Latest / Faith Church Podcast / Strike The Ground | Pastor Darren Palmer | Faith Church

Transcript

Strike The Ground | Pastor Darren Palmer | Faith Church · Faith Church Podcast

0:00
Would you turn with me in your scriptures to
0:02
2 Kings chapter 13? 2 Kings chapter 13. I started
0:10
this word last week. God began to drop this in
0:14
my heart. We began a discussion in our seniors
0:17
gathering. Our seniors gather every Wednesday
0:20
at 1 p .m. at Suzanne and at the Kodat's home
0:25
and Suzanne and Mike's home. It's mostly Suzanne,
0:31
so Mike gets to live there. But any of you that
0:40
consider yourself seniors, what age is that?
0:43
I don't know when that begins. I go. But anyway,
0:47
it's a wonderful prayer meeting, and you are
0:50
welcome to come at 1 o 'clock. And so we talked
0:54
about this passage of Scripture. And I felt like
0:59
the Lord wanted me to bring it to the entire
1:01
church. I feel like it's a word for a moment
1:04
in time. I believe that God is going to fan some
1:11
people into flame this morning. I believe that
1:17
God is going to deposit something into you. How
1:22
many of you are ready to receive from the Word
1:24
of God? Let's read it together. 2 Kings chapter
1:28
13 and verse 14. Elisha had become sick with
1:33
the illness of which he would die. That's an
1:38
interesting sentence all on its own. That's not
1:42
my text really. Then Joash the king of Israel
1:47
came down to him and wept over his face. And
1:53
said, oh, my father, my father, the chariots
1:55
of Israel and their horsemen. And Elisha said
2:00
to him, take a bow and some arrows. So he took
2:06
himself a bow and some arrows. And he said to
2:09
the king of Israel, put your hand on the bow.
2:13
So he put his hand on it. And Elisha put his
2:17
hands on the king's hands. And he said, open
2:22
the east window. And he opened it. And Elisha
2:26
said, shoot. And he shot. And Elisha said, the
2:32
arrow of the Lord's deliverance and the arrow
2:34
of deliverance from Syria. For you must strike
2:38
the Syrians at Aphek until you have destroyed
2:42
them. It's a pretty awesome moment so far, isn't
2:47
it? A prophetic moment. This is the kind of moment
2:53
that doesn't happen very often. We'll get to
2:56
the rest of the story in a moment. There have
2:59
been some people in my life that have impacted
3:04
me like this. Now, Joash was a wicked king. He
3:08
did not lead the nation into righteousness, but
3:12
he had a healthy respect for the prophet. And
3:18
when the prophet was nearing the end of his life,
3:20
the king went to see the prophet and wanted the
3:25
blessing of the prophet. The Syrians had come
3:29
against Israel and were defeating them. This
3:33
happened often in Israel's history when Israel
3:35
would stray away from God. God would raise up
3:38
a nation that would come against Israel. This
3:42
was happening right now with Syria. And Joash
3:46
wanted some answers. And he knew the importance
3:50
of not just a prophet, but the prophet. This
3:55
prophet was not just one of the prophets that
3:59
were operating in the land. This was the prophet
4:03
that had the double portion anointing from Elijah.
4:08
This was the prophet that could move the hand
4:10
of God. This was the prophet that could change
4:14
the history of a nation. And he went to see Elisha
4:19
out of respect for Elisha. And out of respect
4:24
for him, he participated in this prophetic act.
4:31
Take your bow and some arrows. And face the east
4:39
window. And can you just imagine the old prophet
4:44
rising up to stand next to the king. And as the
4:50
king draws back, the old prophet placing his
4:54
hand upon the hand of the king. Covering the
4:59
hand of the king. Shoot! And the arrow goes through
5:04
the window. And the prophet says, the arrow of
5:09
the Lord's deliverance. This is an amazing moment.
5:14
This is the kind of prophetic moment that you
5:16
remember the rest of your life. I remember when
5:20
a man of God in our world, his name was Joe.
5:26
And his wife had passed away. He was getting
5:32
ready to move. He ended up passing away about
5:35
five or six months later. But before he moved
5:40
from our city to go and be with his family for
5:43
the last days of his life in Indiana, I made
5:47
sure that I brought my sons to his house. And
5:54
I sat my sons before Joe. And I had Joe lay his
6:00
hands on my sons and pray over them. It was a
6:06
moment that I'll never forget. And this was that
6:09
kind of a moment. This is the kind of moment
6:11
that Joash could potentially tell his family,
6:14
his grandchildren about. I was with the prophet.
6:18
And it was the beginning of the deliverance of
6:22
Israel. But the story goes on. Because there
6:28
are some qualities in Joash's life that God wanted
6:34
to deal with. And so the story didn't stop there.
6:40
And in verse 18 he says, take the arrows. So
6:46
Joash took them and he said to the king of Israel,
6:50
strike the ground. So the king struck. the ground
6:57
three times and stopped. And the man of God was
7:07
angry with Joash and said, you should have struck
7:14
five or six times. Then you would have struck
7:18
Syria till you had destroyed it. But now you
7:22
will strike Syria. Only three times. And then
7:28
Elisha died and they buried him. Father, we thank
7:33
you for your word. And we ask that you would
7:36
open it to our hearts. In Jesus' mighty name.
7:43
Hallelujah. We thank you, Father. Incredible
7:48
moment. Pick up the arrows, Joash. and strike
7:54
the ground. When I first read this, I think,
7:58
Elisha, you have no right to be upset with Joash.
8:02
You told him to strike the ground, and he not
8:04
only struck the ground once, but he struck the
8:07
ground three times. But what Elisha was looking
8:14
for in Joash that made him upset was a quality
8:23
called wholeheartedness. It's something of zeal.
8:32
He was looking for fervency in Joash. And he
8:41
did not find it. He looked at Joash in this moment
8:48
and I don't know if it was his body language.
8:51
I don't know what it was that the prophet saw.
8:56
But he hit the ground three times and the prophet
9:00
was angry. The prophet was angry because he did
9:06
not see zeal in Joash. A while ago, the Lord
9:16
woke me up in the night. With the name on my
9:20
mind. Anybody ever have that happen? Many of
9:24
you have had that happen. A name was on my mind.
9:26
What do you think that God was wanting me to
9:29
do in that moment? He was wanting me to pray.
9:33
And so do you know what I did? I said, Lord,
9:37
I just ask that you would bless that person.
9:40
In my heart, I didn't use my voice, would have
9:43
woken up my wife. I just said it in my heart
9:46
and in my mind, and I turned over and went back
9:50
to sleep. I think in that moment that I did just
9:58
enough to convince myself that I had obeyed God.
10:11
But that is not why God put that name on my heart.
10:21
Strike the ground, Joash. The kind of prayer
10:33
that moves mountains and changes situations is
10:38
found In James chapter 5. And James 5 says. The
10:44
righteous prayer. The fervent prayer. Let me
10:51
just pull it up here. James 5 .16. Confess your
10:55
trespasses to one another. We're going to get
10:57
to that part in a moment. And pray for one another.
11:00
That you might be healed. The effective fervent
11:04
prayer. of a righteous man avails much. Amen?
11:11
Elisha was looking for zeal. He was looking for
11:15
fervency, and he found none. Elisha was fueled
11:22
by zeal. Here he is, the day he's going to die,
11:26
and he's rallied himself up to engage in this
11:30
prophetic moment, and he finds himself upset
11:33
with the king. The last thing he says before
11:37
he dies, Elisha was fueled by zeal. There's another
11:42
prophet that I'm reminded was fueled by zeal.
11:45
And I asked the seniors to pray this verse over
11:48
me in the coming weeks. And it's Jeremiah chapter
11:51
20 and verse 9. And Jeremiah was told by the
11:55
people, be quiet, be quiet, be quiet. They didn't
11:58
like him prophesying. And so in verse 9, he said,
12:01
I will not make mention of God nor speak any
12:05
more in his name. And so for a season, the prophet
12:10
Jeremiah kept silent. But listen to this next
12:13
phrase. But his word was in my heart like a burning
12:19
fire shut up in my bones. I was weary of holding
12:26
it back, and I could not. Do you know what this
12:30
was in the prophet Jeremiah? It was the same
12:34
thing that was in Elisha. It was this thing called
12:37
zeal. Zeal for God's word. God is speaking to
12:42
me and it's burning in my heart. And I can't
12:46
help but preach what he has put in my heart to
12:50
say. This is what happened in the book of Acts
12:54
chapter 4. And Peter and John are standing before
12:57
the Sanhedrin. And the Sanhedrin says, don't
13:01
preach in his name anymore. And what did Peter
13:04
and John say? They said, we cannot help but speak
13:10
the things which we have seen and the things
13:13
which we have heard. Why? Because there was something
13:18
of zeal inside their heart. Something of passion.
13:24
Something of sincerity. Something was in their
13:30
heart that Elisha did not find in Joash. When
13:37
was the last time you were moved? By the spiritual
13:43
condition of our city and our nation. I appreciated
13:49
talking with one of you this week. This past
13:54
Sunday night. And you shared about what was happening
13:59
in the city. What you were witnessing in the
14:03
city. Listen to this in Acts 17. Verse 16. Paul
14:11
waited for them at Athens. His spirit was provoked
14:16
within him when he saw that the city was given
14:20
over to idols. Paul looked at the condition of
14:27
the city of Athens and he was provoked on the
14:32
inside because he saw that they gave themselves
14:36
to idolatry. And many of us watch our city slide
14:43
and slide and slide and feel nothing. But God
14:53
is looking for somebody that will have some zeal
14:59
and some passion. What kind of prayer is effective?
15:08
Fervent prayer. Are we praying just enough to
15:14
make ourselves feel better about the way we're
15:18
living? Strike the ground, Joash. I don't know
15:29
about you, but I want to be an all -in kind of
15:35
believer. Does this mean that I walk in perfection?
15:40
Not at all. But I want to do this thing called
15:46
Christianity with my whole heart, with everything
15:50
that's inside of me. When God speaks to me to
15:54
do something, I want to do it with all that I
15:58
am. Do you know that Jesus was like this? And
16:04
the disciples were shocked by it. Let me just
16:07
read this to you. John chapter 2 verse 13. Now
16:10
this is early in the ministry of Jesus. He did
16:13
it again during the Passion Week. John 2 .13,
16:17
now the Passover of the Jews was at hand and
16:19
Jesus went up to Jerusalem and he found in the
16:23
temple those who sold oxen and sheep and doves
16:25
and the money changers doing business. And when
16:28
he had made a whip of cords, he drove them all
16:31
out of the temple with the sheep and the oxen
16:34
and poured out the money changers and overturned
16:37
the tables. And he said to those who sold doves,
16:41
take these things away. Do not make my father's
16:44
house a house of merchandise. And then his disciples
16:48
remembered that it was written, zeal for your
16:52
house has eaten me up. The disciples were shocked
16:59
at this moment. Fiery. They saw some fiery passion
17:05
in the Lord Jesus. Not just this lovey -dovey
17:10
Savior, but a passionate, fiery Jesus. And I
17:16
think they said that man is worth following.
17:22
They saw him in a brand new light and they remembered
17:25
Psalm 69 verse 9. But his zeal was not only expressed
17:31
in anger in this moment. I believe that zeal
17:34
for the house of God, for the people of God,
17:37
for his prayer life, for the ministry. I believe
17:41
that zeal was an evident character trademark
17:44
of who Jesus was. Can you imagine Jesus bored
17:49
with his life? Can you imagine Jesus bored spending
17:56
time with the Father? Can you imagine him ever
18:01
saying, okay, I suppose I'll heal you. No, Jesus
18:11
was fully engaged. And that's the kind of life
18:16
that I want to live. Strike the ground, Joash.
18:27
I want to read Colossians 3, 22 through 24. I
18:31
want to read this from the message. Transliteration.
18:36
This is Eugene Peterson's version. Servants,
18:42
do what you're told by your earthly masters.
18:47
And don't just do the minimum that will get you
18:50
by. I want to read that again. And don't just
18:57
do the minimum that will get you by. Do your
19:02
best. Work from the heart for your real master,
19:10
for God. Confident that you'll get paid in full
19:16
when you come into your inheritance. Keep in
19:18
mind always that the ultimate master you're serving
19:22
is Christ. The sullen servant who does shoddy
19:29
work will be held responsible. Being a follower
19:35
of Jesus doesn't cover up bad work. Wow. Isn't
19:44
that awesome? We've got to do things with zeal.
19:49
We've got to do them wholeheartedly. Why ought
19:56
we live with zeal? Remember the passage in James
20:00
chapter 5 where it says fervent prayer? Fervent
20:07
prayer. That word fervent is energeo. Well, what
20:13
English word do you think comes from that? Energy.
20:20
Energy. Let me... Let me read to you another
20:26
verse that uses the same word from Ephesians
20:30
chapter 2. You once walked in the course of this
20:34
world. This is verse 2. According to the prince
20:38
of the power of the air, this is the devil, the
20:42
spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience.
20:49
What do you think that word works is? The same
20:55
word. Fervent. Do you know the devil is fervent
21:01
in what he does? Do you know the devil works
21:04
hard to keep people in darkness and blindness
21:06
and keep the church lackadaisical, to keep the
21:09
church from rising up and being the people of
21:12
God that he's called them to be? The enemy works
21:15
overtime to keep you lukewarm as a believer so
21:19
that you'll be ineffective and unproductive.
21:23
The devil works in the sons of disobedience,
21:26
and he's working with passion and fervency. And
21:31
I don't know what that does for you, but that
21:34
kind of riles me up a little bit and says, I
21:37
want to meet the challenge. If you've got one
21:41
army that's fired up and full of zeal, and you've
21:44
got another army that's haphazard, which army
21:47
do you think is going to win? And the enemy is
21:51
fighting for everything to keep people in darkness,
21:55
to drag people to hell, as many as he can. And
21:59
the church is sleeping. But it's time for the
22:02
slumbering church to awaken and to arise up and
22:06
have energy. Praise God. If you come to prayer
22:16
on Wednesday nights, Don't come, don't come with
22:23
a lazy, unbelieving attitude. If you come to
22:30
prayer on Wednesday nights to believe God for
22:32
things like revival, to believe God for things
22:35
like families and restoration and deliverances,
22:39
come believing that when I pray, it's going to
22:45
make a difference. Hallelujah. Come believing
22:48
that when I seek God, it's going to change things
22:53
because it's that kind of faith and it's that
22:55
kind of believing that changes a city and changes
22:59
a region. The devil works with zeal and God's
23:04
church ought to work with zeal also. But the
23:07
greater reason that we ought to work with zeal
23:10
is not because the devil does. The greater reason
23:14
we ought to work with zeal is because our Father
23:17
works with zeal. Let me read to you another verse.
23:23
Ephesians 1 .20. Let me back up. Let me back
23:30
up. Verse 19. What is the exceeding greatness
23:38
of His power toward us who believe? Everybody
23:43
say, toward us who believe. That is us. According
23:50
to the working of his mighty power, which he
23:58
worked in Christ when he raised him from the
24:02
dead and seated him at the right hand of the
24:05
heavenly places. What do you think that word
24:08
worked is? Zeal. Energy. The Father expressed
24:18
zeal in raising the Son from the dead. Hallelujah.
24:25
I don't know about you, but I get excited about
24:28
that. Hallelujah. Galatians chapter 3 verse 5
24:32
says, Therefore he who supplies the Spirit to
24:34
you and works miracles among you, works miracles
24:39
among you. See, you came up. this morning believing
24:43
God for a miracle and you had the elders lay
24:46
hands and pray over you, but what you couldn't
24:49
see behind the scenes is the zeal of the Father
24:52
that was engaging while we were praying and imparting
24:56
miracles into you and answering prayer. Hallelujah!
25:02
When you pray, the Father in heaven doesn't just
25:05
sit up and say, well, I guess they prayed enough
25:08
now, I guess I'll answer. No, he's filled with
25:11
zeal and he's working amongst his people. Hallelujah.
25:15
When a miracle is released, it's a sign of the
25:18
zeal of the Father. When you're healed, it's
25:21
a sign that God is acting towards you with energy
25:25
and giving you his very best. Praise God. God
25:32
is working in your life. I've got two more verses
25:36
here and then I'm going to be done and then we're
25:38
going to pray. Philippians chapter 2 is an interesting
25:42
verse because it not only talks about the zeal
25:45
that God has, but the zeal that we have. For
25:49
it is God who works in you. It is God who works
25:56
in you. That is... In you. So that you can. Will.
26:10
And do. His pleasure. Because what that word
26:15
do is. Energy. So the picture is this. It's God
26:21
that. That. That invests. With zeal into your
26:27
life. So that you. have the power and the zeal
26:33
to do what he's called you to do. There is an
26:37
exchange from God to me. And so guess what? I
26:43
don't have to muster anything up. What I'm not
26:46
talking about this morning is just hyping yourself
26:49
up so that you feel a certain feeling. That's
26:53
not what I'm talking about. I'm talking about
26:55
a life that is invested. in being all in for
26:58
Christ. That doesn't mean you always feel it.
27:01
We don't operate by our feelings. Well, if I
27:04
feel it, then I'll do it. Some of you in this
27:09
area of praise, I loved it when right at the
27:11
beginning, a place flooded with people praising
27:15
the Lord this morning. God inhabits the praises
27:18
of his people. God inhabits the praises of his
27:21
people. That means God's manifest presence comes
27:24
when God's people praise him. But which comes
27:27
first? Which comes first? Does the manifest presence
27:34
of God come first? No. Praise comes first. But
27:42
many of us sit back and say, I'm going to wait
27:45
until I feel it. But that's not the kind of faith
27:52
that God is looking for. Sure. Strike the ground,
27:56
Joash. And so this is true across any, this is
28:01
true in the little things of life. I've been
28:05
starting to run again and I've been doing good
28:07
for about two or three months now. And do you
28:11
know what I'm having, you know what I do every
28:13
time I run? I do it with zeal. I do it with everything
28:15
in me. And it's starting to have effect on my
28:19
life. And I'm thanking God for that. I started
28:23
last year, but then I was sick all winter and
28:25
it dried up. And so Pastor Ben and I went running
28:30
on Saturday together. And it was full -on zeal,
28:37
especially the last hundred yards. On my app,
28:45
it shows blue for slower. And then the faster
28:50
you get, it gets yellow and then it gets red.
28:53
And the last hundred yards were red. We won't
29:02
talk about that. Transfers into every part of
29:08
our lives. Wholeheartedness. And one reason why
29:13
you're bored with life sometimes is because you
29:16
don't engage. The young person that goes to youth
29:20
group because mom and dad forced them can be
29:24
bored with youth group because they're not engaged.
29:27
But the young person that goes and says, I'm
29:30
going all in for God, guess what? Guess what?
29:33
It changes their whole youth group experience.
29:36
The person that comes to church on Sunday, because
29:39
it's the religious thing to do. You might find
29:42
yourself bored and you might find yourself looking
29:45
at your watch and saying, this is the longest
29:47
service in Lincoln. But people packed. They packed.
29:59
The movie, the movie theater Thursday night to
30:07
watch Spider -Man for two plus hours and never
30:14
looked at their watch once. Am I telling you
30:27
the truth? How do I get energy back? Because
30:33
some of you are remembering a time in your life
30:35
when zeal for God was real. You were hungry for
30:42
him. What did Jesus say about lukewarmness in
30:49
Revelation 3? I wish that you were hot or cold,
30:55
Revelation 3, I think verse 10. But because you're
31:00
lukewarm, I will spit you out of my mouth. The
31:07
disciples, but Jesus told all kinds of parables.
31:16
Do you know many of them had to do with wholeheartedness?
31:21
Ten virgins waiting for the bridegroom, five
31:25
wise and five foolish. The five wise ones had
31:29
zeal. among other things. How do I get it back?
31:40
My final verse, 2 Corinthians chapter 7. Paul's
31:46
first letter, 1 Corinthians. He rebuked the Corinthians.
31:52
He tore into them. He tore into them. And it
32:04
made him sorry. And Paul said in verse 9 in the
32:11
second letter, he was responding to that. He
32:16
said, now I rejoice, not that you were made sorry,
32:21
but that your sorrow led to repentance. For you
32:31
were made sorry, in a godly manner, that you
32:36
might suffer loss from us and nothing. For godly
32:41
sorrow produces repentance, leading to salvation,
32:46
not to be regretted. But the sorrow of the world
32:52
produces death. For observe this very thing,
32:56
that you sorrowed in a godly manner. And when
33:00
we have conviction come upon us, and we don't
33:04
just give a token prayer, well, God, forgive
33:07
my sins. But no, we feel it, and we say, God,
33:11
I have moved away from you. I have not served
33:15
you with my whole heart. And we're moved on the
33:18
inside. That is true repentance. Paul goes on
33:25
to say, observe this thing you sorrowed in a
33:28
godly manner and this was the fruit. What diligence
33:33
it produced in you. What clearing of yourselves.
33:39
What indignation. What fear. What vehement desire.
33:51
What zeal. What vindication. In all things, you
34:01
proved yourselves to be clear in this matter.
34:06
Paul had rebuked them for sexual sin. And Paul
34:13
was commending them now for saying you dealt
34:17
with it. You changed. And now look at your life.
34:25
You're filled with zeal and passion. You're doing
34:29
what God called you to do. What caused that?
34:37
Repentance. Pastor, have you always, in your
34:44
40 years of walking with Jesus, have you always
34:49
done it wholeheartedly? I've had seasons too.
34:56
where I've been half -hearted, where I've gone
34:59
through motion. I might not have been openly
35:06
rebellious, but I've also been a little bit lukewarm.
35:13
And I'm asking today for every one of us to examine
35:18
our hearts and to say, God, Restore to me. Restore
35:32
to me that which you are looking for in the life
35:35
of Joash. Strike the ground, Joash. Strike the
35:43
ground. I love the worship time that we had earlier
35:48
because it was all about laying our life down
35:50
before God. Here I am, God, to worship. Jesus
35:58
have it all. Jesus have it all. Jesus have it
36:03
all. I'm going to ask if the worship team would
36:07
come. And I just want to give you opportunity
36:12
to respond. I remember as a 13 -year -old boy
36:18
just saying, Jesus, I want you to have everything.
36:27
You know, one of my favorite scriptures in the
36:29
Bible is Jacob at the end of his life, another
36:36
one of these prophetic moments. Do you know what
36:38
he's doing? He's speaking prophecies over his
36:41
children, over his sons. And the Bible says that
36:45
he leaned on his staff and worshiped. He couldn't
36:52
even stand up. Because of his age, he couldn't
36:55
stand up fully and his balance was gone. But
37:01
he stood up in that moment and he leaned on his
37:05
staff. And he worshipped God, leaning on his
37:09
staff. And even in that moment of his life, Jacob,
37:15
whose name had become Israel, said, God, even
37:20
in this moment, it might be my last day today.
37:24
I'm going to give you everything. I'm not just
37:28
going to remain seated. I'm with everything in
37:33
me. I'm going to stand up and I'm going to worship
37:38
you. Jesus, have it all. Jesus, have it all.
37:48
What I want to know, is there anybody? That would
37:52
take the arrows. The spiritual figurative arrows.
37:58
And when the prophet. Asks you. When the Holy
38:05
Spirit asks you. Strike the ground. Joash. Strike
38:15
the ground. this is what I'm gonna do. I'm gonna
38:32
give you it all. I'm not gonna give you some
38:37
half -hearted response. I'm gonna strike the
38:42
ground again and again and again and again and
38:48
again and again. I'm not gonna grow weary in
38:53
prayer. I'm gonna come to you again and again
38:55
and again and again. going to grow weary in my
39:00
obedience I'm going to say here I am Lord here
39:06
I am here I am I give it all I give it all is
39:17
there somebody in the house that would join me
39:21
God has been speaking this to me long before
39:24
I ever preached it to you. I've been meditating
39:26
in this. I've been saying, God, I repent. God,
39:31
I want my life to be on the altar. I want to
39:39
lay it all down before you. Just lay your life
39:54
on the altar. Would you come and strike the ground?
40:00
Would you come and say, God, here I am. Here
40:05
I am. My life is not my own. I've been bought
40:08
with a price. I've been bought with a price,
40:11
the price Jesus paid for me. I want to surrender
40:16
my life to Christ. I don't want to be half -hearted
40:21
anymore. I want to yield it all.