1 00:00:06,240 --> 00:00:09,200 God is always in this. Seems to be in this habit of saving the very 2 00:00:09,200 --> 00:00:12,920 best for right now. And, guys, there's urine for a 3 00:00:12,920 --> 00:00:16,520 treat today. Not because she's so wonderful, which she is, but because the 4 00:00:16,520 --> 00:00:19,920 God inside her is wonderful. Pastor Barbie is going to bring the Word this morning. 5 00:00:19,920 --> 00:00:21,360 Would you welcome Pastor Barbie? 6 00:00:27,080 --> 00:00:30,760 Before we jump into the Word today, I have been studying 7 00:00:31,400 --> 00:00:35,000 with you guys about Elijah and Elisha, and I've just been 8 00:00:35,000 --> 00:00:38,120 carrying that in my spirit. And so this week, as I was 9 00:00:38,360 --> 00:00:42,200 studying it out and I was thinking about. No spoiler here, 10 00:00:43,080 --> 00:00:46,600 but Elijah gets carried away in a chariot of fire. 11 00:00:46,920 --> 00:00:50,760 Yeah, he does. And I was thinking about this 12 00:00:50,760 --> 00:00:54,400 relationship between Elijah and Elisha, and I was thinking about 13 00:00:54,400 --> 00:00:58,190 this discipling thing that takes place as we walk in the 14 00:00:58,420 --> 00:01:01,820 kingdom and we do what God has called us to do. And I got to 15 00:01:01,820 --> 00:01:05,540 thinking about, man, how many of y' all had a mama that served the Lord 16 00:01:06,900 --> 00:01:10,700 or a grandparent that served the Lord? And now 17 00:01:10,700 --> 00:01:14,260 you're sitting in this room with a purpose, for a reason, 18 00:01:14,580 --> 00:01:17,060 because of a faith that was a legacy. And 19 00:01:18,260 --> 00:01:22,020 I have that mama. I had that mom and dad that served the Lord. 20 00:01:22,020 --> 00:01:25,860 And one of the things that they used to do, they used to sing 21 00:01:25,860 --> 00:01:29,700 this song called Ain't no Grave. Now, 22 00:01:29,700 --> 00:01:33,480 see, it used to be that you told stories to 23 00:01:33,480 --> 00:01:37,320 give histories. It used to be that you sung a song to tell 24 00:01:37,320 --> 00:01:41,000 the histories. And my mom and daddy would sing this song, ain't 25 00:01:41,000 --> 00:01:44,840 no Grave. Now, now, I wish you could have known when my mama was 26 00:01:44,840 --> 00:01:48,480 a shouter and my dad was a holder on to her, 27 00:01:48,480 --> 00:01:52,240 and he'd be like, okay, Barbara, we're 28 00:01:52,240 --> 00:01:54,480 gonna find your shoes. After church today. 29 00:01:56,240 --> 00:01:59,680 The last time I heard my mom and daddy sing this song, they were 30 00:01:59,680 --> 00:02:03,360 standing on a porch in the middle of downtown Alver Springs. 31 00:02:03,440 --> 00:02:06,760 And my daddy was playing the guitar, and my mom was singing, and he was 32 00:02:06,760 --> 00:02:10,200 trying to keep her on that platform because she was 33 00:02:10,200 --> 00:02:14,040 sharing what she knew to be true. She was sharing a story 34 00:02:14,040 --> 00:02:17,880 that told about a God who loved her, about a battle 35 00:02:17,880 --> 00:02:21,720 between Satan and the angel armies, the battle that would take 36 00:02:21,720 --> 00:02:25,200 place and the victories that would be won. She was sharing the histories. 37 00:02:25,600 --> 00:02:29,260 Now, my mama sang it. Now my daughter's gonna sing it. 38 00:02:33,660 --> 00:02:37,460 Because, guys, if we do this thing, if we really believe 39 00:02:37,460 --> 00:02:41,100 what we say, we believe. What she handed down to me 40 00:02:41,260 --> 00:02:44,420 is what I need to hand down to Katie and to Erin and what Erin 41 00:02:44,420 --> 00:02:48,220 and Katie need to hand down to Rowan and Nora and Alyssa 42 00:02:48,380 --> 00:02:52,140 and Bo and Parker. Because if we really believe 43 00:02:52,220 --> 00:02:56,060 this, it doesn't stop Here. The kingdom didn't begin with 44 00:02:56,060 --> 00:02:59,100 us, and it will not end with us unless he comes. 45 00:03:00,120 --> 00:03:03,640 Amen. Amen. So since I 46 00:03:03,640 --> 00:03:07,480 absolutely cannot hit any of these notes, we are 47 00:03:07,480 --> 00:03:11,120 gonna stand up, and they are gonna share ain't no grave. And let me tell 48 00:03:11,120 --> 00:03:14,840 you something. Here's what I want in your spirit during this time. We're 49 00:03:14,840 --> 00:03:18,440 gonna worship with them as they tell the history and they tell the 50 00:03:18,440 --> 00:03:21,880 story. I want you to grab hold of yours, and I want you to grab 51 00:03:21,880 --> 00:03:25,480 hold of the fact that you are passing down something that you truly 52 00:03:25,480 --> 00:03:29,280 believe to those sitting next to you, to those that you're raising in your 53 00:03:29,280 --> 00:03:33,020 household, because let me tell you something. Believe in the resurrection of 54 00:03:33,020 --> 00:03:36,740 Jesus Christ. I believe it. My life is built on it. It's why 55 00:03:36,740 --> 00:03:40,340 I'm here today. There ain't no grave 56 00:03:40,980 --> 00:03:44,780 gonna hold his body down. It didn't hold his down, and it will not hold 57 00:03:44,780 --> 00:03:46,980 yours down. So let's stand and let's go there. 58 00:03:51,220 --> 00:03:54,500 Bless you, Lord. Bless you, Lord. I believe it. 59 00:03:55,060 --> 00:03:58,620 I believe it. My mom believes it. I'm 60 00:03:58,620 --> 00:04:02,020 standing over there thinking, yeah, Daddy, I had to chase her down a few times. 61 00:04:03,900 --> 00:04:07,260 She would have been so proud. I tell you what she'd been like, girl, 62 00:04:07,340 --> 00:04:11,100 testify. And that's what we do. We 63 00:04:11,100 --> 00:04:14,380 testify of the goodness of the Lord. He is 64 00:04:14,380 --> 00:04:18,180 faithful. I feel a little bit like Nate Bergatzi when he's 65 00:04:18,180 --> 00:04:21,660 talking about, you know, his daughter or he's talking about 66 00:04:21,740 --> 00:04:24,740 his sister and everything. And then all of a sudden, he goes, oh, yeah, we 67 00:04:24,740 --> 00:04:28,300 got another brother. Anyway, I have another son. 68 00:04:30,680 --> 00:04:34,000 Matthew and Rachel are doing a phenomenal job with their four 69 00:04:34,000 --> 00:04:37,760 babies, too. I was then looking over there, that's such 70 00:04:37,760 --> 00:04:40,360 a thing to do to a middle child. You know? 71 00:04:41,640 --> 00:04:44,920 I love you, John Matthew. He probably will not watch this, but just in case. 72 00:04:44,920 --> 00:04:46,839 I really love you. And 73 00:04:48,920 --> 00:04:52,600 God is so good, is he not good, guys? Do you believe 74 00:04:52,680 --> 00:04:56,120 that? Do you believe that it doesn't stop here. 75 00:04:56,440 --> 00:04:59,520 Do you believe that there is more to the story? I tell you what, I 76 00:04:59,520 --> 00:05:02,820 wouldn't be sitting here if I didn't believe it. I wouldn't be standing here. I 77 00:05:02,820 --> 00:05:06,380 wouldn't have taught it to my children if I didn't believe it. This is 78 00:05:06,380 --> 00:05:09,540 just. We get to be a part of a 79 00:05:10,100 --> 00:05:13,820 long chain of sharing the stories and 80 00:05:13,820 --> 00:05:17,500 the testimonies of Christ. And that's what I want to do with you this morning 81 00:05:17,500 --> 00:05:20,980 as we jump into a teaching on Elijah and 82 00:05:20,980 --> 00:05:24,580 Elisha. Wow. Could I have gotten a better assignment? 83 00:05:24,740 --> 00:05:28,500 I don't think so. Thank you for that, Pastor Kevin. This 84 00:05:28,500 --> 00:05:31,990 Is this one? I, I, I, I. 85 00:05:33,750 --> 00:05:37,590 It's just good. Okay. So last week, Pastor Kevin left 86 00:05:37,590 --> 00:05:41,350 us with these words he was talking about. Elijah had had a pretty bad 87 00:05:41,350 --> 00:05:43,750 week. Elijah had been 88 00:05:44,869 --> 00:05:48,710 chased by Jezebel, had threatened his life, hadn't gone 89 00:05:48,710 --> 00:05:52,190 well for him. It says he took off to the mountain. Is it 90 00:05:52,190 --> 00:05:55,870 Horeb, the mountain of the Lord. And there he 91 00:05:55,870 --> 00:05:59,390 hid in the cave. And one of Pastor Kevin's last 92 00:05:59,390 --> 00:06:03,010 questions were the words that 93 00:06:03,410 --> 00:06:06,930 God spoke to Elijah at the mouth of the cave. Why 94 00:06:07,010 --> 00:06:10,690 are you here? Why are you here? 95 00:06:11,890 --> 00:06:15,570 Why are you here? And it was a heart check, and it was a question 96 00:06:15,570 --> 00:06:19,170 to go, why are you ordering your life the way that you're 97 00:06:19,170 --> 00:06:22,850 ordering it? I mean, for me, I'm going, why did you come here 98 00:06:22,850 --> 00:06:26,410 this morning? Why are you reading the 99 00:06:26,410 --> 00:06:29,810 Bible? Why are you teaching your kids about faith? Why, 100 00:06:30,790 --> 00:06:34,470 if it's something that you carry and it's so strong, why? And if you 101 00:06:34,470 --> 00:06:38,310 do believe this the way that you believe this, there is so much 102 00:06:38,310 --> 00:06:42,150 to grab onto. And I believe the Lord gives us teachings 103 00:06:42,230 --> 00:06:45,590 through his Word that give us encouragement in how to do that. 104 00:06:45,910 --> 00:06:49,110 Now, when he actually closed the service last week, 105 00:06:49,430 --> 00:06:53,110 Elijah had come out of the cave. The Lord had spoken to him, asked 106 00:06:53,110 --> 00:06:56,910 him, why are you here? You know, I'm pretty sure the 107 00:06:56,910 --> 00:07:00,310 Lord knew why he was there. He was just making sure Elijah knew why he 108 00:07:00,310 --> 00:07:03,930 was there. And sometimes that's what the Lord doing with us. And the second 109 00:07:03,930 --> 00:07:07,330 thing that he asked him or the second thing he told him was, go back 110 00:07:07,570 --> 00:07:11,170 the way you came. Go back the way you 111 00:07:11,170 --> 00:07:14,970 came. And that's where Pastor Kevin left us with the words 112 00:07:14,970 --> 00:07:18,810 last week. And the passage of Scripture that comes next is where we 113 00:07:18,810 --> 00:07:22,450 are going to start. It's going to be our jumping off point. And 114 00:07:22,450 --> 00:07:26,170 so Elijah has come out of the cave. The Lord has said, what 115 00:07:26,170 --> 00:07:29,940 do you think you're doing? I'm paraphrasing. And. And 116 00:07:29,940 --> 00:07:33,180 then he goes, okay, here's what we're going to do. Here are your next instructions. 117 00:07:33,180 --> 00:07:35,260 You're coming out of the cave, and this is what you're going to do. So 118 00:07:35,260 --> 00:07:38,694 if you would stand with me, we're going to read First Kings 19, 16, 119 00:07:38,812 --> 00:07:41,940 21. Actually, we're going to jump around a little bit in it so you don't 120 00:07:41,940 --> 00:07:45,579 have to read the whole passages. We're just going to get into this particular 121 00:07:45,740 --> 00:07:49,580 part and we'll see what the instructions of the Lord were to Elijah when he 122 00:07:49,580 --> 00:07:53,020 came out of the cave. Let's read it, as Pastor 123 00:07:53,180 --> 00:07:56,970 Kevin says, with gusto. When you get there, anoint 124 00:07:57,050 --> 00:08:00,730 Hazael king over Aram. Also anoint 125 00:08:00,730 --> 00:08:04,090 Jehu son of Nimshi, king over 126 00:08:04,090 --> 00:08:07,530 Israel. And anoint Elisha son of 127 00:08:07,530 --> 00:08:10,330 Shaphat from the Abel Mehloa. 128 00:08:12,730 --> 00:08:16,170 Okay, let's read that last part. Anoint Elisha 129 00:08:16,490 --> 00:08:20,010 son of Shaphat from Abel Meholoah 130 00:08:20,410 --> 00:08:23,450 to succeed you as prophet. And 131 00:08:24,170 --> 00:08:27,690 so Elijah went from there and found Elisha 132 00:08:27,770 --> 00:08:31,610 son of Shaphat. He was plowing with 12 yoke 133 00:08:31,610 --> 00:08:35,410 of oxen, and he himself was driving the 12th 134 00:08:35,410 --> 00:08:39,090 pair. Elijah went up to him and threw 135 00:08:39,090 --> 00:08:42,690 his cloak around him. Elisha then left his 136 00:08:42,690 --> 00:08:46,450 oxen and ran after Elijah. Let 137 00:08:46,450 --> 00:08:50,210 me kiss my father and mother goodbye, he said, and 138 00:08:50,210 --> 00:08:53,910 then I will come with you. Elisha left him, 139 00:08:54,150 --> 00:08:57,950 went back. He took his yoke of oxen and slaughtered 140 00:08:57,950 --> 00:09:01,590 them. He burned the plow, cooked the meat, and 141 00:09:01,590 --> 00:09:05,190 gave it to the people, and they ate. Then he set out 142 00:09:05,190 --> 00:09:08,990 to follow Elijah and became his servant. Father 143 00:09:08,990 --> 00:09:12,590 God, I thank you so much for your word, Lord. Thank you for 144 00:09:12,590 --> 00:09:16,310 letting me share what you've shown me. Thank you, Lord, that 145 00:09:16,790 --> 00:09:20,190 you will get it exactly where it needs to go. I pray, Father God, that 146 00:09:20,190 --> 00:09:23,740 our hearts would be taught of you today, Lord, not taught of me. But 147 00:09:24,770 --> 00:09:28,570 Lord, I pray that my stuff would fall and yours would stand. We're 148 00:09:28,570 --> 00:09:32,370 gonna lean in and listen for your voice this morning, in Jesus name, 149 00:09:32,370 --> 00:09:36,010 Amen. Amen. Now let me tell 150 00:09:36,010 --> 00:09:39,530 you something. When I got into that passage of scripture, 151 00:09:39,530 --> 00:09:43,330 there's a part of that that grabbed me. We actually read 152 00:09:43,330 --> 00:09:47,170 it twice when it said, go and anoint Elisha 153 00:09:47,810 --> 00:09:50,050 as your successor as prophet. 154 00:09:52,370 --> 00:09:56,010 What? I'm just thinking what my response 155 00:09:56,010 --> 00:09:59,250 might have been of going, what? 156 00:10:00,130 --> 00:10:03,850 I know I had a bad week. I 157 00:10:03,850 --> 00:10:07,650 know I've been hiding in this cave for a while, but now I'm 158 00:10:07,650 --> 00:10:10,930 getting replaced. You know, that might be what 159 00:10:11,090 --> 00:10:14,770 Insecure Barbie would say. Hey, you know what? Mattel never 160 00:10:14,770 --> 00:10:15,730 created that one. 161 00:10:19,460 --> 00:10:22,740 I'm gonna have to call them because I think it would be a big seller 162 00:10:22,740 --> 00:10:26,380 anyway. Insecure Barbie, 163 00:10:26,380 --> 00:10:28,740 she's like, should I wear this or should I 164 00:10:32,900 --> 00:10:36,660 woo, come back. Anyway, I 165 00:10:36,660 --> 00:10:39,140 was thinking about that. And I was thinking about, you know, if you did that 166 00:10:39,140 --> 00:10:42,660 today. Actually, our elder board did that to us 167 00:10:43,140 --> 00:10:46,900 a few years ago, and it was absolutely the right thing to do. 168 00:10:47,060 --> 00:10:50,260 They begin to go, okay, what's next? Who's 169 00:10:50,800 --> 00:10:53,520 are you training? The person behind you. And we're like, 170 00:10:54,480 --> 00:10:58,000 are we done? You know, the insecure side of you goes, but what? 171 00:10:58,160 --> 00:11:01,440 But the spiritual God kingdom side of you should go, 172 00:11:01,440 --> 00:11:05,280 absolutely, absolutely, Lord. Because if you tarry 173 00:11:05,360 --> 00:11:09,080 it doesn't end here. So, Lord, where should I sow and 174 00:11:09,080 --> 00:11:12,920 where should I go? And I felt like when I was studying 175 00:11:12,920 --> 00:11:16,680 this, the Lord gave me this phrase, every transition requires an 176 00:11:16,680 --> 00:11:20,310 evolution. We evolve into and 177 00:11:20,310 --> 00:11:24,070 out of transition. Okay, this 178 00:11:24,070 --> 00:11:27,590 is really important. And I'm. We don't like change. 179 00:11:28,950 --> 00:11:32,790 We don't like change, especially if it affects us or feels like 180 00:11:32,790 --> 00:11:35,510 it takes something out of our hands. Change is hard. 181 00:11:36,630 --> 00:11:40,390 Change is hard. I mean, even the good things, it's hard. And 182 00:11:40,390 --> 00:11:44,110 to evolve means to move slowly into a 183 00:11:44,110 --> 00:11:47,940 more advanced position and sometimes 184 00:11:47,940 --> 00:11:51,220 or more advanced state, sometimes we have to 185 00:11:51,460 --> 00:11:55,060 allow ourselves time to evolve into a 186 00:11:55,060 --> 00:11:58,260 more kingdom advanced state 187 00:11:58,660 --> 00:12:02,020 when the Lord gives us a word. And see, that's the kicker. 188 00:12:02,420 --> 00:12:05,540 Elijah received a word from the Lord 189 00:12:06,740 --> 00:12:10,340 God. Transition requires a God word, a God 190 00:12:10,340 --> 00:12:14,140 word. We don't get there. It's so as hard as our flesh tries to stick 191 00:12:14,140 --> 00:12:17,850 and stay and do, it's so hard for us to let 192 00:12:17,850 --> 00:12:21,410 go unless we have a word from the Lord. 193 00:12:22,290 --> 00:12:25,890 Nowhere in this passage of scripture, when the Lord tells 194 00:12:25,970 --> 00:12:29,690 Elijah, I want you to go anoint your successor, nowhere do 195 00:12:29,690 --> 00:12:33,010 I see Elijah going, but God. 196 00:12:34,450 --> 00:12:38,250 Now, maybe he did internally, I don't know. But it obviously wasn't worthy of 197 00:12:38,250 --> 00:12:41,170 the page anyway. But God, 198 00:12:42,050 --> 00:12:45,490 I still got a lot of good years left in me. That's not the point. 199 00:12:45,810 --> 00:12:49,590 The point is Elijah knew God voice. And 200 00:12:49,590 --> 00:12:53,350 when you know God's voice, when you know 201 00:12:53,350 --> 00:12:57,150 God's voice, what you going to do with that? When the Lord speaks, here's what 202 00:12:57,150 --> 00:13:00,110 you got to do. A God word requires a kingdom response. 203 00:13:01,950 --> 00:13:05,390 And sometimes we have to sit on it for just a minute 204 00:13:06,270 --> 00:13:09,710 before we can give a kingdom response to something that's 205 00:13:09,710 --> 00:13:13,430 affecting our flesh. What's the right 206 00:13:13,430 --> 00:13:17,080 thing, Lord? Am I thinking about me or am I thinking about 207 00:13:17,160 --> 00:13:20,920 them? Am I thinking about advancing the kingdom 208 00:13:21,080 --> 00:13:24,680 or promoting myself? What is 209 00:13:24,680 --> 00:13:28,360 the kingdom response in this? Now, remember I 210 00:13:28,360 --> 00:13:31,400 said this is because you believe what you say. You believe 211 00:13:32,520 --> 00:13:36,200 that you are part of a long lineage of people leading toward him, 212 00:13:37,240 --> 00:13:40,920 leaning toward him. And how do we advance the 213 00:13:40,920 --> 00:13:44,750 kingdom? And I'm not talking about grow in the kingdom. There's a 214 00:13:44,750 --> 00:13:48,510 difference. Cause you can fill a room and you can make it really 215 00:13:48,510 --> 00:13:52,110 big, full of people and make no progress forward in the 216 00:13:52,110 --> 00:13:55,870 kingdom. And the best thing we can do the way that we do this, 217 00:13:55,870 --> 00:13:58,150 guys, it's generational exchange. 218 00:13:59,590 --> 00:14:03,270 If I love Beau Oliver, then my job 219 00:14:03,750 --> 00:14:07,430 is to disciple him in such a 220 00:14:07,430 --> 00:14:11,100 way that that whenever I leave, my 221 00:14:11,100 --> 00:14:14,860 ceiling becomes his floor. And if I take all of the 222 00:14:14,860 --> 00:14:18,540 secrets of the kingdom, all of the things the Lord has shown me how 223 00:14:18,540 --> 00:14:22,300 to do. And I hold them close because I don't want to teach anybody about 224 00:14:22,300 --> 00:14:25,300 this. Because if I teach them about it, they might be better at it than 225 00:14:25,300 --> 00:14:29,100 I am. Let them be better. Let them 226 00:14:29,100 --> 00:14:32,940 be better and see. So, Bo, aren't you so glad you're on the front row, 227 00:14:32,940 --> 00:14:36,380 buddy? Yeah. 228 00:14:37,620 --> 00:14:40,500 If I do what I'm called to do, and I do it correctly and 229 00:14:40,500 --> 00:14:44,220 unselfishly, then my stopping point should be 230 00:14:44,220 --> 00:14:47,980 his launch pad. But, guys, if 231 00:14:47,980 --> 00:14:51,820 we don't do that, they have to go back and relay foundations that we 232 00:14:51,820 --> 00:14:55,220 were supposed to lay a long time ago. Because in our 233 00:14:55,220 --> 00:14:58,820 insecurity, we don't give it all to them. We gotta start 234 00:14:58,820 --> 00:15:02,020 giving it all to them. Ay yai yai. 235 00:15:02,660 --> 00:15:06,250 Anyway, God word requires a kingdom response. 236 00:15:06,490 --> 00:15:10,170 And that's what we get here with Elijah and Elisha. 237 00:15:10,490 --> 00:15:14,170 One of the things that impressed me about Elisha 238 00:15:14,410 --> 00:15:18,130 was Elisha was a 239 00:15:18,130 --> 00:15:21,970 servant by choice, not by station. Now, 240 00:15:21,970 --> 00:15:25,130 let's talk about this one for a minute. How do we know this? It does 241 00:15:25,130 --> 00:15:28,010 not. There's not a, you know, habascus 4 that says 242 00:15:28,490 --> 00:15:32,170 Elisha was a servant by choice, not by station. But the Lord shows us things 243 00:15:32,170 --> 00:15:35,750 in his Word that we can glean from. And we just read in a 244 00:15:35,750 --> 00:15:39,590 passage of Scripture that Elijah, when he went to find 245 00:15:39,590 --> 00:15:43,150 Elisha, Elisha was 246 00:15:43,150 --> 00:15:46,150 plowing in a field with 12 yoke of oxen. 247 00:15:46,790 --> 00:15:50,630 And he himself, according to Scripture, was driving the 12th pair. 248 00:15:51,109 --> 00:15:54,630 Driving the 12th pair. Why does that matter? Because 249 00:15:55,430 --> 00:15:59,070 I come from a farming family. Shouting and farming 250 00:15:59,070 --> 00:16:02,720 family. You know, I'm sorry I said that. And if you were gonna 251 00:16:02,720 --> 00:16:06,160 plow a field, you staggered the 252 00:16:06,160 --> 00:16:10,000 oxen. You would send a plow an oxen, and 253 00:16:10,160 --> 00:16:13,760 that person would go and let them get just a little bit down the 254 00:16:13,760 --> 00:16:17,280 row. Then you would send the next plow and the next oxen. 255 00:16:17,360 --> 00:16:20,720 And so eventually it's just like this, the side of a V, 256 00:16:21,600 --> 00:16:25,200 and you're staggering the plows for a couple of reasons. You stagger them 257 00:16:25,200 --> 00:16:28,720 because if you put the oxen up next to each other, they're distracted and they'll 258 00:16:28,720 --> 00:16:32,400 go toward one another. And so they would be sent not only 259 00:16:33,260 --> 00:16:36,980 the field tilled better because what the first one plowed, the second 260 00:16:36,980 --> 00:16:40,420 one replowed the side of it. And so eventually you're getting a double 261 00:16:40,420 --> 00:16:44,140 plow anyway. Why does that matter? Well, it matters because 262 00:16:44,460 --> 00:16:48,300 Elisha was driving the 12th pair, and 263 00:16:48,300 --> 00:16:51,820 the 12th pair of oxen was the last to go. That 264 00:16:51,820 --> 00:16:55,100 meant that person ate the dust of the first 11. 265 00:16:56,220 --> 00:17:00,020 Okay? And it was usually the lowest man on the 266 00:17:00,020 --> 00:17:03,820 totem pole that got that 12th plow. Now, so that could lead us to believe. 267 00:17:03,820 --> 00:17:07,280 Okay, well, maybe. Maybe Elisha was just the lowest one. Nope. Au 268 00:17:07,280 --> 00:17:09,320 contraire, mon frere. Anyway, 269 00:17:11,800 --> 00:17:14,120 I also speak pig Latin. Anyway. 270 00:17:16,280 --> 00:17:20,080 No, because what we see in the passage of Scripture is that when Elijah tells 271 00:17:20,080 --> 00:17:23,560 him we are going, you know, when he calls him and anoints him, 272 00:17:23,880 --> 00:17:26,840 it says that Elijah, 273 00:17:27,640 --> 00:17:31,410 Elisha went back. What did he do? He burned 274 00:17:31,410 --> 00:17:34,690 the yoke. He killed the oxen. 275 00:17:35,250 --> 00:17:38,970 He distributed the meat to the people. Do you think a 276 00:17:38,970 --> 00:17:42,650 laborer in a field would have the right to go and burn the man's 277 00:17:42,650 --> 00:17:45,970 property? Seriously? No. 278 00:17:47,570 --> 00:17:51,410 If he had the ownership. Now, whether he owned the field or whether his 279 00:17:51,410 --> 00:17:55,010 parents did whatever it did, there was a level of ownership and 280 00:17:55,010 --> 00:17:58,650 authority enough in him that he went back and he burned it 281 00:17:58,650 --> 00:18:02,060 all and he offered it to the people. Now, there's so much 282 00:18:02,060 --> 00:18:05,740 prophetic in that, guys. There's so much prophetic in that. Not only 283 00:18:05,740 --> 00:18:09,260 did he tell his mother and father his past and all that he had known 284 00:18:09,260 --> 00:18:12,860 goodbye, he also burned the plow. His 285 00:18:12,860 --> 00:18:16,580 mode of making a living, his mode of taking care 286 00:18:16,580 --> 00:18:20,420 of things, and he distributed the meat to me, which was 287 00:18:20,420 --> 00:18:24,260 a. What he was going to actually be doing the rest of his life is 288 00:18:24,260 --> 00:18:28,030 distributing to the people what he had. And 289 00:18:28,750 --> 00:18:32,550 if you don't have the authority to do that, how could you 290 00:18:32,550 --> 00:18:36,270 go and do that? So that tells me something about Elisha. It tells 291 00:18:36,270 --> 00:18:39,990 me he was a servant. He chose the 12th 292 00:18:39,990 --> 00:18:43,630 yoke. Guys, sometimes we need to be mindful 293 00:18:43,870 --> 00:18:47,510 of choosing the 12th yoke. Sometimes we're so 294 00:18:47,510 --> 00:18:51,030 quick to want to grab hold of that front thing that we 295 00:18:51,030 --> 00:18:54,430 lose the power of walking in the 12th place. 296 00:18:54,830 --> 00:18:57,100 That's a whole other teaching. But anyway, and 297 00:18:58,700 --> 00:19:02,460 Elijah goes toward Elisha, and Elisha knew 298 00:19:02,460 --> 00:19:06,260 him. I mean, everything that I read in Scripture tells 299 00:19:06,260 --> 00:19:09,580 me this. Our mantles often define us. 300 00:19:09,820 --> 00:19:13,059 When Elisha. When 301 00:19:13,059 --> 00:19:16,660 Elijah there was a king and he had fallen through the 302 00:19:16,660 --> 00:19:20,220 window, he had fallen through the latticework at his house, and he 303 00:19:20,540 --> 00:19:23,820 wanted somebody to tell him if he was going to live or die. 304 00:19:24,220 --> 00:19:27,980 And. And so he sends a guy, and the 305 00:19:27,980 --> 00:19:31,660 guy comes back and he says, I want you to go and treat of Beelzebub. 306 00:19:32,140 --> 00:19:34,220 I want you to go and treat. And I want you to find out if 307 00:19:34,220 --> 00:19:37,660 I'm going to die. And the guy comes back, says, you going to die? 308 00:19:38,140 --> 00:19:41,740 And he said, who told you that? And he said, well, there was a man, 309 00:19:41,740 --> 00:19:45,500 and he had this Cloak. He had this cloak. And he begins 310 00:19:45,500 --> 00:19:48,860 to describe this cloak of Elijah. It's called an 311 00:19:49,020 --> 00:19:52,500 Atarath, and it is a cloak that is doubly wide. The 312 00:19:52,500 --> 00:19:56,220 prophet's cloak was doubly wide. I think it's really interesting, though, 313 00:19:56,600 --> 00:20:00,280 because we're going to jump back to Elisha in a minute. So that king 314 00:20:00,280 --> 00:20:03,880 didn't like the answer, so he sent 50 men to go back and 315 00:20:03,880 --> 00:20:07,640 inquire. Well, you remember that story about the fire 316 00:20:08,120 --> 00:20:11,760 and stuff that Kevin. Well, okay, they went through, like, three sets of 317 00:20:11,760 --> 00:20:15,520 50 men. And every time Elijah would send back, yes, 318 00:20:15,520 --> 00:20:17,960 he was going to die, but there were no men to carry the word back 319 00:20:17,960 --> 00:20:21,480 anyway. And finally, the third group goes. 320 00:20:21,640 --> 00:20:25,480 And the leader falls on his face before Elijah and says, don't kill 321 00:20:25,480 --> 00:20:29,300 us. Don't kill us. But the 322 00:20:29,300 --> 00:20:32,380 king wants to know, and he's like, you're going to die anyway. So they go 323 00:20:32,380 --> 00:20:35,700 back and tell the king, and he goes, what did he look like, this man? 324 00:20:35,940 --> 00:20:38,900 He said, well, he had this cloak, and he had a leather belt in it. 325 00:20:38,900 --> 00:20:41,140 And the king goes, oh, that was Elijah. 326 00:20:42,900 --> 00:20:46,420 Did you know sometimes we're known by the mantles we wear, the 327 00:20:46,420 --> 00:20:50,220 mantles we carry. That's why when you're with somebody and they go, oh, you 328 00:20:50,220 --> 00:20:54,060 know, it's, you know, Chelsea. It's Chelsea. You know, she's the one who 329 00:20:54,060 --> 00:20:57,440 sings here. She's the one who carries this. She's the one. And you begin to 330 00:20:57,670 --> 00:21:01,270 describe the mantle that she carries. And a lot of times, 331 00:21:01,270 --> 00:21:04,470 that's what we're known by. Right? That's why it's so hard to let it go. 332 00:21:04,470 --> 00:21:07,430 Anyway, so here we see 333 00:21:08,070 --> 00:21:11,350 Elisha in the field and Elijah coming toward him, 334 00:21:11,990 --> 00:21:15,190 which, by my way of thinking, if kings knew 335 00:21:15,750 --> 00:21:19,270 what Elijah was wearing, chances are the people in the field knew 336 00:21:19,270 --> 00:21:23,110 as well. Oh, I love this. I want to be on a tin roof porch 337 00:21:23,110 --> 00:21:23,590 right now. 338 00:21:29,430 --> 00:21:33,270 And so what we see Elijah do with this cloak 339 00:21:33,270 --> 00:21:37,110 that he has, it's not the picture. It's not the picture of him going 340 00:21:37,110 --> 00:21:40,750 out into the field, grabbing Elisha, taking 341 00:21:40,750 --> 00:21:44,310 his cloak off, and throwing it over him. This prophet's 342 00:21:44,470 --> 00:21:48,230 atarath, it had a leather belt around the prophet's waist, 343 00:21:48,470 --> 00:21:52,030 and there was a wing. It was doubly wide. And the 344 00:21:52,030 --> 00:21:55,790 picture that this paints is that he would go and he would throw 345 00:21:55,790 --> 00:21:59,630 that mantle around. Elisha didn't 346 00:21:59,630 --> 00:22:01,830 say he gave it to him, because if he'd already given it to him, what 347 00:22:01,830 --> 00:22:04,350 would be the point of him dropping it when he was. Anyway, we're just not 348 00:22:04,350 --> 00:22:08,110 going to go there. Anyway, he throws it around him. And there's 349 00:22:08,110 --> 00:22:11,910 a something about that. Knowing who Elijah was, knowing 350 00:22:11,910 --> 00:22:15,740 what he carried, knowing that Elisha had to know that. It's. 351 00:22:16,210 --> 00:22:19,930 It sparked all of these things in me. Because. Can I tell you something? When 352 00:22:19,930 --> 00:22:23,730 you get close to somebody who carries a similar anointing, don't you feel it? 353 00:22:24,610 --> 00:22:28,450 Don't you feel it? You don't even like it sometimes. It's 354 00:22:28,450 --> 00:22:31,170 like when I was running from the Lord, like, really 355 00:22:31,809 --> 00:22:35,650 intensely running from the Lord. I really hated to be around 356 00:22:35,650 --> 00:22:39,450 teachers who taught the Word. It 357 00:22:39,450 --> 00:22:42,740 was wonderful. And it was just because let me tell you, 358 00:22:44,730 --> 00:22:47,930 Scripture tells us that eternity is written on the hearts of men. 359 00:22:48,410 --> 00:22:52,210 Right? That's what Scripture says. So if you are a 360 00:22:52,210 --> 00:22:55,770 teacher and you're running from the Lord and 361 00:22:56,010 --> 00:22:59,370 you get around a good teacher, I feel like God just goes, 362 00:22:59,610 --> 00:23:03,450 let's touch the eternity on her heart for a minute. Let's just 363 00:23:03,450 --> 00:23:07,090 mess with this for a minute. And. And you walk around going, 364 00:23:07,090 --> 00:23:10,500 oh, God. Because he 365 00:23:10,500 --> 00:23:13,620 stirs us up. And I believe that when 366 00:23:14,180 --> 00:23:17,380 Elisha felt that covering 367 00:23:17,780 --> 00:23:21,580 of Elijah the prophet come around him, I believe there was something in 368 00:23:21,580 --> 00:23:25,220 him that just quickened and went, ah, I know what this 369 00:23:25,220 --> 00:23:28,180 means. I know what it means. And see, 370 00:23:28,820 --> 00:23:32,260 God will give us glimpses of our calling through the mantles worn by others. 371 00:23:33,300 --> 00:23:36,780 Have you ever. Have you seen that? Have you experienced that? 372 00:23:37,100 --> 00:23:40,740 Oh, I really. I just. Ugh, the way that he does 373 00:23:40,740 --> 00:23:44,340 that. That's why we have to share what the 374 00:23:44,340 --> 00:23:48,180 Lord has done. And sometimes, guys, in order to chase and in order to 375 00:23:48,180 --> 00:23:52,020 go do what God is calling us to do, sometimes we just gotta burn the 376 00:23:52,020 --> 00:23:55,860 yoke. Sometimes we just gotta burn the yoke and go, okay, 377 00:23:55,860 --> 00:23:59,500 this is what I expected to do the rest of my life. This is 378 00:23:59,500 --> 00:24:03,060 what I thought I was supposed to do, and it was a good thing. But, 379 00:24:03,060 --> 00:24:06,830 Lord, I have received a word from. From you. And I want to order my 380 00:24:06,830 --> 00:24:10,630 life according to the word that I have received, not according to what I 381 00:24:10,630 --> 00:24:14,430 assumed. I don't want to live my life based 382 00:24:14,430 --> 00:24:17,830 on an assumption. I want to live my life based 383 00:24:18,150 --> 00:24:21,510 on a word from the Lord. And so Elisha 384 00:24:22,070 --> 00:24:25,590 lays it all down and goes to follow Elijah. 385 00:24:26,150 --> 00:24:29,950 Now, see, there's a different kind of relationship that takes place 386 00:24:29,950 --> 00:24:33,550 here. To me, discipleship is not a casual 387 00:24:33,550 --> 00:24:36,870 relationship. It is intentional in purpose and 388 00:24:37,430 --> 00:24:41,270 deliberate in focus. I have messed up some 389 00:24:41,350 --> 00:24:44,830 relationships in my life by not allowing God to 390 00:24:44,830 --> 00:24:48,070 define them. Sometimes. 391 00:24:51,350 --> 00:24:55,070 Sometimes I have wanted a friend so bad that 392 00:24:55,070 --> 00:24:58,470 I've cultivated a friendship that had nothing to do with discipling 393 00:24:59,680 --> 00:25:03,080 and that's all well and good if that's what God has called you to be 394 00:25:03,080 --> 00:25:06,840 in their life as their best friend. Man, I need. I've got a wonderful 395 00:25:06,840 --> 00:25:10,480 bestie, but I have 396 00:25:10,480 --> 00:25:14,280 blown it at times because someone that I was 397 00:25:14,280 --> 00:25:17,840 called to disciple and speak into their life and lead toward the Lord, 398 00:25:18,320 --> 00:25:22,080 I led toward me and lost the authority to speak 399 00:25:22,080 --> 00:25:25,800 into their lives. And I know, I mean, people may 400 00:25:25,800 --> 00:25:29,260 feel differently about this, but I believe consecration lives looks different 401 00:25:29,900 --> 00:25:33,660 for people who step into teaching roles. That's why 402 00:25:33,660 --> 00:25:35,340 I didn't want to do it anyway. 403 00:25:37,740 --> 00:25:41,380 But I believe consecration and being set apart for a purpose and a 404 00:25:41,380 --> 00:25:44,659 goal is important. And I believe as a leader, it's 405 00:25:44,659 --> 00:25:48,180 extremely important that you allow the Lord to 406 00:25:48,180 --> 00:25:51,860 define the role of the relationships in your life. Because we 407 00:25:51,860 --> 00:25:55,680 can do much harm and we can do much good. And I 408 00:25:55,680 --> 00:25:58,280 want to do good in those relationships anyway. 409 00:26:00,200 --> 00:26:03,720 In our desire to create and accommodate friendships, we have the potential to lose 410 00:26:03,720 --> 00:26:07,320 disciples. That could just be for me. 411 00:26:08,120 --> 00:26:11,920 That could just be for me. Because I know of one particular instance in my 412 00:26:11,920 --> 00:26:15,760 life that God had called me to pour into a person, and I 413 00:26:15,760 --> 00:26:19,400 loved this person as a friend instead of 414 00:26:19,400 --> 00:26:23,170 leading them more toward the Lord and lost a level of 415 00:26:23,170 --> 00:26:25,970 authority with them. So I'm just going to leave that with you guys to deal 416 00:26:25,970 --> 00:26:29,810 with. And it's not just guys. It's not 417 00:26:29,810 --> 00:26:33,370 just, oh, well, I'm not a pastor. I'm not a this or that. What about 418 00:26:33,370 --> 00:26:37,130 at your work? What about at your work? Are you 419 00:26:37,130 --> 00:26:40,930 creating relationships where you have no authority to speak into their 420 00:26:40,930 --> 00:26:44,610 life because the life you live in front of them is not necessarily in 421 00:26:44,610 --> 00:26:48,260 keeping with the life that you live here? Are 422 00:26:48,260 --> 00:26:51,700 you pouring into the lives of the people that are around 423 00:26:52,020 --> 00:26:55,180 you? Here was the kicker. Elijah 424 00:26:55,180 --> 00:26:58,940 discipled and Elisha served and was known for it. You know 425 00:26:58,940 --> 00:27:02,619 what's so funny to me is the minute that that cloak 426 00:27:02,619 --> 00:27:06,260 went around Elisha, the minute that he. 427 00:27:06,340 --> 00:27:10,020 It went around him, you know, that he knew that he had 428 00:27:10,020 --> 00:27:13,730 just been called into office of a 429 00:27:13,730 --> 00:27:17,130 prophet, but he hadn't yet received the anointing 430 00:27:17,770 --> 00:27:21,410 of a prophet. And so now, knowing that he's a 431 00:27:21,410 --> 00:27:24,930 prophet, he went and he held his first prophetic 432 00:27:24,930 --> 00:27:25,530 conference. 433 00:27:29,530 --> 00:27:33,170 Happens every day. No, you know what he 434 00:27:33,170 --> 00:27:36,490 did? It said he went and he became an attendant for 435 00:27:36,730 --> 00:27:40,370 Elijah. He went and he served because that's what he 436 00:27:40,370 --> 00:27:43,650 did to the point that that's what he's known for. And you're like, oh, what 437 00:27:43,650 --> 00:27:47,460 did. Did he serve? Like, you know, six months of an 438 00:27:47,460 --> 00:27:51,220 apprenticeship? Oh, no. What about a Year. Maybe 439 00:27:51,220 --> 00:27:54,900 a year. No. Two years. Three 440 00:27:54,900 --> 00:27:58,300 years, Four years. Nope. 441 00:27:58,700 --> 00:28:02,300 He served almost a decade. Just following, 442 00:28:03,340 --> 00:28:07,140 you know, just following and learning the lessons of 443 00:28:07,140 --> 00:28:10,520 the mantle. Learning what God and being allowed. 444 00:28:11,790 --> 00:28:15,510 And see, he could have gone, oh, yeah, I 445 00:28:15,510 --> 00:28:18,430 am basically tonto to 446 00:28:18,990 --> 00:28:22,790 Elijah. You know, I am his right hand. But that wasn't what he was 447 00:28:22,790 --> 00:28:26,629 known for. It wasn't what he was known for. Here's the. Look at this. Look 448 00:28:26,629 --> 00:28:30,310 at this right here. Jehoshaphat 449 00:28:30,310 --> 00:28:33,830 asked, is there a prophet of the Lord here that we may inquire of the 450 00:28:33,830 --> 00:28:37,520 Lord through him? An officer of the king of Israel answered, elisha, 451 00:28:38,070 --> 00:28:41,510 son of Shaphat is here. He used to pour water 452 00:28:41,910 --> 00:28:45,750 on the hands of Elijah. Jehoshaphat 453 00:28:45,750 --> 00:28:49,470 said, the word of the Lord is with him now. You 454 00:28:49,470 --> 00:28:52,390 want to know what's really interesting about this is that 455 00:28:53,510 --> 00:28:57,230 Elisha had already parted the rivers. He 456 00:28:57,230 --> 00:29:00,230 had already parted the waters. He had already 457 00:29:00,550 --> 00:29:04,310 healed the waters of Jericho. And so when this man 458 00:29:04,310 --> 00:29:08,120 was asked, you know, is there someone we can inquire of? Oh, well, yeah, there's 459 00:29:08,120 --> 00:29:11,920 this guy. And he parted the waters, and he healed all the waters of 460 00:29:11,920 --> 00:29:15,760 Jericho. No, because that's not what the Lord wanted him 461 00:29:15,760 --> 00:29:19,280 to be known for. He was known for the way that he 462 00:29:19,280 --> 00:29:22,600 served. He poured water on the 463 00:29:22,600 --> 00:29:26,280 hands of Elijah. You know, one of the things my mommy used to do all 464 00:29:26,280 --> 00:29:29,560 the time, she'd say, take him a cup of water. Take him a cup of 465 00:29:29,560 --> 00:29:32,520 water. If we had guest speakers or if we had guest singers, take him a 466 00:29:32,520 --> 00:29:36,000 cup of water. And I knew why she made me do that. Cause she didn't 467 00:29:36,000 --> 00:29:39,640 want to. No, I'm kidding. She made me do 468 00:29:39,640 --> 00:29:43,480 that because she knew that Scripture said, if you give a prophet 469 00:29:43,480 --> 00:29:47,200 so much as a cup of water, you receive a prophet's 470 00:29:47,200 --> 00:29:50,960 reward. What if you serve 471 00:29:50,960 --> 00:29:54,640 one for 10 years? What if you just get in there and 472 00:29:54,640 --> 00:29:57,680 serve? Not with the goal of, oh, eventually they're going to quit and I'm going 473 00:29:57,680 --> 00:30:01,320 to get their position. You might, but you might not. 474 00:30:01,960 --> 00:30:05,240 But 10 years of a prophet's reward, 475 00:30:07,080 --> 00:30:10,760 and it wasn't a big thing. If you will go and do this, and you 476 00:30:10,760 --> 00:30:13,960 will do this, and you will do this. Give them a cup of water. 477 00:30:15,240 --> 00:30:18,720 Give them a cup of water. Guys, we are losing the 478 00:30:18,720 --> 00:30:21,920 ability to teach our children to drive the 12th set of 479 00:30:21,920 --> 00:30:25,640 plows. We are losing it. There's something 480 00:30:25,640 --> 00:30:29,170 in us that you know. A reward for everything. 481 00:30:29,330 --> 00:30:33,090 Now, this could get a little bit messy, so I'm gonna talk 482 00:30:33,090 --> 00:30:36,930 to Bo. Anyway, listen, 483 00:30:38,610 --> 00:30:42,250 I believe in giving kids an allowance so they Got some, as my 484 00:30:42,250 --> 00:30:46,050 mama would call it. They need some walking around money anyway, so she'd slide a 485 00:30:46,050 --> 00:30:49,850 dollar into their pocket. But we shouldn't have to pay our 486 00:30:49,850 --> 00:30:53,630 kids to do chores at our house. They live there. 487 00:30:54,660 --> 00:30:58,260 That's your food they're eating. That's your bed they're sleeping in. 488 00:30:58,500 --> 00:31:02,220 Yes, bless them. Give them some money. Walking around money to do 489 00:31:02,220 --> 00:31:05,940 something, but don't pay them because they live in your house 490 00:31:05,940 --> 00:31:08,900 and you want them to put their own cup in the dishwasher. 491 00:31:19,710 --> 00:31:23,510 Jesus, help me, oh, Lord. Now let's 492 00:31:23,510 --> 00:31:27,150 take that one step forward. Love, big 493 00:31:27,230 --> 00:31:30,910 live truth. Healthy family. 494 00:31:32,110 --> 00:31:35,910 Family. This is your house. This is your 495 00:31:35,910 --> 00:31:39,710 house. We need your help. We 496 00:31:39,710 --> 00:31:43,390 need your help. If we had the opportunity, man, 497 00:31:44,190 --> 00:31:47,900 we would give you everything that we have, but we just need your 498 00:31:47,900 --> 00:31:51,260 help as family. Find a place to serve. 499 00:31:51,500 --> 00:31:55,180 It will do you so much good. It will do us 500 00:31:55,180 --> 00:31:58,460 so much good. Because I know what comes 501 00:31:58,860 --> 00:32:02,620 from serving. I know the benefits we get 502 00:32:02,940 --> 00:32:06,300 from serving. We have that opportunity 503 00:32:07,020 --> 00:32:10,740 to just serve. Just serve. And 504 00:32:10,740 --> 00:32:14,330 guys, listen, if you serve in close proximity to someone learning 505 00:32:14,800 --> 00:32:18,480 long enough, you learn the secrets of the mantle. I 506 00:32:18,480 --> 00:32:22,320 guarantee you that Sue Cole could do my job in a heartbeat. 507 00:32:22,720 --> 00:32:24,560 She would hate it, but she would do it. 508 00:32:26,480 --> 00:32:30,279 She knows what I do day to day. She knows what 509 00:32:30,279 --> 00:32:33,680 has to be done, and she does it so 510 00:32:33,680 --> 00:32:37,400 faithfully. And Keith is like, okay, we're doing that today. And I'm like, 511 00:32:37,400 --> 00:32:40,080 I'm so grateful for their role in my life. 512 00:32:41,320 --> 00:32:44,880 It wasn't an intentional thing. God just brought her along. And her 513 00:32:44,880 --> 00:32:48,720 heart has always been to serve. To 514 00:32:48,720 --> 00:32:52,400 serve. But let me tell you something. She's not serving me. She's serving 515 00:32:52,400 --> 00:32:54,600 him. She's serving him. 516 00:32:56,280 --> 00:32:59,920 Serving in close proximity reveals the responsibility and requirements of the 517 00:32:59,920 --> 00:33:03,640 mantle. You can stand afar off for a long time and never 518 00:33:03,640 --> 00:33:06,600 understand what's going on here. You know, you hear people go, oh, I want to 519 00:33:06,600 --> 00:33:10,030 be a. I think I want to be a. A youth pastor. I want to 520 00:33:10,030 --> 00:33:12,110 be a youth pastor. Do they, James? 521 00:33:14,110 --> 00:33:17,630 Do they, Dana? Until you've walked 522 00:33:17,950 --> 00:33:21,670 in there, she's not a mile, eight, 523 00:33:21,670 --> 00:33:25,310 ten years. Then you might get a glimpse. I want to be a 524 00:33:25,310 --> 00:33:26,830 children's pastor. Really? 525 00:33:30,030 --> 00:33:31,790 I'm tired just saying her name. 526 00:33:33,910 --> 00:33:37,350 I tell you what, the way that Sherry served these 527 00:33:37,350 --> 00:33:41,070 kids this week, and it wasn't just one thing. The whole 528 00:33:41,070 --> 00:33:44,390 team just knocked it out of the park. 529 00:33:46,470 --> 00:33:50,230 And they are. Notice I said, they are tireless. 530 00:33:50,710 --> 00:33:54,070 I just stood off and going, bless them, Jesus. You know, 531 00:33:54,390 --> 00:33:58,230 Woo. Go. Until you walk 532 00:33:58,630 --> 00:34:02,430 beside the mantle for an extended period of Time. You have no idea what 533 00:34:02,430 --> 00:34:06,060 you're asking for. And see, here, here's the thing. You gotta 534 00:34:06,060 --> 00:34:09,620 stay. You gotta stay. Nowhere in Scripture 535 00:34:09,620 --> 00:34:12,980 do I see Elijah going. Has anybody seen Elisha? 536 00:34:13,860 --> 00:34:17,580 He was supposed to be here today. I don't know. Something going on with 537 00:34:17,580 --> 00:34:21,060 his family. No, he was there. He was there 538 00:34:21,060 --> 00:34:24,900 because God was doing something. Elijah and Elisha had a 539 00:34:24,900 --> 00:34:28,180 word from the Lord, and they were not going to stop until it was 540 00:34:28,180 --> 00:34:31,810 fulfilled, until Elijah was completed. What word are you standing 541 00:34:31,810 --> 00:34:35,650 on? What has God told you? Are you going to see 542 00:34:35,650 --> 00:34:36,730 it out to the end? 543 00:34:42,570 --> 00:34:46,330 Comes toward the end. And the prophets tell Elisha, 544 00:34:48,890 --> 00:34:51,290 God's going to take your master away today. 545 00:34:52,570 --> 00:34:56,340 And Elijah. Elisha says, I know, I know. And 546 00:34:56,340 --> 00:34:59,700 Elijah says, stay here. I'm going to go over here. 547 00:35:01,140 --> 00:35:02,660 And Elisha says, nope, 548 00:35:04,740 --> 00:35:08,580 nope, I'm not going. As surely as the 549 00:35:08,580 --> 00:35:12,300 Lord lives and you live, I will not leave you. I 550 00:35:12,300 --> 00:35:15,940 will not leave you. Does that not sound like Naomi and Ruth? For just a 551 00:35:15,940 --> 00:35:19,700 minute there, I will not leave you. And the prophets come again. And they say, 552 00:35:20,500 --> 00:35:24,180 God's going to take your master away from you. And he's like, I know, I 553 00:35:24,180 --> 00:35:28,020 know. Stay here, Elisha. No, I'm 554 00:35:28,020 --> 00:35:31,860 going with you. Three times. Three times. And 555 00:35:31,860 --> 00:35:35,620 finally, the last time, the prophecy. He's going to take your master away today. And 556 00:35:35,620 --> 00:35:39,100 Elisha says, I know, but be 557 00:35:39,100 --> 00:35:41,820 quiet, be quiet. 558 00:35:44,700 --> 00:35:48,460 Because his heart had come to trust in this man of God that God had 559 00:35:48,460 --> 00:35:52,100 put over him. And he was on this journey through to the end with 560 00:35:52,100 --> 00:35:54,090 him. And so 561 00:35:55,370 --> 00:35:59,050 Elijah asked him, what do you want? What do you want? What 562 00:35:59,050 --> 00:36:02,570 can I give you? And Elisha says, I want a double portion of what you 563 00:36:02,570 --> 00:36:05,730 have. I want a double portion of your spirit. Let me tell you something. It 564 00:36:05,730 --> 00:36:09,410 wasn't because Elisha wanted to do twice the miracles. It 565 00:36:09,410 --> 00:36:13,010 wasn't because he wanted to be more greatly known than Elijah. It was 566 00:36:13,010 --> 00:36:16,850 because he loved what he saw of God in 567 00:36:16,850 --> 00:36:20,540 this man of God. And he's like, let me continue it. Let me take 568 00:36:20,770 --> 00:36:24,570 it forward. Let me take it down this field. And I prayed that 569 00:36:24,570 --> 00:36:28,250 I could do doubly because of what you've 570 00:36:28,250 --> 00:36:31,970 lain here. Take it on. And then we see 571 00:36:32,050 --> 00:36:35,850 the sweetest thing happen as they 572 00:36:35,850 --> 00:36:38,530 were walking along. I want you to see this in your spirit. They were walking 573 00:36:38,530 --> 00:36:42,210 along and talking together. Suddenly, a chariot of fire and 574 00:36:42,210 --> 00:36:45,730 horses of fire appeared and separated the two of them. 575 00:36:46,460 --> 00:36:48,940 And Elijah went up to heaven in a whirlwind. 576 00:36:49,580 --> 00:36:52,540 Elisha saw this and cried out, my father. 577 00:36:53,260 --> 00:36:56,940 My father. And Elijah saw him no more. 578 00:36:57,980 --> 00:37:01,780 Then he took hold of his own garment and 579 00:37:01,780 --> 00:37:05,420 he tore it in two. He tore it in two. 580 00:37:06,300 --> 00:37:10,140 And he picked up the cloak that had fallen from Elijah at that moment. 581 00:37:10,300 --> 00:37:13,670 Elisha tore his cloak. He tore it in 582 00:37:13,670 --> 00:37:17,430 mourning. He tore it to go. Things will never be the 583 00:37:17,430 --> 00:37:21,270 same. Who I was in that moment no longer exists. It's 584 00:37:21,270 --> 00:37:24,870 irreparable, this thing that has happened. And in that 585 00:37:24,870 --> 00:37:28,390 moment, I believe he laid aside the 586 00:37:29,030 --> 00:37:31,670 cloak of a servant, minister, 587 00:37:32,230 --> 00:37:35,550 apprentice, and he picked up the 588 00:37:35,550 --> 00:37:38,910 mantle of the prophet. It he 589 00:37:38,990 --> 00:37:41,630 served and did. And guys, listen. 590 00:37:43,150 --> 00:37:46,990 Kingdom transition should advance the kingdom until he returns. 591 00:37:46,990 --> 00:37:50,350 And he is going to return. We're supposed to continue 592 00:37:50,830 --> 00:37:54,350 what he has done. And we're getting ready to sing this song again 593 00:37:56,750 --> 00:37:57,710 because of this. 594 00:38:03,320 --> 00:38:04,920 This is what I believe. 595 00:38:07,240 --> 00:38:10,400 First Corinthians 15. Listen very 596 00:38:10,400 --> 00:38:14,120 carefully. I tell you a mystery, a secret truth 597 00:38:14,120 --> 00:38:17,480 decreed by God and previously hidden. We will not 598 00:38:17,880 --> 00:38:21,280 all sleep in death, but we shall all be 599 00:38:21,280 --> 00:38:25,040 changed in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at 600 00:38:25,040 --> 00:38:28,800 the sound of the last trumpet call. For a trumpet will sound and the 601 00:38:28,800 --> 00:38:32,420 dead in Christ, Christ will rise. Then it says right here, therefore, 602 00:38:32,980 --> 00:38:36,060 Therefore, my beloved brothers and sisters, be 603 00:38:36,060 --> 00:38:39,780 steadfast, immovable, always excelling in the work 604 00:38:39,780 --> 00:38:43,500 of the Lord. Always doing your best and doing more. Being 605 00:38:43,500 --> 00:38:46,820 continually aware, continually aware 606 00:38:47,140 --> 00:38:50,660 that your labor in the Lord is not futile 607 00:38:50,740 --> 00:38:54,100 or wasted. It is never without purpose. 608 00:38:57,150 --> 00:39:00,870 My prayer for you is that you 609 00:39:00,870 --> 00:39:04,110 would soar. That you would soar 610 00:39:04,830 --> 00:39:08,270 one day, that you would go to be with him, 611 00:39:09,150 --> 00:39:12,790 to go and join those that have gone on before the 612 00:39:12,790 --> 00:39:16,390 lineage. Guys, if it isn't true, if it 613 00:39:16,390 --> 00:39:19,870 isn't true, my mother and your mother and 614 00:39:20,430 --> 00:39:23,560 Pastor Harvey and Pastor Margaret and 615 00:39:23,960 --> 00:39:27,760 Simon, Peter, Andrew, James, Philip, Thomas, 616 00:39:27,760 --> 00:39:30,840 Matthew, Bartholomew, all of them. 617 00:39:31,560 --> 00:39:34,680 All of them. Was it wasted? 618 00:39:35,320 --> 00:39:39,000 Was it futile? Or did they pass that baton to us and 619 00:39:39,000 --> 00:39:42,600 ask us, will you carry it forward? Will you carry it 620 00:39:42,600 --> 00:39:45,800 forward? Because I tell you this and you can stand. 621 00:39:47,240 --> 00:39:50,470 If he walked out of the grave. We're walking too. 622 00:39:51,190 --> 00:39:55,030 We're walking too. And that's what we're going to sing here for a minute, I'm 623 00:39:55,030 --> 00:39:58,310 going to offer you a blessing. And then we are going to make a declaration 624 00:39:58,310 --> 00:40:02,070 here at the end. And guys, 625 00:40:02,070 --> 00:40:05,110 grab hold of it in your spirit. Let's continue 626 00:40:05,670 --> 00:40:09,310 the legacy. Let's continue the charge. Let's make the 627 00:40:09,310 --> 00:40:12,790 disciples. Let's complete the work. Let's pass the 628 00:40:12,790 --> 00:40:16,550 baton and walk out. Can I offer you a blessing? Blessing. May the God 629 00:40:16,550 --> 00:40:19,950 and Father of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ continue 630 00:40:20,110 --> 00:40:23,910 to remind you that the story does not end here. May 631 00:40:23,910 --> 00:40:27,710 he continue to give you the upward draw that lets you know 632 00:40:27,950 --> 00:40:30,989 that eternity awaits. And Father, may we 633 00:40:30,989 --> 00:40:34,790 anticipate all that you have in Jesus name. 634 00:40:34,790 --> 00:40:38,270 Amen. Amen. Let's go. We're going to sing. Just for a minute.