The Currency of God isn’t Fullness; it’s Emptiness

2 Kings 4:2-6

² And Elisha said unto her, What shall I do for thee? tell me, what hast thou in the house? And she said, Thine handmaid hath not any thing in the house, save a pot of oil.

³ Then he said, Go, borrow thee vessels abroad of all thy neighbours, even empty vessels; borrow not a few.

⁴ And when thou art come in, thou shalt shut the door upon thee and upon thy sons, and shalt pour out into all those vessels, and thou shalt set aside that which is full.

⁵ So she went from him, and shut the door upon her and upon her sons, who brought the vessels to her; and she poured out.

⁶ And it came to pass, when the vessels were full, that she said unto her son, Bring me yet a vessel. And he said unto her, There is not a vessel more. And the oil stayed.

The currency of God isn’t fullness; it’s emptiness.

When the woman was pouring oil into all those vessels, heaven didn’t run out of fullness, the earth ran out of emptiness. The oil didn’t stop flowing until she ran out of vessels. As long as she had something empty, the flow continued.

 

As long as we’ve got hunger, and we’ve come to be filled, it’ll keep flowing. It’s very difficult for God to fill a man who is already running over with himself.

 

If you want to be great, Jesus said, you’ve got to learn to be a servant.

 

TF Tenney

My prayer: Lord I empty myself out to you can pour yourself into me!

Who has been praying for you?

Abraham’s nephew Lot was in Sodom – a backslidden state.  God didn’t tell Lot that he was going to destroy Sodom, He told Abraham.  Abraham reasoned with God concerning the city of Sodom, and as a result God promised He would not destroy it if there were only ten righteous people there. (Genesis 18) // HERE’S MY MESSAGE! There is a great possibility that certain things have not happened to you because a Pastor, Mother, Father, Grandfather, Grandmother, Youth Leader has called your name in intercessory prayer!  PRODIGAL….GO BACK TO THE FARM!  THERE IS PROTECTION AND PROVISION IN THE FATHER’S HOUSE!

Legalistic

There are two ways to be legalistic – conservative and liberal.  Legalism is "strict conformity to the letter of the law rather than the spirit of the law".  Strict conformity to the letter of the law can occur negatively as well as positively.

Those who point to the absence of law (which they equate with Christian liberty) as proof they are not required to do a certain thing are just as law-oriented as the person who rigorously points to the law as demanding certain actions.  Both end up relying on the law for justification. One says “I do this because the law says, I am saved” and the other says “I don’t have to do that because you cannot show me a law that says I have to”.

Both are governed by law rather than love. Both are legalists.

There are some things for which there simply is no law. Like, love, joy, peace, etc., the fruit of the Spirit: "Against such things there is no law" (Galatians 5:23).

(Steve Pixler)

Obedience

Faith is incomplete without obedience. The Bible says that action is the evidence of faith! "For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also" (James 2:26).  This is the Gospel in a nutshell: trust and obey.

Abraham – The Father of the Faithful

Abraham is often called the father of the faithful.  Upon receiving a command from the Lord to leave his country and go to a land that was foreign to him (Hebrews 11:8), Abraham did so.  Abraham put his faith into action and "staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief; but was strong in faith, giving glory to God" (Romans 4:20).

Many years later, God asked Abraham to offer up his son Isaac on the altar. Again, Abraham obeyed, knowing that the Lord was able to raise Isaac from the dead (Hebrews 11:19).  Such acts of obedience were counted to Abraham for righteousness (see Genesis 15:6; Romans 4:3; James 2:23).

Abraham's faith was perfected (made complete, not lacking) when he obeyed God.

"Was not Abraham our father justified by works, when he had offered Isaac his son upon the altar? Seest thou how faith wrought with his works, and by works was faith made perfect? ... Ye see then how that by works a man is justified, and not by faith only" (James 2:21-24).

Like Abraham, we are called to demonstrate our faith in God by walking in obedience to God.

Obedience, not Trumpets, Brought Down the Walls

The battle plan is simple.  Seven priests are to take seven trumpets and march ahead of the Ark of the Covenant. The Israelites are to follow behind. The simple task now of marching around the city wall in complete silence is the strategic move.

Can you imagine what jeers and shouts came from behind and on top of the city wall as the Israelites marched in silence around the city of Jericho?

On the seventh lap, the priests were to let out one long blast on their trumpets. This was to be the signal for everyone to shout and watch God at work. The city wall would collapse and the Israelites would merely walk inside.

Would you be willing to do something as simple as marching around a city wall if God asked you to?  Do you have what it takes to be totally patient, absolutely faithful and fully obedient to God.

If ye love Me, keep My commandments. (John 14:1)

Noah! A man of Obedience and Faith! (Genesis 6:5-18, Hebrews 11:7

Through his faith and obedience Noah found favour in the eyes of the Lord.  He obeyed God’s commandments and became the preserver of mankind.

Noah was a man of righteousness and by his obedience found favour in the eyes of the Lord.

Even in the times of great wickedness in his day, obeyed God and maintained His favour.

Though Christians today may live in wicked times and among a sinful generation, it is important for them to continually strive to obey God and His plan that is revealed through His Word.

It is amazing that in his obedience—in his building the ark—Noah made it possible for the water that could have drowned him to become the element that saved him.

“Which sometime were disobedient, when once the longsuffering of God waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was a preparing, wherein few, that is, eight souls were saved by water. The like figure whereunto even baptism doth also now save us (not the putting away of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God,) by the resurrection of Jesus Christ”

(I Peter 3:20-21).

Nevertheless, a thy word!

Luke 5:4-6

[4]  Now when he had left speaking, he said unto Simon, Launch out into the deep, and let down your nets for a draught.

[5]  And Simon answering said unto him, Master, we have toiled all the night, and have taken nothing: nevertheless at thy word I will let down the net.

[6]  And when they had this done, they enclosed a great multitude of fishes: and their net broke.

Just obey God!  This statement doesn’t get with our modern day thinking.  Compliance and conformity is not popular today!

I’m not talking about blind faith.  But standing on the word of God!  Standing on the fact that God is faithful!

Without obedience to God’s word, we cannot be saved.

Heb 5:9  And being made perfect, he became the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey him;

2 Thes 1:8  In flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ: