Trials 2 Kings 4:17-37

Sermon Nuggets Mon May 3

Theme – Trials

Verses 2 Kings 4:18-37

Trials

I share a devotional by Ruth Graham as an introduction.

“I was swimming in the choppy Mediterranean Sea when suddenly my arm felt as if it had touched a high-voltage wire. Spinning around, I saw a tiny blue jellyfish swimming away. It seemed an eternity before I was able to make it the short distance back to the beach, petrified that I might be stung again. Before long, ugly welts rose on my forearm and back.

Later, as I compared notes with a friend who had suffered the same fate, he said to me, "I hope you won't let this keep you from going into the water."

I hadn't the heart to tell him I'd lost all taste for the sea.

But two painful days later, assured by other beach-bathers that the water was clear, I ventured another swim. My friend's familiar voice boomed, "Good for you! Keep it up!"

Long after the jellyfish attack, I remembered those words.

Life is a lot like the sea: full of venomous creatures that attack without warning. I think of baby Christians who, after their first painful encounter, call it quits unless a stronger Christian offers a word of advice, a shout of encouragement.

Has anyone around you been stung lately?”

There are times in our life when we will get stung. Maybe that sting will come from people with whom we have made close friendships and that relationship will all of the sudden seem to turn on you. Maybe that sting will come with a job or ministry, when you have done your best and something surprisingly unfortunate occurs. Maybe there is an act of kindness that you intended that was misunderstood. Maybe there is a new relationship with Jesus and something happens to cause you to wonder if indeed God can be trusted and is listening to your prayers.

In our joys and sorrows the power of God is at work. Our faith grows as we see Him at work.

James 1:2-4 Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.”

This week we will see the continuation of the story of the Shumenite woman and her husband who befriended Elisha and showed him great hospitality. In answer to the prayers of her heart God arranged the miracle of birth. But her faith is put to the test through an unexpected trial.

Trials will come. May they be learning experiences to mature your faith.

Pastor Dale.

Sermon Nuggets Tues May 4 –

Verse 2 Kings 4:17-24 But the woman became pregnant, and the next year about that same time she gave birth to a son, just as Elisha had told her.

The child grew, and one day he went out to his father, who was with the reapers. 19 "My head! My head!" he said to his father.
His father told a servant, "Carry him to his mother." 20 After the servant had lifted him up and carried him to his mother, the boy sat on her lap until noon, and then he died. 21 She went up and laid him on the bed of the man of God, then shut the door and went out.

22 She called her husband and said, "Please send me one of the servants and a donkey so I can go to the man of God quickly and return."

23 "Why go to him today?" he asked. "It's not the New Moon or the Sabbath."
"It's all right," she said.

24 She saddled the donkey and said to her servant, "Lead on; don't slow down for me unless I tell you." 25 So she set out and came to the man of God at Mount Carmel.

Tested Faith

The words of the contemporary song reminded me of a question that tests our faith, “God didn’t take us this

far to leave us.”

Last week we looked at the reward and blessing God gave to the woman and her husband for their humble hospitality. Without requesting Elisha declared they would have a son and so he was born. This was the desire of her heart.

Now some years later we read tragedy occurred. Her only son died unexpectedly. What would test our faith more than a death of a child?

There are different views as to how old the boy is. I will propose that he is still young, perhaps elementary age. Being that they family was wealthy and had many servants, perhaps the father was overseeing many of the reapers and took his son along for a ride. Then the boy complained about not feeling well and having severe pain. The father told a servant to take the child home. As he was being taken care of by his mother he kept getting worse and died.

I take Scripture to mean what it says. I do not believe he only fainted, or went into a sleep. He died. He was not resuscitated like many claim experiences today in near death situations. We are grateful for many who are brought to recovery through medical procedures, CPR, and medications. Some conclude the boy was still alive and appeared to be dead or in a coma. I think he died, just as the Bible said.

I noticed the woman's response to the husband and to the servant when asked what is up; she replied that it is all right. Peace? Could she have been in shock and couldn’t face the fact. Could she have been experiencing the trauma of emotion that was in denial? She did not want to face the facts until she could see Elisha.

We will also experience difficult times that will test our faith. We will struggle to make sense of out situations where the pieces don’t seem to neatly fall together. Some will trust the Lord believing completely He will answer one way only to discover being forced to fact a path we did not expect and question why.

Like the Centurion with a sick boy this mother reach out to the one she thought could help. She prepared to leave to visit Elisha for it is through him that God speaks.

People turn to God when they have no place else to turn. Even when our faith is tested, look up! The last chapter isn’t revealed to us yet.

Pastor Dale

Sermon Nuggets Weds May 5 – Tempted faith

Verses 2 Kings 4:22-28 She called her husband and said, "Please send me one of the servants and a donkey so I can go to the man of God quickly and return."

23 "Why go to him today?" he asked. "It's not the New Moon or the Sabbath." "It's all right," she said.

24 She saddled the donkey and said to her servant, "Lead on; don't slow down for me unless I tell you."

25 So she set out and came to the man of God at Mount Carmel. When he saw her in the distance, the man of God said to his servant Gehazi, "Look! There's the Shunammite!

26 Run to meet her and ask her, 'Are you all right? Is your husband all right? Is your child all right?'" "Everything is all right," she said.

27 When she reached the man of God at the mountain, she took hold of his feet. Gehazi came over to push her away, but the man of God said, "Leave her alone! She is in bitter distress, but the LORD has hidden it from me and has not told me why."

28 "Did I ask you for a son, my lord?" she said. "Didn't I tell you, 'Don't raise my hopes'?"

Tempted Faith

Tempted faith is faith under trial, faith that is being tested to make us strong, but there are times when we are tempted to give up. We are tempted to turn our backs on God. Anger, frustration, grief tempts us to sin. When Job experienced the worse of trials his wife said, “Are you still holding on to your integrity? Curse God and die!"

Job replied, "You are talking like a foolish woman. Shall we accept good from God, and not trouble?" In all this, Job did not sin in what he said. Job 2:9-10

The temptation is to give in to your feelings instead of clinging to your faith. The anger and hurt of the woman is seen today in her response to Elisha. She is a grieving mother.

When she leaves home to go to see Elisha she refused to talk to anyone. She was holding her grief inside. Denial was turning into anger which can lead to bitterness. She is set to go to Elisha not just to tell him of her loss but how he and the Lord had failed her! She wanted him to know how unfair it was. It would have been better if the son was never born than experience the pain of his death. It hurts so badly.

She ran to Elisha and hung at his feet in spite of the protests of the servant Gehazi. Elisha has not been revealed the source of the problem, but sees she is in bitter distress. Her words are sharp and clear, "Did I ask you for a son, my lord?" she said. "Didn't I tell you, 'Don't raise my hopes'?"

Sometimes God gives us answers and sometimes He doesn’t. When the request of blessing came to the woman years earlier she asked for none. She felt she had all she needed. But when the subject of being childless came up she didn’t feel she should ask for such a miracle. It was not her idea, but Elisha’s and Gehazi’s idea. She had been many times in despair for being barren. Her hopes many times were dashed by trying to have children and not able to do so. She finally relegated herself to the fact that she would have no child. But when the claim came to her she was going to be a mother, her fears of having those hopes dashed again surfaced. She didn’t want to experience that extreme disappointment again. “Don’t raise my hopes only to have them dashed again”. For her it would have been better to not have a son than to have that son taken from her.

Now those fears were realized. The joy and excitement and hope were overwhelming as God gave her the desire of her heart. Satan was to take it away. She was fulfilled, but now she was to be barren in her heart again with the love of her life gone. The temptation to curse God and die was probably there when she felt the fault lay on Elisha for interceding on her behalf for a child. Now see where it ended up- in greater grief.

There are situations always around us that cause us to question, and happening we that we do not understand. We have our faith tested, but we do something that we believe is of God and we keep on doing it,

What is faith for? Years ago Merv Griffen had a popular talk show and his guest was a body builder. During the interview Merv asked, “why do you develop those particular muscles?”

The body builder simply stepped forward and flexed a series of well-defined muscles from chest to calf. The audience applauded.

“But what do you use all those muscles for?” Merv asked.

Again the muscles specimen flexed and biceps and triceps sprouted into impressive proportions. "But what do you use those muscles for?" Merv persisted-the body builder was bewildered. He didn't have an answer other than to display his well-developed frame.

I was reminded that our spiritual exercises-Bible study, prayer, reading Christian books, listening to Christian radio and CD tapes are also for a purpose. They are meant to strengthen our faith. They are to gain a greater love and devotion to the Lord. They are to be used by God through us to build God's kingdom, not to simply to improve our posture before an admiring audience. Our faith is not just to show our piety, but to be used when times of testing and temptations come. Satan will tempt us to quit. He will tempt us to hold grudges and we can become bitter people. There are many empty pews that once were filled with people who believed but the tempter came and in our despair thought God did not keep up His end of the bargain. He did not do what we wanted him to do. Or someone hurt us in some way. The results are the same. Our faith is sidelined instead of used to help us through.

How might your faith be tempted recently? Where does your feelings overshadow your faith?

Pastor Dale

Sermon Nuggets Thus May 6, 2010

Verses- 2 Kings 4:29-31 Elisha said to Gehazi, "Tuck your cloak into your belt, take my staff in your hand and run. If you meet anyone, do not greet him, and if anyone greets you, do not answer. Lay my staff on the boy's face."

30 But the child's mother said, "As surely as the LORD lives and as you live, I will not leave you." So he got up and followed her.

31 Gehazi went on ahead and laid the staff on the boy's face, but there was no sound or response. So Gehazi went back to meet Elisha and told him, "The boy has not awakened."

Trusting Faith

Elisha was given the facts as hard as it was to accept. The boy died. But God had something else in mind in this trial. He was not done showing His glory and power.

There would be nothing wrong to accept that fact that the boy died. We would accept that as God’s will. But trusting faith does something. It looks to God not only in grief to support and sustain, but also in hope to restore and provide.

They prayed for restoration. Elisha trusts in God to go and send Gehazi to the boy and trusts in the power of God to use the staff. Surely the staff was not magical we know that. We also are aware that the servant didn't have any power. Maybe it was the double portion of Elijah’s spirit that fell on Elisha and not anyone else. God wanted to use Elisha and Gehazi was the instrument chosen.

I think of a similar story when the disciples met Jesus coming down from the Mount of Transfiguration. They were trying to get a demon to come out from a boy. They did what Jesus taught them but nothing happened. They were used in the past to heal from disease and spiritual oppression and possession. Why not now?

Jesus saw something they didn’t. He saw the evil power stronger than the desires and abilities of pious men. He reminded them that this situation required much prayer and fasting. There was blessing and power only up to a point of our ability to be used of God. Also we have to be very sure we are not idolizing the tools used so that they might think they had the power. There was no power in the staff. Nor would there be any value in Gahazi the person, who later showed how he gave into temptation of gaining money for the work of God.

I do get upset with all the religious relics sold, touched and displayed as if they were holy or provided some power from God.

Nothing happened through Gehazi even though he was obedient to the commands of his master. What was God trying to teach? Elisha could have been discouraged and questioned why God didn't answer according to his action. Trust involves perseverance. The woman wasn't going to leave Elisha because she believed God presence and power what with the prophet. The woman proclaimed, "As surely as the Lord lives and as your soul lives, I will not leave you." As surely as God is alive I will trust, and that was a faith that sought to lay hold and to keep hold, not only of the promises, but of the promiser.

John Killinger tells a story from Atlantic Monthly."A little burro sometimes would be harnessed to a wild steed. Bucking and raging, convulsing like drunken sailors. The two would be turned loose to proceed out onto the desert range. They could be seen disappearing over the horizon, the great steed dragging that little burro along and throwing him about like a bag of cream puffs. They might be gone for days, but eventually they would come back. The little burro would be seen first, trotting back across the horizon, leading the submissive steed in tow. Somewhere out there on the rim of the world that horse would become exhausted from trying to get rid of the burro, and in that moment, the burro would take mastery and become the leader.

"And that's the way it is with the kingdom and its heroes, isn’t it? The battle is determined, not to the outraged but to the committed, not to those who are merely dramatic." It is to those who have trusting faith, Not giving up on God, but believing and obeying and if something isn't working the way we think it should, we pray and trust and keep at it again.

This sickness and death was a spiritual battle in my opinion. It was Satan seeking to attack the miracle of God and causing the faith of the woman to turn from God. Works of man, even pious and well meaning men were not going to change anything around. This kind needed the special intervention from God. Elisha represents, not just Gods’ servant, but the touch from God Himself.

Keep trusting, not in our abilities,or even in our piety, but preserve in trials to see and wait for the hand of God to move.

Pastor Dale

Sermon nuggets Fri May 7, 2010

Verses- 2 Kings 4:32-37 When Elisha reached the house, there was the boy lying dead on his couch.

33 He went in, shut the door on the two of them and prayed to the LORD.

34 Then he got on the bed and lay upon the boy, mouth to mouth, eyes to eyes, hands to hands. As he stretched himself out upon him, the boy's body grew warm.

35 Elisha turned away and walked back and forth in the room and then got on the bed and stretched out upon him once more. The boy sneezed seven times and opened his eyes.

36 Elisha summoned Gehazi and said, "Call the Shunammite." And he did. When she came, he said, "Take your son."

37 She came in, fell at his feet and bowed to the ground. Then she took her son and went out.

Triumphant Faith

I was talking with Thelma Olds last night. Her daughter and son-in-law have been asked by the Conference to lead up work of supporting and planting a church movement in Estonia. It was under the communistic rule for 70 years when the Christians were being persecuted. Now there is a rising up of the churches in new ways.

Over time the suffering church changed the face of Eastern bloc. They had no power based as such, none but he power of love and prayer. The church was banned from many religious activities, such as radio and television broadcasting. They devoted themselves instead to serving the least and the weakest.

According to Chuck Colson, East Germans look back on Oct.9, 1989 as the turning point that led to a change in government, consummating the peaceful revolution. Four churches in Leipzig held weekly prayer meetings every Monday evening. Gradually the prayer meetings began to swell including not just faithful Christian but also political dissidents and ordinary citizens. Secret police phoned in death threats and posted lookouts around the churches. Then on Oct. 9 police and army units moved in the Leipzig in force, and East German lead Erich Honecker gave them instructions to shoot the demonstrators.

When time came for the prayer meeting, 2,000 Communist party members rushed inside to occupy all the seats. The church simply opened its seldom-used balconies and 1,000 protesters also crowded inside. Party members who attended with the intention of disrupting realized for the first time that the church was indeed working for peaceful change and not violent challenge. No one knows for sure why the military held their fire that night. Everyone credits the prayer vigils in Leipzig for kindling the process of momentous change. In the end 10,000s marched peacefully through downtown Leipzig which brought down a government.

The New Republic a secular magazine said, "Whether or not prayers really moved mountains, they certainly mobilized the population of Leipzig. To hear them sing "A Mighty Fortress Is our God' is enough to make you believe it," Several weeks after the October 9 turning point, a huge banner appeared across a Leipzig street "Wir danken Dir,Kirche (We thank you, church). Indeed in should have read Wir danken See, Gott". For God is the power being triumphant faith.

Triumphant faith is seeing God do things man cannot do and believing an trusting in His sovereignty. It happens in nations and it happens in personal lives.

We gathered yesterday for the National Day of prayer to pray for our nation and God’s sovereignty. And we pray for individuals and families that they faith will be played out in victory as God allows.

There is victory in the miraculous manner of the son of the Shunamite woman being raised to life again. It is triumphant to know that God is at work and at times answers special prayer in special ways, but ultimately triumphant. Jesus has won the battle and when we put our faith in Him we cannot lose. Don't misunderstand. We can face discouragements, failures, and sin-but triumphant faith is the confidence that we are in the center of God's will and care and we have nothing to fear.

Elisha lays on the boy I'm sure with prayer, nothing happens. He walks around and lays on him a second time and the boy sneezes seven times. Perhaps this is symbolic of completion.

How can we bring about life to death? Simply speaking we cannot. This is an act of the grace of God and nothing else. He did it to show his glory through his servants.

Revival is the same way. We pray for aliveness to spiritual deadness, but the grace of God responds at his will and time; Our trails will test us and tempt us to quit. But as we continue to trust we will see the triumph of God. It may not be as we hope and plan in our temporary world and short sighted understanding. It may not be by our timetable, but the hope of the believer is that we will see the work of God in ways we cannot imagine.

Satan was defeated that day. And will be in The Day to come. Put your faith in the only One who can do that.

Pastor Dale