INTRODUCTION
The story is told of a young and successful yuppie who took an afternoon drive in the mountains in his new BMW. He became careless and drove the car off of the road and down a ravine. As officers arrived they quickly noticed that the driver had been flung away from the car and was laying on the side of the roadway. He looked up and muttered, “Where is my car?” The officer became irritated and angrily told the young executive that he was so materialistic that he did not even notice that his left arm was severed and missing. The yuppie replied, “Oh, no, not my Rolex also!
We live in materialistic world dominated by a hunger for possessions which are often nothing more than status symbols. As Elijah’s
protégé, Elisha’s ministry was during the period 848-797 B.C., a time
when evil and idolatry and spiritual lethargy dominated the landscape.
God’s goal for each of us is to enjoy spiritual, emotional,
relational, and financial freedom. Elisha had been used by God to
perform miracles such as the provision of money for a widow, the
raising of a dead young boy, and the raising of an ax head
from the bottom of the river. In this unique encounter with the
widowed wife of a fellow prophet, Elisha gives insight into God’s plan
for our financial freedom.

I. FINANCIAL FREEDOM MUST BECOME A PRICELESS
POSSESSION (4:1-2)
Elisha encountered a young widow and her two needy sons. Her
husband had passed away leaving her destitute with no visible means of support. The situation had become desperate. Fear controlled her
emotions and she was frightened by her future.
In verse one, she described her husband as “your servant” in re-lating her dilemma to Elisha. Perhaps her complaint was that God had not rewarded her as a result of her husband’s faithful years of service to God, a common complaint of many who are serving God today as well. Notice the common symptoms of a loss of freedom, whether
financial or otherwise.
1. Tension -never a relaxed moment, her situation worsened
2. Anxiety -she feared the worse as creditors were on her trail
3. Cynicism -referring to her husband as “your servant,”
perhaps she questioned the value of service.

ILLUSTRATE

II. FINANCIAL FREEDOM IS ACTIVATED BY A STEP OF
FAITH (4:3-6)
This young widow knew full well that the Mosaic Law indicated
that children could be taken by force to alleviate a family debt by manual labor. She poured out her pain and anguish to the man of God and pleaded for an answer to her dilemma. Notice in these verses the steps of faith through which Elijah led her.

1. Evaluate your condition
-Elisha asked, “what do you have in the house”(v.2)?
An inventory of gifts and possessions is wise.
2. Seek Godly advice
-She knew the source of God’s wisdom and asked for it.
3. Swallow your pride
-Elisha asked her to borrow from others the vessels she
would need to begin a home business (v. 3).
4. Combine work and faith
-God advised her to work and to trust Him.

Her display of faith was reflected in the number of jars she chose
to borrow from others. God was preparing a growth spurt in her faith experience and was allowing her to determine the magnitude of that experience.


III. FINANCIAL FREEDOM IS RECEIVED IN ORDER TO
ACTIVATE OUR GENEROSITY (4:5-6)
As she and her sons worked diligently, the flow of oil seemed never to end as they filled a multitude of jars with the valuable commodity which was certain to find its way to needy customers. The jars were filled which stopped the flow of oil into the jars. God responded according to her faith. At times, God sovereignly limits our income for perhaps several reasons.

1. As all needs have been met -Philippians 4:18
2. As our capacity to manage it is reached -Matt. 25 - The Talents
3. As times of need better form character -Deuteronomy 8
4. To prevent materialistic obsession -I Timothy 6:17

Ultimately God wants our dependency upon Him and He will stop at nothing to achieve His purposes within us. He can be trusted.

ILLUSTRATE

INTRODUCTION
Sex and love has become a billion dollar industry in our society. Sex sells and sells well, and advertisers fully realize its value. A hit movie several years ago known as Indecent Proposa, starred renown Hollywood actor Robert Redford who portrayed a wealthy businessman who made an indecent proposal, at least considered indecent proposal by some. Redford’s character offered one million dollars to the wife of another man if she would agree to a one-night tryst. The movie explored the acceptability of such a notion and in so doing revealed the true character of many Americans today.

Of course, the biblical view of love is considered by the whole of our society as antiquated at best and not relevant for modern man. The Corinthians had a distorted view of love and marriage as well. One group of new believers was led to believe that sex in marriage was, in fact, an enemy of spiritual growth. They rationalized that since God was spiritual rather than material in nature that any arena of life which had contact with the material was at war with the spiritual. Some concluded that celibacy within marriage was an acceptable method to pursue a closer union with God. In contrast, others were sexually permissive and viewed their behavior as inconsequential since God was solely interested in matters of spirituality. The negative effect upon the institution of love and marriage is obvious.

 The Corinthians were known for their factions, immorality, incest, continual lawsuits against one another, drunkenness, and a distorted use of the spiritual gifts. Surveys have revealed that women in our society dream most of a romantic love affair with their husbands! Paul’s beautiful words in chapter 13 reveal the elements of personal character which are the ingredients for such an experience. Notice in these verses that the single ingredient of love comes in many colors and is the stuff of which God-honoring love affairs are made.

I. LOVE IS THE PROOF OF OUR SPIRITUALITY (13: 1-3)
A dynamic and deep-rooted faith in God with the accompanying gentility which Jesus deposits in our hearts is the stuff of which love is made. As Jesus floods our hearts with Himself, we begin to respond to our mates and to others in a compassionate manner which defies description. It is the expression of that love that is the genuine proof of our spirituality and which gives full meaning to our love. In these verses, Paul offers three truths:

1. Spirituality without love is offensive -
like a “clanging cymbal” (v. 1).

2. Spirituality without love is empty          -Without love we are “nothing”.

3. Spirituality without love is fruitless       -We “profit” nothing without love (v. 3).

Love is often communicated in different ways: by words, gifts, by service, with time, or by touch, to paraphrase Gary Chapman, the author of The Five Languages of Love.  Discovering the most effective manner to communicate love is a necessity ingredient if we are to enjoy love as we should.

 II. LOVE IS AUTHENTICATED BY AN ATTITUDE OF COMPASSION (13: 4-6)

In these vivid verses which plumb the depths of love, Paul lists the qualities of love by stating nine of them in the negative as to what love is not, and lists three traits related in the positive. Love is “patient” (from “macro” for long, and “thumei” for passion, meaning that love is very slow to boil over or be resentful).

Second, love is “kind” referring to its nature to be mellow or graceful (from “chrestos”).

Third, love rejoices with the truth, which suggests that the genuineness of our love is proven by its marriage with the truth of God and with interpersonal honesty. Love can be negatively impacted and tarnished by a number of culprits in our lives such as:

1. Unforgiveness                            -Proverbs 15: 16

2. Fatigue and stress                      -I Kings 19:4, as in Elijah

3. Secret sins                                -Psalms 32: 3-4

4. Aimlessness                               - Proverbs 13: 12

III. LOVE MOTIVATES HOPE IN THE FUTURE (13: 7-8)

Love has the uncanny ability to provide strength in a relationship and do what cannot otherwise be done. It provides stability under pressure (bears from “stego” for strength). Love is reflected in the one we love in that it believes all things (v.7).

Love causes us to look for the good in others in that it “hopes”.  It “endures” and provides stability for the future. These qualities and more are the ingredients of a love affair which God approves!