Have You Offered Your Vessel to be Filled?

Brother Rodger Castle brought the message.

II Kings 4: ¹Now there cried a certain woman of the wives of the sons of the prophets unto Elisha, saying, Thy servant my husband is dead; and thou knowest that thy servant did fear the LORD: and the creditor is come to take unto him my two sons to be bondmen.  ²And Elisha said unto her, What shall I do for thee? tell me, what hast thou in the house? And she said, Thine handmaid hath not any thing in the house, save a pot of oil. ³Then he said, Go, borrow thee vessels abroad of all thy neighbours, even empty vessels; borrow not a few. ⁴And when thou art come in, thou shalt shut the door upon thee and upon thy sons, and shalt pour out into all those vessels, and thou shalt set aside that which is full. ⁵So she went from him, and shut the door upon her and upon her sons, who brought the vessels to her; and she poured out. ⁶And 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.  ⁷Then she came and told the man of God. And he said, Go, sell the oil, and pay thy debt, and live thou and thy children of the rest.

Have you offered your vessel to be filled?  You know we are vessels.  The Holy Spirit dwells inside because we’re saved.  He leads and guides us.  He’ll never forsake us.  In the midst of our trials, the Holy Spirit can help and comfort.

Here is a little widow woman with a problem.  She went to Elisha with it because the creditors were going to take her sons to repay a debt that she couldn’t pay.  We owe a debt we can’t pay.  Praise the name of Jesus that he paid it for us.  Elisha asked her what she had in her house.  God will not ask you to do what you can’t do or use what you don’t have.  God will use each of us if we surrender what we have to him.  All this woman had was a little pot of oil.  Elisha told her to borrow vessels.

All around our churches are communities with people who don’t go to church—empty vessels who need to be filled.  The Bible says we’re to compel them to come.  Go out and get them.  When is the last time you invited someone to church?  It’s not just the preacher’s job.  In this day and time we all need to be concerned.  Jesus is coming soon.  Lost people will go to hell.

Elisha told her to get all the vessels she could find.  Then she and her sons went into a secluded place in the house and shut the door.  That’s what we must do from time to time.  Get away from the distractions.  Ask God what you can do.  Be ready for the answer.

The woman went to the first vessel with her little bottle of oil and began to pour.  She went to the next.  As she filled one, the boys moved another in its place.  What kind of town would your town be if every person in it was saved?  Do you think it won’t happen?  Why not?  Jesus came to seek and save the lost.  He’ll fill every vessel that comes to him.  Have you given him yours?

Soon there were no more vessels to fill.  Elisha told the woman to sell the oil and pay the debt.  There was enough left for them to live off of.  God always gives us enough, more than we need.  Her boys didn’t have to become indentured servants.

How many people outside these walls need help, help that you can give them?  We’re so used to doing things our own way.  We’re comfortable in the recliner.  We don’t ask our neighbors if they’re saved.  I’d rather upset them a little, embarrass them a little, than have them point a finger at me at the judgment and ask me why I didn’t tell them.  Some people don’t know.  Some people won’t hear without you.  Do you love someone enough to tell them Jesus loves them?

Is your vessel full or are you just coasting along?  You need to work for the Lord until he comes.  How many people have you spoken to in the last week, the last month, about the Lord?  We need to work for Jesus.  Don’t mope around and be a hindrance.  Now is the day of salvation.  Today is the day to work.  Have you allowed God to fill you or have you said “don’t bother. I have enough.”  Wherever you can pray and reach the Lord is your gas station.  Pray.  Stay there until your vessel is full.