A DOUBLE PORTION OF YOUR SPIRIT

2 Kings 2:1-25,

Key Verse 9,

“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,”

What do you think is the most important in real estate? LLL Then what is the most important thing to believers? SSS. Jesus says (Jn 6:63), “the Spirit gives life; the flesh counts for nothing” To serve our God, we need the Spirit more than anything else. In today's passage, Elisha asked a double portion of Elijah’s spirit because he believed that in doing God’s work, nothing is more important than receiving the spirit. When we have the Spirit we can overcome all hardships and create a new history. May God help us to seek the Spirit the most like Elisha in this passage. I have 3 Parts. Part 1, “I will not leave you!” (1-8) Part 2, “Let me inherit a double portion of your Spirit!” (9-12) Part 3, God’s affirmation that Elisha had received the spirit (13-25)

Part 1, I will not leave you! (1-8)

In this 1st part, Elisha set an example to be ready to receive a double portion of Elijah’s spirit. Look at v1a. “When the Lord was about to take Elijah up to heaven in a whirlwind,” Under God’s Sovereignty, Elijah’s time was coming to an end. One day he wanted to die by saying, “LORD, Take my life” But he was not allowed to die at that time. Now God’s hour has come for him to leave. But it was not through death but direct ascension to Heaven. Why did God give him this favor? It’s because God rewarded him for his loyal service. His mission was hard. But his suffering was not in vain. God rewarded him. God rewards those who earnestly seek him. This reward is eternal life in the kingdom of God where there are no tears, sufferings, or death. So we are willing to participate in the remaining suffering of Jesus Christ as His servants.

Let us read v1b-6. Elijah and Elisha were on their way from Gilgal. 2 Elijah said to Elisha, “Stay here; the Lord has sent me to Bethel.” But Elisha said, “As surely as the Lord lives and as you live, I will not leave you.” So they went down to Bethel. 3 The company of the prophets at Bethel came out to Elisha and asked, “Do you know that the Lord is going to take your master from you today?” “Yes, I know,” Elisha replied, “so be quiet.” 4 Then Elijah said to him, “Stay here, Elisha; the Lord has sent me to Jericho.” And he replied, “As surely as the Lord lives and as you live, I will not leave you.” So they went to Jericho. 5 The company of the prophets at Jericho went up to Elisha and asked him, “Do you know that the Lord is going to take your master from you today?” “Yes, I know,” he replied, “so be quiet.” 6 Then Elijah said to him, “Stay here; the Lord has sent me to the Jordan.” And he replied, “As surely as the Lord lives and as you live, I will not leave you.” So the two of them walked on. On the final day Elijah had to visit several places to encourage the company of prophets. Amazingly, there were many prophets who were willing to serve God in the dark times. When we read this passage, can we find any repetition? 3 times, Elijah repeatedly asked Elisha to stay behind instead of following him. Usually shepherds say, “Follow me.” Maybe he wanted to have a personal time before his leaving. But according to the flow of the passage, he must have been testing his faithfulness to the Lord. 3 times, Elisha refused to stay behind by saying, “As surely as the Lord lives, and as you live, I will not leave you.” He loved God and His servant, Elijah, from his heart and wanted to be with him to the end. He was not distracted by a discouraging word from him. Like him God had called us to be His servants when we’re saved. However, in reality, it is easy to become distracted. So serving God may not be on our radar because we're busy with something else. We are prone to put God’s calling on the back burner. We have to ask ourselves the question today, “What is it that God is calling me to be passionate about? What are the things today that are distracting me from God’s calling?” God wants us to be faithful to Him to the end. Wherever Elijah went, Elisha followed him. He proved himself to be a man of faithfulness. He was determined to be with him.

Now let us think about 4 places because each name has meaning. What was the first place that both of them began their trip? Gilgal was a place where Joshua(5) circumcised the new gens before entering the promised land. Likewise to follow Jesus, we must separate ourselves from the world full of idols & sinful relationships. But it’s not easy to do so by our strength. We can do it by God’s word. Then they went to Bethel. What do you remember about Bethel? It’s a place where Jacob met God personally and saw God’s vision. After leaving the world, we must see his vision and continue to build up fellowship with the Lord. The next place was where? Jericho is a place where the Israelites walked around the wall of Jericho ALL together. How? Our believing life should not be confined to personal fellowship with God. Rather it is an ongoing self denial and engaging in the spiritual battle with collective effort in the believing community. God wants us to mobilize individual gifts to build up the church together by forming a beautiful body of Christ. But that was not all. Two of them went to Jordan. Look at v7-8. “Fifty men from the company of the prophets went and stood at a distance, facing the place where Elijah and Elisha had stopped at the Jordan. 8 Elijah took his cloak, rolled it up and struck the water with it. The water divided to the right and to the left, and the two of them crossed over on dry ground.” The company of prophets stood at a distance, facing the place where Elijah and Elisha had stopped at the Jordan. Their journey was not easy. The river was an obstacle. But by spirit, Elijah struck the water with his cloak. Lo and behold! The water divided and they crossed over the river. As the Jordan river flows into the Dead Sea, it represents death. Meaning, everyday be prepared to die to ourselves. Apo. Paul said, “I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me.” *Here my point is that we can’t stop at Gilgal. We can’t stop at Bethel. We can’t stop at Jericho. We have to move on, cross over Jordan with martyrdom spirit. The company of the prophets in each place had potential to grow without limit, but they did not choose to be with Elijah although they knew what would happen to him. They did not follow him like Elisha. That was the difference between Elisha and others. Elisha stayed closer to Elijah, while others were far off from him and just discussed and questioned his departure based on what they heard. They were content with knowing him & his departure, and following him from afar. Unfortunately that is the case of many people who are content with a relationship from a distance. Just close enough to get by according to their own way and preference, but not near enough to have an intimate love relationship with Jesus. At the final day of Jesus on earth, Peter followed Jesus at a distance. This distance showed his heart condition. He could not run away from Jesus nor follow him closely. He maintained a safe distance from Jesus. But it became a dangerous distance that he ended up denying him 3 times. But Elisha stayed with Elijah on the final day. He was determined to be with him by saying, “I am going all the way to see God’s glory, and nothing else matters in my life but this! Some of you may wonder why I mentioned man’s name only. Ok. Here I can not miss the name of Ruth. She followed Naomi by saying, “Don’t urge me to leave you. Where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay. Your people will be my people and your God my God. Where you die I will die” Then she was later richly blessed & rewarded! We can't become God’s servant one day by accident! We must set a life purpose & have earnest desire, consistency, & persistence to have all that God had in mind for us.

Part 2, let me inherit a double portion of your Spirit! (9-12)

Look at v9. “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.” When they had crossed over the Jordan, Elijah said to Elisha, “Tell me, what can I do for you before I am taken from you?” It was like a blank check. You are now given complete freedom to ask as you wish! This open invitation was given for Elisha only who had first demonstrated his personal loyalty and commitment by refusing to leave his mentor. Surely God rewards those who earnestly seek him. What then did he ask for? He could have asked for a title, position, or technique about how to call fire down from heaven. But he said, “Let me inherit a double portion of your spirit.” He asked for a double portion of the mighty spirit of Elijah. Why? It’s because he had seen how great the Spirit of God worked through him. To serve God, Elisha knew that he needed the Spirit more than anything else. He had learned that this was Elijah’s secret as he followed him. The Spirit compelled him to love God and fight against all God’s enemies. The Spirit had moved him to love God’s people. The Spirit enabled him to challenge impossible situations like dividing water. He wanted such spirit for himself. Without spirit he knew that nothing could be achieved in the spiritual battle. But with spirit everything would be possible just as Elijah had done to serve Israel with the spirit. He was fully convinced that what really matters was to have SSS for a continuous victory. Also he learned that Elijah’s spirit came from the full confidence in the word of God. Jesus says, the words I have spoken to you, they are full of the Spirit and life! The Spirit gives life; the flesh counts for nothing! With the spirit at God’s command, he challenged false prophets in the mount Carmel. He rebuked the vilest king, Ahab many times to let him know that the Lord is God. He earnestly asked for the same spirit. He further asked to let him inherit a double portion of his spirit. What an ambition he had! But his idea of a double portion was not literally to ask for twice as much as Elijah had as we might think of. Rather it was the familiar language in those times to ask humbly and earnestly, for the portion belonging to the firstborn son, in Deut 21:17. (The firstborn by giving him a double share of all he has) Of course Elijah was not a rich man. All he had had was God’s spirit. So it makes sense that Elisha asked for the right to be regarded as the successor of Elijah, as his firstborn son in the great ministry of God in Israel. Because Elisha had already been designated as Elijah’s successor, this was a further request for the real power by the spirit to fulfill the priestly calling and duty he received.

Today what do you think is truly missing in your life? What would you ask God for if you were given the same open invitation today? We could ask many practical things. But we may want to follow Elisha’s example in asking God for all we need to fulfill His highest purpose, is the greatest thing to ask. Surely we need His Spirit the most for this. Let us ask a double portion of God’s spirit. Then our life will be truly fulfilling in Him who is ready to fill our every need! We are living in a very unpredictable time. People are frustrated, anxious and fearful. No human leader can not help us in the true sense. The situation went from bad to worse. In fact, Jesus’ days were very challenging times. But Jesus sent His spirit on all people as He’d promised. Then sons and daughters prophesied, young men saw visions, and old men dream dreams. God can do the same things in our days despite the pandemic. America needs this Spirit without measure to serve all nations as a kingdom of God.Today I like to encourage young men to open your mouth wide. God will fill it! Have a spiritual ambition like Elisha and follow Jesus closely by committing all your hearts and be filled with the Spirit! Then you will fulfill your life! How about us who are getting old? No Pb! Let’s open our mouths wide too. God will fill it! We can do greater things with God’s spirit.

Now Elijah replied in v 10 “You have asked a difficult thing,” Elijah said, “yet if you see me when I am taken from you, it will be yours—otherwise, it will not.” It was a hard thing for him to give spirit because it was totally up to God. But he said, “Yet if you see me when I am taken from you, it will be yours.” Elijah personally wanted & believed that God would grant him the double spirit when he was taken from him. It was his earnest prayer for him to have it too.

Look at v 11-12. “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.12 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 garment and tore it in two. To the last minute Elijah was walking along and talking together with Elisha. What kind of talking could it be? He must have told everything he had in mind to Elisha so that he may be fully ready to serve the Lord. Then suddenly a chariot of fire and horses of fire appeared and separated the two of them. Elijah went up to heaven. It was a spectacular scene that Elisha could witness only. It was a heavenly reception and rich welcome for Elijah. He was known as an enemy of Ahab. He was constantly threatened to be killed. He ran away. He was so humiliated that he wanted to die. But God did not let him die miserably. Rather he was asked to raise leaders, esp., Elisha until he was ready to serve God. Now his mission from the Lord is done! Now he is welcomed richly to heaven. He is taken to heaven gloriously. Elisha cries out, “My father! My father! The chariots and horsemen of Israel!” The relationship between them was that of a father and son. They dearly loved each other. His spiritual father Elijah is the very chariot and horsemen in truly defending Israel. It was a cry, out of great loss for the whole nation. Then he tore his clothes. Elisha must have remembered this glorious day throughout his mission life as Jesus remembered J’A.

Part 3, God’s affirmation (13-25)

In this last part, Elisha’s request of asking for a double portion of spirit was honored and granted by the Lord. That's why I titled this part as God’s affirmation! Look at v13-14. Elisha then picked up Elijah’s cloak that had fallen from him and went back and stood on the bank of the Jordan. 14 He took the cloak that had fallen from Elijah 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. Taking Elijah’s cloak left behind for him, Elisha went back to the Jordan and struck the water with it by saying, “Where now is the Lord, the God of Elijah?” Then the water was divided like Elijah did. As he earnestly desired, it was a sign that God answered his prayer & affirmed that he had received the spirit of Elijah. God’s spirit was now on him. God becomes the “God of Elisha!”.

Look at v15. “The company of the prophets from Jericho, who were watching, said, “The spirit of Elijah is resting on Elisha.” And they went to meet him and bowed to the ground before him.” The company of the prophets from Jericho were watching as Elisha divided the water, saying, “The spirit of Elijah is resting on Elisha.” It means, “Elisha takes Elijah’s place!” Then they bowed to the ground before him. He was affirmed by the human fellow prophets who witnessed that Elijah’s spirit was on him.

Look at v16-18. “Look,” they said, “we your servants have fifty able men. Let them go and look for your master. Perhaps the Spirit of the Lord has picked him up and set him down on some mountain or in some valley.” “No,” Elisha replied, “do not send them.” 17 But they persisted until he was too embarrassed to refuse. So he said, “Send them.” And they sent fifty men, who searched for three days but did not find him. 18 When they returned to Elisha, who was staying in Jericho, he said to them, “Didn’t I tell you not to go?” (You guys get it finally?) Elisha only knew what was really going on. Still people who did not know it tried to search Elijah’s body by their own reasoning & ability. But they failed. He helped them to accept the ascension of Elijah & his body. It was a new thing! Elisha helped them to accept God’s work.

Look at v19-22. “The people of the city said to Elisha, “Look, our lord, this town is well situated, as you can see, but the water is bad and the land is unproductive.” 20 “Bring me a new bowl,” he said, “and put salt in it.” So they brought it to him. 21 Then he went out to the spring and threw the salt into it, saying, “This is what the Lord says: ‘I have healed this water. Never again will it cause death or make the land unproductive.’” 22 And the water has remained pure to this day, according to the word Elisha had spoken.” The people of the city of Jericho asked Elisha to do something to treat the bad water causing the land to be unproductive. Immediately he asked them to bring a bowl and asked them to put salt on it. Then he went to the spring. By spirit he threw salt into it and said, This is what the Lord says: ‘I have healed this water. Never again will it cause death or make the land unproductive.’ Then the water of the spring became pure. It was God’s other affirmation that Elisha received the spirit of truth backed by what God says. Today many people drink bad water and die spiritually as they hear the devil's lies. But our salt, the Words of God gives new life to anyone who hears Him. By spirit we can preach the word in season out of season to cure the people in our times.

Look at v 23-25. “From there Elisha went up to Bethel. As he was walking along the road, some boys came out of the town and jeered at him. “Get out of here, baldy!” they said. “Get out of here, baldy!” 24 He turned around, looked at them and called down a curse on them in the name of the Lord. Then two bears came out of the woods and mauled forty-two of the boys. 25 And he went on to Mount Carmel and from there returned to Samaria.” Elisha was ridiculed by some boys who shouted, “Get out of here, baldy repeatedly! What do you remember about Bethel? Bethel has been one of major idol worship centers since Jeroboam. They must have grown up with the increasingly unbelieving atmosphere. People had no respect for God and his servant, Elijah, & now Elisha who represented God. He turned around and called down a curse on them in the name of the Lord. It was not for personal revenge, but to punish blasphemers of God. Suddenly two bears came out of the woods and mauled forty-two boys. This event revealed that God confirmed Elisha’s authority as a new leader and answered his prayer to inherit the spirit. When people mock God and His servants, it is hard to do the work of God. Last week, one of us went out fishing and asked a student for a Bible study. But she called campus police for harassment. It was a little bit of a surprising response. But when we are full of the Spirit and His word of authority, we can overcome all difficulties to serve God.

When I prepared this message, I was reminded of how an atomic bomb works. When a single free neutron strikes the nucleus of Uranium, it splits into two & a tremendous amount of energy is released. This chain reaction spreads quickly to make a massive atomic bomb explosion. As one neutron hits Uranium, Elijah had a great impact on Elisha. Elisha received a double portion of his spirit. Then he impacted others like a chain Rx. It is God’s way of multiplication through 1 to 1. It continues in our days! Even among us through campus fishing & 1 to 1. It is God’s game changing weapon. God’s spirit spreads like a chain Rx, creating God’s tremendous energy, the Spirit, becoming a massive spiritual atomic bomb to make America alive again! Here is Andrew C’ 1st time 1 to 1 with Jorge in CCC. May God bless him to grow in God’s spirit!

Let us read key V 9. “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,” We live in a spiritually dark age like the times of Elijah and Elisha. But the situations are not the problems, but the lack of Spirit is the issue. When we have the Spirit, we can do God’s work no matter how dark. Let us ask for the double portion of God’s spirit and fulfill our calling and claim continuous victories. Also as God established Elisha as Elijah’s successor, God is truly the one who raises up the next generation. Then what shall we do? Like Elijah and Elisha, we can promote & develop strong relationships among us. God already blessed us with old and young people together. We should love & respect the old people, for they are our spiritual parents. We will also become the older generation. We need to prepare the next generation for what is to come. We should open minded, love and respect them & let the Holy Spirit do His work to set them on fire for God. Like chain Rx they will share Jesus with others. When we have such wonderful relationships, God’s kingdom grows & advances in and through us by dividing any Jordan water like obstacles in our days. May God bless us, young & old, to serve Campus outreach together by one Spirit.

One word: Be filled with the Spirit

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