1 00:00:00,120 --> 00:00:01,520 Let's pray. Lord, we thank you for this 2 00:00:01,520 --> 00:00:03,760 time. We do lift up this nation to 3 00:00:03,760 --> 00:00:07,080 you. We know that between now and 4 00:00:07,080 --> 00:00:10,440 November 5th and beyond, there can be many plot twists. 5 00:00:11,320 --> 00:00:14,320 But we pray for your supernatural hand to be upon 6 00:00:14,320 --> 00:00:17,720 this nation, that your favorable hand would be upon this nation. 7 00:00:18,160 --> 00:00:20,000 That especially at this election, Lord, that 8 00:00:20,000 --> 00:00:24,680 righteousness would prevail, that evil would be subdued, that 9 00:00:24,680 --> 00:00:27,600 it would be set back, that whatever Satan has in mind to 10 00:00:27,600 --> 00:00:32,000 destroy this country, this generation, this culture would 11 00:00:32,000 --> 00:00:34,880 be kept at Bay. And instead, Lord, your church 12 00:00:34,880 --> 00:00:37,480 would thrive and take advantage of the freedoms that you would 13 00:00:37,480 --> 00:00:40,840 provide to be effective, to be busy, to be zealous with the 14 00:00:40,840 --> 00:00:46,600 gospel of Jesus Christ. So, Lord, we pray for our 15 00:00:46,600 --> 00:00:52,120 politics because our politics comes into affecting people, 16 00:00:52,120 --> 00:00:55,400 policies that will affect people and, and Lord, we want 17 00:00:55,400 --> 00:00:59,000 righteousness. We want the reflection of your 18 00:00:59,000 --> 00:01:04,040 goodness to to shine and to be known in every sphere of this 19 00:01:04,040 --> 00:01:06,040 nation. So we pray, Lord, intervene, 20 00:01:06,040 --> 00:01:11,280 intervene, Lord, and let goodness and kindness and mercy 21 00:01:11,280 --> 00:01:16,560 and justice rule and reign longer in this land and 22 00:01:16,560 --> 00:01:18,240 strengthen your church in the midst of it. 23 00:01:18,600 --> 00:01:23,400 May we not fall asleep Should you give us four more years of 24 00:01:23,400 --> 00:01:26,120 peace and tranquility, at least a little bit more peace and 25 00:01:26,120 --> 00:01:29,240 tranquility than not. Your church be asleep and her 26 00:01:29,240 --> 00:01:31,480 plenty. We pray, Lord, that this would 27 00:01:31,480 --> 00:01:35,200 be a wake up call for not just us, but the church at large to 28 00:01:35,200 --> 00:01:38,960 again see what we have ahead of us and to make use of it to work 29 00:01:38,960 --> 00:01:41,280 while it is day, for night is coming when no man can work. 30 00:01:42,000 --> 00:01:44,040 We ask these things in the precious name of the ruling, 31 00:01:44,040 --> 00:01:48,760 reigning living name of Jesus Christ, Amen and Amen Amen. 32 00:01:50,120 --> 00:01:54,040 Preach the word in season and out of season, even an election 33 00:01:54,040 --> 00:01:55,920 year. So let's come to 2nd Kings 34 00:01:55,920 --> 00:01:59,120 chapter 4. As we read from verse 8 down to 35 00:01:59,120 --> 00:02:06,120 verse 17. This chapter is absolutely 36 00:02:06,120 --> 00:02:11,560 filled with the miraculous. We studied a miracle in the 1st 37 00:02:11,560 --> 00:02:14,400 7 verses of this chapter, and miracles will only continue as 38 00:02:14,400 --> 00:02:19,160 we advance with this particular section of God's Word. 39 00:02:19,160 --> 00:02:21,800 So let us do this. If you're there with me, follow 40 00:02:21,800 --> 00:02:23,840 with me with your eyes, more importantly, with your heart. 41 00:02:24,720 --> 00:02:28,080 And let's read from verse 8 down to verse 17 before we unfold 42 00:02:28,080 --> 00:02:30,640 these things together. Verse eight. 43 00:02:31,960 --> 00:02:37,800 One day Elisha went on to Shunam, where a wealthy woman 44 00:02:37,800 --> 00:02:40,840 lived who urged him to eat some food. 45 00:02:41,280 --> 00:02:44,520 So whenever he passed that way, he would turn in there to eat 46 00:02:44,520 --> 00:02:47,240 food. And she said to her husband, 47 00:02:47,240 --> 00:02:52,120 Behold, now I know that this is a holy man of God, who is 48 00:02:52,120 --> 00:02:57,560 continually passing our way. Let us make a small room on the 49 00:02:57,560 --> 00:03:02,200 roof with walls, and put there for him a bed, a table, a chair, 50 00:03:02,200 --> 00:03:06,240 and a lamp, so that whenever he comes to us he can go in there. 51 00:03:07,280 --> 00:03:10,320 One day he came there and he turned into the chamber and 52 00:03:10,320 --> 00:03:13,040 rested there. And he said to Gehazi his 53 00:03:13,040 --> 00:03:16,680 servant called the Shunamite. When he had called her, she 54 00:03:16,680 --> 00:03:19,920 stood before him. And he said to him, Say now to 55 00:03:19,920 --> 00:03:23,480 her, see, you have taken all this trouble for us, what is to 56 00:03:23,480 --> 00:03:27,080 be done for you? Would you have a word spoken on 57 00:03:27,080 --> 00:03:29,640 your behalf to the king or to the commander of the army? 58 00:03:30,400 --> 00:03:32,520 She answered, I dwell among my own people. 59 00:03:33,400 --> 00:03:35,760 And he said, What then is to be done for her? 60 00:03:36,680 --> 00:03:40,680 Ghazi answered, Well, she has no son, and her husband is old. 61 00:03:41,360 --> 00:03:44,800 He said call her, and when he had called her, she stood in the 62 00:03:44,800 --> 00:03:47,440 doorway. And he said, at this season, 63 00:03:47,440 --> 00:03:50,040 about this time next year, you shall embrace a son. 64 00:03:50,040 --> 00:03:54,040 And she said, no, my Lord, oh man of God, do not lie to your 65 00:03:54,040 --> 00:03:57,200 servant. But the woman conceived, she 66 00:03:57,200 --> 00:04:00,960 bore a son about that time, the following spring. 67 00:04:01,280 --> 00:04:08,000 As Elijah has said to her, it is a good habit in your study of 68 00:04:08,000 --> 00:04:12,440 God's Word and whenever you come across a reference of a village, 69 00:04:12,440 --> 00:04:16,640 the name of a city or a town, that you meditate on that and do 70 00:04:16,640 --> 00:04:20,320 a little bit of exploration to see the significance of that 71 00:04:20,320 --> 00:04:23,560 city or the history of that city or the cross references 72 00:04:23,720 --> 00:04:27,160 concerning that city. If you make that a discipline, 73 00:04:27,200 --> 00:04:31,440 you will indeed enrich your study of the very passage that 74 00:04:31,440 --> 00:04:35,080 you are confronted with, and I believe that to be the case with 75 00:04:35,080 --> 00:04:36,800 what we have in this passage today. 76 00:04:36,800 --> 00:04:41,720 We are told that Elijah went on to a place called Shunam. 77 00:04:43,000 --> 00:04:46,880 Now Shunam is only mentioned a total of three times and all of 78 00:04:46,880 --> 00:04:51,240 the Old Testament one time here, another time in First Samuel 79 00:04:51,240 --> 00:04:56,280 chapter 28 and verse four, and for the very first time in the 80 00:04:56,280 --> 00:05:00,600 book of Joshua. And it is in the book of Joshua 81 00:05:01,000 --> 00:05:06,440 where we are told which tribe Shunam belong to, where it was 82 00:05:06,440 --> 00:05:11,600 located in terms of the sons of Israel and their allotted land. 83 00:05:11,960 --> 00:05:14,360 Can anybody guess where Shunam is found? 84 00:05:16,040 --> 00:05:19,040 Somebody I think said it but is nervous to say it louder. 85 00:05:19,960 --> 00:05:24,200 If you know it, say it. If you don't know it and you 86 00:05:24,200 --> 00:05:28,280 want to know it, you have to turn to Joshua chapter 19 and 87 00:05:28,280 --> 00:05:33,120 look at verse 17 and 18. And if you get there 1st and you 88 00:05:33,120 --> 00:05:35,680 find the tribe, say it out loud for us to hear it. 89 00:05:37,120 --> 00:05:41,680 It's a car. Not a very well known tribe, but 90 00:05:41,680 --> 00:05:44,000 here it is. It's a car according to verse 91 00:05:44,000 --> 00:05:51,440 1718 of Joshua chapter 19 had Shunam in its boundaries. 92 00:05:51,920 --> 00:05:55,040 It's a car now. Do you remember that in Genesis 93 00:05:55,040 --> 00:05:59,600 49, when Jacob was still alive, and his twelve sons, who later 94 00:05:59,600 --> 00:06:04,960 became the tribes of Israel, before his departure into glory, 95 00:06:04,960 --> 00:06:07,880 he brought them in and he prophesied over each of them 96 00:06:07,880 --> 00:06:11,040 concerning not just their own lives, but the destiny of their 97 00:06:11,040 --> 00:06:13,640 descendants. And I want you to see with your 98 00:06:13,640 --> 00:06:17,960 own eyes what Jacob said to his son Issachar. 99 00:06:18,360 --> 00:06:21,200 So go to the very beginning, the first book of this divine 100 00:06:21,200 --> 00:06:24,240 library, Genesis 49. Look at 2 verses with me in 101 00:06:24,240 --> 00:06:28,440 Genesis 4914 and 15 of that chapter. 102 00:06:28,440 --> 00:06:31,400 Notice what Israel says to Issachar. 103 00:06:33,760 --> 00:06:40,800 Issachar is a strong donkey. Now that might be an insult in 104 00:06:40,800 --> 00:06:43,880 our day, but it wasn't in this context. 105 00:06:44,560 --> 00:06:48,160 Issachar is a strong donkey. Crouching between the 106 00:06:48,160 --> 00:06:52,960 sheepfolds, he saw that a resting place was good and that 107 00:06:52,960 --> 00:06:57,160 the land was pleasant, so he bowed his shoulder to bear and 108 00:06:57,160 --> 00:07:00,880 became a servant at forced labor. 109 00:07:02,000 --> 00:07:04,880 So remember, Jacob and his sons are still in Egypt. 110 00:07:04,880 --> 00:07:08,000 They haven't arrived to the Promised Land just yet, but he 111 00:07:08,000 --> 00:07:11,400 tells Issachar that your descendants, when they come to 112 00:07:11,400 --> 00:07:15,080 that promised land, are going to find a good resting place, and 113 00:07:15,440 --> 00:07:19,200 they're going to find a piece of property that will be pleasant. 114 00:07:20,120 --> 00:07:23,080 But above that, he says that the people of Issachar would be an 115 00:07:23,080 --> 00:07:27,160 industrious people, right? Diligent to work, willing to 116 00:07:27,160 --> 00:07:30,920 embrace the burden of the soil. That's what he says. 117 00:07:31,640 --> 00:07:33,960 It says that he bowed his shoulder to bear and became a 118 00:07:33,960 --> 00:07:36,680 servant at forced labor. Now, you can either interpret 119 00:07:36,680 --> 00:07:38,160 that in a positive way or in a negative way. 120 00:07:38,320 --> 00:07:40,480 The positive way, in the way that I just explained, that they 121 00:07:40,480 --> 00:07:43,560 would be hard workers. The negative that because they 122 00:07:43,560 --> 00:07:46,800 were in such a prosperous place, they would often be the object 123 00:07:46,800 --> 00:07:50,960 of foreign oppression, trying to take advantage of what they have 124 00:07:51,400 --> 00:07:55,920 and at a cost, they would be forced to be servants. 125 00:07:56,480 --> 00:07:59,360 If we look at it from the positive lens, this people would 126 00:07:59,360 --> 00:08:03,440 be hard working. And when you trace the people of 127 00:08:03,440 --> 00:08:07,120 Issachar specifically in the book of Judges and Chronicles, 128 00:08:07,120 --> 00:08:09,760 what you discover is that many warriors arose from this tribe. 129 00:08:10,600 --> 00:08:13,640 Many of them, in times of oppression and war, did not 130 00:08:13,640 --> 00:08:18,040 hesitate to come to the aid of the people as a whole, their 131 00:08:18,040 --> 00:08:19,720 brethren. So not only did they carry their 132 00:08:19,720 --> 00:08:23,720 own burdens, but they also were willing to carry the load of 133 00:08:23,720 --> 00:08:27,880 others. All that to say that we are 134 00:08:27,880 --> 00:08:32,840 introduced to a woman who comes from Shunam and she will prove 135 00:08:32,840 --> 00:08:37,760 that she was not distracted by the rich opportunities of the 136 00:08:37,760 --> 00:08:42,080 land, but that she made the most important investment that you 137 00:08:42,080 --> 00:08:44,240 can make in this life, a spiritual one. 138 00:08:45,560 --> 00:08:49,200 She will prove to be a hard working servant, but not just 139 00:08:49,200 --> 00:08:53,760 for agriculture and gain and business before the advancement 140 00:08:53,760 --> 00:08:57,480 of the purposes of God. Let me add this. 141 00:08:57,720 --> 00:09:01,080 Does anybody have an idea what the name Shunna means in the 142 00:09:01,080 --> 00:09:03,760 Hebrew? I know one person here who would 143 00:09:03,760 --> 00:09:10,680 know it. Double resting place. 144 00:09:11,600 --> 00:09:15,240 So remember Jacob told Issachar, you're going to find a good 145 00:09:15,240 --> 00:09:18,240 resting place. And within the resting place, 146 00:09:18,400 --> 00:09:22,200 the allotment of the land given to Issachar, there was a town 147 00:09:22,200 --> 00:09:23,480 that was not just the resting place. 148 00:09:23,720 --> 00:09:28,040 Double resting place. And so you get the impression 149 00:09:28,040 --> 00:09:31,120 from this that Shunam was perhaps a very picturesque, 150 00:09:32,520 --> 00:09:40,560 broad, tranquil, relaxing, beautiful place. 151 00:09:41,360 --> 00:09:43,960 And what we learned is that Elijah and his frequent travels 152 00:09:43,960 --> 00:09:46,520 in the ministry would often pass through that place. 153 00:09:46,520 --> 00:09:51,040 But what we're going to discover is that Shunam double resting 154 00:09:51,040 --> 00:09:57,760 place will offer something to Elijah through a person who had 155 00:09:57,760 --> 00:10:03,080 the gift of hospitality and who cared enough for a man of God 156 00:10:03,120 --> 00:10:09,560 and the ministry of God to bring rest and help. 157 00:10:11,160 --> 00:10:13,400 And I want to investigate further to see what we can learn 158 00:10:13,400 --> 00:10:16,360 about this woman. Let's come back to 2nd Kings 48. 159 00:10:16,720 --> 00:10:18,680 From that one verse. What do you learn about her? 160 00:10:18,920 --> 00:10:20,480 What stands out to you about this woman? 161 00:10:23,280 --> 00:10:26,600 She was wealthy. She was a wealthy woman. 162 00:10:28,000 --> 00:10:32,320 Now, you should not be inspired by the fact that she was rich, 163 00:10:32,320 --> 00:10:36,880 but what she did with her riches, her prosperity, listen, 164 00:10:37,080 --> 00:10:41,440 it did not do what material fortune often does to people, 165 00:10:42,320 --> 00:10:46,880 especially those who grew up in the church or who are connected 166 00:10:46,880 --> 00:10:49,920 to the faith. It did not overtake her to the 167 00:10:49,920 --> 00:10:51,960 point of becoming spiritually debilitated. 168 00:10:54,920 --> 00:10:56,200 Instead. What do you read when you when 169 00:10:56,200 --> 00:10:58,280 you read about her in this introduction, you see that she's 170 00:10:58,280 --> 00:11:01,920 eager to serve, looking for opportunities to do so. 171 00:11:02,320 --> 00:11:06,640 And she found one. And then she used her resources 172 00:11:06,840 --> 00:11:10,400 to contribute to the cause of the truth. 173 00:11:11,440 --> 00:11:12,840 That's what you find in this woman. 174 00:11:12,840 --> 00:11:16,320 And when she saw and learned that Elijah, this man of God who 175 00:11:16,320 --> 00:11:20,080 is gaining notoriety, when when she learned that he frequently 176 00:11:20,080 --> 00:11:24,280 traveled through her neighborhood, she saw an 177 00:11:24,280 --> 00:11:26,040 opportunity right there. And she said, I want to do 178 00:11:26,040 --> 00:11:29,840 something for this man of God. I want to come to his aid. 179 00:11:29,840 --> 00:11:31,880 I want to support him. And listen, she was not 180 00:11:31,880 --> 00:11:34,600 reluctant. She was not coerced. 181 00:11:35,160 --> 00:11:37,840 In fact, if there's anybody that was hesitating with this 182 00:11:37,840 --> 00:11:40,440 interaction of receiving help, it was Elijah. 183 00:11:41,080 --> 00:11:42,320 Look back here. What do we read? 184 00:11:43,000 --> 00:11:46,600 Verse 8A, wealthy woman lived who urged him to eat some food. 185 00:11:46,600 --> 00:11:47,800 She wouldn't take no for an answer. 186 00:11:49,000 --> 00:11:50,640 Like, no, no, you're going to eat. 187 00:11:51,040 --> 00:11:53,200 I already prepared the food. You're coming inside. 188 00:11:53,400 --> 00:11:55,480 And I was like, no, you know, he doesn't want to be a burden. 189 00:11:55,840 --> 00:11:57,400 No, it's OK, man. Thank you so much. 190 00:11:57,400 --> 00:12:01,240 No, no, no, no, no. You're eating no matter what you 191 00:12:01,240 --> 00:12:02,800 say. And finally, he gave in, and he 192 00:12:02,800 --> 00:12:05,440 became very comfortable because we're told in the same verse 193 00:12:05,440 --> 00:12:08,240 that whenever he went that way, he would turn in there to eat 194 00:12:08,680 --> 00:12:11,360 food. It's worth pausing here and 195 00:12:11,360 --> 00:12:15,840 making a few comments. The Bible does not prohibit 196 00:12:15,840 --> 00:12:22,480 Christians from becoming financially successful, nor does 197 00:12:22,480 --> 00:12:25,560 it suggest that wealthy Christians should be ashamed of 198 00:12:25,560 --> 00:12:30,200 their assets. However, the same Bible also 199 00:12:30,320 --> 00:12:35,040 warns every man, including those in the faith, of the perils of 200 00:12:35,040 --> 00:12:39,840 pursuing wealth and offers unique instructions to 201 00:12:39,840 --> 00:12:42,920 Christians who are materially blessed. 202 00:12:42,920 --> 00:12:45,720 And one of the clearest examples of this in the New Testament is 203 00:12:45,720 --> 00:12:47,600 found in First and the chapter 6. 204 00:12:47,880 --> 00:12:50,320 And I want you to see it with me in verse 17, First Timothy 205 00:12:50,320 --> 00:12:54,520 chapter 6, verse 17 and 18. Let's look at this together. 206 00:12:57,000 --> 00:12:59,760 Paul is about to tell Timothy in the closing remarks of this 207 00:12:59,760 --> 00:13:03,360 epistle, As for the rich in this present age, just stop there. 208 00:13:03,360 --> 00:13:07,480 Don't you love that, Timothy? I want you to address a 209 00:13:07,480 --> 00:13:09,480 particular demographic in your church. 210 00:13:09,480 --> 00:13:11,360 As for the rich. But he doesn't just say As for 211 00:13:11,360 --> 00:13:13,840 the rich, he says As for the rich in this present age, 212 00:13:14,600 --> 00:13:18,280 meaning it's possible to be wealthy and affluent in this 213 00:13:18,280 --> 00:13:22,960 world and for that not to transfer over into an eternal 214 00:13:22,960 --> 00:13:26,440 currency. In fact, it's possible to be 215 00:13:26,720 --> 00:13:32,800 very, very prosperous in this life and void of any eternal 216 00:13:32,800 --> 00:13:37,600 reward in the life to come. So speak to the rich in this 217 00:13:37,600 --> 00:13:40,840 present age. Their present situation and 218 00:13:40,840 --> 00:13:45,000 circumstance and comfort does not mean that it will transfer 219 00:13:45,000 --> 00:13:48,480 over into the world to come. But there is something that this 220 00:13:48,480 --> 00:13:51,280 particular group of people in your church, in the church at 221 00:13:51,280 --> 00:13:55,120 large, can do to ensure that they make an impact in this life 222 00:13:55,120 --> 00:13:59,320 and in the age to come. And in the first verse there he 223 00:13:59,320 --> 00:14:01,640 provides the negatives. Make sure they don't do this. 224 00:14:01,640 --> 00:14:03,000 Make sure they don't act like that. 225 00:14:03,000 --> 00:14:04,320 Make sure they don't think this way. 226 00:14:04,600 --> 00:14:06,760 And then in verse 18, he gets into the positives. 227 00:14:06,760 --> 00:14:09,480 And notice what he says as we read this in its entirety. 228 00:14:09,760 --> 00:14:12,120 As for the rich and as present aides charge him not to be 229 00:14:12,120 --> 00:14:16,280 haughty nor to set their hopes on the uncertainty of riches, 230 00:14:16,520 --> 00:14:21,800 but on God who richly provides us with everything to enjoy. 231 00:14:21,800 --> 00:14:26,000 I like that last part. God can give you things to 232 00:14:26,000 --> 00:14:30,960 enjoy. It's not spiritual to be solemn 233 00:14:31,920 --> 00:14:36,080 and to not see the blessings and things that are material. 234 00:14:37,560 --> 00:14:40,840 But enjoyment in those things are not an end in itself. 235 00:14:40,840 --> 00:14:44,320 It's not the goal of the accumulation of our wealth. 236 00:14:44,720 --> 00:14:46,480 Notice what he says in the next part. 237 00:14:46,840 --> 00:14:53,400 They are to do good, to be rich and good works, to be generous 238 00:14:53,440 --> 00:14:58,160 and ready to share. Here's a summary of what Paul is 239 00:14:58,160 --> 00:15:01,680 saying by the Spirit. Christians who are financially 240 00:15:01,880 --> 00:15:06,400 successful followers of Christ who have that kind of favor in 241 00:15:06,400 --> 00:15:12,600 their lives cannot be hoarders. They cannot be hoarders. 242 00:15:13,800 --> 00:15:18,120 They cannot live with this mindset that they work hard and 243 00:15:18,120 --> 00:15:22,600 they they accumulate more and more in order for them to keep 244 00:15:22,600 --> 00:15:27,320 these things for themselves. Instead, a believer who is 245 00:15:27,320 --> 00:15:33,240 spirit filled will understand that resources are to be 246 00:15:33,240 --> 00:15:36,840 actively and thoughtfully used to seek opportunities to bless 247 00:15:36,840 --> 00:15:40,400 others, particularly in the name and for the cause of the Lord 248 00:15:40,400 --> 00:15:43,600 Jesus Christ. That's that's how not just 249 00:15:43,600 --> 00:15:46,080 Christians should think, but especially Christians who are 250 00:15:46,080 --> 00:15:51,120 unusually and uncommonly favored in their finances. 251 00:15:51,920 --> 00:15:54,840 Which is the most enjoyable thing, is it not? 252 00:15:56,480 --> 00:15:59,720 Is it not? The Lord Jesus said, according 253 00:15:59,720 --> 00:16:01,880 to Paul's words, that it is more blessed to give than it is to 254 00:16:01,880 --> 00:16:04,520 receive. I I just want you to think about 255 00:16:04,520 --> 00:16:05,760 it. What a thrilling thought it is 256 00:16:05,760 --> 00:16:08,520 that as, as we go on to this world and we work hard and we 257 00:16:08,520 --> 00:16:13,160 accumulate an income and bonuses and all these different things, 258 00:16:13,240 --> 00:16:17,240 that the wealth of the world, we can take that and then take a 259 00:16:17,240 --> 00:16:20,560 portion of it and place it in the advancement of the eternal 260 00:16:20,560 --> 00:16:24,600 Kingdom of God. So this should excite us. 261 00:16:24,600 --> 00:16:26,480 And now I get it. I, I get a lot of Christians, 262 00:16:26,480 --> 00:16:29,520 maybe even now you're, you're squirming and a lot of 263 00:16:29,520 --> 00:16:32,480 believers, including pastors, get nervous of talking about 264 00:16:32,480 --> 00:16:35,160 this from the pulpit, which is understandable because of the 265 00:16:35,160 --> 00:16:38,520 vast abuses of it. You have every right to be 266 00:16:38,520 --> 00:16:41,960 unsettled if you hear from this microphone something along the 267 00:16:41,960 --> 00:16:46,040 lines of sow $91.00 so that you can reap the Psalm 91 blessing. 268 00:16:47,080 --> 00:16:49,760 You can be squirmish when you hear something like that, and 269 00:16:49,760 --> 00:16:53,040 you can be squirmish if any ministry leader pressures the 270 00:16:53,040 --> 00:16:56,720 people of God to empty their bank accounts in the name of 271 00:16:56,720 --> 00:17:00,000 investing in the Kingdom of God while you're left struggling and 272 00:17:00,000 --> 00:17:02,520 your family can't put food on their table or pay their bills. 273 00:17:02,520 --> 00:17:08,920 That's evil. That being said, you cannot deny 274 00:17:08,920 --> 00:17:12,280 that the Bible, by the mind and the wisdom of God, seeks to 275 00:17:12,280 --> 00:17:16,839 train the Church of Jesus Christ to be spiritually strategic with 276 00:17:16,839 --> 00:17:20,200 their money. You can't deny that. 277 00:17:20,839 --> 00:17:24,680 If you deny that, then you are in a proverbial way taking out 278 00:17:24,680 --> 00:17:26,480 scissors and cutting up parts of the Bible. 279 00:17:27,079 --> 00:17:28,480 You can't deny. I can't deny it. 280 00:17:28,480 --> 00:17:31,640 And I remember on a personal level, at some point in my walk 281 00:17:31,640 --> 00:17:34,880 with the Lord, as I examine my own sanctification, I examine my 282 00:17:34,880 --> 00:17:38,640 consecration to the Lord, thinking to myself, have I 283 00:17:38,640 --> 00:17:43,880 consecrated every part of my life except my wallet, except my 284 00:17:43,880 --> 00:17:48,960 bank account? And so that was a turn around 285 00:17:48,960 --> 00:17:52,040 for me and thinking about how to pray and come before the Lord 286 00:17:52,240 --> 00:17:54,920 and saying, Lord, you have my time. 287 00:17:54,920 --> 00:17:58,200 You have my, my, the gifts that you've given me, my energy. 288 00:17:58,200 --> 00:18:00,440 But Lord, is there anything, is there anybody that you want me 289 00:18:00,440 --> 00:18:03,800 to help? If there is there any ministry 290 00:18:03,800 --> 00:18:06,440 that is faithful that you want me to invest in? 291 00:18:07,600 --> 00:18:10,120 And I'll tell you this, that overtime your heart will begin 292 00:18:10,120 --> 00:18:14,440 to fill with joy as you realize that you and I are invited to 293 00:18:14,440 --> 00:18:16,680 contribute to the Kingdom of God in this way. 294 00:18:18,960 --> 00:18:20,560 And that's something by the Spirit. 295 00:18:22,640 --> 00:18:28,480 And so we see here that Timothy was instructed to charge this 296 00:18:28,480 --> 00:18:33,800 particular group of people. And as he's charging them, let 297 00:18:33,800 --> 00:18:38,960 me charge you. If you are seeking financial 298 00:18:38,960 --> 00:18:43,360 growth, multiplication, accumulation, if you are 299 00:18:43,360 --> 00:18:46,560 enjoying the fruits of your labor, or if you're even ready 300 00:18:46,560 --> 00:18:50,320 to be the recipient of a grand inheritance, for example, but 301 00:18:50,320 --> 00:18:53,360 are not stirred in your service to the Lord along the way, you 302 00:18:53,360 --> 00:18:54,840 are treading on dangerous ground. 303 00:18:58,040 --> 00:19:02,000 You've lost sight of your true purpose as a follower of Jesus 304 00:19:02,000 --> 00:19:06,080 Christ, and I've possibly become self absorbed instead of being 305 00:19:06,200 --> 00:19:11,040 again strategic for the gospel. And if you're not careful, 306 00:19:11,040 --> 00:19:15,160 listen, I say this in love, if you're not careful to put money 307 00:19:15,160 --> 00:19:18,760 in its appropriate place, to put your pursuit in light of 308 00:19:18,760 --> 00:19:22,480 eternity, then one of the worst things that can happen to you as 309 00:19:22,480 --> 00:19:24,840 a Christian is to become successful in this life. 310 00:19:26,720 --> 00:19:29,280 That's one of the worst things that can happen to you because 311 00:19:29,280 --> 00:19:33,040 success, unfortunately, has sabotaged the devotion of many 312 00:19:33,040 --> 00:19:34,920 disciples of Jesus Christ throughout the age. 313 00:19:37,440 --> 00:19:43,880 So let your heart always live in light of God's wisdom of how to 314 00:19:43,880 --> 00:19:49,840 handle mammon and how to always have this understanding that 315 00:19:49,840 --> 00:19:54,240 you're only going to live a few decades in this world, and you 316 00:19:54,240 --> 00:19:57,760 want to ensure that every part of your life makes some kind of 317 00:19:57,760 --> 00:19:59,760 contribution to the Kingdom of God. 318 00:20:01,440 --> 00:20:05,400 And this woman is a tremendous example of how the rich in this 319 00:20:05,400 --> 00:20:08,000 life should be like. In fact, when you come back to 320 00:20:08,000 --> 00:20:11,760 2nd Kings Chapter 4, I want you to notice a couple of references 321 00:20:11,760 --> 00:20:14,320 that reflect her posture of heart. 322 00:20:14,320 --> 00:20:15,720 Come back to 2nd Kings chapter 4. 323 00:20:16,000 --> 00:20:21,680 Look at verse 12. And he said to Gehazi, his 324 00:20:21,680 --> 00:20:25,880 servant called this Shunamite. When he had called her, she did 325 00:20:25,880 --> 00:20:27,560 what? What does it say in your Bible? 326 00:20:28,360 --> 00:20:32,040 What did she do? She stood, She stood before him. 327 00:20:32,440 --> 00:20:35,640 Look, look at verse 15. He said, call her. 328 00:20:36,520 --> 00:20:39,920 And when he had called her, she stood in the doorway. 329 00:20:40,360 --> 00:20:43,800 Listen to stand is a posture of servitude. 330 00:20:45,720 --> 00:20:48,440 It signifies a position of readiness to be commissioned. 331 00:20:49,560 --> 00:20:53,600 And what this woman shows us is that in her material gain she 332 00:20:53,600 --> 00:20:56,040 did not allow her ego to be inflated. 333 00:20:56,800 --> 00:20:59,600 She did not become more selfish or demanding. 334 00:21:01,240 --> 00:21:04,240 No, her devotion to God allowed her to remain sensitive to the 335 00:21:04,240 --> 00:21:06,640 needs of others even in her surplus. 336 00:21:06,640 --> 00:21:08,440 She stood. She stood. 337 00:21:11,600 --> 00:21:13,800 You know, it's worth making this beautiful observation before we 338 00:21:13,800 --> 00:21:18,320 move on because we studied Elijah in the beginning of this 339 00:21:18,320 --> 00:21:21,160 chapter and his interaction with a different kind of woman. 340 00:21:22,160 --> 00:21:25,760 And as now we continue, we see him interacting with a woman 341 00:21:25,760 --> 00:21:28,360 once more. But what a contrast there is 342 00:21:28,360 --> 00:21:31,120 between these two women in their circumstances. 343 00:21:32,400 --> 00:21:34,640 If you think about the woman from the first 7 verses, we 344 00:21:34,640 --> 00:21:38,680 realize that she was what a widow, while the Shunamite was 345 00:21:38,680 --> 00:21:42,240 what she was married. The widow at the beginning of 346 00:21:42,240 --> 00:21:45,480 this chapter was destitute whereas this one was wealthy. 347 00:21:46,600 --> 00:21:51,560 The woman expressed her faith in the 1st 7 verses in her need, 348 00:21:52,840 --> 00:21:56,360 whereas the Shunamite practice her faith in her plenty. 349 00:21:58,040 --> 00:21:59,720 The widow, did she have children? 350 00:22:01,000 --> 00:22:03,280 How many? She had two sons. 351 00:22:03,400 --> 00:22:04,840 The Shunammite, did she have any children? 352 00:22:05,360 --> 00:22:06,920 No, she didn't. She was barren. 353 00:22:09,120 --> 00:22:13,080 Here's the point of this. Despite their differences, what 354 00:22:13,080 --> 00:22:16,440 these two women demonstrate that it's possible to honor God 355 00:22:17,040 --> 00:22:24,040 regardless of your circumstances, regardless and if 356 00:22:24,040 --> 00:22:27,040 your situation changes, whether it's financial, whether it's 357 00:22:27,040 --> 00:22:31,320 physical, whether it is relational, the goal of our 358 00:22:31,320 --> 00:22:35,600 lives remains the same. God wants to be glorified, and 359 00:22:35,600 --> 00:22:38,480 in His Providence He positioned you in a way to glorify Him in a 360 00:22:38,480 --> 00:22:41,960 particular manner. In this case, this woman had 361 00:22:41,960 --> 00:22:44,000 much she was able to glorify God. 362 00:22:44,000 --> 00:22:48,120 In the former case, this woman had virtually nothing and she 363 00:22:48,120 --> 00:22:55,360 was still able to glorify God. As I told you last week, I was 364 00:22:55,360 --> 00:22:59,800 so moved by this widow in the 1st 7 verses and this wealthy 365 00:22:59,800 --> 00:23:02,880 woman moves me just as much. Look at what we find in verse 9. 366 00:23:02,880 --> 00:23:07,320 Now all of this was just verse 8, so let's move on to verse 9. 367 00:23:08,400 --> 00:23:12,320 And she said to her husband, Behold, now I know that this is 368 00:23:12,320 --> 00:23:17,720 a holy man of God who is continually passing our way. 369 00:23:18,560 --> 00:23:22,360 This woman was not just wealthy in her materials, she was 370 00:23:22,360 --> 00:23:27,160 wealthy with her wisdom. She was discerning. 371 00:23:28,520 --> 00:23:31,960 You know, Proverbs 1616 says how much better to get wisdom than 372 00:23:31,960 --> 00:23:35,800 gold? To get understanding is to be 373 00:23:35,800 --> 00:23:39,840 chosen rather than silver. So she's wealthy where it 374 00:23:39,840 --> 00:23:42,760 matters. She possessed discretion and 375 00:23:42,760 --> 00:23:45,000 prudence. And how does she demonstrate 376 00:23:45,000 --> 00:23:48,800 that over time, as Elisha came over for a meal, we don't know 377 00:23:48,800 --> 00:23:54,560 how many meals she picked up. This man is a true man of God. 378 00:23:55,640 --> 00:24:00,120 He is truly holy and it impressed her. 379 00:24:00,320 --> 00:24:04,840 She was able to process his faith, his character, and come 380 00:24:04,840 --> 00:24:07,680 to the conclusion that he is the real deal. 381 00:24:09,680 --> 00:24:13,720 And I want to say this in light of Elijah, or Elijah rather, 382 00:24:14,520 --> 00:24:18,360 this says so much about this man of God because the sincerity of 383 00:24:18,480 --> 00:24:22,440 his faith was proven in one of the most challenging places in 384 00:24:22,440 --> 00:24:25,880 this world. You know, where it is, the home. 385 00:24:27,880 --> 00:24:31,480 It's very difficult to put on a show, to put on a spiritual 386 00:24:31,480 --> 00:24:34,520 facade and the comfort, familiarity and the privacy of 387 00:24:34,520 --> 00:24:40,240 your home, is it not? You know, it's much easier to 388 00:24:40,240 --> 00:24:43,400 come to a place like this on a Friday or on a Sunday and seem 389 00:24:43,400 --> 00:24:47,160 to be something as spiritual and connected to God. 390 00:24:47,680 --> 00:24:49,320 Why? Because the show only lasts for 391 00:24:49,320 --> 00:24:56,680 like an hour and 45 minutes. But in the home, if your faith 392 00:24:56,680 --> 00:25:00,560 is real in your living room and your bedroom and your kitchen, 393 00:25:02,240 --> 00:25:06,600 that's something that is something noteworthy. 394 00:25:07,880 --> 00:25:10,840 You see, Elijah's spirituality did not turn on and off at will. 395 00:25:10,840 --> 00:25:13,000 It did not turn on and off depending on his surroundings. 396 00:25:13,000 --> 00:25:15,800 He was consistent no matter where he found himself. 397 00:25:18,440 --> 00:25:22,360 I was reflecting on a brief testimony that a young man 398 00:25:22,360 --> 00:25:28,880 shared with me concerning his struggles to be a true 399 00:25:28,880 --> 00:25:32,000 Christian, especially around his unbelieving peers. 400 00:25:33,280 --> 00:25:37,720 And more than that, he was often tempted to fit the mold of the 401 00:25:37,720 --> 00:25:40,920 world and to give in to their desires and their ways. 402 00:25:42,120 --> 00:25:45,000 And this was a growing concern for him for the obvious reasons. 403 00:25:45,000 --> 00:25:49,680 But something happened that struck him to the core that he 404 00:25:49,680 --> 00:25:52,640 admitted would change the trajectory of his ways. 405 00:25:53,040 --> 00:25:56,640 And I hope it does. He'd said that with one of his 406 00:25:56,640 --> 00:26:00,400 roommates after living with him for a few weeks, again fearful 407 00:26:00,400 --> 00:26:03,840 of witnessing, not even bringing up any idea that he is a 408 00:26:03,840 --> 00:26:08,040 Christian, not intentional about witnessing at all or 409 00:26:08,040 --> 00:26:11,280 demonstrating any qualities of holiness. 410 00:26:11,680 --> 00:26:14,560 Somehow the conversation of the afterlife came up between these 411 00:26:14,560 --> 00:26:19,080 two, and what this roommate said pricked his heart. 412 00:26:19,240 --> 00:26:22,480 At some point in that dialogue. The roommate said to this 413 00:26:22,640 --> 00:26:24,920 believer who again was struggling. 414 00:26:25,440 --> 00:26:28,520 The following statement. Well, even if there is a hell, 415 00:26:28,520 --> 00:26:30,920 it doesn't really matter because we're both going there. 416 00:26:34,040 --> 00:26:38,560 What what was he saying in that? The way this young Christian 417 00:26:38,560 --> 00:26:41,600 registered it was this guy doesn't believe that I'm a 418 00:26:41,600 --> 00:26:45,040 Christian. Whatever this guy perceived, he 419 00:26:45,040 --> 00:26:50,520 thinks that I deserve to go to hell, that I'm no different than 420 00:26:50,520 --> 00:26:55,800 him. So didn't shine. 421 00:26:55,800 --> 00:26:59,280 We were supposed to shone in the day-to-day. 422 00:27:00,440 --> 00:27:04,960 It was not real. It was not perceptive. 423 00:27:08,720 --> 00:27:11,800 Do you notice how when she shared this with her husband, 424 00:27:11,800 --> 00:27:14,560 she started with look at the 1st 2 words and she said to her 425 00:27:14,560 --> 00:27:20,040 husband, behold. Now behold means look at this, 426 00:27:21,160 --> 00:27:23,640 look at this. We're not told her name or her 427 00:27:23,640 --> 00:27:27,840 husband's name, but for her to say, behold now may indicate 428 00:27:27,840 --> 00:27:31,240 that this woman had more spiritual insight than her 429 00:27:31,240 --> 00:27:35,840 husband, that she was able to pick up on the quality of this 430 00:27:35,840 --> 00:27:38,520 man of God's faith more than him. 431 00:27:39,160 --> 00:27:41,520 And if that is the case, then there's even more things 432 00:27:41,520 --> 00:27:44,400 praiseworthy about this woman that though she may have been 433 00:27:44,400 --> 00:27:48,960 more spiritually mature than her husband, she did not disrespect 434 00:27:48,960 --> 00:27:55,040 her husband because she's asking him if they can pursue this 435 00:27:55,040 --> 00:27:57,600 project. She is honoring his authority, 436 00:27:58,880 --> 00:28:04,880 she is coming to him and presenting a idea and didn't 437 00:28:04,880 --> 00:28:07,720 assume that this is something that she can do on her own. 438 00:28:09,120 --> 00:28:12,040 And this teaches us that being spiritually mature does not give 439 00:28:12,040 --> 00:28:14,600 us the right to act superior to others. 440 00:28:17,120 --> 00:28:20,920 And she might have seen what he did not see, but it didn't cause 441 00:28:20,920 --> 00:28:28,160 her to look down on him. Moreover, her words, behold now 442 00:28:28,160 --> 00:28:33,280 also, I think, indicate that she was thrilled to find out that 443 00:28:33,280 --> 00:28:38,240 Elijah was sincere. Why would she be thrilled? 444 00:28:38,520 --> 00:28:40,560 What was the spiritual climate of this time? 445 00:28:40,640 --> 00:28:44,760 Was Israel filled with faithful men of God, compromising voices, 446 00:28:44,800 --> 00:28:48,880 inept spiritual leadership? And so when she came across a 447 00:28:48,920 --> 00:28:56,400 genuine man of God, behold this, we got to do something. 448 00:28:56,400 --> 00:29:00,080 It's so overwhelmed are the sight and the interaction of a 449 00:29:00,080 --> 00:29:03,240 genuine servant of God that she could not sit still. 450 00:29:03,520 --> 00:29:08,680 She wanted to do what she could to strengthen and help and come 451 00:29:08,680 --> 00:29:13,240 alongside this man. And in her own way, here's her 452 00:29:13,240 --> 00:29:15,840 idea. We're going to do a building 453 00:29:15,840 --> 00:29:21,360 project. We're going to assist him by 454 00:29:21,360 --> 00:29:25,040 adding an extension to our home. Now, her wealth allowed her and 455 00:29:25,040 --> 00:29:28,200 enabled her to do such things. Her wealth allowed her to not 456 00:29:28,200 --> 00:29:31,920 just provide one meal, but a consistent menu whenever he came 457 00:29:31,920 --> 00:29:36,080 through those streets. And again, so we see the heart 458 00:29:36,080 --> 00:29:37,800 of this woman. She, she's not just trying to 459 00:29:38,600 --> 00:29:43,080 reluctantly be charitable, just so she can, you know, satisfy 460 00:29:43,080 --> 00:29:45,040 her 'cause she really wants to do this. 461 00:29:45,680 --> 00:29:48,080 And all the more when she discovered that this man was a 462 00:29:48,080 --> 00:29:51,120 truly holy man. And I believe there's a lesson 463 00:29:51,120 --> 00:29:52,960 here for us. Pay attention to this when you 464 00:29:52,960 --> 00:29:57,840 and I come across a man of God, a woman of God, and they are not 465 00:29:57,840 --> 00:30:00,080 reserved just for pastors. Actually, sometimes men and 466 00:30:00,080 --> 00:30:02,360 women of God are not pastors, and they're more men and women 467 00:30:02,360 --> 00:30:06,840 of God than pastors. But when you come to know a man 468 00:30:06,840 --> 00:30:09,880 or a woman of God through a growing relationship, here's 469 00:30:09,880 --> 00:30:11,120 what I here's what I take from this. 470 00:30:11,160 --> 00:30:14,480 I should recognize them as a blessing and be willing to 471 00:30:15,440 --> 00:30:18,640 support them even if I have nothing to offer. 472 00:30:20,440 --> 00:30:24,800 See, this woman, she could build an extension for this man of God 473 00:30:24,800 --> 00:30:26,920 in our home. You may not be able to do that, 474 00:30:26,920 --> 00:30:28,760 but you know what you can do for men and women of God, 475 00:30:28,760 --> 00:30:31,160 Christians, genuine followers of Christ, build them up. 476 00:30:33,040 --> 00:30:39,080 Build them up. You know, we often reserve our 477 00:30:39,080 --> 00:30:42,400 encouragement for those who are struggling, for those who tend 478 00:30:42,400 --> 00:30:46,320 to go back and forth, who disappear for a season, who for 479 00:30:46,320 --> 00:30:48,240 a few weeks are here with the Lord. 480 00:30:48,240 --> 00:30:50,040 They're on a mountaintop and they're serving. 481 00:30:50,040 --> 00:30:52,840 And then they disappear for a few more weeks and then it's 482 00:30:52,840 --> 00:30:55,240 just kind of a cycle. And we we tend to reach out to 483 00:30:55,240 --> 00:30:57,800 them with our upbuilding words and rightfully so. 484 00:30:57,800 --> 00:31:00,640 We need to encourage the faint hearted and we need to stir up 485 00:31:00,640 --> 00:31:05,280 the idol. But consider, consider 486 00:31:05,280 --> 00:31:08,200 encouraging those who are rock solid in their faith. 487 00:31:10,960 --> 00:31:16,360 Consider looking to those who go out and witness and who love 488 00:31:16,360 --> 00:31:19,240 their families well and raise their children in the fear of 489 00:31:19,240 --> 00:31:22,920 God, who honor their husbands, who love their wives like Christ 490 00:31:22,920 --> 00:31:26,240 loves the church, who who don't just come to church to consume, 491 00:31:26,240 --> 00:31:28,720 but you recognize they participate. 492 00:31:28,960 --> 00:31:33,160 Consider those people and consider supporting them, 493 00:31:36,080 --> 00:31:38,640 building them up. They're human. 494 00:31:39,800 --> 00:31:43,680 Add more fuel to their fire. Don't just don't just think that 495 00:31:43,720 --> 00:31:46,880 people who have allowed their fire to become embers, that they 496 00:31:46,880 --> 00:31:49,800 need sparks. Add some gasoline to those who 497 00:31:49,800 --> 00:31:51,320 are actually burning for the Lord. 498 00:31:52,680 --> 00:31:56,360 You'd be amazed to know what a brief few sentences after a 499 00:31:56,360 --> 00:31:58,880 Sunday service can do to somebody for the next few 500 00:31:58,880 --> 00:32:02,120 months. You'd be amazed to know what a 501 00:32:02,120 --> 00:32:06,600 text, a sincere, prayed up text message can offer somebody who 502 00:32:06,600 --> 00:32:08,320 leads one of the ministries in this church. 503 00:32:10,600 --> 00:32:15,360 So here's a woman who is willing to help and to come alongside 504 00:32:15,360 --> 00:32:19,560 somebody who's already serving God in a remarkable way. 505 00:32:20,720 --> 00:32:25,280 And I think it provides us instruction to build those who 506 00:32:25,640 --> 00:32:30,880 are building God's Kingdom. Shall we continue? 507 00:32:32,000 --> 00:32:35,720 We shall. So she builds this house, and I 508 00:32:35,720 --> 00:32:36,560 love it. Look at verse 10. 509 00:32:36,560 --> 00:32:39,120 Let us make a small room on the roof with walls and put there 510 00:32:39,120 --> 00:32:42,160 from a bed, a table, a chair, and a lamp, so that whenever he 511 00:32:42,160 --> 00:32:44,640 comes to us, he can go in there. She just wanted to provide a 512 00:32:44,640 --> 00:32:48,600 secluded place for Elijah to do what men of God who preach God's 513 00:32:48,600 --> 00:32:54,480 word really do, be alone with God to have a table to study, a 514 00:32:54,480 --> 00:32:58,200 chair to sit on, a lamp so that he can study at night, like on a 515 00:32:58,200 --> 00:33:00,840 Saturday. When a pastor preaches, he often 516 00:33:00,840 --> 00:33:06,240 does so late into the night. So what happens? 517 00:33:06,240 --> 00:33:09,800 Look at verse 11. So one day he came there and he 518 00:33:09,800 --> 00:33:13,040 turned into the chamber and rested there. 519 00:33:13,760 --> 00:33:15,400 Seems like Elisha is really getting comfortable at the 520 00:33:15,400 --> 00:33:20,240 Shunamite's house, right? And he said to Ghazi, his 521 00:33:20,240 --> 00:33:23,040 servant called this Shunamite. When he had called her, she 522 00:33:23,040 --> 00:33:24,440 stood before him. Aha. 523 00:33:24,760 --> 00:33:28,400 So in our study of this great man of God, Elisha, we are 524 00:33:28,400 --> 00:33:31,000 introduced to a new character. His name is Ghazi. 525 00:33:31,560 --> 00:33:33,720 We've never seen him before and this is not going to be the last 526 00:33:33,720 --> 00:33:36,520 time that we see him in this book. 527 00:33:37,720 --> 00:33:40,480 Now, if you're familiar with the book of Second Kings and you 528 00:33:40,480 --> 00:33:42,280 realize that Gehazi had a tragic end. 529 00:33:43,760 --> 00:33:46,960 He did not follow on the pattern of Elijah and Elijah where 530 00:33:46,960 --> 00:33:50,880 Elijah emulated his tutors, faith and consecration. 531 00:33:50,880 --> 00:33:52,040 He he goes in a different direction. 532 00:33:52,040 --> 00:33:53,680 And we'll we'll come to that in a few weeks. 533 00:33:54,240 --> 00:33:57,680 But just from our introduction, just from what we see of him, do 534 00:33:57,680 --> 00:34:00,400 you get a good impression or a bad impression of Gehazi? 535 00:34:01,720 --> 00:34:04,400 What stands out to you that says, you know, from what I see 536 00:34:04,400 --> 00:34:06,360 so far, he seems pretty promising. 537 00:34:06,360 --> 00:34:08,560 Any idea? Consider the whole passage that 538 00:34:08,560 --> 00:34:12,400 we read today. There are two things that stand 539 00:34:12,400 --> 00:34:17,120 out to me. Let me put it this way. 540 00:34:17,400 --> 00:34:20,600 Was it the popular thing to do to be associated with ministers 541 00:34:20,600 --> 00:34:26,520 of Yahweh at this time? No, no, no, no, no, it wasn't. 542 00:34:26,800 --> 00:34:31,239 It was actually costly. Baal ISM and all these false 543 00:34:31,239 --> 00:34:34,840 gods and these false priests, they were the prominent ones. 544 00:34:35,040 --> 00:34:37,679 They were the praised ones. So to be associated with the 545 00:34:37,679 --> 00:34:42,719 remnant of the prophets of Yahweh caped with a price. 546 00:34:43,120 --> 00:34:48,080 And for Ghazi to be willing to assist Elijah says something 547 00:34:48,080 --> 00:34:51,960 about this man's willingness to serve and to honor God, 548 00:34:51,960 --> 00:34:55,360 supposedly. Here's a second one contextually 549 00:34:55,360 --> 00:34:57,880 that that makes an impression on me about Ghazi. 550 00:35:00,000 --> 00:35:03,440 Elijah now, in his gratitude, wants to bring something and 551 00:35:03,440 --> 00:35:05,440 offer something to the Shunami, right? 552 00:35:05,720 --> 00:35:08,520 I mean, he receives all this. He sees the sacrifice, He sees 553 00:35:08,520 --> 00:35:10,800 the room, the building project, just amazing. 554 00:35:10,800 --> 00:35:13,280 And he's so moved that he wants to do something in return, but 555 00:35:13,280 --> 00:35:16,080 he doesn't know what to do. And you probably face that 556 00:35:16,080 --> 00:35:18,200 dilemma when you're trying to figure out how to give a gift to 557 00:35:18,200 --> 00:35:23,680 a relative or a friend that owns everything or has so much that 558 00:35:23,680 --> 00:35:24,840 they can just get whatever they want. 559 00:35:24,840 --> 00:35:28,760 Like, what do I buy this person? And so in a sense, there's that 560 00:35:28,760 --> 00:35:30,920 kind of tension. There's that dilemma. 561 00:35:30,920 --> 00:35:33,320 And so he's figuring out what to do. 562 00:35:33,320 --> 00:35:37,400 He asked Ghazi to ask her. And when she was like, you know, 563 00:35:37,400 --> 00:35:38,480 I'm fine. And we're going to get to a 564 00:35:38,480 --> 00:35:44,200 response in a moment, It was Ghazi that solved the issue. 565 00:35:44,720 --> 00:35:49,400 Look again here at verse 14. And he said, what then is to be 566 00:35:49,400 --> 00:35:52,520 done for? Ghazi answered well, she has no 567 00:35:52,520 --> 00:36:01,960 son and her husband is old. Gehazi is observant, Gehazi is 568 00:36:01,960 --> 00:36:06,600 attentive, Gehazi is thoughtful and he was able to spot out and 569 00:36:06,600 --> 00:36:08,880 all the things that this woman had a need. 570 00:36:09,480 --> 00:36:14,400 She really wanted a child. Especially in this time. 571 00:36:14,400 --> 00:36:16,960 There was such stigma. If you were if you were barren, 572 00:36:18,080 --> 00:36:20,640 it was almost seen like a curse if you could not have a child, 573 00:36:20,640 --> 00:36:23,280 which I find absolutely mind blowing concerning our society 574 00:36:23,280 --> 00:36:24,880 today. Can I pause and say this? 575 00:36:25,800 --> 00:36:28,760 This is how warped we have become as a culture since then. 576 00:36:28,760 --> 00:36:32,400 What was recognized as a blessing, as a gift from heaven 577 00:36:32,400 --> 00:36:38,800 today is seen as a curse, seen as a burden. 578 00:36:38,800 --> 00:36:41,760 I mean, you're going to see how this woman reacts when she's 579 00:36:41,760 --> 00:36:43,520 told by a prophet that you're going to have a child and she's 580 00:36:43,520 --> 00:36:46,360 just elated. What do we do in our culture 581 00:36:46,360 --> 00:36:47,640 today when they find out they're pregnant? 582 00:36:47,880 --> 00:36:50,760 Those people who don't fear God, they go and murder the thing. 583 00:36:52,400 --> 00:36:54,520 So this is how this is where we are at a society. 584 00:36:54,720 --> 00:36:56,680 This is a culture that we're studying in the Old Testament on 585 00:36:56,680 --> 00:37:00,120 Fridays where a child was seen as one of the greatest things 586 00:37:00,120 --> 00:37:01,320 that you can experience in this life. 587 00:37:01,320 --> 00:37:03,520 And today we throw them in the trash bin. 588 00:37:08,040 --> 00:37:10,840 And so we see that Ghazi is the one who says she has no son and 589 00:37:10,840 --> 00:37:13,000 her husband is old. So he also perceives that her 590 00:37:13,000 --> 00:37:16,120 husband's older than than her. If there's anybody that's going 591 00:37:16,120 --> 00:37:18,280 to leave before the other, it's this man. 592 00:37:19,160 --> 00:37:22,160 So what's the problem here that she might be left alone. 593 00:37:22,400 --> 00:37:25,120 She is she has nobody else. Nobody's going to be there to 594 00:37:25,120 --> 00:37:28,880 take care of her when her husband was older passes on who 595 00:37:28,880 --> 00:37:32,520 observes this Ghazi Even Elijah the prophet missed it. 596 00:37:34,200 --> 00:37:35,520 And I meditated on this this morning. 597 00:37:35,520 --> 00:37:39,800 I looked at this and I thought to myself there's something here 598 00:37:39,800 --> 00:37:43,640 instructive about the blessing of working on side other 599 00:37:43,640 --> 00:37:48,680 servants of God. We see here that this man shows 600 00:37:48,680 --> 00:37:53,600 us that we need one another to see things more clearly. 601 00:37:55,240 --> 00:38:01,600 Do you see that even prophets have blind spots and can benefit 602 00:38:01,600 --> 00:38:03,880 from the presence and partnership of other believers? 603 00:38:03,880 --> 00:38:07,720 Pay attention to this please. There are some Christians who 604 00:38:07,720 --> 00:38:10,120 think that they are better off walking and ministering alone. 605 00:38:10,120 --> 00:38:11,680 Can I ask you a very humbling question? 606 00:38:11,680 --> 00:38:14,160 Are you more perceptive and powerful than the prophet 607 00:38:14,160 --> 00:38:19,200 Elijah? I think you think you can walk 608 00:38:19,200 --> 00:38:24,200 solo independent from being hand in hand with other believers. 609 00:38:24,480 --> 00:38:28,200 I see one of the most powerful miracle working prophets in 610 00:38:28,200 --> 00:38:31,960 redemptive history and he received help of being a more 611 00:38:31,960 --> 00:38:34,920 effective minister through one of his assistants. 612 00:38:35,760 --> 00:38:39,480 Who are you to think so lowly of the Church of Jesus Christ? 613 00:38:40,840 --> 00:38:43,760 Who are you to think that you don't need brothers and sisters 614 00:38:43,760 --> 00:38:46,560 and like Elisha and if you're a leader in any capacity, take 615 00:38:46,560 --> 00:38:48,720 note of this. Elisha asked Ghazi what can we 616 00:38:48,720 --> 00:38:51,600 do for he was willing to humble himself and ask somebody else's 617 00:38:51,600 --> 00:38:53,400 assistant. Is there any way that we can 618 00:38:53,680 --> 00:38:59,240 that I can be more efficient and helpful, ask questions, get 619 00:38:59,240 --> 00:39:02,560 accountability. Here is here's a wonderful 620 00:39:02,560 --> 00:39:05,320 example of a man of God who is even more effective as a man of 621 00:39:05,320 --> 00:39:07,720 God because of another person who served God. 622 00:39:09,760 --> 00:39:12,240 So you're in La La land. I say this in love. 623 00:39:12,240 --> 00:39:14,600 If you think that you can just cruise through your Christian 624 00:39:14,600 --> 00:39:21,440 journey without running with other believers, what would 625 00:39:21,440 --> 00:39:25,080 become of your marriage, what would become of your inside of 626 00:39:25,080 --> 00:39:26,760 scripture? What would become of your 627 00:39:27,160 --> 00:39:31,040 ministry if you had people in your life that were willing to 628 00:39:31,040 --> 00:39:34,480 speak into you and help you see things more clearly? 629 00:39:34,480 --> 00:39:41,480 That's what I take from this. And so moving on, before we move 630 00:39:41,480 --> 00:39:44,440 on to anything else, I want us to retract here and look at 631 00:39:45,240 --> 00:39:48,160 Elijah's initial ideas when he had sent Gehazi. 632 00:39:48,160 --> 00:39:53,360 Look at verse 13, before Gehazi gave the precise prescription, 633 00:39:53,760 --> 00:39:57,200 verse 13. Initially he said to him, say 634 00:39:57,200 --> 00:40:01,240 now to her, see, you have taken all this trouble for us, what is 635 00:40:01,240 --> 00:40:03,840 to be done for you? Would you have a word spoken on 636 00:40:03,840 --> 00:40:06,720 behalf to the king or to the commander of the army? 637 00:40:06,720 --> 00:40:10,120 So obviously Elijah had some connections with royalty and 638 00:40:10,120 --> 00:40:12,840 with politicians. We saw in Chapter 3 how he came 639 00:40:12,840 --> 00:40:17,360 to the aid of three kings. So he was up there and this is 640 00:40:17,360 --> 00:40:19,720 what he could think of. He's asking this wealthy woman, 641 00:40:19,720 --> 00:40:23,160 look, do you, do you want some kind of word spoken on your 642 00:40:23,160 --> 00:40:24,960 behalf? Is there any situation, legal 643 00:40:24,960 --> 00:40:28,440 problems that I can, I can speak on your behalf and ask the king 644 00:40:28,440 --> 00:40:30,320 or the commander of armies. And this was her answer. 645 00:40:30,320 --> 00:40:36,160 She goes, I dwell among my own people, and I think her answer 646 00:40:36,160 --> 00:40:39,560 when she says as I dwell among my own people, reveals two other 647 00:40:39,680 --> 00:40:47,120 gems on the crown of her faith. How do you understand this? 648 00:40:48,400 --> 00:40:50,640 I understand this in two ways. I understand this in terms of 649 00:40:50,640 --> 00:40:54,360 her contentment, and I see something about her character. 650 00:40:56,560 --> 00:40:59,720 She was content. She didn't care about having an 651 00:40:59,720 --> 00:41:01,640 audience with the king of or with the general of army. 652 00:41:01,640 --> 00:41:06,400 She I do among my people. I'm happy where I'm at now. 653 00:41:06,400 --> 00:41:08,560 You would think that the reason why she's content is because she 654 00:41:08,560 --> 00:41:13,120 was so wealthy already. But you know this about wealthy 655 00:41:13,120 --> 00:41:14,400 people, right? That just because you've 656 00:41:14,400 --> 00:41:16,440 accumulated wealth does not mean you're satisfied. 657 00:41:17,160 --> 00:41:21,280 Is that not true? That if your identity and your 658 00:41:21,280 --> 00:41:24,200 purpose is in that no matter where you arrive, you're going 659 00:41:24,200 --> 00:41:27,200 to want more. So if you can acquire more, I 660 00:41:27,200 --> 00:41:29,760 want more. If you can dominate more, I want 661 00:41:29,760 --> 00:41:32,280 to dominate more. And when you get bored with the 662 00:41:32,280 --> 00:41:34,320 billions, you know what happens to some of these people? 663 00:41:34,440 --> 00:41:38,200 They move on to the next goal, power, control. 664 00:41:38,200 --> 00:41:40,080 That's what we're seeing in our culture today. 665 00:41:40,400 --> 00:41:44,840 All these elites, they have the snap of a finger. 666 00:41:44,840 --> 00:41:47,480 They can have whatever they want, any car, any house. 667 00:41:47,480 --> 00:41:51,040 And because they're not filled with God, they now have to move 668 00:41:51,040 --> 00:41:52,920 on to the next fleshly thing. And many of these guys are 669 00:41:52,920 --> 00:41:56,200 operating under demonic influence to control people. 670 00:41:58,400 --> 00:42:01,480 So don't, don't believe. At least I don't believe that 671 00:42:01,480 --> 00:42:03,080 this woman is saying I dwell among my people. 672 00:42:03,080 --> 00:42:07,720 I don't want any political help or any connections or networking 673 00:42:07,720 --> 00:42:09,920 because I already have all this. I don't think it's that. 674 00:42:09,920 --> 00:42:13,040 I believe it's because she is so deeply satisfied with her walk 675 00:42:13,040 --> 00:42:18,200 with God. Don't you get that impression 676 00:42:18,200 --> 00:42:22,120 from these verses that she finds her true joy in serving the 677 00:42:22,120 --> 00:42:24,880 things of God? So let's just be a reminder to 678 00:42:24,880 --> 00:42:28,720 all of us that nothing can leave you being and feeling fulfilled 679 00:42:28,720 --> 00:42:32,160 like savoring in the knowledge of God and serving His church. 680 00:42:33,600 --> 00:42:37,400 Nothing, nothing, nothing comes close to that. 681 00:42:38,280 --> 00:42:41,880 Savoring in the knowledge of God and serving His Church is the 682 00:42:41,880 --> 00:42:46,480 greatest thrill in your brief existence in mind. 683 00:42:47,400 --> 00:42:49,080 Here's a wealthy woman that proves it. 684 00:42:49,480 --> 00:42:54,320 I've talked enough of very wealthy people who are shriveled 685 00:42:55,080 --> 00:42:57,880 in their soul because they thought if they reached that 686 00:42:57,880 --> 00:42:59,480 number, they would be happy. Then they got there and they 687 00:42:59,480 --> 00:43:00,840 thought, you know what? I can get to that number and 688 00:43:00,840 --> 00:43:04,040 they get there and they realize, why does it feel like I'm 689 00:43:04,040 --> 00:43:07,080 stuffing myself with these things? 690 00:43:07,360 --> 00:43:10,960 And it's just going into this black hole in my soul. 691 00:43:11,280 --> 00:43:15,400 And it's because nothing will leave you more fulfilled than 692 00:43:15,400 --> 00:43:16,960 knowing God and making him known. 693 00:43:17,720 --> 00:43:21,440 Nothing. But her response also says 694 00:43:21,440 --> 00:43:24,400 something about her character, not just her contentment. 695 00:43:25,000 --> 00:43:27,120 You know, when she says I dwell among my own people? 696 00:43:27,120 --> 00:43:29,840 In other words, she's saying, like, I don't need anything. 697 00:43:30,240 --> 00:43:34,160 I'm fine where I'm at. And what that shows is that when 698 00:43:34,160 --> 00:43:37,280 she helped Elijah and the way she helped Elijah, she wasn't 699 00:43:37,280 --> 00:43:40,560 looking for anything for herself in that she was not trying to 700 00:43:40,560 --> 00:43:42,880 gain anything personal. She was not trying to climb a 701 00:43:42,880 --> 00:43:45,720 ladder or trying to manipulate the situation so that she can 702 00:43:45,720 --> 00:43:47,800 arrive somewhere else. Can I say something? 703 00:43:48,000 --> 00:43:52,160 If you are serving in a manner to arrive at a selfish goal and 704 00:43:52,160 --> 00:43:55,320 using that kind of a ministry as the means, that is a very 705 00:43:55,320 --> 00:43:59,120 shameful thing. It's a very shameful thing 706 00:44:00,400 --> 00:44:04,640 because true greatness in the Kingdom of God is to serve with 707 00:44:04,640 --> 00:44:07,520 all your heart, mind, soul and strength wherever God places 708 00:44:07,520 --> 00:44:08,720 you. And if He should promote you, 709 00:44:09,240 --> 00:44:11,200 the Bible says promotion comes from the Lord. 710 00:44:12,600 --> 00:44:16,520 So this is a woman who just she found her delight and knowing 711 00:44:16,680 --> 00:44:19,960 that she can help this man of God full stop. 712 00:44:21,600 --> 00:44:24,040 Not so that Elisha can put a word for me and I can get there 713 00:44:24,040 --> 00:44:26,400 and I can get invited there. None of that. 714 00:44:27,480 --> 00:44:31,960 Just in knowing that she could do her part for the ministry. 715 00:44:35,760 --> 00:44:37,760 And so she she says, I do all my people. 716 00:44:37,760 --> 00:44:40,640 And then she asked Gehazi or he asked Gehazi as you know, and 717 00:44:40,640 --> 00:44:42,600 guys said, well, she has no son and her husband is old. 718 00:44:42,600 --> 00:44:44,960 Let's finish this Bible studying the last few verses. 719 00:44:45,440 --> 00:44:47,440 Verse 15. He said call her. 720 00:44:48,160 --> 00:44:50,760 And when he called her, she stood in the doorway and he said 721 00:44:50,760 --> 00:44:53,560 at this season, about this time next year, you shall embrace a 722 00:44:53,560 --> 00:44:56,680 son. And she said, no, my Lord, oh 723 00:44:56,680 --> 00:44:58,360 man of God, do not lie to your servant. 724 00:44:58,360 --> 00:45:00,440 I like her personality. You can see it here, right? 725 00:45:00,640 --> 00:45:02,680 It's like don't pull my leg. No, no, no, no, no. 726 00:45:05,040 --> 00:45:07,080 She's not accusing him of being a liar, of course. 727 00:45:07,080 --> 00:45:09,360 She's just responding in a very natural way. 728 00:45:11,240 --> 00:45:13,920 Verse 17. But the woman conceived, she 729 00:45:13,920 --> 00:45:18,160 bore a son about that time, the following spring, as Elisha had 730 00:45:18,160 --> 00:45:20,320 said to her. Does this remind you of any 731 00:45:20,320 --> 00:45:24,040 other promise that was made in the Bible in terms of a woman in 732 00:45:24,240 --> 00:45:27,160 a very difficult situation, maybe even impossible situation, 733 00:45:27,160 --> 00:45:31,360 receiving a child? Sarah, Abraham and Sarah. 734 00:45:34,960 --> 00:45:37,680 And there's almost like a nudge here that as we, as we go from 735 00:45:37,680 --> 00:45:40,920 Genesis to 2nd Kings, so much has changed in terms of the 736 00:45:40,920 --> 00:45:44,360 people of God and things are not looking too bright in terms of 737 00:45:44,360 --> 00:45:46,560 the projection of the people of God. 738 00:45:47,120 --> 00:45:49,680 But this miracle with the familiarity is supposed to give 739 00:45:49,680 --> 00:45:55,120 us this kind of a, an impression that the God of Abraham is, is 740 00:45:55,120 --> 00:45:57,600 at work. He's still at work. 741 00:46:00,960 --> 00:46:02,120 But here's how we're going to end here. 742 00:46:02,800 --> 00:46:04,720 This woman did not want a reward. 743 00:46:05,360 --> 00:46:06,960 But guess what? It came to her anyway. 744 00:46:08,560 --> 00:46:14,080 It came to her anyway. Because though the the promise 745 00:46:14,080 --> 00:46:18,040 of a child, this reward, this treasure is unique to her. 746 00:46:18,960 --> 00:46:22,720 The principle of receiving a reward for serving God's 747 00:46:22,720 --> 00:46:26,360 purposes in the way that you believe you should is not unique 748 00:46:26,360 --> 00:46:29,160 to her. Let me give you a couple of 749 00:46:29,160 --> 00:46:31,800 references in the New Testament. Before we wrap this up and pray, 750 00:46:32,320 --> 00:46:35,680 I want you to consider the words of Jesus in Matthew 10 verse 41. 751 00:46:35,680 --> 00:46:41,640 Turn there with me because Second Kings 4, at least in this 752 00:46:41,640 --> 00:46:45,400 part, is a wonderful illustration of a few New 753 00:46:45,400 --> 00:46:53,560 Testament promises. Look at Matthew 1041 speaking to 754 00:46:53,560 --> 00:46:55,840 his disciples. He says the one who receives a 755 00:46:55,840 --> 00:47:00,040 prophet because he is a prophet will receive a prophet's reward, 756 00:47:00,040 --> 00:47:02,520 and the one who receives a righteous person because he is a 757 00:47:02,520 --> 00:47:07,000 righteous person will receive a righteous person's reward. 758 00:47:08,320 --> 00:47:12,680 So the context here is reminding us that whenever we receive 759 00:47:12,680 --> 00:47:15,760 anybody who serves God in any capacity, a genuine disciple of 760 00:47:15,760 --> 00:47:17,640 the Lord Jesus Christ, we're receiving Christ. 761 00:47:18,280 --> 00:47:20,800 How we treat them is ultimately how we treat the Lord, and 762 00:47:20,800 --> 00:47:23,040 that's how he understands it and He's letting us know that's how 763 00:47:23,040 --> 00:47:25,840 we are supposed to perceive it. But notice what he says here and 764 00:47:25,880 --> 00:47:27,640 being very specific. He says the one who receives a 765 00:47:27,640 --> 00:47:29,880 prophet. So it's a specific title and 766 00:47:29,880 --> 00:47:31,480 role. The one who receives a prophet 767 00:47:31,480 --> 00:47:34,280 will receive a prophet's reward. And the idea of reception here 768 00:47:34,280 --> 00:47:38,080 is hospitality, support of various kinds, assistance in any 769 00:47:38,080 --> 00:47:40,880 way. The one who sees a prophet and 770 00:47:40,880 --> 00:47:43,800 like the Shunammite takes that opportunity to bless that 771 00:47:43,800 --> 00:47:45,320 prophet will receive a prophet's reward. 772 00:47:45,320 --> 00:47:48,440 And not just a prophet, but a righteous person because he's a 773 00:47:48,440 --> 00:47:50,240 righteous person. So for the reason that he's a 774 00:47:50,240 --> 00:47:53,840 righteous person, if anybody receives that person, welcomes 775 00:47:53,840 --> 00:47:55,920 that person, blesses that person, they will receive a 776 00:47:55,920 --> 00:47:59,160 righteous person's reward. Now, this can be one of 777 00:48:00,000 --> 00:48:02,880 different things. And one way to understand is 778 00:48:02,880 --> 00:48:04,840 that if you receive a prophet, the reward is that what the 779 00:48:04,840 --> 00:48:07,240 prophet has to say. It becomes your portion, the 780 00:48:07,240 --> 00:48:09,640 truth becomes your inheritance as well. 781 00:48:09,640 --> 00:48:11,440 You benefit from that individual's ministry. 782 00:48:11,720 --> 00:48:13,320 And that's one part of it, I think. 783 00:48:13,320 --> 00:48:17,680 But I think the promise is even greater than that, that if I 784 00:48:18,040 --> 00:48:21,960 receive somebody, a man of God or woman of God, because of what 785 00:48:21,960 --> 00:48:26,360 they do for God, how they serve God, if I honor them in that 786 00:48:26,360 --> 00:48:29,640 way, then the reward that God will bestow, the prophet or the 787 00:48:29,640 --> 00:48:32,480 righteous person will spill over and become your reward. 788 00:48:34,800 --> 00:48:37,960 That's what he's saying here, that the, the reward that's 789 00:48:37,960 --> 00:48:42,800 reserved for that individual and how they are serving God will be 790 00:48:42,800 --> 00:48:47,160 shared with you. You say, well, I don't have much 791 00:48:47,160 --> 00:48:49,600 to give. I can't build a house, I can't 792 00:48:49,600 --> 00:48:51,200 build a room. I'm still trying to fix my 793 00:48:51,200 --> 00:48:54,360 house. So look at verse 42. 794 00:48:54,480 --> 00:48:57,080 And whoever gives one of these little ones even a cup of water 795 00:48:58,760 --> 00:49:02,240 of cold water, because he's a disciple, truly, I say to you, 796 00:49:02,240 --> 00:49:03,960 he'll by no means lose his reward. 797 00:49:05,520 --> 00:49:08,440 What can be more transient and temporary than a glass of water? 798 00:49:10,480 --> 00:49:13,200 Like after this, I'm going to go before I greet and and see some 799 00:49:13,200 --> 00:49:14,800 people, I'm going to grab a little bottle of water and I'm 800 00:49:14,800 --> 00:49:16,440 going to drink it because I'm parched, right? 801 00:49:16,440 --> 00:49:18,280 Guess what's going to happen in a couple hours? 802 00:49:18,880 --> 00:49:23,000 I'm going to need water again. So it's like a glass of water. 803 00:49:23,000 --> 00:49:27,520 Either a bottled water being shared, even something as brief 804 00:49:27,560 --> 00:49:30,680 and short lived as a glass of water will be recognized by God 805 00:49:31,320 --> 00:49:36,320 and you'll be rewarded for it. Think about this, God is much 806 00:49:36,320 --> 00:49:38,160 more gracious than we imagined Him to be. 807 00:49:38,160 --> 00:49:41,000 I think I believe at least that when we stand before the Lord, 808 00:49:41,000 --> 00:49:43,480 before the judgment seat of Christ, and that that judgment 809 00:49:43,480 --> 00:49:45,480 seat is not going to determine our eternal destination. 810 00:49:45,600 --> 00:49:48,440 It will determine the degree of our reward when we stand there. 811 00:49:48,440 --> 00:49:51,760 I think all of us are going to be shocked when our records are 812 00:49:51,760 --> 00:49:53,840 pulled out and the Lord will begin to reward us for things 813 00:49:53,840 --> 00:49:55,760 that we didn't even think deserved the reward. 814 00:50:00,800 --> 00:50:04,080 I can't do much. Can you give a glass of water? 815 00:50:07,040 --> 00:50:08,760 Can you send an encouraging message? 816 00:50:10,080 --> 00:50:13,680 Can you pray for people for 60 seconds on your way to work? 817 00:50:13,680 --> 00:50:17,600 When you know somebody is serving the Kingdom of God with 818 00:50:17,600 --> 00:50:21,200 all their hearts, you do that, God will reward you. 819 00:50:21,200 --> 00:50:24,080 Let me give you another example. Here's our final text. 820 00:50:24,080 --> 00:50:27,360 Look at third John, not often referenced, but it's in the 821 00:50:27,360 --> 00:50:30,040 Bible, the third epistle of John. 822 00:50:30,400 --> 00:50:33,320 There's no chapter, so we only have verse references. 823 00:50:33,320 --> 00:50:38,520 But go to 3rd John. It's on the right side, the very 824 00:50:38,520 --> 00:50:40,880 right side of your Bibles. Keep going, keep going. 825 00:50:40,880 --> 00:50:42,920 It's near Revelation. If you've gone through 826 00:50:42,920 --> 00:50:48,000 Revelation, you've gone too far. 3 John, Third John. 827 00:50:48,560 --> 00:50:52,920 Look at what the apostle John says to this particular 828 00:50:52,920 --> 00:50:57,160 individual and how it puts and ties everything so wonderfully 829 00:50:57,160 --> 00:51:03,480 together. He's speaking to a man named 830 00:51:03,480 --> 00:51:06,760 Gaius. And notice what he says in this 831 00:51:06,760 --> 00:51:11,680 brief letter. Beloved, it is a faithful thing 832 00:51:11,680 --> 00:51:16,120 you do in all your efforts. For these brothers, strangers as 833 00:51:16,120 --> 00:51:20,880 they are, who testified to your love before the church, you will 834 00:51:20,880 --> 00:51:24,320 do well to send them on their journey in a manner worthy of 835 00:51:24,320 --> 00:51:24,880 God. Pause here. 836 00:51:24,880 --> 00:51:28,040 What's going on here? Gaius evidently has opened his 837 00:51:28,040 --> 00:51:32,440 home for travelling ministers to remain in for some time before 838 00:51:32,440 --> 00:51:37,880 they moved on in their journey. Hospitality was greatly needed 839 00:51:38,680 --> 00:51:41,040 in the early church, especially for those who are part of this 840 00:51:41,040 --> 00:51:43,000 new movement called Christianity. 841 00:51:43,320 --> 00:51:45,640 Followers of the way. There was hostility, there was 842 00:51:45,640 --> 00:51:47,640 pushback. And so the church really 843 00:51:47,640 --> 00:51:53,080 depended on Christians, especially missionaries, to be 844 00:51:53,080 --> 00:51:55,760 welcomed and taken care of when they would go from town to town. 845 00:51:55,760 --> 00:51:57,800 And Gaius was was one of those people. 846 00:51:58,000 --> 00:52:01,200 And John commends her for that. He goes, listen, it's a faithful 847 00:52:01,200 --> 00:52:04,400 thing you do in all your efforts for these brothers, strangers as 848 00:52:04,400 --> 00:52:05,880 they are, they didn't even really know. 849 00:52:05,880 --> 00:52:06,880 All they know is that they're missionaries. 850 00:52:06,880 --> 00:52:08,480 They're faithful teachers. I don't really know them that 851 00:52:08,480 --> 00:52:10,080 well, but I heard they're coming through this town. 852 00:52:10,200 --> 00:52:11,760 And so I want to open my home to them. 853 00:52:12,680 --> 00:52:14,440 And John says, you're doing a faithful thing. 854 00:52:15,600 --> 00:52:18,360 And and they say here in verse 6, the reason why John's writing 855 00:52:18,360 --> 00:52:20,720 this is because they testified to your love before the church. 856 00:52:20,720 --> 00:52:24,720 So these these strangers to Gaius at least came before the 857 00:52:24,720 --> 00:52:26,720 church that they were traveling through saying, look, we were so 858 00:52:26,720 --> 00:52:29,320 blessed by brothers so and so they opened their home in these 859 00:52:29,320 --> 00:52:31,600 past few days. May God bless them and John 860 00:52:31,600 --> 00:52:33,920 wants to bless guys. But notice his language here in 861 00:52:33,920 --> 00:52:35,680 verse 7. For they've gone out for the 862 00:52:35,680 --> 00:52:39,760 sake of the name pause. They left their families, their 863 00:52:39,760 --> 00:52:42,480 comforts, the homes that put themselves in danger and need. 864 00:52:43,480 --> 00:52:45,280 Why? For the sake of the name, 865 00:52:47,480 --> 00:52:50,120 accepting nothing from the Gentiles, They would not be a 866 00:52:50,120 --> 00:52:53,040 burden on the unbelievers. They would not put place 867 00:52:53,040 --> 00:52:57,600 themselves at the hands of those who did not trust in the Savior. 868 00:52:58,440 --> 00:52:59,960 And here's what moves me. It's verse 8. 869 00:53:00,560 --> 00:53:06,720 Therefore, we ought to support people like these that we may be 870 00:53:06,720 --> 00:53:10,840 fellow workers for the truth. Notice that he says we. 871 00:53:12,760 --> 00:53:17,240 This is a you. He includes himself, and notice 872 00:53:17,240 --> 00:53:23,560 what he says, that we may be fellow workers for the truth. 873 00:53:24,960 --> 00:53:29,880 So Gaius and others like him, in their support of these men of 874 00:53:29,880 --> 00:53:34,120 God, become partners in the cause of the gospel being 875 00:53:34,120 --> 00:53:37,600 advanced. They become fellow workers. 876 00:53:38,240 --> 00:53:43,120 That's how God sees it. What you see is a woman who's at 877 00:53:43,120 --> 00:53:47,160 home who makes wonderful meals and provides a room for a 878 00:53:47,160 --> 00:53:50,440 passerby, somebody who just ministers and preaches and does 879 00:53:50,440 --> 00:53:52,040 miracles and needs a place to sleep. 880 00:53:52,040 --> 00:53:54,600 That's what you see. You see a very nice lady who has 881 00:53:54,600 --> 00:53:57,520 free time on her hands, who has a little bit extra resources. 882 00:53:57,560 --> 00:54:01,960 You know how the Bible sees a fellow worker in the truth and 883 00:54:01,960 --> 00:54:04,600 who will one day share in the prophet's reward. 884 00:54:06,080 --> 00:54:10,280 So really, this Bible study is supposed to inspire each of us 885 00:54:10,280 --> 00:54:14,960 in this place, each of us in this place, because we all have 886 00:54:14,960 --> 00:54:18,800 the opportunity ahead of us and before us to contribute 887 00:54:18,800 --> 00:54:22,080 something in our plenty, maybe not even in our plenty. 888 00:54:22,480 --> 00:54:25,880 And here's the promise. God looks from heaven and he 889 00:54:25,880 --> 00:54:33,520 wants to reward us for it. Have you lost your sight of what 890 00:54:33,520 --> 00:54:35,400 you can potentially contribute to the Kingdom of God? 891 00:54:36,840 --> 00:54:41,000 At one point in my life, it was even me looking at what God has 892 00:54:41,000 --> 00:54:44,040 given me over the years to say, Lord, how can I partner with 893 00:54:44,040 --> 00:54:46,720 your purpose? I'm asking your wisdom and your 894 00:54:46,720 --> 00:54:50,960 guidance in that area. But even if you don't have 895 00:54:50,960 --> 00:54:55,000 anything, barely savings in your bank account, you know what God 896 00:54:55,000 --> 00:54:59,080 is asking of you. Reach out for a glass of water 897 00:54:59,080 --> 00:55:02,520 if you need to and extend it to somebody and ask God for the 898 00:55:02,520 --> 00:55:04,520 opportunity, and He'll give you that opportunity. 899 00:55:04,840 --> 00:55:08,280 All to say that there's no excuse for any of us not to be 900 00:55:08,600 --> 00:55:11,160 partnering in the Kingdom of God. 901 00:55:11,640 --> 00:55:15,080 Not one, not one. And that should excite us. 902 00:55:15,360 --> 00:55:17,280 Well, I better stop here before I keep you longer. 903 00:55:17,920 --> 00:55:21,280 I want you to pause with me now at this time, sit back, reflect 904 00:55:21,280 --> 00:55:28,120 on this brief Bible study, and ask the Lord to help you and 905 00:55:28,120 --> 00:55:33,120 your contentment, to help you and your character to have a 906 00:55:33,120 --> 00:55:36,280 greater vision of what you can do for God's Kingdom. 907 00:55:37,360 --> 00:55:39,680 You'd be amazed to know how the Lord can answer those prayers. 908 00:55:44,320 --> 00:55:47,960 Ask Him to make you excited again, to know that you're 909 00:55:47,960 --> 00:55:54,800 playing a part in this time of world history to advance the 910 00:55:54,800 --> 00:55:56,920 purposes of God. Lord, we thank you from the 911 00:55:56,920 --> 00:55:58,800 bottom of our hearts for this study. 912 00:55:59,480 --> 00:56:02,960 We thank you how we don't know what we will expect as we move 913 00:56:02,960 --> 00:56:06,320 from chapter to chapter, section to section. 914 00:56:06,320 --> 00:56:09,560 And Lord, tonight your voice was loud and clear. 915 00:56:10,680 --> 00:56:15,200 We pray, O God, that You would energize us in our participation 916 00:56:15,480 --> 00:56:19,560 of Your purposes. Open our eyes to see those who 917 00:56:19,560 --> 00:56:21,640 are a blessing and to bless them. 918 00:56:24,080 --> 00:56:27,160 Help us practice our faith, Lord, especially in America, 919 00:56:27,480 --> 00:56:30,520 just like the land of Issachar, where there is so much 920 00:56:30,520 --> 00:56:34,000 availability, so much potential for growth and increase. 921 00:56:34,320 --> 00:56:37,520 But maybe be like this Shunamite woman who is not distracted, 922 00:56:38,400 --> 00:56:41,080 would not allow herself to become spiritually crippled 923 00:56:42,440 --> 00:56:46,640 because of her wealth. We want to be wealthy in you. 924 00:56:47,040 --> 00:56:49,120 We want to be rich for the glory of God. 925 00:56:49,480 --> 00:56:52,560 So train us through your word, by Your Spirit to know how to be 926 00:56:52,560 --> 00:56:56,120 positioned there. We trust you and we worship you 927 00:56:56,120 --> 00:56:58,960 this evening, giving you thanks for speaking to our hearts. 928 00:56:59,240 --> 00:57:04,640 In Jesus name we pray, Amen. He is worthy of praise. 929 00:57:05,200 --> 00:57:07,600 If the praise team can come and join us and assist us as you 930 00:57:07,600 --> 00:57:12,400 have been so wonderfully doing this evening, let's give Him 931 00:57:12,400 --> 00:57:13,360 praise and glory.