Pathways Baptist Church
Welcome to Pathways. We hope you will feel the presence of God's Spirit throughout today's worship service. Pastor Jonathan Der will bring today's message in our sermon series, "Famous Last Words: Elijah's last words to Elisha", highlighting the life-saving journey of following only God to the very end. What does following Jesus cost you, and what difference does it make? Feel free to take notes using the YouVersion app. Fill out a Connection Card (link provided below) and let us know how we can serve you better.
UkeFest Praise Song: JUST A CLOSER WALK WITH THEE
Ukulele
UkeFest Praise Song: I'M WALKIN' WITH HIM
Ukulele
UkeFest Praise Song: WORKIN' ON A BUILDING
Ukulele
UkeFest Praise Song: A CHILD'S PRAYER
Karen & Rick Maxson, Uke 66
UkeFest Praise Song: ISAIAH, CHAPTER 40, VERSE 8
Karen & Rick Maxson, Uke 66
UkeFest Praise Song: WHISPERING HOPE
Lisa Webb-Bob Tigert Ukulele Duo
UkeFest Praise Song: WADE IN THE WATER
Lisa Webb-Bob Tigert Ukulele Duo
Offering Song: HOW GREAT THOU ART
Nani Lowry & Faith Ako, Ukulele Duo
Luke 14:25-33, NIV
25 Large crowds were traveling with Jesus, and turning to them He said:
26 “If anyone comes to Me and does not hate father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters—yes, even their own life—such a person cannot be my disciple.
27 And whoever does not carry their cross and follow Me cannot be my disciple.
28 “Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. Won’t you first sit down and estimate the cost to see if you have enough money to complete it?
29 For if you lay the foundation and are not able to finish it, everyone who sees it will ridicule you,
30 saying, ‘This person began to build and wasn’t able to finish.’
31 “Or suppose a king is about to go to war against another king. Won’t he first sit down and consider whether he is able with ten thousand men to oppose the one coming against him with twenty thousand?
32 If he is not able, he will send a delegation while the other is still a long way off and will ask for terms of peace.
33 In the same way, those of you who do not give up everything you have cannot be my disciples.
Sermon: Famous Last Words: Elijah's Last Words to Elisha
Pastor Jonathan Der, Pastor of Student Ministries
2 Kings 2, NIV
2 Kings 2:23-24 NIV
2 Kings 2:1-2 NIV
Pop Quiz!
Q1: As far as we know, who are the only persons mentioned in Scripture who didn’t actually die (Jesus not included?) And Jesus DID die, so you wouldn’t include Him anyway.
A1: Enoch in Gen 5
Q2: Bonus Point: Any of Jesus’ disciples?
A2: A rumor was started among the disciples that John wasn’t going to die (John 21)
Q3: T/F - Scripture references a “rapture” of His followers on earth at the end of days, and as such, those believers will not experience death?
A3: Depends on your interpretation of the end of days...
Q4: Triple Bonus Points! There are potentially 2 more persons in Revelation. Who are they?
A4: The Two Witnesses in Rev. 11:3-12
Q5: 10x the Bonus Points! WHY was Elijah granted this honor?
Heb. 11:5-6
By faith Enoch was taken from this life, so that he did not experience death: “He could not be found, because God had taken him away.” For before he was taken, he was commended as one who pleased God. 6 And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.
*Do you believe in both God’s existence and in His rewards?
*If so, so what? Into what is God calling you forward?
*In what ways have you chosen to stay behind?
2 Kings 2:3-6 NIV
2 Kings 2:7-9 NIV
2 Kings 2:10 NIV
Discussion / Meditation Prompts
1. Put yourself in your non-Christian friend's shoes. What would they ask about this passage?
2. What, if anything, is really poking at you today about this passage?
3. What’s the action step for you from this passage and today’s message?
--Perhaps you can write a letter of thanks to a prior mentor?
--Perhaps you can contact a future mentor or protege?
4. What’s the obstacle that’s most likely going to stop you from taking steps forward?
5. What promise from God can you hold on to today?
Completely Unnecessary Meditations on the Chariots of Fire and Horses of Fire
1. Why a chariot? Why not a plane or rocket, etc.?
--I couldn’t find any scholar who asked the question. But perhaps God communicates according to our understanding. Elisha understood the horse and chariot to be symbols of power and authority and military might. Today, the equivalent might be Air Force 1?
2. The 3STRNDS Student Ministry just finished an apologetic series called Darkroom Faith (it’s free! See link below). One of the more dynamic series of questions revolved around Jesus (and now Elijah) taking their bodies with them into ascension. Where did they go? Where are they now?
--(These are fun things to ponder, but recognize ahead of time that there’s no way to land on a definitive answer.)
3. A goofy meditation for my sci-fi people: My brain wonders at the fire part. Remember the burning bush? The pillars of fire? The tongues of flames that appear on the disciples in the NT when the Holy Spirit anoints them?
--Perhaps the fire is just the reflection of the temporal and dimensional shields needed for angelic beings to be in this world and in this timeline?
--I don’t mention this (just) to be goofy. I say it because this really happened. To quote Arthur C. Clarke, “Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.”I apologize if this is distasteful to your faith. For me, I like to imagine that God uses the rules of vastly higher science and nature and technology because it makes Him more real to me.
--Are Scripture’s miracles true? Absolutely. But is it theological blasphemy to consider that just as Jesus was fully man and fully God at the same time, so Jesus can be fully divine and fully science at the same time?
An odd observation on Elijah's reputation
V16: There’s an amusing sort of reality to Elijah’s spiritual power. The prophets from Jericho cite a recurring theme for God’s presence through him, in that Elijah... well... sort of travels oddly.
1. Obadiah cites that Elijah is known for traveling by God’s miraculous means (1 Kings 18:12)
2. Elijah runs fast (1 Kings 18:46)
3. By chariot and horses of fire here in 2 Kings 2
Recalling the Bears
Elisha doesn’t call for bears. He calls out a warning curse of judgment for those who would disobey or mock God. (See Lev 26:21-22 and 2 Chron 36:16 )
Remember Who was really being mocked. Lev 26 passage is OT Biblically scary in what God promises for the nation and the people and the Church if we were to disobey. Sending bears was a gentle act on God’s part, and the people of God back then would have understood it as a disciplinary act on God’s part to call them back into alignment with the LORD.
Do you think the local church today is anything less than fully pursuing God as He sees is best for us?
--What needs to be addressed?
--How will you play a role in that?
UkeFest Closing Song: THE UNDIVIDED DAY
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Benediction:
"For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your forefathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect." -1 Peter 1:18-19
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