On Monday when looking at this verse, I directed your attention to the start of Proverbs 2, which reads again, “My son, if thou wilt receive my words, and hide my commandments with thee;  So that thou incline thine ear unto wisdom, and apply thine heart to understanding;  Yea, if thou criest after knowledge, and liftest up thy voice for understanding;  If thou seekest her as silver, and searchest for her as for hid treasures;  Then shalt thou understand the fear of the LORD, and find the knowledge of God.”

There I pointed out that there is a great difference between just ‘taking’ Gods Word and receiving it.  In receiving Gods Word I showed that it included the action of hiding Gods Word in our hearts, causing it to become a foundation from which we work!

Yesterday I pointed you to the statement in V2, “…incline thine ear…”.  And I showed how that ‘hearing’ is more than just ‘listening’.  Because many times Christians HEAR Gods Word, but they just aren’t listening!  The Bereans not only heard, they not only inclined, they listened, they applied it to their lives, they did!

Look at our text verse again: “These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so.”

Acts 17:11.

NOT ONLY were these Bereans willing to receive, there were READY to receive!  And can you imagine why it was they were ready to receive Paul’s word?  Because they had hid Gods Word in their hearts!  They were of such a disposition that, when the Word of God was preached to them in all truthfulness, they were READY to adjust accordingly!

In II Corinthians 8, Paul defines the word ‘readiness’ for us.  In II Corinthians 8, Paul is about to drop by and pick up a special offering to be given to another Church. This particular offering had been advertised on and off for over a year.  And when the day finally rolled around for the offering to be taken, Paul said: “Now therefore perform the doing of it; that as there was a readiness to will, so there may be a performance also out of that which ye have. (2 Corinthians 8:11)

READINESS shows two things: a Willingness and an Expectation!  The willingness comes out of teaching and desire!  Over in Matthew 22, Jesus gives another parable on the Kingdom of Heaven.  Now, The Kingdom of Heaven is a reference to that physical Kingdom where Jesus sits on the Throne of David in Jerusalem, as King of Kings and Lord of Lords.  Ruling and Reigning as THE Sovereign of The Universe!  We are more familiar with this kingdom under its Age of Grace name: The Millennial Kingdom – this is NOT to be confused with the Kingdom of GOD, which is the SPIRITUAL Reign of Christ in the Believer.

In this parable, the king prepares a great banquet in honour of the marriage of his son, and sends out his servants to invite those who were previously called.  But in V3 we read these very sad words: “…they would not come.”.  That is, there was NO WILLINGNESS ON THEIR PART to attend!

Now we can take The Bible, and see elsewhere, where those who are NOT so willing to see the return of the Great King of Glory!  “14. And the heaven departed as a scroll when it is rolled together; and every mountain and island were moved out of their places.  15. And the kings of the earth, and the great men, and the rich men, and the chief captains, and the mighty men, and every bondman, and every free man, hid themselves in the dens and in the rocks of the mountains;  16. And said to the mountains and rocks, Fall on us, and hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb:” Revelation 6:14-16.

Oh yes, when Jesus returns, all will be invited – but not all will want to come!  But these Bereans, having heard the Word of God expounded, were willing!  I wonder how you respond to the preaching and teaching of God’s Word?  Do you come to Church expecting to be ‘exhorted, rebuked’ ‘with all authority’, not despising the teacher/preacher as we are commanded in Titus 2:15?  ARE YOU READY when you hit your quiet time, and open The Bible, for God to teach you some DOCTRINE, or REPROOVE YOU, CORRECT YOU even, INSTRUCT YOU IN RIGHTEOUSNESS as II Timothy 3:16 says?  Are you?  Are you ready?

Acts 17:11, “These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so.”

Yesterday, in looking at this verse, I directed your attention to the start of Proverbs 2, which reads again, ““My son, if thou wilt receive my words, and hide my commandments with thee;  So that thou incline thine ear unto wisdom, and apply thine heart to understanding;  Yea, if thou criest after knowledge, and liftest up thy voice for understanding;  If thou seekest her as silver, and searchest for her as for hid treasures;  Then shalt thou understand the fear of the LORD, and find the knowledge of God.”

There I pointed out that there is a great difference between just ‘taking’ Gods Word and receiving it.  In Proverbs 2, the point is made to this boy, that IF he would RECEIVE his Father’s words, the following actions would occur: First he would hide those commandments!  Psalm 119:11 says, “Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee.”.  To hide Gods Word in our hearts is to plant it there, cause it to become a foundation from which we work!  And from that point we looked at four different responses (soils) to receiving Gods Word – from out-and-out rejection, to full reception.

The next thing we see in Proverbs 2, is the statement in V2, “…incline thine ear…”.  To hear in The Bible is more than just ‘listening’.  In fact, we even today expect ‘hearing’ to be more than just listening!  We look at our kids, our husbands and says, “Are listening to me?!”  Now, the fact is, you’re loud enough that the entire neighbourhood is listening, the trouble is, no-one is responding!  And that’s the point!  I think many times Christians HEAR Gods Word, but they just aren’t listening!

James tells us, “But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.”  Jesus said, “Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a WISE man, which built his house upon a rock”!  A SOLID foundation!

These Bereans not only heard, they not only inclined, they listened, they applied it to their lives, they did!  How do we know?  Because the next line in Proverbs 2:2 is, “apply”, and again, it’s the heart!  APPLY is an action!  APPLY is a study!  APPLY is the CONSCIOUS ACTION of both the Body AND Mind!

They cried after knowledge, and lifted up their voices for understanding!  I wonder Who it might have been that they were crying too, and lifting UP their voice too?  Psalm 28 tells me, “Unto Thee will I cry, O LORD my rock; be not silent to me: lest, if thou be silent to me, I become like them that go down into the pit.  2.  Hear the voice of my supplications, when I cry unto Thee, when I lift up my hands toward Thy holy oracle.”

WHEN YOU ARE SEEKING GOD IN TIME OF TROUBLE, ASKING HIM TO HEAR YOU, ARE YOU NOT REALLY SEEKING FOR HIM TO GO TO WORK, TO PUT SOME WORK OF SALVATION INTO ACTION?!  Then why do we think, that ‘hearing’ precludes action?

There is no better place to go, when trying to figure out some teaching in The Bible, than to The Author!  Do you sometimes find yourself reading a passage of Scripture that isn’t real clear to you?  What do we do?  We grab commentaries, concordances, ask our spouses, our friends.  Some who are brave enough, even approach the Pastor.  And these actions are not wrong…, BUT if you really want to know, why not go to the source?

Let’s cry for some of that knowledge, and lift up our voices for understanding!  Jesus said, “If a son shall ask bread of any of you that is a father, will he give him a stone? or if he ask a fish, will he for a fish give him a serpent?  12. Or if he shall ask an egg, will he offer him a scorpion?  13. If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children: how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him?”  And the reason you’d want The Holy Spirit in your Bible is because, “Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come.”(Luke 11:11-13, John 16:13)

Oh my brethren, what we need to be, are children who both hide Gods Word in our hearts, and hear Gods Word!  Not just with our ears, but with our minds, hands and feet!

Acts 17:11, “These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so.”

Obviously I take my cue from the first four words of V11 which reads: “There were more noble…”!  ‘Noble’ is such a honourable title!  The word “nobile” is derived from the Latin “nobilis”, meaning honourable. This title is generally used to denote any person belonging to the nobility.  And Nobility is reserved for those who traditionally are at the top of the ‘pecking order’ in society.

These particular believers in Berea were labelled ‘noble’, not because they were born into aristocracy, but because they responded and acted in such an excellent manner!  The thing for us to see in this passage is these folk in Thessalonica received the Word!

Over to Proverbs 2, beginning in V1 I read, “My son, if thou wilt receive my words, and hide my commandments with thee;  So that thou incline thine ear unto wisdom, and apply thine heart to understanding;  Yea, if thou criest after knowledge, and liftest up thy voice for understanding;  If thou seekest her as silver, and searchest for her as for hid treasures;  Then shalt thou understand the fear of the LORD, and find the knowledge of God.”

The act of ‘receiving’ is more than just ‘taking’!  I can take a lot of things, but do nothing with them.  To receive something, is to first consider it!  Now, I know we often interchange the two words, but notice that subtle difference if you would!

In Proverbs 2, the point is made to this boy, that IF he would RECEIVE his Father’s words, the following actions would occur: First he would hide those commandments!  Psalm 119:11 says, “Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee.”.  To hide Gods Word in our hearts is to plant it there, cause it to become a foundation from which we work!

What happens to the rest of your body when your Heart ceases to function as it should, or fails altogether?  YOU DIE!  Or else you have to resort to medication, and an altered lifestyle!  Your heart is essential to your living and life!  Likewise, if you were of the mind that you wanted Gods Word to fully effect every part of your life, your heart is what needs to be affected first!

And so you hide, bury, plant the seed of God’s Word in the very place where, as it grows, it will have an effect on EVERY PART of you!  We know from the parable of Our Lords concerning the Sower and the Seed, that the seed can fall onto various ‘soils’, shown to be heart conditions/receptions.

The first ‘soil’ we are told of in Mark 4 is the ‘way side’ where, once it had landed there, ‘he fowls of the air came and devoured it up.’  The ‘way side’ was the path way.  That hardened pathway of dirt wherein people, animals and traffic of all sorts travelled.  If you were to sit by this way side and observe, you’d see people walking there, animals being led to the markets, pack-horses and mules being led along, cart’s bearing produce.  And as some of that produce many times fell off the back of the cart, birds were quick to swoop down and take what they could.  And it was here that some of this good seed of God’s Word landed, and was quickly removed.

It is a sad condition to speak of, but there are those whose hearts have so hardened against The Lord, that it matters not what part of God’s Word is applied to their lives, they reject it out of hand.  And let me add this, the devil is not backward in assisting to keep the situation so!

The second ‘soil’ we read in Mark 4, is the ‘stony ground’.  This is not the way side.  We find that there is ‘some’ earth for it to take root in, we see that with a little moisture it ‘immediately sprung up’, but when the sun came out, and it came time for ‘the rubber to meet the road’, this seed ‘withered away’, having ‘no root’, it was shallow.

Again, it is sad to admit, but I have met those who at first invitation eagerly respond to the Word of God.  They come to Church, two, three, four, sometimes six or even seven weeks.  But then the Word of God begins to speak of the sin that is in their lives, the need to begin to live holily, justly, as a child of God should.  And it is not long until these just ‘drop off’, and we would call such people ‘shallow’, for the Word of God was simply a ‘curiosity’, the latest ‘new thing’ for them to try.

The third ‘soil’ we read of in Mark 4, is where the seed falls among ‘the thorns’.  Here there was plenty of earth, plenty of moisture, the seed germinated and grew.  But then we read this: “…the thorns grew up, and choked it, and it yielded no fruit.”

And again, I have seen those who were convinced of the truth of God’s Word, to where a change takes place.  Church is not to them a ‘curiosity’, but the result of the light of God’s Word shining into their sin-darkened lives.  But as they begin to grow in Christ, along comes the world, their old friends, and no doubt ‘the Tempter’, and shows them again the old life they lived, but polished up and served with the sweetest of treats.  And slowly, but surely, they are led away, back to where they had been saved from.  And as Matthew puts it, “…he becometh unfruitful.”

Out of these three soils, two ‘took’ the Word of God, but none received it to the point of hiding it in their hearts, allowing it to determine how the rest would respond.  What we need is the fourth soil of Mark 4, the kind of soil that is referred to as ‘good ground’.  This is a ploughed paddock, one that is broken up over their sinful past, one that is prepared for what God would have them do now.  We find that in this soil, the seed  “…sprang up and increased; and brought forth, some thirty, and some sixty, and some an hundred.”

This is what these folks in Acts 17:11 were like.  They heard the Word of God, and received it.  What are you like when the Word of God comes your way?  How do you respond when it counters what you believe is true?  Will you receive it?  Or will you just ‘take’ it?

II Kings 2:13-14, “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.”

Yesterday we saw how Elisha, in that  moment of great grief, took up Elijah’s mantel – and I challenged all my readers to do the same.  But that’s not all Elisha did!  We read further that, TAKING that mantel, Elisha ‘went back’.

Do you know what the difference between ‘taking up the mantle’ and actually ‘going back’ is?  It’s simply this: I can sit here, and write about my stand, and what I’m going to do…but if I don’t actually do something about it, then I’m a fake!  ELISHA DIDN’T JUST SAY, AND THEN DO NOTHING ABOUT IT: HE..WENT..BACK!

I say to you today again, I’m taking up that mantle, …but I’m also going to go out there with it!  I WILL take tracts in my pocket AND pass them out!  I WILL invite folk to come to Church!  I WILL go letterbox dropping!  I WILL go doorknocking!  I WILL tell folks about the Salvation Jesus offers if given the chance!  This mantle that’s fallen to me, is not a ‘look at’ mantle…it’s a badge of office that will be used!

Looking again at Verse 13 I read how Elisha, “…smote the waters, and said, Where is the LORD God of Elijah?” Do you know what Elisha did next?  No, it wasn’t a miracle.  GOD performs miracles, not men.  ELISHA did NOT part the waters.  Elisha had nothing to do with that, it was all God.

So then, what did Elisha do next?  He prayed.  He prayed!  LOOK AT IT!  It says in Verse 14, “…and said…”.  And said what?  WELL LOOK AT IT AND TELL ME WHO IT IS THAT ELISHA IS TALKING TOO!  IS IT NOT GOD?  THE VERY NEXT THING AFTER TAKING UP THE MANTLE, AND GOING BACK, THAT ELISHA DID, WAS PRAY!

Ever heard this verse: “I have planted, Apollos watered; but God gave the increase.”?  I WILL PLANT – at Woolworths, at the Petrol Station, with our Neighbours, with our accountant, with our relatives – I WILL PLANT, then I will pray and ask the miracle Maker, if He could perform a miracle for me, and let me pass over!  (I Corinthians 3:6).  I CAN’T SAVE ANYONE, but I do know Someone Who does!

What was the results of this praying and seeking Gods hand?  “…and when he also had smitten the waters, they parted hither and thither: and Elisha went over.”  God sure does give the increase.  Elisha asked for a double portion of Gods Spirit upon his life and ministry, and I believe that The Bible bears out the fact that he got it!  But Elisha got it only, because – despite his own personal grieving – he set himself down a sure path.  He committed himself to The Only One Who could actually bring results.

It says at the very end of V14, ‘Elisha went over’.  You know what, if we would just commit our way unto The Lord, and trust in Him alone, The Bible says: He (God) WILL bring it to pass, Psalm 37:5.  Do you know what Psalm 37:4 says?  “Delight thyself also in the LORD; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart.”

Folks, the way of the Cross leads home!  And home is with Jesus.  He treats us as though we were His very Own Children – and He even calls us that!

What’s standing in your road today?  What’s hindering your moving forward?  Is it a ‘Jordan’?  Some impassable event?  Some impossible task?  Then why not take up the mantel, and speak to the only miracle worker there is: The Lord Jesus Christ!

Let’s all look to crossing over and on into the future…by taking up the mantle that has fallen in front of us, heading back down the very same path that our Lord has led us in the past, praying as we go – and just maybe The Lord will bring us over Jordan again!

II Kings, 2:13-14 “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.”

The casting of Elijah’s mantle upon Elisha was more than just some weird gesture.  It was a token at of investiture with the prophet’s office and of adoption as a son.  IN THAT ONE ACT, Elijah said: You are mine to train, teach and guide – as though you were my son!

It was that bond – the Spiritual Father and Son of the Faith bond – that kept Elisha at Elijah’s side, right throughout their eight years of training together, and right to the very end by Jordan, even though they both knew, that Elijah was about to be taken away forever.

Was Elisha sad?  Without a doubt!  Did Elisha feel loss as we have in our lives?  Oh yeah!  Did Elisha wonder what would happen now?  How would things go on?  Would people accept him as they had Elijah?  Yes, yes and yes!

In Verse 12 we read, “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 ripped his own clothes in his grief.  He was very sad, very torn up!  Hence the statement – ‘torn up’!  I can imagine Elisha sitting down on the ground, or a rock and weeping like a child would, for his father, who was now gone.  But what follows next, is where we need to focus, and the first words we read are: ““He took up also the mantle of Elijah…”.

Elisha had his moment of grief.  Folks, grief is a God-Ordained process.  It is the release of emotion that is needed to begin a healing process.  As diverse as people are, so too is their grieving.  MANY, MANY have been the tears shed at graveyards, but not everyone sheds tears.  Not everyone sheds the same amount of tears.  Some even wait until they are back home, and alone before they allow that overflow to be.

Elisha had his grieving time…and we are not wrong to grieve.  What’s more, the period we grieve can be different too!  In Deuteronomy 34:8 we are told that Israel mourned for Moses, 30 days!  An entire month was dedicated to grieving for the passing of a great Leader!

But folks, even whilst we grieve, we need to be thinking of our future – for we cannot continue to grieve forever!  Our passage tells us in V13, that “He took up also the mantle of Elijah that fell from him…”.

That mantle, that symbol of office, that symbol of adoption, that symbol of Elijah himself!  Elisha, though stricken down with grief, too it up.  Are there perhaps things in your life that need picking up?  A clear stand for Jesus perhaps?  Salvation, Separation, Holy Living, sticking with The Book!  THAT’S the mantle!  THAT’S the symbol!  THAT’S what has been left behind, fallen from others’ backs – if you would – to us!  And it’s there, lying on the ground in front of us!

ELISHA took up the mantle!  ELISHA asked for a double portion of Gods Spirit on his life and his ministry – and I believe that in that one action of PICKING UP THE MANTLE, God granted that request!  I ASK YOU TODAY – WILL YOU PICK UP THAT MANTLE?  WILL YOU COMMIT TO THOSE STANDARDS!  Because I will!

I TOO want to commit to clear stand for Jesus Christ!  I WANT TO THE WORLD TO KNOW: I’M SAVED – and they need to be!  I TOO will make my stand for Jesus Christ!  I TOO believe in Salvation by Grace through Faith!  I TOO believe that ALL CHRISTIANS ought to have a Separation stand!  THAT WE ALL OUGHT TO LIVE HOLY, AND JUSTLY, AND UNBLAMEABLY FOR OUR SAVIOUR!  I TOO WILL STICK WITH THIS BLESSED BOOK!!!  (I Thessalonians 2:10)  Will you pick up the mantle?

Event Date

12/04/2011

Event Time

From: 10:30 – To: 12:00

Event Venue

Church

Event TimeZone

(GMT+10) Australia/Queensland