What's up? Free Church, woo, it worked. What's up everybody? Man, you look good today. You sound so good Outsing the band. Come on. Well, just before I dive in and preach, just a couple of note-keeping opportunities. Just today's kind of a transition.

Sunday John Jonathan Connell and Tiffany Connell we call them John Conn and T-Con, brother and sister. They moved here about two years ago. Tiffany has been a student at Columbia University getting her master's degree or graduate degree in film scoring and she just she's graduating today. You walked today, right Walking today, and then she's on to San Francisco to take on new opportunities and so we are praying for her. We're going to cover her in prayer, church family and the Lord director steps. And then John Kahn is right here. He's the one you see jumping, hitting his head on the ceiling during worship. We absolutely love these two. John Kahn is headed back to Florida for a second and then he's going to move across the big pond to Switzerland and he's getting married in July, moving to Switzerland and begin studies. Their passion is to go into Northern Korea with the gospel how many know that is uncharted territories right now and we're believing God for their protection and their safety and provision and all that they accomplish. So we love you too. Thank you for sowing into our church family, into our youth and our young adults. Thank you so much.

And then Pastor Ben and Priscilla led worship today. Next Sunday will be their last Sunday with us. They'll be around a little bit in June maybe, but they've already sold their home and we are so thankful for the investment they've made into this house. And this is what I shared with the team, the monastery team, on Wednesday that there's always. Life is full of transition, life is full of promotion and step ups and step outs, and you know we celebrate it in the corporate world and we see it all the time. In the sports world, I mean, people leave all the time to go somewhere else and we just, you know, like we get the New Jersey. It's no big deal and it happens in the education world, but in the church world we act like it's not the right thing. So we bless Ben and Priscilla as they go to their next step. They've been a tremendous blessing to our family and this house, and next week after service we'll have a little reception on the patio. So if you want to bring a card or a note or something just to say hey, we love you and God bless you on your next step. We'd love to do that and we're so thankful for you guys. We love you all so much and I appreciate everything you've done for this house. So, with all that said, I am ready to preach God's word. Are you ready to receive it today?

The year was 2018 and it was basketball tournament time for college basketball, and I'm a Michigan fan. I grew up in Michigan. I've always been a Michigan fan. I cheer for the maize and blue Hail to the victors. I do not care for Michigan State, although I love you. If you are a fan of Michigan State, I love you, I will put up with you, but if you like Ohio State, we got a problem. Yeah, see what took down the church? It was Michigan-Ohio State. That's what did it.

So, anyway, 2018, michigan's basketball team was in the national tournament, the basketball tournament. They were on their way and you know, like my whole in just a few moments, for Michigan basketball, michigan football, detroit Lions, detroit Tigers, detroit Pistons I mean ripped my heart out. So I'm used to the pain and I'm used to being beat up. I'm used to being beat up. In this year, they actually had a decent team. They won the first few games on the way to the Sweet 16. Then they were playing to go to the Final Four. I'll never forget Maybe it was the Final Four guys you can remind me In 2018, they were playing the University of Houston.

I had vested interest in this because we also lived in Houston for a bunch of years, and so I was watching the game and it was back and forth and with literally 3.9 seconds left, the University of Houston was up by two points and Houston had the ball and they were shooting free throws, which means it's an uncontested 15-foot set shot that most of these guys make about 85 to 90% and their best free throw shooter was on the line with 3.9 seconds left to ice the game and walk away with the victory for the University of Houston. And at that moment I was fed up with the pain and agony of being a Michigan fan and I turned the TV off and told her Shauna, I cannot watch this any longer. 3.9 seconds. I said I can't watch it, and she was like just watch it to the end. I'm like no, I'm done, it's Saturday night. I don't wanna have a bad attitude when I preach tomorrow. I'm turning it off. So I turned off the game and I put the remote down and I turned out the light and I closed my eyes and just went to bed mad.

Sunday morning I woke up and got the family up. The boys were downstairs watching SportsCenter, having cereal before church and I had been lamenting walking through the house because Michigan lost and the boys screamed Dad, michigan won. I was like boys, it's Sunday, you cannot lie on Sunday, maybe Monday, maybe Tuesday, but Sunday we do not lie. And they're like no dad, they won. And wouldn't you know, with 3.9 seconds left, the kid from Houston missed the free throw. Michigan got the rebound hit like a 40-foot three-pointer to win the game with no time on the clock.

It's the year I was reminded again and again. It ain't ever over until it's over. Reminded again and again, it ain't ever over until it's over. Hashtag. God always has one more move. Why don't you just turn to your neighbor and just say hey, you better stick with it to the end. And to the one you've been ignoring all service, just lean back over there and just say don't call it a comeback, I've been here all service. Just lean back over there and just say don't call it a comeback. I've been here all the time.

Today we close out our series. Don't Call it A Comeback. And this series has been about reminding us that, even though things won't go our way, we might get tripped up or knocked over. Life might not go as we planned it, we might not be in the moment that we asked for. No matter what, we always have the chance to get back up again. Have the chance to get back up again. Our key verse is Proverbs 24, 16, and it says that the righteous man may fall seven times and he rises again. He gets back up. Everybody tell your neighbor you got to get back up. And we don't call it a comeback because we've been here all the time. Because we've been here all the time.

There's a famous painting that has been on display in the world famous galleries around the world. It actually was commissioned in about 1831 and it's called Checkmate. It is a here we go. It is an image of on the one side sits. That is a depiction of Satan, the enemy of our life, and you can see he's got the sinister look. You can tell how many pieces of the opponent he has on his side. He has taken the queen, he has taken the rook. He has taken every single important piece except for the king. And then on the other side you see a young man, dejected, looks like defeat is settled in, his shoulders are slouching and it seems like the game is over. And it's titled Checkmate because it is in this moment that the enemy of this young man has put that young man in the last move of chess, which is called Checkmate, meaning there's no more hope, it's over. And the painter is depicting the image that the enemy has won and, no matter what you do next, there's nothing you can do because it's over.

The king has been positioned in a spot where he has no more moves and this art piece has been on display for years and it took about 50 years. And one day a chess grandmaster champion walked into the gallery and was looking at this image and watching it and just spending time studying all of the pieces. And it's called Checkmate because it's over. And after a few hours of looking at it, he screams in the gallery to the crowd saying shh, but he screams, there's something wrong. The king has one more move. It's not over, it's not Checkmate, it is actually about to be turned in his favor. There's always one more move that the king has, and that is where I want to spend my last moments of this series. The king has one more move for you. God's not done. His promise still stands. Great is his faithfulness. He's been so good to me. God has one more move. In every situation that looks like there might be defeat, it looks like you might be knocked down, if you will get back up. Get back up knowing in confidence that God has one more move for you.

Today I'm going to camp out in this story with a glimpse of the life of Elisha, who was, for better purposes, an armor bearer for Elijah, the prophet Right, the great prophet Elijah. I mean Elijah was man. He had these miracles happen, eight of them, in fact, that are recorded. Crazy God inspiring no doubt, miracles that Elijah prophesied and walked through. And Elisha was the armor bearer, the servant traveled with him, saw all of this.

And when we pick up the scripture here in 2 Kings, chapter two, we're picking it up near the end of Elijah's life and Elijah's about to be done in ministry and it's transition and he's got all these things happening and he's telling Elisha like it's okay for you to go on back home, go ahead and go find your own thing to do and you're going to be all right. Elisha's like I'm not leaving you, I'm not going anywhere. He's like no, you need to go, you can go back home, you don't have to be with me because I'm about out of here. Elisha's like no, no, sir, I'm not leaving your side, I'm gonna be with you. And that commitment really pressed into Elijah. And this is where we pick the story up.

In 2 Kings, chapter nine, it says and so it was when they had crossed over that Elijah said to Elisha ask what may I do for you before I am taken away from you? Elisha said before I am taken away from you, elisha said Please, let a double portion of your spirit be upon me. So Elijah said you have asked a hard thing. Nevertheless, if you see me when I'm taken from you, it shall be for you, but if not, it shall not be. So Can I just spend two minutes on this phrase? You have asked a hard thing. Can I preach for about two minutes about your prayer life and how there's nothing too hard for our God?

And for some reason we get into a space where we ask for prayers that we think could be answered instead of asking God for only what he can do. Like we pray on the way to work as we drive past our favorite donut shop. Lord, if it's your will for me to get a donut, let there be a front row parking spot, and when it's not, when the parking lot's full, we drive around the block and pray it again. We pray the prayers we want to have answered, we think could be answered. We ask for the safe thing, we ask for the little thing. We ask for you know what might seem right, but can I tell you God is not offended by your obnoxious, audacious prayers. God is offended when you don't trust him enough to pray for what seems impossible. Let me lean in here. It's time for us to stop praying for the safe things. Pray for that marriage to be healed. Pray for that son to come home. Pray for that provision of a job that you've been dreaming about. Pray for that house that you've been driving past. Pray for revival to fall even more strongly in this house. Pray for souls to be saved. Pray for your kids to be called into ministry. Pray for your kids to be doctors. Pray for your kids to be lawyers. Ask God for the impossible things, because he's not moved when you God for the impossible things, because he's not moved when you ask for the simple things.

When Jesus walked on this earth, there were a couple of moments where people came and asked him for things. One was he was a leader in the army and he asked Jesus to come for his and he actually just asked for his son to be healed. And in that day most people felt like Jesus had to be in the place for the miracle to happen. And if you look around, most of the miracles, jesus was standing in front of the person who needed the miracle. But on this occasion he said you don't have to come with me, just say the word and I know he'll be healed. And in that moment Jesus said what great faith is this? That you would ask for me to say the word Seems like the most difficult thing, but Jesus was moved by that difficult ask.

Another occasion a woman the Bible says she was a Gentile and in these days before Jesus died on the cross, really it it was only that God's chosen people were the only one that got the benefit of what Jesus was doing and she asked Jesus for a miracle and he was like, and everybody was moving her aside and Jesus was like it's not your time yet. And she said but, jesus, even the dogs get the scraps that fall from the table. You know what he said. He didn't say nah. He said I'm so moved by your faith that you would step into an impossible situation and ask an impossible thing that the timing's not right, that it's done. What great faith.

Listen, we need to ask God for the difficult thing, not so our world gets better, not for our name to be broadcast around, but for his name's sake. God's not going to destroy his perfect record on you. We've got to get that into our system. Let's pray the impossible thing. Let's pray the difficult thing system. Let's pray the impossible thing. Let's pray the difficult thing. Let's pray the thing that nobody's been praying for. Let's pray big, audacious, crazy prayers, because it is no longer time for us to survive. God wants us to live in significance.

So alright, that's not what I came to preach about. I just got to tell you this God's not a God that meets expectations. He shatters them. Every time I turn around, god keeps making a way. Every time I pray a prayer, god does it better. God does it way beyond what I could think, ask or imagine. He's not the God of expectations, he's the God of excellence, the God of above and beyond. So pray big, believe big and watch a big God do what only he can do.

Well, that's not what I came to preach about. Back to Elisha. Back to Elisha. So Elisha asked for a double portion and I told you that Elijah performed eight miracles and just for the sake of time, let me just breeze through them quickly. Actually, we have them on notes. So, number one he prophesied a drought and there was a drought over the land for three and a half years. Thanks a lot, elijah. He caused the widow's supply of oil and flour to last indefinitely. He raised the widow's son back to life. He called down fire from heaven. He prayed for rain from heaven to defeat an army. He parted the waters of the Jordan. And then the last miracle, the eighth miracle he was taken miraculously.

Elijah's one of the guys that did not see death. The Lord just picked him up in a chariot and took him to heaven. I don't know, that kind of sounds cool, can't even say it. It's so crazy. Kind of sounds like a flex. You know, you imagine when you get to heaven, elijah's there. So how'd you get here. Well, you know it's old age. Elijah's like man. I got a chariot. That just I don't know my mind, that's how my mind works.

So, eight miracles, eight miracles. And don't you know, on that eighth miracle, when that chariot showed up, picked up Elijah and took him off into the sunset, that Elisha was right there. He stayed true, he stayed faithful, he stuck to his promise. He was right there. And what's amazing is, as he's there and that chariot's going up the mantle and a lot of times we talk about things in the spiritual sense, like a spiritual mantle we talk about, but this physically, it was the shawl that Elijah wore came falling back down from that chariot and Elisha picks it up and imagine, imagine, because you know what you prayed. That is impossible, but imagine, you know the promise that was given. As long as you're here, when I'm taken away, you're going to get what you asked for.

And, ladies and gentlemen, elisha is now on the clock. He picks up that mantle. You know the first thing he does is he smacks it on the Jordan River and that river parts, just the way it did for Elijah when they crossed the first time. And then that's the beginning, that's number one. And then Elisha purifies the waters of Jericho so they can drink. Then he prophesies his protection over from from a couple of bears that he prophesies against these kids who are making fun of him and they're mocking him. And he just speaks a word and these bears come out from the trees and the Bible uses the word maul, like M-A-U-L, not like the kind you go shop at and those bears take out those kids that were mocking. God's chosen, so be careful, students. Then he fills by prophecy a valley with water that in the morning, without rain, and in the morning it looks like blood has filled the valley and the enemy starts celebrating that they won without a battle. And they start celebrating so much they forget the enemy's actually there, because it was all a setup and the enemy's defeated Number five.

He multiplied the widow's oil, just like Elijah did earlier. He multiplies the widow's oil so that she can cook for herself and save her life and her son. And then he prophesied the birth to a Shunammite woman who had been barren. And he prophesied the birth of a son. And in one year's time he goes back to visit and she has a son. That son fell and hit his head and died and when that happened, she called on Elisha. He went back and he raised that Shunammite woman's son back to life. Then he made a pot of stew safe to eat because it had been poisoned, and he prophesied that it would be okay to eat it and everybody could eat it and they were fine and the army went on to win victory. Then he multiplied 20 loaves of bread. Then he healed Naaman of leprosy by sending them to dunk himself seven times in the Jordan River and then, because of that situation, he cursed his servant Gehazi with leprosy because he tried to take something from Naaman for that miracle. Then, the twelfth miracle he made an axe head float for a guy who had borrowed a friend's axe head and when he went to swing it onto the tree it went into the river and fell to the bottom. And Elisha prophesied and that, you know, axe heads don't float. But it did that day. Then he blinded the Aramean army so that God's army could go and win victory. Then he prophesied food in the middle of a famine and everyone had plenty to eat.

And then the 15th one. Let me look at my nose, because that doesn't look right. It's off. Number 15. Oh, I did 12 two times, that's why? Well, so that's 15, 15 miracles.

And then Elisha dies bummer, and then Elisha dies Bummer. Because if you're any kind of mathematician, eight times two is so close, elisha, so close to that double portion, but now you're dead. So I guess the promise is not true. I guess the promise is broken. And I've preached this entire series and you would say I have repeated this line over and over and over again.

But this series is for the person sitting in these seats, for the person watching online and listening as they drive down the car, drive down the road, that you feel like you got to 15, and then the promise died, so it must be over. Or you prayed the prayer for 15 years and you haven't seen it fulfilled, so it must be over. Or you were so close, but every time you got so close that one more step just could not be completed 15. I'm going to write a book 15 and so close. How many feel like that in your life? Sometimes Like so close, 15. And Elisha dies.

But you know what's crazy? They take, elisha dies, but you know what's crazy? They take Elisha, they bury him, they put him in the grave, they put the headstone there. I don't know about you, but I feel like somewhere it says this is what I'm going to tell you. Elisha would have said I want you to put on my tombstone the man of a double portion. And the world is like the man of 15 out of 16, because the world, the enemy, wants you to focus on what didn't get accomplished, not what God did, but you know what that grave it's there and one day these two guys are fighting and a guy gets pushed and he falls and hits his head and dies and they throw him on the grave of Elisha and when those dead bones hit that grave, that guy gets back up to life because the promise still stands. The man of the double portion is in fact, the man of the double portion that what seemed dead and seemed lost and seem hopeless, the promise was still alive, because God does not need your permission to complete his promise. If God said it, he will deliver it. And on that day the 16th miracle hits when no one says it's possible, when no one says it's possible. That's why I titled this.

Don't Call it A Comeback, call it A Promise Kept, because the enemy may have you in checkmate. People have buried you with your dream. You may feel like your time is done or your chance is gone. You may feel like your time is done or your chance is gone. You may feel like the bones of your past disobedience are still chasing you down. Guess what? Number 16 is a promise from God. The double portion is a promise from God. Your answered prayer is a promise from God. Your answered prayer is a promise from God. Your faith from the past still echoes today when we sing songs like God you've been so good to me, you've been so, so good. All the echoes of those victories should be stirring you up to know that the one before you is still able, and exceedingly, to do what you've never imagined possible, even when it looks impossible.

Don't call it a comeback. Call it a promise kept. Can you receive that word today? Get back up. Get back up. Don't give up. Don't quit, don't give in. Don't go and just find a seat on the couch and turn on the TV and just call it a day. Listen, god's in it with you. You're going to make it. He's going to deliver on his promise to you. He's going to answer that prayer that seems impossible. He's going to walk you through, because you are on your way to your best year yet, and sometimes you might get tripped up, but get back up because God's not done Amen.