Last Conversation Between Elijah and Elisha

In this part of the sermon: The sermon focuses on Elijah's question to Elisha, 'Ask what I shall do for thee,' likening it to a father's dying blessing. Martin emphasizes that this question was designed to…

Elijah's request to Elisha is compared to a father on his deathbed, like Jacob, giving blessings to his son, highlighting the intimacy and significance of the moment.

And his request is this, verse 9, And it came to pass, when they were gone over, that Elijah said unto Elisha, Ask what I shall do for thee, before I am taken from thee. It's as though he assumed the role of a father who, upon his dying bed, as did Jacob, would give blessings to his son. And this one, who had been in such an intimate relationship with the prophet of God, for at least now a period of some six years, since the mantle of the prophet was cast over him as he was out plowing in the field, he says to him, assuming the place of a father to the son, What do you want from me as a partin...

7:11 - 8:11 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: The sermon focuses on Elijah's question to Elisha, 'Ask what I shall do for thee,' likening it to a father's dying blessing. Martin emphasizes that this question was designed to…

Elijah's request is contrasted with an imagined Santa Claus asking for a list, emphasizing that Elijah's question was not haphazard but sought Elisha's deepest need.

What do you want me to do for you? He didn't say, give me a list, like an imagined Santa Claus in Sears who says, now let me see your list of all the things you want from Santa. What do you want me to do? What is that blessing without which you dare not assume the role that you will be assuming perhaps in just a few short minutes or perhaps, at best, a few more hours as I am to be taken home to my Father?

8:54 - 9:22 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: Martin examines Elisha's immediate and unwavering request for a 'double portion of thy spirit.' He explores two interpretations of 'double portion'—either the firstborn's…

The recent miracle of the Jordan parting is used to illustrate the extraordinary spiritual power Elisha had just witnessed, underscoring the intense emotional and spiritual context of his request.

They have just witnessed this unusual miracle of the parting of the Jordan. As we indicated last study, whereas God brought his people to elaborate preparations when he brought them over that river as a nation, here almost as an off-the-cuff activity, the rugged prophet wraps his mantle together and strikes the water and they part hither and thither. You don't see that and quickly shape such a sight. We'll just read this in such a cursory way.

11:35 - 12:05 Read in full sermon

Driving home: And the principle that comes to light in this answer of Elijah is this, that the measure of our true humility is our conscious awareness of our need of the Spirit's assistance.

Martin notes that some preachers look wonderful from a distance but not intimately, contrasting this with Elisha's six-year intimate relationship with Elijah to emphasize Elisha's deep knowledge of Elijah's true character and source of power.

As he thought back of what he knew of the prophet Elijah, and remember, he knew him not from a distance. Some men, and especially some preachers, look wonderful at a distance. Just don't ever get the wrong idea. Just don't ever get the wrong idea.

16:08 - 16:22 Read in full sermon

The point: Frequent the closet of prayer and cultivate constant ejaculatory prayer throughout the day, recognizing that prayerlessness is a witness of pride.

An unfrequented closet of prayer is described as the 'loudest witness of a heart of pride,' illustrating that a lack of prayer reveals a self-sufficient attitude rather than humility.

It's his failure to frequent the closet of prayer. An unfrequented closet of prayer is the loudest witness of a heart of pride. What it's saying is I can do many things without him. Every time the closet of prayer is omitted, neglected, falls into disuse, not only the closet of prayer when we are strangers to that constant ejaculatory prayer.

21:46 - 22:27 Read in full sermon

Driving home: But if the God who is about to take me so orders those events and is so pleased to pull back the veil and let you see into that world of spiritual reality where this activity is going to occur, then you will have the ble…

Moses enduring 'as seeing him who was invisible' is used as an example of how spiritual sight and sensitivity to unseen reality enable powerful ministry and endurance.

And then secondly, it would seem to indicate that he is saying if your eye is open to that world of spiritual reality, then you will have the blessing which you desire. It would indicate that there is a direct relationship between one's sensitivity to and faith in the world of spiritual reality and the life and ministry of spiritual unction and power. It is interesting to trace this through the lives of men, that we see in Holy Scripture and also in Christian biography. In the commentary in the book of Romans on the life of Moses, it says he endured, how? As seeing him who was invisible. He en...

27:34 - 28:39 Read in full sermon

The point: Parents, when teaching children spiritual things, speak with deep conviction and grasp of spiritual reality so that your words carry authority and allow the child to 'taste the powers of the world to come.'

Paul's testimony in 2 Corinthians 4:18 about looking at unseen things is cited to further demonstrate the direct relationship between grasping unseen reality and spiritual power.

He could say and it was his clear testimony in 2 Corinthians 4, 18 while we look not on the things that are seen but on the things that are not seen. This was the focus. And there is a direct relationship between one's grasp upon the reality of that unseen world and a life and ministry of spiritual unction and of power. This came to light further in the ministry of Elisha.

29:18 - 29:47 Read in full sermon

The point: Parents, when teaching children spiritual things, speak with deep conviction and grasp of spiritual reality so that your words carry authority and allow the child to 'taste the powers of the world to come.'

The story of Elisha and his servant surrounded by the Syrian army, where Elisha prays for his servant's eyes to be opened to see God's chariots, illustrates the power of spiritual sight in overcoming fear and discomfiting enemies.

You'll remember the instance to which we alluded several weeks ago in 2 Kings chapter 6 when he and his servant are surrounded by the Syrian army and that poor young man is just about at wit's end corner. And Elisha says, Lord, open his eyes to see. He doesn't know what's there. Oh yes, he knows Syrian horsemen are there and Syrian soldiers and Syrian armor and Syrian swords and Syrian staves but he doesn't see the armies of God.

29:47 - 30:17 Read in full sermon

The point: Parents, when teaching children spiritual things, speak with deep conviction and grasp of spiritual reality so that your words carry authority and allow the child to 'taste the powers of the world to come.'

The apostles' powerful witness to Christ's resurrection is presented as an example of conviction stemming from their direct experience of the living Lord, demonstrating the link between spiritual reality and authoritative speech.

And throughout the book of the Acts this note occurs again and again particularly in the early chapters of the book of Elisha. The great power gave they witness to the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. They couldn't think of him as dead. He was something more to them than just the concoction of well-learned theology.

30:36 - 30:55 Read in full sermon

The point: Men in business, let your words at work, even few and well-chosen, come with power and authority because hell, judgment, and spiritual realities are real to you, feeding upon these truths in your life.

A story of a 16-year-old son, deeply burdened by his mother's lost condition, who simply cried 'Mama, you're lost,' leading to her conversion, illustrates that spiritual power comes from a heart gripped by spiritual reality, not clever words.

feeding upon the reality of these things. I shall never forget the testimony of one servant of God who in the early days of his Christian experience became tremendously concerned for his dear mother. She was morally beyond reproach a good mother gave herself to the training of her children and the keeping of her home but she was a stranger to grace she was religious but lost religious but lost knew nothing of the regenerating power of the Spirit knew nothing of a vital living faith in the Son of God as Savior knew nothing of heart's objection to Him as Lord. And he'd been up in his room prayin...

33:13 - 34:34 Read in full sermon