Combined Sunday School Lesson Suffolk Bible Baptist Church

14 July, 2024 Pastor Andrew G. Logue, SR.

Major Bible Stories

Lesson 79 - An Oil Multiplication Problem

Scripture:
II Kings 4 as well as various other Scriptures.

Memory Verse:
II Kings 4:7

Aim:
To teach my students the value of living for the Lord. This would include preparing
before death, obeying God’s instructions through His man, yielding to the Holy
Ghost, letting Him fill you, not having a “small” mindset/way of thinking and not
being too attached to the things/stuff of this world.

Point of contact:
Ask your students if they remember what God did for food for Elijah when there
was a three year drought. See if anyone remembers the multiplied oil and meal. Tell
them that you have another multiplied oil miracle to tell them about today.

Introduction:
There are some fascinating miracles that God used Elisha to perform. Today we will
learn some lessons from another of them. The main thing we want to learn is that
there is value for us and for our loved ones who live after we die if we will live for
God while we yet live.

Read and tell the story from II Kings 4:1-7. This is the lesson/story for today. There
are some very practical things we need to learn that are easily seen in the story and
miracle that is in these few verses. All of the points below may be referenced back
to these seven verses.

I. There is a need to prepare before death.

A. James 4:13-15.
B. Doubtlessly this man did not plan to die at this young age. He had a wife and
two young sons. He was in debt and thus left his family to care for the debt
after he died. It was a tragedy that they had to worry about his debt.
C. We should not require our family to live “off of our faith” after we are gone.
1. Because there is no guarantee that we will live to pay off our obligations, we
should at least have enough love and care to get term (the least expensive)
life insurance to cover our debts so that our families are not left in this
same predicament should we have debt when we die.
2. We should put a will in place before we die.
 3. To those who may have to handle our affairs after our death we should give
instructions. Also, let them know where the will is and how to resolve our
obligations.
4. This is a matter of love from us to our loved ones.

II. Thank God this man who had died had had a testimony of serving God.
A. Hebrews 11:5.
B. It was never questioned that he loved and served God. In fact it was indicated
that the preacher knew of his service to God.
C. We should live in such a way that we are known as God’s servants.
1. It will be easier on the preacher that has to preach our Home-going Service.
2. It will be easier on our family if there are no nefarious things to “hide” upon
our death.
3. Others will be more inclined to help those in need if the person had been a
“good person,” Romans 5:7.

III. He had debt.

A. Proverbs 22:7.
B. We are not told in the Bible that debt is sin. But, we are told that debt is not
God’s long-term plan for us.
1. Deuteronomy 15:6.
2. Deuteronomy 28:12.
3. Romans 13:8.
C. If in debt, we should do our best to get out of debt as soon as feasibly possible.
1. We should not go into debt for things that are not able to be secured such
as a house or other real property.
2. We should not go into debt for things that are depreciating such as vehicles
or toys like boats and ATVs.
3. Dissatisfaction leads us to debt.
4. Lust or covetousness leads us to debt.
D. Some debt advice from someone who has been there:
1. Do NOT pay someone to “help” you get out of debt.
2. Debt consolidation loans are almost without exception making more debt
and “softening the blow” so that we stay in debt longer.
3. DO get someone to help you who is wise, financially stable themselves and
is not/will not be selling you anything.

IV. God’s man is consulted.

A. Proverbs 11:14, 15:22 & 20:18.
B. It is refreshing to read these stories that have people going to the man of God
that they know to get God’s mind on a matter. She definitely found and
consulted with a great man of God.
C. We should get advice from Godly counsellors. You should get counsel about
things that affect your walk with God, Church attendance, finances, family
and many other things. However, if you MUST get counsel from one who is
NOT a Bible believer or a soulwinner or spiritually minded, you should first
get some Godly counsel on how to seek that counsel, Psalm 119:24.
V. God’s man asked her what she already had.
A. Exodus 4:2 & Mark 6:35-44.
B. God always has an interest in what one already has and that that is being
done with it. This lady was asked what she had. The way she replied even told
that she felt like there was little to no significance to her meager fare.
C. With the only thing left in her house being a pot of oil, it is likely that she had
already sold everything that she had. Consider this, did she seek God first or
last? It would seem with her, as it often is with us, that God was her last
resort rather than her first line of defense.
D. How often do we lose everything before we get God to help. How much pain,
anguish, heartache and strain is put on us because God is not our “go-to” but
is instead our “last ditch effort.”
E. Thankfully she was truthful and indicated that she did have the pot of oil.
F. When we have lost all, we still have the Holy Ghost, John 14:18. He is so often
represented in the Word of God by oil.

VI. Instructions were given.

A. Luke 10:37.
B. She was told what to do. She was even told to do it with a good deal of
intensity (borrow not a few).
C. God gives instructions. He wants us to take Him at His Word. We are to fully
obey.
1. Mark 12:30.
2. Ecclesiastes 9:10.

VII.The task was simple but seemed impossible to fix the problem she had.
A. Romans 14:23 & II Corinthians 5:7.
B. What she was given to do seemed entirely disconnected from her problem.
There seemed to be no way this would solve the problem. She must exercise
faith.
C. God always wants us to live by faith. We always want to live by sight. Our
ways and His ways are different.

VIII.God multiplied what she had when she obeyed.

A. Joshua 3:15-16.
B. When she started pouring, the flow did not end. Of course when we “give” the
Holy Ghost “away” to one who gets saved, we are not losing any of Him.
Actually, it increases our faith to go tell another. She got to where she wanted
more vessels but they had run out. Her faith increased when she exercised it
by obedience to an odd or unusual command.
C. God wants us to obey first and understand later. He will help us if we obey. He
does require us to move first because He has already made the first move.
D. I wonder if there were some regret in her heart after she realized what God
was doing. I’ll guess that she wished she had worked harder to get more pots
and bowls before pouring out the oil.
E. Isn’t this how we act though. We only get a little because our faith is so small
we do not have enough room to receive any more when God has unlimited
 ability to fill up as much as we can hold. Like the disciples of old, we should
cry, Increase our faith, Luke 17:5.
F. She had to not be too attached to that that God had given her. She had to sell
it to live. But, she lived from then on in the fulfilled blessing of God.

Conclusion:
Our aim was to teach my the value of living for the Lord by preparing before death
if at all possible, by obeying God’s instructions through His man, by yielding to the
Holy Ghost, by letting Him fill you, by not having a minimal or faithless way of
thinking and acting and by not being too attached to the things of this world that
God allows us to have. If we will allow Him, God will show us great and mighty
things. Will you let Him?

Let’s all learn our Bible verse:

II Kings 4:7
Then 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.