Essentials Of The Faith / Sunday Morning Sermon Series / Special Services
2 Kings 6:8-23
Message Title:
Spiritual Sight Requires Spiritual
Spectacles
Message Text: 2 Kings 6:8-23
Introduction:
ILL: 5 yr old Johnny was in the
kitchen as his mother made dinner. She asked him to go down into the
basement pantry to get her a can of tomato soup, but he didn’t want to go
alone. ‘It’s dark down there and I’m scared.’ She asked again and he
persisted. Finally she said ‘It’s OK, Jesus will be in there with you.’
Johnny walked hesitantly to the door and slowly opened it. He peeked inside,
saw it was dark and started to leave when all at once he had an idea. He
said ‘Jesus, if you are down there, would you hand me a can of tomato soup?’
(Steve Malone)
Explanation: When was the last time
you were afraid? You don’t have to be a small child to experience fear.
Fear is a powerful emotion. It can steal your joy, hijack your courage and
leave you weak, trembling alone in a corner.
What are some of the things we learn to fear? Cancer, separation, being
alone, failure, rejection, and death…am I right?
Where does fear come from? Our enemy, Satan. He uses fear to make us weak,
ineffective Christians. If he can’t have us he doesn’t want us to be useful
as God’s ambassadors, or confident, and powerful as God’s children.
If you struggle with fear, let me encourage you…‘Do not be afraid!’ These
words occur abut 70 times in the Bible and when God speaks them…they are
words we can trust.
Transition: The words ‘Do not be
afraid’ are in our text this morning and are said at a time when everyone
else was paralyzed by fear. Let’s look at our text to discover for ourselves
how we can be strong and courageous when everything around us says…be afraid
and run for your life.
1. 2 Kings 6:8-12 Elisha Knew the
Unknowable
Read: 2 Kg 6:8-12
This is great. Let me summarize:
Elisha is a man of God. He is a man of godly character, a man who walks
with God.
Elisha, warns the king of Israel of enemy’s traps.
The King of Israel, always sends men to check out what Elisha tells
him…and always finds out Elisha is telling him the truth.
The King of Aram gets pretty mad because his surprised attacks are no
surprise. He believes there is a traitor in his midst.
One of the kings men tells him it’s Elisha the prophet who tells the
King of Israel all the King of Aram is doing.
If you were at war, wouldn’t it be great to know every move your enemy
makes, before he makes it? Wouldn’t you have a significant advantage? It
would seem, with that kind of advantage, you couldn’t lose the war.
God knew what was going on in the mind and lives of the King of
Israel’s enemy. And he revealed it to a godly man, Elisha.
God also knows what your enemy, Satan, is planning to do to bring you
fear and cause you to live a defeated Christian life.
God knows…and he has revealed it to you... in the Bible, God’s Word.
Christian, we are at war. It’s a spiritual war with Satan. In the Bible we
can see the tactics and strategy of our enemy, Satan. Knowing the plans of
our enemy will give us a significant advantage and will enable us to
experience victory over him!
Elisha knew what everyone else thought was unknowable because he was a man
of God. That means…
Elisha believed God,
Elisha trusted God’s Word
Elisha followed God,
Elisha was a man of godly character in a time when holiness was a thing
of the past.
If we want to defeat fear in our lives, if we want to live victorious
Christian lives, we too have to know the unknowable. We can do that by being
like Elisha…and I am on my way to being like him. Did you know Elisha was
bald? 2Kg 2:23.
Well, baldness is not a requirement for knowing the unknowable. But…
Believing in Jesus Christ is
So is, trusting in God’s Word the Bible.
And following what God says.
And being a man or woman of godly character.
Christian, you can know the plans of your enemy, you can know the
unknowable, when you read and believe God’s Word.
Transition: But that doesn’t mean you
will never face difficult times, times that would cause others to fear. But
you have what others don’t…spiritual sight that comes from God alone.
2. 2 Kings 6:13-17 Elisha Saw the
Invisible
Read: 2 Kg. 6:13-17
So, here’s what happened.
The King of Aram sends his army, under the cloak of night, to surround
the city of Dothan, the place Elisha is living.
Elisha, like me, is a late sleeper, so his servant wakes up, heads out
the front door to get the Dothan Morning News and drops the paper and the
coffee he is holding in his hands.
He is immobilized by fear as he sees the city surrounded by the army
of the enemy.
He runs to Elisha and makes him come to the door. With great fear and
trembling in his voice he says ‘Oh my lord, what shall we do?’
What Elisha, the man of God says next, are very comforting words to those
who are gripped by fear.‘Do not be afraid. Those who are with us are more
than those who are with them.’
This promise is a recurring theme in Scripture. God reminds his children
that he is greater than whatever our enemy Satan can throw our way. Trust
God and defeat fear. Trust God and be victorious.
Elisha trusted God. That’s why he told his servant not to be afraid. Not
only did Elisha know the unknowable, he saw the invisible. God reveals his
presence and power to those who believe in him, to those who trust him, to
those who follow him.
Elisha prayed for God to open his servants eyes to see what he saw. What did
his servant see when God opened his eyes? He saw the heavenly hosts, the
army of God, greatly outnumbering and surrounding the King of Aram’s army.
Why couldn’t Elisha’s servant see what Elisha saw from the beginning? Doubt,
perhaps and fear. Our enemy, Satan uses fear to paralyze us so we can’t do
anything. Elisha’s servant looked at what he thought were overwhelming odds
and was afraid.
One of the reasons many Christians are afraid, lack power and fail to
experience victory is because rather than stand up and fight the enemy, they
resign themselves to defeat. They fear what might happen, because somewhere
deep in their hearts, they doubt God’s presence and power in their lives.
They can’t see the invisible because fear has closed their eyes to the
spiritual…to the awesome power of God’s presence for those who believe and
trust in him. God wants us to see what he sees. If we would just trust him
and open our eyes.
Transition: Elisha was not afraid
because he saw the invisible. Once his servants spiritual vision was
corrected by the spiritual spectacles of prayer, he too saw the power of
almighty God and was no longer afraid. So what happens next?
3. 2 Kings 6:18-23 Elisha Did the
Unthinkable
Read: 2 Kg. 6:18-23
Elisha prays and asks God to blind the enemy.
Then in vs 19 he sounds like o-b-wan kanobi from Star Wars. ‘These are
not the droids you are looking for’ when he tells the army ‘This is not the
road and this is not the city’.
Then he tells the King of Aram’s army to follow him.
Elisha leads the enemy’s army right into the city gates of the King of
Israel where we can assume he had them lay down their weapons.
Elisha prays to have the soldiers eyes opened. Talk about fear and
trembling.
The King of Israel asks permission from Elisha to kill his trapped and
unarmed enemy. It is here that Elisha did the unthinkable. No, he said. Feed
them, give then something to drink and send them on their way.
What? This is our enemy. Kill them all and the war will be over. Makes sense
to me. But it was not God’s will. Elisha, knew it and was obedient to God.
Notice the result of Elisha’s kindness. Vs 23 at the end. ‘So the bands
from Aram stopped raiding Israel’s territory.’ Grace and mercy brought the
same end result as killing everyone.
Elisha knew the unknowable, he saw the invisible and he did the unthinkable
all because he believed in God and trusted in his Word.
What seemed like overwhelming odds against him and Elisha was still able to
overcome his enemy. Truth is we can do more than we think we can…
when we have spiritual vision.
Conclusion
I don’t know what your particular need is right now. But I want to assure
you this morning, that whatever fear is keeping you from a victorious
Christian life, form being full of Joy in the Lord, trust Believe God,
Trust His Word, do not fear, those that with you are more then those that
are with your enemy.
You can defeat fear in your life. It no longer has to cripple you. When you
open your eyes to the reality of God’s presence and power in your life.