Pastor Jonathan Burgess
April 19, 2015 - W1516

You know, I was flying over here working on this message, The Container Covenant that we're going to be talking about tonight. And I felt like what the Lord was sharing with me that he wanted me to share with you right off the bat was that you didn't realize it, but during worship and during this whole time, you've already taken off.  You've left the land of scarcity and you're about to arrive in the land of generosity.  Our pilot is taking us to a new place. 

We see when the church was birthed by the Holy Spirit, they were taken from one place, the place of scarcity, into the land of generosity.

As Acts 4:31 through 35 says: 

“When they had prayed, the place where they were assembled together was shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit.  And they spoke the word of God with boldness. 

Now, the multitude of those who believed were of one heart   and one soul.  Neither did anyone say that any of the things he possessed was his own, but they had all things in common.  And with great power the apostles gave witness to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus and great grace was upon them all. Nor was anyone among them who lacked for all who were possessors of lands or houses sold them, brought the proceeds of the things that were sold, and laid them at the apostles' feet, and they distributed to each and anyone that had need.” 

Now I’m telling God, “Okay, either you’re teasing us and saying, ‘That first church they really had it together.’” Or he’s just hanging the carrot out in front of us and saying, “Don’t you wish it was like that?” Because I don't know about you, but when I look at my life, my congregation, my family, I'm surrounded not by everybody has everything they need.  I'm surrounded by constant need. 

I mean, that's the reality that we live in, and yet I read here that when the spirit of God is among the people of God, there's a place that we can arrive where none of us have need.  Now, do you believe for a second that that was just for them, or do you believe with me that the same God then is the same God now, that the same spirit then is the same spirit now, and the same thing they experienced then is what we could have today?  Yeah, that's where I believe God is taking us.  That's where I believe we're going to be landing - that he's going to move us from this mindset of scarcity and lack to the place of generosity and fullness by His spirit.

And God helped me unlock how they arrived at this place through this obscure funny little story in 2 Kings 4. Also we're going to go through three places in the covenant that I'm going to ask you to consider making with God before the end of this message. 

The first part of this covenant is very simple. 

1.       If I have a need, I'll share it.

Elisha was a prophet.  In the Old Testament, of course the way people heard God was God spoke through a prophet.  That prophet represented the voice of God to the people.  This widow, her husband used to be a prophet and traveled with Elisha.  She approaches him with her need.

 “The wife of a man from the company of the prophets cried out to Elisha, ‘Your servant my husband is dead, and you know that he revered the Lord. But now his creditor is coming to take my two boys as his slaves.’  Elisha replied to her, ‘How can I help you? Tell me, what do you have in your house?’ ‘Your servant has nothing there at all,’ she said, ‘except a little oil.’” (2 Kings 4:1-2)

Now, it's clear from this narrative here that she waited until the last moment before she brought this to the attention of Elisha the prophet. 

So what you're going to understand from the container covenant right off the bat is that if we will not use this as a last resort but a first resort in approaching our need and saying I've got to share this with somebody, we will see the breakthrough sooner than later.   

Confessing my limitations in the context of community.

Indeed the best place for that to happen is in a small group. 

Realizing that I will always have something to offer.

It’s a lot like potluck. You see the beauty of the potluck is whether you have a lot or a little, everyone walks away full because everyone has something to bring.  Everybody has something to offer.  Even this woman who said I only have a little bit of oil, if you're familiar with this story, you know why that little bit of oil is important. 

And some of you have answered God in the same way.  You said I have nothing.  Some of you feel like you have nothing at all, and God is asking you to actually ask yourself again, but what do you have?  Because all of us have something to offer. Although we don't know what God could do with it, we are just putting our trust and faith in Him.

2.       If I have a container, I will give it.

In 2 Kings 4, 3 through 4, Elisha said, “Go around and ask all your neighbors for empty jars.  Don't ask for just a few.  Then go inside and shut the door behind you and your sons.  Pour oil into all the jars, and as each is
filled, put it to one side.”

God makes it so that we have something besides money that we can give and it doesn’t cost anything.

Therefore we need to begin toleverage our limitations by means of multiplication.

And the second part is leveraging my limitations through creative endeavors.

So they had no idea that by giving these containers, they were about to be a part of a God?sized miracle.  And there's some sitting in this room right now and you have no idea that if you take part in this covenant, you're about to be a part of a God?sized miracle just by giving what you've already got. 

The enemy has caused you to second guess it, has caused you to think that you have nothing to offer, and I'm here to give you a whole different perspective on it.  You give what you've got, and watch what God does.

3.       If I've been given a container, God will fill it. 

2 Kings 4:5?7 says, “She left him and afterward shut the door behind her and her sons.  They brought the jars to her and she kept pouring. When all the jars were full, she said to her son, ‘Bring me another one.’ But he replied, ‘There is not a jar left.’ Then the oil stopped flowing. She went and told the man of God, and he said, ‘Go, sell the oil and pay your debts. You and your sons can live on what is left.’ ”
(2 Kings 4:5–7 NIV)

The widow and her sons had no idea that by obeying this ridiculous instruction, by humbling themselves in sharing of their need, that God was about to meet them in that place. 

It wasn't just cheap oil. It was the expensive hard?to?come?by oil in those days so ?? to the point where they could sell it all and literally have enough to not only live every day but to live for the rest of their lives. God doesn't just give a little. He gives more than enough. 

Receiving the blessing released through obedience.

The woman would never have seen the miracle in her home had she not obeyed by asking for containers. And you and I had this fully?paid?for container of blessing, and God is saying that if you want your container under the spout where the blessing comes out, you've got to obey Him. There's no end to His reservoir of provision, but we keep missing out because we're keeping our cup on the shelf. And God is saying that if you bring your container through obedience, there will be no end to what He’s going to pour out on you. 

If I've been given a container, God will fill it.  You know what's so great about this idea is that I'm not having to leach off of you, and you're not having to leach off of me.  We're looking to God for the miracle, and very often the miracle is actually going to come through our obedience, through our willingness to share with each other, through our willingness to give what we've got.  We may not be sure how God is going to use that. Maybe I can do some cleaning. Or I'm a really good cook.  Or I'm really good at math. I can build, good with a hammer. I can surf really well...

Refusing to second­ guess that I am His first priority.

We are His first priority. Never second?guess Him on that. Never wonder if God will come through for you. Did He send His son? Did His son die on the cross?  Why do I second?guess my God if He was willing to go through that for me? Why do I second?guess that the God of the universe is also the God of the details, is also the God of my water bill, is also the God of my marriage, and is also the God of my children.  He's got my past.  He's got my present.  He's got my future.  Why do I second?guess him? He's only proven His love for me over and over and over again. 

And you can see that the beauty of His love in this final passage here, and we'll close here, John 6:5?13. 

“Jesus soon saw a huge crowd of people coming to look for him.  Turning to Philip, he asked, where can we buy bread to feed all these people? He was testing Philip, for He already knew what He was going to do. Philip replied, ‘Even if we worked for months, we wouldn’t have enough money to feed them!’ Then Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, spoke up. ‘There’s a young boy here with five barley loaves and two fish. But what good is that with this huge crowd?’ ‘Tell everyone to sit down,’ Jesus said. So they all sat down on the grassy slopes. (The men alone numbered about 5,000). Then Jesus took the loaves, gave thanks to God, and distributed them to the people. Afterward he did the same with the fish. And they all ate as much as they wanted. After everyone was full, Jesus told his disciples, ‘Now, gather the leftovers so that nothing is wasted.’ So they picked up the pieces and filled twelve baskets with scraps left by the people who had eaten from the five barley loaves.”

And none of that would have happened had the boy not been willing to give what little he had. Until we give it, we've got no idea what God is going to do with it.  But the moment that we give it over, that's when God begins to have His way. 

Each one of you got one of these bags inside of your bulletin.  God is a God of covenant.  He takes covenant seriously.  Just like this ring on my finger, it's not a light thing to him.  I made a covenant with my wife that I would serve her with my life.  So when I'm using the word "covenant," it's with a weightiness to it. It's not just a temporary thing that you will do in this moment. It's something that you will understand that will affect your life from this point out. 

Here's the stipulations of the covenant. If I have a need, I'll share it in the context of community. And whatever I have, even if it's a little, I'm going to bring it. If I have a container, I'll give it, and He's going to leverage my limitations by means of multiplication and creativity. 

Now, that's the second part, and the third part is if I'm given a container, I'm going to expect a miracle that God is going to do it. I'm not going to look to man. I'm going to look to God, and God is going to do it. 

Now, if that is a covenant that you want to make with God, not with me ?? this is between you and Him ?? then what I'm asking you to prayerfully consider is signing the bottom of this because a signature is your way of saying, “I'm writing my life in this agreement between you and I, Lord.”  Now, don't do it yet because I want you to pray first. Because I'm telling you, if you do this, everything is going to change.  This is one of my life messages not because it's something that I've got down, but it's because it's how God wants to define my life. 

And the moment you sign this, God is watching, and you're going to begin to see these opportunities open up. God is going to begin to give to you, and God is going to begin to give through you. If this is something that you want to do, you're going to sign it there, even write a prayer to God, and then you're going to open it up. 

Your pastoral staff and I are going to pray over all your bags because it represents you, it represents your family, represents your finances, it represents your future that you have solidly and wholly put in the hands of God.  Let's pray. 

Study Questions

1.        What will you do if you have a need?
2.       What will you do if you have a container?
3.       If you have been given a container what do you expect to happen?
4.       What must you first do before you expect blessings?