From His Heart

Dr. Jeff Schreve: You know, for some, when the Lord comes back, they're going to be raptured in the midst of sin and they're going to shrink away from Him in shame at His coming. Why? Because they didn't abide in Him. They weren't living for Him. They weren't pursuing Him. They knew Him, but they put Him on the back burner.

They were the lukewarm Christians who make the Lord sick. Now, the Lord loves the lukewarm—don't get the idea He doesn't love those who are lukewarm—but He doesn't love you being lukewarm. He wants you to be on fire for Him. Heaven can't wait.

Larry Nobles: Today on *From His Heart*, we're going to look at the Old Testament story of Elisha taking the mantle of ministry from Elijah and the lessons that presents for our own Christian ministry. Welcome to the program today where Pastor Jeff will show us four areas from the text in 2 Kings chapter 2 where we find our Lord, who has a very strong desire, where He kind of can't wait, as Pastor Jeff puts it.

Thus the message title "Heaven Can't Wait," and it's from the series *Holy Boldness: Lessons from Elijah, the Prophet of Fire*. Today, we'll conclude this eighth message in the series. You can listen to past broadcasts when you go to fromhisheart.org and click the listen link, or you can get the entire series on CDs, DVDs, MP3 downloads, or on a USB flash drive when you go to fromhisheart.org.

Again, the series and the booklet *Unveiling the Mystery of Prayer* are our gifts to you this month for your support of any amount. Now, though, open your copy of God's Word to 2 Kings as we learn this important truth: heaven can't wait.

Dr. Jeff Schreve: Now, as I was studying this passage, I started to think about what is it that God can't wait for, that He is longing for, to long to do in our lives, to long to see us respond to Him. I found four areas that we see in this passage that we just read together, where the Lord has a strong desire, where He kind of can't wait, if we could put it in those terms.

Number one: the Lord in heaven can't wait for you to be led by the Holy Spirit. So how does that happen, where the Lord can lead you like He led Elijah? Well, first of all, you must be truly saved in order to have the Lord lead you. To have the Spirit lead your life, the Spirit has to be in your life.

As the scripture says in Romans chapter 8 verse 9, "You are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. But if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Him." Lots of people come to church and they don't have the Spirit of Christ. That happens the moment that a person prays, "Jesus, come into my life. Save me. I'm a sinner. I can't save myself. I give my life to You." When that happens, the Lord comes in, the life comes in, the light comes in, the light comes on, and your life is totally different.

Secondly, you have to be surrendered to the Holy Spirit. You have to let go of the steering wheel of your life. That is the longing of the Lord's heart for you to be led by the Spirit. Second area that we see here: not only does the Lord in heaven—can He not wait for you to be led by the Spirit, but He can't wait for you to be tenacious in your pursuit of Jesus.

For years, Elijah was pouring into Elisha. This going down from Gilgal to Bethel, from Bethel to Jericho, from Jericho across to cross the Jordan River, there's a test. Elijah says to Elisha, "Stay here, please, for the Lord has sent me as far as Bethel." Every time, Elisha says the same thing: "As the Lord lives, and as your soul lives, I will not leave you." So they went down to Bethel.

And then Elijah: "Well, Elisha, you stay here 'cause I'm going to Jericho." "No, as the Lord lives and as your soul lives, I'm going to go with you." "Well, I'm going to cross the Jordan now, so you stay here." "No, as the Lord lives and as your soul lives, I'm going with you." He was tenacious. Why? Because he knew God's hand was upon Elijah.

As long as I stay close to Elijah, I stay close to God and what God is doing, and I don't want to miss anything of what God is doing. When Elijah asked him, "What do you want me to do for you?" what did he ask for? He asked for a double portion of Elijah's spirit. He said, "I don't want to be like one of the other prophets just in the school of the prophets. I want to be like your firstborn, so give me a double portion of your spirit."

What's all this tell us? It tells us that Elisha was tenacious in his pursuit of the Lord. God wants that for you, and He wants that for me: to be wholly devoted to the Lord our God. Let me ask you a question. Serious question. Answer it in your hearts. How important is the Lord to your daily life? That was Paul's whole life. He says in Colossians 3 verse 4, "When Christ, who is our life, is revealed, then you also will be revealed with Him in glory." "For to me, to live is Christ." It's all about Jesus.

I want you to think of this verse and make it personal. "For you to live is—blank." For you to live is what? What gets you going? What floats your boat? What gets you excited? Be honest, because you know the right answer, but I'm talking about the real answer. So what's the real answer? What's true in your life? "For me to live is—what?" Football? For me to live is football? For me to live is my alma mater? For me to live is fishing? That's what I live for.

For me to live is pleasure? That's all I really care about is pleasure. As the old song says, "I live, I live, I live for the weekend," because it's the weekend where I cut loose, and the weekend where I get high, and the weekend where I live all kinds of fantasies. What is it for you? For me to live is money? For me to live is success? For me to live is a vacation? I just live for the next vacation, for the next thrill.

Maybe you're like some people and say, "Well, you know, I'm dignified and I have a higher standard, and for me to live is family." Oh, how nice for you to live as family. Family's important. It's better to live for family than it is to live for football. But let me tell you, whatever you put in the blank—"For me to live is what"—if you don't put Christ, then you have to finish the sentence and say this: "For me to live is football and to die is loss. For me to live is money and to die is loss. For me to live is family and to die is loss," because the only thing that counts for all eternity is Christ. "For me to live is Christ and to die is gain."

What are you living for? What are you pursuing in your life? Are you really pursuing Jesus? Jesus said, "Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you." So the Lord can't wait for that to be the passion of your life, the pursuit of your life. The Lord can't wait, so to speak, for you to be tenacious and to say with Jacob, "I will not let you go unless you bless me," to stay with Jabez, "Lord, bless me and bless me indeed. I want a double portion of Your Spirit. I want God, You, to work in my life and be glorified in my life, and I'm going to seek You with all that I have."

Third area: heaven can't wait. The Lord in heaven can't wait for you to pick up the mantle of ministry. When Elijah went to heaven in a whirlwind, it says in verse 12, then Elisha took hold of his own clothes and tore them in two pieces. He also took up the mantle of Elijah that fell from him and returned and stood by the bank of the Jordan. You read that and you say, "Mantle? What is the mantle of Elijah?"

Well, I have a little illustration, a little visual aid of a mantle. This is kind of a robe, but a mantle was really more of a cloak, and the prophet would wear this mantle kind of like a cape or a cloak that would go over him like this. It would shield him from the elements, and he could cover up with that. Elijah—this is a symbol of God's authority on the man of God.

In 1 Kings chapter 19, when God told Elijah to go find Elisha and bring him on board and train him up, you know what he did? He went and found Elisha, and Elisha was plowing with oxen. Elijah took his mantle and he threw it over on Elisha. That was a way of saying, "I'm going to be your spiritual father. You're going to be under my authority." Elisha said, "Well, let me say goodbye to my parents," and he did.

You know what's so cool? This shows the heart of Elisha. He was plowing with oxen, and when Elijah came calling, he took the oxen and he broke it up, and he made a fire with it. He killed the oxen and he sacrificed them before the Lord. There was no turning back for him. He was going whole hog with Elijah, whole hog for the Lord his God.

Well, Elijah has this mantle. It's not magic, but it's a symbol of God's presence. He uses it. The scripture says that when he got to the Jordan, he folded it up and he used it to part the waters. He struck the waters with his mantle—poof—and they spread. Now, when he went to heaven in a whirlwind, what dropped from him? His mantle. Elisha picked up his mantle, and then he gets to the bank of the Jordan. He said, "Where is the God of Elijah?" and he struck the waters and they parted. God was saying to him, "I've given you a double portion of Elijah's spirit. I'm going to use you in a great way." Then the mantle of Elijah became the mantle of Elisha. He picked it up.

Larry Nobles: Pastor Jeff will elaborate a bit more on this in just a moment. But first, are you a bold witness for Christ in the good times and the bad times, or are you the kind of Christian who says, "Oh, talking to someone about Christ just isn't me," or "God called other people to do that, it's not my thing"? So many people today live the same way as the people did in Elijah's day. They are riding the fence of indecision and compromise.

But you know what? It's time to get off the fence. It's time to stand up and step up to the responsibility to have holy boldness. That doesn't mean you stand on the street corner with a Bible and scream. It means that you look for opportunities as they are presented to you by God to get out of your comfort zone and off the couch and take the risk of rejection and become a holy, bold witness for the Lord.

You'll be seriously encouraged and challenged to do this when you listen to Pastor Jeff's series *Holy Boldness: Lessons from Elijah, the Prophet of Fire*. This series is our gift to you this month for your support of any amount to *From His Heart*. Eight messages that will change your attitude and life about understanding what a Christian really is and wants to do.

We hope you'll do that today, and when you do make that gift, we'll also send you the booklet *Unveiling the Mystery of Prayer*. Just call 866-40-BIBLE, 866-40-BIBLE, or go to fromhisheart.org. God bless you. Now, let's conclude the series *Holy Boldness* and today's message, "Heaven Can't Wait."

Dr. Jeff Schreve: The Bible says in 1 Peter chapter 4 verse 10, "As each one has received a special gift," each Christian receives a special gift, "employ it in serving one another as good stewards of the manifold grace of God." That's why it's so important to be an active part of a local church so that you can employ your spiritual gift. Whatever your spiritual gift is, maybe it's teaching, maybe it's service, behind-the-scenes stuff. Maybe the Lord has given you the gift of encouragement. But the Lord has given people a special gift, a spiritual gift, and God says, "Use it."

If you're just on the fringe and you're not really involved, how are you going to use that to minister to God's people? To minister outside the walls of this church? What's the point of doing that? To bring them into a family. See, a Christian without a church home's like a bee without a hive. You're just out there on your own. You need to have a church home and you need to get involved in serving other people. Ministry is done not in the power of the flesh, but in the power of the Spirit. With His power, not your power. His power.

Paul said in Colossians chapter 1 verse 29, "And for this purpose also I labor, striving according to His power, which mightily works within me." God's power. What made Paul such a great apostle? It was God's power mightily working within him. Now, Paul, he had let go of the steering wheel. Now, I think that Paul, by his basic nature, was a control freak, and so it was hard for him to let go of the steering wheel, but he knew he needed to do that because he knew, "I can't do this in my own strength. There's no way."

If he was trying to live the Christian life in his own strength, he would have quit long ago because he'd say, "This is just not worth it. I'm getting thrown in jail all the time. I'm getting beaten. I'm shipwrecked. I quit." But he had taken his hands off the wheel. He had let the Lord empower him, and the Lord gave him grace.

When Paul had the thorn in the flesh and prayed, "God, I don't want this anymore. Take this thorn from me," the Lord said, "My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is perfected in your weakness." Paul said, "Really? That's awesome. Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast about my weaknesses that the power of Christ may dwell in me. For when I am weak, then I am strong."

God has called me to preach and He's gifted me to preach, but I know that I can't do anything unless I'm connected to Him. Because the Lord says, "I'm the vine, you're the branches. Apart from Me, you can do nothing. But with Me, you can do all things." So we serve in the power of the Holy Spirit. God can't wait for you to pick up the mantle of ministry.

And then number four, lastly: heaven can't wait for you to be ready for the Rapture. The scripture says in verse 11, "Then it came about as they were going along and talking that behold, there appeared a chariot of fire and horses of fire which separated the two of them and Elijah went up by a whirlwind to heaven." Elisha saw it and cried out, "My father, my father, the chariots of Israel and its horsemen!" and he saw him no more.

Elijah came on the scene in 1 Kings 17 like a whirlwind, and he came on with fire. How did he go to heaven? He went to heaven in a whirlwind and with chariots of fire. God used him. His ministry was only about 15 years. God used him and then God took him to glory. I believe that Elijah is a picture of the Rapture, where we're here and then we're taken to be with the Lord. That happened to Enoch. That happened to Elijah. That's going to happen one day to all those who know the Lord Jesus and love Him and walk with Him.

You know, the Bible says we don't know when the Lord's coming back, but I believe there are two comings of the Lord Jesus Christ. There's the secret coming in the clouds and there's the second coming when He plants His feet on the Mount of Olives and fights the Battle of Armageddon. The secret coming is the one that He said, "Hey, be ready. You don't know when I'm coming. So you be ready."

Elijah's life teaches us we need to be ready for the coming of the Lord because we don't know when He's coming. So we need to, as the scripture says, abide in Him. Abide in Him. It says in 1 John chapter 2 verse 28, "Little children, abide in Him, so that when He appears we may have confidence and not shrink away from Him in shame at His coming."

You know, for some, when the Lord comes back, comes back in the clouds in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, just like that, we'll be gone. Some people are going to be gone and they're going to be raptured from the bar. Maybe they're going to be raptured from a brothel. They're going to be raptured in the midst of sin and they're going to shrink away from Him in shame at His coming. Why? Because they didn't abide in Him. They weren't living for Him. They weren't pursuing Him. They knew Him, but they put Him on the back burner.

They were the lukewarm Christians who make the Lord sick. Now, the Lord loves the lukewarm—don't get the idea He doesn't love those who are lukewarm—but He doesn't love you being lukewarm. He wants you to be on fire for Him. Heaven can't wait.

You know what's interesting about the prophet Elijah? He's talked about throughout scripture. He's one of the greatest prophets. He's talked about in the last book of the Old Testament: "Behold, I'm going to send Elijah the prophet before the great and terrible day of the Lord." John the Baptist came, the scripture says, in the spirit and power of Elijah. The Lord came the first time. He came lowly and meek and humble. He came to a cross. He came to purchase our salvation.

But He's coming again the second time and He's coming in power and great glory. Listen, when the Rapture hits, we're going to be caught up and taken out of this world, and I think that's the next great event on God's prophetic calendar. After the Rapture, what's going to happen? There is going to be a man who takes control. He's known in the Bible as the beast, the Antichrist. He is the devil in the flesh. He is going to be the antithesis of the Lord Jesus.

You know what's just shocking? The Jews who rejected Christ as Messiah, they're going to accept the Antichrist as their Messiah. Jesus said, "I came in my Father's name and you didn't receive me. Another is going to come in his own name and him you will receive." They're going to receive the Antichrist as their Messiah and they're going to sign a peace treaty with the Arabs and the Israelis.

The Jews are going to set up their temple, and somehow the Dome of the Rock is going to be removed. I don't know how that would be a major, major thing, but God is going to see to it that it's removed. Our guide told us that all the implements for the third temple are ready to go, and the Jews will build that third temple right there on the Temple Mount and they will start the sacrifices again during the time of the tribulation period.

Everything will seem to be great until the Antichrist shows his true colors and he sets himself up in the temple of God and declares himself as God and says, "We're not going to have any more sacrifices, any more worship of Jehovah, because I am God and you worship me. If you don't do it, he's going to kill you." During that time period, during that tribulation period, God sends two witnesses. We read about those in Revelation chapter 11. Two witnesses, they're unnamed.

But let me tell you what it says about these two witnesses. They pray and they shut up heaven for three and a half years. They can call fire. They speak with fire and fire comes out of their mouth. Not like a dragon, but I think their words are like a scorching fire. If anyone tries to harm them, the Bible says fire comes out and consumes them. You remember Elijah? 2 Kings chapter 1: "If I'm a man of God, let fire come down from heaven and consume you and your fifty." Fire came down from heaven and consumed the enemy and his fifty soldiers.

Elijah, I believe, is going to be one of those witnesses. And also with Elijah's going to be Moses. Because the scripture says of these two witnesses: not only do they pray and shut up the heaven for three and a half years, and not only do they have fire that comes down, but they also have power over plagues, and they also turn water into blood. Speaks of Moses.

When Jesus was on the Mount of Transfiguration, two men stood with Him: Moses and Elijah. Moses who represents the law, Elijah who represents the prophets, and both the law and the prophets point to Jesus. The law has become our tutor, it says in Galatians chapter 3, to lead us to Christ. The prophets speak of the salvation that is found only in the Lord.

The law and the prophets point to Jesus. Elijah's going to come back to this earth one day and be a witness again for the Lord Jesus Christ. God is not done with Elijah. Listen, heaven can't wait. The Lord in heaven can't wait. Can't wait for what? He can't wait for you to sell out for Him.

He can't wait for you to have such a desire and such a longing to know Him, to walk with Him, to grow in Him. He can't wait for you to pick up the mantle of ministry and say, "Lord, I'm going to serve You. I'm going to get involved and I'm going to serve You. Lord, I'm going to be ready when You come again. And when You come again, Lord, You're going to find me faithful." Why? Because You, Lord Jesus, are worthy. Worthy. Worthy.

Larry Nobles: If you've been a bit tepid, lukewarm in your ministry and devotion to the Lord, perhaps you'll want to change that. Well, it requires that you turn from your sin and back to God today. Perhaps you can pray and say something like this in your heart: "God, here is my life. Take it back and help me to be the Christian You want me to be. Have holy conduct and godliness and to be the kind of person that shows Jesus in all that I do and say."

Or maybe you've been listening and you know that you have never surrendered your heart to God. You've been engulfed in a Christian culture with family and church and other Christian customs, but you've never really turned your life over to the Lord. Maybe God is convicting you of your sin right now and asking you to come to Him completely. Whether you're convicted or not, it is guaranteed that God is trying to get your attention, wanting you to come to Him. That's why He's got you listening to this program today.

Well, you can do that. Ask Him through a heart of sincere repentance and faith in Jesus alone to save you, and He will do just that. It's a promise from God. We invite you to go to our website at fromhisheart.org. There's a link there called "Why Jesus?" and there you'll discover the real truth, love, and hope found only in Christ. It'll help you get started in your Christian journey and understand what it's all about. Some of Pastor Jeff's materials, free materials for you to download there.

Remember, God is knocking. Open that door and He will come in. Well, today's message was part two of the lesson "Heaven Can't Wait" from Pastor Jeff's eight-lesson series *Holy Boldness: Lessons from Elijah, the Prophet of Fire*. The series is our special thank-you gift for your support of *From His Heart* this month of any amount. Just call 866-40-BIBLE, 866-40-BIBLE, or go to fromhisheart.org.

Well, that's all the time we have for today. Thank you for joining us. We're very appreciative of that. And I'm Larry Nobles hoping you'll join us again next time when we'll again open up God's Word and share real truth, real love, and real hope from His heart.