(people chatting) (soft music)
(people chatting) - Good morning. - [Members] Good morning. - Welcome to Westminster
Presbyterian Church. We're so glad that you've joined us as we gather to worship the Lord on this day that he has set apart. And just a couple of brief
announcements before we begin. First, our Wednesday evening program, we're calling it Westminster
Wednesdays, began this week. It was a wonderful time
of fellowship and praise and we hope that you will
join us in future weeks. Wednesdays, beginning at 5:30. And then I'll also point out that sign-ups are no longer required
for our Sunday supper, which takes place at 5:00 p.m. on Sundays, just before our evening service. And this week, in case you missed it, our regular Sunday school
schedule has begun again. And so again, if you missed it this week, we look forward to you
being there next week with the exception of
Discovering Westminster, which begins on September 12th. So if you are interested
in joining Westminster or if you're a member who would just like to learn more about the church, we invite you to attend the
Discovering Westminster class taught by Pastor Aaron and various others. But for now, I ask that you would prepare your hearts for worship. The words of Joshua 3. The Lord said to Joshua, today, I will begin to exalt
you in the sight of all Israel, that they may know that,
as I was with Moses, so I will be with you. And as for you, command the priests who bear the Ark of the Covenant. When you come to the brink
of the waters of the Jordan, you shall stand still in the Jordan. And Joshua said to the people of Israel, come here and listen to the
words of the Lord your God. Now the priests bearing the
Ark of the Covenant of the Lord stood firmly on dry ground
in the midst of the Jordan, and all Israel was
passing over on dry ground until all the nations finished
passing over the Jordan. (soft music) (bells chiming) - Our call to worship this
morning is from Psalm 73. These words are the ground
for our worship this morning. You guide me with your counsel and afterward you will
receive me to glory. Whom have I in heaven but you? And there is nothing on earth
that I desire besides you. My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my
heart and my portion forever. Let us pray. Oh Lord our God, indeed our
flesh and our heart may fail. And we may feel the
weakness of the outer man. We may carry all sorts of
burdens in the inner man. But you have been our dwelling
place in all generations. You are our refuge and our strength. You are our very present
help in times of trouble. You are the God who raises up
and who casts down nations. And you are the God who
numbers every hair on our head. For all this and more,
our God, we praise you. We adore you, we seek you. We long to meet with you. We can do this only in
the name and by the power of the Lord Jesus Christ, who reigns with you and
the Holy Spirit in heaven. So we pray that as we
lift up our hearts to you, lift us up in the Spirit
to commune with you, that we may find rest for our souls. We pray this in Jesus' name, amen. Friends, when we meet one another, we sometimes ask, where are you from? A more important question as
we're here this morning is, where are you going? If you are joined to Christ, your true home is where Christ is. So let us remind one another of this by confessing this wonderful truth. Christ is risen. - [Everyone] He is risen indeed. - Let's stand and sing Hymn
34, The God of Abraham Praise. (soft music) ♪ The God of Abraham praise ♪ ♪ Who reigns enthroned above ♪ ♪ Ancient of everlasting days ♪ ♪ And God of love ♪ ♪ Jehovah, great I Am ♪ ♪ By earth and heaven confessed ♪ ♪ I bow and bless the sacred name ♪ ♪ Forever blest ♪ ♪ The God of Abraham praise ♪ ♪ At whose supreme command ♪ ♪ From earth I rise and seek the joys ♪ ♪ At his right hand ♪ ♪ I all on earth forsake ♪ ♪ His wisdom, fame, and power ♪ ♪ And in my only portion take ♪ ♪ My shield and tower ♪ ♪ He by himself hath sworn ♪ ♪ I on his oath depend ♪ ♪ I shall on eagles' wings upborne ♪ ♪ To heaven ascend ♪ ♪ I shall behold his face ♪ ♪ I shall his power adore ♪ ♪ And sing the wonders of his grace ♪ ♪ Forever more ♪ ♪ The goodly hand I see ♪ ♪ With peace and plenty blest ♪ ♪ A land of sacred liberty ♪ ♪ And endless rest ♪ ♪ There milk and honey flow ♪ ♪ And oil and wine abound ♪ ♪ And trees of life forever grow ♪ ♪ With mercy crowned ♪ (soft music) ♪ There dwells the Lord our King ♪ ♪ The Lord our righteousness ♪ ♪ Triumphant o'er the world and sin ♪ ♪ The Prince of Peace ♪ ♪ On Zion's sacred height ♪ ♪ His kingdom he maintains ♪ ♪ And glorious with his saints in light ♪ ♪ Forever reigns ♪ ♪ The whole triumphant host ♪ ♪ Gives thanks to God on high ♪ ♪ Hail Father, Son, and Holy Ghost ♪ ♪ They ever cry ♪ ♪ Hail, Abraham's God and mine ♪ ♪ I join the heavenly lays ♪ ♪ All might and majesty are thine ♪ ♪ And endless praise ♪ - Amen, you may be seated. From the very beginning
of the biblical story, God has made it clear. His desire is to save a people for himself from every tongue, tribe, and nation. We see this promise made clearly
to Abraham in Genesis 12, where God declares to Abraham
that through your seed, through your offspring, God will bless all the
nations of the earth. We see this coming to fruition and being declared in an open way throughout the Old Testament. Passages like Psalm 67, in which God says he will bless his people in order that the nations, the peoples of the earth might praise him. We see this beginning to come into clearer focused and fulfillment
in the Day of Pentecost, where Peter is preaching the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ, and
by the power of the Spirit, that message goes out in
the languages of the earth so that people from various back, people from various lands can say, we hear the gospel in our own language. And ultimately we see this
coming to consummated fulfillment in Revelation 7, a glorious passage in which we see this great multitude
before the throne of God and we learn that it is a multitude, a people from every
tongue, tribe and nation. So it's always been our
desire here at Westminster to be a church that has
a heart for the nations. One way that expresses itself is in our commitment to
international missions. But also in terms of a
desire to reach the nations who are even here in Atlanta. So for over a decade now, we've
had a vibrant ESL ministry that has impacted people
from all over the globe. For a number of years now, we've had an afterschool tutoring program that has helped us reach at-risk
children in this community, almost all of whom their families are not native English speakers. And in recent days, and this is part of what we're about to praise God and pray for even now, we have begun to develop a multilingual translation ministry, so that many of you will
know that for many years now, our service has been recorded
and then is broadcast each week on various channels, YouTube channel and various online means, the service is broadcast in English. But what's begun to happen now, just in recent days, is that we have translation
teams here at the church who take the service, listen to it, and each week translate
the entirety of the service so that subtitles can be provided with that service in Chinese,
in Korean, and Spanish. This is a great ministry. We're excited about this, not only because it helps us to reach non-English speakers here in Atlanta, but that through this ministry, the word of God literally going forth to the ends of the earth. So we have church friends and connections in China, in Korea, who are actually taking
advantage of this service each and every week. And so what we want to do this morning is just to recognize this
and to recognize the people who are doing really diligent work each and every week behind the scenes, in order that this
ministry might go forward. And we want to pray for them. It's a challenging work. They have to have a firm grasp of Chinese or Korean or Spanish, and then they have to have
the theological awareness to be able to accurately convey
what's being said in English so that the theology of what's going forth is actually right. And so we want to recognize the folks who are doing that work, and we want to make you aware
of it so you can actively pray because through this ministry, the word ministry of Westminster, it literally has an opportunity to go to the ends of the earth. So I want to recognize those. We have, right now, we have three different translation teams that are actively at work each week to translate our service
into other languages. Our Chinese team is Eric and Rebecca Song. Now some of you will
know Eric and Rebecca. They were members here for many years and then Eric's work
took him to Minneapolis. But we're so thankful
that Eric and Rebecca's commitment to Westminster has remained even as they now live in Minneapolis. And they remotely each
week go through the service and translate it into Chinese. Very thankful for their ministry and we want to recognize
them for their ongoing work. Our Spanish team consists
of Carlo and Norma Davila and Hunter Steffner. Would you guys be willing to come down? Yep, very good, so folks can... This is Hunter Steffner, not Norma. (laughing) And Carlo. And many of you will know Norma. She's just so active and
thankful for the work she does here at the church. And then our Korean team
is Jaeyo Oh, Saeyoung Park, and Jaein and Jamie Lim. So again, each week, these folks are going through
the entirety of our service, translating it into another language and creating those
subtitles so that people around the city and around the
world can enjoy the service and connect with it on a deeper level because they can see the
words in their own language. So what I'd like to do is just
pray for this group of folks who are diligently at work each week, that the Lord would bless their work and that it would be a blessing even to the ends of the earth. So let me pray. Heavenly Father, we come before you and we thank you for your word. We thank you for your
heart for the nations, and that it is your heart
that the word would go forth to save a people from every
tongue and tribe and nation. And Lord, we know and we have
seen through church history the powerful work of translation. That when people are able to connect with the message of your
word in their own language, their heart tongue, there is a power in which they are able to know and connect with you. And so Lord, we want to facilitate that. And we thank you for this team and these teams who are
diligently at work to this end. Thank you for their work
each and every week, doing the careful work of translation so that others may hear and know the gospel of the Lord Jesus. We lift up to you Eric and Rebecca Song, Carlo and Norma Davila, Hunter Steffner, Jaeyo Oh, Saeyoung Park,
and Jaein and Jamie Lim. Lord, bless their work. Bless them. Bless their own walk with you that they would be growing in
their knowledge of the word, and bless their translation work. Make it clear and accurate and faithful. And Lord, make it fruitful. Oh Lord, we desire to
see many come to know you and be discipled and sanctified
by the ministry of your word and the worship of your people. So we pray you would bless this ministry and make it fruitful, drawing people to yourself here in Atlanta and even to the very ends of the earth. We pray all of these
things in Jesus' name. Amen. Well, let's continue with
this theme in our worship by standing and singing
a rendition of Psalm 67, which is a great hymn talking about the blessing of God's people that the nations may know and worship him. We see this in Psalm 437, which again is a rendition of Psalm 67. Oh God, to us show mercy. Let's stand and sing. Thank you, guys. (soft music) ♪ Oh God, to us show mercy ♪ ♪ And bless us in your grace ♪ ♪ Cause now to shine upon us ♪ ♪ The brightness of your face ♪ ♪ That so your way most holy ♪ ♪ On earth may soon be known ♪ ♪ And unto every people ♪ ♪ Your saving grace be shown ♪ ♪ Oh God, let all men praise you ♪ ♪ Let all the nations sing ♪ ♪ In every land let praises ♪ ♪ And songs of gladness ring ♪ ♪ For you shall judge the people ♪ ♪ In truth and righteousness ♪ ♪ And through the earth the nations ♪ ♪ Shall your just rule confess ♪ ♪ Oh God, let people praise you ♪ ♪ Let all the nations sing ♪ ♪ For earth in rich abundance ♪ ♪ To us her fruit shall bring ♪ ♪ The Lord our God shall bless us ♪ ♪ Our God shall blessing send ♪ ♪ And all the earth shall fear him ♪ ♪ To its remotest end ♪ - Our Father in heaven, we thank you for the incomparable reward of eternal life in your presence. We thank you for Christ Jesus, our Prophet, Priest, and King, in whom we will receive
this promised inheritance. We thank you that as we
are united to Christ, we can draw near to you with confidence. We thank you for the
assurance of our salvation, which we have by the
witness of your Holy Spirit and in with us. We ask that you would keep
and sustain us, oh Lord, until that day when we will
pass into the glory of heaven. May our tithes and
offerings be pleasing to you and of humble service in your
kingdom in Christ's name. Amen, please be seated. (soft music) ♪ Jesus loves me ♪ ♪ This I know ♪ ♪ For the Bible ♪ ♪ Tells me so ♪ ♪ Little ones ♪ ♪ To him belong ♪ ♪ They are weak ♪ ♪ But he is strong ♪ ♪ Yes, Jesus loves me ♪ ♪ Yes, Jesus loves me ♪ ♪ Yes, Jesus loves me ♪ ♪ The Bible tells me so ♪ (soft music) ♪ Jesus loves me ♪ ♪ He who died ♪ ♪ Heaven's gates ♪ ♪ To open wide ♪ ♪ He will wash ♪ ♪ Away my sin ♪ ♪ Let his little ♪ ♪ Child come in ♪ ♪ Yes, Jesus loves me ♪ ♪ Yes, Jesus loves me ♪ ♪ Yes, Jesus loves me ♪ ♪ The Bible tells me so ♪ (soft music) ♪ Jesus loves me ♪ ♪ He will stay ♪ ♪ Close beside me ♪ ♪ All the way ♪ ♪ He calls children ♪ ♪ To his side ♪ ♪ Safely ♪ ♪ Come with me ♪ ♪ On high ♪ ♪ Yes, Jesus loves me ♪ ♪ Yes, Jesus loves me ♪ ♪ Yes, Jesus loves me ♪ ♪ The Bible ♪ ♪ Tells me so ♪ (soft music) ♪ Praise God from whom
all blessings flow ♪ ♪ Praise him all creatures here below ♪ ♪ Hallelujah ♪ ♪ Hallelujah ♪ ♪ Praise him above ye heavenly hosts ♪ ♪ Praise Father, Son and Holy Ghost ♪ ♪ Hallelujah ♪ ♪ Hallelujah ♪ ♪ Hallelujah ♪ ♪ Hallelujah ♪ ♪ Hallelujah ♪ - Let us go before our Lord with a prayer of confession
and intercession. Let us pray together. Our heavenly Father, you are worthy to receive
glory and honor and power, for you created all
things and by your will, they existed and were created. We marvel that you have
chosen us in Christ before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy
and blameless before you. The scripture promises that
those who are in Christ, their citizenship is in heaven. Thank you, Father, for
all the grace and love that you have poured out on
us to make us your people and to give us a heavenly inheritance. We thank you that one day, all who are united with Christ will have our lowly
bodies changed into a body that will be like his
resurrected body of glory. For this reason, the scripture
calls us to be faithful and to give ourself fully
to the work of the Lord. Yet we confess. We do not serve the Lord faithfully. Too often, we put our hands on plow and look back when we do the work of God. We are not faithful in
the work of evangelism or in praying or in giving or in reading the scripture or in believing in Jesus Christ. Lord, forgive us. Wash away our sins through
the blood of our Lord Jesus. And we pray by the power
of the Holy Spirit, help us to be remain faithful to Jesus. We ask that you may run, we pray that we may run
the race set before us with patient endurance. We pray that we may finish the good work that you have started in us so that we may hear you say,
well done, faithful servant. To this end, we pray for various
ministries at Westminster. We pray for our pulpit ministry, youth and college ministry, career ministry. We pray for children's ministry, men and women's ministry, ESL ministry. We pray for music ministry, worship service translation ministry, meal ministry, and many more. Lord, we pray that you would
fill us with your Holy Spirit so that we may joyfully
and faithfully carry out what you have called us to do. Lord, help us to live
by grace through faith as we watch for your any day return when you come to take
us to be with yourself. Lord, we now pray for
those with daily battle against sickness and
pain and advanced age. We pray for Carol Gardner, Linda Esto, Austin Cook, Patty Messner, Walter and Maggie Sundale, Sue Jake's son Jeffrey and Janice and Jayce, for Anna Tuft's father
as well as her family, for Gaylord Langley, for Susanna Bessel, for John and Inis Hunt, Emily White, for Charlie and Martha
Akins and many more. And we pray for our expectant mothers. Oh Lord, our God and Father, we praise you for you
are our great healer. We pray to you, Lord, in
the time of your favor. In your great steadfast love, oh God, answer us in your saving faithfulness. We love you and in Jesus' name we pray. Amen. Let us continue in our worship as we stand and sing The Glory of Patri. (soft music) ♪ Glory be to the Father ♪ ♪ And to the Son ♪ ♪ And to the Holy Ghost ♪ ♪ As it was in the beginning ♪ ♪ Is now and ever shall be ♪ ♪ World without end ♪ ♪ Amen ♪ ♪ Amen ♪ - Amen, I ask that you
would please remain standing for the reading of God's holy word. Our sermon text this morning
is from 2 Kings 1:1-14. We continue this morning with
our regular sermon series on the divided kingdom
of Judah and Israel. And this morning, our series
brings us to 2 Kings 2:1-14. Please listen now as I read for this is the very word of God. Now when the Lord was about to take Elijah up to heaven by a whirlwind, Elijah and Elisha were
on their way from Gilgal. And Elijah said to Elisha, please stay here for the Lord
has sent me as far as Bethel. But Elisha said, as the Lord
lives and as you yourself live, I will not leave you. So they went down to Bethel. And the sons of the
prophets who were in Bethel came out to Elisha and said to him, do you know that today
the Lord will take away your master from over you? And he said, yes, I know it. Keep quiet. Elijah said to him,
Elisha, please stay here for the Lord has sent me to Jericho. But he said, as the Lord lives
and as you yourself live, I will not leave you. So they came to Jericho. The sons of the prophets
who were at Jericho drew near to Elisha and said to him, do you know that today
the Lord will take away your master from over you? And he answered, yes, I know it. Keep quiet. Then Elijah said to him, please stay here for the Lord has sent me to the Jordan. But he said, as the Lord lives
and as you yourself live, I will not leave you. So the two of them went on. 50 men of the sons of
the prophets also went and stood at some distance from them as they were standing by the Jordan. Then Elijah took his cloak and rolled it up and struck the water and the water was parted to
one side and to the other, 'til the two of them could
go over on dry ground. When they had crossed,
Elijah said to Elisha, ask what I shall do for you
before I am taken from you. And Elisha said, please let there be a double portion of your spirit on me. And he said, you have asked a hard thing. Yet if you see me as I
am being taken from you, it shall be so for you. But if you do not see
me, it shall not be so. And as they still went on and talked, behold, chariots of
fire and horses of fire separated the two of them. And Elijah went up by
a whirlwind into heaven and Elisha saw it and he cried, my Father, my Father. The chariots of Israel and its horsemen. And he saw him no more. Then he took hold of his own clothes and tore them into pieces. And he took up the cloak of
Elijah that had fallen from him and went back and stood
on the bank of the Jordan. Then he took the cloak of
Elijah that had fallen from him and struck the water saying, where is the Lord, the God of Elijah? And when he had struck the water, the water was parted to
one side and to the other. And Elisha went over. May the Lord bless to our hearts and minds the reading of his word. You may be seated. Would you pray with me? Heavenly Father, we pray that by the power of your word and spirit, you would grant to us a heavenly vision. Which would then fuel a
life of faithful service to the very end of our days. We pray this in Jesus' name. Amen. Well, one of my favorite movies is the Academy Award winning
film, Chariots of Fire. And in one scene, Scottish track star and
missionary Eric Liddell stands before a post race crowd, which has gathered to hear him speak. He calls to mind many of the trials and the afflictions that mark this life and then he poignantly asks his listeners. Where does the strength come from to see the race through to its end? That's a good question. A question that we must
all ask at some level. In the face of sin and sickness
and suffering of all kinds, where does the strength come from to see the race through to its end? Well, this question is
before us this morning in a rather pointed way, as we come to the end
of Elijah's ministry. The end of his time on earth. The passing of his epic
prophetic calling to another. And in this final chapter of
Elijah's story, we glance, we catch a remarkable
glimpse of the heavenly glory that fueled his earthly race. And we receive inspiration and instruction for how we are to run the
race of faith to the very end. So with these things in mind, let's turn to our text. 2 Kings 2:1-14. Now this morning, I've divided the sermon
into three sections. The sections are marked not by the chronological progression of verses, but rather by three major themes that are woven throughout the passage. The first theme that I
would have us consider, not surprisingly given my introduction, is Elijah's end. It seems fitting to consider Elijah's end at the beginning of our sermon because it is this end
that looms large over, and in fact, shapes the entire passage. We can see this from the opening phrase. It says in verse one, now when the Lord was about to take Elijah up to heaven by a whirlwind. It's clear from the text that Elijah was well aware of the nature
and the timing of his end. Clearly God had revealed to him the time, the place and
the manner of his end and knowledge of this end
was fueling his action. We see this clearly as he moves from across the terrain of Israel with great intentionality and purpose. Three different times,
Elijah announces to Elisha that the Lord has sent
him to a particular place. And we see in verses nine and 10 that he then identifies
to Elisha very clearly that he's about to be taken from him. Now throughout the whole passage, it's clear that Elijah is well aware of what is to take place to him, and that is shaping his
action in this passage. It's also very clear that Elisha is aware of the nature and
the timing of Elijah's end. We see this very clearly
in verses three and five, where he is asked, do you know that today
the Lord will take away your master from you? And on both occasions
he resolutely answers, yes, I know it. Okay, right, I get the picture. And it's also very clear,
as we've just seen, that Elijah and Elisha
are not the only ones that know what is to take place, but the sons of the
prophets know it as well. They're the ones who keep asking Elisha concerning his knowledge
of Elijah's coming end. They clearly know today is the day. Today is the day that the Lord
is going to take Elijah away. You see, throughout the entire passage from beginning to end, everybody involved seems
to know about Elijah's end. And what is this end? It is the day, the definitive day that the Lord is going to supernaturally take Elijah up into heavenly glory in order that Elijah may live with God. Now almost certainly, the Lord had revealed this to Elijah. And Elijah, it seems, had
then instructed Elisha and probably the sons of the
prophets about this coming end. Now we don't know how long Elijah knew the details of this day. We don't know how long he
had known the precise details of his supernatural departure. How and when and where he
would be carried up into heaven without passing through
the trial of death. But I am confident of this. That Elijah knew and believed
something significant about his ultimate end throughout his entire ministry. He may not have always known the day or the place or the precise manner of his departure. But I believe he always
knew that his ultimate end was to enter into the presence of God in eternal heavenly glory. How can I say this? Because ultimately this
was and is the hope of all of God's people. All those who follow the Lord by faith in the promises of his word. Now to be sure, the hope of heaven, the reality of eternal life and the clear teaching of
victory over the grave, that all comes to us
in a much clearer form in the New Testament
than it does in the Old. But make no mistake. The hope of eternal life with God, hope of life after this
life, life after death, it is an important part of the Old Testament teaching as well. We see this in one of the older
texts in the Old Testament, where Job states the
great Old Testament hope. I know that my Redeemer lives and that at the last he
will stand on the earth. And after my skin has been thus destroyed, yet in my flesh, I shall see God. The psalmist declares in Psalm 16:10-11, you will not abandon my soul to Sheol or let your holy one see corruption. You make known to me the path of life. In your presence, there
is fullness of joy. At your right hand are
pleasures forevermore. Psalm 23 famously declares, surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life and I shall dwell in the
house of the Lord forever. Psalm 49 declares that in death, the form of the wicked
shall be consumed in Sheol with no place to dwell, but God will ransom my soul
from the power of Sheol, for he will receive me. Psalm 73 tells us, we cannot make sense of the destiny of the
wicked and the righteous just from the details of this life. But rather through worship,
according to the word, we are then able to discern
ultimate ends beyond death. The psalm concludes by declaring, I am continually with you. You hold my right hand. You guide me with your counsel and afterward you will
receive me to glory. Whom have I in heaven but you? And there's nothing on
earth I desire besides you. My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is my strength
and my portion forever. And this is to say nothing
of later Old Testament texts, like Isaiah 26 or Daniel 12, which speak very clearly of a resurrection from the dead unto glory. Now, this is not just
the New Testament hope. This is the biblical hope. That the believer can rest in the hope of eternal life with God beyond the grave. That we will be rescued by God from death unto life forevermore. I am confident this was Elijah's hope throughout his ministry. That it was this hope
that enabled him to face the threats of wicked kings with courage. It was this hope that enabled him to sojourn in the wilderness, depending on God for
food and water and drink. It was this hope that enabled
him to cry out to the Lord that he might, that
the Lord might actually raise the widow of
Zarephath's son from the dead. Elijah regularly walked through the valley of the shadow of death. But in this, he could fear no evil because he knew that he would dwell in the house of the Lord forever. And now, at the very end of his life in what is a stunning scene, Elijah's faith in that hope, the hope of eternal life,
it now becomes sight. As chariots afire come down from heaven and separate Elijah and Elisha, as Elijah is then carried up
into heaven in a whirlwind in a way that Elisha can
see it with his own eyes, in that glorious moment, we can say in fulfillment of
the Old Testament scriptures, Elijah entered into the
eternal pleasures of God. Psalm 16. He entered into the heavenly
house of God forever. Psalm 23. And the Lord received
him into eternal rest. Psalm 49 and 73. And in this glorious reception
of Elijah into glory, God gives Elisha and all
who then read this word a physical demonstration of a man being received into heavenly glory. In a way that we can say,
it's not just figurative. It's not just symbolic. It's real. Real in a way that can be
seen and heard and felt. Oh, I tell you, this glorious
reception into heaven was just as real as the dust and the water on the shores of the Jordan where Elijah stood. Now, as Elijah was called up into heaven, into the heavenly home that
God had prepared for him, there is a remarkable reality to this heavenly hope. And we could say, well, this is just a
singular remarkable story. It's kind of a one-off miracle. But I want to argue this
morning that this story, even though it is a kind of
singular remarkable one-off in the pages of scripture, this story is good news to all who believe in the Lord of Elijah. For although we will probably not receive this kind of dramatic
taking up into heaven on this side of death, after all, in the pages of scripture, that has been reserved
just for Elijah and Enoch in the book of Genesis. But in this very taking up, this end gathering,
this heavenly reception, what we see is the ultimate
sure and certain hope for every believer in the Lord. You see, we have great
privilege now of having much clearer New Testament
teaching on this matter. We have the testimony of
the Lord Jesus Christ, who himself died on the cross for our sins and rose from the dead for our salvation. He is uniquely qualified to
teach on what comes after death. And he teaches us in his word
that immediately at death, the souls of believers are made perfect and ushered into his
heavenly presence in glory. Jesus tells the thief on the cross, today, you will be with me in paradise. Again, at the death of Lazarus,
Jesus declares in John 11, I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, even
if he dies, yet shall he live. And as believers in the Lord Jesus Christ, we not only have the promise of our souls being taken up into glory when we die, we also have the promise
that the day is coming when the Lord Jesus Christ
will return from heaven. And on that day, the scripture says that just as Jesus experienced a physical resurrection from the dead, and he then ascended into heaven, so too will our dead bodies
be raised from the dead. Raised pure, incorruptible, and we shall be taken up body and soul to be with the Lord forever. And the scripture says, those who are still living
when Christ returns, well, we're gonna experience
something remarkably similar to what Elijah experienced. We'll be changed, purified,
sanctified, body and soul, and we will be taken up. We who believe in Christ. We will meet the Lord in the air and we will forever be with the Lord. 1 Thessalonians. So as dramatic, as unusual, as miraculous as Elijah's
taking up into heaven is, it is, in many ways, the normative account of what all believers
in the Lord Jesus Christ will experience when he returns. And this hope, this faith in this ultimate
heavenly reception, this taking up into glory, this is what then is, this fuels and sustains life
and ministry here on earth. This hope is what gives us strength to see our race through to its end because now we know
what we're running for. We know what prize awaits us
when we cross the finish line. As Hebrews 12:2 says about Jesus himself, that for the joy that was set before him, Jesus endured the cross and despised the shame and is seated now at the right hand of the throne of God. Or as the Apostle Paul writes
about his own experience in 2 Timothy 4, he could say, I fought the good fight,
I finished the race, I've kept the faith. Henceforth, there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness. Which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day. And not only to me, but to all who have loved his appearing. Now, we've already sung this morning. He by himself has sworn. I on his oath depend. I shall on eagles' wings
upborne to heaven ascend. I shall behold his face. I shall his power adore. And sing the wonders of
his grace forevermore. I ask you this morning, is this your hope? Have you placed your faith
in the Lord Jesus Christ, crucified and risen as your Savior? If you have, then this
heavenly hope should then fuel a life of dedicated
ministry and service to the very end of our days. And we see here, that was certainly the case with Elijah. Here he was with his spiritual gaze firmly fixed on his departure into heaven. And yet he was not a man
who was so heavenly minded that he was of no earthly good. But no, his heavenly focus
translated into a life which was poured out in service of God and for the welfare of others. And this then brings us to the
second section of our sermon. Elijah's final instructions. As Elijah moved towards his heavenly end, he spent every last moment engaged in strategic ministry and instruction and the discipleship of his followers. And this was true for
Elisha in particular. We can see this instruction coming out, I think, in three ways, the first of which I'm calling Elijah's commitment to
communal connection. As Elijah makes his way to the place where he will be taken up, he zigs and zags in a
very particular path. Now, if you look at a map, you'll see that the path Elijah travels is not a direct route to
get to his destination. Rather, he kind of goes back and forth. But it's clear that
the path he journeys on is very intentional. What is the rationale
behind this intentional but somewhat jagged path? I actually think, as we'll see, there are multiple rationales, but one of the rationales behind this path seems to be the men he
connects with at each location. We see that as Elijah
moves from Gilgal to Bethel to Jericho to the Jordan, he comes in contact at each place by the sons of the prophets. The sons of the prophets seem to be a very important part of this journey. And not only do these
men just happen to be in the places where Elijah ends up, but at each stage, they
seem to have a clear grasp on the revelation that Elijah will be taken up into heaven on this day. And so we ask, well, who were these men? Well, they seem to be a group. Most likely, most scholars
think of younger men who were part of the 7,000
that the Lord promised, back in 1 Kings 19, that he would preserve and
keep faithful to the Lord. These were men who were supportive of the prophetic work of Elijah and who would not bow the knee to Bael. It seems that Elijah has
identified these men. He knows their location and at some level, it seems he's been pouring into them, perhaps visiting them
on regular occasions. He knows where they
are, what they're up to, and it seems that he has been giving them prophetic revelation about himself. He's been encouraging them,
he's been teaching them, he's been discipling them. You can remember back in 1 Kings 19, Elijah became so discouraged because he felt that in
his prophetic ministry, he was all alone. He said to the Lord, there's no one left. No one with him, no faithful
brothers in the land. The Lord actually rebuked
Elijah at that point, letting him know that no,
Elijah, you're not alone. He told Elijah about the
7,000 that he has preserved, who have not bowed their knee to Bael, and then he called Elijah to go and appoint Elisha as his successor. And since that point, Elijah's
been accompanied by Elisha and he seems to have also
cultivated and discipled these sons of the prophets. And in his final journey then, he makes a kind of
indirect but strategic path in order that he might connect with the sons of the
prophets one last time. I think there's a profound
lesson here for all of us in life and ministry. It's a reminder that part of a healthy and mature Christian life
is that we give ourselves to the discipleship of others, particularly the next generation. This is obviously something
we see in Elijah's life here. It's clearly a part of Jesus' ministry with his own disciples. And it was an essential component of Paul's ministry with Timothy, and he commands Timothy to have that kind of impact on others. You see, this is an important part of the life of every believer. Scripture says older women are called to pass on the faith to
younger women, Titus 2. Parents are called to teach
and disciple their children. You see, the Christian faith is something that is to be embraced and
believed and lived out, but in living it out, it's also something
that is to be passed on. I want to ask you this morning. Are you doing this? Are you making the intentional
communal connections that are a part of passing on the faith, in particular to the next generation? Elijah's heavenly vision didn't cause him to
disconnect with the present, and it certainly didn't cause him to be indifferent to the future. But no, we see that because
of that heavenly vision, he was pouring himself
out to the next generation to the very last. Now, the next two parts of
Elijah's instruction then are focused very directly on Elisha. The first element of this is what I'm calling a little
tour of sacred geography. As I've already mentioned, Elijah's final journey to the place where he would be taken up
was kind of a circuitous one. It was Gilgal to Bethel
to Jericho to the Jordan. And as we just mentioned, I think part of the rationale
for that journey was in order that he might connect
with the sons of the prophets who were gathered in those locations. But I think there was
also another rationale. You see, this path from Gilgal to Bethel to Jericho to the Jordan was kind of a retracing of the path that the people of
Israel took under Joshua when they entered and
conquered the Promised Land. If you go back to the book of Joshua, you see that the people
crossed over the Jordan with the waters parting
at a very similar way to the ways the waters had parted at the Red Sea under Moses. Now under Joshua, they part
and the people enter the land. They fight the battle of Jericho as the first decisive
battle in the Promised Land. They then move on. They almost forfeit the conquest through their own sin at the battle of Ai, which is very near Bethel. And then they marched onto Gilgal and they won of a decisive
battle where you may remember, the Lord made the sun stand still so that they could finish and
complete a military victory. Gilgal then becomes kind
of Joshua's main camp. And it's from there that the land is allotted to the 12 tribes. So what Elijah seems to
be doing here with Elisha is taking him back to the beginning, retracing the steps of Joshua, who was the successor of Moses, as he marched through the Promised Land. And this would seem to have a kind of double meaning for Elijah. First, it seems like
it would remind Elijah of the great work that
God had done in the past, through a successor to a great prophet. In the way that Joshua had followed Moses, he's now saying, look,
God has done it before in these very places, Elisha. He can most certainly do it again. And yet this sacred geography trip would not only seem to be
a word of encouragement, but also a word of solemnity and sobriety about the present day task. You see, this journey was not precisely, it wasn't retracing Joshua's steps. It was kind of doing the
steps in reverse order. In one sense, you could say there's a kind of undoing
of Joshua's steps, so that the end result is that Elijah strikes the Jordan and crosses over and leaves the Promised Land. Seems to be kind of a
symbolic way of saying that the great conquest of the land, the triumph over the Canaanites
has now been reversed. It has come undone. So that the task before Elisha is essentially to go
back to the beginning, recognizing that the land will have to be conquered once again. Spiritually, morally and ethically. Israel may have conquered the Canaanites on the field of battle
hundreds of years ago, but in the longer term, the Canaanites have
spiritually conquered Israel. And so a new conquest is needed. A challenge now faces Elisha that is no less daunting than
the one that faced Joshua hundreds of years before. It's a reminder, as Sinclair
Ferguson points out, that every new generation
faces a new challenge. But as Elijah makes clear
here in this instruction, the hope of victory resides
in the same source of power that aided the earlier generations. Elisha and Israel do not
need a new power source. They don't have to find a new God. They need to return to the
old ways, the old paths. The God of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, Joshua, and Elijah. And to the very end, Elijah is instructing his
pupil in these sacred ways. Which makes us ask, well,
it's a big task before Elisha. Does he have what it takes to take up this mantle
of spiritual leadership? This is the final form of
Elijah's instruction to Elisha is, so he's engaged in communal connection with the sons of the prophets. He's taken Elisha on a
tour of sacred geography. And what we see is that throughout it all, he engages Elisha with a series
of solemn but subtle tests. We can see that on three occasions, verses two, four and six, Elijah tells Elisha, please stay here, for the
Lord has sent me onto Bethel. Then onto Jericho. Then onto the Jordan. And on each of these three
occasions, Elijah responds. As the Lord lives and
as you yourself live, I will not leave you. We ask, what's behind
this little give and take? This threefold request. I think it's worth noting, first of all, that it's a threefold request. Often in the Old Testament, doing something in a group of three is a sign of fullness or completeness. Many scholars and pastors have pointed out that this seems to be a kind of full and complete test
of Elisha's resolve. Will Elisha shrink back? Will he take the easier
road, the gentle suggestion, letting Elijah go forward alone? Or will he doggedly stay
with Elijah to the very end? Even if that means having to stand up and honorably decline the
very request of his master. It seems clear there's
certainly some kind of test going on here in Elijah's mind. Because after the third instance, when they finally reach
the Jordan together, the place where Elijah will be taken up, it's then and only then that Elijah offers to do for Elisha whatever he asks. Elijah seems to have been
testing the resolve of Elisha in this final chapter of
discipleship with his protege. Wondering, will Elijah stay until the end? Well, having stayed the course, Elijah then offers to bless
Elisha in a particular way. Now of course, we are
not likely to be tested in the same way. But make no mistake, we should
be sensitive to the fact that God often regularly
tests his children. God often places obstacles,
trials, challenges in our way, forcing us to press through them. And these tasks are not for God's benefit. He knows what's in our hearts. But they're for our own benefit. That we might be able
to see and be encouraged by the strength that God is working in us, or we can see the weakness of our frame and our need for continued
dependence on God. But this is the final test
that Elijah puts before Elisha. And we see that Elijah's heavenly vision is fueling a life of discipleship and instruction and faithful
ministry to the very end. Right up to the last moment
of his earthly pilgrimage. And so it should be for us. But that then brings us to the third and final aspect of our sermon, which is to shift our
focus from Elijah to Elisha and consider Elisha's reception of Elijah's final instructions. And I think there are
three things we can say. Three things we could focus on in terms of Elijah's reception of and response to Elijah's instructions. The first, which we've already spoken of, is Elisha's resolve in the
face of Elijah's testing. When given the opportunity to step aside, to take the easier road, Elisha honorably and
respectfully declines. And instead he doubles down
on his commitment to the Lord and his commitment to
his father in the faith. Three times, he's given the
opportunity to step aside, to stand down. And three times he responds
with identical words. As the Lord lives and
as you yourself live, I will not leave you. For years now, Elisha has
been following Elijah. Carrying water for him, washing his hands, serving at his side. And he is not now about
to abandon his master. No, as long as Elijah lives, he will not stray from his side. It's a noble and beautiful commitment. Which Elisha clearly
sees as part and parcel of his commitment to the Lord himself. And I would challenge each
one of us this morning to consider our resolve. Our commitment to the Lord,
to his word, to his people. Are we only committed to these
things when things are easy? If challenges arise, are we quick to say, well, I guess I can't continue on? Are we just committed to these things when they're convenient in polite society? Or are we willing to say, as the Lord lives and
as the church endures, I will not shrink back from
my commitment to the Lord, to his word, and to his people. Elisha gives us a great example here, one that we would do well
to consider and emulate. And as we've already seen then, Elisha's faithful
perseverance under testing, it leads to a reward of sorts. Elijah asks him, having seen
Elisha passing the test, he says, what shall I do for
you before I am taken from you? This leads to our second
consideration of Elisha's response, which is his request. Given this open-ended
invitation where Elijah says, ask me anything, what will Elisha request? His request is striking. He says, please let
there be a double portion of your spirit on me. As most interpreters have noted, this request of Elisha for Elijah's spirit is a comprehensive request. The spirit of Elijah refers to the whole of his being and life. It involves his relationship and communion with the Lord himself flowing
forth in Elijah's faith and his trust in the Lord. It's Elijah's holiness, his courage, his public teaching ministry, his power, his leadership, his life. That's the spirit of Elijah. And Elisha says, I want that. In fact, he's so bold to
ask for a double portion of Elijah's spirit. Which might seem like a strange request. I'm in agreement here with
the great Scottish preacher, Eric Alexander, who says, Elisha's request for a double portion is not a request that he might
be twice as great as Elijah. But rather it seems more
rooted in Elisha's recognition, I'm not half the man as my master. And if I am to lead,
Elijah, in your place, to serve in your stead, I will need a double
portion of your spirit to see me through. Alexander also comments,
along with other interpreters, that this request could also be rooted in Elisha's recognition that he's not just being called to be a prophet, but he's being called to be the leader of the sons of the prophets. You might say he's being called
to be the first born prophet among the sons of the prophets. And it was custom in that
day for the first born son to receive a double portion
of the father's inheritance. So this could also be
Elisha's way of saying, oh master, give me what I need to be the leader of this prophetic family. Well, Elijah realizes
this is a hard request. It's a request that only
God can ultimately grant. So he tells Elisha, well, if you see me when I
am taken up, it shall be so. If your gaze is lifted up to heaven and you behold me entering my glory, if you look to me to the very end, God will give you what you ask for. And of course, that's
exactly what happens. Elisha beholds Elijah's
entrance into glory. His journey into heaven in the whirlwind, escorted by the chariots of fire. And he cries out, oh my Father, my Father. The chariots of Israel and its horsemen. And the text says, and
then he saw him no more. I want to ask you this morning. What is it that you want most? What do you desire? What are you asking
the Lord for in prayer? Is it the worldly blessings
and trinkets of this age? Or at the end of the day do you desire the spiritual blessings of a
life in communion with God? Do you yearn for faith and holiness and courage and fidelity to the word? Do you yearn for a
genuine spiritual impact on the lives of others? Do you desire a heavenly mindedness that fuels a fruitful
and dedicated ministry to the very end? Tell you this, brothers and sisters, should be our heart's desire. And thankfully, this is
the very kind of request that the Lord loves to
grant if we will but ask. This then brings us to the final aspect of Elijah's reception,
of Elijah's instruction, and that is Elisha's dependence
on the Lord of Elijah. Having received Elijah's
final instructions, having shown his resolve to the very end, having made this final request and having seen the request be answered, having witnessed Elijah
being taken up into glory, you might think that, well, Elisha would be
pretty pleased with himself. He might go forth and say
to the sons of the prophets and to all of Israel, hey, I'm Elisha. I'm Elisha. The spiritual leader of the people of God. I'm the successor to the
great prophet Elijah. So now you all have to listen to me 'cause I'm pretty special. But having received Elijah's
mentoring over the years, having received Elijah's
instruction in this final journey, having received a double
portion of Elijah's spirit, what does that lead Elisha to do? It leads him to wholeheartedly
depend on the God of Elijah. The Lord of heaven and earth. Knowing the challenge that is before him, nothing less than the spiritual
reconquest of the land, he appeals to the Lord, the God who brought Israel out
of Egypt through the Red Sea, the God who brought
Israel across the Jordan and gave them the Promised Land, the God who Elijah stood
before all his days. Elisha knows that if God is not
the one building this house, he labors in vain. He knows that God must work. God must deliver. God must save. God must conquer the land. So he picks up the mantle of Elijah and he strikes the water of the Jordan. And he declares not, look at me now, but he declares, where is
the Lord, the God of Elijah? He knows Elijah's in heaven. And his hope now rests not in Elijah, but in the God of Elijah. His hope is in the Lord. And when he struck the
water, the water was parted. And I think we can add with
no doubt or qualification, the water was pardoned by the Lord. And Elisha went over. Ready to face the challenges before him in the name of the Lord. And as you consider your
own life this morning, I'd suggest to you, this is the call that is on
each one of us this morning. We can and should consider the people that God has used to disciple us. We can receive their teaching. We can follow their example. We can treasure their memory. But at the end of the day, we must look to the Lord of Elijah. The Lord of heaven and earth. We must look to the Lord who
parted the Red Sea for Moses, who parted the Jordan for Joshua, who parted the Jordan for Elijah and who parted the Jordan for Elisha. We must look to the Lord who himself has passed through death
and has emerged victorious on the other side in resurrection glory. We must look to the Lord Jesus Christ, the author and perfecter of our faith. Who for the joy that was set before him, endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right
hand of the throne of God. He rightly receives the
worship of Elijah and Elisha in heavenly glory. And so now in faith, may we believe in this Christ and may we serve him with
great resolve, come what may. By the power of the Holy Spirit, may we serve with holiness and courage and dedication. And may we look to the
heavenly prize of eternity, of communion with our God
and Savior Jesus Christ. May the vision of heavenly
glory with the risen Christ give us strength to see our
race through to its end. Let's pray. Heavenly Father, we come before you and we praise you for this marvelous and deep scene in the scriptures. A scene of immense heavenly glory and a scene of faithful prophetic
ministry to the very end. Oh Lord, may you grant us
similar spiritual sight to behold the Lord Jesus
in resurrected glory and to follow him in faith, come what may, all of our days. We pray this in Jesus' name. Amen. Well, as we conclude our time together, let's sing a great hymn of
the faith, hymn number 81. Oh Love of God, How Strong and True. It's a tribute to the fact
that God's love and gospel is greater than the
afflictions of this world. May we look to him. Let's stand and sing. (soft music) ♪ Oh love of God ♪ ♪ How strong and true ♪ ♪ Eternal and yet ever new ♪ ♪ Uncomprehended and unbought ♪ ♪ Beyond all knowledge ♪ ♪ And all thought ♪ ♪ Oh love of God ♪ ♪ How deep and great ♪ ♪ Far deeper than man's deepest hate ♪ ♪ Self-fed, self-kindled like the light ♪ ♪ Changeless, eternal, infinite ♪ (soft music) ♪ Oh heavenly love ♪ ♪ How precious still ♪ ♪ In days of weariness and ill ♪ ♪ In nights of pain and helplessness ♪ ♪ To heal, to comfort, and to bless ♪ ♪ Oh wide-embracing, wondrous love ♪ ♪ We read you in the sky above ♪ ♪ We read you in the earth below ♪ ♪ In seas that swell ♪ ♪ And streams that flow ♪ ♪ We read you best ♪ ♪ In him who came ♪ ♪ To bear for us the cross of shame ♪ ♪ Sent by the Father from on high ♪ ♪ Our life to live, our death to die ♪ ♪ We read your power ♪ ♪ To bless and save ♪ ♪ E'en in the darkness of the grave ♪ ♪ Still more in resurrection light ♪ ♪ We read the fullness of your might ♪ ♪ Oh love of God ♪ ♪ Our shield and stay ♪ ♪ Through all the perils of our way ♪ ♪ Eternal love, in you we rest ♪ ♪ Forever safe, forever blest ♪ ♪ We will exalt you ♪ ♪ God and King ♪ ♪ And we will ever praise your name ♪ ♪ We will extol you every day ♪ ♪ And evermore your praise proclaim ♪ (soft music) - We'll now receive God's benediction. May the God of peace who brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, the great Shepherd of the sheep by the blood of the eternal covenant, equip you with everything
good that you may do his will. Working in us that which
is pleasing in his sight through Jesus Christ, to whom
be glory forever and ever. Amen. (soft music)
(people chatting) (clapping) (people chatting)
