Change Before You Have To: The Widow’s Son – Everything is Fine

Change Before You Have To

Sermon: The Widow’s Son – Everything is Fine

2 Kings 4:8-37

Sermon Summary

The Big Idea of this study is that our faith will be tested; it is the only way to grow our faithfulness.

1st and 2nd Kings are books that are written to exiles. They are directed to the Jews who had been taken captive by the Babylonians and were living in a foreign country. The books are intended to help the Jews understand why calamity had fallen on Judah and Israel. They were explaining how the covenant people had failed to live up to their part of the covenant and were now suffering from the consequences of their unfaithfulness. If they could hear and obey the lessons of the books, the Lord would restore their homeland and bring them back home.

Our text this week is an illustration of the kind of faithfulness the Lord desires of his people. Keep in mind that it took place in an age where the Holy Spirit was not immediately available to individuals but certain men of God were chosen to be the spokespersons for the divine presence. Elisha was one of those people. Although he was an imperfect guy the Lord expected that people would seek him out as the Lord’s representative. Many of the stories of these books are illustrations of the Lord’s power over the power of the foreign gods that so often had tempted the Israelites into idolatry.

Questions for Discussion:

1. Were you struck (shocked) by the “everything is fine” comments by the Shunammite woman? The author intended that reaction from you. When we sing the hymn “It is Well” are we not saying something similar? Why or why not?

2. Read James 1:2-4. How important is it that we experience challenges in life? How have you found they have changed you?

3. In what ways might we be overprotecting our children these days? How do we keep them safe yet not raise wimpy children unable to withstand the opposition they will face as adults?

4. Discuss this statement: “One of the great challenges in the church today is that scores of Christians have been taught to believe that Christianity is simply about acknowledging certain facts and saying certain words, they fail to realize it is about absolute surrender to the Lordship of Jesus.”

5. How have the events of the last 3 years made you re-examine your faith and practice?