Well, that was really enjoyable singing tonight.
It's good to be with you again.
For those of you that weren't here this
morning, how many weren't here this morning?
Oh, we've got quite a few.
Okay.
We'll go back over and give you a
little bit of what we're going to be
looking at in our studies.
This morning we looked at the study of
the two words that our Lord Jesus Christ
said to his disciples, We're going to be
looking at six character studies during our time
together.
We're going to be sharing in the Word
of God, six characters out of his Word.
And like I told you this morning, being
an equal opportunity speaker, we're going to have
three men and three women.
So nobody can go away and say that
I'm chauvinist.
I am, but that's besides the point.
Three men and three women, three from the
Old Testament, three from the New Testament.
We're going to be looking at a man
who was a priest before God.
We'll look at a woman who served God.
A man who was dissatisfied with God.
A woman who gave all to God.
A man who walked with God.
A woman who pleaded with the Son of
God.
Those will be our six character studies.
As I told you this morning, they will
not be studies that you probably have normally
engaged in.
Maybe you have, but these will be six
characters that we don't normally find in our
studies.
But as I said earlier, the Word of
God says that all Scripture is inspired by
God and is profitable.
That means everything.
And I don't believe that God put any
character in His Word, except they be there
for our study and for our edification, that
we might be built up in the most
holy faith.
So that's the beginning of our study tonight.
We'll take the first one.
We're going to look at a man who
was dissatisfied with God.
He was unhappy with God.
So will you turn in your Bibles this
evening to 2 Kings 5.
Many of you remember and know the story
of Naaman, who came from Syria to be
cleansed by the man of God, Elisha.
He first of all sought from the king
of Israel, who referred him to the man
of God, Elisha.
Remember, Elisha told him to go dip seven
times in the Jordan.
He would be cleansed, and after some disagreement
there, he finally agreed to do it, and
he was cleansed.
And he comes back, reading in verse 14.
So he went down and dipped himself seven
times in the Jordan, according to the word
of the man of God.
And his flesh was restored like the flesh
of a little child, and he was clean.
When he returned to the man of God
with all his company and came and stood
before him, he said, Behold, now I know
that there is no God in all the
earth, but in Israel.
So please take a present from your servant
now.
But he said, As the Lord lives before
whom I stand, I will take nothing.
And he urged him to take it, but
he refused.
And Naaman said, If not, please let your
servant at least be given two mule loads
of earth, for your servant will no more
offer burnt offering, nor will he sacrifice to
other gods but to the Lord.
In this matter, may the Lord pardon your
servant when my master goes into the house
of Rimen to worship there.
And he leans on my hand, and I
bow myself in the house of Rimen.
When I bow myself in the house of
Rimen, the Lord pardon your servant in this
matter.
And he said, Go in peace.
So he departed from him some distance.
Now for our study this evening.
But Gehazi, the servant of Elisha, the man
of God, thought, Behold, my master has spared
this Naaman, the Aramean, by not receiving from
his hands what he brought.
As the Lord lives, I will run after
him and take something from him.
So Gehazi pursued Naaman.
When Naaman saw one running after him, he
came down from the chariot to meet him
and said, Is all well?
And he said, All is well.
My master has sent me, saying, Behold, just
now two young men of the sons of
the prophet have come to me from the
hill country of Ephraim.
Please give them a talent of silver and
two changes of clothes.
And Naaman said, Be pleased to take two
talents, and he urged him and bound two
talents of silver in two bags with two
changes of clothes and gave them to two
of his servants, and they carried them before
him.
When he came to the hill, he took
them from their hand and deposited them in
a house, and he sent them in a
way, and they departed.
But he went in and stood before his
master, and Elisha said to him, Where have
you been, Gehazi?
And he said, Your servant went nowhere.
Then he said to him, Did not my
heart go with you when the man turned
from his chariot to meet you?
Is it a time to receive money and
a time to receive clothes and olive groves
and vineyards and sheep and oxen and male
and female servants?
Therefore, the leprosy of Naaman shall cleave to
you and your descendants forever.
So he went out from his presence a
leper as white as snow.
The theme of our study for this weekend
is some of the practical applications of the
walk of faith in the Christian life.
We're going to look at some of the
positive aspects and some of the negative aspects
that we encounter in our daily lives.
You know, Gehazi is a lot like us.
I'm reminded of the time when I was
a young lad.
Short time after World War II.
I know that dates myself, but I told
you I was 16, but that was a
little bit of a...
Glenn and I know.
Short time after World War II, as I
was living in Colorado, I had a great
aunt.
And great aunts are great.
You know, you learn a lot of things
from your relatives.
But I remember that it was a special
time in her life when the Sears Roebuck
catalog arrived in the mail.
I mean, this was, you know, that was
back when the catalogs were this thick.
And I mean, they had everything.
And she used to take that Sears Roebuck
catalog, and I mean, that thing was precious.
And she would take that thing and go
page by page by page.
I used to look at it.
I said, you know, big deal.
It's got a lot of stuff in it.
She says, you don't understand.
This is my wish book.
Your wish book.
Yes, and here are all the things I
wish I had.
And I thought, hmm.
And you know, as I grew older and
through the course of life, you know, and
as you have your own home, you receive
catalogs.
And how these catalogs stimulate our interest.
Oh, I could use one of those.
I wouldn't mind having one of those.
Hey, that'd be, you know, if I had
one of those, I'd be something special.
You know, the marketing place, they picked up
on that.
And they said, that's true.
You know, if we can create in people
a need, even though it's a false need,
they'll go out and buy these things.
You know, it's just like I think it
was Bill that was saying that if you
came this evening and you don't smell too
good to go back afterwards and put on,
you know, the various things to make you
smell better.
You know, we have this idea that unless
we smell good on the outside, we're no
good on the inside.
You know, and if we don't look really
great, you know, if we don't have those
certain type of hairdos.
If you got hair.
You know, if you don't have, if you're
a lady and you don't have that certain
hairdo, you know, it's just, you aren't in.
You know, you aren't, I forget what my
16 year old calls it, but anyhow, you're
just not quite within group.
Or if you don't have certain clothes, it
amazes me what our young people today call
fashion.
And I'm not going to say anymore.
I told my daughters, I'm not going to
cut you down while I'm here at camp,
but they know, and you all know that
I know.
But nonetheless, the marketplace has created in us
false needs.
We lose track of what is reality and
what is fantasy.
What do we need and what do I
want?
And in a sad story of Gehazi, there
stands a little bit of each one of
us.
We can all relate to Gehazi because all
of us have our little wish books, don't
we?
Our little want books.
I really want that.
Do I need it?
That's beside the point.
You know, we like to, when we see
somebody with something, especially the guys, you know,
when somebody buys a car, say, man, I
wouldn't mind having one of those cars.
We kind of think it'd be neat to
have that type of a car or any
car even better to make us look a
little better.
We always want to be a little bit
ahead of everybody.
We want to look good.
I hope that's a premonition of rain.
But anyhow, as we see, Gehazi had a
problem.
I wonder if any of us have this
problem, because let me say this, that as
I studied the life of Gehazi, though short
it's listed in the Word of God, it
leads us to some very, very important principles
that we need to lay a hold of
in our life to grab hold of that
we might be strengthened in the faith.
First of all, we read about Gehazi, a
servant.
He was a servant of the man of
God, Elisha.
Now, all of you know about Elisha.
We've all in our Sunday school classes, we
studied about Elisha.
We just marveled at how a man could
stretch his body over a little child and
the child who was dead would come back
to life.
We marveled at how he, a prophet, was
able to tell a woman that she was
going to have a child.
We marvel as we move through the Book
of Kings at the life of Elisha.
But we notice this one thing, that Gehazi
was a servant.
He walked with Elisha.
He saw the miracles.
He was a witness to the teachings of
Elisha.
But there was something wrong in Elisha's life.
For you see, that association with a man
of God does not make you a godly
person.
You can have godly parents and not be
a godly person.
You can have a godly wife and not
be a godly husband.
You can be a godly husband and not
have a godly wife.
We need to understand that associations do not
make us godly.
There is only one association that will make
us godly and that's association with God himself.
But so often we think that if we
associate with the right people, we'll be alright
in God's eyes.
Even though our lives are not God-honoring.
For you see, Elisha was the man of
God.
Gehazi served him.
And Gehazi normally did all of the right
things that a servant of the man of
God should do.
He was a good servant.
But he had a problem.
He had a problem.
I wonder if you know what the problem
is.
Deuteronomy chapter 5 and verse 7.
Let's see if you're all awake.
Are you all here tonight?
Are you listening?
Deuteronomy without looking at it.
Deuteronomy chapter 5 verse 7.
Who can tell me what it says?
Now in Deuteronomy it's the book of the
law.
Okay brother.
Close.
Just back up a little bit.
You're just a little bit farther down.
What's the first of the ten commandments?
No other gods.
Has it changed?
You said, oh, but Larry, don't you understand?
They lived in the time of the law.
Has it changed?
As we move into the dispensation of grace.
Does God say, well now that you're under
grace, you can have any other gods you
want?
I don't believe so.
For he again tells us the son of
God while he's here on this earth.
He said, you shall love the Lord your
God with all your heart, with all your
soul, with all your mind.
And everything that is in you, let you
love the Lord your God.
That's the first and greatest of all the
commandments.
No other gods but him.
For you see, the problem with Gehazi is
the problem that we have.
Other gods.
And oh, how easily they slip into our
life.
How easily they slip into our life because
we are not paying attention.
Because you see, Satan, the master deceiver, is
still doing his great work.
And oh, if you believe that Satan is
not powerful and is not working today, all
you need to do is look around you.
But we need to realize that Satan realizes
more than anyone else.
He realizes more than any other person, anything
else, that his time is growing short.
It's coming to a close.
And when it draws to a close, we're
going to hear something.
We're going to hear a shout.
For then Satan knows that the time is
very, very short and he must do his
work.
And then for a thousand years, he will
be put aside.
He will be put away.
Then only at the end will he be
released.
But then he knows all is lost.
All is lost.
Because then there is only one place left
for him.
And that's the lake of fire.
Forever and ever.
And for those who would follow him, for
he is their God.
They will be with him and they will
understand that the master deceiver has deceived them
for the countless ages of eternity.
Dear ones, we're speaking of serious things tonight.
It's a serious thing to live in the
world today and to reject the living God.
God is a God who is not mocked.
And in the life of Gehazi, we see
God says, I will not be mocked.
For how else can we understand that Elisha
would know what went on?
He didn't.
There was no way he could possibly know.
Now, you may think of all kinds of
things, but I believe the word of God
that was revealed to Elisha by God himself.
That this servant of his would come to
understand how grievous God looks at sin.
It's a grievous thing to God.
He cannot look upon sin and he cannot
look upon sin in our life.
But the first thing that we notice in
the life of Gehazi is he had another
God.
I wonder, what do you suppose was Gehazi's
God?
I think it was the God of materialism.
Do you think we live in a materialistic
society?
We'd have to be a total fool not
to believe that.
All we have to do is look around
us.
The God of materialism is everywhere.
You need to have these things to really
live.
If you don't have these things, you aren't
living.
You aren't living.
And so, materialism slowly and very purposefully edges
into our life.
Cutting out the God of all creation.
Next, we notice in the sins of Gehazi,
first of all, he had the God of
materialism.
But we notice the second thing is Gehazi's
discontentment.
Today, in our hospitals around our land, over
50% of the patients that are in
for physical ailments, they say, better than 50
% of people that are put in hospitals,
registered in hospitals, are there.
With so-called physical ailments that really have
a spiritual background.
And the greatest of these things is discontentment.
I'm missing something.
I don't have this.
Or this is not working in my life.
You know, men, they're unhappy.
Because they don't have a better job.
They don't have a better car.
They don't have a better wife.
Wives are unhappy because they don't have better
husbands.
We don't have better children.
Everybody's got something better than us.
We don't have it.
And we're losing.
We're losing in the game of life.
And we're discontented.
And we're unhappy.
Poor old Gehazi.
He allowed that discontentment to ease in there.
Oh, what a work it did.
What a work it did.
Let's see what happens.
James 1.
We were there this morning for a few
moments.
Let's go back there.
James 1.
And look at some verses.
James 1.
Blessed is a man who perseveres under trial.
Verse 12, excuse me.
James 1.
Blessed is a man who perseveres under trial.
For once he has been approved to receive
the crown of life, which the Lord has
promised to those who love him.
Let no one say when he is tempted,
I am being tempted by God.
For God cannot be tempted by evil.
And he himself does not tempt anyone.
But each one is tempted when he is
carried away and enticed.
When he is carried away and enticed.
By his own lust.
Then when lust is conceived.
It gives birth.
It gives birth to sin.
And when sin is accomplished.
You notice the words next.
The sad tragedy of sin.
It brings forth death.
Not always physical death.
But death to God.
Death to the relationship.
That man has with God.
The living and the true God.
The God of all creation.
The sadness of Gehazi's life.
Began with a seed of discontentment.
Discontentment.
He looked around.
Now Elisha.
You say you're a servant.
You can just see these thought patterns going.
Because you know we all have them.
Maybe you don't have them.
Maybe you don't have these thoughts.
But you know when I talk to people.
I find out.
That I'm not really as far away as
I thought I was.
In their thoughts.
Yeah we have the same thoughts.
And isn't it interesting.
You know you can see Gehazi.
In his thought patterns.
He's sitting there in his room.
And he's thinking.
Now Elisha.
You claim to be a prophet.
Of the great God.
The God who is above all gods.
But look at you.
What have you got?
Nothing.
You're lucky to have.
Clean clothes.
And not always do you have that.
And what have we got to show.
For serving this living and true God.
Elisha.
What have we got?
Nothing.
Look at this ramshackle place we live in.
It's nothing.
And look at those people over there.
Those ones over there that worship.
Those gods.
Look at what they've got.
Ever felt that way.
No.
We never acknowledge that we really feel that
way.
But we do by our very action.
We deny God.
Because we go.
We go to the broken cisterns of the
world.
To find happiness and there's nothing there.
But yet we always have in the back
of our mind.
Because the world keeps telling us.
We've got it and you don't.
But if you want it.
Come to us and you will get it.
But yet we go.
And there's nothing.
There's nothing.
A few weeks ago.
I had the pleasure of sitting at a
breakfast.
With Charles Coulson.
The man who was the.
One of the perpetrators of the Great Watergate
scandal.
During the Nixon administration.
Here was a man.
Who sat.
In an office.
Directly across from the Oval Office.
Of the President of the United States.
He was a man.
Who had everything.
He recounted.
He said.
I had one of the most prestigious offices.
In the United States.
I was at the very seat.
Of power.
In the world.
I had a wonderful home.
I had a.
Better than six digits salary.
I had a yacht on Chesapeake Bay.
I had.
A chauffeured limousine.
That would take me anywhere I wanted to
go.
I had at my disposal.
Transportation.
Anywhere in the world.
At a moment's notice.
I had everything.
And he said.
I said in a jail cell.
And realized.
I had absolutely nothing.
I was the most sick man.
In all the world.
He says.
Because.
I looked at what I had.
And none of it.
None of it.
Gave me a moment's peace.
Or a moment's joy.
He said.
I was the most empty man.
That you have ever met.
And he said.
There I sat in a jail cell.
And God began to work with me.
We all know he's gone on to.
Work in one of the great prison ministries.
The prison fellowship.
The Lord has truly blessed that work.
Now I don't agree with everything Charles Colson
says and does.
That's not important.
But God.
Works.
In the lives of men and women.
And it's not through materialistic things.
He's telling us.
That life is found in him.
In a life.
Of service.
If we're discontent with our lot in life.
Have we taken a true evaluation.
Of where we're at.
You notice that.
Gahazi.
Had in the back of his mind.
That maybe if he served.
If he served this man of God.
As Elisha.
Maybe God would give to him.
What was the really the.
The desire of his heart.
You know if you drop down and read
in that verse 26.
About all the things.
That Elisha draw.
Drew to his attention.
He said.
Is this the time.
To have all these things.
And he recounts a list of things.
I think Gahazi wanted to be a farmer.
He wanted to be a wealthy farmer.
With a lot of animals.
A lot of servants.
He wanted the things of this world.
Because he thought there.
There is joy.
There is peace.
And yet.
God in his mercy.
Dealt with Gahazi.
God in his mercy.
Dealt with Gahazi.
For even.
After Gahazi had purpose.
He purposed in his heart.
To be disobedient to God.
Now I know none of you here this
evening.
Whatever purpose in your heart.
To be deliberately disobedient to the word of
God.
You don't have that problem.
But I'm sorry to say.
That there's times in my life.
When I have purpose.
To be disobedient to God.
And you know God.
Is a God who is not mocked.
He says.
When you're disobedient.
Expect to hear from me.
You know the wonderful things.
The lessons that I've learned.
In being a father.
Just.
Untold lessons.
And how many times.
In those lessons.
In raising my family.
I've learned the lessons.
That God deals with me.
As one of his children.
You know my children.
When they disobey.
And I find out about it.
They know.
They're going to hear from dear old dad.
They know.
That there's going to be a problem.
And they know.
That they're going to be called to account.
For their disobedience.
You know in our home.
We have.
A set of standards.
That we live by.
And everybody in that family.
From the youngest to the oldest.
Is expected to abide by those standards.
And defilement of those standards.
Leads to discipline.
You know I would have been very sad.
If in the life of Gehazi.
If he had just got.
A verbal chewing out.
I would have said.
But God.
Is that sufficient?
Is that sufficient for what he's done?
Look at.
Look at all that he did.
Look at.
How he lied.
How he used the.
The name of the prophet.
In lies.
And how.
He defiled your position God.
As not accepting things from the heathen.
God look at all the things this man
did.
And yet God was merciful.
And I look at my own life.
And I said.
If I can call Gehazi into account.
Should not I call myself.
First of all.
Gehazi purpose any is hard to be disobedient.
And you know that.
Because it says.
That as soon as Naaman left.
Gehazi sat there and went through.
His little pity party.
Said man I just can't understand.
What's the matter with Elisha.
Not taking those things.
And it doesn't say he kind of.
Ambled out you know.
And started on the trail after him.
It says he ran.
He purpose he took off with great intent.
To catch Naaman.
Man I don't want this fish to get
away.
I want.
To catch this man.
And he ran.
And he ran purposefully.
To be disobedient.
First John chapter 2.
And by this we know.
That we have come to know him.
If.
We keep his commandments.
The one who says I have come to
know him.
And does not keep his commandments.
Is a liar.
And the truth.
Is not in him.
But whoever keeps his commandments.
Keeps his word.
In him the love of God has truly
been perfected.
By this we know.
That we are in him.
The one who says he abides in him.
Are himself to walk.
In the same manner.
As he was.
Here's the answer.
To the Christians walk of faith.
To walk.
As he was.
In Ephesians.
Chapter 5.
Paul begins this great chapter.
With these words.
Be imitators.
Of me.
Even as I also.
Am of God.
Be an imitator.
Of God as his children.
Be imitators.
Of God.
As beloved children.
An imitator.
Of God.
I ask you this.
Who was Gehazi imitating?
Was he imitating those things that Elisha.
Had exhibited in his life.
As a follower of God.
I think not.
He imitated those things of the flesh.
Those things that cried out for satisfaction.
And all the sadness.
Of a life.
That would search.
A broken system.
Going to a well that is empty.
With nothing but dust.
To parch.
The thirst.
To take the dirt.
And try to satisfy the thirst.
What a tragedy.
Naaman is so taken up.
The course of events have gone so far
now.
He's lied to Naaman.
He's taken the stuff.
The goods.
Wrongfully.
He now has incorporated others.
The servants.
Other servants.
He says here let's carry this stuff back.
He gets to the home.
Back to the house.
But before he gets there.
He tells the servants.
Here give me these things.
I'll take them.
And you know they just assumed that he
was probably going to take them in and
give them to Elisha.
But you know.
Gehazi waits till they get out of sight.
He slips in.
Puts the stuff away.
Doesn't want anybody to see it.
Doesn't want anybody to know about it.
Puts it away.
He didn't want them servants coming along.
You know.
If he didn't take the stuff right into
Elisha.
Surely they would start asking questions.
You know Gehazi what are you doing?
This stuff belongs really.
Where are these two guys you were talking
about?
He didn't want anybody around.
Nobody to muddy up the waters of his
deception.
Takes the things in.
He puts them away.
You ever been caught in that?
Ever done things in the secret?
Nobody else.
We want nobody else involved.
Nobody else to know.
Puts the things away.
He goes into Elisha.
Elisha where you been?
Well now the.
The deception has gotten such a hold of
Gehazi.
That he knows there's no turning back.
Oh I didn't go anywhere.
Didn't do anything.
Why?
Why would you ask Elisha?
What's the problem?
And I think the minute he said those
words.
And he looked into Elisha's eyes.
He knew the jig was up.
Oh Gehazi.
Was I not there when the man turned
aside from his chariot.
I can see Gehazi's jaw.
Start ricocheting off his chest bone.
How did he know?
How could he possibly know?
He had forgotten.
In so short a time he had forgotten.
Here was a man who communed with the
living God.
And God had revealed it to him.
In that moment.
I wonder what went through Gehazi's mind.
Did he say I've done a dumb thing?
I've really blown it.
Did he plead?
In repentance?
Did he seek mercy?
Doesn't say.
But the word was given.
Now God starts dealing with Elisha.
Or with Gehazi through Elisha.
You see.
Gehazi.
Had associated himself with the man of God.
But he forgot all of the principles.
He never took knowledge of all the principles.
To which he could have learned about God.
In the life of Elisha.
For if he would have paid attention.
When Naaman came.
He would have learned of the power of
God to heal.
God can heal.
And God is still in the same business
today.
As he was in the time of Elisha.
Of healing.
All types of healing.
And not at the hands of man.
God is still in the business of doing
healing.
For he is the one.
Who planted the seed.
That every one of us is here today.
For the Lord God is still the maker
of life.
He is still.
The one who is the master of life.
And he is the one who can heal.
The body defiled.
By sin.
And corruption.
But Gehazi had forgotten the power of God
to heal.
And Gehazi did not take.
Awareness.
Or did not become aware.
Of the mercy of God.
To the heathen.
Was there any reason.
Any reason at all.
While Elisha.
Should help.
This one who was a self confessed.
Heathen.
For he didn't really want to go.
And I said why.
Do I have to go to Israel.
Because there.
Is a man of God in Israel.
God was in Israel.
Working through the life of Elisha.
Gehazi had forgotten the mercy of God.
You know in the many times that.
No doubt that.
In their travels together Gehazi.
Would hear Elisha pronounce judgment.
As he would soon hear himself.
And others lie.
He forgot.
About the judgment of God for sin.
He'd been around it for so long.
He'd become callous towards it.
Do we ever slip into that mode.
Where we become callous.
Towards God judgment for sin.
Because we've been around it so much.
We think that it does not apply to
us.
We've forgotten.
That it applies to us.
God deals.
With sin.
He judges.
Every sin.
He will judge sin.
What can we learn.
What can you learn from the life of
Gehazi.
One of the things that I continue to
learn.
Is God still shows mercy.
He still shows mercy.
What would have happened.
If Gehazi had not been caught.
In his sin.
What normally happens to you.
When you aren't caught in your sin.
Think about it.
What do you do.
Do you ever do it again.
Do you ever have that little pet sin
in your life.
That little sin that you know.
Well this is just kind of between.
Me and God you know.
He understands me.
You know and this is just a kind
of a sin that.
We don't deal with it.
It's a little pet sin.
And we don't really talk to God about
it.
Oh we might mention Lord.
I wish you'd remove this from my life.
But you know we're not really sincere.
We're kind of half hearted about it.
But God showed mercy.
He showed abundant mercy to Gehazi that day.
Because if he hadn't shown Gehazi mercy that
day.
I am fully assured.
Because I know Gehazi was made of the
same flesh.
That I made up today.
And I know how high flesh is.
And yours is the same way.
We'd have gone on in our sin.
We'd have continued on.
And God wanted to show Gehazi mercy.
He didn't allow him to pursue his course.
That was leading to his destruction.
One of the things that we can also
learn.
Is that sin has a tremendous price.
For all that he wanted.
Every time.
That his arm would come out from under
his cloak.
And he would see that whiteness of leprosy.
Do you think he'd be reminded.
Of the cost of his sin.
I wonder if in our lives if God
dealt with us as he dealt with Gehazi.
And because of our sin we had leprosy.
For that pet sin there was leprosy upon
our hands and arms.
And every time we looked at ourselves we
would be reminded of that sin.
But sin.
God deals with it.
And it has a price.
If you take anything away from here tonight.
We might remind ourselves of three things.
Three things that we can learn from the
life of Gehazi.
Emphatic things.
Keep the rooms of our life.
Free from other gods.
Now all of us.
Have these rooms in our lives.
In which we live.
You know we have.
That room men.
We call the work room.
You know and that sometimes.
That work room.
We go to work.
You know sometimes we have to set aside.
Certain principles don't we.
We feel justified.
You know if we're going to get ahead.
We have to do these things.
And yet there's a pricking of our conscience.
Is this what my Lord would have me
to do.
But we set up other gods in the
work rooms of our life.
The God that says if you're going to
advance.
If you're going to make it.
You've got to do these things.
But they're not what God would have me
to do.
But you don't understand.
I've got to do them.
And we set up another God.
It's the God.
Of this world.
We're letting the world speak to us.
Oh for the young people that are here.
What about the God you set up.
In the schoolrooms of life.
Oh as a parent.
I thought I was knowledgeable.
Of the pressures that are put upon young
people today.
In the classrooms.
In the school place.
For a good part of my life.
I spent in the classroom.
Of the university.
Working my way slowly and methodically toward that
degree.
And I remember saying under a variety.
Of teachers and professors.
That proclaim things.
That were not according to the word of
God.
And I kept thinking about all these things.
That our young people are faced with.
And how easy it is.
To set up the God of knowledge.
That if I know these things.
Everything else is going to be added unto
me.
We look in the schoolrooms.
We look in the classrooms.
We look at the people that walk.
On the college campuses.
The high school campus.
The grade schools.
Wherever they go.
They're faced with a variety of pressures.
That many of us don't even understand.
And how the world wants to shove a
God before them.
And how easy.
How easy Satan makes it.
It's just a little corner.
A little corner of your life.
You can just put it there.
Nobody needs to know.
It's just there.
There is one great room.
That every one of us has.
And every one of us I feel.
That I can say this without any hesitancy.
That everyone here.
Has a God set up in that room.
Now I may be wrong.
And you can challenge me later.
But it's called the playroom of our minds.
The playroom of our minds.
We set up God.
For you know in the playroom of our
minds.
We can do things.
And nobody else knows.
No one.
Not another living soul.
Not my wife.
Not my husband.
My children.
Other Christians.
God forbid.
No one else knows.
But in the playroom of my mind.
I can do things.
That no one else knows.
And they are sin.
They are sin in the eyes of God.
God says bring your sins.
Every one of your thoughts.
Into his control.
Yet in the playroom of our mind.
We feel we can do things.
And not pay a price.
One of the greatest things that we need
to understand today.
And it's become a pathway teaching.
But it still stands strong and true today.
Be not deceived.
God is not mocked.
What we sow.
We shall reap.
Roman says it very plainly.
The wages of sin is death.
The price of sin has not changed.
God has never ever changed the price of
sin.
It's been death since the beginning.
And will be death until the end.
Until there is sin no more.
But dear ones.
Let's be challenged.
By the life of Gehazi.
You know God's a great God.
He gives us these people.
Love his heart.
Gehazi.
Was just like us.
He had the same desires.
The same frustrations.
The same thing going on.
You know nothing's changed.
Solomon said it.
So well.
If you do a study of the book
of Ecclesiastes.
What's new?
Now what's new around?
We're still going through the.
We're still going through the same frustration.
We still have the same problems that we've
had.
Since the Garden of Eden.
We won't allow God.
To do his work.
In us.
We still want to thwart that.
Working of God in our lives.
Gehazi.
Oh yeah.
I think there's a little Gehazi in all
of us.
Isn't there?
But we don't have to be content with
it.
We can learn from it.
Be challenged by it.
Get those sins out.
We need to be reminded.
That our God.
Is a God that is.
A great God.
Sometimes we forget.
About who God is.
And I'm always challenged.
When I read the.
Word of God.
When I want to study about who he
is.
Who is this God?
That I claim to serve.
First Chronicles chapter 29.
Familiar portion to us.
In verse 11.
As David.
Prays.
Says in verse 10.
So David blessed the Lord.
In the sight of all the assembly.
And David said.
Blessed art thou.
Lord God of Israel.
Our father forever and ever.
Thine O Lord.
Is the greatness.
And the power.
And the glory.
And the victory.
And the majesty.
Indeed everything that is in the heavens and
the earth.
Thine is the dominion.
O Lord.
And thou doth exalt thyself as head over
all.
Both riches and honor.
Oh if Gehazi could only read these words.
Riches and honor come from thee.
And thou dost rule over all.
And in thy hand is power and might.
And it lies in thy hand to make
great and to strengthen everyone.
Now therefore our God we thank thee.
And praise.
Thy glorious name.
This.
Was the God of Elisha.
And the God that Gehazi.
Come to know.
In a very important way.
May the life of Gehazi speak to us.
And we pray that the Lord has blessed
your hearts tonight.
As we've had this study.
Let's close in prayer.
Heavenly Father.
Truly thou art a great God.
And we marvel that we can come into
your presence.
And prostrate ourselves before thee.
Thou who art the God who is over
all.
And yet we can stand before thee and
call thee.
Father.
God we just marvel at your great mercy.
Your grace and your love towards us.
For even when we are like Gehazi in
our actions.
Thou dost exhibit mercy upon us.
And thy judgments are true.
And we know them.
And yet our Father how slow we are
to learn.
Dear God we pray.
Speak to our hearts from the life of
Gehazi.
That we might learn these lessons.
And learn them true.
And dear God we thank you for the
challenge.
Of your precious word.
And that we would be encouraged.
In the walk of faith.
That we might walk with you.
Day by day.
Step by step.
Moment by moment.
That we might give glory and honor and
praise.
To the name of the one whom we
bear.
Jesus Christ.
Our Lord and our Savior.
For it is in that name we pray.