WHAT DO YOU HAVE IN YOUR HOUSE?

 

II Kings 4:1-7 – “Now there cried a certain woman of the wives of the sons of the Prophets unto Elisha, saying, your servant my husband is dead; and you know that your servant did fear the LORD:  and the creditor is come to take unto him my two sons to be bondmen.  (There is some intimation that this woman’s husband, one of the sons of the Prophets, was known to Elisha.  Many a Christian is like this widow.  There is depression, poverty, and bondage in the life, instead of joy, wealth, and liberty.  The truth is:  the plight of this home was not God’s Will.  It is God’s Will that we be in health and prosper, even as our soul does prosper [III Jn., Vs. 2].  Satan never ceases in his efforts to deprive the Child of God of his rightful inheritance in Christ Jesus.

 

“And Elisha said unto her, What shall I do for you? tell me, what have you in the house?  And she said, Your handmaid has not anything in the house, save a pot of oil (for the Christian, the ‘house’ is our physical body [I Cor. 3:16]; the Holy Spirit, represented by the ‘pot of oil,’ is supposed to fill the house; this woman had a small pot of oil, but nothing else).

 

“Then he said, Go, borrow you vessels abroad of all your neighbours, even empty vessels; borrow not a few (far too many are satisfied to subsist on meager spiritual rations, when, if we could provide more empty vessels, God would fill them up — ‘borrow not a few’).

 

“And when you are come in, you shall shut the door upon you and upon your sons, and shall pour out into all those vessels, and you shall set aside that which is full (the Holy Spirit, represented by the ‘oil,’ is inexhaustible; as long as there are ‘empty vessels,’ it will continue to ‘pour out’).

 

“So she went from him, and shut the door upon her and upon her sons, who brought the vessels to her; and she poured out.

 

“And 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 (our problem is that we gather too few vessels).

 

“Then she came and told the man of God.  And he said, Go, sell the oil, and pay your debt, and you and your children live of the rest (the Lord always gives enough and more!).”

 

Elisha was one of the greatest Prophets that ever lived.  He performed more miracles (32) than any other person in the Bible, except for our Lord.  He was a protégé of Elijah, having stayed with the Prophet for approximately 10 years. His name means, “My God saves” or “God is Salvation.”  He had sought for and received a double portion of the Holy Spirit. As Elijah’s Ministry was a type of Law, the Ministry of Elisha was a type of Grace.  We see this as a picture or type in the fact that Elisha saw double the miracles that Elijah did.  He saw “Grace upon Grace,” greater works, as the New Covenant is greater than the Old.

           

Never forget the Word of God is full of pictures, types, allegories, and symbols of God’s Great Plan and design for the human race, and let me insert here that the Lord of Glory has big plans for you, Plans designed by the Hand of the Creator. Under the Ministry of Elisha we see the following take place. The thirsty are refreshed; the poor and the needy are provided for; the barren receive children; the dead are raised to life; the brokenhearted are bound up; the hungry are healed and fed; lepers cleansed; and, victory over the power of the enemy.  All this portrays Christ and His Miracle-working Power.  As the old song goes:

           

“There’s no God like Jehovah.”

           

Buddha, Confucius, Mohammed, or any other false god never healed the sick, raised the dead, cleansed lepers, and brought hope and peace to the human heart.  Let me say it again, “There’s no God like Jehovah.”

In prayer the other day, I was praying for our people, those who stand with and support this Ministry.  As I was praying, I believe the Lord spoke to me regarding the future.  The Lord brought me to this Passage and the life of Elijah and Elisha.

 

The Lord spoke to my heart and said,

 

“AS I DOUBLED MY ANOINTING UPON ELISHA, AS HE SAW 32 MIRACLES TO ELIJAH’S 16, IN THE LAST DAYS I’M GOING TO DOUBLE MY POWER AND MY SPIRIT.  DOUBLE THE MIRACLES, DOUBLE THE ANOINTING, DOUBLE THE HEALINGS.”

 

            So Church, get ready, there are great days ahead of us.

 

“YOUR SERVANT MY HUSBAND IS DEAD”

 

It’s quite possible that this woman’s husband was known to Elisha.  There is an old saying, “In every life a little rain must fall,” meaning that all, including Believers, will face difficult and heart-breaking situations.

 

THE CREDITOR IS COME

 

Not only is her husband dead, but now the creditor has come demanding payment.  Some of you, who are reading this, are facing the “creditor” literally and figuratively.  There is depression, poverty, bondage, and heartache, instead of joy, wealth, and liberty.  It is the Will of God that His Children be in health and prosper, even as our soul does prosper (as he sees fit).  Still, Satan never ceases in his efforts to stop the Believer from receiving their rightful inheritance in Christ Jesus.  It is not the Will of God for creditors to be knocking at the door of the Child of God.

 

“WHAT SHALL I DO FOR YOU?”

 

Take note, as Elisha was God’s Prophet, he, therefore, spoke as God, in essence, Elisha was the Word of God to her and for her.  He was her Bible.  When God’s man, God’s Prophet speaks under the anointing, it is the same as God speaking.  The Bible, God’s Holy Word from Genesis to Revelation, is the Lord asking us, “What shall I do for you?” The answer to every problem that plagues the human heart can be found in God’s Word.  That’s why you need an EXPOSITOR’S STUDY BIBLE to help you to be able to understand and to receive God’s Help as given through His Son Jesus Christ.

 

“WHAT DO YOU HAVE IN THE HOUSE?”

 

What a question.  Though Elisha was speaking of this woman’s literal house, we must not forget that today under the New Covenant, the Child of God is now the “HOUSE” of God.  Paul said in I Corinthians 3:16, “Know you not that you are the Temple of God (house where the Holy Spirit abides), and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?”  The Born-Again Believer is the home of the Holy Spirit. Perhaps as the Lord cleansed the Temple, our Temple needs cleansing.

 

“A POT OF OIL”

 

The Oil is a Type of the Holy Spirit and the Holy Spirit is all we need.  “It is not by might, nor by power, but by My Spirit says the LORD of Hosts” (Zech. 4:6).  To go back to the question above, “What do you have in the house?”  Do you have “Purpose Driven,” or a pot of oil?  Do you have “Government of Twelve” or a pot of oil?  Do you have the books and tapes of Preachers telling you the Holy Spirit according to Acts 2:4 is not for today?  The Lord is asking the same question, “What is in your house?”  And the answer He is looking for is “a pot of oil,” the Holy Spirit.

The Holy Spirit is our Helper, our Guide, our Power, and our Teacher.  We need and we must have “a pot of oil.”

 

A WARNING TO PASTORS

 

Every foolish and false way of ideas conceived in the mind of man aided and abetted by demon spirits is flooding our Churches.  Whether they are “Purpose Driven,” “We Build People,” or any other Church growth method, our people are being led away from the real source of power, the pot of oil. Pastors preach the Holy Spirit!  Pray for your people to be filled with the Holy Spirit.  It’s the “pot of oil” or it’s the Devil.

 

“EMPTY VESSELS, BORROW NOT A FEW”

 

“Borrow not a few,” speaks of expectancy.  As Believers, we should be expecting the Lord to do great and mighty things.  Our vessels must be empty of doubt, unbelief, fear, or any sin of any sort.  This great miracle was and is a portrayal of the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, which would happen about 900 years later.

The Lord told Elisha to tell this widow woman that when all the empty vessels were gathered, to “shut the door upon you and your sons, and you shall pour out into all the vessels, and you shall set aside that which is full.”

This is telling us that the Baptism with the Holy Spirit is not for the world, but only for the Redeemed.  Until one is Born-Again, one cannot be baptized with the Holy Spirit (Jn. 14:17). As the oil began to be poured into each empty vessel, the oil kept coming, and coming.  There is a vast supply; there is enough for every empty vessel in the entirety of the world.

 

“GO, SELL THE OIL, PAY THE DEBT, AND LIVE”

 

Go:  Go in the Power of the Holy Spirit.  Without the Holy Spirit, your efforts are a waste of time.

Sell the oil:  The Holy Spirit along with Faith is the only currency that will spend in the Bank of Heaven.  The Holy Spirit works entirely within the framework of the Cross of Christ.  The Holy Spirit desires to work on our behalf. Pay the debt:  This refers to the fact that every Believer owes a debt to everyone who doesn’t know Christ.  That debt is paid by us allowing the Holy Spirit, “the pot of oil,” to flow through us in order to fill their vessels. And live:  The Holy Spirit brings life.  The Holy Spirit can bring dead souls and dead Churches to life again.

           

In conclusion, let me ask you, “What do you have in the house?”

 

                                    Your Evangelist, Donnie Swaggart