Well, when I heard that Pastor Joel and Angela
were going to be here this morning, I had to
rewrite a whole new sermon. I realized that what
I was going to preach was not appropriate. A
child went to his father and said, How did babies
get here? And the father said, well, Adam and
Eve had babies, and they had babies, and they
had babies, and here you are. He said, okay.
So he went to his mother and said, where do babies
come from? And she wasn't quite so saved as all
of us. She said, well, a long time ago. There
were monkeys. And monkeys evolved. And eventually,
they became us. And the child ran back to his
father and said, you lied to me. And the father
said, she was talking about her side of the family.
Dale, did you like that one? No, you did, you
did, you did. Thank you, Father. I would like
you to turn with me to Deuteronomy chapter 21.
Deuteronomy chapter 21. And having dedicated
our sons and daughters to the Lord this morning,
I want to turn our attention for a few moments
before we go today to our Heavenly Father. And
I want to believe God to speak to each one of
us this morning about who he is, about who we
are, about what his word declares. In Deuteronomy
chapter 21, it's kind of an obscure passage.
Don't know if you've ever heard a message preached
out of this passage before. But to get some context.
I'd like us to back up to verse 15. If a man
has two wives, intercede for that man. That's
all I have to say. One loved and the other unloved,
and this could happen in those days. And they
have borne him children, both the loved and the
unloved, and if the firstborn son... is of her
who is unloved, then it shall be on the day he
bequeaths his possessions to his sons that he
must not bestow firstborn status on the son of
the loved wife in preference to the son of the
unloved, the true firstborn. But he shall acknowledge
the son of the unloved wife as the firstborn
by giving him a double portion. Everybody say
double portion. Of all that he has, for he is
the beginning of his strength. The right of the
firstborn is his. Father, I just thank you for
your word today. And I just ask that you would
just speak to our hearts in these moments as
we examine your word. In Jesus' name, amen. One
of the great passages in this church is Isaiah
chapter 61. The spirit of the sovereign Lord
is upon me because the Lord has anointed me to
preach good news to the poor. And then there
is a list of things that we're believing God
for in our ministry, amen? For captives to be
set free, for prison doors to be open, for those
that are clothed in mourning to find the oil
of joy, for beauty to come from ashes. Have you
seen those things in your life? Amen. But if
you read further down in Isaiah chapter 61, in
the verse that we don't often get to, in verse
7, God in restoring things says this, Instead
of your shame, you shall have double honor. And
instead of confusion, they shall rejoice in their
portion. Therefore, in the land, they shall possess
double everlasting joy. What is Isaiah referring
to? The right of the firstborn son. The right
of the firstborn son is the double portion. And
Israel, being the firstborn son, God was saying,
I am going to restore to you your rightful place.
Hallelujah. and God is a restorer of everything
that has been taken away. When the enemy has
stolen from you over and over and over again
in your BC days, sometimes he comes against you
even as a believer, and he steals from you. Aren't
you glad that God is a restorer? Hallelujah.
He puts things back together. He puts you back
in positions. He takes things that were broken
and he heals them. There was another moment in
the scripture where the double portion became
incredibly important. And it's in 2 Kings chapter
2. And again, for the sake of context, I want
to take the time to read this story. Is everybody
okay this morning? Cammie told me that I had
to make sure I got my preaching done in 30 minutes
today. And so she put her foot down. So when
I get to 30 minutes, and I've already used two
minutes. Verse 1. And it came to pass, when the
Lord was about to take up Elijah into heaven
by a whirlwind, that Elijah went with Elisha
from Gilgal. Then Elijah said to Elisha, Stay
here, please, for the Lord has sent me on to
Bethel. But Elisha said, As surely as the Lord
lives and as your soul lives, I will not leave
you. So they went down to Bethel. Now the sons
of the prophets who were at Bethel came out to
Elisha and said to him, Do you not know that
the Lord will take away your master from over
you today? And he said, Yes, I know. Keep silent.
And Elisha said to him, Elisha, stay here, please,
for the Lord has sent me on to Jericho. But he
said, As the Lord lives and as your soul lives,
I will not leave you. So they came to Jericho.
And now the sons of the prophets who were at
Jericho came to Elisha and said to him, Do you
not know that the Lord will take away your master
from over you today? So he answered, Yes, I know.
Keep silent. And Elisha said to him, Stay here,
please, for the Lord has sent me to the Jordan.
But he said, As the Lord lives and as your soul
lives, I will not leave you. So the two of them
went on, and 50 men of the sons of the prophets
went and stood facing them at a distance. And
while the two of them stood by the Jordan, and
Elijah took his mantle, rolled it up, struck
the water, and it was divided this way and that,
so that the two of them crossed over on dry ground.
And so it was when they had crossed over that
Elijah said to Elisha, ask, what may I do for
you before I am taken away from you? And Elisha
said, please let a double portion, everybody
say double portion, of your spirit be upon me.
So Elijah said, you have asked a hard thing.
Nevertheless, if you see me when I am taken from
you, it shall be so for you. But if not, it shall
not be so. And then it happened as they continued
on and talked, that suddenly a chariot of fire
appeared with horses of fire and separated the
two of them. And Elijah went up by whirlwind
into heaven. And Elisha saw it. And he cried
out, My father, my father, the chariot of Israel
and its horsemen. And so he saw him no more.
And he took hold of his own clothes and tore
them into two pieces. And he took up the mantle
of Elijah that had fallen from him and went back
and stood by the bank of the Jordan. And he took
the mantle of Elijah that had fallen from him
and struck the water and said, Where is the Lord
God of Elijah? And when he had also struck the
water, it was divided this way and that. And
Elisha crossed over. We're going to stop right
there. A double portion. A double portion. When
we look at this story, we often talk about the
anointing that was transferred from Elijah to
Elisha. And it certainly was. Elijah, in fact,
anointing Elisha as the prophet to come after
him is the only time in the Old Testament when
we see that a prophet was actually anointed like
a king or a priest. Elijah anointed Elisha with
oil and Elisha knew that he was going to be the
prophet that would carry on after Elijah was
gone. And so we talk about the double portion
in a manner of miracles, in a manner of power,
and we bring out the fact that Elisha recorded
twice as many miracles as Elijah did. core. In
fact, the last miracle of Elisha, Elisha wasn't
even alive. A man was thrown on his bones, on
Elisha's bones, and came back to life. And that
was the miracle that gave Elisha exactly twice
as many recorded miracles in the scriptures as
Elijah. That's pretty cool, isn't it? But the
double portion, when Elisha asks for a double
portion of your spirit, what is he really asking
for? And I believe, considering what the double
portion meant in the context of the culture,
and what it meant... to the firstborn son that
even more than miracle power and even more than
the ability to prophesy, what Elisha was asking
for is this. Can I call you my father? Can I
be your son? Will you consider me? To be your
son. And Elijah said, that's a hard thing, but
if you see it, me, if you see me when I go, it
will be granted. And when Elisha lifted up his
eyes and saw Elijah, what did he cry out? He
cried out, My father. My father. And that mantle
that he picked up, it was no longer just a symbol
of my role as a prophet. It wasn't just a symbol
of the anointing in my life. But that mantle
that rested upon him, it became a symbol of sonship.
I'm carrying the mantle of my father. And he
went out. And see, just a few minutes before.
He had watched the one he wanted to be his father.
He had watched him take that same mantle, and
he had struck the Jordan, and Elijah did it,
and they walked together across dry ground. And
Elisha, having the same mantle, walked up to
the Jordan, and remembering what he had seen
his father do, struck the Jordan in the same
way. And the river did the same thing. And Elisha
walked across on dry ground. Jesus was a rabbi.
He waited until the age of a rabbi, 30 years
old, to begin his ministry. And he chose 12 young
men to follow him. And as we know Jesus to be
the Son of God, these young men would have been
looking to their new rabbi, Jesus, to be their
spiritual father. To be their spiritual father.
And in that role, Jesus... as their spiritual
father, gave them a front row glimpse into his
relationship with his father. It was the father's
voice at his baptism in Matthew chapter 3 verse
17 that spoke as Jesus came up out of the water
and the dove came down. This is my beloved son
whom I love. With Him, I am well pleased. It
was interaction with the Father in prayer that
motivated Him in how He should operate in ministry.
Listen to this from John 5, 19. Most assuredly,
I say to you, the Son can do nothing of Himself,
but what He sees the Father do. For whatever
he does, the Son does in like manner. Does that
remind you of anybody? You see, Jesus had the
mantle of his Father, and he did the things he
saw his Father do. Just like Elisha. He had his
mantle. This is a mystery. Because the doctrine
of the Trinity, we opened up a song that said,
Praise the Father, praise the Son, praise the
Spirit, three in one. The mystery of the Trinity,
the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. And so we tend
to compartmentalize the functions of the three
in our lives. But the mystery is that the three
are actually one. In fact, in John chapter 10,
Jesus declared, I and the Father are one. In
John 14, Jesus declared, if you have seen me,
you have seen the Father. That's pretty awesome.
And it's no wonder that the messianic prophecy
that we often quote during the Christmas season,
which I am here to tell you that the Christmas
season is not here yet. I just want you to know
that. Some of you quit listening to me. That
messianic prophecy, for unto us a child is born,
unto us a son is given, the government will be
upon his shoulder, and his name will be called
Wonderful Counselor Everlasting Father. The son,
The baby, one of his names, is Everlasting Father.
You see, this is where they are three, but they
are one. Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God is
one God. Everlasting Father, the name of the
Messiah. And so it's no wonder that... Paul described
Jesus by saying this, he is the image of the
invisible God. And so that's a beautiful description
of who Jesus is. He's the image. Jesus is the
image of the Father. And he's also the image
of the Spirit. One of his other names is Counselor.
And do you know who the Holy Spirit is? Counselor.
And so this image of Jesus is also the Father.
And the Spirit, He's the image of the invisible
God. That's a powerful description. Jesus is
the Son, but He embodies the Spirit, and He embodies
the Father. Christ is definitely our firm foundation.
Note what Jesus... told the women. I love that
opening this morning about Joseph of Arimathea.
Wasn't that powerful? And the women after his
resurrection listened to what Jesus said to them
when they tried to cling to him in John chapter
20. Jesus said to her, Jesus said to Mary, do
not cling to me for I have not yet ascended to
my father. But go and say to them, I am ascending
to my Father and your Father, to my God and your
God. That's a powerful statement. Because what
Jesus was saying is, hey, what just happened
these last three days? The cross, the tomb, the
stone being rolled away, the resurrection. What
all of that did is this. I have been teaching
you about my father for three years. But I want
you to know that now because of the cross and
because of the resurrection, he's not just my
father. He's your father too. Hallelujah. Go
and tell them. the disciples. He's your father
too. Hallelujah. The cross made a way for you
to experience the father just like Jesus did.
And Elisha picked up the mantle as he cried.
My Father, my Father. As Pentecostals, we talk
a lot about anointing and authority and power
over the enemy. But the anointing of God on your
life for ministry, may it ever represent your
relationship to the Father. I am not here just
to preach the gospel. I am not here just to see
blind eyes opened and miracles happen. I love
all of those things. Hallelujah. I am not here
just to function in a capacity. I have taken
up the mantle because I have seen my Father.
And He has touched my life in a powerful way.
And I belong to Him. And He belongs to me. Hallelujah.
You know what was radical in the days of the
Bible? For Jesus to call God His Father. Did
you know that this is one of the reasons that
He... was put on the cross, they said it's blasphemy.
It's blasphemy of you, Jesus, to call God your
own father. You can read about that in John chapter
5. But how did he even teach us how to pray?
This was radical. They did not do this. You know,
for us, it's just, we've heard it, you know,
if you've been in church a long time, you've
just heard it. If you grew up Catholic, you heard
it. You just say, and our Father. And it's just
part of your religious experience. But in the
moment that Jesus taught it to the people, it
was a radical, radical teaching. You can't call
God your Father. But Jesus did. And he taught
us to do the same thing when you pray. Go and
close the door. Get with God. And say this. Our
Father, who art in heaven. As a church family,
he's my Father. And you can declare that. He's
my father. But as brothers and sisters in the
family of God, we declare he is our father. And
friends, that's so healing because some of you
sitting out here, you did not have a good earthly
father. And for you to be able to look up into
the heavens and say, oh God, I thank you that
you're my father. And for you to be able to call
him your dad. I feel the anointing of the Lord
right now. You want to see the Trinity at work?
Galatians chapter 4. I'm almost done. And now
for my first conclusion. But when the fullness
of time had come, God sent forth His Son. Born
of a woman. Born under law to redeem those who
were under law that we might receive adoption
as sons. And because you are sons and daughters,
I'm putting that in there. God has sent forth
the Spirit of His Son. into your hearts, and
it makes you cry out, Abba, Father! Can you feel
that this morning? Can you feel your heart? Because
if you're redeemed, if you're a child of God,
if you've been forgiven, you're going to meet.
God as somebody different. You might have believed
in a God. You might have believed that he was
out there somewhere. You might have believed
that he was expressed equally just across all
religions. I don't know what you believed, but
when you come to Christ, the Spirit of the living
God, the Spirit of the Son of God comes into
you. Hallelujah. and something changes inside.
God is not just a being anymore. God is not just
out there. He's not just somewhere. No, He is
mine, and I am His, and my heart says of Him,
Abba, Father. Hallelujah. Glory to God. Now,
what does this mean? 1 Peter chapter 1. You just
write these verses down. I'm not going to read
them all. You're taking notes. 1 Peter 1, 17.
When you call God your Father, it causes you
to fear Him. And the fear of the Lord is the
beginning of wisdom. Friends, the creator of
the universe is your Father. And Jesus taught
us to fear him. That's a healthy respect for
God. And it keeps you. The fear of the Lord brings
wisdom. It brings you into deep friendship with
God. Psalm 25 says that God shares his secrets
with people that fear him. And the fear of the
Lord keeps you from giving in to temptation.
In Proverbs 14, 27, you can write that verse
down. God being your father causes you to fear
him. And along those lines, God being your father
causes you to receive correction. And I simply
want to say this. Stop resisting. the correction
of the Father that loves you. Yield to him. Because
in the correction of the Father is life. And
when you keep saying yes to the Father, yes,
Lord, I'll change. Yes, Lord, I'll repent. Yes,
Lord, I'll forgive. Yes, Lord, I'll obey. There's
life in that. The father does not correct you
because he just is controlling. He corrects you
because he loves you. And he's perfect. And I
want to challenge fathers here that have young
kids at home. To seek out how God corrects. He
is patient. He is slow to anger. He is slow to
wrath. He is abounding in mercy and love. And
we need to correct our children with the same
demeanor. God, make me more like you. And so
if God is correcting you and teaching you and
calling you, don't be one that says, well, those
rules are for somebody else. Don't resist the
Father. And then it causes you, friends, to experience
the love and acceptance of God that you never
knew before. Blessed be the Father. Of our Lord
Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual
blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, just
as he chose us in him before the foundation of
the world. That we should be holy and without
blame before him and love. Having predestined
us to adoptions as sons by Jesus Christ to himself
according to the good pleasure of his will. I
could spend all day unpacking that passage. But
I hope that you got the message of that passage.
That God has chosen you because he loves you.
And it made him happy to have you on his team.
When we chose sides on the playground as kids,
do you know what kids are? Ruthless. Some of
you remember. Some of you know what it's like.
To have the captain say, okay, you're the last
one. I guess you're on my team. Some of you look
at your father and you think that he merely tolerates
you. Your father, he loves you. He loves you.
I want you to look at the person next to you
and say, the Father loves you. He has asked you
to be on his team because he delighted in it.
And he has not picked you last. And in fact,
we. Somehow, following Christ, who is the firstborn
over all creation, he's the firstborn, but we
have entered into that adoption as sons. And
we can come before the Lord, having been chosen
by him, and say, Father, give me a double portion.
Give me a double portion. Let me be your child.
Let me be your son. Let me be your daughter.
That's who you want me to be. Well, what about
my failure, Pastor? Shouldn't that disqualify
me? The cross behind Brianna is on this platform.
Because the cross qualifies you. Has made you.
I didn't read the most important part of that
Ephesians chapter. I stopped before the end.
But that portion ends by this. He has made us
accepted in the beloved. He's qualified you.
Can we just bow our heads together? So Father,
I just thank you for the people in this room
right now. And I thank you, God, for sons and
daughters of the King whose hearts cry out, Abba.
If you're here this morning and you've really
never received the Lord and you've really never
known God as your father, I want to tell you
we've all been in that place. And what you, all
you need to do is open up your heart to the Lord.
Say, God, can you make me your son? Can you make
me your daughter? Can I be part of the family?
Can I start following Jesus? Can I be your disciple?
When you come before him and just lay your junk
down, we've all got it, and just say, Jesus,
thank you for the cross. I just receive your
gift. And I want to follow after you. If that's
you this morning, just lift up your hand so I
can see it. I want to pray for you. Anybody here
this morning say, Pastor, that's me. Pastor,
that's me. I need to give my life to Christ.
I recognize the gift that he has. Just wait a
moment. There's more of you here. Thank you for
that. Thank you for that. Thank you, Jesus. Thank
you. Anybody else? Anybody else? For these that
have raised their hands right now, can we just
all pray a prayer together to the Lord? And if
this is your first time praying this prayer,
just pray it from your heart. These aren't magic
words, but it's your heart going out to God that
makes the difference. Let's pray together. Dear
Lord Jesus, thank you for the cross. Thank you
for forgiving me. Thank you for making me your
child. Thank you for choosing me, for making
me accepted and a part of your team. Help me
turn away from the old. And help me turn to you.
And help me follow Jesus. Amen. Amen. Can we
give the Lord praise right now? Hallelujah. Hallelujah.
Hallelujah. I want to pray one more thing. Because
some of you, even while I'm preaching, you're
feeling something inside. And what you're feeling.
is the healing touch of the Father's heart going
into you. And you want others to pray with you
right now. You just sense that this is the family
of God. And your heart is just saying, Father,
and I want to join with you. I'm not going to
drag this out, but I believe God wants to do
one more work this morning. And if that's you,
if you're just saying, I felt that healing and
I want God to just continue that in my life.
I want you to just raise your hand where you
are. I believe there's a lot of you that God
has been touching. Thank you. Anybody else? Come
on. Come on. Come on. Come on. Thank you. Thank
you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you, Father.
Can we all stand together? Lord, these that have
raised their hands, I just want to pray over
them right now. And I just want to ask that the
love of the Father will go into them. God, four
or five, six people raised their hands for this
call. And Lord, I just ask that you would continue
the work of healing in their lives. Thank you,
Lord. Thank you, Lord. The worship team is going
to lead us in a song. And anybody that you would
like me to pray with you before you go this morning,
I'm going to just be right down here at the altar.
There's some of you that need prayer. And so
just as we go this morning, hug somebody, bless
somebody, but I want you to come and I want you
to receive prayer. this morning and believe God
to touch your life. Amen.