Rev’d Jonathan Gale
2 Kings 2: 1 – 2, 6 – 14
Elijah Ascends to Heaven
2Now when the Lord was about to take Elijah up to heaven by a whirlwind, Elijah and Elisha were on their way from Gilgal. 2Elijah said to Elisha, ‘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.
6 Then Elijah said to him, ‘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. 7Fifty men of the company of prophets* also went, and stood at some distance from them, as they both were standing by the Jordan. 8Then Elijah took his mantle and rolled it up, and struck the water; the water was parted to the one side and to the other, until the two of them crossed on dry ground.
9 When they had crossed, Elijah said to Elisha, ‘Tell me what I may do for you, before I am taken from you.’ Elisha said, ‘Please let me inherit a double share of your spirit.’ 10He responded, ‘You have asked a hard thing; yet, if you see me as I am being taken from you, it will be granted you; if not, it will not.’ 11As they continued walking and talking, a chariot of fire and horses of fire separated the two of them, and Elijah ascended in a whirlwind into heaven. 12Elisha kept watching and crying out, ‘Father, father! The chariots of Israel and its horsemen!’ But when he could no longer see him, he grasped his own clothes and tore them in two pieces.
Elisha Succeeds Elijah
13 He picked up the mantle of Elijah that had fallen from him, and went back and stood on the bank of the Jordan. 14He took the mantle of Elijah that had fallen from him, and struck the water, saying, ‘Where is the Lord, the God of Elijah?’ When he had struck the water, the water was parted to the one side and to the other, and Elisha went over.
Galatians 5: 1, 13 – 25
1For freedom Christ has set us free. Stand firm, therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery.
13 For you were called to freedom, brothers and sisters;* only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for self-indulgence,* but through love become slaves to one another. 14For the whole law is summed up in a single commandment, ‘You shall love your neighbour as yourself.’ 15If, however, you bite and devour one another, take care that you are not consumed by one another.
The Works of the Flesh
16 Live by the Spirit, I say, and do not gratify the desires of the flesh. 17For what the flesh desires is opposed to the Spirit, and what the Spirit desires is opposed to the flesh; for these are opposed to each other, to prevent you from doing what you want. 18But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not subject to the law. 19Now the works of the flesh are obvious: fornication, impurity, licentiousness, 20idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy, anger, quarrels, dissensions, factions, 21envy,* drunkenness, carousing, and things like these. I am warning you, as I warned you before: those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.
The Fruit of the Spirit
22 By contrast, the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, 23gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against such things. 24And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. 25If we live by the Spirit, let us also be guided by the Spirit.
Luke 9: 51 – 62
A Samaritan Village Refuses to Receive Jesus
51 When the days drew near for him to be taken up, he set his face to go to Jerusalem. 52And he sent messengers ahead of him. On their way they entered a village of the Samaritans to make ready for him; 53but they did not receive him, because his face was set towards Jerusalem. 54When his disciples James and John saw it, they said, ‘Lord, do you want us to command fire to come down from heaven and consume them?’* 55But he turned and rebuked them. 56Then* they went on to another village.
Would-Be Followers of Jesus
57 As they were going along the road, someone said to him, ‘I will follow you wherever you go.’ 58And Jesus said to him, ‘Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests; but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head.’ 59To another he said, ‘Follow me.’ But he said, ‘Lord, first let me go and bury my father.’ 60But Jesus* said to him, ‘Let the dead bury their own dead; but as for you, go and proclaim the kingdom of God.’ 61Another said, ‘I will follow you, Lord; but let me first say farewell to those at my home.’ 62Jesus said to him, ‘No one who puts a hand to the plough and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God.’
We have some dramatic stories today! Lots of movement (walking and going) and determination. See if you can pick up where this determination leads.
Elijah, it appears, is striding along and trying to get away from Elisha, but his servant is not letting him get away. He sticks close to him.
When they had crossed, Elijah said to Elisha, ‘Tell me what I may do for you, before I am taken from you.’ Elisha said, ‘Please let me inherit a double share of your spirit.’ 10He responded, ‘You have asked a hard thing; yet, if you see me as I am being taken from you, it will be granted you; if not, it will not.’ 11As they continued walking and talking, a chariot of fire and horses of fire separated the two of them, and Elijah ascended in a whirlwind into heaven. 12Elisha kept watching and crying out, ‘Father, father! The chariots of Israel and its horsemen!’ But when he could no longer see him, he grasped his own clothes and tore them in two pieces.
Elisha is ambitious for God. He is spiritually hungry. He wants nothing less than a double share of Elijah’s spirit, twice the power. Elijah responds ‘You have asked a hard thing; yet, if you see me as I am being taken from you, it will be granted you; if not, it will not.’ That’s the test of his determination!
11As they continued walking and talking, a chariot of fire and horses of fire separated the two of them, and Elijah ascended in a whirlwind into heaven.
Dramatic action: a chariot of fire and a whirlwind!
12Elisha kept watching and crying out. The determination Elisha had to inherit the power of God held out. He is not distracted by the spectacle of a fiery chariot. Instead he kept watching, he doesn’t take his eyes off Elijah and down floats the mantle of Elijah (his cloak) the symbol of his power. Elisha picks it up and, following Elijah’s example, he strikes the water of the river, crying, ‘Where is the Lord, the God of Elijah?’ When he had struck the water, the water was parted to the one side and to the other, and Elisha went over.
There is an apocryphal story about someone who was having a hard time and who cried out to God one day, saying, “Where is the God of Elijah?” in response to which came a voice from heaven saying, “Where are the Elijahs?” Good question. Where are the people hungry for God, who are not distracted by this or that spectacle?
Elisha was tested before God gave him the power he craved. God had to be sure of his commitment to the cause before he armed him with supernatural ability.
We wouldn’t hand our child a gun, no matter how much they wanted one unless we were sure that they could handle it responsibly and use it for the right reasons. Where I grew up every farm boy would eventually be given a pellet gun. It was a rite of passage. It was what would eventually lead to permission to handle a real gun and hunting. You had to show yourself responsible before more power was given to you.
There are times in our lives when we want things from God and we get frustrated as to why we don’t get them. Well, just as God watched Elisha to see whether he would be focussed on what he wanted or whether he would be distracted by the chariot of fire, so too God patiently waits for us to grow in focus and commitment to him before he can trust us with greater power to live victorious Christian lives.
We are dangerous to God, ourselves and others if we receive too much while sin rules in our lives.
Of course when we abandon God he doesn’t hang onto us and we may think we’re getting what we want, but licence always leads to alienation and in the end we’re worse off than when we started.
Paul has to remind the Galatians of this. He says
do not use your freedom as an opportunity for self-indulgence, but through love become slaves to one another.
Freedom without responsibility will get you into trouble every time. Becoming a slave to sin is lethal to spiritual wellbeing.
When we look at the Gospel reading we see someone else in a determined rush. Jesus has set his face towards Jerusalem and you get the sense that he is not wasting any time getting there. Like Elijah he has a rendezvous with destiny and his slow followers are not going to hold him back.
There is movement: On their way they enter a Samaritan village. When the disciples want to fire-bomb the village Jesus is so intent on getting to Jerusalem he turned and rebuked them. Jesus is already moving on and he has to turn round to speak to them. 56Then* they went on to another village says the next verse. They’re on the go!
Then come the tests: As they were going along the road, we read, someone expresses the desire to follow him. Jesus throws out a test and just keeps on moving. To each person who expresses the desire to follow him he presents a test.
- ‘Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests; but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head.’ Implying, are you committed enough to live like this?
- To the next man: ‘Let the dead bury their own dead; but as for you, go and proclaim the kingdom of God.’
- To a third: ‘No one who puts a hand to the plough and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God.’
The message is clear: you are going to have to be committed to me before any one or any thing.
Whenever you decide to get serious about God things will get tougher, not easier. Things will speed up and you’ll get tested. Determination will get you to the point of decision, but something more is needed to ensure you remain in the race.
The biggest challenge is not the opposition we get from others or from Satan or anything external. Our greatest opposition comes from within ourselves in the form of an independent spirit.
That is the greatest test of all.
To sustain a responsible life in Christ means not fulfilling the desires of the flesh, as Paul calls them. Not sinning. But how do we do that?
Simply being more determined doesn’t help. That is becoming a slave to do’s and don’ts – in other words to the law – and no one ever pleased God by trying to obey the law. We fail most of the time.
Paul’s solution is so simple it may at first be puzzling. 16 Live by the Spirit, I say, and do not gratify the desires of the flesh.
18But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not subject to the law.
In the end it’s all about relationship. Living by the Spirit means living in communion with God’s Spirit.
It’s the old story – feed the good and starve the bad. Don’ t try and fight the bad. Feed the good and it will triumph over a bad that is starving.
This is one of the most powerful of spiritual laws.
He says Live by the Spirit, I say, and do not gratify the desires of the flesh but what he more literally means is Live by the Spirit, I say, then you will not gratify the desires of the flesh
Live by the Spirit, I say, and do not gratify the desires of the flesh Paul tells the Galatians17For what the flesh desires is opposed to the Spirit, and what the Spirit desires is opposed to the flesh; for these are opposed to each other, to prevent you from doing what you want. 18But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not subject to the law.
24And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. 25If we live by the Spirit, let us also be guided by the Spirit.
Let’s be determined in the life of faith. That will get us in the door. Determination may even help us pass the test. But if we are to remain in a state of growth, trusted responsibility – if we want to be an Elisha and wield the mantle of Elijah effectively (as it were) we need to learn the secret of developing that side of us that will not be subject to the desires of the flesh.
We need to stop trying to avoid sin. That’s when the law gets the better of us.
When we Live by the Spirit – when we develop our intimacy with God, we step up into a place that is beyond determination, is beyond the test – it is a place of new power to live the life God intended for us.
Here it is in a nutshell:
- Determine to walk with God. Don’t get left behind on the way.
- Don’t be distracted by anything. Focus on following God.
- Don’t try and fight against the bad but rather cultivate the good and it will overwhelm the bad. In other words, live by the Spirit and you will not gratify the desires of the old nature
Amen.