Sunday Sermon Summary: Part 1-"A Heart is Needed for the Mantle"
Praise Tabernacle International, Plantation, FL.
Pastor D. H. Dawkins, Sr.
2 Kings 2: 1-15
1 And it came to pass, when the LORD would take up Elijahinto heaven by a whirlwind, that Elijah went with Elisha from Gilgal.
2 And Elijah said unto Elisha, Tarry here, I pray thee; for the LORD hath sent me to Bethel. And Elisha said unto him, As the LORD liveth, and as thy soul liveth, I will not leave thee. So they went down to Bethel.
3 And the sons of the prophets that were at Bethel came forth to Elisha, and said unto him, Knowest thou that the LORD will take awaythy master from thy head to day? And he said , Yea, I know it; hold ye your peace .
4 And Elijah said unto him, Elisha, tarryhere, I pray thee; for the LORD hath sent me to Jericho. And he said , As the LORD liveth, and as thy soul liveth, I will not leave thee. So they came to Jericho.
5 And the sons of the prophets that were at Jericho came to Elisha, and said unto him, Knowest thou that the LORD will take away thy masterfrom thy head to day? And he answered , Yea, I know it; hold ye your peace .
6 And Elijah said unto him, Tarry , I pray thee, here; for the LORD hath sent me to Jordan. And he said , As the LORD liveth, and as thy soul liveth, I will not leave thee. And they two went on .
7 And fifty men of the sons of the prophets went , and stood to view afar off: and they two stood by Jordan.
8 And Elijah took his mantle, and wrapped it together , and smote the waters, and they were divided hither and thither, so that they two went over on dryground.
9 And it came to pass, when they were gone over , that Elijah said unto Elisha, Ask what I shall do for thee, before I be taken away from thee. And Elisha said , I pray thee, let a double portion of thy spirit be upon me.
10 And he said , Thou hast asked a hard thing : nevertheless, if thou see me when I am taken from thee, it shall be so unto thee; but if not, it shall not be so.
11 And it came to pass, as they still went on , and talked , that, behold, there appeared a chariot of fire, and horses of fire, and parted them bothasunder; and Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven.
12 And Elisha saw it, and he cried , My father, my father, the chariot of Israel, and the horsemen thereof. And he saw him no more: and he took hold of his own clothes, and rent them in two pieces.
13 He took up also the mantle of Elijah that fell from him, and went back , and stood by the bank of Jordan;
14 And he took the mantle of Elijah that fell from him, and smote the waters, and said , Where is the LORDGod of Elijah? and when he also had smitten the waters, they parted hither and thither: and Elisha went over .
15 And when the sons of the prophets which were to view at Jerichosaw him, they said , The spirit of Elijah doth rest on Elisha.And they came to meet him, and bowed themselves to the ground before him.
Pastor spoke about the distinction of the two separate generations of this text: Elijah and Elisha. From my perspective I see it as Elijah being “old school,” and Elisha being the “new school.” Combined, they can walk in a double portion. He pointed out the significance of how each generation that passes removes a pillar of faith. In the same way there are replacements of things that were once enough, but are no longer enough. The importance here is passing the mantle from one generation to the next. “There is a need for both, but a presence for one,” Pastor Dawkins.
If you want Elijah’s annointance you have to:
Draw closer to GOD
Draw closer to those who are assigned to pour into you
Want a little more; you cannot be just simply "satisfied"
When we value something we sacrifice. Some of us do not want the mantle but we want the title; the benefits that come with it (2 Kings 2:7). We must understand that “Mantles are not limited to only church activities,” Pastor Dawkins. Church is created to refuel you; nurture you; give you the tools to take out into the world! “I enter to worship, and depart to serve,” Pastor Dawkins.
Life Application
As pastor expressed GOD has already woven what we need into us to carry the mantle. “If you have the mantle, every thing will be drawn from you,” Pastor Dawkins. After I got Saved, then filled with the Holy Ghost, my purpose became clearer. Through my relationship with Christ, I can hear GOD’s’ direction for my life. As pastor was receiving prayer requests during Holy Consecration week in September, I remember asking for direction in my purpose. I knew I had something to do but I did not know where to start. I began writing more on Facebook during consecration and I realized that my statuses were getting longer, more detailed and even Christ centered. At the beginning of this month, I recognized I had to launch a blog! I finally acted on “The Next Level.” The burden of saving souls, fishing for men (Matt 4:19), had finally been placed upon me!
From my writing being recognized in the first grade, to poetry slams in middle school and now I am here having launched my first blog! This blog was not created solely on my love and ability of writing, but I believe GOD was preparing me for this. This is only the beginning. There are levels in your purpose! From glory to glory!
We were placed here on Earth on assignment: to win souls back for Thee Kingdom! We all have a mantle for our purpose. You can either accept the call or reject it. Once you have accepted the call, GOD will provide all that you need. We already have it!
Do you have the heart for the mantle? Selah.
(Photo courtsey of http://mudpreacher.org/category/jesus-christ/)
