2 King 4:1-7 “ How God Works.”

INTRO> Is anyone like me, you just need to know how something works! I remember being a kid, busting my toys apart doing all kinds of things just to answer the question, “How does this work” or “what does this do?” I looked online and found out that they even make toys for kids like that now a days! (PIC) APP> Question, Have you ever thought about that with God? How does God work?

CONTEXT> I have always been intrigued by a story found in 2 Kings 4:1-7. It’s an interesting story about a woman needing God to work in her life, needing God to do something! “For whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, that through endurance and through encouragement of the scriptures we might have hope.” Romans 15:4 That’s my job today to encourage you as to “How God works”

APP> I think there is a lot of misunderstanding as to how God works in peoples lives:

Top 3 misconceptions about how God should work:

3) God always works extravagantly.

2) God always  works neatly.

1) God always works quickly. 

CONTEXT> We need to look at this woman and the context and understand what’s going on. Elisha was the assistant to Elijah, Big OT guy. A woman, who was one of the wives of the prophets she probably knew Elisha well. She has all kinds of needs, she has physical, financial, spiritual and emotion needs. She has debt, her sons may be taken away, “How does God work in a Godly woman’s life?”

1. God works in your needs.v1

• • • “cried to Elisha…” the word cried here is very graphic, it means to cried aloud with grief.

APP> Why is that significant? Because sayings like “God helps those who helps themselves.” Are not biblical, that’s not even in the bible! Here is also why i think it’s important, APP> You can’t ask for God’s help and be in control at the same time.

*ILL> This idea of womanhood as being that you have to have it all together just simply isn’t true. It’s almost something like this (PIC of WWII Woman) “We Can Do It!” is an American wartime propaganda poster produced by J. Howard Miller in 1943 for Westinghouse Electricas an inspirational image to boost worker morale.” Or guys, how about this? John Wayne The Duke (Pic) APP> This is great, but the problem is what we carry this over into our relationship with Christ! APP> God works in our emptiness not our fullness.

2) God uses what you have. v2

• • • “What shall I do for you, what do you have?” I love this changed and dialogue here. She says she needs help and the man of God asks her what she has. She thinks she doesn’t have very much… Good because God doesn’t need very much.

APP> Contentment is the conduit through which God’s power flows.

*ILL> This is a picture of Pastor Lee Jong-rak, pastor of Jusarang (God’s Love) Community Church in Seoul, South Korea.Pastor Lee’s family and a handful of volunteers work to provide a home for over a dozen mildly to severely disabled children (including Pastor Lee’s son), and since December 2009, they have saved the lives of hundreds of abandoned newborns through their “baby box.” “Pastor Lee stays up most nights to listen for the bell, and the first thing he does after carefully lifting a baby from the box is kneel to pray. He’ll then get the baby to a hospital and pass him or her on to an orphanage or adoption agency.”

APP> “ If I had ________________ then I would ___________.”

3) God works through obedient faith. v3-5

• • • “Go, borrow, do..” Do you see all the action verbs in the text that Elisha tells her to do!

APP> Obedience is the evidence of faith. “You have God in the measure in which you desire Him. Only remember that the desire that brings God must be more than a feeble, fleeting wish. Wishing is one thing; willing is quite another. Lazily wishing and strenuously desiring are two entirely different postures of mind; the former gets nothing and the latter get everything, get’s God, and with God all that God can bring.” – Alexander Maclaren

• • • “empty vessels, not to few” I love the prophets words here! Empty and not to few, how often we bring things to God that are not empty and not enough.

APP> Faiths foundation is built on the Word of God.

“If she borrowed few vessels, she would have but little oil; if she borrowed many vessels they should all be filled, and she should have much oil. She herself to measure out what she should have; and I believe that you and I, in the matter of spiritual blessings from God, have more to do with the measurement of our mercies than we think”. We make our blessings little, because our prayers are little.” Spurgeon

• • • What is the empty place in your life?
    • What are you doing about it?

4) God’s works are never lacking. v6-7

• • • “Go sell the oil and pay your debts and live off the rest” Isn’t this amazing, that when God works.. he works!

*ILL> Have you ever eaten at Lamberts? None ever leaves that place hungry right? That’s the same way with God.

Close> So what does this mean for us? What does this mean for you? Does God still do this, does he still send his prophets to meet our needs? He has done more than that…..

“Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, who he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world.” Hebrews 1:1-2

Big Idea > Your greatest need has a greater God.

Close> Offer special prayer for people who want to come forward with a specific need.