Follow Along with the Message

A Perfectly Unexpected Combination

Pastor Tom Lundeen

How do you navigate a world that thinks truth is a moving target and that God is ? 

 = God is salvation...God saves

Note 2 Kings 2:1-18

Elisha’s public ministry begins with 2  that couldn’t be more opposite; but both of them tell us important truths in 2022 as Jesus followers. 

1. God Can Break Any  

Note Joshua 6:26; 1 Kings 16:34; 2 Kings 2:19

But God demonstrates that loving and following Him results in  no matter what happened in the past (note Exodus 23:24-26 and 2 Kings 2:20-22).

Being a prisoner to the past, living life trying to move forward while only looking through the  results in frustration, discouragement, lack of any forward progress, and despair. 

God has the power to break curses, unlock chains, and break down walls from the past that hold us in their  (note Galatians 3:13).

2. We Can Choose to Live Under a  

Note 2 Kings 2:23-25; 2:15-23

Bethel =  of God (note Genesis 28:10-22)

Note 1 Kings 12:26-33; 2 Kings 2:3

 =  same term used to describe males old enough to go with Abram into battle (note Genesis 14:24); for a male old enough to marry Jacob’s daughter (note Genesis 34:19); used of the  who went to Rahab in Jericho (note Joshua 6:23); used of Joseph when he was 17 years old (note Genesis 37). 

So this is a young prophet being confronted by a large group of  younger men. 

Go up = same word used for Elijah’s . 

What they are saying to Elisha is, Your master, Elijah, the hairy guy, is gone. So how powerful, bald guy, are you ? Why don’t you ‘’ just like he did? 

Embracing false gods and blaspheming the Holy Spirit (who came in double portion on Elisha) was not a petty or trivial thing. 

Note Leviticus 26 = blessings of obedience and  for disobedience (especially vs. 21-22). 

We all think we love and want justice until we are the  of justice (and then we want !).

We get so used to grace that we call justice “injustice.” 

Whenever God acts with justice, it is a ...

Perfectly UNEXPECTED:

• You can choose to live under the curse of sin and death, of  and despair that only leads to multiple dead-ends. 
• Or, you can choose to embrace and follow Jesus, who  every curse in your place and can break every curse in your life.
• Elisha’s name is also an invitation = God saves. 

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