January 28, 2024 - The Unchanging God
Notes
Transcript
Who remembers going on a long trip back in the day - and needing to pull out a - MAP - to get where you were going?
Who remembers answering a phone that hung on the wall?
Or picking up a phone and hitting ‘0’ for the operator - and getting a real person?
Who remembers payphones?
Who remembers video games with graphics consisting of 12 pixels - and 1 sound?
Who remembers watching the news - and getting - unbiased information?
Who remembers Chi-Chi’s?
What do we know - based on all of these questions?
We know that things - CHANGE!
ALL the time!
Get the newest iPhone today - and it will be OUT-OF-DATE - tomorrow.
Things change - in a world of - CHANGE.
And yet - if we have surrendered our lives to King Jesus - we serve a God who is - Unchanging!
Let’s get to our text today (Chapter 2 of 2 Kings) - and see what we see.
We’ll start by going thru enough of the text to understand what’s going on - and then we’ll circle back.
1 Now when the Lord was about to take Elijah up to heaven by a whirlwind, Elijah and Elisha were on their way from Gilgal.
2 And Elijah said to Elisha, “Please stay here, for the Lord has sent me as far as Bethel.” But Elisha said, “As the Lord lives, and as you yourself live, I will not leave you.” So they went down to Bethel.
3 And the sons of the prophets who were in Bethel came out to Elisha and said to him, “Do you know that today the Lord will take away your master from over you?” And he said, “Yes, I know it; keep quiet.”
Ok, so Elijah is about to be taken up into heaven...
And Elisha - his attendant - is with him.
Elijah wants Elisha to stay in Gilgal - because he’s making his way now to Bethel...
But Elisha isn’t having it...
He says - NO WAY - I’m staying with you.
So they both go to Bethel.
We know from the text - that Elisha is aware that Elijah is about to depart.
4 Elijah said to him, “Elisha, please stay here, for the Lord has sent me to Jericho.” But he said, “As the Lord lives, and as you yourself live, I will not leave you.” So they came to Jericho.
5 The sons of the prophets who were at Jericho drew near to Elisha and said to him, “Do you know that today the Lord will take away your master from over you?” And he answered, “Yes, I know it; keep quiet.”
So now Elijah says the Lord wants him in Jericho...
And so he asks Elisha to stay in Bethel.
AGAIN - Elisha says - No way…I’m staying with you.
6 Then Elijah said to him, “Please stay here, for the Lord has sent me to the Jordan.” But he said, “As the Lord lives, and as you yourself live, I will not leave you.” So the two of them went on.
7 Fifty men of the sons of the prophets also went and stood at some distance from them, as they both were standing by the Jordan.
8 Then Elijah took his cloak and rolled it up and struck the water, and the water was parted to the one side and to the other, till the two of them could go over on dry ground.
So Elijah and Elisha cross over the Jordan - and it’s at this point that Elijah knows his time is near...
9 When they had crossed, Elijah said to Elisha, “Ask what I shall do for you, before I am taken from you.” And Elisha said, “Please let there be a double portion of your spirit on me.”
10 And he said, “You have asked a hard thing; yet, if you see me as I am being taken from you, it shall be so for you, but if you do not see me, it shall not be so.”
11 And as they still went on and talked, behold, chariots of fire and horses of fire separated the two of them. And Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven.
12 And Elisha saw it and he cried, “My father, my father! The chariots of Israel and its horsemen!” And he saw him no more. Then he took hold of his own clothes and tore them in two pieces.
So Elisha asks for a double portion of Elijah’s spirit...
And then Elijah is taken into heaven...
Let’s stop here for now - and see what we see...
SLIDE: The Unchanging God: And His Unchanging Commitment to Our Good
The Unchanging God
The Unchanging God
It’s obvious in the text - that Elisha was NOT going to leave Elijah...
That Elisha was going to get every last OUNCE of time he could - out of Elijah.
Why?
Because GOD - in His providence - has set all of this up so that our - Faith & Works - builds up OTHER’s - Faith & Works
And the result is - OUR GOOD!
We NEED each other!
Elisha NEEDED Elijah!
How so?
Elisha’s FAITH - needed to see Elijah’s FAITH & WORKS.
Elisha’s FAITH - was EMBOLDENED by Elijah!
When they crossed the Jordan - and Elijah knew his time was near…what did he say to Elisha?
9 When they had crossed, Elijah said to Elisha, “Ask what I shall do for you, before I am taken from you.” And Elisha said, “Please let there be a double portion of your spirit on me.”
He says - YOUR SPIRIT (lowercase S)
He was saying - I want to SHARE in the STRENGTH that YOU HAVE...
YOUR SPIRIT
And that’s how God has set this up!
I ASSUME we ALL can think of people who have come along on our WALKS of FAITH - and...
It was something we needed!
THAT person HAD what we needed!
And they gave us - HOPE - Encouragement - Faith
They gave us wings to fly again
- They SHARED what they had - with us.
They shared with us - God’s GRACE (His undeserved favor)
And what does that entail?...
We share in a Common Blessing!
4 Remember me, O Lord, when you show favor to your people; help me when you save them,
5 that I may look upon the prosperity of your chosen ones, that I may rejoice in the gladness of your nation, that I may glory with your inheritance.
We share in a Common Salvation!
3 Beloved, although I was very eager to write to you about our common salvation, I found it necessary to write appealing to you to contend for the faith that was once for all delivered to the saints.
23 I do it all for the sake of the gospel, that I may share with them in its blessings.
We share in a Common Inheritance!
12 giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in light.
We share in a Common Truth
15 So then, brothers, stand firm and hold to the traditions that you were taught by us, either by our spoken word or by our letter.
AND - we share in a common Mission!
18 All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation;
19 that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation.
Elisha was to CARRY ON - with Elijah’s work.
And IN ALL OF THAT - we know that this is GOD’s PLAN...
The Ministry of Reconciliation - is GOD’s MINISTRY!
He OWNS IT!
He STARTED it!
And so THE MISSION of ELIJAH - became the MISSION of Elisha!
No different!
And it’s for OUR GOOD - that God WRAPS ALL OF HIS CHILDREN into this ministry...
to WORK together
to STRIVE together
to encourage one another
It was for Elisha’s GOOD - that Elijah mentored him...
And it was for Elijah’s GOOD - that he mentored Elisha!
And GOD - is and always HAS BEEN - commited to that Good. OUR GOOD!
But we also see something else in the text today...
SLIDE: The Unchanging God: And His Unchanging Commitment to His Glory
the Unchanging God
the Unchanging God
We left off in our text today - with Elijah being taken up to heaven...
But look at what happens next...
11 And as they still went on and talked, behold, chariots of fire and horses of fire separated the two of them. And Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven.
12 And Elisha saw it and he cried, “My father, my father! The chariots of Israel and its horsemen!” And he saw him no more. Then he took hold of his own clothes and tore them in two pieces.
13 And he took up the cloak of Elijah that had fallen from him and went back and stood on the bank of the Jordan.
14 Then he took the cloak of Elijah that had fallen from him and struck the water, saying, “Where is the Lord, the God of Elijah?” And when he had struck the water, the water was parted to the one side and to the other, and Elisha went over.
As we know - ELISHA - was ALL ABOUT - ELIJAH
he didn’t want to leave him
he wanted to soak up all the wisdom he could while there was time...
AND YET - once Elijah went away...
We’re REMINDED - WHO ALL OF THIS is really about.
Is it about Elijah??
Read v14
This IS - and ALWAYS WAS - about - GOD - the LORD!
And God SHOWS UP… saying - YES - I’m STILL HERE…!
My PRESENCE is STILL here!!
Because this is ABOUT ME… not Elijah!
MY PLAN is still in motion.
And look what comes next in the text!
15 Now when the sons of the prophets who were at Jericho saw him opposite them, they said, “The spirit of Elijah rests on Elisha.” And they came to meet him and bowed to the ground before him.
16 And they said to him, “Behold now, there are with your servants fifty strong men. Please let them go and seek your master. It may be that the Spirit of the Lord has caught him up and cast him upon some mountain or into some valley.” And he said, “You shall not send.”
It’s CLEAR here - that the focus of these men - was NOT THAT this MIRACLE of GOD just took place...
They’re SOO focused on - ELIJAH!
Well maybe he’s OVER ON THAT MOUNTAIN....
Or In that VALLEY!
They were so focused on ELIJAH...
EVEN after they see him taken up - in this miraculous event...
FOR THEM - it’s all about ELIJAH!
AND God steps in - and shows that - NO - this is about HIM!
Elisha had wanted a DOUBLE portion of Elijah’s spirit - He grabs Elijah’s cloak off the ground...
STRIKES the Jordan - and the waters part.
It was God showing Elisha that HE was still there - NOW WITH HIM...
AND it was Him redirecting the FOCUS of these men - BACK to Him!
What did v15 say?
15 Now when the sons of the prophets who were at Jericho saw him opposite them, they said, “The spirit of Elijah rests on Elisha.” And they came to meet him and bowed to the ground before him.
And of course - we ALL know - that WE DO THIS TOO!
WE - in MOMENTS - forget.about.God.
WE - beat cancer - - uhh no WE don’t
WE - won the game - uhh no WE didn’t
WE - accomplished the feat - uhh no WE didn’t
And when we DO that… we’re actually robbing God the glory due Him!
You remember what Nebuchadnezzar said - looking out over Babylon
28 All this came upon King Nebuchadnezzar.
29 At the end of twelve months he was walking on the roof of the royal palace of Babylon,
30 and the king answered and said, “Is not this great Babylon, which I have built by my mighty power as a royal residence and for the glory of my majesty?”
Nebuchadnezzar was saying - THIS is about ME
God responds...
31 While the words were still in the king’s mouth, there fell a voice from heaven, “O King Nebuchadnezzar, to you it is spoken: The kingdom has departed from you,
32 and you shall be driven from among men, and your dwelling shall be with the beasts of the field. And you shall be made to eat grass like an ox, and seven periods of time shall pass over you, until you know that the Most High rules the kingdom of men and gives it to whom he will.”
EVERYTHING - is FROM God and FOR God...
For HIS glory!!
And NO ONE is more commited to God’s glory - than GOD Himself!
And the last point we see in our text today is this...
SLIDE: The Unchanging God: And His Unchanging Commitment to His Plan
The Unchanging God
The Unchanging God
If we focus in on the PLACES that Elijah is called to - in this passage...
And we trace his steps...
He ends up going from...
Gilgal...
Bethel...
Jericho...
to the Jordan...
And this ROUTE - is actually a RETRACING of the route that Israel took once they entered the Promise Land...
Back then - with Joshua - they had -
Crossed the Jordan
Went to Gilgal
Made their way to Jericho
…and to Bethel
So what is God doing here? - - With Elijah and Elisha…?
These cities (locations) have great significance to the people of Israel… God’s people.
God - is PERFECTLY committed - to His plan.
I’d like to close today by seeing this truth.
When I was looking at this account - it seemed to me that there HAD to be some sort of significance with God telling Elijah to visit these locations...
Not ONLY is this a retracing of Israel’s steps from when they entered the Promised Land...
BUT - - It also seems to be a SHADOW - of the Spiritual Reality of God’s PLAN of redemption.
In my studying for this, I came across some connections that I think are worth sharing.
I can’t take credit for them - but they’re worth sharing.
If we go city by city - we start with Gilgal.
1 Now when the Lord was about to take Elijah up to heaven by a whirlwind, Elijah and Elisha were on their way from Gilgal.
So what is significant about Gilgal?
When the Israelites first crossed the Jordan - they set up a memorial - of the miracle of the crossing
19 The people came up out of the Jordan on the tenth day of the first month, and they encamped at Gilgal on the east border of Jericho.
20 And those twelve stones, which they took out of the Jordan, Joshua set up at Gilgal.
21 And he said to the people of Israel, “When your children ask their fathers in times to come, ‘What do these stones mean?’
22 then you shall let your children know, ‘Israel passed over this Jordan on dry ground.’
23 For the Lord your God dried up the waters of the Jordan for you until you passed over, as the Lord your God did to the Red Sea, which he dried up for us until we passed over,
24 so that all the peoples of the earth may know that the hand of the Lord is mighty, that you may fear the Lord your God forever.”
FROM ARTHUR TO RANDY
So God - in wanting this memorial set up - Wanted all the people of the earth to KNOW HIS MIGHTY HAND and to FEAR Him!
But He ALSO wanted the people to KNOW something else...
And it was about circumcision.
2 At that time the Lord said to Joshua, “Make flint knives and circumcise the sons of Israel a second time.”
6 For the people of Israel walked forty years in the wilderness, until all the nation, the men of war who came out of Egypt, perished, because they did not obey the voice of the Lord; the Lord swore to them that he would not let them see the land that the Lord had sworn to their fathers to give to us, a land flowing with milk and honey.
7 So it was their children, whom he raised up in their place, that Joshua circumcised. For they were uncircumcised, because they had not been circumcised on the way.
8 When the circumcising of the whole nation was finished, they remained in their places in the camp until they were healed.
9 And the Lord said to Joshua, “Today I have rolled away the reproach of Egypt from you.” And so the name of that place is called Gilgal to this day.
It’s v9 here - that we see the SIGNIFICANCE of Gilgal for Israel.
GILGAL - means - rolling - to roll away
And so when - after the men of Israel - are CIRCUMCISED - and God says - TODAY I have rolled away the reproach of Egypt from you”...
He’s saying - I have ROLLED away the past...
I have SEPARATED you from the past...
SEPARATED you out - for ME...
And Gilgal was a BASE - for Israel. It was where they would start from!
It’s where ELISHA started from.
He - like Elijah - was SEPARATED unto God.
…for HIS work!
That’s GILGAL!
Next Up - Bethel!
2 And Elijah said to Elisha, “Please stay here, for the Lord has sent me as far as Bethel.” But Elisha said, “As the Lord lives, and as you yourself live, I will not leave you.” So they went down to Bethel.
What’s so SIGNIFICANT about Bethel??
10 Jacob left Beersheba and went toward Haran.
11 And he came to a certain place and stayed there that night, because the sun had set. Taking one of the stones of the place, he put it under his head and lay down in that place to sleep.
12 And he dreamed, and behold, there was a ladder set up on the earth, and the top of it reached to heaven. And behold, the angels of God were ascending and descending on it!
13 And behold, the Lord stood above it and said, “I am the Lord, the God of Abraham your father and the God of Isaac. The land on which you lie I will give to you and to your offspring.
14 Your offspring shall be like the dust of the earth, and you shall spread abroad to the west and to the east and to the north and to the south, and in you and your offspring shall all the families of the earth be blessed.
15 Behold, I am with you and will keep you wherever you go, and will bring you back to this land. For I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you.”
16 Then Jacob awoke from his sleep and said, “Surely the Lord is in this place, and I did not know it.”
17 And he was afraid and said, “How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven.”
18 So early in the morning Jacob took the stone that he had put under his head and set it up for a pillar and poured oil on the top of it.
19 He called the name of that place Bethel, but the name of the city was Luz at the first.
So Jacob had this amazing experience with God and His presence...
And he ends up naming the place - BETHEL - which means - House of God.
And so Bethel became significant because it was about God’s PRESENCE…for His people!
It was about - KNOWING God
That’s Bethel!
Next up= Jericho
What’s the significance of Jericho?
I think many of us probably remember the story of Jericho.
4 Elijah said to him, “Elisha, please stay here, for the Lord has sent me to Jericho.” But he said, “As the Lord lives, and as you yourself live, I will not leave you.” So they came to Jericho.
So when it comes to Jericho - we all probably remember the WALLS come crashing down.
Gilgal was the first place Israel came to when entering the Promised Land - and JERICHO was the first BATTLE for Israel in the promised land.
But it was no ORDINARY battle.
13 When Joshua was by Jericho, he lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold, a man was standing before him with his drawn sword in his hand. And Joshua went to him and said to him, “Are you for us, or for our adversaries?”
14 And he said, “No; but I am the commander of the army of the Lord. Now I have come.” And Joshua fell on his face to the earth and worshiped and said to him, “What does my lord say to his servant?”
Think thru this answer - Joshua asks - ARE YOU FOR US - or FOR OUR ENEMY?
Answer? No - I’m HERE!
He was saying -
“I’m not here to TAKE SIDES.... I’m here to TAKE OVER!”
Was Israel gonna win this battle?
NO - The LORD WAS!
He was going to WIN the battle...
BUT Israel needed to do something? What?
1 Now Jericho was shut up inside and outside because of the people of Israel. None went out, and none came in.
2 And the Lord said to Joshua, “See, I have given Jericho into your hand, with its king and mighty men of valor.
3 You shall march around the city, all the men of war going around the city once. Thus shall you do for six days.
4 Seven priests shall bear seven trumpets of rams’ horns before the ark. On the seventh day you shall march around the city seven times, and the priests shall blow the trumpets.
5 And when they make a long blast with the ram’s horn, when you hear the sound of the trumpet, then all the people shall shout with a great shout, and the wall of the city will fall down flat, and the people shall go up, everyone straight before him.”
The Lord was going to WIN this battle - BUT...
Israel needed to - WALK - literally...
but - walk by faith
JERICHO - pointed to “walking by faith”
And it was a place that Elijah and ELISHA visited just prior to the passing of the baton.
THAT’S Jericho…!
What’s next?
6 Then Elijah said to him, “Please stay here, for the Lord has sent me to the Jordan.” But he said, “As the Lord lives, and as you yourself live, I will not leave you.” So the two of them went on.
Now - we know the Jordan was crossed by the Israelites...
It separated The Promised Land from the WANDERINGS of the Israelites.
And it reminds us - JUST LIKE the Red Sea crossing of Moses - of baptism.
1 For I do not want you to be unaware, brothers, that our fathers were all under the cloud, and all passed through the sea,
2 and all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea,
3 and all ate the same spiritual food,
4 and all drank the same spiritual drink. For they drank from the spiritual Rock that followed them, and the Rock was Christ.
We hear Paul describe the Red Sea crossing as a Spiritual TYPE of baptism… Spiritual food and Spiritual drink...
founded on Christ!
And so the JORDAN crossing is similar...
It’s ALSO where John the Baptist came to baptize...
AND where Jesus Himself - was baptized!
And WATER BAPTISM - is a shadow of the SUBSTANCE of Spiritual Baptism - the baptism that saves!!
13 For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—Jews or Greeks, slaves or free—and all were made to drink of one Spirit.
And so - water baptism - puts on display the DEATH and RESURRECTION of Jesus.
And the JORDAN would remind us of this.
NOW - remember the point we’re looking at....
We’re looking at the Commitment of God to His Plan!
If we look at these different locations/cities that Elijah and Elisha visited… we see this...
SLIDE:
Gilgal: Separated
Bethel: The Presence of God / Knowing God
Jericho: Walk of Faith
Jordan: Death / Resurrection
These are the locations - and the corresponding spiritual significance
Let’s JUMP now to the New Testament - to look at a passage that actually speaks to EACH of these spiritual realities...
And hopefully it helps us see EVEN MORE _ the COMMITMENT of God to His ETERNAL PLAN and His message!!
4 though I myself have reason for confidence in the flesh also. If anyone else thinks he has reason for confidence in the flesh, I have more:
8 Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ
9 and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith—
10 that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death,
Pretty amazing to see this CONSISTENT message - from God...
And we SEE this message play out
in the lives of people...
AND - in the words of men!
And so - the MESSAGE is the SAME as it’s ALWAYS been!
If you know the message of THIS BOOK...
YOU KNOW the message of God! to the world!
We’ve seen today that we serve an UNCHANGING God!
The Unchanging God:
And His Unchanging Commitment to Our Good
And His Unchanging Commitment to His Glory
And His Unchanging Commitment to His Plan
Let’s Pray...