their children, to be discreet, chaste, keepers at home, good, obedient to their own husbands, that the word of God may be not blasphemed.
[15:55] He says, we need to teach one another. And you look at our world today and a lot of the problems we see in our world is because nobody's teaching these things. Nobody's teaching people how to act.
[16:08] You know, for the ladies, you know, teaching them how to act around other people, teaching them how to dress appropriately, how to treat their husbands and children and things.
[16:20] You know, you ladies are supposed to be godly examples to other ladies around you. And then, he goes on and he says one more thing about, as he's working, while he's traveling his road.
[16:41] Traveling his road. Look at verse 11. And it came to pass as they still went on, notice those words, as they still went on, and talked.
[16:52] Then behold, there appeared a chariot of fire and horses of fire and parted them both asunder. And Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven, as they still went on.
[17:05] Again, the last day of his life, they're on the other side of Jordan. Remember we talked about Jordan being the death? When you pass over Jordan, you know, there's songs about that and everything.
[17:16] They passed over. They're still traveling, though. They're still moving forward. They're still walking. And it says, and as they still went on, he did not give up once they got over Jordan.
[17:28] They're still walking, still going someplace. He didn't find a place to stop. He didn't find a place to stop and sit down and say, okay, I'm done. That's it. No more.
[17:39] It says, as they still went on. You know, God has a plan. God wants us to keep going forward.
[17:51] And then, while they're walking, it says, the Lord sent a chariot fighter. What I like about that, can you imagine Elijah and Elisha standing side by side, walking along, talking about what's taking place, what they're waiting for, what they're going to do while they're waiting, and everything, and all of a sudden, a horse comes zipping right between them, kind of pushing both out of the side.
[18:19] And Elisha's taken, Elijah's taken, and Elisha saw what happened. That's a big deal that Elisha saw what happened. Can you imagine what it would have been like to experience that, to be there and see that?
[18:33] Just like I mentioned about Enoch walking along with God and to be there and see Elijah taken up in that whirlwind, in that chariot. You think about the fact that he kept on serving the Lord the whole time until that very moment.
[18:54] You know, the rapture can take place at any time. Will we still be working? Will we still be doing the things God has called us to do? You know, you may wind up the rapture, before the rapture, you may die.
[19:07] But even then, are you still working for the Lord up until the moment that you die? As I mentioned, there's some pastors I know that have retired, but they're not just sitting back doing nothing. They're filling in, they're helping out, they're doing things.
[19:21] You know, they're bringing pulpit supplies. They're, I'm going to hopefully put Mark to work, going to visit Mike in prison so that he has a job. He has something to do.
[19:32] He doesn't just give up. The Lord can still use, you know, I've heard people actually say this. Well, I'm old and I'm tired and I understand that entirely.
[19:48] It's time for the younger folks to take over and do stuff. You don't find that in the Bible anywhere. You keep teaching the younger folks, you help them get used to doing things.
[19:59] You take them alongside you and you teach them and stuff, but you don't say, I've done enough. It's done. I'm over. Notice it said there they still were going on.
[20:10] They were still going on, doing what God had called them to do. You know, don't ever sit down on what God has called you. Go with me over to Romans chapter 13.
[20:20] Romans chapter 13. Romans chapter 13. Look at verse 11.
[20:35] Romans 13, 11. And it says, And that, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep. But now is our salvation nearer than when we believed.
[20:49] Your salvation closer than when you first believed? Is Jesus coming closer than when you first believed? Yeah. Verse 12. The night is far spent, the day is at hand. Let us therefore cast off the works of darkness and let us put on the armor of light.
[21:04] Let us walk honestly as in the day, not in rioting and drunkenness, not in chambering and wantonness, not in strife or in vain, but put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ and make not provision for the flesh to fulfill the lust thereof.
[21:19] He says, Keep on going. Keep on going. Don't ever give up. Don't ever give in to the lust of the flesh. Keep on going. You know, some people give up on the fight.
[21:39] And believe me, I understand that. But, you never quit walking with the Lord. You never give up on Him. one of the things, when I think about getting done sometimes, I don't necessarily think about retiring and just sitting back and doing nothing.
[22:00] I listen to reports from our missionaries, and you were talking about Elijah. And I listen to some of the reports from our missionaries. The Curtis's, I think of them in particular.
[22:12] I'm like, people here in America, they just, they've heard it, and they've heard it, and they've heard it, and they don't want to hear it anymore. Even Christians. They don't want to hear it anymore.
[22:24] And then you look at these missionaries, and they're saying, oh, this many people were saved, and this many people were coming, and these people started believing, and these people, and you're like, I want that. I want that.
[22:37] I'm like Elisha. You know what you got? I want that. Double. So, be so very careful. Don't ever give up, you know, what God is doing in and through you.
[22:52] You know, we can have great victories today that can be won if we're just willing to follow the Lord. We need to keep our, you've never heard this before, you need to keep your eyes on Jesus and follow him.
[23:08] Elijah says, today is the day of my home going, but until then, we're going to keep going. We're going to keep walking. We're going to keep working.
[23:20] We're going to keep watching for what God has for us. And that's the end of Elijah. I'm almost tempted to go into Elisha, but I'm not sure I'm going there.
[23:31] But, one of the things I like about Elisha, after Elijah's gone and Elijah goes back to the Jordan to go back across and he has Elijah's mantle, he slaps the water and he says, where is the God of Elijah?
[23:53] God is still with him. God was still taking care of him and God was giving him that double portion. God is going to keep on doing his work until he comes again.
[24:04] So, alright. Alright. 씨, He heads up. What?
[24:17] ¿ He