Intro. A. Let's look briefly regarding the things revealed in 2 Kings 6:8-23. 1. In the ninth century B.C., Elisha was God's great spokesman. 2. During the time of Elisha, Benhadad, the king of Syria, a strong enemy of Israel, often made plans to attach the army of Israel. 3. Each time that Benhadad and his troops were getting ready to launch an attack, the king heard of it, and moved his men to a safe fortress. 4. This happened so many times that Benhadad came to the conclusion there had to be a traitor in his own camp. a. His servants told him there was no traitor, but the prophet Elisha was telling of his plans to attack to the king of Israel. 5. Benhadad then thought that his real enemy was not the Israelite army, but Elisha, the prophet of God. a. Thus, he sent a great army with horses and chariots to capture him. 6. They marched all night and came and surrounded the city of Dothan where Elisha was staying. 7. When the servant of Elisha went out early in the morning, he was absolutely terrified at what he saw. a. The whole city was surrounded by a great army. 8. He went in, told it to Elisha, and said, "Alas, my master! What shall we do?" 9. Elisha gave a calm answer and said - vs. 16. a. I suspect the servant thought Elisha had lost his mind. The city was completely surrounded by a massive army, and Elisha says, "Don't worry. There are more people with us than with them." b. Surely, he wondered what had happened to the prophet's mind. 10. Elisha then prayed that God would open his eyes that he might see - vs. 16-17. 11. When the Syrians came close to attack, Elisha prayed that God would strike them with blindness, and God did. 12. Elisha then told them they were in the wrong place, and he would lead them where they were seeking to go. a. He led them into the city of Samaria where the king of Israel and his armies were. 13. The king of Israel said to Elisha, "Shall I kill them?" 14. Elisha said, "No," but rather give them food and water. a. So the king of Israel prepared a great feast for them, and the bands of Syrian raiders came no more into the land of Israel. B. In this lesson we want to focus on the expression, "Lord, I pray, open his eyes that he may see." 1. We, too, need the Lord to open our eyes that we may see. I. WE NEED OUR EYES OPENED TO THE GREATNESS OF GOD'S POWER. A. Paul prayed that we might see it. Eph. 1:18-21 B. God's power is at work in us. Phil. 2:12-13; Col. 1:28-29 C. God will complete His work in us. Heb. 13:20-21; 1 Pet. 5:10; Jude 24 D. There are two ways of handling pressure. One is illustrated by a bathysphere, the miniature submarine used to explore the ocean in places so deep that the water pressure would crush a conventional submarine like an aluminum can. Bathyspheres compensate with plate steel several inches thick, which keeps the water out but also makes them heavy and hard to maneuver. Inside they're cramped. When these craft descend to the ocean floor, however, they find they're not alone. When their lights are turned on and you look through the tiny, thick plate glass windows, what do you see? Fish! These fish cope with extreme pressure in an entirely different way. They don't build thick skins: they remain supple and free. They compensate for the outside pressure through equal and opposite pressure inside themselves. Christians, likewise, don't have to be hard and thick-skinned--as long as they appropriate God's power within to equal the pressure without. (Jay Kesler in Campus Life. Leadership, Vol. 5, no. 2). II. WE NEED OUR EYES OPENED TO THE STRENGTH OF OUR WEAPONS. A. The Word of God has the power to change the hearts of men. Heb. 4:12 1. The Word of God is not merely a collection of words, but words that have a life force beyond them. John 6:63 a. These words are living, life-changing, and dynamic as they work in us. b. As a skilled surgeon uses a sharp knife to cut away a diseased tumor, God's Word penetrates to the core of our moral and spiritual life and cuts away sin and ungodliness. B. We have God-given armor to protect us against our enemy. Eph. 6:10-17 1. In the Christian life we battle against rulers and authorities (the powerful evil forces of fallen angels headed by Satan, who is a vicious fighter). a. To withstand their attacks, we must depend on God's strength and use every piece of His armor. (See chart below). C. We need to see the power in the whole of Christianity: 1. The power of a risen Savor. 2. The power of the Holy Spirit. 3. The power of prayer. 4. The power gained from study of the Word of God. 5. The power of a life transformed into the image of Christ. 6. The power of faith. 7. The power of the promises of God. 8. The power of an unselfish love. D. To the world, this power is weak, meaningless, powerless; but, to us who are saved, it is the mighty power of God and the means or our ultimate victory. 1. As those who live in the North know, when temperatures plunge well below zero, few cars left outside will start. The oil thickens and holds to engine parts like heavy syrup. Cold batteries are incapable of giving enough power. Only batteries that are kept warm or those that are frequently charged will do the job. Unused batteries freeze. If you attempt to charge a frozen battery, it can explode. Unused spiritual batteries also die in the cold of unbelief. Only by regular use and by receiving power from an outside source can spiritual power be maintained. And any attempt to infuse spiritual power into a frozen spirit seldom works. Only a warm spiritual life can be charged with power by God. (Wayne Gropp, Chicago, Illinois. Leadership, Vol. 6, no. 4) III. WE NEED TO OPEN OUR EYES TO THE VICTORY IN GOD. A. Elisha said to his servant - 2 Kings 6:16-17 B. Our weapons are mightier than those of the devil. 2 Cor. 10:3-5; 1 John 4:4 1. With God, we can mount up with wings like eagles. Isa. 40:28-31 2. We can be strengthened with might according to His glorious power. Col. 1:11 3. We can overcome Satan and his forces. 1 Cor. 10:13; 1 Pet. 5:8-9 C. Through Christ we can achieve the final victory. Phil. 4:13; Eph. 6:10 1. Christ overcame (prevailed), and so can we through Him. Rev. 3:21-22; 5:5; 21:7 2. The Greek word for "overcome" is translated "overcome" 24 times , "conquer" 2 times, "prevail" 1 time, and "get the victory" 1 time. 3. It means, according to Thayer, "To conquer, to carry off the victory, come off victorious. Used of Christ, victorious over all His foes. Used of Christians, that hold fast their faith even unto death against the power of their foes, and temptations and persecutions." Concl. A. Thus, we pray, "Lord, open our eyes that we may see." 1. Help us to see the greatness of Your mighty power. 2. Help us to see the strength of our weapons. 3. And most of all, help us to gain the victory, even as Christ did.
GOD'S ARMOR FOR US
Piece of Armor/ Use | Application |
Belt/ Truth |
Satan fights with lies, and often his lies sound like truth; but we have God's truth which exposes the devil's lies. |
Breastplate/ Righteousness |
God's righteousness is the breastplate that protects us and ensures His approval. We continue to follow in His righteousness. |
Footgear/ Readiness to spread the Gospel |
Satan wants us to think that telling others the Gospel is a worthless, hopeless task. But the footgear God gives is the motivation to continue to proclaim the truth everyone needs. |
Shield/
Faith |
What we see are Satan's attacks in the form of insults, setbacks, and temptations. But the shield of faith protects us from Satan's flaming arrows. |
Helmet/
Salvation |
Satan wants to make us doubt our salvation. The helmet protects our minds from doubting God's saving work in us. |
Sword/
The Word of God |
The sword is the only weapon of offense in this list of armor. With the Word of God, we wage the attack against our enemy. |
GOD'S ARMOR F OR US Piece of Armor/ Use Application Belt/ Truth Satan fights with lies, and often his lies sound like truth; but we have God's truth which exposes the devil's lies. Breastplate/ Righteous- ness God's righteousness is the breastplate that protects us and ensures His approval. We continue to follow in His righteousness. Footgear/ Readiness to spread the Gospel Satan wants us to think that telling others the Gospel is a worthless, hopeless task. But the footgear God gives is the motivation to continue to pro- claim the truth everyone needs. GOD'S ARMOR FOR US Piece of Armor/ Use Application Shield/ Faith What we see are Satan's attacks in the form of insults, setbacks, and temptations. But the shield of faith protects us from Satan's flaming arrows. Helmet/ Salvation Satan wants to make us doubt our salvation. The helmet protects our minds from doubt- ing God's saving work in us. Sword/ The Word of God The sword is the only weapon of offense in this list of armor. With the Word of God, we wage the attack against our enemy.