Sermon at Grace Episcopal on February 22, 2009 by Lynette

2 Kings 2:1-15
Now when the LORD was about to take Elijah up to heaven by a whirlwind, Elijah and Elisha were on their way from Gilgal. Elijah said to Elisha, "Stay here; for the LORD has sent me as far as Bethel." But Elisha said, "As the LORD lives, and as you yourself live, I will not leave you." So they went down to Bethel. The company of prophets who were in Bethel came out to Elisha, and said to him, "Do you know that today the LORD will take your master away from you?" And he said, "Yes, I know; keep silent."
Elijah said to him, "Elisha, stay here; for the LORD has sent me to Jericho." But he said, "As the LORD lives, and as you yourself live, I will not leave you." So they came to Jericho. The company of prophets who were at Jericho drew near to Elisha, and said to him, "Do you know that today the LORD will take your master away from you?" And he answered, "Yes, I know; be silent."
Then Elijah said to him, "Stay here; for the LORD has sent me to the Jordan." But he said, "As the LORD lives, and as you yourself live, I will not leave you." So the two of them went on. Fifty men of the company of prophets also went, and stood at some distance from them, as they both were standing by the Jordan. Then Elijah took his mantle and rolled it up, and struck the water; the water was parted to the one side and to the other, until the two of them crossed on dry ground.
When they had crossed, Elijah said to Elisha, "Tell me what I may do for you, before I am taken from you." Elisha said, "Please let me inherit a double share of your spirit." He responded, "You have asked a hard thing; yet, if you see me as I am being taken from you, it will be granted you; if not, it will not." As they continued walking and talking, a chariot of fire and horses of fire separated the two of them, and Elijah ascended in a whirlwind into heaven. Elisha kept watching and crying out, "Father, father! The chariots of Israel and its horsemen!" But when he could no longer see him, he grasped his own clothes and tore them in two pieces. He picked up the mantle of Elijah that had fallen from him, and went back and stood on the bank of the Jordan. He took the mantle of Elijah that had fallen from him, and struck the water, saying, "Where is the Lord, the God of Elijah?" When he had struck the water, the water was parted to the one side and to the other, and Elisha went over. When the company of prophets who were at Jericho saw him at a distance, they declared, "The spirit of Elijah rests on Elisha." They came to meet him and bowed to the ground before him.

A reporter named Karen Jordan recently walked along the main street of a University and asked folks: "If today was your last day on earth, how would you spend it?" Here are some answers: Tony said, "I would get drunk, do as much dope as I can, and be with two pretty women. That's my dream." Chris responded, "I would spend it in the desert or a very peaceful place. I would just try to enjoy every moment and get connected to God and nature." Vera, an older woman, said, "I would phone my family and visit my friends." Lou Ann said, "I would ride around in my new, old convertible. I just bought a 1968 250 SL." And finally Jacqueline said, "I would spend my last day with Gene."

Well, what about you? How would you spend your last day on earth?
It says a lot about what you believe is really important. Would you fish, surf, hike, or work in your yard? Would you gather with family and friends? Would you take the lobster and steak and squid out of your freezer that you've been saving for a special vacation and have a party? Would you go to Kamoi's and try out every flavor of ice cream - and double scoops at that? Would you stop and thank God, for all the blessings He has given you and thank Him that because of the sacrifice of Jesus, you can live with Him eternally? Or would you try to do all of that, crammed into every last second?

We have been given the gift of seeing the prophet Elijah's last day on earth. He was a powerful prophet. The Lord's power flowed through Elijah. He spoke God's word to a generation that worshiped other gods. God spoke through him to predict famine and droughts. That meant that God's words were often harsh and he wasn't Mr. Popularity. But in his ministry he also helped feed a poor widow and raise her son to life when the boy died.

Now most of us have seen the ads on TV for e-harmony.com that say that they are committed to helping you experience the joy and fulfillment that comes with a successful relationship. If they had done a personality profile on Elijah they'd have had some challenges. How do you match someone with a guy who calls fire down from heaven when he's insulted? He wasn't easy to work with and may not have been compatible with anybody. But the Lord God, the Maker of Heaven and Earth, is even better than e-harmony at matchmaking. The Lord found an assistant to learn from the prophet and eventually carry on the ministry.

One day when Elijah was tired and lonely: feeling like quitting, the Lord showed him that he was not alone. Sometimes followers of the Lord get worn and weary. It's not easy to always do things God's way. Sometimes it is tempting to just let go and let the currents take us wherever. The only trouble is that the currents of life take us to the rocks of despair and hopelessness. But that's a message for another day.

God directed Elijah to the countryside where he found young Elisha plowing a field. This young farmer quickly realized that Elijah spoke with the power and authority of one who knew God deeply. Elisha decided to become an assistant to the man of God and left his plow.

Over the years Elijah had seen this young boy grow into a man. He knew that God had appointed Elisha to carry the message to the next generation. The older we get, the more we see of the importance of building a legacy of faith to share with our children, grandchildren, nieces and nephews. Our Kupuna who loved us enough to teach us about the Lord blessed many of us here. As Elijah's life was drawing to an end, here was someone who could carry the message of God's truth. As I said, The Holy Spirit beats e-harmony any day.

And Elijah didn't want the young man to watch him die. So three times he tried to send Elisha away. Three times he answered "God called me to be with you through good times and hard times. I'm not leaving!" What a guy! He wouldn't abandon his old friend and mentor even if it meant putting his own safety or comfort at risk.

Over the years I have noticed something. Those who walk in great power with God are the ones who get as close to Jesus as they can. You might call them "press-in" Christians, because they press in close and want to get nearer and nearer to Him. When things get hard, these brothers and sisters don't run away. They press in, in prayer. They press in, with helping. They press in, in joy. And because they press in close to God, their prayers seem to get answered, crazy coincidences occur around them. Food shows up. Help arrives. Angry people calm down. And miracles tend to happen around them. And they run when the rest of us are weary and they walk on when others want to faint. It's not because they have super powers or a positive Christian attitude. It is because they are close to Jesus. Their hope, their strength and their power are not due to what surrounds them, it is because Jesus is in them and HE surrounds them.

Elisha was becoming a press-in, man of God.

So when Elijah stood next to the Jordan River at the end of his last day, Elisha was right beside him.

Elijah took his cloak off. A prophet's cloak represented the power and presence of God in his life. Elijah hit the water with his jacket and the water disappears and is replaced by a dry path. The two men strolled across the river bottom as the waters piled up on each side of them. Surely thoughts of the parting of the Red Sea, and how the Israelites cross into the Promised Land across the Jordan raced through the people there who witnessed this. These stories they had heard about God's power, from their Elders, was being replayed in front of their eyes as Elijah and Elisha walk across the dry riverbed.

These witnesses were prophets of the Lord too. But they were content with following from distance. Sadly, we miss out on the power of God when we're satisfied with a relationship from a distance. They were just close enough to see but did not press in closely enough to experience the miracle. One quick thing - in that way they were like the Israelites who had been freed from slavery in Egypt but then they strayed from God in the desert. They knew He was pretty cool, but they missed out on the Promised Land because they let themselves get distracted. They stayed just close enough to eat Mana, but didn't experience the Promise because they hung out, far away, and out of reach.

On the other side of the water, Elijah asks, "Boy, what do you want from God and me?" The young man looked skyward and said, "MAY I BE BLESSED ENOUGH TO HAVE A DOUBLE PORTION OF THE SPIRIT THAT GOD HAS GIVEN YOU?" The more I read this, the more I like Elisha. He had seen Elijah in all types of different circumstances and wanted more.

What does "double portion" mean? It's a term of inheritance from Deuteronomy 21:17 from the times of the Old Covenant. The people of that day would divide up their estate and give double to the eldest son to keep the family legacy going. Since Elijah had been anointed of God to be a prophet like Elijah, he was asking to fill that role as an elder son with an extra helping.

We live in the time of the New Covenant with God through Jesus Christ. The double portion of grace and power isn't just handed down to only the older sons. The gift of the Holy Spirit is available to every child of God who wants it, but we will have to do more than just watch from a distance. This double portion is ours because of the death and resurrection of Jesus. Through Him, we have been adopted into the Family of God. Through Him, we have inherited the Lord's blessings, but the way to get our inheritance is by following closely.

This double portion means being full of grace and power! This double portion means having the energy to burst across the finish line like a hurtling bobsled rather than staggering across the finish line like an exhausted marathoner! This double portion means seeing God answer our prayers so often and in so many ways that when we pray we expect a miracle. I think we all would like to have a double portion like that. To get that double portion we need to be like Elisha and press in and not be like the 50 prophets who stood on the other side watching with their mouths open.

Here are three keys to becoming a double portion Christian.

If you want a double portion
1. you have to stay a little bit closer
2. you have to go a little bit farther
3. you have to want a little bit more

We already talked about number 1. The first key in becoming a double portion Christian is that you have to stay a little bit closer. That takes some effort. When the storms hit or the currents pull, it's easy and quite natural to let the boat drift away from the dock. It is easy to grab that extra 30 minutes of sleep and not read your Bible. It's easy to not pray when money gets tight. It is easy to get so caught up in our families, our jobs, our friends, our schedules, and our finances that we don't stay close to God. It's easy to isolate and stay away from other brothers and sisters who might call us to accountability. It is easy to go with the flow. But going with the flow cuts into our inherited portions like a hot wind melts a child's double decker ice cream cone. It dribbles all over first, and then a whole scoop can just plop off and fall to the ground. If we want that second scoop, we need to stay close to Him.

The second lesson in becoming a double portion Christian is that you have to go a little bit farther.

No matter where Elijah went, Elisha was one step behind him. Every time Elijah tried to ditch him, Elisha kept on going. One day King Ahaziah got angry with Elijah and sent 50 men to arrest him. God sent down fire to consume them. So the king sent another 50 to get him, then another 50. If I were Elisha, I would start to think that maybe it was dangerous to hang out with this guy. But we don't hear of Elisha quitting. He kept on going with the prophet. He went to distant lands. He went to close villages. I imagine that there were times when Elisha wanted to stop and sleep. But he kept going farther so that he could stay with his teacher. The only thing that finally separated the two was a whirlwind of fire. Especially when times get hard, we need to take that extra step towards Jesus to get that extra portion. If we turn away, we lose the second scoop. Hebrews 4 tells us that God has set a time for entering the place of rest with Him and that time is today. Then it says that we should do our best to enter that place of rest. Here is the paradox, when we go a bit farther with the Lord; we get to a place of resting in Him.

The third key in being a double portion Christian is that you have got to want a little bit more. As you read the scriptures you find those who want a little bit more. You won't become a double portion Christian by accident. God says, move toward me and I will move toward you. As I reminded you last week, Hebrews 11 says, "without faith it is impossible to please God, for whoever would approach him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him." We must take the first step to activate the power of God in our lives. Years ago a phrase was coined that's been used over the years, "God doesn't need our ability as much as our availability." If you have the "want to," God can supply the rest.

At the end of the story Elisha picks up Elijah's robe and walks back to the river. His heart is breaking from the loss of his mentor and as he gets to the river he cries out, "Where is the LORD, the God of Elijah?" Then he slaps the cloak against the water.

Guess what happens next? Come to Ash Wednesday service to find out. Can't wait? OK. Suddenly, the river parts. Elisha walks across on dry land. Now God wasn't the Lord of someone else's life. He wasn't just Elijah's God. He was Elisha's God! The other prophets cry out that Elisha has become the successor of Elijah. They recognized the double portion of the Spirit of God. It was a long-term life change that produced an overnight miracle.

Now if you have ever been to Grace Church you will know that one of our recurrent themes is that God doesn't give us a double portion to hoard it. He doesn't fill our lives with His light so that we can put a bucket over our heads to cover it up. God promises to give us so much living water when we stay closer, walk a little bit farther, and want to be closer to Him that we will overflow and be a lavish blessing to those around us. He gives us a double portion so that we can share His love in tangible ways.

That was true in Elisha's life too. Soon after watching his friend and mentor get swept up by a tornado, Elisha went to the town of Jericho. The water there was so bad that it was making people sick. Elisha used his double portion to give glory to God and made the water sweet and healthy.

How about you? Do you want a double portion of God's blessing and power? Do you want the God of Elijah to be your Lord and your Master?

Are you keeping your eyes open for those in the next generation that you can bring along? Do you want your children or grandchildren to know the blessings of knowing Jesus? Do you want to pass on a one-scoop portion or do you want young people to know Jesus Christ in a double portion way? It is only through the power of the Holy Spirit that they will not get stuck in the rivers and currents of life and will walk in freedom and in hope.

I pray that this church will be full of people that, like Paul are willing to count everything else as rubbish compared to the joy of knowing Jesus. He has promised us that He will reward those who seek Him. Don't let anything get in the way of receiving His reward for you and your family. And may your double portion of grace be doubled in the next generation! With God's grace, we can pray that we will raise up a generation of 4 scoop Christians!

Lord. We have let everything but You, fill our lives, our times, and our thoughts. We have been content knowing that You are the God of someone else. Too often we have been satisfied with the empty promises of the world and have received only tiny portions of the love and power You gave us to experience. Forgive us for staying far away and for the sin in our lives that make us ashamed of your light. Come be our God, our Father, our Master and our Mentor. We want to know the joy of all You have for us. We pray this in the Name of the Jesus, Amen

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