We're turning this morning, in the words of the Lord, to a familiar portion of scripture. Turning to 2 Kings, 2 Kings and to chapter 2. We should turn to that portion of scripture. Thank the Rev. McClung for his very kind words of welcome and also for the invitation to come and to move the Soul Winners Convention so that we could be here and be part of it. I can just simply say it's good to be home. It's good to be back in Newton Abbey and good to be back in the church here once more. And it's good to see the congregation again. And I know a number here this morning were invited to come. And I do appreciate you keeping your word and coming. It's easy just to say, oh yeah, we'll be there and then don't turn up at all. But we do thank you for coming and appreciate it very much indeed. We bring you greetings from the work and the witness in Port Hope, Ontario. As I was telling the folk in Kilkeel last week, we left two feet of snow behind us, and I'm glad I did leave it behind us, because we're sort of tired looking at it, and the temperature was minus eight when we left, arrived in Belfast and it was plus eight, so it was quite balmy by the time we got here, but the temperatures begin to go up now, And the snow is beginning to melt. But it's good to be back in Ulster and to see the green grass and the daffodils as well. I don't think we'll see green grass for a month or so yet. But nevertheless, it's good to be here. And I do thank again the Reverend McClung for his words of welcome and words of congratulations as well. It's hard to believe my wife and I are married 50 years just next week. And you don't really realize it until you get a card or two and it says 50 on it. And it really brings it home to you that 50 is a long time, but when you're married to someone like my wife, it's a very short time. So it's good to be here, and it's good to be in the church once again here in Newton Abbey. And I think the people in Port Hope know as much about Newton Abbey Church as I do, because I talk about it often enough. and about her years of ministry here. So they know all about the church in Utena. I'll be there in Port Hope. Returning to 2 Kings, then, in chapter 2, considering it is the Soul Winners' Convention, we're engaged in the business of winning the lost. We find here in this second chapter of Kings what every soul winner needs. Everyone that's involved in the Lord's work He certainly needs a double portion of power. And Elisha, from the moment he wore briefly the garment, the mantle of power, that's what Elisha desired as he was going to be Elijah's successor. Well, he needed the power to do the work that God had called him to do. We all need that power. It is the power of God, it is the power of the Holy Spirit that as believers we need in our service for the Lord and will never be so winners unless we are filled with the power of the Spirit of God. We need the double portion of Elijah's power. So we're turning this morning in 2 Kings chapter 2 and we'll read from verse 9. And it came to pass when they were gone over that Elijah said unto Elisha, Ask what I shall do for thee before I be taken away from thee. And Elisha said, I pray thee, let a double portion of thy spirit be upon me. And he said, Thou hast asked a hard thing. Nevertheless, if thou see me, When I am taken from thee, it shall be so unto thee, but if not, it shall not be so. And it came to pass, as they still went on and thought, that, behold, there appeared a chariot of fire, and horses of fire, and parted them both asunder. And Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven, 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 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. And when the sons of the prophets which were to view at Jericho saw him, they said, The spirit of Elijah doth rest on Elisha. And they came to meet him and bowed themselves to the ground before him. Amen. We'll end the reading at verse 15 with the earnest prayer that God will add his blessing to the public reading of his own holy and his infallible word. Before we consider the Lord's word to our hearts this morning, Let us unite in prayer around the throne of grace. O loving and eternal God, we gather around the throne of grace, approaching Thee in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, the only mediator between God and men, our blessed Kinsman Redeemer. And Father, we thank Thee for all that we have in Christ. And we who know him can say we stand complete in him. No work of mine may take, dear Lord, the place of thine. And so, Lord, we come now as those who are accepted in the beloved. And we ask thee, Lord, for thy help and thy blessing and thy power. We pray indeed, Lord, for the double portion of power that Elisha sought. And Lord, may each one of us who name thy name know something of that power. Come now, Lord, and fill me with the Spirit of God, that I might be enabled, Lord, to preach the Word and preach Christ. And Lord, preach the blood, for we ask all things in the Lord's name and for his eternal glory. Amen. 2 Kings chapter 2, and our text for this morning is verse 9. And it came to pass when they were gone over, that Elijah said unto Elisha, Ask what I shall do for thee before I be taken away from thee. And Elisha said, I pray thee, let a double portion of thy spirit be upon me. As Elijah made his way to the other side of Jordan, to where he would be taken up to heaven in a whirlwind, he gave Elisha ample opportunities to remain at any one of the locations that they had passed through together. But Elisha made it clear to Elijah that there was only one thing upon his mind, There was only one thing upon his heart. And he makes mention of it in verse 9. Let a double portion of thy spirit be upon me. That's all that Elisha was interested in. And Elisha was determined to go all the way with his master Elijah. That nothing was going to stand in his way. and that he would go all the way with his master until he received the mantle of power that belonged to Elijah. If you look there at verse 2, Elijah said unto Elisha, Tarry here, I pray thee, for the Lord has sent me to Bethel. And Elisha said unto him, As the Lord liveth and as thy soul liveth, I will not leave thee. Same words, verse 4. Same again, verse 6. As the Lord liveth and as thy soul liveth, I will not leave thee. Because Elisha wanted Elijah's mantle, that mantle that was the symbol of power. That's what Elisha desired. From that moment in time, in 1 Kings 19, in verse 19, where Elisha was plowing with twelve yoke of oxen, He received Elijah's mantle, albeit briefly. And from that moment on, that's all that Elisha desired. And as Elisha resolved to go on, he was well rewarded. Verse 13 of chapter 2, And he took up also the mantle of Elijah. That's what he wanted. He took up also the mantle of Elijah that fell from him and went back and stood by the bank of the Jordan. That mantle that speaks of a double portion of God's power. Elisha now took possession of that mantle. His determination had been well rewarded. He was determined to go on with Elijah. He was determined to go through with God. And dear believer, whenever you and I are determined to go on and go through with God, God will reward that person. Go through with God thy vows to pay. Mine all upon the altar lay. The Holy Ghost will do the rest and give to you God's very best. Isn't that what we want? We want God's best for our lives. If we're not going on with God, we're not going to know God's best. Are you going on with God today? So the power that Elisha required, since he was going to be Elijah's successor, that power was now his. And whatever work of service the Lord has given us to do, we need the power of God to do it. Simple as that. It's as simple as that. We need the power of God to do that work. Without the power of God, we're only making, well, we're only at it in a half-hearted way. Over in the prophet Micah, in Micah chapter 3, in verse 8, we have these words, But truly I am full of the power of the Spirit of the Lord. and of judgment and of might to declare. And so the prophet speaks about being full of the power of the Spirit of the Lord and of judgment and of might to declare, to deliver the word unto Jacob, his transgression, and to Israel, his sin. The power was needed. And did the Lord tell his disciples But ye shall receive power. After that the Holy Ghost has come upon you. And ye shall be witnesses unto me in Jerusalem." Jerusalem. That's the difficult place. Because, you see, Jerusalem for the apostles was home. And we all know that it's hard to be a witness for the Lord at home. That's the difficult place. But if we're going to be a witness for God at home, then we need the power to be an effective witness. Ye shall be witnesses unto me in Jerusalem, the difficult place, Judea, the desolate place. We talk about the hills and the wilderness of Judea. Sometimes the Lord calls us and puts us in Judea, puts us in the wilderness place. But we still have to go, we still have to do the Lord's work. He has sent us there and we need the power to serve the Lord there in the wilderness. It's a desolate place. Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria is the dangerous place. The Jews had no dealings with the Samaritans. There was great animosity between the Samaritans and the Jews. But nevertheless, the disciples had to take the gospel to every creature. And whether it was the difficult place, or the desert place, or the dangerous place, they needed the power. And on to the uttermost parts of the earth, that's the distant place. So you see, it doesn't matter where the Lord sends us, whether it's near or abroad, we need the power. That's something that is needed, and we need it today. Many of us here, I'm sure, can look back to years gone by. When we came into the free church, it was in the sixties and through the seventies. And you remember the prayer meetings? Do you remember the prayer meetings then? Remember the old nights of prayer, the old days of prayer? And what was taking place in our congregations? There was power in the churches then. And we need that power today. We need the mantle of Elijah. We need to get back to those days when we have the power. And it was something that was expected in our meetings to see sinners saved. Do you remember the days we had in Mossley Orange Hall? My, it was as if you went along every night, every Lord's Day evening, and you expected to see somebody saved. It's so different now, isn't it? What's missing? It's the power. We need the power of God. Regarding Elisha and receiving this mantle, we notice that Elisha took the road of perseverance. He knew he had to walk the road of perseverance. In order that he might receive the mantle of power, Elisha must travel the road of perseverance with Elijah, his master. If he wanted to know the power of God and his ministry there in Israel, then he must persevere. So when Elijah took his mantle and divided the waters of Jordan, Elijah had a question for Elisha. Verse 9, Ask what I shall do for thee. There was the demand. Ask what I shall do for thee. There was only one thing on his mind, of course, that is a double portion of Elijah's spirit and Elijah's power. But I want you to notice that Elijah said to Elisha, What I shall do for thee. Ask. That's simple, isn't it? Ask. And that was all that Elisha needed to do. He wanted the double portion. If he was going to have the double portion, then he must ask. And how many times in the Gospels has the Lord Jesus used that word when addressing his people. Ask, and it shall be given unto you. For every one that asketh receiveth. Your Father which is in heaven, give good things to them that ask him. The Lord also said, In all things whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believe, and ye shall receive. And the list goes on and on and on. Do you want the power of God in your life? I do. Every time I enter the pulpit in my church, I want the power of God. How can I know the power of God? How can you know the power of God in your life? You have only to ask. That's it. There's no secret formula. There's no mystery about it. Elijah said to Elisha, ask what I shall do for thee. The Lord has said that over and over and over again, you've only to ask. Why do we not have the power of God in our lives? Because we haven't asked. We need to ask. You notice not only the demand, but the desire of Elisha. I pray thee, let a double portion of thy Spirit be upon me. That was what he asked for. His prayer was for more power. as the spirit of Elijah symbolizes. Because where did Elijah get his power from? From God. Elijah says, I want to see him. I want a double portion. That was his desire. He didn't ask for more possessions. He asked for more power. He didn't ask to be more popular. He asked for more power. He didn't ask for more people. He didn't ask the Lord to give him more people. He asked for more power. Because Elisha knew, if I have more power, then I will have more passion. Then I will have more people. Then I will have more prayer. Then I will have more patience. I need the power first. That's what we need. Dear Christian, we all need the power. I am in Christ. Christ is in me. My body, his temple, since kept have set free. My heart, his altar, divine love, the flame, cleansing for service in his matchless name. My life, my life and his life. commingled shall be with God's Holy Spirit enthroned in me." My life and his life commingled shall be with God's Holy Spirit enthroned. You have the directive to Elisha. Elijah informed Elisha what he must do if his desire was to be realized. Verse 10, and he said, Thou hast asked a hard thing nevertheless, if thou see me. When I am taken from thee, it shall be so unto thee. But if not, it shall not be so. Elijah said to Elisha, You need to keep your eyes on me. You must keep your eyes on me if thou see me. When I am taken from thee, it shall be so unto thee. If not, if you take your eyes off me, if you take your eyes away from me, you will not receive a double portion of power. You need to keep your eyes on me. The Lord basically told his disciples the same thing in 1 John 1 verse 1. That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled of the Word of Life. The disciples, the Apostle John, along with the others could testify, we have had our eyes on Him, we have looked on Him, we have seen Him, we have held Him, we have handled Him. And believer, that's where we are today. We need to keep our eyes upon the Master. We must have our eyes on Christ at all times. It's not looking at other men and saying, I wish I had his ability. No. It is not looking at the multitudes at the crowds that other ministers can attract. No, it's not looking at the multitudes. It's looking at the Master. We must keep our eyes on Christ. It's not looking at other ministers and saying, I wish I had a ministry like that brother. The Lord has given you a ministry. He's given me a ministry. It's not looking at others. She's looking at the Master at all times. We must keep our eyes on Christ. It's not listening to other messages and saying, boy, I wish I could preach like that. That's not what it's about. Elijah told Elisha, keep your eyes on me and you'll receive a double portion. The message, believer, is the same today. We must keep our eyes on Christ at all times. And we will then receive the double portion, because the double portion of power comes to us through Christ. He is our Master, looking on to Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that is said before Him endured the cross, despised the shame, and sat down in the right hand of God on the throne. We must keep our eyes on Him. Turn your eyes on Jesus. Look full in his wonderful face, and the things of earth will grow strangely dim in the light of his glory and grace. The sentiments and the truth of those words were brought home to me one year coming from Kilkeel in the Minister's Week of Prayer. When we were in the church there, of course, you were with your fellow laborers. And you went from there to your lodgings, and that's where you were for those four or five days. You're not outside the circle, as it were, of your fellow believers. And you were there, and you were studying, and reading the Word, and praying, and being in fellowship with God's people. And then came Friday at twelve noon, and you got your bags, and you made your way back home to your church. Now remember this particular year, I was giving someone a ride in the car and he had a message to do in Newcastle. I remember coming up through Newcastle and we stopped outside the shop where he was doing some business. And I remember sitting in the car looking up and down the street and everything seemed so artificial. You know, the neon lights and all the shop windows all lit up to attract people, to try and get people in. and it all looks so artificial. There's nothing that seemed to be real about it. You just realize, well, I'm back in the world again. I'm not with my brethren. I'm not in the place of prayer. We're not sitting under the preaching of the Word. Just back in the world again. And it wasn't very attractive after having spent a week with your eyes on Jesus Christ. When you saw what the world had to offer, it wasn't attractive. Turn your eyes on Jesus. Look full in His wonderful face. The things of earth will grow strangely dim in the light of His glory and grace. Elisha had to keep his eyes on his Master. You notice the determination of Elisha. Ever since that meeting with Elijah, When he cast a mantle upon him in 1 Kings 19, verse 19, Elisha followed the master, his master, all the way. We've already looked at verse 2. As the Lord liveth, as thy soul liveth, I will not leave thee. First of all, they went down to Bethel, they went then to Jericho, and then they went on in verse 6 and verse 7. And they too stood by Jordan. Look again at verse 8. And Elijah took his mantle and wrapped it together and smote the waters, and they were divided hither and thither. So they too went over. Do you notice that? Elisha was not going to be parted from his master Elijah. Verse 2, verse 4, verse 6, verse 7, verse 8, verse 9. And it came to pass when they were gone over. Verse 10. And he said, Thou hast asked a hard thing. Nevertheless, if thou see me when I am taken from thee, it shall be so unto thee. But if not, it shall not be so. And it came to pass as they went on. You take time to count the number of times that you read there about Elisha going on with Elijah. They, too, went on. They, too, went on. They, too, went on. You'll find that seven times you'll read that they, too, went on. Seven is the number of completeness. And so what do we have here? We have here, then, a man who has completely, absolutely, totally surrendered to his Master. Complete dedication. Complete surrender. prepared to go with his master all the way. In spite of the discouragements, because the sons of the prophets came and tried to discourage Elisha and said, you know, your master is going to be taken away from you today. You'll be on your own. They tried to discourage him. But in spite of the discouragements, they too still went on. Verses 2, 4 and 6, in spite of the proposed dismissal, Elijah said, you stay here. The Lord has sent me on to Bethel, sent me on to Jericho. But then we read, they still went on. In spite of the distance from Gilgal to Jordan, they too still went on. They still went on. Elisha was surrendered to his master. And it was complete surrender. is not what the Lord calls for. Your life and mine. Complete surrender. See me on the altar lay. My life, my all this very day. O crown the sacrifice, Lord, I pray. Send the fire. Send the fire. That's what we need. We need the fire of God. And we can only know the fire of God and the power of God in our lives if we are completely surrendered to our Master. so that it can be said of us, the Lord Jesus and I, we still went on. You have the devotion of Elisha, and with this we'll have to close. The devotion of Elisha. The road of perseverance which Elisha walked with Elijah reveals to us his devotion. Verses 2, 4 and 6. If you look there at the words again, Verse 2, As the Lord liveth, and as thy soul liveth, I will not leave thee. Same in verse 4 and the same in verse 6. You recall the words of dedication and devotion of Ittai, the Gittite. 2 Samuel 15, verse 21, he said, As the Lord liveth, and as my Lord the King liveth, Surely in what place, my Lord the King shall be, whether in death or in life, even there also will thy servant be." That's dedication. That's what our Master expects from us. Where he may lead me, I will go, for I have learned to trust him so. And I remember it was for me that he was slain on Calvary. Are you prepared to go all the way with the Lord? No matter where the Lord calls you, no matter where the Lord places you, no matter where the Lord wants you to serve him, you're prepared to go. Elisha was prepared to go. It's interesting that in each of these locations, Elisha said the same thing. That's what he said in verse 2, As the Lord liveth and as thy soul liveth, I will not leave thee. In verse 4, As the Lord liveth and as thy soul liveth, I will not leave thee. In verse 6, As the Lord liveth and as thy soul liveth, I will not leave thee. Do you know what Elisha was really doing? At each of those locations that they came to, Elisha was simply rededicating himself to his master. When was the last time we really dedicated ourselves to the Lord? Really? When was the last time we got before God and said, Lord, I dedicate myself afresh to Thee? When was the last time we got down on our knees and said, My Jesus, I love Thee, I know Thou art. For Thee all the pleasures of sin I risk. My gracious Redeemer, My Saviour art Thou, if ever I loved Thee, my Jesus, tis now. That's what Elisha did. Rededicated himself to his master at every location they came to. And what was Elisha's reward? A double portion of God's power. You want to know the power of God in your life? Walk in the footsteps of Elisha. There's so much more there. There's the removal of the prophet. The removal of Elijah happened suddenly, just as it was in the day of Pentecost. It came suddenly. It was the sound of a rushing mighty wind. O breath of life, come sweeping through us. Revive thy church with life and power. O breath of life, come cleanse, renew us, and fit thy church to meet this hour, O wind of God. The wind of God is the Holy Spirit. I need it in my church in Port Hope, my little work in Port Hope. We need it throughout our denomination. We need the wind of God. And as believers, we need the power Let's all pray to that end. Lord, give me a double portion of thy power. Let's bow our heads together in prayer.