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2 Kings 2 (Part 1) Bible Study (Elijah Taken to Heaven) | Pastor Daniel Batarseh · Bible Study with Pr. Daniel Batarseh | Verse by Verse Series | Maranatha Bible Church - Chicago

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  Welcome. It's a joy to see you, and it's
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  at this time now I invite you to come with me to 2nd Kings
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  Chapter 2 as we resume the exhilarating study of the Book
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  of Second Kings. And I will let you know in
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  advance that we will not complete this chapter in its
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  entirety tonight. There is way too much to unpack.
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  It would be great injustice to try to cover everything lightly,
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  and so I want you to be reminded that the end of Second Kings
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  Chapter 1 concluded with a note of the tragic death of King
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  Ahaziah, the notorious son of Ahab.
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  Chapter 1 concluded with the tragic death of a wicked king.
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  And as we come now to the opening of Chapter 2, in great
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  contrast, we have the record of the honorable and the miraculous
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  departure of the prophet Elijah. And unlike Ahaziah's briefly
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  documented demise, the Holy Spirit gives us Elijah's
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  transition into the heavenly realm in lavish detail.
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  Rich detail. And evidently there are
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  important truths associated with this man's earthly exit that
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  demands our careful analysis. And that is why we will take up
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  this Bible study to do just that and to focus on the 1st 12
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  verses of chapter 2. And to begin, let us read the
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  first 6 verses. Now when the Lord was about to
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  take Elijah up to heaven by a whirlwind, Elijah and Elijah
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  were on their way from Gilgal. And Elijah said to Elijah,
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  Please stay here, for the Lord has sent me as far as Bethel.
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  But Elijah said, as the Lord lives, and as yourself live, I
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  will not leave you. So they went down to Bethel, and
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  the sons of the prophets who were in Bethel came out to
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  Elijah and said to him, Do you know that today the Lord will
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  take away your master from over you?
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  And he said, yes, I know it, keep quiet.
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  Elijah said to him, Elijah, please stay here, for the Lord
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  has sent me to Jericho. But he said, as the Lord lives
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  and as yourself live, I will not leave you.
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  So they came to Jericho. The sons of the prophets were at
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  Jericho, junior to Elijah, and said to him, Do you know that
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  today the Lord will take away your master from over you?
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  And he answered, Yes, I know it, keep quiet.
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  Then Elijah said to him, Please stay here, for the Lord has sent
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  me to the Jordan. But he said, as the Lord lives,
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  and as you yourself live, I will not leave you.
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  So the two of them went on. Pray with me, Lord, what a great
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  mistake it would be to approach Your word and not seek your
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  help. We pause as disciples, as your
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  students, and we, we petition and we plead that You would be
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  with us as we scale and as we climb this particular mountain
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  of truth. Indeed, it is a mountain.
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  There are so many things to explore and to experience, so
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  many heights to climb and so many sites to see.
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  So we pray that you'd give us the strength and our minds and
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  our hearts to be patient, to be expectant, and to trust that you
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  have something to say to your church.
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  Even with these verses, we believe you wholeheartedly.
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  We know that you've spoken to US time and time again, and we are
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  excited to be able to sit in your presence and to listen to
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  your voice. Speak now, for your servants are
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  indeed listening. In the name of your great Son,
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  the Lord Jesus Christ, we pray. Amen.
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  Amen. Look at verse one with me once
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  more. Now, when the Lord was about to
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  take Elijah up to heaven, it's important to recognize that the
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  Lord not only determines how we get to heaven, namely through
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  his Son the Lord Jesus Christ, but the Lord also designates
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  when we go to heaven, not just how, but when.
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  So the timing of each of our graduations into glory is a
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  prerogative that belongs to God alone.
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  And we see that clearly even with Elijah in his life, when
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  God's sovereignty in this matter was at work, when this prophet,
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  this wonderful prophet was at the lowest point of his life in
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  ministry, requested with desperation that he would meet
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  an early death. Remember that in first Kings 19.
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  And that wish was overruled by God.
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  And there are many reasons for that.
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  And the reason that you and I have seen with our own eyes
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  throughout our study is that God delayed.
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  God silently rejected that request because Elijah still had
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  much to accomplish for the glory of God.
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  And it is a consistent through the truth throughout Scripture
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  that the Lord preserves us. In essence, He makes each of His
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  servants immortal until our witness here on earth is fully
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  completed. And you see evidences of this
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  throughout the Bible, as I mentioned, and one of the
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  clearest. And I remember seeing this for
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  the first time, reading it just as my time of devotion was
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  taking place. And it jumped out of the pages
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  and it clenched itself to me. And I'll never forget how this
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  truth of God bringing us home when we in our testimonies have
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  met. His desire is so evident in
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  Revelation 11. Look at this in verse seven in
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  Revelation 11, when the two witnesses who will be raised up
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  by God to declare and give the people of that generation an
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  opportunity to repent before God's final judgments were to
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  come. Notice what is told to us in
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  Revelation 11, verse 7. And when they have finished
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  their testimony, the beast that rises from the bottomless pit
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  will make war on them and conquer them and kill them.
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  The truth here is so obvious. It's one of the clearest
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  passages. Now here's my question to you.
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  Does anybody know how long these prophetic ministries endured
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  before they were brought into the presence of God?
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  These two prophets, these two witnesses?
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  Any idea how long the duration of their ministries?
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  If you know it, you can actually say it.
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  Three years, very close. Look back at verse 3 and what do
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  we see here? And I will grant authority to my
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  two witnesses, and they will prophecy for 12160 days clothed
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  in sackcloth. So yes, very close to three
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  years, a little bit over. This was how long these two
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  messengers were to serve God in a particular fashion before they
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  were summoned. Now you read that and you might
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  think that's not a very long time.
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  You read that and you might think, I'm sure there was much
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  more that they could do, just like Elijah and the timing of
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  his departure and his ascendancy into heaven.
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  But God's thoughts are not our thoughts, and His ways are not
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  our ways. There are some servants who will
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  serve God throughout decades, and there are some faithful
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  servants who may seem to have left us too soon.
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  God not only sovereignly ascribes listen each of our
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  Christian assignments, he also determines the duration of them.
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  And in God's mind, though apostasy and idolatry was
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  rampant, still rampant in Israel, it was time for Elijah
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  to be promoted, promoted in a way where he would enter into
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  glory and leave this world behind.
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  Now, as we move on from this point, it's helpful to know that
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  Elijah's movements in this chapter, at least in the first
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  part of this chapter, all occurred in one day.
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  You heard me say it. When the sons of the prophets
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  approached Elijah in two specific locations, they said,
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  hey, do you not know that today the Lord will take away your
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  master from you? All of those movements from one
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  city to the next occurred on the same day.
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  And why is that important to confirm?
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  Because you and I are granted the opportunity to behold
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  Elijah's heart posture towards the Lord on his final day on
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  earth. And what do we see from this man
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  of God? In his disposition, in his
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  faith, in his relationship with God, one of submission and
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  joyful obedience. Look back with me here at verse
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  2. And Elijah said to Elijah,
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  please stay here, for the Lord has sent me.
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  For the Lord has sent me as far as Bethel.
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  Look here at verse 4. What does he say?
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  Elijah said to him, Elijah, please stay here, for the Lord
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  has sent me to Jericho. And in verse 6, then Elijah said
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  to him, please stay here, for the Lord has sent me to the
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  Jordan. What do we find here with
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  Elijah? We find a man ready to leave
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  this world, the way he lived in this world, walking in step with
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  the will and the purpose of God, walking near him, walking for
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  him. What a legacy.
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  It's one thing for people to walk with the Lord for a period
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  of time. I've met many of them.
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  But it's a whole different thing for people like Elijah, who,
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  James tells us, may I remind you, had a nature like ours and
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  walked with the Lord until the last day of his life.
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  And if there is anyone who proved that it was possible to
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  imitate this man's faithfulness, it was his successor.
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  The man who accompanied him accompanied him on his final lap
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  and his pilgrimage. Elijah verse one tells us that
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  Elijah and Elijah were walking together.
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  They were on their way from Gilgal.
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  But did you notice that every pit stop at every location that
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  they stopped, Elijah beckoned and told Elijah to stay back.
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  And each time Elijah answers in the same way.
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  He says as the Lord lives and as you yourself live, I will not
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  leave you. So we step back and we ask, is
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  Elijah being stubbornly persistent in disobedience?
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  No, that is not the case because Elijah is not giving him a
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  command from the Lord. So Elijah here is not disobeying
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  anything. So then what's taking place?
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  Why is Elijah instructing Elijah just please stay here as I move
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  on? What's the reason for that?
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  And I believe that there are two verses to consider that will
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  help clarify this interaction and they are found in the book
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  of First Kings. So go with me to 1st Kings 19
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  and look here at verse 16. This is a lot before Elijah even
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  met Elijah. This is when Elijah was
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  instructed by the Lord with his next task after he was rescued
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  from despondency and depression. First Kings 19 verse 16 and Jehu
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  the son of Nimshi, you shall anoint to be king over Israel,
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  and Elijah the son of Shafat of Abel Mihola you shall anoint to
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  be prophet in your place. So from the beginning we
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  understand that both Elijah and Elijah were aware that at some
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  point Elijah was to succeed and replace Elijah in the leading
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  prophetic role in the nation of Israel.
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  That was knowledge, shared knowledge among both of them.
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  So keep that in mind that Elijah understood that he was selected,
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  invited, anointed to one day take Elijah's place as a
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  prophet. Now look at First Kings 1920 and
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  let us consider the last recorded words of Elijah before
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  2nd Kings chapter 2. What was the last thing that we
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  saw Elijah saying in the Bible before his interaction with
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  Elijah in chapter 2? Look at verse 20.
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  And he left the oxen and ran after Elijah and said, let me
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  kiss my father and my mother, and then I will follow you.
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  And he said to him, go back again, for what have I done to
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  you? I will follow you.
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  That was the last promise that Elijah gave to his master
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  Elijah. So we have these things in mind,
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  right? Elijah was anointed to be the
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  man to take Elijah's place. When that invitation was made,
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  Elijah responded receptively and promised Elijah, I will follow
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  you, I will follow you. And now we come and we realize
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  that Elijah is asking Elijah not to follow him.
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  Stay here. No, I'm coming.
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  Stay here. No, I'm coming.
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  In essence, what Elijah is doing is granting Elijah, in a subtle
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  way, the opportunity to turn away the call to be a prophet.
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  He's giving Elijah a chance to decline the invitation of
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  receiving his mantle and taking his role as God's messenger for
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  the nation. And each time Elijah essentially
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  says, I said I would follow you and I will follow you and I will
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  not abandon what the Lord called me to pursue.
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  And significantly, Elijah's response, did you notice, was
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  the same in Gilgal, the same in Bethel, the same in Jericho,
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  Word for word, showing us what? That regardless of the setting,
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  the timing, the persistent pressure, Elijah's devotion to
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  God and God's call was unwavering.
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  It was steadfast. And I hope the same can be said
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  of you. Commitment in our age is
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  becoming more and more of a rarity.
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  Yeah. Dedication to ministries seldom
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  last. Dissolving covenants in marriage
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  is becoming a greater trend. And even many who have once said
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  with great passion and conviction to the Lord, I will
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  follow you. Do so while in Gilgal, maybe up
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  to Bethel, but it doesn't go beyond a certain point.
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  When Elijah said I will follow you, he meant it.
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  Words today don't mean much, but they still mean something to
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  God. A lot to God.
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  So much so that we are warned not to make mindless and
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  careless and spontaneous vows. I will follow you.
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  And it didn't change no matter where he was at.
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  That didn't change. No matter who was around him.
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  That didn't change regardless of the temptation to reconsider.
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  May it be so of us. I pray that your devotion to the
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  Lord Jesus, your devotion to the ministry that He's called you
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  to, would be steadfast until you meet the Savior.
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  This was Elijah, what a man he was.
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  And interestingly, something else persistently takes place in
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  the very same locations where Elijah shined in his commitment
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  to the cause of his God, specifically 2 locations.
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  You heard it when I read it, but let's revisit it.
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  Look here specifically at verse 3.
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  And the sons of the prophets who were in Bethel came out to
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  Elijah and said to him, do you know that today the Lord will
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  take away your master from over you?
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  And the same thing happens in verse 5.
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  It's echoed the sons of the prophets who are at Jericho
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  junior to Elijah and said to him, do you know that today the
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  Lord will take away your master from over you?
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  Let's clarify who the sons of the prophets were because they
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  make a a very dominant presence in Second Kings.
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  It's worth asking and answering this and it's very easy to
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  uncover because essentially the sons of the prophets were a
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  Guild. They were a community of
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  prophets who were trained and taught by leading prophets such
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  as Samuel, Elijah and Elijah. And from time to time we even
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  see these sons of the prophets being used by God to actually
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  herald and declare the word of the Lord.
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  And we recognize that together in US thirty in first Kings
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  chapter 20. Now membership in the school was
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  not dependent upon physical lineage.
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  The term son in no way denotes that there was a requirement for
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  a biological association. It's simply explains that these
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  people were a class of gifted individuals and they came
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  together to learn the Word of God.
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  They came together to be discipled so that they can be
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  who God called them to be, namely messengers of the Word of
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  the Lord. You know what's so interesting
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  about the sons of the prophets? When the prophet Amos speaks
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  about the origination of his prophetic ministry, he clarifies
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  that he didn't go to seminary. He clarifies that he did not get
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  his credentials among the sons of the prophets.
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  He explains that God recruited him, though he did not have
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  formal training. You want the reference to that?
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  I'll give it to you anyway. And Amos 714 Notice what Amos
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  says. Then Amos answered and said to
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  Amaziah, I was no prophet nor a prophet's son, but I was a
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  herdsman and a dresser of Sycamore figs.
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  God doesn't just use people who went to Bible college.
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  Can I remind you of that? Nothing wrong with Bible
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  college. Nothing wrong with getting
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  theological education, But God is not limited to recruiting
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  people who are among the sons of the prophets.
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  Now these sons of the prophets arguably make their first
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  appearance in First Samuel chapter 10, and we see them as a
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  group in verse 5 during Samuel's ministry.
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  But they continue as an Academy throughout the monarchy.
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  And 2nd King suggests that these seminaries had branches in
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  different locations, right? We we saw them there in Bethel.
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  We saw them there in Jericho. And it could be that as Elijah
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  is making his way to his awesome transportation into heaven, he
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  is visiting these students. To what degree did he interact
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  with them? We're not told, but what we know
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  is that these sons of the prophets were made aware of the
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  fact that their master is going to leave.
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  He's going to depart. And for whatever reason, they
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  sought to inform Elijah about it.
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  And every time that they approach Elijah, like his
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  response to Elijah, his response was the same, yes, I know it.
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  And then he tells them to be quiet.
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  Keep quiet. Now you might think that's a
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  little rude. Why would he tell him to keep
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  quiet? Well, it makes you wonder.
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  Was he annoyed? Was he annoyed that these
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  prophets were sharing something as though they alone knew it?
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  There are a lot of people who get excited discovering
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  something and want to herald it and broadcast it.
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  So was he frustrated with them? Or was it because he was not
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  wanting this new news to spread out to the public spear for the
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  sake of protecting his friend and his master, Elijah?
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  I don't think Elijah was frustrated, nor do I believe
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  that he was overprotective. Reread how these sons of the
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  prophets informed Elijah Elijah about Elijah's exit.
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  Do you know that today the Lord will take away your master from
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  over you? So even this band of prophets
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  understood that Elijah and Elijah shared a special
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  relationship. And Elijah having this affection
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  and this relationship with Elijah, I'm sure, was pained in
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  knowing that his tutor and his teacher was now going to leave
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  him. And I think it pained them to
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  the degree that when the sons of the prophets wanted to discuss
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  it, he didn't want to talk about it.
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  Just keep quiet. And if you don't believe that
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  about Elijah and how he felt about Elijah, look at what
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  happens the moment this whirlwind comes with Chariots of
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  fire in Second Kings 212. And Elijah saw it, and he cried,
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  My father, my father, the Chariots of Israel and its
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  horsemen. And he saw him no more than he
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  took hold of his own clothes and tore them into pieces.
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  So Elijah was more than just an assistant to this man.
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  He loved him, he enjoyed him, he delighted in his company, and
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  when he knew that it was the day for him to leave, he didn't even
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  want to talk about it. Keep quiet.
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  Seeing the humanity in some of these mighty servants of God is
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  quite refreshing. It's comforting, isn't it?
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  Because sometimes we dehumanize them in a way we almost make
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  them seem to be like they're a different breed of humans.
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  But pain, heartbreak, sadness are real for them, and they tell
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  us that they're not illegal emotions for us, especially with
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  the thought of no longer enjoying the presence of people
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  that we loved on this side of eternity.
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  Such emotions, sentiments are normal, even for profits.
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  But Elijah's sorrow is also instructive because his distress
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  did not ultimately derail him from him serving the Lord.
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  You know, there's some people who even Christians, precious
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  believers that after a loss are so devastated that it
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  debilitates them. It crushes them to the to the
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  point where they're no longer the same.
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  They can't think the same. They can't socialize the same.
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  They can't serve anymore. They can't worship the way they
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  were able to worship. And Elijah reminds us that that
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  is not how he should be. Because by the end of this
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  chapter, we're going to see a man who is going to continue to
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  walk and serve and honor his God, even though one of the
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  greatest men in his life would be taken from him.
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  And so it's OK to know grief, but for that grief to drown you
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  and to paralyze you is not God's will for you.
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  So Elijah knew very well what it was like to have his heart
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  broken, but he did not allow it to break his walk and his
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  faithfulness to the God who wanted to walk with Elijah.
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  Let's continue to read and Fast forward here.
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  We read the first 6 verses. Let's now come to verse 7. 50
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  men of the sons of the prophets also went and stood at some
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  distance from them, as they both were standing by the Jordan.
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  Then Elijah took his cloak and rolled it up and struck the
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  water, and the water was parted to the one side and to the
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  other, till the two of them could go over on dry ground.
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  Does this miracle mirror anything in the Bible that we've
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  seen before? If you know the answer, you can
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  say it. So some people said Exodus and
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  Moses, yes, with the Red Sea. But there's even something more
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  relatable. The crossing of the same stream
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  through the leadership of who? Joshua.
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  We studied that when we studied the book of Joshua.
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  I don't know when it was a few years back.
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  So interestingly, what you have here is Elijah's supernatural
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  exit from the very same river that knew a supernatural
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  entrance from the people of Israel in the time of Joshua.
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  And we remember how that occurred, do we not?
• 27:06
  That the Ark of the Covenant rested on the shoulder of some
• 27:09
  priest, and the moment that their priestly feet touched the
• 27:13
  brink of that water, it created a dry path for the people to
• 27:18
  cross on. And now you have Elijah who
• 27:23
  would cross that same river and enter into a different promised
• 27:30
  land. Joshua came into the physical
• 27:34
  promised land with that generation of Israelites.
• 27:37
  Now Elijah is crossing that same river to go into a heavenly
• 27:42
  promised land. What's so beautiful about this
• 27:47
  parallel is that we can relate it to ourselves that the power
• 27:51
  of God that served Joshua and his generation to go into the
• 27:55
  promised land many, many years ago, and the power of God that
• 27:59
  was able to remove that barrier so that Elijah can go and be
• 28:04
  taken into a heavenly promised land.
• 28:07
  There is a power that we have inherited in Christ that would
• 28:10
  lead us safely into the same resting place that Elijah would
• 28:13
  go to. And as you and I, whenever our
• 28:17
  time is to stand at that border between this world and the next,
• 28:21
  we are assured that the gospel's power on our behalf will lead us
• 28:27
  through securely, unscathed, unharmed.
• 28:30
  And what a joyful revelation that is.
• 28:38
  On a practical note, when God made that dry ground possible
• 28:44
  for Joshua and Israel, He performed it for a nation,
• 28:49
  millions of people, and now we come to 2nd Kings 2 and he
• 28:54
  performs the same miracle for how many people?
• 28:59
  Not 2,000,002. So let me say this, that the
• 29:05
  fact that God was able and willing to do this for two
• 29:08
  reveals something about His heart for the individual
• 29:11
  believer. It reveals something about His
• 29:14
  love and His care, not just for His church as a bulk, but for
• 29:20
  each of the Saints, each of his children he cares for.
• 29:24
  And so, yes, he moved mightily for a nation and he was willing
• 29:28
  to move mightily for a servant. That's the heart of God, and
• 29:34
  it's the same heart for you and I.
• 29:37
  So, so God doesn't just care about Maranatha Bible Church.
• 29:40
  He cares about every single member, regardless of the role,
• 29:46
  regardless of their gifting, regardless of anything.
• 29:49
  He cares for each of us individually.
• 29:52
  So they cross and there was an audience of 50 that witnessed
• 29:55
  it. Now notice what happens here in
• 29:58
  verse 9. When they had crossed, Elijah
• 30:05
  said to Elijah, ask what I shall do for you before I am taken
• 30:13
  from you. And Elijah said, please let
• 30:17
  there be a double portion of your spirit on me.
• 30:23
  Elijah just keeps on giving and he provides us even more
• 30:28
  wonderful inspiration and example of how a consecrated
• 30:31
  life looks like. There are two things I believe
• 30:36
  at least two things to take from Elijah's question and invitation
• 30:40
  to Elijah. The first one is quite simple.
• 30:44
  We learn here that we are to serve people until we meet the
• 30:48
  Savior. Don't you find this remarkable,
• 30:53
  that up to the very moment that Elijah would be taken, he turns
• 30:57
  to Elijah and he asks what he can do for him.
• 31:05
  Listen, the most rewarding way to depart from this world is to
• 31:07
  bless people who are left in it. That is the best way to live,
• 31:13
  and we should strive to live in that way, and we should strive
• 31:16
  to leave this world that way, to serve people for the glory of
• 31:22
  God. So up to the very last day of
• 31:24
  his life, he turns to Elijah. She says, what can I do for you?
• 31:29
  There's a second truth. The first one is again, we are
• 31:32
  called to serve people until we meet the Savior.
• 31:36
  And the second is this, when it comes time to meet your Savior,
• 31:40
  you can't take anything with you.
• 31:46
  Notice that Elijah didn't inquire of anything.
• 31:51
  Do you know why? Because there's going to be no
• 31:52
  room on that chariot of fire for luggage.
• 31:56
  There's nothing that he can take.
• 31:58
  The only thing that he's able to take is his history with God,
• 32:02
  his walk with God, his service to God, and being conscious of
• 32:07
  that every single day, not just on your final day.
• 32:10
  God help us people thinking that they can just turn on
• 32:15
  consecration the moment they realize that they only have a
• 32:18
  little bit of time left. What a miserable way to live
• 32:20
  your existence, to frame yourself and your thinking in
• 32:25
  this way. That perspective will promise
• 32:28
  you the right priorities and the right affections to be placed
• 32:33
  where they need to be and that you would not waste your life.
• 32:37
  What can I do for you? This is it.
• 32:40
  I'm at the end of the road. There's another thing worth
• 32:45
  highlighting from this verse. Read very carefully again.
• 32:50
  When they had crossed, Elijah said to Elijah, Ask what I shall
• 32:53
  do for you before I am taken from you.
• 32:59
  I'll never forget the time that I had a conversation with an
• 33:02
  individual was my first time meeting him.
• 33:04
  Somebody set up the meeting, and I didn't know where this
• 33:07
  conversation would go, but it very quickly went into a debate
• 33:11
  over dinner. This individual was a very
• 33:15
  devoted Catholic, according to his admission, and we came to
• 33:19
  the conversation of the intercession of the Saints, or
• 33:22
  how it is possible for us to inquire of those who have passed
• 33:27
  on into heaven to intercede on our behalf.
• 33:31
  And as this individual was making his case, a certain
• 33:34
  scripture came to mind, the words of the apostle Paul.
• 33:38
  And once he finished, I read him what Paul said, and I asked him
• 33:42
  something. And I want you to see where I
• 33:45
  went with this man in Philippians 1 chapter 23, as
• 33:51
  Paul was wrestling between departing and being with Christ
• 33:56
  or remaining with the Philippian believers among other believers,
• 34:01
  and he confessed in Philippians 123A staggering thing.
• 34:07
  I am hard pressed between the two, the two desires, wanting to
• 34:12
  be with Christ or remaining on earth, he says.
• 34:16
  I am hard pressed between the two.
• 34:18
  My desire is to depart and be with Christ, for that is far
• 34:21
  better, but to remain in the flesh is more necessary on your
• 34:24
  account. Convinced of this, I know that I
• 34:27
  will remain and continue with you all for your progress and
• 34:31
  joy in the faith. Here's the essence of Paul's
• 34:35
  struggle. Potentially facing death because
• 34:37
  he's writing this from prison. The only thing that's holding
• 34:41
  him back from embracing it is serving the people of God.
• 34:47
  The progress of the joy and the faith of these Philippians was
• 34:50
  the motivating factor for him to stay back.
• 34:55
  And with that in mind, I told this individual, if Paul could
• 34:58
  minister on behalf of the Saints while in heaven, why would he
• 35:04
  write indicating that if he were to depart from this world and be
• 35:08
  with Christ, that that would mean the cessation of his
• 35:11
  service to the people of God? Does that make sense?
• 35:16
  If it's possible for Saints to serve God's people in another
• 35:22
  realm, then why did Paul feel this tension?
• 35:28
  He was quiet, as you can imagine.
• 35:33
  And I bring that up because Elijah is communicating a
• 35:35
  similar point. Look back at verse nine of
• 35:37
  Second Kings chapter 2. When he had they had crossed,
• 35:41
  Elijah said to Elijah, ask what I shall do for you before I am
• 35:49
  taken from you, implying what you can't inquire of me after
• 35:55
  I'm taken from you. This is your chance and Elijah
• 36:03
  being sought after was only possible and beneficial as long
• 36:07
  as he was on earth. I encourage you to use a verse
• 36:11
  like this to help those who believe something that the Bible
• 36:15
  does not teach. So how will Elijah now take
• 36:21
  advantage of this opportunity? Elijah rather look at verse 10
• 36:26
  and he said, you've asked a hard thing because Elijah just asked,
• 36:31
  can you give me a double portion of your spirit?
• 36:33
  And he says you've asked a hard thing.
• 36:35
  Yet if you see me as I'm being taken from you, it shall be so
• 36:39
  for you. But if you do not see me, it
• 36:41
  shall not be so. So what was Elijah's desire?
• 36:46
  It reveals a lot about him. He could have asked for anything
• 36:49
  like Solomon could have asked for anything.
• 36:52
  And what he did ultimately long for something that you and I
• 36:55
  should ultimately long for spiritual blessings.
• 37:00
  And in this particular case, he says, would you grant me a
• 37:02
  double portion of your spirit? Now, many, many, many, many
• 37:09
  people misinterpret, misunderstand Elijah's request
• 37:14
  as though he is asking for a grander, mightier, more renowned
• 37:20
  ministry than Elijah had, as though he's inquiring for a
• 37:26
  double measure of the Holy Spirit.
• 37:29
  And I don't believe that's the case.
• 37:31
  And the reason is because Elijah is framing his request based on
• 37:37
  an Old Testament law and principle.
• 37:40
  And that law and principle is found in Deuteronomy 21, verse
• 37:43
  17. And it is in that verse where we
• 37:46
  understand that the first born of every household was to
• 37:50
  receive what from his father a double portion of his
• 37:55
  inheritance. So if there's a force born among
• 37:59
  other siblings, the first born would receive double after his
• 38:07
  father would pass, he would receive more of his estate and
• 38:11
  his possessions. And we can get into that another
• 38:14
  time. But Elijah, and understanding
• 38:17
  that rule, sees himself as the first born among all the sons of
• 38:23
  the prophets. Remember what he called Elijah
• 38:25
  when he departed from men in verse 12.
• 38:27
  What, what did he say? My, what?
• 38:29
  My father, my father. So Elijah felt as though he was
• 38:34
  the first born among the sons of the prophets, and he realized
• 38:38
  that he was to be the successor of this leading role.
• 38:42
  And so when he asked for this double portion, what he is
• 38:45
  really inquiring of is the appropriate measure and grace to
• 38:51
  be able to serve God in the way that he was called to serve Him.
• 38:57
  Give me what I need to be able to fulfill this role faithfully,
• 39:03
  to be spiritually empowered the way you were spiritually
• 39:06
  empowered so that I can follow in your steps.
• 39:11
  And Elijah's response in verse 10 as I read it to you reminds
• 39:14
  us something very important. Listen, if you were serious
• 39:16
  about serving God in any capacity, realize what he says.
• 39:19
  You have asked the hard thing. Methods, practical wisdom,
• 39:29
  doctrine can be transferred from person to person.
• 39:35
  But what cannot be given from one man to another is power from
• 39:39
  on high that cannot be granted. You can't pay enough tuition to
• 39:44
  get it at any seminary, any place.
• 39:48
  It cannot be permitted by any person.
• 39:54
  And only the Lord has the ability to fill us, endow us,
• 39:58
  and endow us with His Spirit. And the way you posture yourself
• 40:03
  to receive God's hand, God's blessing upon your efforts, is
• 40:07
  modeled by Elijah. One, acknowledge your absolute
• 40:10
  weakness. For him to ask this reveals that
• 40:14
  he knows himself, and he realizes that he is hopeless
• 40:18
  unless God walks with him as he did with Elijah.
• 40:21
  So admit your weakness, and beyond that, ask.
• 40:24
  Ask the one who is gracious and willing to pour out His Spirit
• 40:27
  upon you and to help you. There are many people that are
• 40:33
  content with receiving something from other men and God uses
• 40:37
  other men. I'm not minimizing that.
• 40:39
  But there comes a point and you better learn it from the
• 40:41
  earliest point of your service to the Lord, that God has to put
• 40:46
  His hand on your life and He has to empower you and you must
• 40:50
  continue to seek Him for continuous feelings of the Holy
• 40:53
  Spirit. It makes all the difference, and
• 40:57
  I'm afraid that there is this idea that such a pursuit is
• 41:02
  mystical and shameful. Believe what you want.
• 41:07
  I see something in my Bible that there is a great difference with
• 41:12
  a Holy Spirit empowered ministry and a ministry that relies on
• 41:17
  even good things, but without God's ultimate help.
• 41:24
  Give me a double portion of your Spirit.
• 41:27
  And Elijah said that's a hard thing.
• 41:30
  Yet if you see what's about to take place, know that that is
• 41:34
  the sign that God has accepted your desire.
• 41:40
  What happens verse 11 and as they still went on and talked
• 41:46
  pause. Don't you wish we knew what they
• 41:48
  talked about? And as they still went on and
• 41:55
  talked, behold, Chariots of fire and horses of fire separated the
• 42:01
  two of them. And Elijah went up by a
• 42:05
  whirlwind into heaven. And Elijah saw it, and he cried.
• 42:11
  My father, my father, the Chariots of Israel and its
• 42:16
  horsemen. And he saw him no more than he
• 42:20
  took hold of his own clothes and tore them in two pieces.
• 42:26
  Notice that little phrase in verse 12?
• 42:29
  And Elijah sighed. So God opened his eyes, more
• 42:36
  than just granting him the honor to behold such a majestic,
• 42:39
  miraculous thing, but to indicate to him, I heard you.
• 42:44
  This is fascinating. But you know what's more
• 42:47
  fascinating? Not just the fact that God heard
• 42:49
  his prayer in that moment, but that only Elijah saw it.
• 42:57
  Not even the 50. Remember the 50 that were at the
• 42:59
  border. They weren't invited to come
• 43:01
  across the the Jordan to see it. God ordained that there would be
• 43:06
  an audience of one. And I'm wondering, why not more?
• 43:13
  Why not make this known to the nation?
• 43:15
  Why not show the people how you exalt your servant, and more
• 43:19
  importantly, exalt your own name?
• 43:23
  And what does the Lord do instead?
• 43:25
  He privatizes it. He brings Elijah and Elijah to a
• 43:29
  remote location literally across the border.
• 43:34
  And he only opens the eyes of one soul to behold it.
• 43:40
  You know what I thought when I read this earlier today?
• 43:41
  I thought to myself, God concealing this must, must
• 43:47
  testify to us that there are some things that He's doing,
• 43:50
  miracles and movements of His spirit that we are unaware of.
• 43:54
  There are things that are happening in this world that God
• 43:56
  is doing that the world does not know of, at least the majority
• 43:59
  of the world. And more than that, Is this the
• 44:03
  only time that God translated somebody into heaven?
• 44:07
  Apart from the portal of death? Who's the other individual?
• 44:11
  You remember what we're told there in Genesis chapter 5
• 44:13
  concerning Enoch. It's very simple, it's very
• 44:16
  plain. There's nothing spectacular
• 44:18
  about it. He says in Genesis 524 that
• 44:21
  Enoch walked with God and he was not, for God took him.
• 44:27
  No Chariots of fire, no whirlwind, no gust of this, no
• 44:34
  manifestations. Just one day he's there, and
• 44:36
  this is what I get from him. One day he's there and poop, the
• 44:38
  next day he's not, Next moment he's not, the next blink he's
• 44:41
  not. Why didn't he give Enoch this
• 44:48
  incredible kind of exit? So many questions, and sometimes
• 44:54
  we get answers in the Bible, the answers that God sees fit to
• 44:58
  give us. And often times the best answer
• 45:02
  to things like this is what the psalmist said in Psalm 115,
• 45:05
  verse 3. Our God is in the heavens.
• 45:10
  He does all that He pleases. So why did he conceal this and
• 45:18
  not make it a public spectacle? Why didn't he do it on Mount
• 45:21
  Carmel and invited the whole nation?
• 45:23
  Because He does what He pleases. Why did he do this for Elijah
• 45:27
  and not do it for other great prophets, including Enoch?
• 45:33
  Because He does what He pleases. We have to rest in that and we
• 45:38
  have to rejoice in that. The Lord does what pleases Him
• 45:44
  ultimately, and that is for His glory and that is for our good.
• 45:52
  And we read here at the end of verse 12 and he saw him know
• 45:58
  more. This is really the end of
• 46:03
  Elijah's ministry. Or is it This is why you can't
• 46:12
  skip parts of the Bible. Something strange happens after
• 46:20
  Elijah was taken from this world.
• 46:25
  Can I show you go to Second Chronicles with me as we are
• 46:30
  ready to put this chapter of our study to rest, namely through
• 46:36
  and about Elijah. Second Chronicles 21 This
• 46:48
  chapter deals with Yehoram or Jehoram when he reigned in
• 46:53
  Judah. And something fascinating
• 46:57
  happens in verse 12 of Second Chronicles 21.
• 47:01
  Look at this. And a letter came to him from
• 47:04
  who? Who wrote this letter and sent
• 47:06
  it to? Jeharam, Elijah The.
• 47:09
  Prophet, you know what's interesting?
• 47:10
  About this Jeharam reigned after Elijah was taken.
• 47:16
  Saying thus says the Lord. The God of David your father,
• 47:20
  because you have not walked in the ways of Jehoshaphat your
• 47:23
  father, or in the ways of ASA king of Judah, but have walked
• 47:26
  in the way of the kings of Israel, and have enticed Judah
• 47:28
  and the inhabitants of Jerusalem into whoredom, as the House of
• 47:32
  Ahab LED Israel into whoredom. And also you have killed your
• 47:35
  brothers of your father's house, who are better than you.
• 47:39
  Behold, the Lord will bring a great plague on your people,
• 47:42
  your children, your wives, and all your possessions.
• 47:45
  And you yourself will have a severe sickness with a disease
• 47:48
  of your bowels until your bowels come out because of the disease
• 47:51
  day by day. How did Elijah?
• 47:57
  Send a letter and so. You have people who speculate.
• 48:03
  So you have some people who believe that Elijah was able to
• 48:07
  send a letter from heaven. I highly doubt that.
• 48:12
  You have others who believe. That when Elijah was taken up by
• 48:18
  a whirlwind into heaven, it wasn't into the 3rd heaven
• 48:24
  because that. Word can be used for.
• 48:26
  The three spheres of heaven. There's a first, second, 3rd
• 48:28
  heaven. And so in their minds, for
• 48:31
  Elijah, in order to make sense of this, to be able to write a
• 48:33
  letter, he was taken up into the heavenlies, into the sky, but he
• 48:42
  was teleported somewhere else on the earth, and they justified
• 48:46
  this. By saying that.
• 48:47
  Elijah had a tendency of appearing and disappearing,
• 48:50
  right? And so this is.
• 48:52
  Really, Elijah's? Retirement more than anything
• 48:55
  else. And so he was positioned in some
• 48:59
  secret location. And to add to this argument,
• 49:02
  when you read later on in Second Kings chapter 2, when Elijah
• 49:05
  returns and crosses the Jordan, the 50 band of men who were
• 49:10
  there inquired and asked Elijah to do what?
• 49:13
  Can we go find Elijah? Do you remember that?
• 49:15
  If you don't, you have to come in a couple weeks to read it
• 49:18
  with me. They ask her, he must be
• 49:21
  somewhere, Let's go find him. And Elijah was like, you're
• 49:23
  going to waste your time. And they said, no, no, no,
• 49:25
  please. And so he's like, all right,
• 49:26
  fine, go. And they go, and they travel for
• 49:28
  a few days. And they didn't end up finding
• 49:29
  him. And so the argument goes, well,
• 49:32
  even these prophets understood that Elijah was not to be taken
• 49:36
  into heaven, heaven, but some other place.
• 49:40
  Or else why else would they ask? That's as persuasive that
• 49:44
  sounds. That doesn't seem to fit the
• 49:46
  context at all. The best explanation for how
• 49:51
  Elijah was able to write this letter to Jeharam is that he did
• 49:55
  so beforehand. Jeharam didn't reign too long.
• 49:59
  After Elijah was removed from this world, and it's not.
• 50:03
  Uncommon for. Prophets to predict and foretell
• 50:08
  of things far beyond their lifetime, is it No.
• 50:12
  So Elijah simply had this. Prepared and at the right time,
• 50:16
  it was granted to Jeharam as a warning.
• 50:21
  Now with that being said. In terms of principle, it
• 50:24
  provides us wonderful truth that Elijah's ministry in some way
• 50:28
  continued even after his departure and reminds.
• 50:32
  Us of what Hebrews tells. Us about Abel that though he
• 50:35
  died, he what he speaks. And there are ministries today.
• 50:42
  That you and I are benefiting from.
• 50:44
  But the very ministers are not alive today, are they?
• 50:47
  But the preservation of their sermons and their writings are
• 50:50
  still touching millions of people, thousands of people,
• 50:52
  ministers who are serving God today.
• 50:55
  But how that relates? To you and I.
• 50:56
  Is that it is, I believe, possible to live in such a way
• 51:01
  that even after we leave this world, we can still, with the
• 51:05
  memory of our life, bless others?
• 51:08
  With your legacy, touch your. Children and your grandchildren
• 51:13
  with Elijah. 'S in the.
• 51:14
  Church who are advanced in years and advanced in their experience
• 51:18
  of God's faithfulness, blessing Elijah's who are up and coming
• 51:24
  and so as we. Close this chapter of Elijah.
• 51:26
  'S life let us let us reflect on.
• 51:29
  His faithfulness. Elijah's faithfulness and now
• 51:31
  turn to the same God of Elijah and Elijah and ask for his help
• 51:36
  to serve God until our last day. Let's pray and seek him
• 51:40
  together. I just want to give you the time
• 52:04
  to. Reflect.
• 52:41
  Lord. Your word is amazing.
• 52:49
  We're. Moved by your truth, and we give
• 52:54
  you glory for it. Your word says that all
• 53:01
  Scripture has. Been breathed out by God so that
• 53:05
  the. Man of God may be.
• 53:06
  Complete, ready for every good work.
• 53:11
  That is no less true with the story.
• 53:13
  Of Elijah and Elijah. Help us be faithful to.
• 53:18
  You help us keep our word. Help us.
• 53:28
  Serve people until we. Meet you help us remember that
• 53:33
  we're. Not taking anything.
• 53:34
  From this life with us. Except that which is sowed into
• 53:40
  the things of the Kingdom. Lord, if anybody is suffering.
• 53:50
  Pain after loss any kind of loss may you by your.
• 53:57
  Grace energize us to. Serve you.
• 53:59
  Worship you honor. You with our lives, we thank you
• 54:11
  Lord, that the same God. Who worked on behalf of the
• 54:14
  nation of Israel when they went into the Promised Land.
• 54:18
  The same God who is willing to help.
• 54:20
  And assist and bring 2 servants safely through the Jordan.
• 54:24
  Lord, you are the same God, walking with us, guiding us,
• 54:29
  protecting us. So, Lord, at this time.
• 54:35
  We worship you from our hearts. We love you and we adore you.
• 54:39
  We crown you with our praises. Help us know you more.
• 54:44
  We we, like Elijah, want the things of the Spirit more than
• 54:49
  anything else. Your presence, your power, the
• 54:52
  opportunities to reveal your glory.
• 54:57
  So even now, tonight we. Sincerely ask.
• 55:00
  Clothe us with your power. Fill us with your spirit.
• 55:05
  Use us in a way where people, when they hear us, when they see
• 55:09
  us, when they interact with us, would not be able to shake off
• 55:12
  that there's something different because it's you working through
• 55:15
  us. We don't want anyone to see us,
• 55:18
  Lord. We want them to see you through
• 55:20
  us. This is our desperate plea and
• 55:22
  we believe you're going to answer it as we seek you for it.
• 55:26
  So we say thank you tonight, in Jesus name we pray, Amen and
• 55:31
  Amen, Amen. This is kind of like a school
• 55:36
  is. It not I would think so, but
• 55:40
  once when we stand. And worship the.
• 55:41
  Living God, who is the head of this church and the church at
• 55:44
  large.