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Empty Vessels
· 2 Kings 4:1-7 1Now there cried a certain woman of the wives of the sons of the prophets unto Elisha, saying, Thy servant my husband is dead; and thou knowest that thy servant did fear the LORD: and the creditor is come to take unto him my two sons to be bondmen. 2And 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. 3Then he said, Go, borrow thee vessels abroad of all thy neighbours, even empty vessels; borrow not a few. 4And 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. 5So she went from him, and shut the door upon her and upon her sons, who brought the vessels to her; and she poured out. 6And 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. 7Then she came and told the man of God. And he said, Go, sell the oil, and pay thy debt, and live thou and thy children of the rest.
· The Bible teaches that HUNGER is the only thing that has the ability to predetermine how much of God you will receive.
· It is not great preaching, great promotion, or great programs that bring revival to a city … it is the amount of EMPTINESS that God finds.
· It is when we realize our emptiness that we first begin our journey toward God through repentance, and it is that sense of emptiness – a deep need for God – that keeps us motivated in serving Him.
· God’s instruction to this anonymous woman was: “COLLECT ALL THE EMPTINESS YOU CAN FIND, AND I WILL FILL IT!”
· THE VOLUME OF YOUR EMPTINESS DETERMINES THE AMOUNT OF YOUR FILLING … AND YOUR FUTURE!
· This woman “collected emptiness” from her neighbours – that is exactly what we do through intercessory prayer for those in our city.
· OUR BIGGEST PROBLEM IS OUR DIET! We stuff ourselves on spiritual junk food, looking for a quick and easy way to experience God’s power. But God is under no obligation to feed casual nibblers!
· These people look for “just the right feeling” to get in the mood for communion with God, but God is looking for really hungry people. Really hungry people are really desperate people!
· THESE PEOPLE WILL PUT UP WITH THREE WEEKS OF MEDIOCRE CHURCH FOR JUST 30 SECONDS OF HIS MAGNIFICENT PRESENCE. They just keep hoping that man will get out of the way!
· Matthew 5:6 Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.
· Revival is not a natural process of time; revival occurs only when ETERNITY VISITS TIME! Revival requires supernatural intervention!
· Our collection of secondhand facts about God can create a false sense of intimacy with deity! But if sermons were going to save our cities, they would have done it a long time ago! And we are too easily satisfied with stories of someone else’s encounter with God!
· START COLLECTING EMPTINESS! Your hunger will take you to places in God nothing else can. God cannot say “no” to a hungry heart!
· CHERUBIM FACING EACH OTHER ON THE ARK – GOD COMES AND DWELLS IN THE EMPTY PLACE BETWEEN THEM! God always honors “collective emptiness.”
· God is shopping for the place of the next outbreak of His presence! The widow’s problem wasn’t how much oil she had, but how much emptiness she could collect!
· SATISFACTION IS THE GREATEST ENEMY OF THE PURPOSE OF GOD! (“Good To Great”) Whenever we stop to “build a monument” to our best time on the last lap, we forget to resume the race!
· I am caught between what is and what can be! I am grateful for what He HAS DONE, but I am also desperate for what He CAN DO!
· Ezra 3:11-13 And they sang together by course in praising and giving thanks unto the LORD; because he is good, for his mercy endureth for ever toward Israel. And all the people shouted with a great shout, when they praised the LORD, because the foundation of the house of the LORD was laid. But many of the priests and Levites and chief of the fathers, who were ancient men, that had seen the first house, when the foundation of this house was laid before their eyes, wept with a loud voice; and many shouted aloud for joy: So that the people could not discern the noise of the shout of joy from the noise of the weeping of the people: for the people shouted with a loud shout, and the noise was heard afar off.
· The older men were acquainted with the glory of Solomon’s temple and Israel’s finest hour – they knew what COULD BE. They didn’t know whether to laugh or cry! They rejoiced that the temple was being rebuilt, but they wept because they knew God’s promise …
· Haggai 2:9 The glory of this latter house shall be greater than of the former, saith the LORD of hosts: and in this place will I give peace, saith the LORD of hosts.
· GOD DESIRES FOR US TO BE GRATEFUL AND DESPERATE AT THE SAME TIME!
· Revival is possible.
2 Chronicles 7:14 If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.
· Revival is the New Testament model.
Acts 6:7 And the word of God increased; and the number of the disciples multiplied in Jerusalem greatly; and a great company of the priests were obedient to the faith.
· Revival brings honor to God – because He’s the only one who could have done it.
· Revival captures the attention of the unbelieving world.
· Revival is caused by God – and can’t be programmed or predicted.
· The only barrier to revival is our own unbelief.
Mark 6:5-6 And he could there do no mighty work, save that he laid his hands upon a few sick folk, and healed them. And he marvelled because of their unbelief.
· Revival begins when we believe God for great things.
Matthew 9:29 According to your faith be it unto you.
James 5:16 The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.
Isaiah 54:2-3 Enlarge the place of thy tent, and let them stretch forth the curtains of thine habitations: spare not, lengthen thy cords, and strengthen thy stakes; For thou shalt break forth on the right hand and on the left; and thy seed shall inherit the Gentiles, and make the desolate cities to be inhabited.
Habakkuk 3:2 O Lord, revive thy work in the midst of the years (DO IT IN OUR LIFETIME, LORD!), in the midst of the years make known; in wrath remember mercy.
2 Thessalonians 3:1 Finally, brethren, pray for us, that the word of the Lord may have free course, and be glorified, even as it is with you:
2 Thessalonians 3:1 (MES) One more thing, friends: Pray for us. Pray that the Master’s Word will simply take off and race through the country to a groundswell of response, just as it did among you.
