2 Kings 4:1-7 (KJV) Now there cried a certain woman of the wives of the sons of the
prophets unto Elisha, saying, Thy servant my husband is dead; and thou knowest that thy
servant did fear the Lord: and the creditor is come to take unto him my two sons to be
bondmen.
[2] And Elisha said unto her, What shall I do for thee? tell me, what hast thou in the
house? And she said, Thine handmaid hath not any thing in the house, save a pot of oil.
[3] Then he said, Go, borrow thee vessels abroad of all thy neighbours, even empty
vessels; borrow not a few.
[4] And when thou art come in, thou shalt shut the door upon thee and upon thy sons, and
shalt pour out into all those vessels, and thou shalt set aside that which is full.
[5] So she went from him, and shut the door upon her and upon her sons, who brought the
vessels to her; and she poured out.
[6] And it came to pass, when the vessels were full, that she said unto her son, Bring me
yet a vessel. And he said unto her, There is not a vessel more. And the oil stayed.
[7] Then she came and told the man of God. And he said, Go, sell the oil, and pay thy
debt, and live thou and thy children of the rest.
TOPIC- MAKING SOMETHING OUT OF NOTHING
MY BROTHERS AND SISTERS
AS WE EXAMINE 2ND KINGS 4TH CHP VERSES 1-7
WE ARE INTRODUCED TO A WOMAN WHO FINDS
HERSELF BETWEEN A ROCK AND A HARD PLACE
THE ISSUES`S OF LIFE HAD SERVED HER A LEMON
AND DARED HER TO MAKE LEMONADE
BUT AS WE EAVESDROP ON HER CONVERSATION
WITH THE PROPHET ELISHA
WE ALL SHOULD BE ABLE TO EMPATHIZE WITH
HER PAIN
BECAUSE THIS WOMAN HUSBAND
WHO WAS HER PROVIDER-AND PROTECTER HAD
DIED
AND NOT ONLY WAS THIS WOMAN IN A SAD AND
PITIFUL SITUATION
BUT TO MAKE MATTERS WORSE
THE CREDITORS WHO HER HUSBAND OWED WAS
COMING TO TAKE HER TWO SONS INTO SLAVERY
IN VERSE 1 IN THE TEXT
SHE DESCRIBE HER HUSBAND AS ONE WHO WAS
FROM THE COMPANY OF THE PROPHETS
A SERVANT OF THE PROPHET ELISHA
AND A MAN THAT REVRENCED THE LORD
A GOOD MAN- A GOOD HUSBAND-BUT HE HAD
BAD CREDIT
A MAN WHO WAS STUDYING TO BE A PROPHET
A PREACHER
BUT THE ANGEL OF DEATH KNOCK ON HIS DOOR
LEAVING HIS WIFE TO TAKE CARE OF THERE TWO
SONS
AND TO MAKE SOMETHING OUT OF NOTHING
AND I DON`T KNOW ABOUT YOU THIS MORNING
BUT I CAN IDENTIFY WITH THE FRUSTATIONS
THAT THIS WOMAN IS DEALING WITH
BECAUSE SOMETIMES LIFE JUST DOSEN`T SEEM
FAIR
(CAN I TELL YOU WHAT I`M TALKING ABOUT)
SOMETIMES IN LIFE IT SEEMS LIKE
THE RICH GET RICHER
THE POOR GET POORER
THE WICKED LIVES LONGER
THE RIGHTEOUS DIE SOONER
LIFE SOMETIMES TAKES ALL YOU HAVE AND
THEN ASK YOU TO MAKE SOMETHING OUT OF
NOTHING
BUT THIS WOMAN IN THE TEXT FOUND HERSELF
ON THE ROUGH SIDE OF THE MOUNTAIN
AND IN THE TEXT PROPHET ELISHA ASK THE
WOMAN TWO QUESTIONS
THE 1ST QUESTION HAD TO DO WITH HIS
RESPONSIBILITY
AND THE 2ND QUESTION HAD TO DO WITH HERS
THE 1ST OUESTION THE PROPHET ASK IS
(WHAT DO YOU WANT ME TO DO)
AND I NEED TO TELL YOU THIS WAS A GOOD
QUESTION
BECAUSE IT SHOWS ELISHA WILLINGNESS TO
ASSIST THE WOMAN
BECAUSE IF HE WOULD HAVE STOP AT THAT
QUESTION
HE WOULD HAVE DONE LIKE MOST OF OUR
CHURCHES ARE DOING TODAY
GIVING A HAND-OUT AND NOT A HAND UP
THE SECOND QUESTION OFFERED HER NOT A
HANDOUT --BUT A HAND UP
ELISHA ASK HER WHAT DO YOU HAVE IN YOUR
HOUSE
THEREFORE ELISHA REMOVES THE
RESPONSIBILITY FROM HIMSELF AND PLACES IT
ON HER
INVITING HER TO TAKE PART IN HER OWN
MIRACLE
IN VERSE 3 IN THE TEXT ELISHA INSTRUCT HER
TO Go, borrow thee vessels abroad of all thy neighbours,
even empty vessels; borrow not a few.
[4] And when thou art come in, thou shalt shut the door
upon thee and upon thy sons, and shalt pour out into all
those vessels, and thou shalt set aside that which is full.
AND BECAUSE SHE WAS OBEDIENT TO THE MAN
OF GOD INSTRUCTIONS
SHE WAS ABLE TO MAKE SOMETHING OUT OF
NOTHING
SHE WAS ABLE TO MAKE LEMONADE OUT OF A
LEMON
LIFE HAD PITCH HER A CURVE BALL AND SHE HIT
A HOME RUN
AND THIS TEXT BEFORE US IS TAILORED TO
TEACH US ALL HOW TO MAKE SOMETHING OUT
OF NOTHING
BE CAUSE IF WE ARE GOING TO MAKE
SOMETHING OUT OF NOTHING
*********************************************
FRIST OF ALL WE HAVE TO PROPERLY EVALUATE
OUR PRESENT SITUATION
THIS WOMAN HAD TWO SITUATIONS FACING HER
ONE SHE COULD CHANGE -AND ONE SHE COULD
NOT CHANGE
AND AS MUCH AS SHE LOVED HER HUSBAND
CRYING AND COMPLAINING
WAS NOT GOING TO BRING HIM BACK
BUT ON THE OTHER HAND
THE CREDITORS HAD NOT COME YET FOR HER
SONS SO SHE STILL HAD TIME TO SAVE HER SONS
AND A LOT OF US SPEND OUR TIME AND MOST OF
OUR LIFE
TRYING TO CHANGE SOMETHING THAT WE HAVE
NO CONTROL OVER
IT`S SOME BODY HERE STILL TRYING TO CHANGE
SOME THINGS THAT HAPPEN YESTERDAY
BUT I NEED TO HELP SOMEBODY THIS MORNING
YOU CAN`T CHANGE WHAT HAPPEN YESTERDAY
BUT WITH THE HELP OF THE LORD YOU CAN
PREVENT WHAT HAPPEN YESTERDAY FORM
HAPPENING TODAY
********************************************
BUT NOT ONLY DO WE HAVE TO PROPERLY
EVALUATE OUR PRESENT SITUATION
BUT WE HAVE TO REALIZE
THERE IS ALWAYS SOMETHING IN THE MIDIST OF
OUR NOTHINGNESS THAT GOD CAN USE
VERSE -2 /(part B) - TELLS US THE WOMAN FRIST
RESONSE TO ELISHA QUESTION WAS NOTHING
THEN SHE ADDED (EXCEPT A POT OF OIL)
AND A LOT OF TIMES WHEN WE ARE FACE WITH
CERTAIN SITUATIONS WE DO AND SAY THE SAME
THING
YOU SEE SOME OF US THINK
BECAUSE THE CHURCH IS NOT PACK SUNDAY
AFTER SUNDAY
OR BECAUSE WE DON`T HAVE A MILLION DOLLAR
BUDGET
THAT WE DON`T HAVE NOTHING
BUT IN THE MIDIST OF OUR NOTHINGNESS THERE
IS ALWAYS SOMETHING THAT GOD CAN USE
CAN I CALL A WITINESS
COME HERE MOSES AND TELL US HOW GOD CAN
TAKE NOTHING AND MAKE SOMETHING
(EXPOUND)
COME HERE LITTLE BOY WITH THE 2 SARDINES
AND 5 BISCUTS AND TELL US HOW JESUS CAN
TAKE NOTHING AND MAKE SOMETHING
(EXPOUND)
AND THEREFORE WE ALL NEED TO REALIZE THAT
IN THE MIDIST OF OUR NOTHINGNESS THERE IS
ALWAYS SOMETHING THAT GOD CAN USE
*******************************************
WELL NOT ONLY IS THERE SOMETHING IN THE
MIDIST OF OUR NOTHINGNESS THAT GOD CAN
USE
BUT IF WE ARE GOING TO MAKE SOMETHING OUT
OF NOTHING
WE HAVE TO GET THE WHOLE CHURCH INVOLVED
2 Kings 4:3 (KJV) Then he said, Go, borrow thee vessels
abroad of all thy neighbours, even empty vessels; borrow
not a few.
SHE WENT TO HER NEIGHBORS AND GOT THEM
TO INVEST IN HER MIRACLE
BUT NOT ONLY DID SHE GET THE COMMUNITY
INVOLVED BUT SHE GOT HER FAMILY INVOLVED
AS WELL
THE BIBLE SAY IN VERSE 5 THAT HER SONS
BROUGHT THE JARS TO HER
AND IT`S IMPORTANT TO UNDERSTAND THAT GOD
HAS BLESS ALL OF US WITH A GIFT
AND IF WE ARE GOING TO MAKE SOMETHING OUT
NOTHING WE HAVE TO PUT OUR TIME ,TALENTS
AND TREASURE TOGETHER AND BE ON ONE
ACCORD
IF WE ARE GOING TO MAKE SOMETHING OUT OF
NOTHING
CAN I TELL YOU WHAT I`M TALKING ABOUT
I NEED YOU AND YOU NEED ME
THE OLD NEED THE YOUNG AND THE YOUNG
NEED THE OLD
THE YOUNG NEED THE OLD BECAUSE THE OLD
HAS WISDOM
AND THE OLD NEED THE YOUNG BECAUSE THE
YOUNG HAS STRENGHT
AND WHEN WE AS A BODY OF BAPTIZE
BELIEVERS PUT OUR TIME -TALENT AND
TREASURE TOGETHER WITH THE HELP OF GOD
WE CAN MAKE SOMETHING OUT OF NOTHING
THE SISTER IN THE TEXT HAD THE OIL
BUT HER NEIGHBORS HAD THE JARS
AND WHEN THIS SISTER AND THE COMMUNITY
CAME TOGETHER
GOD MOVED IN A MIGHTY WAY
************************************************
WELL NOT ONLY DO WE NEED TO GET THE
WHOLE CHURCH INVOLVED
BUT IF WE DO THE POSSIBLE GOD WILL SHOW UP
AND DO THE IMPOSSIBLE
NOTICE-NOTICE-NOTICEGOD
DID`NT DO FOR HER WHAT SHE COULD DO
FOR HERSELF
AND THIS REVEALS THE PARTNERSHIP BETWEEN
DIVINITY AND HUMANITY
I BELIEVE THE OLD SAINTS SAID IT THIS WAY
IF YOU TAKE ONE STEP GOD WILL TAKE TWO
BUT ONE OF THE PROBLEMS THE CHURCH FACE
TODAY IS THAT WE WANT GOD TO TAKE TWO
STEPS AND WE DON`T EVEN WANT TO TAKE ONE
BUT IN THE TEXT
THIS SISTER HAD THE OIL
THIS SISTER AND HER SONS WENT BORROWED
THE JARS
HER AND HER SON WENT HOME POURED THE OIL
IN THE JARS
AND WHEN SHE DID THE POSSIBLE GOD SHOWED
UP AND DID THE IMPOSSIBLE
AND YOU DO KNOW THAT WHEN GOD SHOWS UP
HE WILL SHOW OUT
************************************************
WELL NOT ONLY DO WE HAVE TO DO THE
POSSIBLE AND GOD WILL DO THE IMPOSSIBLE
BUT THE TEXT ALSO REVEALS THAT WHEN GOD
SHOWS UP HE ALWAYS GIVES US MORE THAN
ENOUGH
LOOK AT VERSE 6 &7
2 Kings 4:6-7 (KJV) And it came to pass, when the
vessels were full, that she said unto her son, Bring me yet a
vessel. And he said unto her, There is not a vessel more.
And the oil stayed.
[7] Then she came and told the man of God. And he said,
Go, sell the oil, and pay thy debt, and live thou and thy
children of the rest.
THE RECORD REVEALS THAT SHE USED ALL THE
VESSELS AND THE OIL STAYED
SHE SOLD THE OIL PAID HER HUSBAND DEBT
AND STILL HAD SOME OIL TO MAKE A LIVING FOR
HER AND HER SONS
AND I DON`T KNOW ABOUT YOU BUT I`M GLAD
THAT
GOD ALWAYS OPERATES ON THE OVER PLUS
SYSTEM
HE GIVES US MORE AIR THAN WE CAN BREATH
MORE SUNSHINE THAN WE CAN BEHOLD
HE GIVES US MORE GROUND THAN WE CAN WALK
ON
AND HE GIVES US MORE WATER THAN WE CAN
DRINK
BECAUSE GOD SPECIALIZES IN MAKING
SOMETHING OUT OF NOTHING
