BEYOND COMMON RELIGION MF Blume April 20, 1997 pm 2 Kings 2:1-15 And it came to pass, when the LORD would take up Elijah into heaven by a whirlwind, that Elijah went with Elisha from Gilgal. And Elijah said unto Elisha, Tarry here, I pray thee; for the LORD hath sent me to Bethel. And Elisha said unto him, As the LORD liveth, and as thy soul liveth, I will not leave thee. So they went down to Bethel. And the sons of the prophets that were at Bethel came forth to Elisha, and said unto him, Knowest thou that the LORD will take away thy master from thy head to day? And he said, Yea, I know it; hold ye your peace. And Elijah said unto him, Elisha, tarry here, I pray thee; for the LORD hath sent me to Jericho. And he said, As the LORD liveth, and as thy soul liveth, I will not leave thee. So they came to Jericho. And the sons of the prophets that were at Jericho came to Elisha, and said unto him, Knowest thou that the LORD will take away thy master from thy head to day? And he answered, Yea, I know it; hold ye your peace. And Elijah said unto him, Tarry, I pray thee, here; for the LORD hath sent me to Jordan. And he said, As the LORD liveth, and as thy soul liveth, I will not leave thee. And they two went on. And fifty men of the sons of the prophets went, and stood to view afar off: and they two stood by Jordan. And Elijah took his mantle, and wrapped it together, and smote the waters, and they were divided hither and thither, so that they two went over on dry ground. And it came to pass, when they were gone over, that Elijah said unto Elisha, Ask what I shall do for thee, before I be taken away from thee. And Elisha said, I pray thee, let a double portion of thy spirit be upon me. And he said, Thou hast asked a hard thing: nevertheless, if thou see me when I am taken from thee, it shall be so unto thee; but if not, it shall not be so. And it came to pass, as they still went on, and talked, that, behold, there appeared a chariot of fire, and horses of fire, and parted them both asunder; and Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven. And Elisha saw it, and he cried, My father, my father, the chariot of Israel, and the horsemen thereof. And he saw him no more: and he took hold of his own clothes, and rent them in two pieces. He took up also the mantle of Elijah that fell from him, and went back, and stood by the bank of Jordan; And he took the mantle of Elijah that fell from him, and smote the waters, and said, Where is the LORD God of Elijah? and when he also had smitten the waters, they parted hither and thither: and Elisha went over. And when the sons of the prophets which were to view at Jericho saw him, they said, The spirit of Elijah doth rest on Elisha. And they came to meet him, and bowed themselves to the ground before him. Elijah foreshadowed Jesus Christ. Elijah preached for 3.5 years and ascended. Jesus preached 3.5 years and ascended. Elijah left his mantle with Elisha who was told he would receive a double portion of Elijah's power if he seen Elijah ascend. Jesus told the disciples... John 14:12 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father. ...because I ascend. When Jesus left the world, the disciples seen him ascend. Acts 1:8-9 But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth. And when he had spoken these things, while they beheld, he was taken up; and a cloud received him out of their sight. THE HOLY GHOST BAPTISM is available to those who will go all the way with God. Both Jesus and Elijah promised their followers that they shall receive POWER just before they each ascended. This is our topic of interest tonight. -Jesus' power was the HOLY GHOST. Luke 4:1 And Jesus being full of the Holy Ghost returned from Jordan, and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness, After being BAPTIZED in JORDAN, Jesus entered the wilderness. Luke 4:14 And Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit into Galilee: When Jesus returned, He had to cross JORDAN to begin His SPIRIT ministry. When Jesus left the JORDAN he was in the POWER of the Holy Spirit. That same POWER is the Holy Ghost and it is intended for ...you -...if you will go all the way I. GO ALL THE WAY Elijah repeatedly told Elisha that he would be taken and for Elisha to stay at the various stops they made on Elijah's way to the location across Jordan where God would take him. Gilgal, then to Bethel then to Jericho, and finally JORDAN. Across Jordan, Elijah would be taken. At each location Elijah told Elisha to stay, and "sons of the prophets" told Elijah to stay. Elisha told Elijah he would not leave him. He told the sons of the prophets (students of the prophets) to hold their peace. Elisha obviously wanted something. We find that when Elijah took his mantle and threw it into the Jordan, causing the river to open that they might cross, he asked Elisha what did he want. Elisha said, "I want a double portion of your spirit (life in Hebrew)" POWER Elijah said if Elisha sees Elijah ascend he shall have his request. Try as the may, the sons of the prophets could not convince Elisha to stay behind. Elisha wanted to go all the way with Elijah, for he wanted all that God had for him. Elijah was a man of mighty power. Elijah began his ministry 3.5 years earlier by leaving Gilead and entering Israel. In order to leave Gilead, Elijah had to cross Jordan, and obviously he seen the River open by God's power just as he did before leaving the world. In other words, he began his ministry of power by opening Jordan River up in God's power. JORDAN REPRESENTS A BARRIER which, when broken through, opens you up to a ministry of power. Elijah was returning to the place he came from. Elisha wanted to go there. Elisha wanted to work for God also. Somehow Elisha knew God could use him as He used Elijah if he could only start where Elijah started 3.5 years earlier. Jesus started His ministry at the Jordan River, also. He was baptized by John the Baptist, and entered into His earthly ministry. Jesus did great works for God. And He said greater works than these shall we do because he ascends. We need the power Jesus had. God will work through us just as He did through Jesus if we begin as He did. Elijah knew the seriousness of Elisha's desire. He wanted to make sure Elisha knew what he was wanting before taking him across Jordan. Jordan was the point of no return. Once across Jordan, Elisha would be on his own and the only way back to Israel was to see HIM CALL UPON GOD AND SEE GOD DO A MIRACLE FOR HIM! Elisha had never been used by God. Elisha never had the experience with God that Elijah had. Elisha only seen it with Elijah. II. ALL THE WAY TO A HOLY GHOST EXPERIENCE We need to go all the way and receive all God has for us. The "sons of the prophets" were at Gilgal, Bethel and Jericho. But NONE crossed Jordan where the power was. Jordan was as far as they dared go. Common Religion will go as far as Jordan, but will not cross Jordan to experience the falling of the Holy Ghost and power upon them. The MANTLE fell, and Elijah put it on his head and became God's man and vessel. The Holy Ghost fell on all them, and like fire it sat upon each of their HEADS. Acts 2:3 And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance. "Sons of the prophets" were not prophets themselves, but were very religious and were learning of God. But they did not have the power themselves. The prophets had the power. The sons of the prophets only watched others. 2 Kings 2:7 And fifty men of the sons of the prophets went, and stood to view afar off: and they two stood by Jordan. And Elijah took his mantle, and wrapped it together, and smote the waters, and they were divided hither and thither, so that they two went over on dry ground. They stood afar off from the barrier. They would not go to that point. 2 Kings 2:15 And when the sons of the prophets which were to view at Jericho saw him, they said, The spirit of Elijah doth rest on Elisha. And they came to meet him, and bowed themselves to the ground before him. Sons of the prophets only come to "VIEW." They do not get into the Spirit but watch others do it. Their predecessors were true prophets, but they did not get what their former teachers got. POWER Many religious people will go so far past Gilgal as Bethel. Others will go even further to Jericho, but so few will confront Jordan, where flesh and theological degrees cannot pass. Confronting Jordan takes more than discussing what and what not God is about. Confronting Jordan means you are entering the realm of the Spirit - the supernatural. You are breaking a barrier few dare to break. Elisha probably looked at the sons of the prophets, and thought, "If I stay this side of Jordan I will dry up and blow away with the rest of the sons of the prophets. I've got nothing but dead religion to lose, and everything God promised to gain!!" We need to go past repentance. Past water baptism. Go all the way to the Holy Ghost baptism! THE POWER Religionists gather at Jericho. That is as far as the human resources can take them. Flesh cannot take them past that point. It is there that the power of God is needed to go further. To get their own MANTLE, they must cross this barrier. They must let go of their fleshliness and enter the domain of power Jesus was BAPTIZED in Jordan. Baptism is a BURIAL. Jordan means you are burying all your fleshly religion and going in true faith to God abandoning all your human abilities which never replace God's Holy Ghost in your life. Step across into a place of Holy Ghost Christianity. Go past the multitudes of religion, and enter TRUE LIFE. Across Jordan, Elisha seen Elijah ascend. We need to go beyond religion and see Christ ascended for the sake that we might do greater things. III. ACROSS JORDAN IS A DESERT The land across Jordan was bleak and barren. Not many go that far because nothing there appeals to the flesh. It allows nothing but the SPIRIT OF GOD to work. When you cross Jordan you are entering a place in which you are trusting God to do a miracle and give you the Spirit. Jordan is a demarcation point which separates common religionists from true people of Power in the Spirit. Religionists will not take a step of faith and rely upon God. They cannot trust what they cannot see. They have so little faith. Will you go beyond religion and enter resurrection? Go past the poor excuse of Spiritless, common Christianity, where so many dwell, be made tired of excuses for a Spiritless life, become hungry for the real thing and let go totally! When you step out and for the first time TRULY believe God for His Spirit, God comes down. Jordan splitting open is NOTHING like the real thing in receiving the Holy Ghost. When Elisha seen Elijah ascend, simultaneously he seen the MANTLE fall down to him. WHEN YOU TRULY CROSS THAT BARRIER OF COMMON RELIGION, YOU WILL TRULY SEE CHRIST ASCENDED AND SIMULTANEOUSLY BE FILLED WITH THE REAL POWER OF THE SPIRIT. IV. ISRAEL ACROSS JORDAN The younger group of Israelites crossed Jordan after the older doubters died. To commemorate that entrance, they built a memorial across Jordan. Joshua 4:5-7 And Joshua said unto them, Pass over before the ark of the LORD your God into the midst of Jordan, and take you up every man of you a stone upon his shoulder, according unto the number of the tribes of the children of Israel: That this may be a sign among you, that when your children ask their fathers in time to come, saying, What mean ye by these stones? Then ye shall answer them, That the waters of Jordan were cut off before the ark of the covenant of the LORD; when it passed over Jordan, the waters of Jordan were cut off: and these stones shall be for a memorial unto the children of Israel for ever. It gave the older ones who experienced the FAITH to cross into a new dimension of God, to explain it all to the ones who were their children. The Holy Ghost baptism is meant for every generation. When Elisha crossed Jordan with Elijah, he wanted that experience. Carnal selfish people never go there, because they know they must lose their selfishness to get this power. They know they must trust in God. V. MOSES Moses did not find power in the Egyptian high class society where the world looks for greatness. He found it out in the desert. The FIRE of the burning bush and the FIRE of the chariot taking Elijah is only seen across Jordan, beyond where common religion dares to go. We need the determination and drive that Elisha had to go all the way and get a real touch, instead of fooling around in some act of Christianity, watching others, like the sons of the prophets. Churches are experiencing a holy ghost heartbeat, pounding the blood and life of Jesus throughout the Body, as people are receiving the Holy Ghost Baptism. Enter this Holy Ghost territory. VI. WOMAN WITH ISSUE OF BLOOD So many gathered around Jesus, and grappled at Him, But a single woman truly touched more than the outer clothing of the Lord. This woman made her mind up that she was not going to be there with the crowd, just for the sake of being there. She was getting the real thing. Suddenly, out of all the hands touching Jesus, her hand touched him and pulled virtue out of Him! She crossed Jordan. Mark 5:30-32 And Jesus, immediately knowing in himself that virtue had gone out of him, turned him about in the press, and said, Who touched my clothes? And his disciples said unto him, Thou seest the multitude thronging thee, and sayest thou, Who touched me? And he looked round about to see her that had done this thing. VIRTUE The same POWER in Him went out to that woman. We need the Holy Ghost baptism. VII. TO SEE GOD MOVE FOR ONESELF. After Elisha got the power, one task remained to be done. He had to USE IT. He could have stayed all the time in that territory and never USE the power. But to take that power and see God move ON YOUR BEHALF is the next step to take. 2 Kings 2:14 And he took the mantle of Elijah that fell from him, and smote the waters, and said, Where is the LORD God of Elijah? and when he also had smitten the waters, they parted hither and thither: and Elisha went over. "GOD, DO FOR ME WHAT YOU DID FOR ELIJAH, FOR I AM HERE BELIEVING YOU MYSELF THIS TIME." More Bible Study Lessons