(Entire 8:30AM Service) GOD WANTS TO GIVE YOU SOMETHING, Part 2 | Pastor Don Leavell |The Fellowship

God wants to give His people something, and whatever God gives is worth much. The Father is not handing out cheap, perishable little things as the main treasure. God has eternal blessings to bestow, but human hearts often come with “a head of their own,” wanting God to bless private ideas instead of receiving what comes from His heart.

Solomon’s prayer stands as a warning and an invitation. Solomon loved the Lord, yet his love had mixture in it, and the Lord still came to him saying, “Ask what shall I give you?” That question exposes the heart. God’s people may tell Him what they want, but wisdom says, “God, what should be asked of You?”

Jesus’ words in John 14 make the invitation bigger than many are willing to unfold and believe. Christ says that the one who believes in Him will do the works He does, and even greater works, because He goes to the Father. Asking in His name is not a cover for sloppy living. Asking in His name belongs to love, obedience, and the Father being glorified in the Son.

The Holy Spirit is not temporary help. Jesus gives “another Helper” to abide forever, the Spirit of truth, the One the world cannot receive. The world may not see Him or know Him, but the believer has Him dwelling within. The truth has to settle in the “knower,” deeper than the head, deeper than memory, deeper than what disease or a blow can take away.

John 15 shows that abiding makes desire trustworthy. When Christ’s words abide in a person, desire is no longer flippant or worldly gymnastics. The desire comes from being in the right place, with the right words living inside. Jesus delights to answer so that the Father is glorified and much fruit comes on the tree.

Elisha shows holy hunger. Elijah told him three times to stay behind, but Elisha answered, “As the Lord lives and as your soul lives, I will not leave you.” The double portion came to the one who would not drift away, the one who wanted what God had placed in another. There is a crossing over for the hungry.

Joash shows the danger of lazy response. Elisha put his hands on the king’s hands, but the king struck the ground only three times, nonchalant, careless, not understanding the moment. God is saying ask, and careless asking misses fullness. Psalm 8 closes the whole matter with glory, dominion, and the excellent name of the Lord placed upon His people so they may bear much fruit.

---

Key Takeaways

• 1. God’s gifts are worth much God does not give His people throwaway blessings as the center of His heart. The Father gives from Himself, and that means His gifts carry eternal weight, not just temporary relief. The danger is not that God is unwilling, but that the heart may not yet value what He is actually offering. [78:03]
• 2. Ask from God’s own heart The question “What shall I give you?” searches deeper than a wish list. Solomon’s moment shows that asking rightly begins when a person stops assuming private desires are automatically God’s desires. Holy asking learns to say, “What should be asked of You?” before grabbing for lesser things. [80:39]
• 3. Abiding makes desire trustworthy John 15 does not invite spiritual gymnastics or religious hokey stuff. Abiding means Christ’s words remain in a person until desire itself becomes shaped by the will of God. When the right place is in the person, and the person is in the right place, God can trust that desire. [91:39]
• 4. Holy hunger refuses to leave Elisha’s “I will not leave you” is not stubbornness for its own sake. It is hunger that recognizes a God-given deposit and refuses to be casually separated from it. The double portion came after persistence, testing, and a willingness to cross over where others only watched from a distance. [101:21]
• 5. Careless asking receives too little Joash had the hands of the man of God on his hands, but his response stayed lazy and nonchalant. The moment called for hunger, but he struck the ground only three times. Some losses do not come because God lacked power, but because the heart treated a holy opening like an ordinary thing. [107:34]

Youtube Chapters

• [00:00] - Welcome
• [75:19] - Returning From Australia And Indonesia
• [77:37] - God Wants To Give Something
• [79:23] - Solomon And The Question Of Asking
• [81:34] - Ask, Seek, And Knock
• [82:55] - Greater Works In Jesus’ Name
• [86:25] - The Helper Abides Forever
• [90:46] - Abiding And Trustworthy Desire
• [94:51] - Every Good Gift Comes From Above
• [96:39] - Elisha Refuses To Leave Elijah
• [101:21] - Asking For The Double Portion
• [105:49] - Joash Strikes Too Few Times
• [110:34] - Elisha’s Bones And Finished Work
• [112:10] - Ask And Bear Much Fruit
• [113:00] - Invitation To Receive Jesus

Bible Reading

1 Kings 3:5-14
“At Gibeon the LORD appeared to Solomon in a dream by night, and God said, ‘Ask what I shall give you.’ And Solomon said, ‘You have shown great and steadfast love to your servant David my father, because he walked before you in faithfulness, in righteousness, and in uprightness of heart toward you. And you have kept for him this great and steadfast love and have given him a son who sits on his throne this day. And now, O LORD my God, you have made your servant king in place of David my father, although I am but a little child. I do not know how to go out or come in. And your servant is in the midst of your people whom you have chosen, a great people, too many to be numbered or counted for multitude. Give your servant therefore an understanding mind to govern your people, that I may discern between good and evil, for who is able to govern this your great people?’ It pleased the Lord that Solomon had asked this. And God said to him, ‘Because you have asked this, and have not asked for long life or riches or the life of your enemies, but have asked for yourself understanding to discern what is right, behold, I now do according to your word. Behold, I give you a wise and discerning mind, so that none like you has been before you and none like you shall arise after you. I give you also what you have not asked, both riches and honor, so that no other king shall compare with you, all your days. And if you will walk in my ways, keeping my statutes and my commandments, as your father David walked, then I will lengthen your days.’” [01:20:48]

John 15:7-8
“If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples.” [01:31:13]

2 Kings 2:1-14
“Now when the LORD was about to take Elijah up to heaven by a whirlwind, Elijah and Elisha were on their way from Gilgal. And Elijah said to Elisha, ‘Please stay here, for the LORD has sent me as far as Bethel.’ But Elisha said, ‘As the LORD lives, and as you yourself live, I will not leave you.’ So they went down to Bethel. The sons of the prophets who were in Bethel came out to Elisha and said to him, ‘Do you know that today the LORD will take away your master from over you?’ And he said, ‘Yes, I know it; keep quiet.’ Then Elijah said to him, ‘Elisha, please stay here, for the LORD has sent me to Jericho.’ But he said, ‘As the LORD lives, and as you yourself live, I will not leave you.’ So they came to Jericho. The sons of the prophets who were at Jericho drew near to Elisha and said to him, ‘Do you know that today the LORD will take away your master from over you?’ And he answered, ‘Yes, I know it; keep quiet.’ Then Elijah said to him, ‘Please stay here, for the LORD has sent me to the Jordan.’ But he said, ‘As the LORD lives, and as you yourself live, I will not leave you.’ So the two of them went on. Fifty men of the sons of the prophets also went and stood at some distance from them, as they both were standing by the Jordan. Then Elijah took his cloak and rolled it up and struck the water, and the water was parted to the one side and to the other, till the two of them could go over on dry ground. When they had crossed, Elijah said to Elisha, ‘Ask what I shall do for you, before I am taken from you.’ And Elisha said, ‘Please let there be a double portion of your spirit on me.’ And he said, ‘You have asked a hard thing; yet, if you see me as I am being taken from you, it shall be so for you, but if you do not see me, it shall not be so.’ And as they still went on and talked, behold, chariots of fire and horses of fire separated the two of them. And Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven. And Elisha saw it and he cried, ‘My father, my father! The chariots of Israel and its horsemen!’ And he saw him no more. Then he took hold of his own clothes and tore them in two pieces. And he took up the cloak of Elijah that had fallen from him and went back and stood on the bank of the Jordan. Then he took the cloak of Elijah that had fallen from him and struck the water, saying, ‘Where is the LORD, the God of Elijah?’ And when he had struck the water, the water was parted to the one side and to the other, and Elisha went over.” [01:36:54]

John 14:12-14
“Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes in me will also do the works that I do; and greater works than these will he do, because I am going to the Father. Whatever you ask in my name, this I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask me anything in my name, I will do it.” [01:23:03]

2 Kings 13:14-19
“Now when Elisha had fallen sick with the illness of which he was to die, Joash king of Israel went down to him and wept before him, crying, ‘My father, my father! The chariots of Israel and its horsemen!’ And Elisha said to him, ‘Take a bow and arrows.’ So he took a bow and arrows. Then he said to the king of Israel, ‘Draw the bow,’ and he drew it. And Elisha laid his hands on the king’s hands. And he said, ‘Open the window eastward,’ and he opened it. Then Elisha said, ‘Shoot,’ and he shot. And he said, ‘The LORD’s arrow of victory, the arrow of victory over Syria! For you shall fight the Syrians in Aphek until you have made an end of them.’ And he said, ‘Take the arrows,’ and he took them. And he said to the king of Israel, ‘Strike the ground with them.’ And he struck three times and stopped. Then the man of God was angry with him and said, ‘You should have struck five or six times; then you would have struck down Syria until you had made an end of it, but now you will strike down Syria only three times.’” [01:45:49]

Observation questions

1. In Solomon’s prayer, what did he ask for, and what did he purposely not ask for? [01:20:48]
2. In John 14, what reasons are given for asking in Jesus’ name, and what result does Jesus say will come from that asking?
3. In 2 Kings 2, how many times did Elijah tell Elisha to stay behind, and how did Elisha answer each time? [01:41:05]
4. In the story of Joash, what exactly did Elisha tell the king to do, and how did the king respond? [01:47:34]

Interpretation questions

1. Solomon was offered, “Ask what I shall give you.” What does his answer show about the difference between asking for personal advantage and asking for what serves God’s heart and God’s people? [01:21:05]
2. Jesus says, “Whatever you ask in my name, this I will do,” and then speaks about love, obedience, and the Father being glorified. How does that guard this promise from being turned into a selfish blank check? [01:25:28]
3. Jesus says that abiding and His words remaining in a person make desire trustworthy. What does that suggest about how desires are formed in a believer over time? [01:31:39]
4. Elisha’s repeated “I will not leave you” led to a double portion, while Joash’s half-hearted striking led to limited victory. What do these two stories reveal about the difference between holy hunger and careless response? [01:49:33]

Application questions

1. God gives what is weighty and lasting, but hearts often fix themselves on smaller things. What have prayers been mostly centered on lately—imperishable things from God’s own heart, or mainly temporary relief and earthly gain? [01:18:03]
2. “What shall I give you?” is a searching question. If that question were heard freshly today, what would be the honest first answer—and what might need to change in that answer? [01:20:48]
3. Asking in Jesus’ name belongs with love and obedience. Is there any area of life where prayer has stayed active but obedience has gone quiet? What would it look like to bring those back together? [01:25:47]
4. The Spirit of truth abides forever, and truth must settle deeper than the head. What truths of Christ need to move from memory into the inner “knower” right now? [01:27:59]
5. Abiding makes desire trustworthy. What practices actually help Christ’s words remain present through the week—so that desires are shaped by Him and not by distraction? [01:30:46]
6. Elisha refused to drift away from what God had placed before him. Where is there a temptation to “stay behind” spiritually instead of pressing in and crossing over? [01:41:38]
7. Joash struck the ground only three times and stopped. Where has response to God become casual, lazy, or nonchalant? What might fuller, more wholehearted asking look like in that very area? [01:48:05]