[0:00] Turn with me to the chapter that we read earlier to 2nd Kings and chapter 4 and we'll take up the reading at verse 8 once again.
[0:15] At 2nd Kings chapter 4 and verse 8, page 370. Verse 8, one day Elisha went on to Shunem, where a wealthy woman lived who urged him to eat some food.
[0:30] So whenever he passed that way, he would turn in there to eat food. And he said to her husband, behold now, I know that this is a holy man of God who is continually passing our way.
[0:43] Let us make a small room on the roof with walls and put there for him a bed, a table, a chair and a lamp. So that whenever he comes to us, he can go in there and so on.
[1:00] Those of you who have passed by our own home this week will have noticed a tremendous amount of work being done on the house.
[1:25] And the work is the replacement of the old windows which have been there since I think 1973 when the house was built. And they have now been replaced with brand new windows.
[1:39] And we are already feeling the benefit of having, that's not to say that the old windows in their day, they weren't top class. They were good in their time.
[1:50] But of course, like everything else, it has to be replaced. And now we are feeling the benefit even today. When there is a wind, you can hardly hear it. When you can see it outside, and yet you can hardly know that there is a wind blowing at all.
[2:07] And whereas there was a somewhat drafty, the old windows were somewhat drafty, these ones have absolutely no draft whatsoever. And the first thing that this passage tells me is to say thank you.
[2:21] To say thank you to the congregation for the provision that you have made for me and my family and for Mr. McLeod and his family as the two ministers in this congregation.
[2:33] And I hope that you can see clearly the connection between me saying that and this passage. Here we have a man who is a minister. That's what a prophet was.
[2:43] He was a minister of the word. Just like we are ministering the word. And here is a woman who from her means, she is generous to her minister. Basically, that's what this passage is all about.
[2:56] And she provides for his needs. She provides for a small room on the roof of her house with walls and put there for him a bed, a table, a chair, a lamp, whatever.
[3:09] It wasn't a place. It was a place that was full of everything that he needed. And I'm quite sure that Elisha felt very thankful and very grateful to that woman for the gesture that she made to him.
[3:27] Just as every minister should be grateful and thankful to his congregation. And I am very grateful. And so is Mr. McLeod for all the provision. And it's not often we, it's like everything else, we're not, we don't express our thanks as much as we should.
[3:41] And so perhaps this is a point of saying that to the congregation right now. Some people believe, of course, that ministers should have their own homes. And I'm not saying anything against that.
[3:52] But it has been tradition, certainly in our culture, for ministers to live in a house that is tied to the congregation and to be dependent upon the giving of the congregation.
[4:04] Because the Bible says that those who minister the word should receive their income by, from those who benefit from the word, from God's people.
[4:15] And that, of course, is the basis of why, of the way we do things here. And it can be rooted in the Old Testament in a passage like this, where those who ministered the word were dependent on God's people and the generosity of God's people to give them what they needed.
[4:34] In order to continue the ministry of the word. And the fact that the woman described Elisha as a holy man of God did not imply that Elisha was sinless in any way.
[4:47] In fact, I'm going to explain that it was far from it. None of the prophets were sinless. They were fragile and frail, just the same as we are today.
[4:58] There were people who were struggled with all kinds of situations. But yet, ministers have been set apart. We believe that ministers are set apart.
[5:09] That's what this word holy means. In actual fact, there's a sense in which all of God's people are holy in that they have been set apart to follow and to do service to Jesus Christ.
[5:20] All of us are holy. But the work that the minister has to do is the work of teaching the gospel. And we believe that that's what ordination means.
[5:31] Ordination means something very simple. It means that the church recognizes a person's gifts. And that man is set aside for the work. And what's really special is the work that that person has to do.
[5:45] And Elisha, what was special about Elisha, was the word of God that he brought to the people of Israel at that time. Now, we believe today, and I don't want to offend anybody because not all Christians agree with me.
[5:58] We believe that there are no such things as prophets in the New Testament in the age in which we live. A prophet was someone who heard God's word directly.
[6:09] Who stood in the presence of God and God would speak to him directly. And he would hear the actual audible voice of God. And then he would go and present that message to God's people.
[6:20] Now, we don't believe that that's the way that God operates anymore. Simply because God has given us his Bible. The Bible is God's completed word.
[6:31] However, it still has to be explained and expounded. And people have to be encouraged in the word. And we have to come around the word. And it has to be.
[6:43] And God has. We believe that God has called men to minister his word. By preaching his word. By simply taking it and explaining it to people.
[6:53] So, if a prophet is someone who explains God's word, then we have prophets. But a prophet in the Bible was more someone who heard God's word. And then he brought God's word to the people. In which case, we don't have prophets anymore.
[7:05] We have ministers of. But nevertheless, I don't want to get tied up with terms. This man, Elisha, was a minister. He brought God's word to the people.
[7:15] And as people received God's word. And let's make no mistake. This wealthy woman was a woman of faith. It wasn't just that she had a lot of money.
[7:26] I'm not sure how much she had. Maybe she had more than anyone else. But we don't know. But what drove her to make this provision for Elisha was that she loved the Lord.
[7:37] It was clear that she was moved by this man. And what moved her was the word and the message that this man brought. And the recognition that she had that this man came from God.
[7:49] And she recognized the truth and the reality of God. And her heart was moved to such an extent that she wanted to do something out of love for the Lord. And that's the way Christians operate.
[8:01] They don't say, well, I better do something to earn my salvation. If that's what you're doing tonight, then you're wrong. And you're not going to be saved. But if what you're saying is tonight that I have been changed by the word.
[8:14] And I now love the Lord. And I want to give myself. And I want to give of my means to the work of the Lord. Then that's the way that God operates in a person's life.
[8:24] By changing that person. By giving them a love for God's work. Wherever it takes place. It's the same with the retiring collection next week for Dumasani.
[8:35] It was the same for the work of International Mission. The mission support group. Whatever it is. Even as you come in the door. And as you place your money in the plate.
[8:45] You're doing so as an act of service to the Lord. Not in order to be saved, I hope. But out of thankfulness and gratitude to the Lord.
[8:56] It's an offering to the Lord. For all that he has done for us. An act of thankfulness. A sign of thankfulness. For all that the Lord has done for us.
[9:08] And this was how this woman made an offering to the Lord. An act of service. Out of the love that she had in her heart to the Lord.
[9:21] A room. That's all it was. A room. With a bed and a table and a lamp. And that was it. A chair. And this room.
[9:32] If you read on through the chapter. We return to this room four times. It became a place where four things happened.
[9:47] It first of all. Was a place of future promise. Where. Having called the woman into the room.
[10:01] Elisha. Told her. That in a year's time. She would have. A son. Now. Irrespective of how wealthy this woman was.
[10:14] The one thing she didn't have. Was. A child. And. In the Old Testament. You'll know from. Several places in the Old Testament.
[10:26] That there was a particular stigma. Attached. To any woman who wasn't able to have. A child. Because. In the Old Testament. Having children was seen. As a blessing that came directly from the Lord.
[10:38] So many people thought. In the Old Testament. If you weren't able to have children. Then. God was punishing you. In some way. Well actually. That wasn't the case. Because there were many. Very good.
[10:48] Women. In the Old Testament. Who weren't able to have children. But yet. Very often. It's not. There's a fine line. Between faith and superstition. And very often.
[10:58] What starts off. As a genuine belief. And a genuine faith. And a knowledge. Can quite easily. Turn into superstition. If we go the wrong way. And very often. The Israelites. Went the wrong way. In their thinking. But then.
[11:10] So. So a person. In the Old Testament. Who didn't have children. Was sometimes cast. Was sometimes. Ostracized. Or spoken about. But. But. Quite apart from that.
[11:22] It was a source of grief. To this woman. Not. To have. Had. Children. And I'm sure. That many's a year. Many's a day. She had. Struggled. And wrestled.
[11:32] With her condition. And her desire. And her longing. Was. And it appears. That. By now. It was far too late. And that all hope. Had gone. So that when. Elisha.
[11:43] Suggested to her. That one day. She was going to have a son. It was beyond. Her comprehension. And her imagination. She had. Written the thought. Off. A long. Long time ago. She had given up.
[11:55] All hope. Of having. A son. And she said to him. And she said. To him. A man of God. Do not lie.
[12:05] To your servant. But the woman conceived. And she bore a son. About that time. The following spring. As Elisha. Had said to her. Now. I want to set the record straight. Right away. Before we go any further.
[12:16] That that's what makes. This son special. That of course. Every child is special. And every child. Is a gift from God. But what makes. What stands. This particular boy.
[12:26] Out. Is that he. He has arrived. Into this world. As a direct promise. From God himself. And that's what explains. The rest of the chapter.
[12:37] If we simply take this. As a normal birth. And the provision of God. Then we'll lose sight. Of the woman's faith. Later on in the chapter. But if we remember. That this was God. Directly speaking.
[12:48] To this woman. And saying. This is my plan. For you. Irrespective of how. Impossible it is. At your age. Or the age of your husband. And you're not able to have children. Up till now.
[12:58] I'm telling you. That you are going to have a son. And whatever she thought of that. That's exactly what happened. And no matter how content. That she was.
[13:09] And she was a tremendously content woman. I dwell among. My own people. She said. When Elisha asked her. What she wanted. So then.
[13:20] It was the place. Of a future promise. Where God spoke. To this woman. Now I want us to. Stop for a moment. And to ask ourselves. Where and when.
[13:32] Has God spoken to ourselves. Whatever message. He has brought us. This is the message. He brings to everyone. Who listens to his word. And he brings us the message. Of everlasting life.
[13:45] To all those. Who trust. And who follow. Jesus Christ. Don't ever say. I haven't heard. God's word. Or I don't know. What God's promise is. Or God has never spoken to me.
[13:57] He has. Every one of us. Who's privileged. To sit in church. Or to read our Bible. To open the pages. Of the Bible. Hears. The word of God. And hears. And sees.
[14:07] The promise of God. And when you think about it. The promise of God. To us. Is just as impossible. As the promise of God. To this woman. The promise he makes. The word. The message he gives to us tonight.
[14:19] Is that if we believe in Jesus. We will live forever. Though he were dead. Says Jesus. Yet shall he live. Now there's nothing more impossible than that.
[14:29] There's nothing more. Conceptually. And physically. And scientifically. Possible. Than the resurrection. From the dead. And yet that's exactly. What Jesus. And what the Lord promises us.
[14:41] Tonight. The question is this. Do we have the faith. Here in Kenneth Street tonight. In this room. In this room. That either you have. Contributed to.
[14:52] And to its upkeep. And to. And to its maintenance. Because you recognize. The reality of God. Have you come to receive. The promise. Of God.
[15:02] It's one thing to recognize. The reality of God. It's another thing. To actually. Personally. Come to know that God. And to receive his promise. As an act of faith. And that's where faith comes in.
[15:14] To receive God's promise. For ourselves. And to come to him. And to surrender to him. So this. This room. Was first of all. A scene. Of future promise.
[15:25] Well sure enough. A year later. The woman. Had the son. And I'm quite sure. That he was. The source of immense. Immense joy. And all. He lived up to all.
[15:36] The expectations. That the woman. And her husband. Would have had. As any parents. Would have had. Having a child. Particularly. In these circumstances. And yet. The whole thing.
[15:47] Turned. Into a nightmare. Every parent's nightmare. Would be the death. Of their child. And I don't need to tell you this. You know this. Some of you know this. From your own experience.
[15:58] And it's not for me. To. I could never enter. Into. Such an awful situation. As someone. Who loses. Their own child.
[16:11] And here. We come again. Back to the room. When the boy died. You can read. For yourself. The circumstances. It appears. That there's something. Happened to his head.
[16:21] I'm not sure. What it was. Oh my head. My head. The father. Sent to his servant. Carry him to his mother. They lifted him up. And brought him to his mother. The child. Sat on her lap. And then.
[16:32] He died. He died. Then. Verse 21. She went up. And laid him. On the bed. Of the man of God. She's come back. To the room again. She's come back.
[16:43] To the place. Where she heard. At first. The promise of God. That she would have. Her son. She went straight. To that place of promise. And now. It has become. A place.
[16:54] Of faith. Now you might say. Well wouldn't any. Mother. Who had lost her son. Do whatever. She felt.
[17:05] Conceivably. Possible. If there was. Anything. That could be done. To. Alter the situation. To bring the child. Back to life. Surely. What the woman. Did. Was natural.
[17:15] For any mother. And the same is true. When she goes. And she speaks. To. To. To. Gehazi. And she speaks. To Elisha. Herself. Of course. She's going to do. Well of course. From one point of view.
[17:26] Yes. That's true. And yet. What we see. In this chapter. Is extraordinary. Faith. Because death. For anyone. Is a final event.
[17:38] There is nothing. That can bring. A person. Back. Once that person. Has died. She would have known. That. Just as well. As anybody else. Just as much. As you. And I know. That today.
[17:49] And the only thing. We can ever do. When someone. Dies. Is to resign. Ourselves. To that. Awful reality. And to. Begin. To come. To terms. In the long.
[18:01] Process. Of grief. With someone. Who has died. And yet. That's not. What this woman. Did. Why was it. That this woman. Did the very opposite.
[18:12] She first of all. Took the. To the body. Of her son. Normally. In that culture. They would have. Buried the son. Right away. The same day. They would not have been. There wouldn't have been. Any. Wake. Her funeral. They would go.
[18:22] Straight away. To the grave. That's the way. They did. In Israel. Just the same way. As they do it. Just now. But that's not. What the woman did. She didn't tell her husband. She never told anybody. What had happened. She went up.
[18:33] To the bed. Of the man of God. And she put him. On the bed. And she made. A beeline. She got everything ready. And she. And she. She did not stop. Until she reached.
[18:44] The. The. The place. Where. Elisha. Was. Why was it. That she acted. In such. A manner. Well. Because she knew.
[18:56] That the birth. Of her son. Had happened. As a result. Of God's word. And she. Worked out. In her own mind. In her own. Faith.
[19:06] Logic. That if this son. Had been given. To her. By the express. Command. And will. And purpose. Of God. That it was in God's.
[19:17] That it was in God's purpose. Not just to bring him. Into the world. But also to keep him. In this world. And so. She saw this. As a. Test.
[19:28] Of her faith. Maybe she didn't even know. She didn't even. Perceive. That. That her faith. Was being. But that's exactly. What was happening. Having come. To know the Lord. Having come.
[19:38] To experience. God's goodness. And his grace. Now she was. Experienced. The testing. And the testing. Of our faith. Is always something. Which. Is difficult.
[19:49] And it draws us. Time and again. To lay hold. Upon God. And his word. And to say. Lord. You said. That's how faith. Is tested.
[20:00] Faith is tested. Always. As it comes. As we come back. Time and again. To placing ourselves. Under God's promise. And his word. And say. Lord. You said. I believe it.
[20:11] And I still believe it. That's what Abraham did. When God told him. To sacrifice Isaac. Straight away. Got up in the morning. As soon as God had given him the command. He. Off he went. To the mountain.
[20:21] That God had told him to go to. Made all the provision. But in his mind. Even although he knew. He was going to do something. That he couldn't. Work out in his mind. He figured out.
[20:32] Hebrews tells us. He figured out. That even if he went through. With a command. He was prepared to do it. Figuring. That God was able. To raise this son. From the dead.
[20:42] In other words. Nothing. Was going to stop God. Fulfilling and achieving. His promise. And his purpose. For him. And doing what he said. He would do.
[20:53] And that's exactly. What was in the mind. Of this woman. She had come to. A living faith. In the living God. But that faith. Was being tested. And it will be tested. With you.
[21:04] And with me. Also. A real faith. Is always a tested faith. But a real faith. Is one in which. We will come back. To the Lord. And lay hold.
[21:15] Upon God's word. And she didn't stop. You can see it. Figuratively. Here. Where she didn't stop. Gehazi. As far as she was concerned. Gehazi. Was just a. That's all he was. She made a beeline.
[21:27] For Elisha. And as soon as she came to him. She laid hold. On his feet. And by so doing. She was laying hold. Upon God's word. Because Elisha. That's what Elisha was. He was a representation.
[21:37] Of God's word. In Israel. So by doing that. She's saying. Lord. Help me. You said. That I was going to have this son. I believed it.
[21:48] You gave me. The son. Now. You can raise him up. Once again. So this room. Became. A place. Of. Faith. But the room also.
[22:01] Became a place. Of. Failure. Fear. Because the next time. We come into the room. It's not Elisha. That's in the room. It's Gehazi.
[22:12] But he's there. On behalf of Elisha. Because Elisha. Has sent him. Because Gehazi. Is Elisha's servant. See. What happened was. That when the woman. Reached. Elisha. He.
[22:24] Elisha. Said two things. That are quite remarkable. First of all. He said. That he did not know. What had happened. Now we might not think.
[22:35] That's. Very remarkable. Because God does not tell us. What he's doing. Or what's happening. In other parts. Where we're not there. But it was remarkable. For Elisha.
[22:45] Because God. Was. In constant. Or regular contact. With him. And it surprised him. It took him by surprise. That this had happened. To the son.
[22:56] And Elisha. Had not found out about it. But the second. And perhaps even the most surprising. Factor. Is that when Elisha. Told Gehazi. To take his staff. And to take the staff.
[23:09] And to go back to the room. And to place it. On the child's face. Believing. Depending. On this. As the means. Whereby the child.
[23:20] Was going to be raised. And when it failed. Something. Something wrong. Something went wrong. I'm not sure.
[23:30] How many. Miracles. In the Bible. Ever failed. But this is one of them. Possibly the only one. That ever failed. When someone.
[23:42] Who actually does something. Expecting God. To miraculously do. To carry out his purpose. Believing. That this is what God. Is going to do. And nothing happens.
[23:54] Something's gone wrong. Long. And I believe. The fact that. Elisha. Did not know. He had no knowledge. Of the death of the boy. And.
[24:04] The fact that. When he told his servant. To put the staff. On the boy's head. And nothing happened. That indicates. That perhaps. Elisha.
[24:17] Wasn't. In the place. He should have been. Spiritually. Now some of you. Will disagree with me. On this. Why do you disagree. With me. Because Elisha.
[24:28] Was sinless. Because Elisha. Was beyond. Temptation. Because Elisha. Was some kind of. Human. Superhuman. Being. Elijah. Wasn't. Abraham.
[24:38] Wasn't. Moses. Wasn't. All the great. Saints. Of the old. Testament. Failed at some point. Is it not. Possible. That here. Is an example. Of how Elisha. Perhaps.
[24:49] Became. A little bit. Complacent. All. Ministers. At some point. Let me tell you something. Ministers. Are surrounded. By temptation.
[25:01] We are constantly. Battling with him. I'm not saying you're not. But we are too. And one of the. One of the. The greatest. Places. Of temptation.
[25:12] To any minister. Is a temptation. To be complacent. About his work. And to lose sight. Of the importance. Of keeping a focus. On what God. Has called him.
[25:22] To do. And who knows. But that. This is. Elisha. And it certainly. Would seem. To me. Anyway. That Elisha. Perhaps. Has taken his eyes. Slightly off.
[25:32] The work. That God. Has called him to do. And here. Is not only. This woman's faith. Being tested. But Elisha. Is being tested. As to what he is going to do. And how he is going to. How he is going to react.
[25:43] And respond. To the woman's needs. And he reacted. Almost by instinct. By simply saying. Oh well. Here's my staff. Gehazi. Away you go. And put it on the child's face.
[25:54] And everything is going to be all right. It probably had worked in the past. But it didn't work that time. Because God is speaking to Elisha.
[26:05] And he is saying. That you can't depend. On what's happened in the past. And you can't depend. On your own procedures. And the things that you depend on. You can't depend on things.
[26:16] At all. You have to depend on me. And me alone. And you perhaps. Taking your eyes off that. One central fact. That if you're going to live as my servant.
[26:26] You first and foremost. Have to keep your eyes on me. Because it's out of that relationship. That everything else has to follow. You see it's important.
[26:39] For every one of us. To learn the hard way. Sometimes. If I don't know what it is. To learn the hard way. How can I encourage you. To learn the hard way.
[26:50] If I don't know what it's like to fail. How can I get alongside. My fellow Christians. My brothers and sisters. In the Lord. And know what they're going through. The struggles that they're going through.
[27:00] And their failures. A minister. Or anyone who works for the Lord. Is not above everyone else. It is important for him. It is important for him.
[27:11] To know the weaknesses. That every Christian suffers. And has to struggle with. From day to day. And here is Elisha. And he is struggling. I believe. He's struggling with.
[27:24] Perhaps. Just taking his eyes off. The importance of his work. It's hard to keep your focus all the time. It's hard for anybody to keep their focus all the time.
[27:34] It's hard for those of us who are involved in gospel work. When it's a constant, constant challenge. To keep your eyes. And it's hard. For us all.
[27:46] To keep focused on the gospel. And to keep the importance of the gospel. At the forefront of our minds. And for it to drive us. In everything that we do. And yes. We take our eyes.
[27:57] Just like Peter. Took his eyes off the Lord. When he walked on the water. So poor Elisha. Is a man like ourselves. And he's doing the kind of thing.
[28:10] That we would do. Falling back on what he had depended on. Perhaps in the past. The staff. And God is saying to him. That's not enough. You have to come to me.
[28:22] You have to come personally. To where this child is. And you have to wrestle with me. One more time. Because it's only in doing that. That you're going to see. God's blessing.
[28:34] On the land. Of Israel. So it was a place. Of failure. But lastly. This place was a place. A scene of.
[28:46] What I'm going to call. A foreshadowing. Because. I don't believe. That what we have here. Is a simple miracle. You don't. There's no such thing. As a simple miracle. Every miracle.
[28:57] Is glorious. Every miracle. Is a display. Of the power. Of God. And some. And we're. Far too complacent. When we read our Bibles.
[29:07] And we read about the miracles. In the Bible. And we think. Oh well. We've heard it all before. Oh. If that's the way you read your Bible. Then. Then. I really feel sorry for you. When we read about God.
[29:18] Doing something like this. Here is God intervening. In the affairs. And the norms. Of this world. And he's taking something. That is impossible.
[29:29] And he's reversing it. Death itself. Something that every one of us knows. Is an impossible situation. And God is. Is putting it into reverse. And he's bringing this young boy.
[29:39] Who was. As dead. As anyone else. Who has died. He's bringing this boy. To life again. Only God. Can do that. And the first thing. That God is telling Elisha.
[29:50] Is. That I am still with you. My power is still present. And I still have a purpose. For you. And for this woman. And for the child. But he's also saying. That I still have a purpose.
[30:01] For Israel. My people. Because this. Would be a story. That would get out. As quickly as anything. That would have spread. All over the land. And the people of Israel. Would have taken encouragement.
[30:12] From that. They were still reeling. And suffering. After decades. Of. Of idol worship. And God was. God was. Declaring to his people.
[30:23] Telling them. Time and again. That he was still. Where he had not abandoned his people. You see. He was in covenant relationship. With them. And he was always their God. And still was.
[30:33] Had a purpose. And a plan. For them. But what it shows us. Is this. How God. How. God.
[30:44] Through. His own. Servant. Was going to raise. The dead. By. Touching. Death.
[30:56] Itself. Now. Here's what I'm going to say. And I want you to really pay attention. To this. Because this is the most complicated thing. I'm going to say. About this passage. But I don't believe it's beyond.
[31:06] Anyone's understanding. Elisha is. God's word. That's his. That was his ministry. That was the purpose. For which he was there. To declare God's word.
[31:18] He was the word of God. Not. In other words. It was his. It was his. Work. To listen. To be. With God. And to be in contact. With God. So that he could take his word.
[31:29] To the people. Of Israel. And here is death. And there is nothing. Anyone can do. Not even the staff. Of God. That had been used.
[31:40] As an instrument. To do great things. In the past. Not even that. Was going to be effective. In raising this boy. The only thing. That was effective. Was. Elisha himself. Coming.
[31:52] Into. Direct. Contact. Nose to nose. Eye to eye. Hand to hand. Mouth to mouth. This is not. Resuscitation. By the way. We're far too late.
[32:03] For that. Nose to nose. Face to face. Direct. Contact. Between. The servant. Of God. And death. Itself.
[32:14] And it was through. That direct. Contact. That personal. Interaction. With death. Itself. That the boy. Came to life. Itself.
[32:24] Now is that not. A picture. Of the gospel. Itself. Of how. Jesus Christ. In the fullness. Of time. Came into the world. As the servant.
[32:35] Of God. As the Bible. Calls him. The word. Of God. Made flesh. The word. Became. Flesh. And dwelt. Among us. And we beheld his glory.
[32:45] The glory. As of the only begotten. Of the father. Full of grace. And truth. What did that word do? That word. Came into. Direct. Contact. With death. And in actual fact.
[32:56] Entered. Into death. Elisha. Didn't enter into death. At this time. Elisha. Came into. As close. As it was possible. To get. To the death. Of someone. But Jesus.
[33:07] Went further. Than that. He entered. Into. Our death. And went. Into the grave. And was buried. For three days. In order.
[33:17] For us. To be made. Alive. Again. This. Is an old testament. Picture. Of what God. Was going to do. One day. Through sending. His own son. Nothing else.
[33:28] Would work. Nothing. And it was important. For Elisha. And for us. To know. That nothing else. Is going to work. Nothing can raise the dead.
[33:39] Nothing can. Forgive our sins. Nothing can make us. Into a new creation. Except Jesus. And him. Crucified. And buried. And risen again.
[33:50] On the third day. But what that tells us is. That that Jesus. In his death. And in his resurrection.
[34:02] Is. The promise. And the assurance. That God gives. To every one of us. That we will live. We will first of all.
[34:12] Live. New lives. As soon as we come. Into contact with him. Through faith. As soon as we do. What that woman did. Who had the. The flow of blood. That nothing could. Nothing could.
[34:23] Could stop. That flow of blood. That hemorrhaging. That internal bleeding. That she was suffering from. Twelve years. And she came to Jesus. And she touched him. Through faith. And it was through that touch.
[34:35] That her life was transformed. She came to life. The death inside her. Was resurrected. And she became a new person. And Jesus said. Your faith. Has saved you.
[34:46] You think of all the people. That came into contact. With Jesus. You think of. Of the same thing. That happened. Hundreds of years. Later. When Jesus.
[34:57] He came to. The city of Nain. Nain. And they tell me. That Shunem. The area. Where this took place. Was the same area. As Nain. Where.
[35:09] There was a funeral. Another son. Of another woman. Had died. And his funeral. Was taking place. And Jesus.
[35:20] Came. And stopped. The funeral. Now. Nothing stops. A funeral. You can't. Stop. A funeral. The funeral. Is one thing. That absolutely. Has to come.
[35:30] To a conclusion. Except this one. Where Jesus. Saw them. Taking. Very much. In the same way. I guess. As we take. We do the lift here. And we have a procession.
[35:40] Same thing. That was happening there. And where Jesus. Stood in front of the procession. Imagine somebody doing that. It would be obscene. Wouldn't it? Except that Jesus. Stopped it. And he touched. The coffin.
[35:51] Where the man was. And he told the woman. Not to weep. And he raised. That young lad up. By himself. By his own power.
[36:01] And by his authority. Do you know. Do you know. By what authority. And power. He raised that young man up. Because he himself. Was about to enter. Into death.
[36:12] Itself. In order to raise. The dead. And that was a foreshadow. And a foretaste. Of one day. When the dead. In Christ.
[36:23] Shall rise. And go forever. To be. With the Lord. Just as certainly. As this. Young lad here. That we've been reading about. Was raised. By the contact.
[36:34] Which Elisha. Made with death itself. So. We too. By believing in Jesus. Will be raised. Because of the contact.
[36:46] He made. Because he tasted. Death. For us all. He touched. Death. He died himself. He entered. Experienced death.
[36:57] In all his horror. In order. By his death. And resurrection. For those who believe in him. To rise with him. And to go forever.
[37:09] To be. With the Lord. Is God speaking to you. In this passage. Is he once again. In this perhaps obscure. Little known passage. Of the Old Testament. Is he speaking to you.
[37:20] In his own living. And powerful way. That's what it's there for. In order to point us. To Jesus Christ. The room.
[37:31] Was a place. Of promise. It was a place. Of faith. It was a place. Of failure. But it was a place. Where Jesus.
[37:41] Was foreshadowed. The coming of Jesus. The death of Jesus. As the way. The only way. Of our salvation.
[37:52] Nothing else will work. Only Jesus. And only him. In his power. In his death. And in his resurrection. Let's pray together. Father in heaven.
[38:08] We give thanks. For your word. And once again. We pray. That your word. Will reach. Into our hearts. And will speak to us. Clearly. And draw us. To yourself. And draw us.
[38:19] To know you. To come into a living knowledge. Of the living God. Through Jesus. We thank you. For the reality. Of Jesus. That when we read. About these. Extraordinary. Acts. Of miracle. They.
[38:31] Actually. Did happen. And we. Look forward. To the. The great miracle. That will one day. Take place. When the graves. Will be opened. And when the dead. Will rise again.
[38:43] And those who have loved. Jesus. Will rise. To everlasting life. Yet. Oh Lord. We want to also. Remember. That those. Who have not loved. Jesus. Will also rise.
[38:55] To condemnation. Oh. We pray. Not to be among them. But only to be among those. Who go forever. Forever to be. If with the Lord. In Jesus name. Amen. Amen.
[39:05] Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen.
[39:16] Amen. Amen. Amen.