All I can say, he knows how to ruin a man's night. He met me outside the door out there and he said, you're on for in the morning. And so I went back and tried to lay down and I wrestled half the night. And you preachers will know what I'm talking about. I would lay there and be going over stuff and all of a sudden I'd jump up and get out of bed and go over to the table and write something down for a little while. And I'd go back and lay down for a little while and finally I kept looking at my phone and finally at four o'clock I decided it was a wasted evening. And so I got up and just started writing and trying to get ready for the service this morning. But it is a tremendous honor, and I hope that you as the men of God will pray for me. Generally, I have what I believe, what I call an analytical mind. Everything is in order. I see everything, one, two, three, I see it developing. But I don't know, for some reason, over the last, what I'm going to try to bring to you this morning, has been something developing within my heart over three or four or five months, and Brother Chris has been one of them things that he just sort of hangs a portrait here He hangs a portrait here, and he hangs a portrait here. And brother Nobles, I've been battling trying to get all those portraits together so that I could bring them in a manner that would be helpful to you this morning. And I ask you to pray for me that I'd be able to bring the truth that I believe that is helpful to us as the people of God this morning. If you will, I want you to open your Bible to probably one of the most familiar passages in the Word of God. I want you to go to II Kings chapter number 2. And I want to begin reading in verse number 8. And the thought or the idea that I have upon my heart this morning is this thought Some thoughts on the double portion. Some thoughts on the double portion. Notice the Bible said there in verse number 8, And Elijah took his mantle and wrapped it together and smote the waters, And they were divided hither and thither, so that they too went over on dry ground. And it came to pass, when they were gone over, that Elijah said unto Elisha, Ask what I shall do for thee, before I be taken away from thee. And Elisha said, I pray thee, let a double portion of thy spirit be upon me. And he said, Thou hast asked a hard thing. Nevertheless, if thou see me when I am taken from thee, it shall be so unto thee, but if not, it shall not be so. And it came to pass, when they still went on, and talked, that, behold, there appeared a chariot of fire, and the horses of fire, and parted them both asunder. And Elijah went up into a whirlwind into heaven. And Elisha saw it and cried, My father, My father, the chariots of Israel, and the horsemen thereof. And he saw him no more, and he took hold of his own clothes, and ripped them in two pieces. And he took up also the mantle of Elijah that fell from him, and went back and stood by the banks of Jordan. And he took the mantle of Elijah that fell from him, and smote the waters, and said, Where is the Lord God of Elijah? And when he had also had smitten the waters, they parted hither and thither, and Elisha went over. And then the sons of the prophets, which were to view at Jericho, saw him. And they said, The Spirit of Elijah doth rest upon Elisha. And they came to meet him, and bowed themselves to the ground before him. Let's pray. Our gracious and most kind Heavenly Father, Lord, I am indeed grateful for this opportunity. Lord, I thank You for the men of God and those that have gathered here this morning. And Lord, I pray that You would illuminate my minds and my thoughts. Lord, I know how that You have been working within my heart and my life concerning this particular passage of Scripture. But Lord, would You allow it to come together this morning that it would be an aid and a help and a touch to those that are here this morning. And we'll love You and thank You and praise You for all that you're doing, for we ask it in Jesus' precious name we pray, Amen and Amen. As I said, I really don't know how long, Brother Chris, I've been interested in this subject of the double portion. Matter of fact, I really believe from the very time that the Lord called me to preach, there has been that hunger, that desire. Brothers, here's them to pursue that double portion. And I really believe with all of my heart this morning that there's not a man of God and a child of God that's sitting here in this auditorium that wants to be used of God that does not desire to have that double portion. There's that desire, there's that hunger, there's that drive that resides within them. And I can see here, Elisha, as that question is asked. Before I'm taken away, before I'm removed from you, what in the world is it that I can do for you? But may I say as I have reminisced, as I have thought about this subject, I'm just being honest this morning, brother Powell, I've never really grasped what was required. As a matter of fact, brother Chris, I've never really, and I'm not taking away from the men of God that I've listened to, brother Wampler, but I've never heard really a detailed understanding of what is required or what this real subject of the double blessing is. And as I begin to read and I begin to study and I begin to ponder and I begin to ask God to help me understand what it is to acquire or to be that individual that bears that double portion. As I begin to think about it, I begin, as I said, begin to get little portraits here and there. And God began to show me a little of this and show me a little of that. And I began, as best I could, to begin to draw it together. And I begin to realize, and you'll have to forgive me, but may I say, many times, as we begin to pursue something, we begin to pursue it from what past knowledge we have, only to discover that much of that knowledge is not necessarily true. You say, what do you mean? Many times, if we're not careful, we will miss something because, Brother Chisholm, we start from the wrong starting point to find it. And I'm afraid for me, now, this may not be for you, but for me, I have found, brother, a joy. I found that there is a fresh start and beginning to understand maybe what it is, not rather than what it is. Now, you say, what do you mean? Well, notice if you will, I want to begin, first of all, by beginning with the nature of what he asked for. The nature of what he asked for. The truth of the matter is, if we never really understand what He's asking for, Brother Myers, may I say, we'll never really grasp how we can obtain it or how we can bring it to be a position in our heart and in our life. And I want you to get this statement, if you will, here, as we begin thinking about this idea, this starting point. May I say, you need to understand, He's not requesting anything that has to do with salvation. Everything that He is beginning to ask for, or He desires within His heart, is a desire that revolves around man's degree of service for God. In other words, this idea as he is there, there's a desire, there's a panning in his heart that he wants to be useful, that he wants to be of service to God, that he wants God to take him and use him. And may I say, if there's any degree of worthiness in your heart in life as a child of God, there is a desire, there is a hunger, there is a overwhelming something within you that you desire to be used. You want to be used of God. You want to be of service to God. You want to be of service to God's people. But notice here, I want to show you two things about this nature. Notice first of all, if you will, the first thing I want to consider is the quality of this desire, this nature of this desire that he has. Please take this in open-mindedness. Elisha is not asking for anything that he does not already have. You say, what do you mean, Brother Bob? May I say, this is the thing I'm wanting to correct in my own heart, Brother Noble. We've got this idea that somehow, Brother Chris, he's asking for something that he does not know anything about. He's asking for something that he's never experienced. He's asking, Brother Chisholm, for some mysterious something that is way out there in the distance that he's never handled, that he's never touched. May I say, dear friend, that's the farthest thing from the truth. You say, what do you mean, brother? May I say, he's asking for something that he already possesses. You say, what do you mean? Turn, if you will, over to 1 Kings chapter number 19 and look at verse number 19. I can't go back. Everyone in here knows the context of this verse here. And the Bible says in 1 Kings, chapter number 19 and verse number 19. He said, so it's Elijah. So he departed thence and found Elisha the son of Shaphath, who was plowing with twelve yokes of oxen before him. And he went, and he with the twelve, and Elijah passed by him and cast his mantle upon him. You say, what are you talking about? May I say, dear friend, Elisha knows exactly what he's had. He knows exactly, he's possessed it. He already knows what it is, brother Chisholm, to have God come by and take the mantle of God and drape it upon him. May I say, he already knows what it is to have the Spirit of God move upon him. May I say, if you deny that, may I say, this is what you deny. You're denying the fact that Elisha has worked with Elijah for years before being taken away. And he's done it all in the energy of the flesh. May I say, when he begins to talk about, and please get this, when he begins to talk about that anointing of the prophet, he's talking about a time in a formal way that the prophet would be separated under the service of God. He would be chosen by God. It was a serious responsibility, and God was the authorizing agent. Now I don't have time to go over and study it, but may I say, in the Word of God, this word here, that the word mantle here is used, there's two words that are used. One basically means a cloak or a covering, but this word that's used here is only used in association with Elijah's mantle. Nowhere else is it used like this. That word there where it talks about Elijah's mantle there, it carries the idea of a garment or something that is ample, glorious, goodly, and it comes from a word meaning amplitude or magnified. Matter of fact, in that day and hour, the idea under one particular writer by the name of John Gray, he said the mantle was used upon the choosing of a successor. And it was a contactual magic. The idea was because that garment touched the body of the other person, it had the idea when it was draped over another that it carried their personality and their power with it. Now you can believe what you want to, but I'll tell you how strong I believe it. I believe when Elijah walked by there and draped that mantle over Elisha, just as much as virtue went out of the Lord Jesus Christ and touched that woman with the issue of blood, I believe the Spirit of God went out of Elijah and went into the very body of Elisha himself. And you say, how do you know that? Elisha knew it. Why in the world would you get up and run after somebody if you didn't know something happened to you? If you didn't know something took place in your heart, in your life, why in the world would you chase after somebody? But I want to tell you when that mantle fell across him of the anointing of the Spirit of God for service draped across him. And here's what I want you to understand. It takes just as much of the Spirit of God to put water on the hands of Elijah as it does to call fire down out of heaven. We've got this idea that somehow it was like a lucky rabbit's foot. and the only time it showed up to do something miraculous. Hey, I wanna tell you, I need the Spirit of God every day in my life. I wanna tell you, just like Elijah, I need the Spirit of God to lay by a brook. I need the Spirit of God to walk by a widow's house. I need the Spirit of God to climb the mountain. I need, hey, I wanna tell you, I don't need it just for the miraculous. And here he is. He's asking for something He's already got. He's in possession of it. He's aware of it. He knows that it's there. And He's coming and He's been willing to leave the ox and He's been willing to run after Elijah. He's been willing to do that because He's never got over the touch of the mount. If you're any kind of preacher at all, you can walk down through the corridors of your history and you remember that first time that it touched you. Hey, I want to tell you, you didn't know what it was. I want to tell you, before my wife and I was married, the Lord was dealing, I could know that He was dealing with my heart. And I want to tell you, there was a time that my mom and my dad, they sold travel trailers. And we took Glenda with us one time, and we had a pickup truck, and only three could ride in the front, and they had a cover on the back. And I'd ride in the back all the way from Tennessee to Indiana, and I'd be sitting back there, and nobody else would know it. All of a sudden, there'd be a spirit, Brother Chisholm, come on me, and I'd begin to try to preach. I'd begin to try to talk about the goodness of God. Hey, I didn't know what it was. I wasn't aware of it, but I'll tell you what I knew. I knew God had come in my life. I want to tell you, he's not asking for something he don't know about. Oh, he don't have, Brother Chris, he don't have full knowledge of it yet. But I'm going to make a statement and you folks don't have to agree with me. But I'm more convinced that God called me to preach than God saved me. I want to tell you that's how real it is. As we begin to think about this double portion. It's not some mystical something off somewhere that nobody knows anything about. It's not something out there in the far distance that He's waiting to occur. You say, well, what do you mean? Well, let me ask you a question. Why would you want more of something that you either didn't know you had or you didn't want? I want to tell you it's His presence that makes me want more. It's the awareness of it that makes me want more. I hope you fellows will take this in the Spirit it's given. But I want to tell you something, after being around many of you for years and years, I want to tell you, I've seen the Spirit grow on some of you. I've watched it grow on you. I've watched it grow in your preaching. I've watched it grow in your countenance. I've watched it grow. I've seen it. I've seen it. Not that you didn't have it to begin with. But I want to tell you, I've watched it mature. I've watched it to come to floration in your heart and your life. See, when it comes to the quality of what He's asking for, He's not asking for something that He doesn't know anything about. He's not asking for something that He's not familiar with. Oh, He may not know everything about it, but He knows enough about it that I love it and I want it. And notice, secondly, not only will we see the respect of the quality of it, but we'll see the respect of the quantity of it. He said, let a double portion fall on me. Now, I hope you'll get this. He wants what He has. He wants a double portion of it, but He wants the portion of the elder son. He wants the portion of the elder son. Now, if you think about this, think about this for a minute. If this is the case, it means Elisha had to either be the elder, or he wants what doesn't belong to him. He's either the elder, or he wants what doesn't belong to him. Can I introduce you to his elder brother? Turn, if you will, to 1 Kings chapter number 18 and verse number 42 through verse number 44. And Ahab went up to eat and to drink, And Elijah went up to Mount Carmel, and he cast himself down upon the earth, and put his face between his knees, and he said unto his servants, looked toward the sea, and he went up, and he looked and said, There is nothing. And he said, Go again seven times. And he came to pass the seventh time, that he said, Behold, there arises a little cloud out of the sea like a man's hand. And he said, Go up and say unto Ahab, Ahab, prepare thy chariot, and get thee down, that the rain stoppeth thee not. You say, no, what are you talking about? Think about this for a minute. While there were many sons of the prophets, you'll find nowhere that there was only but two servants that Elijah ever had. This was the first one. He was entitled to the double portion. Elisha wasn't. He wasn't entitled. See, think about this just for a moment. In the text, this servant, he is the eyes of Elijah, he's the lips of Elijah, he's the feet of Elijah. In other words, he, Brother Joey, is the man that's entitled to the double portion. But yet here is a younger brother. Here is another individual that has this overwhelming desire. He has this ultimate desire that I want that double portion. I want that portion that's due to the elder son. So that brings me to the second thing. The manner in which he attains it. Now we know He gets it, but how does He get it? I'm not trying to be mean, but is that not where most of us and our trouble is? We know maybe that we want it, but the truth about it is, how do we really get it? How do we attain, brother Chisholm, this double portion? In other words, here he is, there is someone else that is doing it, but yet we want that. In other words, by way of instruction, notice that for Elisha to get it, now please get this, for Elisha to get it, somebody must lose it. And there's two ways of losing it. One of them is you lose it for lack of a desire. His other brother, elder brother lost it because of lack of desire. I'll cover that a little later. But Elijah lacked it or lost it because of departure. There ain't but two ways to get it. In other words, if you're going to get it, somebody has to lose it. I'm talking about that double portion. In other words, and I hope you'll get this, God, I wrote this this morning because it thrilled me, God takes the simple and makes it profound, and He takes the profound and makes it simple. When we come to this passage, like I said, I've been wanting this for 40 some years. I've been desiring this double portion for 40 some years. I've been longing after it. I've been trying to pursue it. In other words, think about this. Elisha says, I want the double portion. Now think about this, don't miss it. Elijah said, well, let me tell you how to get it. Isn't that what he really does? I mean, really, in the story, doesn't the Lord say, I want that double portion in common everyday English? He says, I can tell you how to get it. Okay? I want it. This is what he says. If you see me when I go away, you can have it. May I say that for some degree that sounds profound. You're trying to figure out how in the world. God, what do you mean if you go away? and you see me go away, what do you mean? I mean, how does that have anything to do with it? In other words, if you see me when I'm taken, now notice what he wants. He cannot earn. I want to pause here and say, I want you to understand man of God. I want you to understand Sunday school teacher. I want you to understand missionary. I want you to understand anybody designed to serve God. You do not earn that blessing. It doesn't matter how hard he tries. It's not going to happen. But please, please don't miss this. Please. It has to be given to him. But please don't miss this. And this is what I'm talking about. I didn't see this until two days ago. Brother Chris, I've been chasing it all my life and I caught it two days ago. He says, If you see me when you leave, it's yours. Can I give you what he just told him and what Elisha knows? Now think about this, Brother Joy. If you just keep doing what you've been doing, you can have it. You say, I missed it. I don't get it. You say, I missed it. I don't get it. You don't have to turn. I'm not going to read the verse, but over in 1 Kings chapter 19, and as soon as the mantle fell upon him, you know what he said? He said, wait just a minute. Let me kiss mama. Let me do this. And he said, I'll come and I'll follow you. I'll pursue you. I'll follow the Master. I'll look down. I want you to look. Look in chapter number 2 there. And don't miss it. Verse number 2. Don't miss it. He's already, look where He's at. He's already over there. He's waiting. He's been told what it'll take. And in verse number 2, look what He said. And Elijah said unto Elisha, Terry here, I pray thee, for the Lord has sent me to Bethel. And listen to what he says, And Elisha said unto him, As the Lord liveth, and as thy soul liveth, I will not leave thee. And so they went forward. You say, what happens? Three times he said, Hey, I've made up my mind. I'm going to follow my master. I want to tell you, nothing's going to separate me from Him. I don't care who you are. I don't care where He's at. You say, Brother Bob, how do I get it? I'll tell you how you get it. Never stop following the Master. Keep doing what you're supposed to be doing. Don't stop. You can't earn it. You say, what's been happening all these years? Now, I want to quote Frances Harbingale on her comment about the children of Israel not going into the Promised Land. She said, the problem is not that the land is not ready for the people, but the people are not ready for the land. You say, what's been happening? What's been happening is God's getting ready or been working in Elisha to get him to the point that he can accept the blessing and not earn it. Do you understand what I just told you? You say, what do I got to do? Hey, just keep doing what you're doing. You just keep doing what you're doing. You say, what's happening? I'll tell you what's happening. You're getting to the place that you can accept it. I want to tell you, before that period of time, you couldn't handle it if you did have it. It wouldn't make no difference if God was to pour it on you. You couldn't handle it, but I want to tell you, he just keeps going. He keeps following. When he gets over there and the question's asked, now think about this, when the question's asked, Brother Quist, he's already prepared to get it, and the other elder brother has already disqualified himself from getting it. As soon as that fellow said, Elijah went down through there and got to Beersheba, and the Bible said he left his servant there. You know what he did, brother? He lost his right to his blessing. You say, why? Now, I don't have time to go in and study it, but study out the word Beersheba. It means the well of promise. It carries the idea of the number seven where Abraham went down, they shut up the well, and he takes seven new lambs and he offers them to the man there, and they make a vow of commitment. You say, what's Beersheba? It's a place of commitment. Now, I hate to give you this bad news, but at Beersheba, God got rid of two servants. One immediately and one in the future. And He replaced them with one man. His name was Elisha. Let me give you the bad news. I hate to do this. But I want to talk about the ease and I'm just going to give it to you and quit. The ease with which it's lost. Think about this just for a moment. If you'll take your time and start over there where he went off down through the wilderness and left his servant there in Beersheba. If you'll begin to randomly count days In approximately, Brother Joey, 45 days, Elisha lost everything that he had gained in three and a half years. Because the truth of the matter, Brother Chris, when God tells him, go down there and anoint Elisha in your stead, he's done for. Oh, you see, he does everything, does a few other things. You say, what's he doing? He's just waiting until Elisha can get ready to give him what he wants him to have. He's just going through the motions. And the other guy immediately lost. In other words, it's an immediate loss. You say, well, Brother Bob, what do I have to do? What do I have to do to lose it? Just quit following your master. That's all you got to do. And I don't care if you've been a prophet for three and a half years, or you've been a servant for less than just a period of time on Mount Carmel. I don't care if you've been preaching three months or thirty years. You say what I've got to do? Do or lose it. Just quit following the Master. But you know the good news is, really joying, I thought about it at four o'clock this morning. I said to myself, if I could tell Joey Wampler if he'd like to have a double portion of what Ed McAbee had, just keep doing what you're doing. Brother Nobles, if I could tell you if you'd like to have a double portion of what your daddy had, just keep what you're doing. Pick any man of God you want. that's influenced you, that's touched you, that you would pause for a moment and say, I'd give my life, I'd give my life to have what they had and have it in a double measure. I'd give anything. Just keep doing what you're doing. Because when you stop, it's over. You're through. May I say, If you're not getting the results you want, change what you're doing. But if you know that touch, and you like what that touch means to you, and it's wedded within you an appetite for more, may I say the only thing you need to do is just keep doing what you're doing. And it'll show up. And like Brother Dean said, if the Lord doesn't, doesn't, doesn't, doesn't come very, very soon, there will be a few that will say, I know what it was like to hear Chris. I know what it was like to hear Josh. I'll know what it was like to hear brother. I'll know what it was like. Because if you stay with your master long enough, you will get to the point that you have now grown to the point that he can now trust you with the blessing that he wants you to have. You say, well, I don't think that's a principle in the Bible. Let me take you, and I don't want you to turn, but you remember the story over about Matthew chapter number 24-25 where he talked about The picture of parable like heaven that he went away and the man was going to go away and he took five talents and give it to one and three to another and one to another. It says that he gave unto them according to their several abilities. They didn't earn it. It was give to them. You say why? Because they had the capacity to receive it. If you want the double portion, just keep following the master to the point that you get to the point you now have the capacity.