Sermon Central
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Where Is The Lord God Of Elijah (2 Of 2)
Contributed by Dr. Odell Belger on Apr 4, 2022 (message contributor)
Summary: In the previous sermon we talked about Elijah, who was Elisha’s predecessor.
We learned that Elisha followed Elijah everywhere he went. Elisha followed Elijah from Gilgal to Beth-el, to Jericho, to Jordan.
Elijah asked Elisha to “Tarry here...” three times, but every time Elisha would say, “...As the Lord liveth, and as thy soul liveth, I will not leave thee...”
Elijah, in verse 9, told Elisha, “...Ask what I shall do for thee...” In other words, “What do you want?” Elisha told Elijah that he wanted “...a double portion of thy spirit be upon me.” He wanted a double portion of what Elijah had.
In verse 10, Elijah told Elisha he had asked a hard thing, but if Elisha was with him and saw him when he departed it would be granted. If he was not, it would not be granted.
Verse 11 tells of Elijah being caught up in the whirlwind.
Elisha had asked for a “hard thing.” Elijah set the conditions for what he asked for to be granted.
DID ELISHA MEET THE CONDITIONS? He had to see him when Elijah was taken. Look at verse 12. We read, “And Elisha saw it...” He watched Elijah go up, up, up until, the Bible says, “...he saw him no more...”
After Elijah was miraculously taken to heaven in the whirlwind, Elisha stood on the banks of the Jordan River and asked, verse 14, “...WHERE IS THE LORD GOD OF ELIJAH?”
Again, I remind you, he did not ask, “WHERE IS ELIJAH?” And he was not asking, “WHERE DOES GOD ABIDE?” He knew that God’s abode was in the third heaven.
Now alone, facing a wicked world without the great prophet beside him, he wanted to know, “WHERE IS THE LORD GOD OF ELIJAH?” Where was the God who had helped Elijah have courage to face that wicked king Ahab and his wife Jezebel? WHERE IS THIS GOD? He needed the God that helped Elijah to help him now.
DID HE FIND HIM? YES! We have ample proof that Elijah’s God appeared in his life.
While Elisha was walking with Elijah, they came to the river Jordan. The Bible tells us Elijah took off his mantle and smote the water and they went “hither and thither” and they went over on DRY ground.
When they were on the other side, the whirlwind came and took Elijah away.
When Elisha took up the mantle that fell from Elijah. When he smote the Jordan, the Bible says the waters “...parted hither and thither....” The same thing that had happened to Elijah now happened to Elisha. Why? Because he had wanted to know THE LORD GOD OF ELIJAH.
Listen, when a person knows THE LORD GOD OF ELIJAH, others will know.
Look at verse 15. We read, “And when the sons of the prophets which were to view at Jericho saw him, they said, The spirit of Elijah doth rest on Elisha. And they came to meet him, and bowed themselves to the ground before him.”
When the God of Elijah is with a man, the lost world will know that He is with him.
WHAT WILL THEY SEE?
In the previous message, we learned that when God is with us, we will HAVE COURAGE TO STAND UP AGAINST THE EVILS OF OUR LAND!
Elijah had the courage to stand up to wicked king Ahab and his wicked wife Jezebel. When the curse of God had fallen on the land, and they were accusing Elijah of being the culprit causing the curse, Elijah stood up to them and said, II Kings 18:18, “...I have not troubled Israel; but thou, and thy father's house, in that ye have forsaken the commandments of the LORD, and thou hast followed Baalim.”
What COURAGE! He faced THE WICKED KING, and rebuked him!
One mistaken idea today is that many Christians mistake WEAKNESS FOR MEEKNESS.
Listen, the Lord Jesus, and many men and women of the Bible were MEEK...but they WERE NOT WEAK.
Illus: There is none so humble as Jesus was, but He walked into the temple one day and found men desecrating God’s house. He threw them out!
WEAKNESS IS NOT MEEKNESS.
If I had the time I could show you, from cover to cover, that WHEN THE GOD OF ELIJAH IS WITH HIS PEOPLE THEY HAVE A HOLY BOLDNESS TO CONFRONT THE UNGODLY.
Illus: One of the things that shocked the lost world was that the New Testament church, once they were filled with the Holy Ghost, had such boldness that nothing could stop them!
We need Christians today who know THE LORD GOD OF ELIJAH!
Why? Because iniquity is spreading across this country like wildfire, and is meeting little resistance.
I can hear someone saying, “Preacher, if we do that, we will not be very popular!” That is right, but may I remind you that God did not call us to be popular. God called us to take a stand FOR THE GOD OF ELIJAH!
