Certain hope in uncertain times

But let's begin with a question.

What connects the following disparate figures?

!

Leadership brought success, shaped movements, dominated organizations, and indeed nations.

Such that their exits created uncertainty.

Who is going to take over?

What's going to happen next?

Will there be a power vacuum?

Will there be losses in their absence?

Exits can create uncertainty.

We come to the final story of the life of Elijah.

Here is the moment where the changing of the guard, where the passing the mantle, passing the baton, comes to be fulfilled.

And everybody knows it's coming.

We know it's coming from the very beginning of the text.

We're told the Lord is about to take Elijah up to heaven in a whirlwind.

Elisha and the prophets, they know what's coming.

We heard it in verse 3.

The prophets asked Elisha, do you know the Lord is going to take your master from you today?

Yes, I know.

So be quiet.

So everybody knows.

But it seems like nobody wants to talk about it openly.

This is one of these moments that is so massive that it's creating so much fear in the hearts of many.

What is this going to mean for the nation?

And what's this going to mean for us spiritually as this giant leaves the scene?

If you turn with me to verse 12, you get a sense of just how significant Elijah is to the nation of Israel.

As Elisha sees the horses of fire with a chariot come down, he says, my father, my father, the chariots and horsemen of Israel.

And so we might think he's saying, Elijah, look, there's the chariots coming from heaven.

But actually, Elisha is speaking about Elijah.

In other words, to have the prophet Elijah on your side was to have the Lord's armies on your side.

And so now we can perhaps begin to understand why the prophets are nervous and they're speaking quietly together.

Do you know that this is about to happen?

Uncertainty and tension is in the air.

And through this text, God wants to reassure Elisha and the prophets,

but also more widely to think about the nation as they hear these stories,

that they would understand that God is certain hope in uncertain times.

God isn't going to change.

He's still going to be for and with his people.

Now, as we think about tension and uncertainty,

where do we enter into that story ourselves?

Perhaps it's because we're about to start university or a new term of university.

We're thinking about how the course is going to go,

perhaps how friendships are going to develop.

Or maybe it's a spiritual question.

What's it going to be like to live for Jesus at uni?

How will I get on in that?

Maybe for others of us, it's major life moments.

It's the empty nest or the expanding home.

A change of location or a change of role.

And it leaves us uncertain.

What is life going to be like?

We can have a sense of uncertainty in our life together as a church.

How are we going to make an impact for Jesus with his help?

How are we going to make and take gospel opportunities?

We can feel uncertain as we look at ourselves and we feel anxious and fragile and weak.

Perhaps it's as we look around society.

We take in the news headlines of a past week.

And we see division and hatred and fear.

And we wonder where is good news going to come from?

Where are we going to turn?

Let me suggest that this story comes to us as a gift.

If we find ourselves in uncertain times.

Because it reminds us in so many ways that we can and we should find certainty in our God and Savior.

Three ways I think the text does it for us.

First of all, you can be certain that God still works in power.

This takes us to Elijah's journey.

At first, did you notice that Elijah, as he knows he's about to be taken up to heaven,

that he goes to visit the prophets?

Verse 3, he goes to the prophets at Bethel.

Then in verse 5, he goes to the prophets at Jericho.

And then we meet the prophets again, 50 of them watching,

as Elijah and Elisha arrive at the Jordan.

Elijah's a faithful man.

And here he is giving last words of encouragement.

Not that long ago, he thought he was the only one.

And he discovers there's actually 7,000 who are faithful to God.

And so no doubt he's urging them to keep the faith.

Don't bow down to idols, but continue to follow the Lord.

But more than that,

what we have in 2 Kings 2 is a very significant journey.

The places that are mentioned are important.

Because 600 years ago,

the people of Israel made another very similar journey.

You can read about it in Joshua chapters 3 to 5.

Joshua 3 · chapter mention

The moment where Joshua led the people through the Jordan River

into the Promised Land.

And then there was a covenant renewal ceremony at Gilgal.

And of course, Jericho was the site of their first victory

in the Promised Land,

where God was clearly fighting and acting for his people.

So think about what was happening at that time.

Another giant had just died.

Moses had died.

He'd led the people for decades.

And Joshua had replaced him.

But wonderfully,

the people in Joshua's generation are discovering

God is still working powerfully

in a different generation with a different leader.

Now fast forward 600 years,

and it's exactly the same message.

God has been working, and we've seen it.

God has been working powerfully through Elijah,

and he's still going to work in power through Elisha.

And if we need proof,

go to verse 8,

where we find Elijah,

at one last time,

taking his cloak,

rolling it up,

and striking the water,

and the water divided,

and they crossed on dry ground.

And then verse 13 and 14,

we have Elisha picking up Elijah's cloak,

striking the water,

and the water parts,

and he crosses over.

God is still working in power.

And this is a theme

that we can track through the Bible.

We've said it already,

that when we get to the story of John the Baptist,

we are to understand that he is the second Elijah

who was anticipated,

the one who was the messenger

preparing the way for the Lord.

So think about what's happening

with John the Baptist and Jesus.

John the Baptist,

he had a very powerful ministry,

didn't he?

He was gathering many people,

and they're turning away from darkness

to trust in the Lord.

But as soon as Jesus comes on the scene,

John is very happy to acknowledge

and point the people to Jesus,

who is greater.

He must increase,

and I must decrease.

The one coming is so great,

I'm not worthy to bend down

and untie his shoelaces.

And there at the Jordan,

John the Baptist passed the mantle

very happily to Jesus,

the true and final prophet.

And in the life of Jesus,

we see that God still works in power,

in great power,

bringing in his kingdom,

bringing us salvation.

And then in the,

it's interesting,

between Acts 1 and 1 and 2 Kings,

so many themes connecting.

In Acts 1,

where we've been in the morning,

Jesus with his apostles.

He says,

just before he ascends,

that he will send the Spirit.

The Spirit will give them power

to be his witnesses.

And to read the book of Acts,

we understand that Jesus

continues to work in power

while he has gone to heaven.

Because God is unchanging

in his power.

God continues to work out his purposes.

His arm is never short

so that he cannot save.

And if that was true

in the Moses and Joshua generations,

if that was true

in the Elijah, Elisha generations,

if that was true

in the John and Jesus

and Apostle generations,

it is true

in our generation as well.

It is a truth for our church.

It is a truth for your life

and for mine.

So if we find ourselves

in a season of new starts

or where everything is changing

and everything feels up in the air

and maybe it's clouded

with uncertainty,

we remember the God

who never changes,

whose power for his people

remains unchanged,

he is still

and will always be

the shepherd who leads

and feeds

and guides

and protects.

He still cares.

He still builds his church.

He still invites us to him

to find rest

and to trust.

And so we can pray

and we can work

with confidence.

We think about our own

work in witness here.

We think about

the church plants

that we support.

As you think about

the churches that you've come from,

the nations you represent,

we can be confident

in God's mission

in his world.

We can be confident,

weak as we often feel

that God can change us

and he can change others.

He can use our witness

to open people up to Jesus.

He can take our words

to speak the gospel

that saves.

God is not limited to certain times,

not limited to just the time of Elijah.

He's not limited to certain types of leaders,

not just Elijah,

but Elisha too

will demonstrate

God continues to work in power.

And so our call

is to have faith.

Our call is to look to the Lord

as our rock,

as our redeemer,

but also our commander

and mission leader

because we can be certain

that God does still work in power today.

Here's the second thing

that we are invited

to be certain of

through our text.

And again,

it ties up with the book of Acts.

You can be certain

that God still sends his spirit.

Now we have that phrase,

don't we,

the passing of the mantle

in English,

that idea of a succession

that takes place.

And you can almost imagine

it could have its roots here

with the symbolic passing

of the cloak

of Elijah to Elisha

that is the symbol

that Elisha is now being tasked

to be God's prophet

and he will receive

God's spirit.

So those fears

that the prophets had

about a power vacuum,

the anxieties,

how will we cope

without Elijah

where those worries

and fears

are going to be answered

by the Lord God

in a visual,

in a very striking way.

Just remind ourselves

of the flow

of this story.

Verse 8,

we come to the point

where Elijah and Elisha

have now reached

the Jordan.

Elijah strikes the water

and they cross over.

And then in verse 9,

Elijah asks the question,

tell me what can I do

for you

before I'm taken from you?

To which Elisha replies,

let me inherit

a double portion

of your spirit.

Now this is not

Elisha thinking,

do you know what,

I want to build

a really big platform

for myself,

so I want double

what Elijah had.

This is him in humility,

like Solomon

when he's about

to take over,

recognizing,

I need God's help.

I need God's spirit

if I am to serve

in a way

that pleases him.

And so he asks

for this double portion.

And there is the promise

that is given,

verse 10,

you've asked a difficult thing,

yet if you see me

when I'm taken from you,

it will be yours.

And then you get

that dramatic scene,

the chariot of fire

and the horses,

and Elijah went up to heaven

in a whirlwind,

and Elisha saw it,

and Elisha saw him no more.

And then symbolically,

Elisha takes hold

of his own cloak,

and he tears it in two.

He's done with

that old cloak.

He's done with

that old way of life

because Elisha then

picks up Elijah's cloak,

and he goes back

to stand at the bank

of the Jordan.

And he takes the cloak,

and he strikes the water,

and he asks that question,

where now is the Lord,

the God of Elijah?

And of course,

we know the answer.

The Lord,

the God of Elijah,

is now with Elisha,

the prophet.

And he sent him

his spirit in power.

What happens next

maybe seems a little bit unusual.

The company of the prophets,

verse 15.

They're watching,

and notice there's certainty

with them on the one hand.

The spirit of Elijah

is resting on Elisha.

So they're really clear

that this succession

has taken place.

So there is a certainty there,

but there's still uncertainty

as well.

There's uncertainty implied

by the search

that they suggest.

Verse 16,

Look,

we, your servants,

have 50 able men.

Let them go

and look for your master.

Perhaps the spirit of the Lord

has picked him up

and set him down

on some mountain

or in some valley.

Why do they want

to go on that search?

Because they still

are struggling

to imagine

what it's going to be like

if Elijah's not around.

They cannot imagine

how things will go

without Elijah,

the servant,

the prophet of the Lord,

with them

even as they know

that that succession

has taken place.

They're still struggling

with what it's going

to look like

on the ground.

But here we have

Elisha

and he's been filled

with the spirit

and he's been filled

with the spirit

of wisdom.

And so he says,

Don't go looking.

That's a pointless search.

But they beg

and they beg

and they beg

until he gets embarrassed.

He says,

Well, have a go.

On you go.

And so they go

for three days

on a fruitless search

and verse 18,

when they returned,

he said to them,

Didn't I tell you

not to go?

In a sense,

he's saying to them,

Listen, I told you so.

But not in that

kind of annoying way.

But rather,

he's inviting them

to learn,

to rest,

and to trust

in

the word of Elisha,

the new prophet of God.

To rest

and to trust

in God's wisdom

as it comes

through his prophet.

To learn

that just as God

had been with Elijah

and spoke

through Elijah,

so he will be

with Elisha

and speak

through Elisha.

God has sent

his spirit

and so the spirit

will guide

into truth

and into life.

We see

the same principles

in the stories

that we've thought about.

If we were to go back

just for a moment

to the story,

after Moses dies

and there's that sense

of uncertainty,

God comes to Joshua

and says,

Do not fear,

I am with you.

I will do what I promised.

I'll take you

and the people

to the promised land.

Go forward

to John the Baptist

and Jesus.

Think about Jesus

being baptized

at the Jordan.

There's significance

there.

God's appointed one,

God's final prophet,

the baton is passed

at the Jordan

just as it was

with Elijah and Elisha

and the message

is clear.

As the dove

comes down,

as the spirit descends,

Jesus will be

the spirit anointed,

spirit filled

prophet of God

as God speaks

in a whole new way.

As the book of Hebrews

told us,

in the past

God spoke

through the prophets

but now

he's spoken

through his son.

And Jesus

gave wonderful promises

to his disciples

and to the apostles

about the spirit.

So before

Jesus went

to the cross,

John chapter 16,

John 16 · chapter mention

he said to them,

the spirit,

when he comes,

he will guide you

into all truth.

Or Acts chapter 1,

Acts 1 · chapter mention

the spirit will be sent

and the spirit

will give you power,

he will be your teacher,

he will keep showing you

the glory of the Lord Jesus.

So even as Jesus

returns to heaven,

the church is not

left alone,

not left with a vacuum

of wisdom

because the church

has given the spirit.

And that's wonderfully true

for every believer

here today,

that you and I,

we have the Holy Spirit

within us.

God the Father

and God the Son

are pleased

to make their home

in you

and in us.

And because we have

the spirit,

we have the power

to live for God,

we have the power

to serve our Savior,

and we have wisdom.

And we can ask

for wisdom,

to know,

how can I live

for Jesus today,

in this moment,

in this new situation?

How can I walk

worthy of him

with my classmates

or my colleagues,

in this place,

this conversation,

what is going to bring

glory to Jesus?

And remember,

the privilege of prayer.

And remember,

we have a Father

who gives generously.

And one of the things

the Father generously

loves to give

is his wisdom

when we need it.

Wisdom that comes

through the Spirit.

in uncertainty,

of whatever shape,

there are times

when we need a friend.

There are times

when we need

someone who's going

to give us

good counsel.

I think it's one

of the reasons

why fellowship

is such a gift

in the Christian church.

Why it's so important

to find

a church home

to belong to

and believers

to connect with,

to help us

on the journey

of faith.

Because there are times

when we need

the wisdom

of God

that comes

from other people,

the prayers

of other people

for us.

That's why we value

community group.

But most of all,

it's why we value

what the Lord Jesus

says.

That we have

him as a friend

and a counselor

and he sends

us

his Holy Spirit.

The Spirit of Christ

is sent to live

within us.

So that no matter

what's going on,

we can be certain

that God

still

sends

the Spirit.

So we can be certain

that God still works

in power,

he still sends

the Spirit.

Thirdly,

you can be certain

that God

still rules

as King

of glory.

And this really

takes us

to the drama

of the last act

of Elijah's life.

It takes us

to verse 11,

suddenly a chariot

of fire

and horses

of fire

appeared

and separated

the two of them

and Elijah

went up to heaven

in a whirlwind.

Elijah has been

a faithful servant

of God

and he's been

in spiritual battle

against Baal

and his prophets

and now it's as if

God,

his commander,

comes down

to take him

out of the battle,

to take him

up to heaven

to receive

his reward.

But what's significant

for us

is that for one last time

in Elijah's life,

we are getting

to see

who is really

in charge.

Who is

the King of glory?

And one last time,

Elijah's life

is inviting us

to recognize

it's not Baal,

although he has made

or people make

on his behalf

big claims,

it's the Lord God

of the Bible.

So it's one of the

great patterns

of Elijah's life

that he has used

in his faithfulness

to show the reality

of the one true

and living God

versus the idols

that people are

bowing down to.

Eugene Peterson

has a really nice

little book

called

A Long Obedience

in the Same Direction.

That's absolutely

the pattern

that we see

in Elijah's life.

And do you know

it's one of the

wonderful privileges

about life

in this church

that we have

examples of godly

older men

and women

who have walked

in faith,

who have walked

that long obedience

in the same direction,

and they set us

a wonderful example

to live by,

to learn from,

by God's grace,

to follow after.

But how does the story

show that God

is the king of glory

and not Baal?

Well, it takes us

one last time

to some of the big claims

that people made

about Baal.

In Baal imagery,

if you went to see

some Baal art,

or if you went

to worship Baal,

certain things

were associated

with him.

Baal was regarded

as the storm god.

He was connected

with fire and lightning.

He was pictured

as one who rode

on the clouds.

He was the weather god.

He was associated

with control

over the rain

and over the waters.

And time and time again,

in the Elijah story,

Baal has been shown

to be a non-thing,

and God has been shown

to be the true king.

And here we see it again.

Who is the god of fire?

It's not Baal.

It's the Lord.

Who is the god

who rides on a chariot

on the storm?

It's not Baal.

It's the god of the Bible.

Who is it

that acts in the whirlwind

with power?

It's not Baal.

It's Elijah's god.

And think about verse 14.

Elisha's question

as he strikes the water,

where now is the Lord,

the god of Elijah?

He is right here

showing his authority

over the waters

as he parts the water.

God's in charge.

God's the king.

God deserves all praise

and glory.

Elijah's life has shown it.

Elisha's life

is going to show it too.

But just think about

that pattern

of God showing himself

to be over the storm,

to be over the seas,

and over the waters,

to be the one true

and living God.

Think about it

in the story of Moses

and Joshua.

Where do we see it?

We see it when the Red Sea

parts to give salvation

to Israel

and bring judgment

on Egypt.

We see it as God

appears in the desert

as the pillar of cloud

and the pillar of fire.

We see it as the glory cloud

comes to cover the temple

and to guide the people.

And what about when Jesus,

the Son of God,

comes?

When do we see it then?

How do we see Jesus

as Lord and King of glory?

We see it as he walks

on the water.

We see it as he rebukes

the storm with just a word.

Here is God in the flesh.

Here is the Lord

with all authority

and glory.

And when he returned

in glory,

he was taken up

in the clouds

with that promise

that he would return

in the same way.

And everyone on that day

will see his glory.

But to take up that imagery

in a different way,

as Jesus dies on the cross,

wonderfully in the story

of salvation,

Jesus experiences the fire

and the whirlwind

of God's judgment upon sin.

For everyone that Jesus

came to save,

he was loaded up

with our sin.

And in his great love,

he took God's wrath

for that sin upon himself.

He willingly went

into the whirlwind

so that you and I,

by faith in him,

we can be sheltered

from the storm.

That we can hear

God's still,

small voice

speak good news

of grace

and salvation.

Undoubtedly,

you and I are going

to live through

lots of times

and places

and experiences

when life will feel

very uncertain.

And in those days,

we could be tempted

to look within ourselves

and try and find solutions.

Or we could be tempted

to throw our hands up

in panic or despair.

But what should we do

as the people of God?

What do we have

as the people of God?

We have certain hope.

As we learn to behold

our God

seated on his throne.

As we see the Lord Jesus,

our King

and our Saviour.

As we understand

that he still

works in power

in and for his people.

As he still

sends his spirit

to be with

and for his people.

As he still rules

as the great King

of glory.

Inviting us

to trust him.

To worship him.

and to live for him today.