2 Kings 5:2-4 (7/1/21)

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2 Kings 5:2-4 (7/1/21)

The Power of Testimony

July 1, 2021 • Benham Brothers

* The most powerful weapon in our arsenal is our testimony.
* When things go bad in your life, it’s testimony that pulls you through.
* A testimony is a story of how your faith intersected with God’s faithfulness, and now you have a God story that’s a part of HIStory.
* When your faith intersects with God’s faithfulness your faith grows (Andy Stanley).
* It’s not just your own testimony, but others as well.
* Businesses use this all the time - it’s called MARKETING!
* The best marketing uses the power of story - both yours and others - to show how your product/service can solve a problem.
* NY Times said, “Marketing is the art of telling stories so well that people lose track of their wallets.”
* KEY - God wants all of us to have testimonies. But they’re voluntary. You have to act in faith - and faith is always a choice.

* Three truths about a testimony:
* They’re PRACTICAL - they are the result of a simple decision to trust God.
* They’re POWERFUL - they have the power to break chains in your life (Revelation 12:11).
* They’re PROVEN - all through Scripture we see it.
* But here’s the beauty of testimony - it’s not just for you, it’s for others.
* Backstory - The story of Naaman!
* Vs 1 - God’s favor was on Naaman to deal with the wicked king of Israel, but he had a problem (leprosy).
* God’s favor didn’t just give Naaman victory in battle, but it gave him a disease on his skin! Why?
* So Naaman could have a testimony - a God story that is now a part of HISstory.
* Vs 2 - A bad thing happened to this young girl - she didn’t choose this path.
* Imagine how her hope for a future was dashed to the ground.
* But she surrendered to her season …
* … and she became a blessing to those God put in her life.
* Vs 3 - She remembered the stories she had seen with her own eyes!
* She borrowed others’ testimonies (you can do that!).
* She saw Naaman as “her master” - this is key. She surrendered to the authority in her life and that cleared her memory!
* How did this turn out?
* Vs 14-15 - Naaman now had a testimony!
* Notice - both Naaman’s external (felt need) and his internal (true need) were met through the power of testimony!
* The best marketing touches the external and internal needs.
* A testimony doesn’t just solve your problem - it changes who you are!
* A testimony has three parts:
* 1) The thing that happened - this is the involuntary part.
* 2) How you respond to what happened - this is the voluntary part.
* You have to choose to place your faith in God.
* You can go through a hard time but not have faith and you won’t have a God story.
* Or, God did come through for you but you don’t give Him credit.
* 3) How you use it - to help yourself and others.
* You have to “remember” it, otherwise it loses its power (Men of Issachar vs Men of Ephraim).
* You have to share it - it’s called “word” of your testimony. Speak it to yourself - “remember that time …” and speak it to others - “I remember a time …”

2 Kings 2:10 (8/30/23)

August 30, 2023 • Benham Brothers • 2 Kings 2:10–15

Our one job as a believer is the stay close to God. The closer we are to Him the more He provides for us and protects us. EX: Me w/my younger kids at the airport. The Bible says, “Draw near to God and He will draw near to you.” (James 4:8) God wants to be close to us - just like a good father wants to be close to his kids. Jesus echoes this - “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit.” (John 15:5) A branch on a vine stays really close - it wraps around it. Jesus didn’t say, “I am a tree trunk, and you are the branches.” We see a picture of this in the Old Testament. Elijah had been the prophet and it was time for him to depart. But he never died - a chariot of fire took him to heaven. His predecessor, Elisha, desperately wanted his blessing before he left. He specifically wanted a double portion of his spirit. Elijah essentially said, “if you stay close to me you can get it!” Vs 9-14 - Elisha got what he asked for! Staying close to Elijah gave Elisha three things: 1) Provision - God provided for both prophets. 2) Protection - they were under God’s divine protection. 3) Power - Elisha received the mantle! How do we stay close to God? The same way we stay close to our spouse - communication! You can be physically apart but talk all the time and you’ll be close. You can live with each other but never talk and you won’t be close. Talk to God and then listen to Him. How? Bible People Creation Circumstance Inner Voice

2 Kings 2:19-21 (6/2/16)

June 2, 2016 • Benham Brothers

• If the land would be healed then the spring that fed the land had to be purified - it needed salt. • We are to be salt in our culture if we want to see our land healed. • The aspects of SALT: • 1) Sustains - put it on a steak and it preserves the steak. • 2) Seasons - it brings out the natural flavors of what it’s applied to. • 3) Startles - smelling salts wakes up the unconscious person. • 4) Sanitizes - gargle with lukewarm salt water when you have a sore throat. • 5) Stings - when it’s cleaning it burns. • 6) Sacrifices - it gives its life for what it’s applied to. • 7) Scatters - salt isn’t meant to be put into a pile. • 8) Small - you never just use one crystal of salt - you need a lot of them. • 9) Strengthens - hikers bring salt tablets to give them strength for a long journey. • 10) Melts Slugs - put salt on a slug and watch what happens.

2 Kings 2 & 4 (7/4/14)

July 4, 2014 • Benham Brothers

* On two ocassions we see the prophet Elisha being called on to fix something that was broken. * 2:19-21 - The land in his city would not yield any produce because the spring that watered the land was bad. * So what did Elisha do? Notice four things: * 1) He didn't focus on the land - he went directly to the spring. This was the source of the problem. * Clean hands come from a pure heart. * 2) He added salt to the water - Christians are called to be the salt of the world. * Salt enhances and preserves the substance of what it's applied to. * 3) He "threw" the salt in the water - he was aggressive with the evil in the water. * We have to get aggressive with the way we deal with any sin in our hearts. * 4) The salt lost its life! Once you put salt onto or into something you never see it again! * 4:41 - There was famine in the land and one of the prophets added an unknown plant to the stew. * The stew became poisonous - there was now death in the pot. * Notice three things: * 1) The very thing that was supposed to nourish now brought death. * The stew itself wasn't bad - it was the one wild root. We can't let this into our hearts either. * 2) There was already flour in the stew, but it wasn't put there by Elisha. * This is just like christians - we need to "mix" in with the world and bring life to it. * 3) Elisha didn't pour the stew out and start over - he used what was already there but just added life to it. * We must bring life to every situation and person we come in contact with - to breathe life! * Salt influences - if we're not influencing the environment around us we're not being salty.