WHEN IT'S TIME TO GO TO THE PLACE WHERE JESUS LAID

April 29, 2012
MF Blume

  Scripture Text:




2 Kings 4:17-21 KJV  And the woman conceived, and bare a son at that season that Elisha had said unto her, according to the time of life.  (18)  And when the child was grown, it fell on a day, that he went out to his father to the reapers.  (19)  And he said unto his father, My head, my head. And he said to a lad, Carry him to his mother.  (20)  And when he had taken him, and brought him to his mother, he sat on her knees till noon, and then died.  (21)  And she went up, and laid him on the bed of the man of God, and shut the door upon him, and went out.


A woman’s son died due to an affliction in his head.
·    And the mother  carried him to a room they had built for Elisha the man of God for times when he would pass through that he might have  place to rest.
·    Elisha was about to raise this boy from the dead.

It all began when this family supplied this prophet a place to rest.

2 Kings 4:8-11 KJV  And it fell on a day, that Elisha passed to Shunem, where was a great woman; and she constrained him to eat bread. And so it was, that as oft as he passed by, he turned in thither to eat bread.  (9)  And she said unto her husband, Behold now, I perceive that this is an holy man of God, which passeth by us continually.  (10)  Let us make a little chamber, I pray thee, on the wall; and let us set for him there a bed, and a table, and a stool, and a candlestick: and it shall be, when he cometh to us, that he shall turn in thither.  (11)  And it fell on a day, that he came thither, and he turned into the chamber, and lay there.

Seeking to bless her for her act of kindness, we read…

2 Kings 4:12-17 KJV  And he said to Gehazi his servant, Call this Shunammite. And when he had called her, she stood before him.  (13)  And he said unto him, Say now unto her, Behold, thou hast been careful for us with all this care; what is to be done for thee? wouldest thou be spoken for to the king, or to the captain of the host? And she answered, I dwell among mine own people.  (14)  And he said, What then is to be done for her? And Gehazi answered, Verily she hath no child, and her husband is old.  (15)  And he said, Call her. And when he had called her, she stood in the door.  (16)  And he said, About this season, according to the time of life, thou shalt embrace a son. And she said, Nay, my lord, thou man of God, do not lie unto thine handmaid.  (17)  And the woman conceived, and bare a son at that season that Elisha had said unto her, according to the time of life.

She did not ask for a child, but the prophet thought to speak the word and see God provide her with one.
·    Notice verse 16 informing us that she asked him to not lie to her.
·    If he spoke of God giving her a son, and it would not come to pass, then do not speak of it at all.
·    She did not want to be disappointed.

Time came and the boy grew.

2 Kings 4:17-20 KJV  And the woman conceived, and bare a son at that season that Elisha had said unto her, according to the time of life.  (18)  And when the child was grown, it fell on a day, that he went out to his father to the reapers.  (19)  And he said unto his father, My head, my head. And he said to a lad, Carry him to his mother.  (20)  And when he had taken him, and brought him to his mother, he sat on her knees till noon, and then died.

What she did about the death of her child teaches us a powerful lesson on how to handle attacks we face.
·    This affliction attacked the boy’s head.
·    OUR MINDS are where the devil attacks us 99% of the time.
·    And the mother speaks of the CHURCH who directs you as believers to BE LAID WHERE THE LORD LAID.

Elisha’s room where he slept speaks to us of the burial tomb of Jesus where He laid, what the bible often calls the SLEEP of death.
·    It’s sleep because it is temporary.
·    Jesus LAID IN DEATH only to resurrect again in victory for our salvation, our victory and our overcoming lives He laid out for us to LIVE IN THIS PRESENT TIME!

The church mother directs you, as I am doing now in this meeting, to position yourself in the place where Jesus laid.
·    She did this because she had faith in the power and reality of RESURRECTION.
·    She obviously heard of the resurrection of the widow’s son by Elijah in Zarephath.

1 Kings 17:17-23 KJV  And it came to pass after these things, that the son of the woman, the mistress of the house, fell sick; and his sickness was so sore, that there was no breath left in him.  (18)  And she said unto Elijah, What have I to do with thee, O thou man of God? art thou come unto me to call my sin to remembrance, and to slay my son?  (19)  And he said unto her, Give me thy son. And he took him out of her bosom, and carried him up into a loft, where he abode, and laid him upon his own bed.  (20)  And he cried unto the LORD, and said, O LORD my God, hast thou also brought evil upon the widow with whom I sojourn, by slaying her son?  (21)  And he stretched himself upon the child three times, and cried unto the LORD, and said, O LORD my God, I pray thee, let this child's soul come into him again.  (22)  And the LORD heard the voice of Elijah; and the soul of the child came into him again, and he revived.  (23)  And Elijah took the child, and brought him down out of the chamber into the house, and delivered him unto his mother: and Elijah said, See, thy son liveth.

Elijah laid the boy’s body in the place where he abode in a loft upon his own bed.
·    This woman of Shunem did the same thing!
·    And we learn Elisha did the same thing Elijah did by laying himself on the boy’s body.
·    It’s the same story twice over!
·    In the mouth of TWO WITNESSES let everything be established.

She took off to contact Elisha.

2 Kings 4:25-28 KJV  So she went and came unto the man of God to mount Carmel. And it came to pass, when the man of God saw her afar off, that he said to Gehazi his servant, Behold, yonder is that Shunammite:  (26)  Run now, I pray thee, to meet her, and say unto her, Is it well with thee? is it well with thy husband? is it well with the child? And she answered, It is well.  (27)  And when she came to the man of God to the hill, she caught him by the feet: but Gehazi came near to thrust her away. And the man of God said, Let her alone; for her soul is vexed within her: and the LORD hath hid it from me, and hath not told me.  (28)  Then she said, Did I desire a son of my lord? did I not say, Do not deceive me?

She explained she never asked for the boy, and insisting Elisha tell her at the beginning to not lie to her and deceive her by giving her a boy and seeing it taken away again without a whole life that she’d rather he not live at all.
·    And by just hearing her speak of the boy and not to lie to her, Elisha realized what she was implying, and was struck by the reality that the BOY DIED.
·    So he sent Gehazi to go instead of him and lay his staff on the boy’s face.
2 Kings 4:28-30 KJV  Then she said, Did I desire a son of my lord? did I not say, Do not deceive me?  (29)  Then he said to Gehazi, Gird up thy loins, and take my staff in thine hand, and go thy way: if thou meet any man, salute him not; and if any salute thee, answer him not again: and lay my staff upon the face of the child.  (30)  And the mother of the child said, As the LORD liveth, and as thy soul liveth, I will not leave thee. And he arose, and followed her.

She insisted he come.

2 Kings 4:32-35 KJV  And when Elisha was come into the house, behold, the child was dead, and laid upon his bed.  (33)  He went in therefore, and shut the door upon them twain, and prayed unto the LORD.  (34)  And he went up, and lay upon the child, and put his mouth upon his mouth, and his eyes upon his eyes, and his hands upon his hands: and he stretched himself upon the child; and the flesh of the child waxed warm.  (35)  Then he returned, and walked in the house to and fro; and went up, and stretched himself upon him: and the child sneezed seven times, and the child opened his eyes.

After being afflicted in the HEAD, the SEVEN SNEEZES depict what the medical  world would explain as a CLEARING OF THE OBSTRUCTIONS IN THE HEAD that were likely part of the reason the BOY DIED DUE TO AN AFFLICTION IN HIS HEAD.

This church mother is teaching you to lay down where JESUS LAID when you are attacked in your mind.
·    Go in your spirit and mind’s eye to the TOMB OF JESUS where He slept and later awakened in resurrection power.
·    Identify With Jesus Christ’s death all over again, LIKE YOU DID WHEN YOU FIRST GOT SAVED.
·    Realize your experience of resurrection with Jesus in your salvation is the same source of recovery for you out of this present ordeal.
·    Actually go back in your minds to the place of the death of Jesus.

As I preached about Daniel in the Lions’ den of our everyday ordeals, and how the den looked like the tomb of Jesus with a stone rolled over the entrance and a seal to stop opening of it, YOUR ORDEALS ARE NOTHING MORE THAN TOMBS from which you ALREADY RESURRECTED WITH JESUS though your identification with Him in that death.
·    Your ordeal is only another tomb from which Jesus Christ resurrected WITH YOU already when you were saved.
·    IF OUR RESURRECTION ALREADY OCCURRED WITH JESUS OVER THE STATE OF BEING DEAD IN SIN, BECAUSE WE BELIEVED IN OUR UNION TO JESUS FOR THAT, THEN THAT SAME UNION CAN RESURRECT US OUT OF ANY OTHER ORDEAL!
·    Any other miracle IS LESS THAN SALVATION!

This is PRACTICAL APPLICATION OF THE WORD OF GOD.
·    Let the church teach you until you actually do this.
·    Until you actually go in your spirit to the place where Jesus laid.

When Elisha went in that room with the boy, it’s like the LORD COMING IN ANOINTING RESURRECTING POWER due to YOUR FAITH.
·    YOUR FAITH lays you in that same tomb in your spirit.
·    YOUR FAITH in that UNION where you KNOW by the WORD that YOU DIED WITH JESUS, and therefore upon that knowledge YOU EXPECT God’s power to  resurrect you…
·    Causes JESUS TO ACTUALLY COME IN ANOINTING POWER and IDENTIFY WITH YOU.
·    You identify with Him in DEATH and HE COMES AND IDENTIFIES HIMSELF WITH YOU FOR RESURRECTION!

Notice the sequence
·    MOUTH TO MOUTH first.
·    THEN EYE TO EYE.
·    FINALLY HANDS TO HANDS.

2 Kings 4:34 KJV  And he went up, and lay upon the child, and put his mouth upon his mouth, and his eyes upon his eyes, and his hands upon his hands: and he stretched himself upon the child; and the flesh of the child waxed warm.

FIRST YOU IDENTIFY by CONFESSING THE TRUTH OF THE WORD.
·    Even if you cannot SEE IT YET, confess it first and THEN YOU WILL SEE.
·    Once you SPEAK IT, you will soon SEE IT!
·    And what you have seen in your spirit as ACTUAL TRUTH will COME FORTH IN YOUR ACTIONS, indicated BY YOUR HANDS!

This is the basis of the entire GOSPEL.

His MOUTH AND EYES AND HANDS are OUR MOUTH AND EYES AND HANDS.
·    His victory is our victory.
·    His resurrection is ours.
·    That is what SAVED US!
·    The same principle is what overcomes troubles TODAY!

When the attack practically KILLS US, the resurrection glory shines even more powerfully, because resurrection is OVER DEATH!

Realize we’ve been here before WHEN WE WERE SAVED!
·    We’re always in union with Him after salvation, but we lost that understanding when we were attacked, or we would have warded off that attack to begin with.
·    But sometimes we forget, and we still recover ourselves with the same faith.
·    I DIED WITH JESUS AND RESURRECTED, so this present problem is what I will resurrect over once again!
·    Reminding yourself that you already died and arose with Jesus WHEN YOU WERE SAVED is actually LAYING YOURSELF IN THE PLACE WHERE JESUS SLEPT!

THIS IS BEING TRANSFORMED BY THE RENEWING OF THE MIND.
·    It is simply living the way the BIBLE describes our lives anyway.
·    IT CLEARS OUT THE OBSTRUCTIONS IN OUR MINDS.

2 Kings 4:35 KJV  Then he returned, and walked in the house to and fro; and went up, and stretched himself upon him: and the child sneezed seven times, and the child opened his eyes.

AND WE SEE AGAIN!

WE SEE CLEARLY AGAIN!

This whole story shows identification with Jesus’ death in order to overcome attacks IN OUR MINDS.