Latest / INSIGHT FOR LIVING: Biblical Wisdom For Everyday Living / What If a Longtime Friend Deceives You │ Msg 412

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What If a Longtime Friend Deceives You │ Msg 412 · INSIGHT FOR LIVING: Biblical Wisdom For Everyday Living

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Speaker 1: This morning we've had a little bit of a touch
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Speaker 1: of the nostalgia of some of the older hymns, as
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Speaker 1: you've noticed. Reminds me of an experience that Cynthia and
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Speaker 1: I had when we were at Mount Hermon Christian Conference
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Speaker 1: Center a number of years ago. John Fisher was doing
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Speaker 1: a Saturday night concert, a well-known folk singer among Christian circles,
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Speaker 1: and wrote a number of great pieces and And the
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Speaker 1: auditorium there at Mount Hermon was just packed with all
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Speaker 1: the kids. And Cynthia and I, we were there. We
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Speaker 1: were sitting among them. And they knew every one of
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Speaker 1: John Fisher's songs. I mean, every one of them. He
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Speaker 1: would strum a chord on his guitar and they'd start singing.
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Speaker 1: They would know what was coming next.
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Speaker 2: It was great.
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Speaker 1: And he said right in the middle of his concert,
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Speaker 1: all right, let's do this one. And he began to sing.
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Speaker 2: My Jesus, I love thee. I know thou art mine.
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Speaker 2: You remember that, huh?
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Speaker 1: And she and I were the only ones singing as
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Speaker 1: John was singing. And the kids were looking at each other,
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Speaker 1: and one yelled out and said, did you just write that?
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Speaker 2: And he said to them, you know what?
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Speaker 1: It's a concern to me that you know my songs,
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Speaker 1: but you don't know a lot of the great ones.
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Speaker 1: That was a great line. He said, that song was
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Speaker 1: written in the 19th century and he was right on.
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Speaker 1: He said, that and a dozen others you need to
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Speaker 1: really know and think about while you're singing. May old
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Speaker 1: John Fisher's tribe increase. Great gifted musician writing songs for
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Speaker 1: today but never forgetting the roots. We need wings to
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Speaker 1: fly into the future but we need roots to connect
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Speaker 1: us to our past.
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Speaker 2: Never forget that.
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Speaker 1: Well, I want you to take your outline from the
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Speaker 1: worship folder that you have, pull it out, and place
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Speaker 1: it at 1 Corinthians chapter four, okay? It's where we're
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Speaker 1: gonna start the message in a few minutes, but for now,
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Speaker 1: just leave your outline there, and we'll turn to that
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Speaker 1: as we get started on the message I'm involved in
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Speaker 1: a rather unusual series that I've titled simply, What If?
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Speaker 2: As many of you will remember, we began with, what if.
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Speaker 1: God chooses you to do something great? And we looked
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Speaker 1: at Moses, who stood at the burning bush, 80-year-old shepherd,
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Speaker 1: thinking he was way over the hill, and God said, no.
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Speaker 1: I've got something great in mind for you. You're going
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Speaker 1: to lead the exodus. And you remember the verbal battle
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Speaker 1: that he and God went through. Second time was what
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Speaker 1: if you suddenly lose everything? And we looked, of course,
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Speaker 1: at Job who did, in fact, lose it all. But
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Speaker 1: he said the Lord gave, the Lord took away. Blessed
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Speaker 1: be the name of the Lord. He was not in
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Speaker 1: any way shaken in his faith.
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Speaker 2: Last time you.
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Speaker 1: Heard of a message that you've never heard before from
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Speaker 1: a pulpit. I called it, what if you are being stalked?
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Speaker 1: And I wondered when I prepared this whole series if
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Speaker 1: that one would cause people to wonder, what on earth
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Speaker 1: is he doing dealing with that? But I don't know
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Speaker 1: when I've received more responses to a message in the
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Speaker 1: last several years than that one. Just this morning, yet
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Speaker 1: another one of a woman who is being stalked. how
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Speaker 1: the Bible addresses that subject. Today we're looking at what
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Speaker 1: if a longtime friend deceives you?
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Speaker 2: Many of us have had that happen.
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Speaker 1: I've had it happen several times in my life, and
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Speaker 1: I know I speak for a number of you. Those
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Speaker 1: who were once friends, for whatever reason, deceived us and
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Speaker 1: betrayed our trust. And it broke our heart, didn't it?
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Speaker 1: In this case, the longtime friend is a man named Gehazi.
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Speaker 1: Most of you have not even heard of him. He
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Speaker 1: was a friend of a prophet named Elisha. The story
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Speaker 1: is in 2 Kings chapter 5, where we read of
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Speaker 1: the healing of a man named Naaman, Naaman, N-A-A-M-A-N, who
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Speaker 1: was a commander of an army and.
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Speaker 2: Yet he has leprosy.
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Speaker 1: And he finds God's miraculous healing and everything changes. Well,
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Speaker 1: we pick up the story in verse 15 of 2
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Speaker 1: Kings 5. And please stand for the reading of the scriptures.
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Speaker 1: 2 Kings 5, beginning at verse 15. Then Naaman and
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Speaker 1: his entire party went back to find the man of God.
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Speaker 1: I'm reading from the New Living Translation. They stood before
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Speaker 1: him and Naaman said, now I know that there is
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Speaker 1: no God in all the world except in Israel, so
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Speaker 1: please accept a gift from your servant. But Elisha replied,
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Speaker 1: as surely as the Lord lives, whom I serve, I
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Speaker 1: will not accept any gifts. And though Naaman urged him
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Speaker 1: to take the gift, Elisha refused. Verse 20. But Gehazi,
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Speaker 1: the servant of Elisha, the man of God, said to himself,
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Speaker 1: my master should not have let this Aramean get away
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Speaker 1: without accepting any of his gifts. Surely as the Lord lives,
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Speaker 1: I will chase after him and get something from him.
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Speaker 1: So Gehazi set off after Naaman. When Naaman saw Gehazi
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Speaker 1: running after him, he climbed down from his chariot and
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Speaker 1: went to meet him.
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Speaker 2: Is everything all right? Naaman asked. Yes, Gehazi said.
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Speaker 1: But my master has sent me to tell you that
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Speaker 1: two young prophets from the hill country of Ephraim have
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Speaker 1: just arrived. He would like 75 pounds of silver. and
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Speaker 1: two sets of clothing to give to them. By all means,
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Speaker 1: take twice as much silver, Naaman insisted. He gave him
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Speaker 1: two sets of clothing, tied up the money in two bags,
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Speaker 1: and sent two of his servants to carry the gifts
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Speaker 1: for Gehazi.
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Speaker 2: But when they arrived at the.
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Speaker 1: Citadel, Gehazi took the gifts from the servants and sent
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Speaker 1: the men Then he went and hid the gift inside
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Speaker 1: the house. When he went into his master, Elisha asked him,
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Speaker 1: where have you been, Geazi? I haven't been anywhere, he replied.
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Speaker 1: But Elisha asked him, don't you realize that I was
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Speaker 1: there in spirit when Naaman stepped down from his chariot
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Speaker 1: to meet you? Is this the time to receive money
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Speaker 1: and clothing, olive groves and vineyards, sheep and cattle, male
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Speaker 1: and female servants? Because you have done this, you and
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Speaker 1: your descendants will suffer from Naaman's leprosy forever. When Gehazi
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Speaker 1: left the room, he was covered with leprosy, his skin,
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Speaker 1: was white as snow. Sort of puts a chill up
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Speaker 1: your back, doesn't it? Please be seated. Some stories have
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Speaker 1: a stunning beginning. This one has a stunning ending. Makes
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Speaker 1: us suck in our breath when we try to imagine
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Speaker 1: the results of that disobedience when a once faithful friend
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Speaker 1: deceived his master. We come before the Lord today with
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Speaker 1: a sense of awesome fear. We're not afraid of him,
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Speaker 1: but we realize that he is a God of holiness.
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Speaker 2: And justice.
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Speaker 1: And therefore we take him seriously. What God says.
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Speaker 2: We hear.
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Speaker 1: And we believe. Bow with me will you please. In
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Speaker 1: a day when everything seems to be taken so lightly.
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Speaker 1: When even serious things become a point of argumentation. Or
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Speaker 1: a joke.
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Speaker 2: Or a lot of fun, or even making fun.
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Speaker 1: Of we pause on the cusp of hearing these words
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Speaker 1: from second kings to realize that you.
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Speaker 2: Are a God.
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Speaker 1: Who expects obedience Today we will be reproved in various ways.
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Speaker 1: We will realize that you speak to us in terms
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Speaker 1: that we need to hear and we understand. For some
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Speaker 1: it will represent a deep conviction, an admonition, a.
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Speaker 2: Reproof.
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Speaker 1: We give you the right, our Father, we open ourselves
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Speaker 1: to you And we want you to know we're here
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Speaker 1: and we will hear and heed what you have said.
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Speaker 1: We live in a land that has lost its way
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Speaker 1: in a culture that is far removed from things eternal.
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Speaker 1: And often our hearts ache when we realize that things
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Speaker 1: are not turning in the right direction. but are only
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Speaker 1: getting worse. Remind us over and over again, our Father,
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Speaker 1: that nothing that is occurring is a surprise to you.
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Speaker 1: You are still in charge. You are still the sovereign
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Speaker 1: God of our lives and of our times. In fact,
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Speaker 1: as Scripture teaches, our times are in your hands, not ours. Therefore,
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Speaker 1: we place ourselves before you and we surrender our wills
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Speaker 1: to you that we might not miss a thing you
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Speaker 1: say to us regarding this subject that we're dealing with
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Speaker 1: and things related to it. There is a sweet future
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Speaker 1: that awaits us who know you and how we long
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Speaker 1: for it. Oftentimes we ache for it, knowing that the
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Speaker 1: cares of this age will be gone forever All sickness
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Speaker 1: will be over.
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Speaker 2: No more tears. No more crying. No more disease. No
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Speaker 2: more death.
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Speaker 1: We will all be with our Savior. But between now
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Speaker 1: and then, there are responsibilities that we are to carry out.
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Speaker 1: And Father, we take them seriously. I have a responsibility
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Speaker 1: to speak the truth today, and I pray that I
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Speaker 1: will do that without compromise. Help me to make it interesting.
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Speaker 1: Help me to be in touch with today. But most
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Speaker 1: of all, help me to represent what you have written
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Speaker 1: in your timeless and true word.
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Speaker 2: So that no one is confused and we all understand.
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Speaker 1: Here is a story that we will be reading about
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Speaker 1: that does leave us stunned as we see the consequences
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Speaker 1: of betrayal and deception. We live in a day when
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Speaker 1: there is a trail left of that kind of life
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Speaker 1: and lifestyle. We have not only been deceived by loyal
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Speaker 1: friends of the past, We can easily be deceived by
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Speaker 1: a leader whom we once trusted, a coach, a pastor,
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Speaker 1: a counselor, even a parent. And we are vulnerable, Lord,
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Speaker 1: because we do need people to lead us. We do
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Speaker 1: need advice and direction and counsel. So most of all,
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Speaker 1: And I pray for this today, that you will give
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Speaker 1: us discernment to walk correctly with you. Discernment to notice
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Speaker 1: error when it is being spoken. Discernment to observe hypocrisy
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Speaker 1: when it is being modeled. Give us discernment as well,
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Speaker 1: our Father, in the choice of reading material and entertainment.
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Speaker 1: as you guide us through this life. Discernment in the
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Speaker 1: choice of friends and the way we spend our time.
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Speaker 1: Guide us in the way we should go.
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Speaker 2: Lead us carefully, Lord.
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Speaker 1: Some are a long ways from home today. They're either
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Speaker 1: traveling or they are on a mission to which you've
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Speaker 1: sent them. Some are in very dangerous places and we
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Speaker 1: pray for their protection. We pray for those who are
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Speaker 1: fighting the fight in difficult places where there are terrorists
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Speaker 1: and hidden bombs.
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Speaker 2: And destructive weapons.
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Speaker 1: Take care of them, Lord, and remind us over and
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Speaker 1: over that we are free because of those who fought
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Speaker 1: for our freedoms. We live in a day when there
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Speaker 1: are predators, those who would prey on our liberty, even
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Speaker 1: on our children. Protect us, our Father, in these treacherous,
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Speaker 1: tenuous times in which we live. We give our gifts
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Speaker 1: today because we believe they will be used wisely and
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Speaker 1: well and with great discernment. May we be known for
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Speaker 1: a church that not only preaches the truth, but handles
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Speaker 1: its money correctly. Without deception. Use these funds, our Father,
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Speaker 1: in a very wonderful way to expand the work that
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Speaker 1: you're doing here and across the street and across the
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Speaker 1: states and across the seas to change lives. that they
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Speaker 1: might be transformed by the good gospel of our Savior.
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Speaker 1: May we be reminded of your good hand upon us, Lord,
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Speaker 1: and all because of your grace. We pray these things
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Speaker 1: in the fair name of Jesus, our Master and our Lord.
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Speaker 1: Everyone said, Amen. Cartoonist Gary Larson was among the best.
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Speaker 1: I always loved his far side cartoons. He was famous
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Speaker 1: for putting human words in animals' mouths and then portraying
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Speaker 1: them in a strange, weird kind of way that made
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Speaker 1: those of us with a weird sense of humor laugh
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Speaker 1: out loud. It was really great. For example, there's one
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Speaker 1: of my favorites. There are two deer standing in the
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Speaker 1: clearing in a thick forest. And one of the deer
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Speaker 1: has a big bullseye on his side.
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Speaker 2: Big, big target.
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Speaker 1: And his buddy says to him, hey, Ralph, bummer of
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Speaker 1: a birthmark. Well, I was in the local Hallmark store
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Speaker 1: the other day thumbing through a far side calendar until
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Speaker 1: they almost asked me to leave because I was laughing
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Speaker 1: out loud at one after another. One was a classic,
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Speaker 1: classic cartoon. Here's a gang of shackled slaves standing on
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Speaker 1: a long pier. Near them are some Roman soldiers frowning,
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Speaker 1: staring at them. And along the water comes this beautiful
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Speaker 1: long galley ship pulling up to the harbor about to
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Speaker 1: be tied up to the pier. And the long oars
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Speaker 1: have been pulled back in and it's kind of.
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Speaker 2: Coming in the scene.
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Speaker 1: And one of the clueless slaves says to his buddy,
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Speaker 1: hey Grog, which I thought was funny, just the name Grog.
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Speaker 1: Hey Grog, that's a great looking boat I wonder what
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Speaker 1: makes it go. Maybe it's because I'm a preacher, but
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Speaker 1: when I read that line, my mind flashed from a long,
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Speaker 1: sleek galley ship to a large, healthy church. And I
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Speaker 1: could imagine one clueless Christian saying to his buddy, Hey, George,
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Speaker 1: this is one great church.
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Speaker 2: I wonder what makes it go.
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Speaker 1: Well, the answer is the same as I would say
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Speaker 1: to the slave on the pier.
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Speaker 2: You do. We do.
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Speaker 1: The words of Paul in 1 Corinthians chapter 4 tie
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Speaker 1: in with all of this. And if your Bible is open,
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Speaker 1: you will see that slaves actually or a major part
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Speaker 1: of the work of a church, along with stewards, slaves
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Speaker 1: and stewards, not celebrities, not powerful people, not those with
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Speaker 1: the most money, but slaves. In fact, they're called servants
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Speaker 1: of Christ. and stewards of the mysteries. Listen to the
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Speaker 1: verse as it appears in the New American Standard Version.
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Speaker 1: Let a man regard us, meaning Paul and Apollos, let
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Speaker 1: a man regard us as servants of Christ and stewards
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Speaker 1: of the mysteries of God. By using those two descriptive terms,
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Speaker 1: servants and stewards, Paul defines the task of those who
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Speaker 1: make the church go. Not great well-known leaders, not famous pastors,
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Speaker 1: not those up front, but servants.
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Speaker 2: And stewards. It's what he calls them.
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Speaker 1: Think of us, Apollos and me, as mere servants of Christ. Now,
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Speaker 1: before I go any further, those two words need to
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Speaker 1: be analyzed for you to appreciate why I began this
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Speaker 1: message as I did. It wasn't just about cartoons. Look
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Speaker 1: at the word servants.
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Speaker 2: Some might even render it slaves Are you ready?
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Speaker 1: That word servant comes from a very interesting Greek term, huperetos, huperetos.
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Speaker 1: Hupa means under, eretes means, are you ready?
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Speaker 2: Rower, rower. Somebody who holds an oar and row.
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Speaker 1: One of my references said, it has reference to those
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Speaker 1: who row in the lower tier of a trireme, those
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Speaker 1: relegated to the bottom tier of galley ships, best rendered
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Speaker 1: under rowers. It's the only.
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Speaker 2: Time in all.
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Speaker 1: The writings of Paul, or for that matter, the New Testament,
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Speaker 1: that this term huperitas appears. It's a once and only
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Speaker 1: used term, but Paul is looking for the word that
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Speaker 1: best describes himself and Apollos, along with all of the
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Speaker 1: others who worked in the ministry of the church, and
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Speaker 1: he uses this word under rowers. Not very flattering, is it?
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Speaker 1: I don't know if you've ever been down in the
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Speaker 1: hold of a ship. I've never been on a trireme.
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Speaker 1: Would love to see one of those old ancient boats
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Speaker 1: where the oarsmen sat. There they were, sitting alongside each other,
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Speaker 1: pulling on the end of an oar, making the boat go.
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Speaker 2: No, let's don't stop there. There's also the word steward.
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Speaker 1: See it there?
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Speaker 2: Look at it.
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Speaker 1: Verse two, a person who is a steward must be faithful.
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Speaker 1: See the word steward, or as it's rendered in the
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Speaker 1: New Living Translation, a manager. You know what the word means?
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Speaker 1: It again is not very flattering. It means housekeeper. Housekeeper.
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Speaker 1: It's used for a butler.
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Speaker 2: A maid, a.
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Speaker 1: Cook, someone who works in the kitchen, those who spend
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Speaker 1: time preparing meals for a family. But in this case,
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Speaker 1: get this, we who are stewards in the church prepare
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Speaker 1: by explaining God's mysteries to one another. Mousterion is the
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Speaker 1: word that means mystery. In fact, we get our word
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Speaker 1: mystery from it. And it carries with it the idea
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Speaker 1: of secrets.
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Speaker 2: Secrets.
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Speaker 1: Do you realize that whenever I prepare a message, I
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Speaker 1: am digging into the book of secrets? Not secrets just
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Speaker 1: to me, but for the average individual on earth.
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Speaker 2: Who wouldn't know such secrets. and I'm digging.
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Speaker 1: Away preparing to serve a well-prepared meal that will help
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Speaker 1: equip individuals with the truth of God.
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Speaker 2: We are under rowers and we are housekeepers. Listen to me,
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Speaker 2: how easy it is.
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Speaker 1: To forget our primary role. In fact, the one main
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Speaker 1: responsibility of both, you'll see at the end of verse 2,
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Speaker 1: is to be faithful. Not flashy. Not clever and cute.
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Speaker 1: Not funny and entertaining.
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Speaker 2: But faithful. Faithful. Faithful.
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Speaker 1: What you really want in the galley ship among the
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Speaker 1: under rowers is those who row and row and row
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Speaker 1: their boat. And what you want in the galleys, that
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Speaker 1: is the kitchens, of the boat as well as the
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Speaker 1: home are faithful people who do the work of preparing well.
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Speaker 2: My point is this.
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Speaker 1: It is a great temptation for under rowers to begin
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Speaker 1: to see themselves over the years as more than that.
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Speaker 1: And sort of envy those that are on the upper
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Speaker 1: deck where the skipper guides the ship, the captain.
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Speaker 2: In the case of the church, that's Christ.
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Speaker 1: But he alone deserves the role of head of the church.
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Speaker 1: The great temptation is for a person of less significance
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Speaker 1: to long for rewards or to have a higher rank
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Speaker 1: or to be seen as more important. We are under
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Speaker 1: rowers and we are managers. And we're not fixing food,
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Speaker 1: you will notice we are involved in Explaining God's mysteries.
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Speaker 1: Telling other people of God's secrets, if you will. Understand this,
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Speaker 1: we don't steer the ship. That's the job of the captain.
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Speaker 1: His name is Jesus. He alone is the head of
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Speaker 1: the church. We're under rowers. We row as he guides.
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Speaker 1: The second We manage, we serve well-prepared truths that enable
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Speaker 1: the good ship ministry to go. I find that fascinating
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Speaker 1: when I think about all the things that are written
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Speaker 1: these days about the church, and very little even mentions
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Speaker 1: the role of servanthood, which is the secret of a
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Speaker 1: healthy church. You and I have a main responsibility and
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Speaker 1: it is described in verse 2.
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Speaker 2: We must be faithful.
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Speaker 1: The longer I live, the more I admire and appreciate.
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Speaker 2: Faithfulness. To me, it's more impressive than fruitfulness.
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Speaker 1: It's certainly more impressive than making a splash or being
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Speaker 1: clever or cute.
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Speaker 2: Faithfulness. Faithfulness.
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Speaker 1: In season and out of season, we are never to
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Speaker 1: forget our primary role as we stay down on the
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Speaker 1: bottom tier and we keep rowing, as we stay in
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Speaker 1: the kitchen, we keep serving. We do it never once
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Speaker 1: thinking that we deserve to be up there steering the ship.
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Speaker 2: That's the role of the captain. That's not our role.
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Speaker 1: Can I put this message on hold and give you
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Speaker 1: a very personal story, illustration, which is true of me.
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Speaker 1: Allow me to tell you this. Back when I graduated
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Speaker 1: from Dallas Seminary, I had an inestimable opportunity and privilege
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Speaker 1: to serve alongside a minister who was respected.
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Speaker 2: Around the world. Dr. J.
30:24
Speaker 1: Dwight Pentecost, He and I could not have been more different.
30:29
Speaker 1: We were the same in beliefs and convictions, but we
30:32
Speaker 1: were so different. He was older, I was young. He
30:37
Speaker 1: was everything I was not. He was scholarly and wise.
30:45
Speaker 1: He was seasoned. He was an outstanding expositor of the scriptures,
30:51
Speaker 1: almost without a note. He was a published author. of
30:58
Speaker 1: best-selling books. He was a splendid and respected professor of
31:03
Speaker 1: the school that I had attended. He had once been
31:06
Speaker 1: my professor. Now I was his assistant. Wherever he went,
31:13
Speaker 1: whether here or abroad or in another church across the states,
31:19
Speaker 1: crowds gathered. He had a spotless reputation, I'm honest, when
31:28
Speaker 1: I tell you I never once saw him draw attention
31:30
Speaker 1: to himself, never once to this day. A genuine servant
31:37
Speaker 1: of Christ. Mine was an enviable position to fill as
31:46
Speaker 1: his assistant throughout those years. I would preach in our
31:50
Speaker 1: church in his absence. What a privilege it was. When
31:56
Speaker 1: I preached, crowds gathered thinking that he was going to
32:01
Speaker 1: be the one that was preaching. It was not my
32:07
Speaker 1: reputation that drew the crowd. They all came and their
32:11
Speaker 1: mouths sort of dropped open when they realized that this
32:14
Speaker 1: rookie was standing up there in his place and I
32:19
Speaker 1: rode on his shirt tails. Mine was a borrowed It
32:31
Speaker 1: was his preaching that made the church significant. The crowded
32:35
Speaker 1: sanctuary was the result of his great greatness, not mine.
32:41
Speaker 1: I had none. God rewarded him for his years of
32:45
Speaker 1: integrity and commitment.
32:48
Speaker 2: I was an under rower. I was a housekeeper. Early
32:54
Speaker 2: one afternoon, an elder came to see me. True story.
32:59
Speaker 2: His name is Jim.
33:02
Speaker 1: Jim, wise and gracious, had some strong words for me
33:08
Speaker 1: to hear, which to this day I can almost repeat
33:12
Speaker 1: by heart. He said, you got a few minutes, Chuck?
33:15
Speaker 2: I said, yeah.
33:16
Speaker 1: So we closed the door behind him. I had a
33:17
Speaker 1: little office there in the church.
33:19
Speaker 3: Dr.
33:19
Speaker 1: Pentecost was at the school through most every day and
33:23
Speaker 1: I was there as a part of the church involvement.
33:26
Speaker 1: He said, I'm here because I love you. I am
33:32
Speaker 1: here because I want God's best for you. As an elder,
33:37
Speaker 1: I've been able to watch all of this unfold and
33:42
Speaker 1: you two are working so closely together. I love seeing that.
33:48
Speaker 1: And you have a great relationship. I want it to continue.
33:52
Speaker 1: But you need to know, Chuck, of the two, your
33:55
Speaker 1: position is the more precarious. Now listen carefully. I want
34:03
Speaker 1: you to avoid the temptation of dropping his name. I
34:08
Speaker 1: want you to guard yourself against any spirit of entitlement.
34:14
Speaker 1: I want you to restrain any and all subtle attempts
34:18
Speaker 1: to gain attention or take the credit. or to find
34:24
Speaker 1: ways to promote yourself. I don't see you doing that,
34:27
Speaker 1: he said, candidly, and I don't ever want to see
34:31
Speaker 1: you doing that. You enjoy many benefits in this position
34:38
Speaker 1: that you've not earned.
34:41
Speaker 2: Over the years. He has earned them.
34:45
Speaker 1: Therefore, his is the God-given role of significance. Yours is
34:52
Speaker 1: the God-appointed role of assistance. That was a wonderful line.
34:57
Speaker 1: Such wise counsel. The man was absolutely correct. He was
35:05
Speaker 1: telling me to take my seat.
35:08
Speaker 2: On the third tier and row. And faithfully row.
35:15
Speaker 1: If it helps you any, lest you misjudge him for
35:19
Speaker 1: his presence with me, he hugged me tightly and said,
35:23
Speaker 1: in my ear, I want you to know how much
35:26
Speaker 1: I love you. And I've struggled with this conversation, but
35:30
Speaker 1: the Lord has, I think, led me here to say this,
35:34
Speaker 1: and I hope you will never forget it.
35:36
Speaker 2: And I never will. Why do I tell you that?
35:45
Speaker 1: Because we're going to turn to a story of a
35:48
Speaker 1: man who forgot that. His name was Gehazi. He was
35:56
Speaker 1: a under rower.
35:59
Speaker 2: He was a housekeeper. He served the greater light, Elisha.
36:08
Speaker 1: I placed in your outline a place for you to
36:10
Speaker 1: fill in some things. And there are three main characters
36:13
Speaker 1: in the story. So let me just cut to the
36:16
Speaker 1: chase to save time. First, there is a mighty warrior
36:20
Speaker 1: named Naaman.
36:22
Speaker 2: N-double-A-M-A-N.
36:24
Speaker 1: He's named right away.
36:25
Speaker 2: In verse 1. Naaman.
36:28
Speaker 1: He's the commander of an army because through him the
36:33
Speaker 1: Lord had given great victories. But tragically, Naaman was also
36:40
Speaker 1: a leper. The most dread of all diseases, certainly in
36:45
Speaker 1: ancient days. He suffered from leprosy. So that's Naaman. I
36:51
Speaker 1: should add also, he was not only famous, he was
36:56
Speaker 1: eminently wealthy. He no doubt had available to him the
37:01
Speaker 1: treasury of the king.
37:03
Speaker 2: So he was loaded.
37:07
Speaker 1: He has plenty of power, plenty of prestige, plenty of authority,
37:12
Speaker 1: and plenty of money. The problem is he suffered from leprosy,
37:18
Speaker 1: the verse concludes. And this causes him to connect with
37:26
Speaker 1: a godly prophet named Elisha. Interesting, more often than not,
37:33
Speaker 1: Elisha is not called Elisha in the biblical text, but
37:38
Speaker 1: is called a man of God. Isn't that interesting? A
37:43
Speaker 1: man of God. See verse 8, when Elisha, the man
37:49
Speaker 1: of God. heard that the king of Israel had torn
37:54
Speaker 1: his clothes into smoke. You see, Naaman had gone to
37:57
Speaker 1: the king desiring being cleansed of his leprosy. You never
38:03
Speaker 1: read of being healed of leprosy. He's cleansed of leprosy
38:08
Speaker 1: since it is a picture of sin. We're not healed
38:12
Speaker 1: of sin, we're cleansed of sin. But anyway, he longed
38:15
Speaker 1: to be cleansed of this dread disease and the king
38:19
Speaker 1: couldn't help it. In fact, he brought with him, verse
38:28
Speaker 1: 5 it is, he started out carrying gifts, 150 pounds
38:32
Speaker 1: of silver, 750 pounds of silver, 150 pounds of gold,
38:38
Speaker 1: and 10, we'll call them suits of clothing, called here
38:42
Speaker 1: sets of clothing.
38:44
Speaker 2: That's worth a lot.
38:46
Speaker 1: More than one of my references referred to this amount
38:49
Speaker 1: as being in the millions. One even specified three million.
38:54
Speaker 1: So he came with an offer of three million dollars
38:57
Speaker 1: to get his cleansing and the king couldn't help him.
39:00
Speaker 1: In fact, he threw up his hands and tore his
39:04
Speaker 1: clothes in dismay and he said, this man thinks I'm
39:09
Speaker 1: going to solve his problem. Am I God that I
39:12
Speaker 1: can give life and take it away? Verse eight, when Elisha,
39:17
Speaker 1: the man of God, heard that the king of Israel
39:20
Speaker 1: had torn his clothes, he sent a messenger and said,
39:24
Speaker 1: why are you so upset?
39:25
Speaker 2: Send Naaman to me.
39:28
Speaker 1: He will learn that there is a true prophet here.
39:30
Speaker 2: In Israel.
39:35
Speaker 1: So, to cut to the chase, Naaman comes to Elisha
39:40
Speaker 1: and he comes with horses and chariots and he waits
39:43
Speaker 1: at the door of Elisha's house. Verse 9 tells us.
39:47
Speaker 1: Verse 10 says Elisha, sent a messenger. This brings me
39:51
Speaker 1: to our third main character who is named for us
39:55
Speaker 1: in verse.
39:56
Speaker 2: 20, Gehazi. He's called here a messenger.
40:00
Speaker 1: Elisha sent a messenger to the door and he opens
40:03
Speaker 1: it and there stands the commander in all of his pomp.
40:09
Speaker 2: And all of his disease.
40:13
Speaker 1: And the messenger says to him, Go wash yourself seven
40:19
Speaker 1: times in the Jordan River. Then your skin will be restored.
40:24
Speaker 1: You'll be healed of your leprosy. The next verse tells
40:29
Speaker 1: us Naaman's reaction. He went away angry. He stalked away.
40:36
Speaker 1: I made a mistake last week when I said stalk
40:39
Speaker 1: is not mentioned in the scripture. There it is. That's
40:43
Speaker 1: what I get for not doing enough homework. So This
40:46
Speaker 1: is a different kind of stalking. He's stomping. He's not
40:51
Speaker 1: following someone. He is stomping away from the cottage. How
40:55
Speaker 1: dare he send a messenger. In fact, look at it
40:58
Speaker 1: for yourself. Verse 11, Naaman became angry, stalked away. I
41:02
Speaker 1: thought he would certainly come out to meet me. I
41:07
Speaker 1: expected him to wave his hand over the leprosy and
41:10
Speaker 1: call on the name of the Lord his God and
41:12
Speaker 1: heal me. Furthermore, the Jordan, you don't see that here.
41:19
Speaker 1: It's kind of a swindle cough up there. Aren't the
41:23
Speaker 1: rivers of Damascus and Abana and Farpar better than any
41:27
Speaker 1: other rivers in Israel? You're not going to make me
41:30
Speaker 1: crawl into that river Jordan down in Israel.
41:34
Speaker 2: Come on.
41:37
Speaker 1: So Naaman turned away and went in a rage. By
41:41
Speaker 1: the way, just an aside for.
41:43
Speaker 2: No extra charge.
41:46
Speaker 1: People often leave when they don't hear what they expect
41:48
Speaker 1: to hear. I've seen it happen a number of times
41:52
Speaker 1: while I preached. People didn't hear what they wanted to hear,
41:55
Speaker 1: so they walk out, and you're always free to do that.
42:02
Speaker 1: Maybe it's not in a rage, but you don't agree,
42:06
Speaker 1: and you have every right not to agree, and you
42:09
Speaker 1: get out of your car, and there you are enraged,
42:11
Speaker 1: and you let it all out, whatever.
42:14
Speaker 2: It may be.
42:16
Speaker 1: But now in this case, his officers tapped him on
42:19
Speaker 1: the shoulder and said, Sir, verse 13, if the prophet
42:22
Speaker 1: had told you to do something very difficult, wouldn't you
42:25
Speaker 1: have done it? So you should certainly obey him when
42:30
Speaker 1: he says simply go and wash.
42:34
Speaker 2: Be cured.
42:37
Speaker 1: So Naaman has enough G2 to listen to his officers
42:42
Speaker 1: and And he goes down to the Jordan River and
42:44
Speaker 1: dips himself seven times as the man of God instructed.
42:51
Speaker 1: His skin is like a baby, like a young child.
42:57
Speaker 2: He's healed. Isn't that great? Now, the story doesn't end.
43:03
Speaker 2: This is where it gets very intriguing. Let's say it's you.
43:12
Speaker 2: You're well-known, you're rich, you've.
43:14
Speaker 1: Had leprosy or whatever may be the disease.
43:17
Speaker 2: You're dying with it.
43:18
Speaker 1: And you do this strange thing that you were told
43:21
Speaker 1: to do and you're cleansed, you're healed.
43:25
Speaker 2: And what would you do?
43:26
Speaker 1: Well, you would take all of that money you offered
43:29
Speaker 1: the king, mentioned up here at verse six, and you'd
43:33
Speaker 1: haul it to Elisha and you'd say, here, man, it's
43:37
Speaker 1: worth this and a lot more. That's exactly what he does.
43:42
Speaker 1: Naaman and his entire party went back to find the
43:44
Speaker 1: man of God.
43:45
Speaker 2: You see, it's not even named Elisha. It calls him
43:47
Speaker 2: the man of God.
43:48
Speaker 1: And they stood before him and Naaman said, now I
43:51
Speaker 1: know there's no God in the world except in Israel.
43:53
Speaker 1: Please accept a gift from your servant. This is Elisha's
43:57
Speaker 1: moment to cash in on all of those long years
44:02
Speaker 1: of sacrifice as a prophet of God. He could take
44:06
Speaker 1: it and it's being offered to him. But Elisha replies,
44:11
Speaker 1: which reveals him to be truly a man of God
44:15
Speaker 1: in this case. Elisha, surely as the Lord lives whom
44:21
Speaker 1: I serve, I will not accept any gifts. You'll never
44:26
Speaker 1: hear a televangelist preach on verse 16.
44:31
Speaker 2: And though Naaman.
44:32
Speaker 1: Urged him to take the gift, Elisha refused. I don't
44:36
Speaker 1: want it. I didn't do it for money. It's not
44:39
Speaker 1: about being remunerated. I don't want your money. I want
44:43
Speaker 1: you to realize God is God. If I took your money,
44:46
Speaker 1: that would get all messed up in your head. I
44:50
Speaker 1: didn't heal you anyway. It's the Lord God. I wasn't
44:53
Speaker 1: even there at the Jordan when he healed you. I
44:58
Speaker 1: have nothing to do with the healing. Remember that, by
45:01
Speaker 1: the way, there are no divine healers. There is divine healing.
45:07
Speaker 2: And if God.
45:09
Speaker 1: Chooses to heal, he doesn't do it because of a person.
45:11
Speaker 1: He does it because of his grace. Elisha knew that.
45:16
Speaker 1: He said, I'm not going to take your money. I
45:17
Speaker 1: don't want your money. Naaman said, all right, all right.
45:21
Speaker 2: So be it. But there was.
45:23
Speaker 1: Someone there who noticed the glint of the gold and
45:26
Speaker 1: the flash of the silver.
45:27
Speaker 2: His name is Gehazi. Remember Gehazi? He's the under rower.
45:32
Speaker 1: He's the housekeeper who's been down there all this time
45:37
Speaker 1: as a loyal friend of Elisha, rowing his boat, making
45:44
Speaker 1: sure it keeps going, running the errands, perhaps fixing the meals, living.
45:52
Speaker 2: On a tiny salary, if any. And Gehazi Loses his sense.
46:03
Speaker 1: And beginning at verse 20 there's not a prayer offered
46:08
Speaker 1: please observe who he talks to He said to himself
46:17
Speaker 1: My master should not have let this Aramean get away
46:20
Speaker 1: without accepting any of his gifts by the way There's
46:22
Speaker 1: a racial slur in that statement.
46:25
Speaker 2: Don't miss it.
46:28
Speaker 1: Let this Arab man get away. The guy's already loaded.
46:31
Speaker 1: He could give us that and much more. What's the
46:35
Speaker 1: matter with Elisha?
46:38
Speaker 2: Why wouldn't he take it? And look at the next line.
46:44
Speaker 1: As surely as the Lord lives, I will chase after
46:52
Speaker 1: him and get something from him. He even brings the
46:54
Speaker 1: Lord into his rationalizations. By the way, you know what
46:57
Speaker 1: a rationalization is? I checked the definition.
47:00
Speaker 2: Here it is.
47:02
Speaker 1: It means to devise self-satisfying but incorrect reasons for one's behavior.
47:10
Speaker 1: To devise self-satisfying but incorrect reasons for one's behavior. He
47:15
Speaker 1: has the audacity to call on the name of his Lord.
47:18
Speaker 1: As the Lord lives, I'm going to go and get
47:20
Speaker 1: some of that money. Doesn't say a word to Elisha,
47:24
Speaker 1: just as he doesn't call on his God for guidance.
47:28
Speaker 1: Now watch closely. He set off after Naaman. When Naaman
47:33
Speaker 1: saw Gehazi running after him, he climbed down from his
47:36
Speaker 1: chariot and went to meet.
47:38
Speaker 2: Is everything all right? Asks the commander. Naaman?
47:45
Speaker 1: Yes, Gehazi says as he lies. My master sent me
47:52
Speaker 1: to tell you that there are two young prophets from
47:54
Speaker 1: the hill country of Ephraim. They have just arrived. He
47:57
Speaker 1: had like 75 pounds of silver and two suits of
48:00
Speaker 1: clothing to give them. All of that is a lie.
48:04
Speaker 2: All of it.
48:06
Speaker 1: It's a joke on a sequent at that. But you see,
48:13
Speaker 1: he's devising all of this because he wants finally to
48:18
Speaker 1: have more than a third bottom tier ore in his hand.
48:24
Speaker 1: It's about time I have a couple of nice suits
48:27
Speaker 1: and a pocket full of change. In fact, he even
48:32
Speaker 1: assuages his guilt by saying, just 75 pounds of silver,
48:39
Speaker 1: that'll do. And not only 10 suits, the boys only
48:44
Speaker 1: need two suits. There are no students from the country
48:49
Speaker 1: of Ephraim Well, by all means, says Naaman, take twice,
48:55
Speaker 1: take twice as much silver.
48:57
Speaker 2: So he lays 150 pounds on him.
49:00
Speaker 1: In fact, he even gives him two bags that he sends,
49:03
Speaker 1: but it's so heavy, he gives.
49:04
Speaker 2: Two servants to carry the money for him.
49:08
Speaker 1: And here's Gehazi with two suits of clothes over his
49:11
Speaker 1: shoulder and two big, massive bags of silver on their
49:15
Speaker 1: way back. And when they arrived, note closely, he took
49:20
Speaker 1: the gifts from the servants and sent the men back
49:23
Speaker 1: and then went in and hid the gifts inside the house.
49:27
Speaker 2: Of course.
49:30
Speaker 1: Of course he does that. That's the deceptive part of it.
49:35
Speaker 1: When you deceive, you hide your deceptions. When you betray another,
49:40
Speaker 1: you do it in secret. You don't do it out front.
49:44
Speaker 1: You don't confess it. So, he sends the servants on
49:51
Speaker 1: their way. He hides the gifts and he shows up
49:54
Speaker 1: in front of the man of God. Hi, Gazi.
50:02
Speaker 2: Where have you been? Look at the next line. I
50:06
Speaker 2: haven't been anywhere. He now.
50:08
Speaker 1: is able to lie to the face of the very
50:12
Speaker 1: man he's been serving.
50:15
Speaker 2: His familiar friend, his master.
50:17
Speaker 1: I haven't been anywhere. I can identify with that moment.
50:23
Speaker 1: When I was a kid, I ran around with a
50:25
Speaker 1: couple of tough kids in high school. Eugene and Freddie.
50:29
Speaker 1: That really was their name. My mother used to say
50:31
Speaker 1: to me, when you run around with Eugene and Freddie,
50:33
Speaker 1: you get into trouble. Stop running around with Eugene and Freddie.
50:36
Speaker 1: So one night, Halloween night, I was running around with
50:39
Speaker 1: Eugene and Freddie. And we had bought a little half
50:44
Speaker 1: dozen eggs at the local 7-Eleven, one for each hand.
50:49
Speaker 1: And there was a teacher, an English teacher, who lived
50:52
Speaker 1: in our neighborhood whom the three of us hated. And
50:55
Speaker 1: so we hid across the street. in the weeds, and
50:59
Speaker 1: at the count of three, we jumped up. I don't
51:02
Speaker 1: know why we did this. We jumped up and wha, wha, splat, splat, splat,
51:09
Speaker 1: direct hits right on her roof.
51:11
Speaker 2: I mean, it was fabulous.
51:15
Speaker 1: Except we hadn't planned on her husband coming out the
51:18
Speaker 1: front door with a shotgun. And he began to shoot,
51:23
Speaker 1: and I set a new record in the 100-meter dash.
51:28
Speaker 1: Eugene ran track, but I left him in my dust.
51:31
Speaker 1: And I jumped over a six-foot fence that the next
51:34
Speaker 1: day I couldn't climb over, and I got home.
51:38
Speaker 2: My mother said, Charles? And I go, yes, ma'am. Where
51:46
Speaker 2: have you been? And I go, me? She said, you've
51:51
Speaker 2: been with Freddie, and you've been with Eugene, haven't you?
51:54
Speaker 2: And I said, ah.
51:59
Speaker 1: Yes.
51:59
Speaker 2: I mean, I didn't want leprosy. Yes, yes, yes. Okay.
52:07
Speaker 2: What have you done?
52:08
Speaker 1: Well, I told her. She said, tomorrow, you three boys
52:12
Speaker 1: are going to take buckets of soap and a broom,
52:15
Speaker 1: and you're going to climb up on her house, and
52:17
Speaker 1: you're going to wash the eggs off her house.
52:19
Speaker 2: I said, mother, mother, hold it just a minute. In
52:24
Speaker 2: the name of the Lord. Wait a minute. Wait a minute.
52:28
Speaker 2: Something like that.
52:29
Speaker 1: She's not persuaded. Next day, we go, thank goodness the
52:33
Speaker 1: teacher isn't home. And so we get a ladder, and
52:36
Speaker 1: my mother's standing down there. I can still see her.
52:39
Speaker 1: That's not enough. Keep scrubbing up there. My buddies are
52:43
Speaker 1: about to lynch me for telling her. And we're up
52:46
Speaker 1: there scrubbing, and we get it on. And right then,
52:48
Speaker 1: the English teacher and her husband drive right in the driveway. Hi.
52:53
Speaker 2: Great moment. Never forget that.
52:57
Speaker 1: So Gehazi says, I haven't been anywhere. That's what you
53:00
Speaker 1: say when you're caught.
53:02
Speaker 2: You lie.
53:05
Speaker 1: And boy, Elisha drops the boom. Verse 26. Don't you
53:11
Speaker 1: realize that I was there in spirit when Naaman stepped
53:13
Speaker 1: down from his chariot to meet you? Gehazi.
53:20
Speaker 2: Is this the time to.
53:21
Speaker 1: Receive money and clothing and olive groves and vineyards and
53:25
Speaker 1: Sheep and cattle and servants that you're.
53:27
Speaker 2: Going to buy. Is this the time for that, Gehazi?
53:33
Speaker 2: What are you thinking?
53:37
Speaker 1: Next time I'm going to talk about when we must
53:40
Speaker 1: confront someone in sin. That's another subject, but boy, Elisha
53:47
Speaker 1: does it.
53:50
Speaker 2: Spades.
53:50
Speaker 1: Because you have done this, you and your descendants will
53:53
Speaker 1: suffer from Naaman's leprosy.
53:56
Speaker 2: Forever. Yehazi left the room covered with leprosy skin, white
54:05
Speaker 2: as snow. Makes you quiet, doesn't it?
54:17
Speaker 1: There was no room, there was no wobble room in
54:22
Speaker 1: Elisha's life for that kind of deception. If he'll do this,
54:26
Speaker 1: what else.
54:26
Speaker 2: Will he do?
54:31
Speaker 1: Elisha had been deceived by a trusted long time, once
54:37
Speaker 1: faithful servant. He can't be allowed to get away with it.
54:43
Speaker 1: Couple of powerful lessons we end rather abruptly. but the
54:48
Speaker 1: chapter ends abruptly. First a word to those of you
54:53
Speaker 1: who are under rowers, those of us, we're all under rowers.
55:00
Speaker 1: Leave no room for deception. Leave no room in your
55:05
Speaker 1: life for deception. And I'll tell you how you can
55:10
Speaker 1: begin to live like that. Always ask yourself the same
55:13
Speaker 1: question In every issue and decision, here's the question.
55:19
Speaker 2: What is the right thing to do? What is the
55:23
Speaker 2: right thing to do?
55:27
Speaker 1: If you are faithful to ask yourself that question, you
55:29
Speaker 1: will not be a deceiver. That is not what Ghazi asked.
55:37
Speaker 1: In fact, he went after the gold. I want to
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Speaker 1: say this to those of us who are housekeepers, stewards.
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Speaker 1: Guard against rationalization. Guard against rationalization. Here's the question you
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Speaker 1: need to keep asking. What's my motive? First question, am
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Speaker 1: I doing the right thing? And the next question, what's
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Speaker 1: my motive? You may be surprised to know that there
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Speaker 1: is only one small sign that sits on my desk
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Speaker 1: in my study here at the church. Whenever you drop by,
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Speaker 1: you'll be able to see it. A friend of mine
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Speaker 1: carved it out of wood, one piece of wood. The
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Speaker 1: letters are carved, and they sit right there, and I
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Speaker 1: read them every time I'm at that desk.
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Speaker 2: Three words. What's my motive?
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Speaker 1: I ask myself that question regularly. What's my motive? We're
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Speaker 1: all a bunch of under rowers. We're all a bunch
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Speaker 1: of housekeepers. And we do what we do, pulling our
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Speaker 1: oars and fixing our meals for the glory of the
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Speaker 1: captain of the ship. He gets the credit. We have
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Speaker 1: the responsibility to make it go. So keep asking, am
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Speaker 1: I doing the right thing? And what is my motive
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Speaker 1: for doing it? Just to help make this message stick,
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Speaker 1: I've come up with a little nursery rhyme.
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Speaker 2: I don't write many. Here's mine. Row, row, row your boat. Never,
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Speaker 2: ever quit.
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Speaker 1: Loyally, faithfully serving Christ, the captain of your ship. Let's
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Speaker 1: row this boat For the glory of the captain. And
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Speaker 1: let's realize if there's any glory, it's like mine with Dr.
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Speaker 2: Pentecost. It's a borrowed glory. It isn't ours. It's his.
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Speaker 2: Bow with me, will you please?
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Speaker 1: There's something wonderful about silence and I sometime long for
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Speaker 1: it in the busy noisy world in which we live.
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Speaker 1: That's why I never apologize for it when we have
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Speaker 1: a lengthy period of silence in our worship. But I
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Speaker 1: find most people are a little uncomfortable because in silence
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Speaker 1: you're able to journey within your own heart. Nothing distracting you.
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Speaker 1: In a moment you're going to participate in the most
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Speaker 1: serious form of public worship.
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Speaker 2: That's when you not only hold, you.
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Speaker 1: Not only taste, but you consume elements that represent something eternal,
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Speaker 1: our Savior's body and our Savior's blood. This is our
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Speaker 1: moment to sit at the table that has been prepared
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Speaker 1: for us. It doesn't matter where you're a church member.
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Speaker 1: What matters is that you're in the family of God.
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Speaker 1: If you've never trusted in the Lord Jesus, either do
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Speaker 1: so now or let the elements pass by. How much
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Speaker 1: better for you to trust in the Savior and then
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Speaker 1: enjoy your first meal with him and with the others
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Speaker 1: sitting near you. And make sure, Christian friend, that you
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Speaker 1: are walking in the light, that you have his full forgiveness,
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Speaker 1: lest you walk in darkness, in deception, and not light.
1:00:02
Speaker 1: The Lord Jesus sat with his faithful 11 that last
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Speaker 1: night before the cross and painted for them a picture
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Speaker 1: regarding the future. And then it was all over as
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Speaker 1: they went together to Gethsemane and then on.
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Speaker 2: And he went on to Calvary. The silence is good
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Speaker 2: for us.
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Speaker 1: There's an old hymn that says, Speak, Lord, in the
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Speaker 1: silence as I wait for thee. Teach my heart to listen.
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Speaker 2: With expectancy. May I urge you to make room in
1:00:46
Speaker 2: your life this week.
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Speaker 1: For a brief period of silence when you quietly, simply
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Speaker 1: sit before the Lord. Let him speak to you and
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Speaker 1: you speak to him. He says, be still and know
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Speaker 1: that I am God.
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Speaker 2: Let's pray.
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Speaker 1: Our Father and our God, we are grateful for your
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Speaker 1: matchless grace that brings any of us to this table.
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Speaker 1: Thank you for the Savior who died that we might
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Speaker 1: live and who paid a price that we might have
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Speaker 1: a free gift. We accept that today. Remind us of
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Speaker 1: the bread, which is a representation of your son's body
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Speaker 1: and this cup of his blood. Cleanse our hearts with
1:01:50
Speaker 1: your holy presence. May our time in this quiet moment
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Speaker 1: be meaningful. as we search our souls to make certain
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Speaker 1: that our relationship with you is what it ought to be.
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Speaker 1: Speak to us without words being spoken by anyone else.
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Speaker 2: In the name of Christ.
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Speaker 3: The preceding message, What If a Longtime Friend Deceives You,
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Speaker 3: was copyrighted in 2013 and 2015, and the sound recording
1:02:31
Speaker 3: was copyrighted in 2015 by Charles R. Swindoll, Inc. All
1:02:35
Speaker 3: rights are reserved worldwide. Duplication of copyrighted material for commercial
1:02:40
Speaker 3: use is strictly prohibited.