Luke 1:14-17
Let us read today the closing verses of the book of Malachi, which are also the closing verses of the Old Testament (Malachi 4:4-6):
4 “Remember the law of my servant Moses, the decrees and laws I gave him at Horeb for all Israel. 5 “See, I will send the prophet Elijah to you before that great and dreadful day of the Lord comes. 6 He will turn the hearts of the parents to their children, and the hearts of the children to their parents; or else I will come and strike the land with total destruction.” (Malachi 4:4-6)
Throughout this whole chapter Malachi speaks of the day of the Lord, the day when God will repay the wicked, while for the righteous “the sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its rays,” and they will go out and frolic “like well-fed calves.” As they awaited this day of judgment and recompense, God’s people were to do two things:
- to look back – to remember and to keep the Law of Moses;
- and to look forward – to await the promised “prophet Elijah,” who would prepare the people for “that great and dreadful day of the Lord.”
The Old Testament prophets did not see clearly that the coming of the Messiah and his mission would be carried out in two parts – they did not see that there would be a First Coming and a Second Coming (1 Peter 1:10-12) – they saw the coming of the Messiah as a single event. But from the New Testament we understand the fullness of God’s plan – that Christ would come once as a sacrifice for our sins and a second time as judge and king (Hebrews 9:27-28).
To prepare the world for the first coming of Christ, God sent John the Baptist. To prepare the world for the first coming God used a prophet. And who will prepare the world for the Second Coming of the Lord? I believe that this calls not merely for one prophet, but for a prophetic generation. This is the role and responsibility of the church. What John the Baptist and the church have in common is that just as John operated “in the spirit and power of Elijah,” so also the generation before Christ’s return will operate “in the Spirit and power of Elijah.” Concerning John the Baptist the angel Gabriel said to his father Zechariah:
17 And he will go on before the Lord, in the spirit and power of Elijah… (Luke 1:17)
For this was the prophecy given in Malachi. And I believe that the same applies to the church of the last days – a church that goes on before Christ “in the spirit and power of Elijah.”
I believe, too, that God’s will for every generation of the church is that they live as though they were the last generation before Christ’s return. We see that the apostles lived this way. They expected Christ to return within their own earthly lifetime. And such is God’s will for every generation until the day of the Second Coming. Christ will come “like a thief” – on a day and at an hour when no one expects him – except those who wait for him daily.
Looking at Elijah and at John the Baptist, we can see what to pray for and what we must be in order to prepare the world for the Second Coming.
What is the spirit of Elijah?
THE SPIRIT OF ELIJAH IS A PROPHETIC SPIRIT
First, the spirit of Elijah is a prophetic spirit. In Matthew 11:7-9 Jesus Christ said concerning John:
7 As John’s disciples were leaving, Jesus began to speak to the crowd about John: “What did you go out into the wilderness to see? A reed swayed by the wind? 8 If not, what did you go out to see? A man dressed in fine clothes? No, those who wear fine clothes are in kings’ palaces. 9 Then what did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I tell you, and more than a prophet. (Matthew 11:7-9)
According to the words of Jesus, John the Baptist was a “prophet.” To prepare the first coming of the Messiah a prophet was needed. To prepare the second coming of the Messiah a prophetic generation is needed. A prophet is not necessarily someone who predicts the future; rather, the prophet is God’s spokesman, one who speaks on behalf of God. Such a person does not change his opinion to fall in line with others. He does not adjust himself to public attitudes. He is not “a reed swayed by the wind.” Such a person does not conform himself to others; instead he makes others conform to God and to his message. And we too have a message to carry to this world, and that message is the message of the gospel.
Already in the book of Numbers we read how God took some of the Spirit that was on Moses and put it on seventy elders who had been chosen by name to bear “the burden of the people,” the responsibility for the nation together with Moses (Numbers 11:24-30).
24 So Moses went out and told the people what the Lord had said. He brought together seventy of their elders and had them stand around the tent. 25 Then the Lord came down in the cloud and spoke with him, and he took some of the power of the Spirit that was on him and put it on the seventy elders. When the Spirit rested on them, they prophesied – but did not do so again. 26 However, two men, whose names were Eldad and Medad, had remained in the camp. They were listed among the elders, but did not go out to the tent. Yet the Spirit also rested on them, and they prophesied in the camp. 27 A young man ran and told Moses, “Eldad and Medad are prophesying in the camp.” 28 Joshua son of Nun, who had been Moses’ aide since youth, spoke up and said, “Moses, my lord, stop them!” 29 But Moses replied, “Are you jealous for my sake? I wish that all the Lord’s people were prophets and that the Lord would put his Spirit on them!” (Numbers 11:24-29)
Joshua was a warrior. He was a man of discipline, and for him it was unacceptable that Eldad and Medad had failed to obey the command to stand around the tent of meeting. But do you notice Moses’ desire – that “all the Lord’s people were prophets and that the Lord would put his Spirit on them”? And here we see an instance in which God takes some of the Spirit that was on Moses and puts it on those seventy elders. Afterward we see the Spirit that was on Elijah come upon Elisha, and later upon John the Baptist, who served “in the spirit and power of Elijah.” This shows us that the working of the Spirit upon one person can be transferred to another – as upon Elisha, who had a double portion of Elijah’s spirit. But Moses wanted the Spirit to rest not only upon a few, but upon all of God’s people. And when we speak of the spirit of Elijah or the spirit of Moses, we must not forget that we are speaking of the Holy Spirit. To speak in the name of God, you must be filled with the Holy Spirit. I would say that it was precisely about this desire of Moses – that “all the Lord’s people were prophets” – that the prophet Joel prophesied (Joel 2:28-29):
28 “And afterward, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your old men will dream dreams, your young men will see visions. 29 Even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days. (Joel 2:28-29)
In the Old Testament the Lord poured out his Spirit only upon the king, the high priest, and the prophet, but here he says that a day will come when there will be no discrimination by social status, gender, or age. This desire of Moses and this prophecy of Joel were fulfilled at Pentecost (Acts 2:14-18). And from that time on the Lord pours out his Spirit upon all his children who are part of his church and who pray for and ask for the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:37-39). As God’s prophets we have a message from God to carry to this world, and that message of God is the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ (Acts 5:18-21).
The spirit of Elijah makes those who have it into God’s voice on the earth. In John 1:19-23 we read that this was true of John the Baptist.
19 Now this was John’s testimony when the Jewish leaders in Jerusalem sent priests and Levites to ask him who he was. 20 He did not fail to confess, but confessed freely, “I am not the Messiah.” 21 They asked him, “Then who are you? Are you Elijah?” He said, “I am not.” “Are you the Prophet?” He answered, “No.” 22 Finally they said, “Who are you? Give us an answer to take back to those who sent us. What do you say about yourself?” 23 John replied in the words of Isaiah the prophet, “I am the voice of one calling in the wilderness, ‘Make straight the way for the Lord.’” (John 1:19-23)
Notice that John did not claim to be “the Prophet” whom Moses foretold. Neither should we pin grand titles on ourselves and call ourselves “God’s prophets.” If you truly operate in the Holy Spirit, people will recognize it (Proverbs 27:2). John the Baptist even denied being Elijah, because he certainly did not regard himself as the risen prophet of God. But he said of himself: “I am the voice… the voice of one calling”… John quoted the prophet Isaiah (Isaiah 40:3). In this he is an example for us. We must know very well who we are and what God’s Word says about us! John regarded himself as the herald of the king who went before him to prepare the way for his welcome. He did not exalt himself; he pointed to Christ. And although he denied being Elijah, later Jesus himself said of him that he was “the Elijah who was to come.” Not that the prophet Elijah himself had reappeared on the earth. Jesus understood this very well, for on the mount of transfiguration he met the real Moses and the real Elijah, who spoke with him about his approaching death on the cross (Luke 9:30-31). But in Matthew 11:13-15 Jesus said:
13 For all the Prophets and the Law prophesied until John. 14 And if you are willing to accept it, he is the Elijah who was to come. 15 Whoever has ears, let them hear. (Matthew 11:13-15)
Jesus knew Malachi’s prophecy very well – that before the Messiah came, “Elijah” must come. Just as John the Baptist went before Christ in the spirit and power of Elijah, so we too, as God’s church and God’s voice on the earth, must act and labor as God’s messengers and prophets in order to prepare the world for Christ’s coming, because Jesus is coming again.
On the one hand, as God’s prophets and intercessors, we must cry out and pray for people, to stand in the gap for them before God. See, this is the role of the prophet. We see Moses, who led the people toward the promised land, while the people continually turned away from God, grumbled, rebelled, failed, and the Lord wanted to destroy them. And he said to Moses: “I will raise up another nation from you.” But Moses always fell down before God, worshiped him, and interceded for his people (Numbers 14:10-20). And this too is our role as the church – that we pray for our people, for our country, for Dolno Ezerovo before God, that we stand in the gap for those close to us and for all who still do not know him – and that we plead that they turn to God and be saved (1 Timothy 2:1-4).
So then, on the one hand, as prophets we must stand as intercessors before God and plead for people, and on the other hand carry to them God’s message – the message of the gospel. That Jesus Christ has come to this earth, that he died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that on the third day he rose from the dead, that he ascended in glory, and that he will come again to judge the world. And those who have not received him will be condemned to eternal separation from God. “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near!” This must be our prophetic message. And it is prophetic because it comes from God.
THE SPIRIT OF ELIJAH TURNS PEOPLE TO GOD
In the first place, the spirit of Elijah is a prophetic spirit. In the second place, the spirit of Elijah turns people to God. Its mission is the preparation for the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ. In Luke 1:16-17 the angel Gabriel said to Zechariah concerning John the Baptist:
14 He will be a joy and delight to you, and many will rejoice because of his birth, 15 for he will be great in the sight of the Lord. He is never to take wine or other fermented drink, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit even before he is born. 16 He will bring back many of the people of Israel to the Lord their God. 17 And he will go on before the Lord, in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the parents to their children and the disobedient to the wisdom of the righteous – to make ready a people prepared for the Lord. (Luke 1:14-17)
“To make ready a people prepared for the Lord.” To make ready for the Lord a people that is prepared – this is our mission too. As for Dolno Ezerovo – our mission is that we prepare it – that it be a settlement disposed toward the Lord. “Look, he is coming!” (Revelation 1:7) – this must be our preaching.
7 “Look, he is coming with the clouds,” and “every eye will see him, even those who pierced him”; and all peoples on earth “will mourn because of him.” So shall it be! Amen. (Revelation 1:7)
Jesus Christ is coming at any moment to judge the universe, and we must turn to him if we want to be saved – this is the motive, the thing that will move people to repentance: “Jesus is coming again. Are you ready to meet him?” In Revelation 22:20 we read his own words:
20 He who testifies to these things says, “Yes, I am coming soon.” Amen. Come, Lord Jesus. (Revelation 22:20)
Notice, here Jesus himself says: “Yes, I am coming soon!” And John answers on behalf of the church: “Amen! Come, Lord Jesus!” Already in the first century the church lived with this expectation of the second coming. And today, in the twenty-first century, we must go on living with this same expectation. Christ is coming again. But the question is, are we ready to meet him? The mission of John the Baptist was to make ready for the Lord a people that is prepared. Such is our mission too. But how did John, in the spirit and power of Elijah, do this? The spirit of Elijah has the ability to turn hearts to the Lord – to lead people to repentance. To make Dolno Ezerovo a people well-disposed and prepared for God, we must lead it to repentance. For repentance is exactly that – an “about-face” from moving away from the Lord to drawing near to him. Repentance is realization, a change of thinking, sorrow for sin, and a firm resolve to live according to God’s will.
Malachi says that the coming prophet Elijah “will turn the hearts of the parents to their children, and the hearts of the children to their parents.” The angel Gabriel applied these words to John the Baptist thus: he “will bring back many of the people of Israel to the Lord their God” and “the disobedient to the wisdom of the righteous.” I think that here we are dealing with a threefold turning. First, those who are righteous and wise, those who are spiritual parents, who are saved and led by God, will become aware of their responsibility toward the lost and will turn to them as to their children. On the other hand, those who are disobedient, those who are like the prodigal son, will become aware of the wretched state they are in and will begin to accept the counsel of those enlightened by the light, unto repentance and turning to God. And so, spiritual parents and spiritual children, turned toward one another, receiving God’s Word and prepared for the coming of Christ, will turn together to the Lord.
This is what the spirit of Elijah does. The spirit of Elijah leads to change. It turns things upside down – into the state in which they ought to be. It brings people’s hearts back to God and renews their bond and fellowship with him. And this morning I pray that the Lord would renew our bond with him. If we have drifted apart, if we have pulled back, if we have grown cold, today is the time for repentance. Today I believe that, as I preach this message, the spirit of Elijah is at work in our gathering, so that we may turn to the Lord with all our heart and be entrusted with this saving message that turns people’s hearts to God.
In 1 Kings 18:21 we read the words of the prophet Elijah to the people, who had fallen into idolatry before Baal:
21 Elijah went before the people and said, “How long will you waver between two opinions? If the Lord is God, follow him; but if Baal is God, follow him.” But the people said nothing. (1 Kings 18:21)
Do you see, the spirit of Elijah deals with wavering and makes people turn wholly to God. And I believe that this message applies today to us as well: “Have you received the Lord to be your God? If you have received him, follow him with all your heart, and do not live ‘with one foot in the world and one foot in the church’! How long will you waver between two opinions?!” At the end of this account in 1 Kings 18 we see how the people turn to God with all their heart (1 Kings 18:36-39):
36 At the time of sacrifice, the prophet Elijah stepped forward and prayed: “Lord, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Israel, let it be known today that you are God in Israel and that I am your servant and have done all these things at your command. 37 Answer me, Lord, answer me, so these people will know that you, Lord, are God, and that you are turning their hearts back again.” 38 Then the fire of the Lord fell and burned up the sacrifice, the wood, the stones and the soil, and also licked up the water in the trench. 39 When all the people saw this, they fell prostrate and cried, “The Lord – he is God! The Lord – he is God!” (1 Kings 18:36-39)
Let all of us today fall down before the Lord and confess: “Lord, you are God! And I will no longer live as I have lived until now, but I will put you first in my life! And I will not allow anything else, any idol whatever, to take your place!” John the Baptist, who served in the spirit and power of Elijah, had this same ability as he had to lead people to repentance and to turn them to God with their whole hearts. In Mark 1:4-5 we read:
4 And so John the Baptist appeared in the wilderness, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. 5 The whole Judean countryside and all the people of Jerusalem went out to him. Confessing their sins, they were baptized by him in the Jordan River. (Mark 1:4-5)
What we see as the result of the working of the spirit of Elijah is one and the same both in Elijah and in John the Baptist – people turn, confess their sins, and begin to worship and serve only the true God. For this is God’s will. When Satan tempted Jesus to bow down and worship him, what did Jesus say? “Away from me, Satan! For it is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.’” (Matthew 4:10) Let us too today resolve to worship God with all our heart and to serve “him only”!
THE SPIRIT OF ELIJAH MEETS ENORMOUS RESISTANCE
We are speaking of the spirit of Elijah. And I told you that, in the first place, the spirit of Elijah is a prophetic spirit. In the second place, the spirit of Elijah turns people to God, and in the third place the spirit of Elijah meets enormous resistance. The paradoxical thing about the spirit of Elijah is that, although it leads people to God and prepares their hearts to meet him, it meets a very fierce resistance from another spirit – the spirit of Jezebel. We see that from the very beginning of his ministry Elijah was persecuted. He announced to the king that in the name of the living God there would be no rain in the coming years, and immediately he hid (1 Kings 17:1-3). Two years later, under God’s direction, Elijah decided to appear again before King Ahab. The meeting between him and Ahab’s palace administrator – Obadiah – is very interesting and telling of Ahab’s rage and helplessness at not being able to find Elijah.
In those days the Israelites worshiped Baal, because they believed he was the one who gave fertility and rain to the land. Having left the wilderness and settled in the Promised Land, Israel had become an “agrarian,” farming country. And they thought: “Before, while we were in the wilderness, we were herdsmen; we worshiped the God of the wilderness, and he blessed us. God is the god of animals (Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob were nomads), but here we are no longer in the wilderness, but in a fertile land. And when it comes to crops rather than animals, there is a local god here, and this god is Baal. And we will serve him, so that he may give us rain and we may have a harvest.” But Elijah came and said: “It is not true! There are not two or more gods. The true God is one alone! And I will now prove to you that there is no other besides him. For until he says otherwise, in the coming years there will be no rain.” And it did not rain for three years. So it is not Baal but Jehovah (Yahweh) who is the God of the rain. But imagine how angry the king was. He waits a month for rain, but there is no rain… He waits two months, but still none. Three months – still no rain… And they hold prayer services for rain to Baal, but still no rain. Half a year – no rain… A whole year – still no rain… And the king is already thinking about how to catch Elijah and force him to make it rain. But he cannot find him, because God was hiding Elijah – first by a brook, where he sent the ravens to bring him meat, and then with a widow from Zarephath of Sidon, to whom he gave inexhaustible supplies for several years.
1 After a long time, in the third year, the word of the Lord came to Elijah: “Go and present yourself to Ahab, and I will send rain on the land.” 2 So Elijah went to present himself to Ahab. Now the famine was severe in Samaria, 3 and Ahab had summoned Obadiah, his palace administrator. (Obadiah was a devout believer in the Lord. 4 While Jezebel was killing off the Lord’s prophets, Obadiah had taken a hundred prophets and hidden them in two caves, fifty in each, and had supplied them with food and water.) (1 Kings 18:1-4)
Here is who the true opponent of the spirit of Elijah was – the spirit of Jezebel. She was the one who influenced her husband in a peculiar way, manipulated him, and ruled secretly through him. She was the one who slaughtered the Lord’s prophets.
5 Ahab had said to Obadiah, “Go through the land to all the springs and valleys. Maybe we can find some grass to keep the horses and mules alive so we will not have to kill any of our animals.” 6 So they divided the land they were to cover, Ahab going in one direction and Obadiah in another. 7 As Obadiah was walking along, Elijah met him. Obadiah recognized him, bowed down to the ground, and said, “Is it really you, my lord Elijah?” 8 “Yes,” he replied. “Go tell your master, ‘Elijah is here.’” 9 “What have I done wrong,” asked Obadiah, “that you are handing your servant over to Ahab to be put to death? 10 As surely as the Lord your God lives, there is not a nation or kingdom where my master has not sent someone to look for you. And whenever a nation or kingdom claimed you were not there, he made them swear they could not find you. 11 But now you tell me to go to my master and say, ‘Elijah is here.’ 12 I don’t know where the Spirit of the Lord may carry you when I leave you. If I go and tell Ahab and he doesn’t find you, he will kill me. Yet I your servant have worshiped the Lord since my youth. 13 Haven’t you heard, my lord, what I did while Jezebel was killing the prophets of the Lord? I hid a hundred of the Lord’s prophets in two caves, fifty in each, and supplied them with food and water. 14 And now you tell me to go to my master and say, ‘Elijah is here.’ He will kill me!” 15 Elijah said, “As the Lord Almighty lives, whom I serve, I will surely present myself to Ahab today.” 16 So Obadiah went to meet Ahab and told him, and Ahab went to meet Elijah. (1 Kings 18:5-16)
Elijah was not afraid of Ahab, but for the greater part of his ministry Elijah lived in the wilderness and hid himself. He was persecuted. Even after he turned his people back to the Lord on Mount Carmel and slaughtered the prophets of Baal by the brook Kishon (1 Kings 18:40), and after the sky once again gave its rain… In revenge for the slaughter of the prophets of Baal, Queen Jezebel issued a death sentence against the prophet Elijah, according to which he was to be put to death within twenty-four hours. But even stronger was the spiritual pressure upon Elijah. It was so heavy that Elijah fell into depression and even wished to die (1 Kings 19:4). God, however, met him on Mount Horeb, restored him to his ministry, gave him a new plan of action and a helper – Elisha (1 Kings 19:15-21).
If you live and serve in the spirit and power of Elijah, do not expect everyone to receive you. You will be hunted, you will be persecuted, you will be under spiritual pressure, you will be in a constant spiritual battle, because Satan is the one who wants to crush Christ’s prophets and servants.
John the Baptist, in turn, was beheaded by King Herod because Herodias demanded his head. Here again we see a woman who manipulates the king in the very same way as Jezebel did with Ahab. Herodias grew angry with John because he publicly rebuked her husband over his marriage to her, and she gave place in her heart to the spirit of Jezebel (Mark 6:14-29).
14 King Herod heard about this, for Jesus’ name had become well known. Some were saying, “John the Baptist has been raised from the dead, and that is why miraculous powers are at work in him.” 15 Others said, “He is Elijah.” And still others claimed, “He is a prophet, like one of the prophets of long ago.” 16 But when Herod heard this, he said, “John, whom I beheaded, has been raised from the dead!” 17 For Herod himself had given orders to have John arrested, and he had him bound and put in prison. He did this because of Herodias, his brother Philip’s wife, whom he had married. 18 For John had been saying to Herod, “It is not lawful for you to have your brother’s wife.” 19 So Herodias nursed a grudge against John and wanted to kill him. But she was not able to, 20 because Herod feared John and protected him, knowing him to be a righteous and holy man. When Herod heard John, he was greatly puzzled; yet he liked to listen to him. 21 Finally the opportune time came. On his birthday Herod gave a banquet for his high officials and military commanders and the leading men of Galilee. 22 When the daughter of Herodias came in and danced, she pleased Herod and his dinner guests. The king said to the girl, “Ask me for anything you want, and I’ll give it to you.” 23 And he promised her with an oath, “Whatever you ask I will give you, up to half my kingdom.” 24 She went out and said to her mother, “What shall I ask for?” “The head of John the Baptist,” she answered. (Mark 6:14-24)
I don’t know about you, but to me this sounds like a serpent’s voice: “Ssss… The head of John the Baptist.”
25 At once the girl hurried in to the king with the request: “I want you to give me right now the head of John the Baptist on a platter.” 26 The king was greatly distressed, but because of his oaths and his dinner guests, he did not want to refuse her. 27 So he immediately sent an executioner with orders to bring John’s head. The man went, beheaded John in the prison, 28 and brought back his head on a platter. He presented it to the girl, and she gave it to her mother. 29 On hearing of this, John’s disciples came and took his body and laid it in a tomb. (Mark 6:25-29)
You see, although he served in the spirit and power of Elijah – and perhaps precisely for that reason – John the Baptist was persecuted, imprisoned, and finally beheaded.
All this persecution puzzled the disciples of Jesus Christ. For Elijah was expected to come before Christ. The coming of Elijah was an important matter, because it was tied to the coming of the Messiah, to the coming of Jesus. Elijah was expected to restore everything – both justice and worship. Then how could it be that, in such an environment of restored justice and worship, the Messiah would be killed? After they saw Elijah on the mount of transfiguration, they were even more confused. Not only chronologically, since they saw Elijah after Christ on the mount of transfiguration, but also logically – how could Christ die in a situation of restored justice and worship of God. Perhaps these were exactly the questions they were asking themselves as they came down from the mount of transfiguration. But Jesus explained to them that the true Elijah of whom Malachi prophesied was not the prophet Elijah, but John the Baptist. And his unjust imprisonment and beheading was a foreshadowing of Christ’s death as well (Matthew 17:9-13). So everything fell into place.
9 As they were coming down the mountain, Jesus instructed them, “Don’t tell anyone what you have seen, until the Son of Man has been raised from the dead.” (Matthew 17:9)
They saw the glory of Christ. They saw the magnificent “shekinah” glory of God that came. And out of that glory came this voice: “This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased!” And there appeared Moses and Elijah, who were talking with the Lord about his death.
10 The disciples asked him, “Why then do the teachers of the law say that Elijah must come first?” 11 Jesus replied, “To be sure, Elijah comes and will restore all things. 12 But I tell you, Elijah has already come, and they did not recognize him, but have done to him everything they wished. In the same way the Son of Man is going to suffer at their hands.” 13 Then the disciples understood that he was talking to them about John the Baptist. (Matthew 17:10-13)
There were people who received John the Baptist, who served in the spirit and power of Elijah, but there were also those who utterly rejected him – among them the chief priests and the elders of the people – the very ones who condemned Jesus to death. In Matthew 21:23-32 we read of the following clash between them and Jesus.
23 Jesus entered the temple courts, and, while he was teaching, the chief priests and the elders of the people came to him. “By what authority are you doing these things?” they asked. “And who gave you this authority?” (Matthew 21:23)
Can you imagine – creatures whom God has made, and before them stands Jesus the Son of God, and up come these tiny little men and call his authority into question…
24 Jesus replied, “I will also ask you one question. If you answer me, I will tell you by what authority I am doing these things. 25 John’s baptism – where did it come from? Was it from heaven, or of human origin?” They discussed it among themselves and said, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ he will ask, ‘Then why didn’t you believe him?’ 26 But if we say, ‘Of human origin’ – we are afraid of the people, for they all hold that John was a prophet.” 27 So they answered Jesus, “We don’t know.” Then he said, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I am doing these things. 28 “What do you think? There was a man who had two sons. He went to the first and said, ‘Son, go and work today in the vineyard.’ 29 “‘I will not,’ he answered, but later he changed his mind and went. 30 “Then the father went to the other son and said the same thing. He answered, ‘I will, sir,’ but he did not go. 31 “Which of the two did what his father wanted?” “The first,” they answered. Jesus said to them, “Truly I tell you, the tax collectors and the prostitutes are entering the kingdom of God ahead of you. 32 For John came to you to show you the way of righteousness, and you did not believe him, but the tax collectors and the prostitutes did. And even after you saw this, you did not repent and believe him. (Matthew 21:24-32)
The spirit of Elijah is a spirit that meets great resistance. If there were people who hunted Elijah, if there were people who hunted John the Baptist, if there were people who hunted even Jesus Christ himself and did not receive their words, then be sure that there will always be people who will hunt and reject us as well. Remember what the Lord told us in John 15:18-20:
18 “If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first. 19 If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you. 20 Remember what I told you: ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also. (John 15:18-20)
But this not-so-pleasant promise ends with an exceptional encouragement:
If they obeyed my teaching, they will obey yours also. (John 15:20)
In the Sermon on the Mount the Lord tells us what to do when we are persecuted for his name’s sake (Luke 6:22-23):
22 Blessed are you when people hate you, when they exclude you and insult you and reject your name as evil, because of the Son of Man. 23 “Rejoice in that day and leap for joy, because great is your reward in heaven. For that is how their ancestors treated the prophets. (Luke 6:22-23)
RECEIVING THE SPIRIT OF ELIJAH REQUIRES PAYING A HIGH PRICE
And so, today we are considering several characteristics of the spirit of Elijah. The first of them is that the spirit of Elijah is a prophetic spirit, and it is the Holy Spirit. The second is that the spirit of Elijah has the ability to turn people to God – it is a spirit of repentance. The third – that the spirit of Elijah meets great resistance, and if we pray and ask for it we should not wonder where the attacks against us come from. And finally, I want to tell you that receiving the spirit of Elijah requires paying a high price. Despite the resistance, the spirit of Elijah is especially precious, because it turns people to God and saves their souls. Receiving it requires paying a high spiritual price.
To have it, you must be resolved to do anything; you must be ready to pay the price. In the first place, this price is expressed in a longing for the spirit of Elijah. We see Elisha – oh, how he longed for the spirit of Elijah. And he received it. The account of this is recorded in 2 Kings 2:1-15.
1 When the Lord was about to take Elijah up to heaven in a whirlwind, Elijah and Elisha were on their way from Gilgal. 2 Elijah said to Elisha, “Stay here; the Lord has sent me to Bethel.” But Elisha said, “As surely as the Lord lives and as you live, I will not leave you.” So they went down to Bethel. (2 Kings 2:1-2)
See, this was something like a test. Elijah was testing Elisha to see whether he was resolved to the very end to have his spirit. Do you see, Elisha was diligent and zealous. He was ready to do even what was not required of him, so long as he could be with his master.
3 The company of the prophets at Bethel came out to Elisha and asked, “Do you know that the Lord is going to take your master from you today?” “Yes, I know,” Elisha replied, “so be quiet.” (2 Kings 2:3)
The test to which Elisha was subjected that day was a test not only of diligence in service, but also of hearing God’s voice, of discerning God’s timing and his direction.
4 Then Elijah said to him, “Stay here, Elisha; the Lord has sent me to Jericho.” And he replied, “As surely as the Lord lives and as you live, I will not leave you.” So they went to Jericho. 5 The company of the prophets at Jericho went up to Elisha and asked him, “Do you know that the Lord is going to take your master from you today?” “Yes, I know,” he replied, “so be quiet.” (2 Kings 2:4-5)
In order to learn to discern the Lord’s voice, Elisha served under Elijah’s leadership for at least about ten years. Being with him the whole time, being his attendant, Elisha was ready for anything, awaiting that longed-for moment when the spirit of Elijah would come upon him.
6 Then Elijah said to him, “Stay here; the Lord has sent me to the Jordan.” And he replied, “As surely as the Lord lives and as you live, I will not leave you.” So the two of them walked on. 7 Fifty men from the company of the prophets went and stood at a distance, facing the place where Elijah and Elisha had stopped at the Jordan. 8 Elijah took his cloak, rolled it up and struck the water with it. The water divided to the right and to the left, and the two of them crossed over on dry ground. (2 Kings 2:6-8)
Here we see one more thing that was especially characteristic of the spirit of Elijah – it was a spirit of miracles and signs. Elijah performed miracles and signs; Elisha performed miracles and signs. Of John the Baptist it is said that he performed not a single sign, but everything he said about Christ was nevertheless true (John 10:41). His ministry was a little more specific.
9 When they had crossed, Elijah said to Elisha, “Tell me, what can I do for you before I am taken from you?” “Let me inherit a double portion of your spirit,” Elisha replied. 10 “You have asked a difficult thing,” Elijah said, “yet if you see me when I am taken from you, it will be yours – otherwise, it will not.” 11 As they were walking along and talking together, suddenly a chariot of fire and horses of fire appeared and separated the two of them, and Elijah went up to heaven in a whirlwind. 12 Elisha saw this and cried out, “My father! My father! The chariots and horsemen of Israel!” And Elisha saw him no more. Then he took hold of his garment and tore it in two. 13 Elisha then picked up Elijah’s cloak that had fallen from him and went back and stood on the bank of the Jordan. 14 He took the cloak that had fallen from Elijah and struck the water with it. “Where now is the Lord, the God of Elijah?” he asked. When he struck the water, it divided to the right and to the left, and he crossed over. 15 The company of the prophets from Jericho, who were watching, said, “The spirit of Elijah is resting on Elisha.” And they went to meet him and bowed to the ground before him. (2 Kings 2:9-15)
If you want the spirit of Elijah, there is a price you must pay for it – a price in resolve, a price in dedication, a price in faithfulness, a price in humility, a price in purity and a holy life, a price in listening to God’s voice and obeying God’s direction. We see that John the Baptist did not taste “wine and other fermented drink.” He lived in the wilderness. He fasted and prayed. He ate simple food – locusts and wild honey (Matthew 3:4). He had given up fine clothes and wore a garment of camel’s hair with a leather belt around his waist. And this deprivation, self-restraint, and I would even say ascetic life of his strengthened his bond with God and made his words carry power. May God help us too to pay the price in faithfulness, in service, in prayer, so that we may be filled with the Holy Spirit and carry the message of the gospel amid a perishing world. With the help of the Holy Spirit, may we make ready for the Lord a people well-disposed toward him, and so fulfill our mission in our generation.