All is Well

I want you to turn to 2 Kings chapter 4.

2 Kings 4 · chapter mention

2 Kings chapter 4.

2 Kings 4 · chapter mention

I pastored a small church while I was in seminary.

And the greatest thing that came out of those three and a half years of ministry there is I met my wife

Who was a friend of a mutual friend and he introduced us and she fell in love instantly.

That's my story and I'm sticking to it.

Her memory is not that great.

I preached my first Mother's Day sermons in that church.

And on one of them an 82 year old lady who had never had children told me

I've always hated Mother's Day because I couldn't have children.

But I enjoyed your message today.

Thank you for thanking of all of us.

You made it special.

I'm going to tell you something.

Miss Dolly had a big impression on me when she said that.

And ever since I have tried my best to make Mother's Day a day to celebrate godly ladies.

Ladies you are appreciated more than you are told.

Your influence upon our children is beyond measure.

Whether it's your children, your own children or whether it's somebody else's that you're loving on.

I want to thank you for investing in the next generation.

And to give us fellas some love along the way.

It would be an ugly place without you here.

I promise you that.

And I am thankful for you.

Fellas, aren't you thankful for them?

Last week I ventured into 2 Kings chapter 4 for just a moment for an illustration.

2 Kings 4 · chapter mention

But I want to go back there today.

I recently got to hear this passage preached by 88-year-old Dr. Jerry Vines.

If you're not familiar with Jerry Vines, he was the pastor of First Baptist Jacksonville, Florida,

which was the gold standard in how to do Southern Baptist Church in the 80s and 90s and early 2000s.

They had a wonderful pastor's conference that was really for the whole church.

I took a busload of my folks down there one year and got trained by a lot of their lay people in the church that were leaders

and came back and it had an impact immediately upon our church.

He did it right.

Wonderful preacher.

Wonderful man of God.

I'm thankful for him.

He gave some insights about this passage and then I dug a little deeper and cleaned up his mess a little bit.

So the passage is about an encounter with Elisha that he had with a woman that had ministered to him with kindness and hospitality.

And now she was in a crisis.

There's much to learn from this dear lady.

She had trouble having children in a day when that was thought to be a curse from God.

And Elisha told her that she would have a child and she did.

And then one day a crisis came.

2 Kings chapter 4 beginning in verse 18 says,

2 Kings 4 · chapter mention

Yes, I tell you.

So she set out and came to the man of God at Mount Carmel.

When the man of God saw her coming, he said to Gehazi, his servant,

Look, there is a Shunammite.

Run at once to meet her and say to her,

Is all well with you?

Is all well with your husband?

Is all well with the child?

And she answered,

All is well.

Why in the world would a mother of a son that had just died say,

All is well?

Well, I want us to understand the questions that she was asked

and the answers that she gave.

Her response was a Hebrew word that you may be familiar with,

Shalom.

Shalom means peace.

It's how we normally think of it.

But it also means it's a great greeting for folks.

But it also means all is well.

And she said that, I believe, it could be for a couple of different reasons.

I really believe she said it for both.

One reason she said it is she is purposefully dismissive.

If this were a conversation today,

one may ask,

How are you doing?

And you respond, I'm fine.

How's your spouse?

Fine.

How's your children?

Fine.

We typically do not respond to such a question in the produce aisle at the grocery store.

Well, let's just hunker down here at the bananas for a few moments

and let me share with you what's happening in my life.

Let me tell you how bad it is.

Let me tell you how sorry my husband is.

Let me tell you how wild my kids are.

I will say that in most cases, if you do that, most people don't want to hear all that.

They were simply trying to be nice and good about their way in the grocery store.

Lou Holtz said one time,

Don't tell people your problems.

Ninety percent of them don't care, and ten percent are glad you got them.

They greeted you with that to speak, not, and then move on.

However, I want to ask the same questions today, particularly to the ladies on this Mother's Day.

And I don't want you to be dismissive.

And I don't want you to be surface.

Instead, I want you to strive to dig a little deeper, to be introspective.

How are you doing?

How are you doing individually?

I mean, really.

How are you doing?

Physically, how are you doing?

Are you getting the rest that you need?

Are you getting the exercise that you need?

Are you seeking the care for yourself that you need?

Because the reality is, it's easy to spend so much time taking care of the kids,

taking care of your spouse,

taking care of your parents,

taking care of the circus that all those people create in your life.

Spend all your time doing that instead of caring for yourself.

Because we feel like we don't have time.

However, that time to take care of yourself has to be made.

Vance Havner, great North Carolina preacher of old,

said, if you don't come apart and rest for a while,

you may just come apart.

How about emotionally?

This lady had experienced an unexpected birth,

and then a few years later, an unexpected death.

And that kind of jolt,

and moving from one extreme to another,

is tough.

When I was pastoring that first church,

while in seminary,

early in ministry,

I rushed to the hospital

after I heard that one of my dear ladies in the church's son

had overdosed.

And I went to the ER,

sat with her family,

until the doctor came out and said,

he didn't make it.

You can come in and see him now.

They had put him in a stark, cold room.

His appearance was not appeasing.

It was tough.

I was young.

I'd never been in a situation like that.

And the weight of that grief

was overwhelming.

As they mourned over him,

clinging to him,

crying out to God over him.

It was horrible.

And then I left there

after praying with him.

I got in my car

and I drove a mile down the road

back to the church.

Because that night,

we were having revival.

It's time for revival.

And as the pastor of the church,

I was to be the one

to help spark it,

get it going,

get people excited.

I thank God that my preaching professor,

I had asked to do the revival.

And he was there that night.

We sat down on the stage

next to each other.

And he took his hand

and put it on my knee.

And he said,

these kind of shifts

in ministry

is what will wear you out

and nobody ever see you.

It's true.

And it happens in life, too.

So I ask you,

how are you doing emotionally?

How are you doing socially?

We all need friends.

The Apostle Paul

in his letters

lists over a hundred

of his friends

throughout those letters.

We need people

that know us.

And even though

they know us,

yet they still love us.

Those kind of people.

And the best place

to find those kind of friends

is in church.

I'm just telling you.

I encourage you

to get engaged.

I will say this

again and again.

If you come to this church

and sit in here

for one hour

and leave

and never

engage

in conversation

and never

build relationships

with folks,

you've missed

the joy

of the possibilities

that are before you.

You need to be

in a life group.

Walking through life

together.

Studying God's word

together.

Praying together.

You need to be

in a Bible study group

that goes after

a specialized

particular interest

that may perk

in your life.

You can be in that class

with other people

with a common interest.

You need that.

You need to be a part

of the fellowships

in the church.

We don't do this

just to be doing it.

We do it in order

for us to build camaraderie,

for us to build

friendships

and help.

This choir,

not only are they

wonderful at singing,

but they're a wonderful

family.

They're a prayer family

that prays together,

that loves one another.

Many times I find out

what's happening

in people's lives

because the choir's

talking to each other,

sharing with one another.

There's a couple

in this church

that's in this choir

that out of the

previous church,

they were kind of

struggling,

particularly the male

in the family.

He was struggling.

His wife was in the choir

and as he was looking

for his place,

she said,

won't you join the choir?

That's my prayer group.

That's what's getting me

through.

And he joined the choir

and it helped him

through it.

And when they came

to this church,

they both immediately

joined the choir

and was part of that.

It's a wonderful way

to fellowship.

I don't care where

you jump in.

I encourage you to jump

in as many as you

have time for.

But I encourage you

to build friendships.

How are you socially?

How are you spiritually?

One of the easiest areas

of neglect in our lives

is our time with the Lord.

I'll be very clear.

There's a satanic strategy

devised just for that.

Satan don't want you

to have time with the Lord.

In reality,

we are too busy

not to pray.

We need a dose

of God's word every day.

And we need to commit

to that.

She said everything

was fine.

But it wasn't.

How are you doing

relationally?

What about with your spouse?

Proverbs 18, 22 says,

He who finds a wife

finds a good thing

and obtains favor

from the Lord.

Proverbs 20, 6 and 7 says,

Many a man proclaims

his own steadfast love,

but a faithful man

who can find

the righteous

who walks

in his integrity.

Blessed are his children

after him.

What about your parents?

How's that relationship?

Exodus chapter 20, verse 12 says,

Exodus 20:12

Honor your father and mother

that your days may be long

in the land

that your Lord,

your God has given you.

I remember reading that

as a kid

and understanding that

to say that if I don't

honor my mother and father,

they're going to kill me.

The reality is, folks,

when you're grown

and on your own

and you no longer

have to obey your parents,

you still ought to

honor your parents.

What about friends?

How are you doing

relationally with friends?

Ecclesiastes 4, 9, and 10

says this,

Two are better than one

because they have

a good reward

for their toil.

For if they fall,

one will lift up

his fella.

But woe to him

who is alone

when he falls

and has not another

to lift him up.

I meet with men,

they take turns

sometimes coming,

but I meet with

about 80 men total

between 6 a.m.'s class

and 9 a.m.'s class

on Tuesday morning.

We read a common book

together and share together

and tear each other down

and build each other up

and pray together

and those type things.

We just closed out

this semester.

Some of them are grieving

over that this morning,

they told me.

They're missing it already,

you know.

And we'll start back

in August,

and I encourage you men,

if there's any way

your schedule can allow it,

I promise you,

you'll be blessed

by being a part

of that time together.

But a common passage

that we often refer to

probably every week

is Proverbs 27, 17.

Iron sharpens iron

as one man sharpens another.

How are you doing

as a parent?

Psalm 127, 3 says,

Behold, children

are a heritage

from the Lord,

the fruit of the womb,

a reward.

However, I will tell you,

even with all of that,

it's not easy

being a parent.

I have heard

that there are

four stages

of maturity

in children.

And I didn't hear this

from Freud or Erickson.

I heard it from a preacher.

First,

children idolize

their parents.

When they're very young,

man,

they're looking for mama.

They're looking for daddy.

When you come home,

they meet you at the door.

They're like a good dog.

They'll meet you at the door

and love on you.

They idolize

their parents.

Then they demonize

their parents.

We are the cause

and we are the problem

for whatever's wrong

in their lives.

And then,

they utilize

their parents.

They find out

we've got something

they want

and they're not afraid

to ask for it.

And then,

as they mature,

they humanize

their parents.

They realize

that we're not gods.

We're not demons.

We're not things.

But humans

with faults

and with failures.

Parents,

do all you can.

Be as diligent

about it

as you can be.

and then you leave

the rest to the Lord.

God

is perfect.

Yet,

all of God's children

have went wayward.

Every last

one of them.

Don't be surprised

when your struggle

has will.

So,

when somebody asks you

these type of questions,

it's easy to dismiss them.

it's easy to ease by them.

It's easy to move on.

Sometimes,

that might be best.

However,

it's good to do

a spiritual inventory

to lay it out

before the Lord.

She said

all is well.

And she said it

to be purposefully

dismissive.

But I want to explain

to you why

she did that.

She did that

because she

is passionately

expectant.

This lady

put a lot of faith

in the man of God.

She had ministered

to him.

She had been ministered

to by him

and she trusted him.

And I want you

to understand

the back story

of what set

this passage up.

It's in 2 Kings

2 Kings 4 · chapter mention

chapter 4

beginning in verse 8

and it says this.

One day,

Elisha

went out

to Shunem

where a wealthy

woman lived

who urged him

to eat some food.

So whenever

he passed

that way

he would turn

in there

to eat food.

And she said

to her husband

behold now

I know that

this is a holy

man of God

who is continually

passing our way.

Let us make

a small room

on the roof

with walls

and put there

for him

a bed,

a table,

a chair,

and a lamp

so that whenever

he comes to us

he can go there.

Now understand

in this culture

they lived

in a flat

top house

and so if they

wanted to expand

the house

they just had

to build the walls

up a little higher

on the top

and they could

add a room.

That's exactly

what they did

for the prophet

Elisha.

It was a simple

room.

Even the word

for chair

speaks more

of a rustic

stool

but it was

still a place

and what a

blessing.

From time

to time

always

at just

the right

time

people

through the

years

have offered

a beach

house

have offered

a lake

house

have offered

a resting

spot

away

to me

and my

family

and it's

been a blessing.

I know a man

who dearly

loved pastures.

I was able

to pastor him

for the last

six years

of his life.

He had some

property

and he dug

out a fishing

pond

and then

he built

a nice

cabin

on that

pond

and you

know what

he built

it for

primarily?

He had

family functions

there but

he built

it primarily

to house

visiting

preachers

and this

is what

he said

when they

come to

my house

I can't

go to bed

until they

leave

but if I

put them

out there

I can

go see

them

and leave

whenever

I want

to.

this lady

had

accommodated

Elisha

he had

prophesied

that she

would have

a child

and she

did

and when

that child

most likely

had a

sunstroke

is what

theologians

believe

because of

the heat

in the

harvest

it killed

him

she rushed

to get

Elisha

she dismissed

the questions

that she was

asked

she simply

replied

all is

well

but she

was dismissed

because she

was trying

to get

to the

man of

God

she knew

that if

she could

get to

him

that all

would be

well

she was

distressed

of course

but she

had the

faith to

believe

that God

would use

this man

to change

his

circumstances

and that's

exactly

what God

did

2nd

Kings

chapter 4

verse 27

through 31

says this

and when

she came

to the

mountain

to the

man of

God

she caught

hold

of the

feet

and

Gehazi

came

to push

her

away

but the

man of

God

said leave

her alone

for she's

in bitter

distress

and the

Lord has

hidden it

from me

and has

not told

me

and then

she said

did I

ask my

Lord for

a son

did I

not say

do not

deceive

me

and he

said to

Gehazi

tie up

your garment

and take

my staff

in your

hand and

go

if you

meet

anyone do

not greet

them

and if

anyone

greets

you do

not reply

and lay

my staff

on the

face

of the

child

and then

the mother

of the

child

said as

the Lord

lives and

as you

yourself

live I

will not

leave you

so

Elisha

rose

and followed

her

Gehazi

went on

ahead

and he

laid the

staff

on the

face

of the

child

but

there was

no sound

no sign

of life

therefore he

returned to

meet them

and told

them

the child

has not

awakened

he sent

Gehazi

Gehazi

was

unsuccessful

I

believe

Elisha

knew

he would

be

unsuccessful

I

believe

he did

it for

three

reasons

one I

believe

he sent

him

in a

hurry

away from

them

toward the

dead

son

to put

her at

ease

you

want

urgency

when

something

bad

happens

you

want

to

see

people

moving

and

doing

something

about

it

I

always

say

in the

emergency

room

nobody's

in a

hurry

but

you

because

it

feels

like

that

but

in

reality

they're

working

to

save

lives

but

we

want

to

see

things

happening

immediately

something

had to

be

done

first

to put

her

at

ease

then

it

also

appears

to be

a

lesson

for

Gehazi

whose

greed

and

selfishness

would

later

bring

him

unnecessary

hardship

in

2nd

Kings

chapter

5

Elisha

knew

what

he

was

like

he

was

trying

to

prepare

him

to

think

that

it

wasn't

all

about

him

and

I

believe

the

third

reason

it

didn't

work

is

to

teach

us

that

dead

sticks

don't

do

miracles

and

I

want

you

to hear

me

when I

say

God

who

does

the

miracles

it's

not

in

the

stick

it's

not

in

the

objects

it

wasn't

in

Moses

staff

it

was

in

the

God

that

Moses

was

trusting

in

my

friend

it's

not

in

things

it's

not

in

possessions

it's

not

in

money

it's

not

in

education

it's

not

in

pleasure

our

hope

is

not

found

in

those

things

our

hope

is

found

in

God

and

I

want

you

to

watch

what

happens

2nd

Kings

chapter 4

verse

32

says

this

when

Elisha

came

into

the

house

he

saw

the

child

lying

dead

on

his

bed

so

he

went

in

and

shut

the

door

behind

him

the

two

of

them

and

prayed

!

And

as

he

stretched

himself

upon

him

the

flesh

of

the

child

became

warm

and

then

he

got

up

again

and

walked

once

back

and

forth

in

the

house

and

went

up

and

stretched

himself

upon

him

the

child

sneezed

seven

times

and

the

child

opened

his

eyes

and

then

he

summoned

Gehazi

and

said

call

this

Shimonite

Shimonite

and

so

he

called

her

and

when

she

came

to

him

he

said

pick

up

your

son

she

came

and

fell

at

his

feet

bowing

to

the

ground

she

picked

up

her

son

and

she

went

out

the

mother

had

said

all

is

well

she

said

that

because

she

trusted

God

enough

to

lay

out

a

plan

to

watch

him

work

through

the

man

of

God

and

if

you

look

she

had

a

plan

she

laid

the

boy

in

the

prophet's

bed

she

went

with

haste

not even

telling her

husband

why she

was going

she

answered

the

questions

that were

asked her

along the

way

with a

hurry

when she

got to

him

she

clanged

to him

inappropriate

in

that

atmosphere

it

would

have

been

as

inappropriate

for her

to do

that

as

the

unclean

woman

who

grabbed

the

hymn

of

Jesus

but

both

of

them

brought

healing

healing

came

for

both

of

them

because

they

were

so

determined

she

knew

the

Lord

had

given

her

the

son

she

knew

the

Lord

had

a

prophet

she

could

go

to

she

knew

!

God

would

be

at

work

she

knew

however

it

turned

out

regardless

of

what

happened

she

knew

all

as

well

it's

a

famous

story

but

one I

believe

that

we

need

to

know

and

maybe

be

reminded

of

Horatio

Spadford

was a

real estate

moment

in

Chicago

in

the

1800s

when

the

great

fire

of

Chicago

came

through

it

took

a

lot

of

his

real

estate

away

he

lost

a

lot

of

his

fortune

after

that

his

son

was

tragically

killed

he

was

in

a

low

spot

he

decided

to

take

some

time

off

for

he

and

his

family

and

so

he

put

his

wife

and

his

four

girls

on

a

ship

to

sail

back

to

England

where

they

were

from

he

intended

to

do

some

more

work

and

then

to

meet

them

in

England

later

but

as

they

got

just

in

sight

of

Wales

the

ship

got

in

a

storm

and

sank

!

Many

died

including

his

four

daughters

his

wife

sent

a

wire

back

to

him

that

simply

stated

saved

alone

Horatio

made

the

means

to

make

his

way

to

see

his

wife

in

England

when

he

got

on

the

ship

to

go

on

that

trip

he

asked

the

captain

when

you

get

over

the

area

where

the

ship

went

down

will

you

please

let

me

know

when

they

got

over

those

haunted

waters

!

He

knocked

on

the

cabin's

door

of

Horatio

and

Horatio

went

out

and

stood

on

that

deck

and

overlooked

those

dark

waters

that

swallowed

the

baby

girls

that

he

had

lost

and

he

wrote

this

when

peace

like

a

river

attendeth

my

way

when

sorrows

like

sea

billows

roll

whatever

my

lot

thou

hast

taught

me

to

say

it

is

well

it

is

well

with

my

soul

though

Satan

should

buffet

!

the

trial

should

come

let

this

blessed

assurance

control

that

Christ

has

regarded

my

helpless

estate

and

shed

his

own

blood

for

my

soul

it

is

well

with

my

soul

it

is

well

it

is

well

I

know

that

with

Mother's

Day

comes

a lot

of

memories

I

know

that

with

Mother's

Day

comes

a lot

of

burdens

a lot

of

heartaches

and a

flood

of

thoughts

but

whatever

that is

that you're

burdened

by

however

uncertain

that you

may feel

about it

however

overwhelming

it may

seem

I want

you to

know

that you

can bring

that to

the Lord

today

I want

you to

know

all is

well

because of

Christ

all is

well

I want

you to

hear

me

it's

going

to be

alright

God's

on the

throne

and he's

watching over

us

it's

going

to be

alright

all

all

is

well

with every

head bowed

and every

eye closed

I ask

you today

what is

that burden

you need to

give to

God

today

whatever

it is

lay it

at his

feet

and trust

him

all is

well

all is

well

Lord

Jesus

help us

bring our

burdens

to you

and trust

you with

them

for we

don't know

what tomorrow

holds

but thank

God we

know

who holds

tomorrow

and in

that we

rest

in Jesus

precious name

amen