Dove Creek Bible Church's Podcast

One of Bob Dylan’s most often-covered songs is “Knockin’ On Heaven’s Door”. Over 150 artists have covered the song. The song was initially written in 1973 to be used in Sam Peckinpah’s western Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid. In that movie, there is a shootout that results in the Sheriff being shot multiple times. As he stands in shock and disbelief…knowing he is about to die he looks over at his wife who has tears in her eyes and this is when “Knockin’ On Heaven’s Door” starts playing in the background with the opening lyric: “Mama take this badge off of me, I can’t use it anymore,” “It’s getting dark, too dark to see. Feels like I’m knockin’ on heaven’s door.“ Well, Elisha didn’t have a prophet’s badge but he did have a prophet’s cloak given to him by Elijah. Like the badge in the song, this cloak was about to be of no further use to Elisha for after 60 years of ministry Elisha is knocking on heaven’s door.

In chapter 4 we read of a Shunammite woman who without any ulterior motive decided to provide the prophet of God, Elisha, with room and board. She never anticipated the impact her simple act of kindness would have on her life. Because of her kindness to God’s prophet she, by God’s grace, went from barrenness to giving birth to a son. Then later, by that same grace, had her son’s life restored by the prophet after her son had died in her arms as a young child. Today we learn…God’s grace is not finished with her yet…she is still reaping the benefits of her association with God’s prophet.

Frederick Nietzsche studied theology and he was the son of a Lutheran minister…nonetheless, he abandoned any belief in God, and yet he found himself somewhat worried about what would happen if mankind ever truly accepted the premise that God is dead for he knew, at least at some level, that a belief in God kept the evil in man reined in, but what if that evil were unleashed? What hell would that be? Our text today reminds us of what happens when the evil in man is unleashed.

In today's text, Elisha opens the eyes of the spiritually blind and blinds the eyes of the physically sighted. In the process he teaches Israel how to get rid of her enemies.

At first glance, this passage appears to be somewhat pointless. All that happens is the prophets are building an extension to their prophetic guild facilities when one of the prophets drops an axe head into the muddy waters of the Jordan and then Elisha miraculously makes the iron axe head float so the guy can have the axe head back and get back to work. If all Scripture is God-breathed and profitable...then what are we supposed to get out of this story?

Naaman was a foreign commander who came to the prophet Elisha to be cleansed of his leprosy. Naaman came bearing gifts to pay for his miracle, after all, he is no charity case. Nonetheless, Elisha treats him as a charity case much to his chagrin. Finally, Naaman swallows his pride and accepts his miracle as a free gift. Gehazi, Elisha's servant, then decides maybe free shouldn't be free.

The last sermon dealt with two very different women with a common problem. This week we will compare and contrast two meals. One meal contains poison and the other meal concerns those times when you have a lot of hungry mouths to feed and not enough to feed them. The first story is called “Death in the Pot” and the second story is called “The Feeding of a Hundred.”

It is not easy to accept a new leader. Especially when the leadership style of the new leader is very different from the old leader. Elisha is now the new head prophet. His ministry style focuses more on healing and restoration. Elijah is gone. His ministry style focused on condemnation and repentance. In this text, we see how people are adjusting to the new prophet and the consequences of acceptance and rejection.

Elijah passes the baton of leadership over to Elisha. What things are important for a ministry handoff to go well?

Studies show that fathers are more influential with their children than mothers when it comes to their decisions later in life as to whether they will remain in the faith or not. Many children, for better or worse, are destined to follow in the faith of their fathers. King Ahab's faith in Baal has been passed on to his son, King Ahaziah and Ahaziah follows the faith of his father to the same bitter end.

One of the hardest things to accept about grace...especially when it comes to others...is that grace is only for the undeserving. In our carnality, we imagine there must be some limit to grace...a place it stops and goes no further. The question is...do we think God has more grace than the vilest sinner has sin or do we think some sinners have sin that cannot be reached by God's grace?

The original post was incorrect. This is the corrected version. From 1934 to 1937 what became known as the Dust Bowl devastated a 150,000-square-mile area, encompassing the Oklahoma and Texas panhandles and neighboring sections of Kansas, Colorado, and New Mexico. Well, the people of the Northern Kingdom of Israel had been without rain for 3 ½ years. Today life would return to the land through the heavy rains that God would bring through the voice of His prophet; however, Ahab and Elijah have much different responses to the rains returning.

We have always been fascinated with epic battles and showdowns. We usually mark such places with historical markers. For example, the Battle of Little Big Horn, Gettysburg, etc. In that same vein on the southeastern peak of Mount Carmel, there is a dramatic stone statue of the prophet Elijah with his sword raised to heaven as he slaughters a priest of Baal. The site is now known as Muhraka which means “the place of burning”. In this sermon, we take a close look at this epic showdown.

How can we trust the Lord when we can SEE no reason to do so?

God often takes people from obscurity and gives them a prominent task. Chances are good you are dumb enough, stubborn enough, and weak enough to be greatly used by God because God likes to take nobodies and turn them into somebodies. Even if we are used by God, we have seasons of spiritual drought. How should we respond when we see a brook we have depended upon drying up a little more each day? What is God trying to tell us when He allows our brooks to dry up?

The Book of Colossians ends with Paul expressing his gratitude for each member of his ministry team. Just as there is no "I" in "team", there is no "I" in "church". All church ministry is dependent upon the assistance of other team ministry members.

The relationship between prayer and evangelism plus how we gain the credibility to speak to others about the gospel.