Speaker 1: Page number 39 of your notes. It has been a great, great blessing to have been with Minutemen. There are things that I went through that I wished I didn’t have to go through.

I was one of the leaders that never got to travel with Minutemen. I was never a team captain. I never experienced a war.

and I remember when Dr. Jim was talking about trying to find somebody and I had just gotten here, I was helping him out doing some scheduling for Minutemen and trying to find somebody and I thought, boy, I can maybe help. And I’d ask him, what about this fellow? And I would give him a call and talk to him about it

and tell Dr. Jim he’s interested and may be doing it. And Dr.

Jim would, no, no, not him. And we’d go through all these guys and end up coming to me and I just couldn’t see doing it. It just did not, I just couldn’t see pulling this thing off.

I remember going and joining up with Mr. Bailey in a war and it was chaos to me and I just thought this is going to be a disaster. I’m not going to be able to do this.

And then I joined Dr. Jim for War of Special Forces. How many of you have been in War of Special Forces at some time?

Would you raise your hand? and you know what it’s like then from a student side of it and we were in Charleston, South Carolina and it was absolute chaos to me. Dr. Jim said just observe it we’ll talk about it later and all it

looked like to me was from about 1 a.m. to about 12 a.m. you’re constantly going and and it was just gotta do this gotta do this gotta do this gotta do this gotta do this and I’m thinking I don’t understand how this thing is connected i’m not getting it at all and uh it it came together and i was heading out with the first team first tour we were down in texas and i remember preaching and

uh it was i don’t even know what happened it was a fog it was a blur and one of the team captains was a veteran he was in the back giving me cues and clues and all kinds of things of what to do and and uh and i had everything scripted everything scripted i think i had recorded dr jim doing an entire three-hour war and i scripted everything and everything i i said exactly right and i i had

no idea what i was doing at the end of that week dr jim called said how is it going i said i’m dying i just don’t think i can do it i don’t think i can do it and uh and god really really began to just pummel me with all kinds of things of it’s really not about the program it’s all about the

power of god and i had to get that program i had to begin to understand the tools why we’re doing what we’re doing and why how do we do these things and and um but i really began to see that it’s the power of god it’s the gospel that still works and it was a thrill to be able to go in from place to place to place and know without a shadow of a doubt that somebody’s going to get

saved somebody’s going to be helped god’s going to work the power is still sufficient today and uh And then Dr. Jim was so gracious to let me take meetings. I started getting in some revival meetings.

And my revival meeting schedule started growing more and more. And I was adjusting the war around it. Dr.

Jim was very gracious to do that. And I never have taken that for granted. And I’ve been ruined.

Down in the south, they would just say we’ve been ruined. And I’ve been ruined. My preaching in the revival meetings is because of the war. I just preached one way in the war, and I figured if it worked in the war,

it’ll work in the revival meetings. And I didn’t realize that, you know, sometimes their pacemakers would go off and the oxygen tanks would stop and their teeth would fall out in the revival meetings. But I don’t know how else to do it.

It’s just one gear for me. And so it’s been a great thing. You know, I go into any meeting, any church, anywhere, and I expect God to do the same thing. and uh and i find we send out these revival packets you know here’s an advanced material here’s what you could do to prepare for the meeting and more and more i pull into a church and the pastor’s apologizing because they tried to have cottage prayer meetings no one showed up

they’ve tried to advertise for the meeting it hasn’t worked and the pastor’s apologizing you know what that tells me it tells me we’re in the right place we need revival the reason why people can’t pray is because they’re not in revival the reason why they’re not out so winning is because you’re not in revival. We’re in the right place. And it’s exciting to be able to go to those places.

Sometimes it’s so cold, it’s dead, it’s dry. It’s like preaching in a cemetery. But we know that the gospel can work.

And so this morning, I want us to be able to look at this subject, this topic. And I want to be extremely simple because that’s what I is. And so it’ll be quite easy. But I want to be able to help in giving us a few things here

that I believe will hinge and help us in these next couple of sessions to follow. 1 Kings chapter number 19. Notice verse number 19.

Now, understand the context. Elijah, he’s on his way from Sinai to Damascus, and he finds the younger Elisha plowing in the field. Notice what it says in verse 19. So he departed thence and found Elisha, the son of Shaphat,

who was plowing with twelve yoke of oxen before him, and he with the twelve. And Elijah passed by him and cast his mantle upon him. The older Elijah threw that rough mantle over the shoulders of the young Elisha.

And Elisha had a responsibility to respond to the significance of that mantle being cast on his shoulders. What Elijah was communicating was the call of God upon his life. And Elisha responded appropriately.

He responded to the call of God. And for the next seven or eight years, he accompanied the older Elijah. He served him.

He sat at his feet. He drew from him all that he could. And he was blessed and used of God. And after Elijah went home to be with the Lord,

Elisha continued to experience tremendous blessing by God. The powerful acts of God that were displayed through the ministry of Elijah were undoubtedly manifested as we will see in even a greater degree through the life and ministry of Elisha. The underlying truth as to why God so mightily used and blessed Elisha can be found in Psalm 62 and verse number 11 when it tells us that power belongeth unto God.

It is God that is all-powerful. It is only God that can bestow that kind of power. However, God does not give His power arbitrarily. While God delights and desires to give His power to whomsoever He will,

He wills to give it upon certain conditions spelled out in the Word of God. The same God that blessed, the same God that empowered and used Elisha in his day is the exact same God that wills to bless and use and empower you today if we will but embrace these same stipulations. I want you to note this morning three basic ingredients as to why God used Elisha and how God can use you. The first thing that we find as the reason why God used Elisha

and the first thing that we must embrace if we expect the blessing of God upon our life is that number one, Elisha was a surrendered man. He was a surrendered man. The Bible says in verse 19 through 21, we read verse 19, and after the call of God came upon him, verse 20, he, Elisha, left the oxen and ran after Elijah and said, Let me, I pray thee, kiss my father and my mother, and then I will follow thee.

And he said unto him, Go back again, for what have I done to thee? What Elijah is saying is really an idiom. He’s saying, Do as you please.

What have I done to stop you? Go right ahead. Verse 21, And he, Elisha, returned back from him. He took a yoke of oxen, he slew them, boiled their flesh with the instruments of the oxen,

and he gave unto the people, and they did eat. Then he arose, and he went after Elijah and ministered unto them. See, Elisha, like every single man or woman ever used of God in the Bible, ever used of God in the history of mankind, is far from perfect.

Elisha is not a perfect man. No one is perfect. But the key as to why God used Elisha, and the key as to why God can use any man or woman, is because Elisha was a yielded, consecrated, He was a surrendered man.

Would you say that with me? Elisha was a surrendered man. Once more, Elisha was a surrendered man.

See, surrender is the only right response to God’s claim upon your life. If you’re not living in surrender, you’re not responding properly and appropriately to the claim that God has upon your life. So often we say that after a person gets saved, the first step that a person ought to take after salvation is what?

Baptism. But I believe that the first step that you ought to take after salvation is surrender. Remember when Saul was saved in Acts chapter 9? He then asked in the very next breath, his question was,

Lord, what will thou have me to do? It’s because surrender is the only right response to God’s claim upon your life. See, baptism, if it’s to be understood properly, cannot be acted upon until we first surrender.

Baptism is a sign of my surrender, my willingness to follow Him. It’s not just a picture of my getting saved. It’s my picture of getting saved and what Christ has done for me.

And I am surrendered to Him. And I want people to know it. I want people to see it.

So the first response in our life after salvation is that of surrender. Now many times people will say, yeah, I’ve done that before. I really think I’ve surrendered before.

And sometimes we can get confused. I would hear preaching on surrender and I would think maybe I didn’t surrender. I mean, I thought I had.

But as the preaching went on, I began to think maybe I didn’t. It’s kind of like the salvation issue. You think you got saved.

You hear certain preaching and it may confuse you. You think maybe I didn’t get saved. But here’s the thing about surrender.

like salvation. Surrender is a decision you must make. But it’s not just a decision.

Surrender is a life. See, many times we have made a decision of surrender. We wonder, why is it not working for us?

It’s not working for us because we’re no longer surrendered. So this matter of surrender is not just a decision. It’s a decision that is a life.

And so we are to live a life of surrender. And I’ve given you verses. My notes are not very long.

It’s just a lot of verses in here. And I want you to be able to take these verses and mold over these verses and see that these truths are found all throughout the Bible. 2 Chronicles 30 and verse 8.

Now be ye not stiff-necked. Don’t be stubborn and rebellious. Be ye not stiff-necked as your fathers were, but yield yourselves unto the Lord.

Daniel 3 and verse 28. Nebuchadnezzar noticed something about Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. He noticed, the Bible says, that they trusted in God and yielded their bodies that they might not serve nor worship any god except their own god romans 12 and verse 1 we know the verse i beseech you therefore brethren by the mercies of god that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice wholly acceptable unto god which is your reasonable

service and we can go right down the list i want to mention to you a verse that we know so well and oftentimes people will use this verse i will look through a yearbook and i may see a senior using this verse as their theme verse and uh and it’s the verse proverbs 3 5 and 6 we know the verse trust in the lord with all thine heart lean not into thine own understanding and all thy ways

acknowledge him and he shall direct thy path and what happens many times is we we take a verse man that’s a great verse but don’t you understand proverbs 3 5 and 6 is about surrender the bible says trust in the lord with how much of your heart all the bible says trust in the lord with all thine heart and lean not unto thine own understanding in all thy ways acknowledge him and then he should

direct thy path do you know that god is in this business and it is quite easy for god to direct you to the best the greatest the most uh uh profitable place of your life for your life he can he can direct you today to finding the abundant life and to find joy and pleasure he can direct you tomorrow he can direct you next week he can direct you next year he can direct you in the

the greatest valley hardship, heartache and trial you’ll ever experience. But God says there’s a condition you must do as did Elisha. You must first be a surrendered man or surrendered woman.

In other words, you must recognize that your only right response to God is that of surrender. Or rather, surrender is the only right response. Over 150 years ago, Henry Varley said, the world is yet to see what God can do with and for and through and in a man who is fully and wholly consecrated to him sitting on that park bench was a young deal moody deal

moody said to himself he didn’t say what kind of man he just said a man deal moody said by the grace of god i’ll be that man i wonder if it could be said of your youth group the youth group hasn’t yet seen what god can do with and in and through and for man who is fully and wholly consecrated to him and i’m thankful as deal moody recognized the bible doesn’t tell us what kind of man

just any man anybody who’s willing to surrender god can use god can work god can bless william booth said the greatness of a man’s power is the measure of his surrender a w tozer says the man who surrenders to christ exchanges a cruel slave driver for a kind and gentle master whose yoke is easy whose burden is is light a w tozer goes on to say the reason why many are still troubled still seeking still making little forward progress is because they have not

yet come to the end of themselves we’re still giving some of the orders we are still interfering with god’s working within us oswald chamber says we say we must do all we can but the truth is Jesus says we must let God do all that we can. It was one Sunday, the Chicago Avenue Church, which later became the Moody Church, Dr. R.A.

Torrey, the great revivalist, was preaching. And he challenged believers to surrender their lives in total consecration to the Lord Jesus Christ. Many stood to their feet.

Within that congregation was a young seven-year-old boy. No doubt there are many who would minimize young people who are in their primary years responding, probably thinking they’re so innocent they don’t really know what they’re doing. But it wasn’t the case for this seven-year-old. This young lad was William Borden,

Bill Borden of Yale as he’s oftentimes referred to. He was a brilliant young man with a place in high society, born into great wealth, yet he gave up his fortune and his fame to become a missionary. He had everything to live for, and then still in his 20s, he gave up on living his life, And he embraced the Christ life. The decision that he made as a seven-year-old was a decision of surrender

that developed into a life of surrender. When he told his family that he was giving his life to be a missionary, many of his friends were not excited about his decision. Many of his friends expressed that he was throwing his life away.

But in response, Bill Borden wrote in his Bible two words. He wrote the words, no reserves. What he was saying is, surrender.

That is my response to God. That’s the response that God requires of me. God Almighty requires that I respond to Him.

And the only right response is that of surrender. Are you surrendered to Him? What is surrender? Sometimes we can be cute about these words

and we can dance around the issue as to make it fit into our life. and we’re really excusing and justifying the lack of its reality within our life. But what is surrender?

Surrender is simply a willingness to do anything that God wants you to do. And it’s an obedience in everything that God has told you to do. Let me ask you this.

Am I keeping you awake? I’m trying. I’ll try harder if I need to.

Can you stay awake? Can you do that? I can’t communicate through dreams and visions.

If I can, you can sleep. But until then, you’re going to have to stay awake. Can you do that?

If not, I’ll chuck a hymnal at you. Okay, can you stay awake? All right, here we go.

Are you willing to do anything that God wants you to do? Are you? Because if you’re not, you’re not surrendered.

Are you willing to do anything that God wants you to do? Surrender is a willingness to do anything. Surrender is an obedience in everything that God has told you to do.

Is there anything within your life that you’re not obeying God in? Is there any area of your life where you’re disobedient? Is there any area where you have not utterly destroyed all and have completed what God has told you to do?

Surrender is a willingness to do anything. It’s an obedience in everything. See, can’t you see that if surrender is not where it ought to be within my life, if surrender is not a reality, can’t you see then why we have so much problems and why we have such confusion and why we’re having such frustration and why we have such deadness? It is surrender that allows God access into my life, for me to experience the abundant Christian life,

for me to enjoy the pleasures of God, for me to access His power, because we must first be willing to do anything and obedient in everything. What kind of surrender is this? It is the Bible’s kind of surrender. See, Elisha’s surrender, being willing to do anything and obedient in everything,

is a surrender that is entire. It’s an entire surrender. The Bible tells us in verse 20 and verse 21 that Elisha, he left the preacher Elijah.

He went back home and he communicated to his parents what God is calling him to do. And he left his yoke of oxen. He left his plows.

One evangelist will say it this way. He burned his plows and he killed his cows. In other words, it was an entire consecration to God. He wasn’t going to hold on to a little bit of this in the past

and try to go on and serve God. It was relinquishing whatever claim he had and it was yielding to God’s claim on his life. Because surrender is a willingness to do anything and an obedience in everything that is an entire absolute surrender.

Dr. Jim mentioned the book Absolute Surrender. Andrew Murray got the thought for writing that book while he was in Scotland discussing with several Christian leaders their opinion as to what the greatest need of the church was in their estimation. One particular godly leader responded to Andrew Murray saying,

the greatest need of the church today is absolute surrender to God. He went on to explain, if Christians were sound on this point of absolute surrender, even though they may be backwards, even though they may not be taught, they can still be helped. If they are sound on the point of surrender, no matter where they are in their education, they can be helped.

They will improve. Whereas there are others who are not absolutely surrendered. They often turn back and they leave the work of the Lord.

They’re educated. They may be religious people. They may be dedicated people. But unless they’re surrendered,

they will not know the full blessing of God. Are you willing to surrender yourselves to God? Are you willing to put your life into God’s hands?

What is your answer going to be? The surrender that God expects is the kind that is complete, entire, absolute. Have you surrendered to the Lord?

The Scriptures use a word holy. W-H-O-L-L-Y. Joshua 14 verse 8 says, I wholly follow the Lord my God. Caleb received his inheritance, Joshua 14 verse 14,

because he wholly followed the Lord God of Israel. Have you wholly followed the Lord? Are you right now sitting here in this service, wholly yielded and dedicated to Him?

Are you surrendered? The great F.B. Meyer once talked to a young man who had something that he was lacking. He went to this younger man and he said,

Young man, you have something that I am in need of. It’s more than obvious. Can you help me?

Can you help me put a finger on it within my life? Could you tell me what it might be? He was very humble.

The man said to Dr. Meyer, Have you surrendered everything to Jesus Christ? F.B.

Meyer replied, Yes. He felt reasonable certain that he had done that, but when he turned and walked away from the young man, he was rebuked in his own soul, knowing that he was dishonest in his reply. When he arrived home, he went straight to his bedroom, and he fell on his knees, and the prayers and the deep emotions flooded forth from his soul as he wept before the Lord, And he waited to see what God was going to speak to him.

And as he was upon his knees, he grew heavy. After much crying and weeping, he became tired and he drifted off into a sleep. As he began to drift off into sleep with absolute surrender being the fault upon his heart and mind, he began to dream about this very truth of absolute surrender. In his dream, it was as if Jesus Christ walked right into the room, and Jesus walked up to him and said,

Meyer, I need them all. I need all the keys to your heart. In his heaviness in the dream, Meyer said, I reached into my pocket, withdrew a great ring of keys, handed them over to the Lord.

We waited until they could be counted one by one. As the Lord counted the keys in his dream, there was one missing. And the Lord said to Meyer, I asked you for all. And then the Lord turned around and walked out,

proceeded to walk out of the room. F.B. Meyer responded, Lord, wait!

Where are you going? Don’t leave me! In which the Lord replied, If I’m not Lord of all, I’m not Lord at all. With great desperate weeping,

F.B. Meyer agreed to turn over that last tiny key. He surrendered everything he was, everything he had, everything he might ever be to the Lord. And from that day on,

the Lord began to use Meyer as He never had before. What keys do you refuse to hand over? What keys do you hold at this time?

Are you unwilling to give to God? Is it your plans? Is it your pleasures?

Is it your bitterness? Is it your sin? Is it your music?

Is it your videos? Is it your computer? Is it your cell phone? is it your girlfriend boyfriend is it your job is it your reputation is it your sports what is it that you’re holding back from god are you willing to do anything and are you obedient in everything and if you cannot answer yes to that then the conclusion is you’re not surrendered when bill borden arrived on campus of yale university he tried to fit in just like all

freshman however he stood head and shoulders above everyone else and it wasn’t because of his money it was because one student wrote he came to college far ahead of us spiritually he had already given his heart in full surrender to christ during his college years bill borden wrote a uh entry in his journal that explained what everybody else was seeing bill borden said the the formula really is easy. He said no matter what decision comes across my path, when the preaching takes place,

the invitation comes around, I always respond this way. Whenever I am given a crisis of having to make a decision, I respond this way. What way does Bill Borden respond? He says in his journal, I simply say no to self,

yes to Jesus every time. Surrender. Willingness to do anything, obedience in everything.

It’s a surrender that is entire. But not only is the Bible’s kind of surrender, entire surrender, but in verse 20 and verse 21, we can see that it is an evident surrender. In other words, when you are really surrendered to the Lord, when you’re willing to do anything, you’re obedient in everything, you’re not going to be a closet surrendered Christian. People shouldn’t have to ask you,

are you willing to do anything and obedient in everything? Whenever Elijah approaches the young Elisha, the call of God goes forth. Elisha surrenders and he responds.

And that started a life of surrender for this man Elisha. His surrender was one of absolute entire surrender, but it was one of evident obvious surrender. For the Bible tells us that he burned his plows.

He killed his oxen. He went and told his parents. He called a banquet.

He announced the call of God upon his life. In other words, he wasn’t doing this in private. He wasn’t going to do this after the service was over when no one else was around.

He was willing to go forward. He was willing to make it public. He was willing to go home after the conference and say it in front of the church.

He was willing to go home and tell his family who may even mock or laugh. He was willing to stand up amongst his friends and say, I’m heading out of here. Won’t see you for some time.

I’m sticking with the man of God. Why? Because when you are willing to do anything, when you’re obedient in everything, You are not ashamed of the Lord Jesus Christ.

And you’re not hiding it. You’re not trying to escape it. You’re not trying to camouflage it.

You’re willing for it to be obvious and known before all. Is that the kind of surrender you know? That’s the Bible’s kind of surrender. See, I don’t give much for a young person who makes a decision, gives a testimony and prays in this service,

but goes home and you never hear from them again. I’ll tell you what you ought to do since you asked. When you go home, I would make a beeline down the altar, to the altar or down the aisle in the invitation on Sunday.

If your church doesn’t give an invitation, you ought to create one. You ought to go down and say, Pastor, God dealt with me at this service, at the conference, and I made some decisions, and I want you to know it, and I want to make it public. I’m telling you, if you want to continue a life of surrender, you ought to start doing what Elisha did and start making this thing public.

And go to the ones who care. Start there. Start with your pastor.

Communicate to your youth pastor. Go to your pastor’s wife, your youth pastor’s wife. Communicate to those who do have a concern, who do have a care.

Go to your Elijah. And then you can make it known to the others, here’s what God is doing, I’m not ashamed. He’s not ashamed to be called my God, and I’m not ashamed to surrender to Him.

It was an evident surrender. Abraham Lincoln prepared to sign the Emancipation Proclamation. He took his pen, he moved it to the signature line, but he paused for a moment.

And then he dropped his pen. Someone asked him, why did you hesitate? Why did you pause? When asked, President Lincoln responded,

if my name goes into history, it will be for this act. And if my hand trembles when I sign it, there will be some who will say he hesitated. Abraham Lincoln sat there for a moment.

He turned back to the table. He picked up his pen and he boldly signed his name. This decision of surrender, young person, ought to be a bold decision. it is one of absolute entire evidence surrender it’s one that is willing to do anything and obedient in everything that i know to do how right jim elliot the martyred missionary was when he said he is no fool who gives up what he cannot keep in order to gain what he cannot lose

just before we move on to point number two a young woman who was greatly troubled went to a Scottish preacher asking how to handle a certain decision. And it seemed to contradict the will of God. She was perplexed. She went to the preacher, and the preacher simply took out a slip of paper

and wrote two words on it. He then handed this paper back to the young woman, and he requested that she spend ten minutes looking at these two words, and then come back to him after crossing out one of the words. The woman sat down and looked at the slip of paper.

It had two words on it. The same two words that you will find right above point number two or at the end of point number one. It’s the word no and the word Lord.

For the preacher explained, one must be crossed out. For you cannot live the Christian life by calling him Lord yet telling him no. if he is Lord he must be yielded to as Lord you must be willing to do everything that he says and you must be obedient in all that he says if you’re to call him Lord he is Lord but if you want him to be the Lord of your life you must cross out no what’s your decision going to be

she sat there for a moment it didn’t take her that long she could not say Lord and no. And she wanted to call Christ Lord, but she could not say no. If He is really Lord, then I must cross out no.

And she crossed out the word no. Well, what is your decision going to be? Oh, the bitter pain and sorrow that a time could ever be when my proud heart said to Jesus, all of self and none of thee. But he found me, I beheld him hanging on the accursed tree, and my trembling heart then whispered,

some for self and some for thee. But day by day his tender mercy, wooing, loving, full and free, drew me closer, closer, till I whispered, less of self and more of thee, higher than the highest mountain, deeper than the deepest sea. Lord, at last thy love is conquered, now it’s none of self.

And it’s all of thee. That’s the surrender that God expects. Let me ask you for a moment to bow your heads at this moment with eyes closed and heads bowed. If you are not saved, young person,

the remainder of these sessions really are not going to help you a whole lot. You can’t have victory until you get saved. You can’t know power until you get saved.

You can’t know dynamic, life-changing Christianity until you first get saved. Those of you who are saved but not surrender. The remainder of these sessions aren’t going to be a whole lot of help to you until you recognize that you will never experience dynamic Christianity, power over sin and the world, peace, love, joy all the time until you first surrender.

You’ve got two options. You either can embrace the no, your right to tell God no, or you can cross out the word no and you can embrace Christ as the Lord that He longs to be in your life and experience absolute surrender. You say, I can’t.

It’s a faith issue. You got saved by faith and you can surrender by faith. trust him i’m going to ask right now that you cross out one of the words i’m not going to ask that you come forward i’m not going to ask that you stand up i’m just going to ask that you make the decision right here right now would you cross out one of the words you say

well i’ve made a decision before in the past surrender is a life this morning are you this morning willing to do anything this morning are you obedient in everything would you cross out one of the words would you respond you are responding by the way it is hard to decide while heads are bowed and eyes are closed i wonder how many would say preacher this morning I sit here surrendered this morning perhaps even the last few minutes I have surrendered I’ve made the decision

it’s entire to the best of my knowledge to the best of my ability I’ve surrendered everything I’m willing to do anything and I’m obedient in everything and it will be evident by God’s help by God’s grace but this morning I’m sitting here right now right here crossing out lord i’m sitting here surrendered if that’s you would you put your hand

up good and high put it up good night if you’re surrendered willing to do anything and obedient and everything thank you may put your hands down look this way elisha was used of god because he was first and foremost a surrendered man say that with me elisha was a surrendered man but the second thing that i see about elisha is that not only was he surrendered but if we go to second kings

chapter number two we find that elisha was a steadfast man he was a steadfast man how often does somebody go to camp god stirs within their heart god works and and god does something uh that is great and he just feels set free but you get back home and it doesn’t last and and what happens certain dynamics take place and it’s really not a great mystery you know god worked at camp god

works at a conference like this god works in a revival meeting because certain dynamics are in place you get away from those dynamics and and you’re getting into a place that is setting up for failure and what we see about elisha is that when he surrendered out of his surrender was a life of dependence upon god that caused and allowed him to remain steadfast now listen i want you

understand i’m not going to spend a lot of time on this because dr john and both dr jim will hit this issue but what i’m talking about it’s not willpower this was not elijah saying i don’t care how i feel i don’t care what it looks like i don’t care anything about whether i have joy or peace i

don’t care anything but i’m just going to do right it’s not that issue it’s the issue of i’ve surrendered to god i am god’s property god is the one who can fill me it is his responsibility to enable me and if god will enable me by the grace of god then i’m going to be willing still to do anything and tomorrow when i get up and head home i’m going to be willing to do anything and obedient

and everything and when sunday rolls around back with my family it’s not like being here perhaps it may be as a more difficult situation i’m still going to be willing to do anything and obedient and everything because surrender is a life of faith but surrender is not just an act or a decision it is a life it’s a lifetime decision it’s a decision we must continually make and once that

happens we can through a surrendered life remain steadfast and stay with him stay with the one who saved you isn’t that what jesus says in matthew chapter 11 verse 28 come unto me all you that labor and are heavy laden and i will give you rest i believe that salvation and then he says this take my yoke upon you and learn of me for i am meek and lowly in heart and then you shall find

another rest unto your souls for my yoke is easy and my burden is light here’s what i believe jesus is saying when you come to me for salvation stay with me you’ll get a rest at salvation but you’re going to get a rest through staying with me and in elijah was a man who was steadfast notice in second kings two verse one through six we won’t read the verses i think you have them

abbreviated but at the end of verse number one there’s the word gilgal at the end of verse number two there’s the word bethel or bethel at the end of verse number four there’s the word jericho at the end of verse seven is the word jordan and here we find that every place that elijah went if you will read this elijah says to elisha stay here i’ve got to go over yonder and

elisha says no sir if you go i go with you and elisha was steadfast he he was sticking with uh that which he knew he was fulfilling the call of god upon his life see many times i’ll come across a young person who says, I believe God’s called me to preach. And while they’re in high school, they’re excited about it. But it never pans out. Because once they go through graduation, and they go through a few bumps and scrapes,

you find them going a completely different direction, and they never end up completing that which God had placed upon their life in the first place, though they may have surrendered at some point in time. When you surrender, it’s key that we recognize that our surrender is to help us maintain this steadfastness in staying with the Lord. Look at Genesis 25 in your notes, verse 29 through 30.

The Bible says that Esau came from the field. He was faint. One of the reasons for Esau’s compromise was that he allowed this fainting, this giving up to take place. And because of this, he says to Jacob, Feed me, I pray thee, with that same red pottage,

for I am faint. Listen, sometimes I will go into a church second time or third time and i will say to a pastor hey we’re so and so i remember seeing so and so here they were in the youth group they were really excited about the things of god where are they and i will sometimes hear a pastor say something like this well they just burned out

what he’s saying is they got faint do you know that there’s no place for burnout in the christian life because jesus never burns out and when esau burned out it’s not of god look at what it says in Proverbs 24 and verse 10, if thou faint in the day of adversity, thy strength is small. Now, what that means is simply this. When you faint, it means you are relying upon your strength and your strength is small.

The Bible says in Isaiah 40 verse 29, look at this. God stirred me with this the other day and looking at this conference and praying about this conference. Verse number 29, He giveth power to the faint.

Some of you are sitting here this morning. You’re faint. You’re fainting.

You’re giving up. You’re shrugging off your responsibility. You feel like there’s no hope.

I’ve tried it before. It doesn’t work. And you’re feeling faint.

Understand this. Look at the verse. He giveth power to the faint. If you are fainting this morning,

know that He wants to give power to you who are fainting. And to them that have no might. No might.

Some of you feel like you’ve gone to the very lowest depths you can possibly go. You can’t do it. The truth is, that’s exactly right.

You can. But He can. And you can experience the enabling grace and power of God.

But notice what it says in verse 30. Even the youths shall faint. And that’s exactly what we’re experiencing in our churches. I’m telling you, friends, the churches that ought to be seeing God do the most

ought to be our independent, fundamental Baptist churches. But if you want to find a group of fledgling young people, a group of people who could care less about the things of God than going to our average, independent, fundamental Baptist church because our young people are fainting. But I want you to know, look again at verse number 30, even the youth shall faint and be weary.

That’s going to happen. It’s going to happen. And the Bible says that even the young men shall utterly fall.

But look at verse 31. What’s the first word of verse 31? What is it?

But, but they that wait upon the Lord. The Bible says He shall renew their strength. They shall mount up with wings as eagles. Those youth who are utterly falling and fainting,

they shall mount up with wings as eagles. They shall run and not be weary. They shall walk and not faint.

One, a tremendous passage and a tremendous truth. God wants you to stay with Him. God wants you to be steadfast, young people.

Elisha was steadfast, I see, in two primary areas. Two things just hit me every time I think of Elisha and see Elisha. He was steadfast strategically in two areas.

Number one, he was steadfast in following his authority. I believe one of the greatest areas where our failure is demonstrated is in our failure to follow authority. Elisha’s authority.

was Elijah. Elijah was not perfect. You remember Elijah saw the fire of God fall? Then Elijah relapsed, became a coward, insecure,

ran from a lizard-tongued woman. He wasn’t perfect. But he was Elisha’s authority. Everywhere that Elijah went,

Elisha followed. I didn’t understand authority Until I understood revival Because in order to understand revival Really we must understand the concept of faith Dependence You get saved by dependence You live the Christian life by dependence You know this matter of authority Is not really about the authority It’s about God The Bible says Children obey your parents and the Lord For they are right is that what it says no it says children obey your parents in the lord for

this is right what’s right obedience somebody says well my parents aren’t saved and don’t you ever expect them to get saved as long as you’re living in disobedience and rebellion see the issue is not if your parents are right the issue is that god is right and god says here’s the formula here’s what i’ve i’ve commanded and the matter of obedience really comes out of trusting God. You can trust God and you can obey mom and dad.

A wife came to me in a meeting one time and said on the Sunday night, Brother Ingram, I’d love to come to the meeting this week, but my husband, who is unsaved, he says I shouldn’t come. He does not want me to come. In fact, he refuses for me to come. I’ve asked him, and I’ve done everything I can to ask him,

but he says I cannot come to the meeting. What do you think I should do? I said, obey your authority. trust god and submit to your authority somebody said to me well you’re telling her to forsake the assembling of ourselves together is the matter of some is no i wasn’t i was just telling her to submit to her authority see young people god puts authority in our life not to hurt us

god puts authority in our life in order that god might bless us notice what the bible says of daniel i don’t think you have it there don’t turn there but daniel chapter one and verse eight Daniel purposed in his heart you may have purposed in your heart in this conference that you’re going to do right but Daniel’s purposing did not lead to Daniel becoming rebellious the Bible says when he purposed in his heart to do right then he requested of his authority

he didn’t put his fist in their face and say now I’ve become a fundamentalist I’m telling you here, here’s what I’m going to do you can lump it, I am not going to drink your wine, I’m not going to eat the meat I want you to know that, do you get it You understand it. He didn’t do that. He just simply requested.

Why? Because one who is trusting God has no problem with submitting to authority. You remember Jesus Christ?

You remember Pontius Pilate? Pontius Pilate was not right. But Jesus submitted to Pontius Pilate.

Why? Because Jesus trusted the Father. God completely worked me over about the matter of authority. I did not realize how much I struggled with authority

all the way through my life at home, high school, and getting into college. In college, I knew which professors took what position, so I knew which professors to go to if I wanted one to agree with my position. I was not looking for what God wanted.

I was living in a scheming Jacob mode. Jacob was a schemer. A life of scheming and deceit is not a life of faith.

When I got here is when God really began to strip away these areas of my life. I oftentimes will say, I say it every single week. I hesitate to say it now, but I’ll just say it.

so I can explain it and make my point. But every time, every week, I say, I have a pastor. I don’t know that my pastor knows where I am most of the time, and I’m not sure that he even cares.

Now, that’s not true. I’m exaggerating, but I’m making a point. But he’s my pastor. I learned when I was here,

I knew God brought me here to get me ready for evangelism. And I went to Pastor Van Gelderen on an occasion, and I said, is it getting close yet for the time for me to go? And the pastor said something like, no, I just don’t think so.

I told him I felt like Joseph down in the prison. All right, but please don’t forget about me. But he reminded me that my situation in the prison was my fault, unlike Joseph’s.

And so I came back a little bit later. Hey, Pastor, do you think it’s getting close to time yet? he said i just don’t think so i think i came to him a third time i said pastor do you think we’re getting close yet maybe doing something just just heading that direction and and pastor said well if you want to you can i thought that’s it finally but i had no peace whatsoever about it i did not

feel great about it i remember talking to dr john on the phone and john gave me the a simple story about how he went through the same scenario with his dad. And John said something that I’ve never gotten over. It won’t mean as much to you perhaps, but it’s been life-changing to me. John said, Billy, if you will wait for the green light from your authority,

it will make all the difference in the world. I didn’t want the yellow light from my pastor. I wanted a green light And I finally got a green light You know I don’t talk to my pastor all the time But God knows I’d never do anything I would never do anything And be able to put my head upon my pillow at night And go to sleep with a clear conscience If I thought I was doing something That displeased my pastor

It’s not because of his name it’s because of his title he’s my authority young people you have been given a tremendous blessing by God it’s called mom dad, pastor youth pastor the ones who tend and had the tendency to respond and submit are the ones who are closest to them that’s not how you look at it if my pastor was not right if my pastor was one that I disagreed with He’s still my pastor.

And I would say, God, you’re my God. I trust you and I can submit to my authority that is over me with clear conscience and excitement because blessing does not come around authority. It comes through authority.

It never fails. Somebody comes up in a meeting and says, I want to ask you a question. What do you think about this?

I’m going through this. What do you think about it? This is the question I always ask.

What does your pastor think? What does your pastor think? he’s your pastor he’s your authority God has put him in your life he’s a blessing, he’s a help you know why we don’t go to the pastor many times? because we know what he thinks and we don’t want to hear it hear me, that’s not faith that’s not being steadfast Elisha was a man who was steadfast in following his authority no matter how difficult it got

no matter what the orders were Elisha was steadfast, he stayed with the man of God That’s why God was able to use and bless him Every week in a meeting I’m under authority It’s a blessing Dr. Jim mentioned how you can approach authority There’s a way to do it But the ultimate thing is I’m trusting God I’m surrendered, I’m willing to do anything I’m obedient in everything that I know to do

And I’m going to stay steadfast in being surrendered And I’m going to be steadfast in this matter of looking for the green light I want to be steadfast in trusting God and submitting to authority because that’s where the blessing of God comes through. Elisha was a steadfast man in following his authority. He was steadfast also in finishing his assignment.

You’ve got the verses there. But in verses 1 through 10, we find a 35 mile arduous journey. It was difficult.

And here’s what Elijah said to Elisha. Stay here. I believe what Elijah was doing was testing Elisha, But I believe Elijah was saying, listen, you want to serve God?

Go ahead. You want to become a man or woman of God? Go ahead.

But listen, we’re not going to trick you into this thing. It’s not going to be one of ease. It’s one of enabling, but it’s not necessarily one of ease.

And so Elisha was one who had already surrendered. He’s one who is steadfast to the man of God. And he’s one who is steadfast in finishing those assignments. And everywhere that Elijah went, Elisha followed every assignment that came down the pike,

He completed it. Oh, we need young people that are willing to stay with those things that God has already given us to do, told us to do. Don’t let your prayer meetings die off. You’ve been praying together

since you’ve been here. Why stop it? You started experiencing some soul winning.

Why stop it? Some of you may have churches who do not pray. You may have churches that do not go soul winning.

Then you do it. I believe with all my heart. I’m confident of this fact. that if you would enter into a life of surrender and revival, then your church can experience the same surrender

and same revival that you’ve experienced here. But you’ve got to stay with God. And you’ve got to stay steadfast in following your authority and finishing those assignments.

He finished his assignments in spite of distraction. We find in verse number 3, these sons of the prophets came up to him and they said, Elisha, hey, don’t you know your master’s going to be taken away from you? Here are some preacher boys.

These are preacher boys who had knowledge without experience. They’re going to tell Elisha what for. And they said, Elisha, don’t you know here’s what’s going to happen?

And Elisha is saying to them, hold ye your peace. In other words, he’s saying, keep your mouth shut. I know it.

But I’m busy. I’m following God. See, he wasn’t willing to be distracted.

Remember Elizabeth Howard, who was a student at Wheaton College. She was interested in Jim Elliot. She wanted to find out what Jim Elliott thought about her bad idea bad idea bad idea But she wanted to find out if he felt the same way so she took him her yearbook And she thought I want to see what he says. Maybe he’ll say something in there that I could

Find out what he thinks about me. He signed it gave it back to her She went back to her dorm room got on her bed opened it up and she looked to find out what Jim Elliott may have said About her. Here’s what Jim Elliott wrote Jim 2 Timothy chapter 2 and verse number 4.

She went to her Bible and found these words. No man that warth and tangleth himself with the affairs of this life. That he may please him who hath chosen him to be a good soldier of Jesus Christ.

She got the idea. What Jim Elliot was saying is I can’t be distracted. The cause of Christ is far greater. He finished his assignments in spite of distractions,

but he also finished his assignments in spite of difficulties. It was difficult. There were some difficult times in his life.

But he finished. David Livingston opened up the heart of the interior of Africa to the gospel and some missionary society wrote to David Livingston and said, we’d like to know of an easy way to come to where you are. We’d like to help you out. David Livingston wrote back and said,

we’re not looking for men who are looking for an easy way. We’re looking for men who are willing to make their own way. We need men and women who are willing to stay with it, to be steadfast. I was intrigued some time ago when I read about the Lady Volunteers basketball program,

University of Tennessee. Pat Summitt, the coach, fascinating read. You know, the lady volunteers, in fact, the University of Tennessee, you understand they’re not a Christian college.

You understand that, don’t you? Pat Summitt has some tremendous rules. She says that if you do not have a tattoo and you come and play for a team, you don’t get a tattoo or you’re kicked off the team.

I tell you, that’s not a Christian college. If you do have a tattoo when you’re recruited, you’re going to cover it up. That’s good because most of these athletes out there, they look like they’re on parole anyway.

It’s just a mess to watch. She says, if you’re going to play on my team, then when you go to class, you’re going to sit in the front rows of the class. If you don’t, you don’t play. When they show up for practice and for games,

she confiscates all of their cell phones. I think we ought to do that for our revival meetings. She says, if you don’t abide by them, you don’t play.

If you are late to class, you miss practice. You miss practice, you miss a game. You don’t play for me.

Did I tell you that the University of Tennessee is not a Christian college? And yet people gripe and complain about rules easier than that. You know why?

Because they’re not surrendered. And when you’re not surrendered, you’re not steadfast in following your authority and finishing your assignment. I am intrigued with military.

Never was in the military, but it’s a refreshment to be around the men and women who serve our country. Every time we go up to Washington, I’ll be there for a revival meeting. Washington, D.C.

area, we always want to go by the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. I just want to go there. I want to watch the changing of the guards.

We were there not too long ago. We were there in January, got out of town just before the great escapade that took place there. But we were there.

It was cold, and we went out there. I was waiting for the changing to take place. I remember sitting down on the steps there waiting.

It was cold. And then a soldier walks out and he says, I want everybody to stand to their feet. No one griped and complained. He says, if you have any gum in your mouth,

you need to dispose of it right now. No one complained. I’m in Christian schools where they complain about it.

And then the guards come out. These guards take 21 steps during their walk across the tomb. They then pause 21 seconds.

And then they walk back another 21 steps in the opposite direction. Their gloves are moistened to prevent the losing of grip of the rifle. They carry the rifle on the shoulder away from the tomb at all times.

The guards are changed every 30 minutes, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Their physical traits are these. For a person to apply for guard duty at the tomb, they must be between 5 feet 10 inches tall, 6 feet 2 inches tall, and their waist size cannot exceed 30 inches.

I miss it on the height thing, I think, somewhere. They cannot swear in public for the rest of their lives. After two years, the guard is given a wreath pin that is worn on their lapel, signifying that they served as guard of the tomb.

There are only about 400 of these presently worn. The guard must obey these rules for the rest of their lives, or they give up the wreath pin. Every guard spends five hours a day getting his uniform ready for guard duty.

He dresses for duty in front of a full-length mirror. Now, I know that to some of you girls, that does not shock you whatsoever. You do that every day. But these men, five hours a day,

they spend preparing their uniform. There can be no wrinkles, no folds, no lint on their uniform. The first six months of duty, a guard cannot talk to anyone nor watch TV. All off-duty time is spent studying the notable people who have been laid to rest

in Arlington National Cemetery. In 2003, the Hurricane Isabel was approaching Washington, D.C. and the U.S.

Senate and House took two days off with anticipation of the storm. On the ABC Evening News, it was reported that because of the dangers of the approaching imminent hurricane, the military members assigned to guarding the tomb were given permission to suspend the assignment. They respectfully declined the proposal saying, No way, sir. Soaked to the skin, marching in the pelting rain of a tropical storm,

they said that guarding the tomb was not just an assignment. It was the highest honor that can be afforded a service person. The tomb has been patrolled continuously 24-7 since 1930.

It’s just a tomb. There is a cause far greater. His name is Jesus. When Cortez landed in Veracruz to conquer Mexico in 1519,

with his 700 men and 11 ships. You know what he did? Cortez burned his 11 ships.

He didn’t want his 700 men to try to retreat. I’m telling you, you go home, you need to start burning some stuff. You need to start getting it out and getting rid of it so that you do not retreat. Bill Borden, upon graduation from Yale, he turned down some high-paying job offers in his Bible,

and he wrote two more words. No retreats. No retreats.

No reserves. That’s absolute surrender. No retreats.

That’s steadfastness. And then would you see this? And I will give this to you in just a moment because this will be covered later. Elisha was used of God not only because he was surrendered and steadfast,

but because he was a spiritual man. He was a spiritual man. We note this because in verse number 9, Elijah says to Elisha, what is it that you want? Can you believe, young person, here is a man, here’s a young man who’s been given the opportunity

to say what He wants. And Elisha says, I want a double portion of your spirit. I want a double portion of your miraculous power. Understand, young person,

that spirituality is not a comparison. It’s an absolute. You’re either saved or you’re lost.

You’re either spirit-filled or you’re not. So this is not something we can compare to each other. This is something that is either there or it is not.

We are either surrendered or we are not. We’re either steadfast or we’re not. We’re either a spiritual individual or we’re not.

And our spirituality can be defined in two ways. It can be defined by our desire. Elisha, what do you want from me?

Elisha says, I want the power of God. That’s what I want. What do you want, young person?

What is it you want? Elisha wanted the power of God. His desire.

What’s your desire? He was a spiritual individual identified not only by his desire, but by his dependence. you know elijah said elisha if you really want the power of god you want a double portion when i’m taken away if you see me then you can have that i used to think now how in the world am i going to experience what elisha experienced i’ll never get to see my authority taken away in

the whirlwind if that’s what it takes but listen young person the key to getting the double portion is not what elisha saw because he would have never seen what he saw had he not gone where he was the key is where he was he was in the place where god wanted him to be his desire was i want the power of god and we see he’s a spiritual individual spirit filled believers are individuals who depend

only upon god and the bible tells us when elijah was taken away from him that elisha in verse number 14 he took that mantle that symbolic mantle of elijah and he smoked the waters and notice what he said where is the lord god of elijah he didn’t say where is elijah he didn’t say where’s elijah he said where’s the lord god of elijah and god said here i am

and god parted the waters you’ve got some waters that need to be parted they can god wants to do it god can god can and god will if you will will simply recognize that the ingredients in elijah’s life is basic abcs of christianity and they can be found in your life and mine when bill borden headed off to the mission field he was hoping to work with muslims he stopped first in egypt to

study arabic and while there he contracted spinal meningitis within a month 25 year old william borden died many thought his life was a waste his body was brought back to the united states as every newspaper carried the story but there at his funeral the casket was open and there his bible was open for everyone to see the ingredients found in elisha’s life were found also in bill borden’s life they saw the words no reserves that’s absolute surrender they saw the words no retreat

that steadfastness but then they saw two more words it was the words no regrets he was a spirit filled spiritual young man. William Grenfell went to Labrador as a medical missionary and D.L. Moody asked him, do you have any regrets?

And the missionary said, no. The only regret is for the person who comes to Jesus for salvation but then does nothing for Him. I have never, ever, ever, ever heard a person who was surrendered steadfast and spiritual who said, I wish I could have drank just one beer.

I wish I could have gone to just one more movie. No one who has experienced the abundant, enabling, revived, normal Christian life has any regrets. Surrendering, staying with the authority, finishing the assignments, and depending upon God Almighty and desiring His miraculous work.

No one has regrets for that. But I hear young people all the time saying, I wish I would have never seen it. I wish I would have never drank it.

I wish I would have never done it. As long as you surrender to the Lord, there’s no regrets. You’ll never be sorry.

Heads bowed and eyes closed. Lord Jesus, thank You for Bible truth. Pray that You’d help us now. Thank You for these young people and thank You for giving us an opportunity to present truth that can impact and change their lives, their homes, their churches,

their community in this world. Thank you. We love you.

Amen.

Speaker 2: I believe the Lord is certainly today starting with a foundation here, young person, for the provision that you have in Christ. For those of you that have dealt with sin, you have gotten that clean heart, I want you to listen because you’ve laid a foundation and my brother John here in a moment is going to really pick up where Brother Ingram stopped and really give you more of an understanding of that last point, and I know that was part of Bill’s intent there.

So normally I would give an invitation, but what I’m going to do is continue to let the truth be layered on, and then we may give you an opportunity to really respond to that truth, and we’ll just see how the Lord leads. So what we’re going to do is, let’s do this, we’re going to begin the session at 25 till, right on the money, 25 till, so whatever you need to do, do it quickly, and be back in

Speaker 3: the auditorium here at 25 till. Thank you very much.