ELIJAH – 7: Putting everything in order

– Although Elijah was one of the most unique and spectacular individuals in the Bible, he was a “man just like us.”
– From the moment he appeared in the king’s court, until his dramatic chariot ride to heaven, his life was surrounded by the miraculous.
– Elijah towered above everyone else, as he fought single-handedly against Ahab, Jezebel and all the forces of evil.
– God honored Elijah and used him mightily.

– God will use anyone who will make himself available to him.
– It is not our personal abilities or personalities that count, but rather our availability and the power of God working through us, that make us effective in serving God.

– The way people respond to the process of aging, tells a great deal about their character and their spiritual maturity.
– As some people age, they withdraw from Christian service saying, “I’ve served my time, It’s my turn to sit on the sidelines and enjoy life for a while.”
– Others serve God faithfully, staying involved in God’s work until their last breath.

– As Elijah aged, he did several things that teach us how to handle the process of aging.
– Elijah put several things in order.

1. PURSUE YOUR MINISTRY

– As we age physically, it’s possible for us to step back from our positions of ministry and to sit on the sidelines.
– This tendency to withdraw is reinforced if there have been unpleasant experiences during ministry.
– Some older Christians disengage from ministry, become critical and harbor negative feelings.
– To them, what is happening today is not as wonderful as “the good old days.”
– On the other hand, some believers become sweeter as they age.
– They are supportive, encouraging and committed to prayer.

– Elijah overcame his time of depression.
– He was put back into service by the Lord and then continued in powerful ministry until his last days on earth.
– He revived the school of the prophets and anointed key leaders for God’s service.
– He pursued his ministry passionately.

i. Let God speak to you as you grow older

Then the word of the Lord came to Elijah the Tishbite… (1 Kings 21:17).

– The danger as we grow older is to think we’ve heard all that God has to say and we stop listening.
– Some, as they age, feel they have figured out everything about the Christian life and serving God and no one can tell them anything.
– Of course this is dangerous. We must always stay sensitive to the voice of God.
– Many older people in the Bible heard God’s voice.

ii. Accept each new challenge that God gives you

Go down to meet Ahab king of Israel, who rules in Samaria. He is now in Naboth’s vineyard, where he has gone to take possession of it. (1 Kings 21:18).

– Don’t let depression and fear sideline you forever.
– The question is not how often you fall, but whether or not you get up whenever you fall.

– Wicked King Ahab engineered the murder of Naboth, a neighbor to his palace when Naboth refused to sell him a piece of land.
– Ahab continued to harden his heart and it seemed that he was going to get away with all his evil actions.
– But God could not let this blatant sin continue.
– He once more assigned aging Elijah the task of confronting the king.
– Elijah accepted the new challenge.

iii. Boldly declare the word of the Lord

Say to him, “This is what the Lord says: Have you not murdered a man and seized his property?” Then say to him, “This is what the Lord says: In the place where dogs licked up Naboth’s blood, dogs will lick up your blood–yes, yours!” (1 Kings 21:19).

– The courage of the old Elijah surfaced again as he confronted Ahab.
– There was no political correctness in his words. He bluntly announced Ahab’s impending, gruesome death.

– There is a time for diplomacy and tact in speaking for God.
– Words spoken with harshness and anger rarely get a positive response for Christ.
– However, at times, the prophetic voice needs to be heard forcefully, pronouncing the judgment of God.

iv. Don’t be intimidated by those who don’t follow God

Ahab said to Elijah, “So you have found me, my enemy!” “I have found you,” he answered, “because you have sold yourself to do evil in the eyes of the Lord.” (1 Kings 21:20),

– Ahab considered Elijah his enemy, and indeed they were on opposite sides of the fence.
– The depth of Ahab’s problem is shown in the words, “you have sold yourself to do evil in the eyes of the Lord.”
– As we share our faith, we should never shrink back in fear from those who are in the grip of sin.

2. PLAN FOR SOMEONE TO TAKE YOUR PLACE

– The critical point in a relay race is the moment when the baton is passed from one runner to the next.
– Likewise, it is always critical in the Christian community when one generation passes the responsibility for ministry to the next generation.

– Some Christians struggle to know how to pass their faith and their ministries on to the next generation.
– Some Christians just won’t let go and give the next generation an opportunity.
– They are so entrenched in their positions, that no one else is good enough to take their place.

– Other Christians are willing to pass the torch to the younger generation, but don’t know how to go about it.
– They have never learned how to recruit, train and release into ministry.

– As we age, we must have our eye on the next generation.
– We need to learn how to pass our values, convictions and ministries on to those who are following us.
– We must recognize that as we grow older, we probably do not have the communication skills and understanding of the new culture necessary to minister to it effectively.
– We must let the next generation step up to take over and carry on.

– Elijah put everything in order by preparing someone to take his place in the ministry.

i. God often calls his servants through other people

So Elijah went from there and found Elisha son of Shaphat. (1 Kings 19:19).

– Elisha was called into ministry by God, but that call came to Elisha through Elijah.
– Elijah was God’s headhunter, God’s recruiting agent.
– However, it was God who called Elisha, not Elijah.

As we age, we must always be sensitive to what God is doing and be open to his promptings so we can encourage others to respond to God’s call.

ii. God’s call comes to people who are busy at work

So Elijah went from there and found Elisha son of Shaphat. He was plowing with twelve yoke of oxen, and he himself was driving the twelfth pair. Elijah went up to him and threw his cloak around him. (1 Kings 19:19).

– God does not use lazy people.
– The work of the ministry has heavy demands and requires people who are prepared for work hard.

iii. God’s call may require a complete break with the secular

Elisha then left his oxen and ran after Elijah. “Let me kiss my father and mother good-by,” he said, “and then I will come with you.” “Go back,” Elijah replied. “What have I done to you?” So Elisha left him and went back. He took his yoke of oxen and slaughtered them. He burned the plowing equipment to cook the meat and gave it to the people, and they ate. (1 Kings 19:20-21).

– Elisha made a complete break with his past, kissing his parents goodbye and burning his plowing equipment.
– He even slaughtered his animals so he wouldn’t be tempted to go back to his former way of life.

– Jesus Christ wants and deserves our complete devotion and dedication.
– Jesus said, “No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God.” (Luke 9:62).
– Jesus knew, “No servant can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other.” (Luke 16:13).

iv. God’s call requires a servant’s heart

Then he set out to follow Elijah and became his attendant. (1 Kings 19:21).

– There is no place in the ministry for a prima donna.
– Christian ministry requires a servant’s heart.

– From this point on, Elisha followed Elijah.
– Elisha watched Elijah closely, learning how he ministered, discovering his personal disciplines and watching how he interacted with people.
– Elisha learned by serving.
– Elisha did not expect to start out in a position of prominence.

– People do not learn how to minister in an artificial learning environment, they learn it through observation and working alongside someone who is experienced and spiritually mature.
– Too often we train people for ministry rather than train people in ministry.

v. God’s call comes with divine enablement

When they had crossed, Elijah said to Elisha, “Tell me, what can I do for you before I am taken from you?” “Let me inherit a double portion of your spirit,” Elisha replied. (2 Kings 2:9 ).

– Elijah asked Elisha an open-ended question and put no limits on what Elisha could ask for.
– The maturity of Elisha was shown in what he requested. Elisha wanted spiritual power and authority.
– He knew that ministry required internal power, not external symbols of power.
– Elisha recognized that it was the Holy Spirit working through Elijah that made him effective and his one request was for twice the spiritual power that Elijah had demonstrated.

– Elisha followed Elijah faithfully for nine years.
– During that time, he was tested, discipled and prepared for ministry.
– When Elijah was carried to heaven in the chariot of fire, at the very moment when Elisha began his ministry on his own, he received the double portion of God’s power that he had requested.
– Interestingly, there are twice as many recorded miracles in the ministry of Elisha than in the life of Elijah.

3. PREPARE TO GO TO HEAVEN

i. Let God determine when you will go to heaven

– When Elijah went through his massive depression, he asked God to take his life.
– He wanted to die. Thankfully, God did not answer that prayer.
– God had a very spectacular way for Elijah to enter heaven.

– The psalmist said, My times are in your hands… (Psalm 31:15).
– We must always let God determine the time and circumstances of our home-going.

ii. Look forward to the day you will go to heaven

As they were walking along and talking together, suddenly a chariot of fire and horses of fire appeared and separated the two of them, and Elijah went up to heaven in a whirlwind. Elisha saw this and cried out, “My father! My father! The chariots and horsemen of Israel!” And Elisha saw him no more. Then he took hold of his own clothes and tore them apart. (2 Kings 2:11-12).

– Elijah left this world even more dramatically than he entered it.
– The man who had called fire down from heaven, had a chariot of fire take him up to glory.
– Supernaturally, a divine chariot swooped down out of heaven, picked him up and transported him to heaven.
– Elijah never died!

– While this “translation” of Elijah was a one-time experience that has never been repeated, his experience does picture the day when all the people of God will be raptured and taken into the presence of God.

For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever. Therefore encourage each other with these words. (1 Thessalonians 4:16-18).

iii. Leave a legacy

When they had crossed, Elijah said to Elisha, “Tell me, what can I do for you before I am taken from you?” “Let me inherit a double portion of your spirit,” Elisha replied. (2 Kings 2:9).

– What are you leaving as a legacy?
– Do your kids want what you have?

– I’m convinced that the youth of today are rising up to assume responsibility.
– They are not impressed with hypocrisy, shallowness or dated spirituality.
– They want spiritual reality.

– Let us live and minister in such a way that those who come behind us will find us faithful.

Then he took the cloak that had fallen from him and struck the water with it. “Where now is the LORD, the God of Elijah?” he asked. When he struck the water, it divided to the right and to the left, and he crossed over. (2 Kings 2:14).

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