WHAT ARE YOU LOOKING AT?
SERMON STARTER
People around us are focused on national leadership. Who will lead our country for another 4 to 8 years? Partisan leaders and followers are evenly divided into two camps. Each camp believes their leader will lead the country into prosperity.
Partisan's believe that God is on their side. The real problem isn't that God is on our side. We must be on God's side.
What are you looking at? Corrie ten Boom wrote a testimony book entitled, "The Hiding Place." She was a Dutch watchmaker and a strong Christian believer. She and her sister and father hid Jews from the Nazi's in WWII. They were discovered, their beloved Jewish people seized and Corrie and her family were sent to Ravensbruck Concentration Camp. It was really a Extermination Camp. Her father and sister died there.
Through an administrative error she was released five months before the war's end and just before she was scheduled for the infamous Gas Chambers. Corrie toured Europe with a message of healing and forgiveness. Her three-point message was simple:
Look at yourself - be Depressed
Look at the world - be Distressed
Look at Jesus - be at Rest.
What are you looking at? Are you looking at the mirror of self? You'll only become depressed. Are you looking at the world's mirror of nightly news? You'll surely become distressed.
Look at Jesus and keep him foremost in your mind and life. You troubled heart will become at rest.
18 But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord. 2 Corinthians 3:18
What are you looking at? What you look at is what you will become. My sermon this morning is meant to challenge you to change your focus. Look at Him and find the rest your soul is seeking.
Pastor Phil <><<
July 31, 2016
pastor Phil Roland, Sheepfold Ministries
WHAT ARE YOU LOOKING AT?
THE CURE FOR SPIRITUAL BLINDNESS
2 Kings 6:8-18
"American people are spiritually blind. Their hearts are largely corrupted by money, power and unrestrained sexuality. Unfortunately, their spiritual blindness has invaded many churches, who operate without discernment and the Presence of God." Pastor Phil <><<
17 And Elisha prayed, and said, "LORD, I pray, open his eyes that he may see." Then the LORD opened the eyes of the young man, and he saw. And behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.
I. THE CHARACTERS WE ARE LOOKING AT - Verse 12
12 And one of his servants said, "None, my lord, O king; but Elisha, the prophet who is in Israel, tells the king of Israel the words that you speak in your bedroom."
A. Elisha - God's prophet who served the Divided Kingdom era
1. Elisha poured water on the hands of Elijah - 2 Kings 3:11
11 But Jehoshaphat said, "Is there no prophet of the LORD here, that
we may inquire of the LORD by him?" So one of the servants of the
king of Israel answered and said, "Elisha the son of Shaphat is
here, who poured water on the hands of Elijah."
2. He got a Double Anointing of what was on Elijah
3. He was the Northern Kingdom, Israel's prophet
4. Elisha began his ministry in 850 B.C.
5. He died about 800 B.C. after serving as God's prophet nearly 50 years
B. Gehazi - Elisha's personal assistant
1. His name means Valley of Vision
2. Gehazi never lived up to the name
3. He was a plowsman and the son of a plowsman
4. Elisha chose him to be at his side
5. Gehazi was as spiritually blind as the king of Syria
II. THE SETTING WE ARE LOOKING AT - Verse 13
13 So he said, "Go and see where he is, that I may send and get him." And it was told him, saying, "Surely he is in Dothan."
A. Dothan was about 60 miles north of Jerusalem near Megiddo
1. Megiddo is where earth's final conflict will occur someday 2. This was Elisha’s place of retreat for rest
3. That night Elisha and his servant lay down in security
4. Interestingly, Dothan is where Joseph was sold into slavery
WHAT ARE YOU LOOKING AT?., p.2
B. When Kings were in trouble to seek a Word from God
1. God's prophet was often consulted
2. Later, Priests were consulted to hear from God
C. The King of Syria went w/his armies to Dothan
1. They camped around the city
2. That morning they were spotted by Gehazi
III. THE ANTAGONISTS WE ARE LOOKING AT - Verse 8
8 Now the king of Syria was making war against Israel; and he consulted with his servants, saying, "My camp will be in such and such a place."
A. Syria was located North East of what is Israel today.
1. They were located in what today is Iran and Iraq 2. They were the long-time enemies of both Israel and Judah
B. Later, Syria defeated the No. Kingdom, Israel in 722 B.C.
1. God used the Assyrians to punish Israel for their idolatry
2. Later, the Babylonians conquored Judah and Jerusalem
C. Adversaries will always be the plight of mankind
1. We have our Antagonists today
a. ISIS, Islam, Jehadism, Terrorists
b. International Threats: Illegal Aliens
2. Political Opponents: Liberals, Conservatives
3. Political Correctness, Global Warming
4. Economic, Inflation, Devaluation
IV. GEHAZI WAS LOOKING AT EXTERNAL THREATS - Verse 15
15 And when the servant of the man of God arose early and went out, there was an army, surrounding the city with horses and chariots. And his servant said to him, "Alas, my master! What shall we do?"
A. Gehazi was the corrupt servant of Elisha - Conscience Pbm.
1. He wrongly felt that silver and gold gave him control
2. He couldn't see "Beyond the nose on his face"
B. Gehazi was trapped in his own circumstances
1. Limited by Empiricism: Five Senses
2. Limited by past pain and disappointments
3. He wrongly felt it was all up to himself: he felt helpless
C. Human condition is to be trapped, hemmed in by your conflicts
1. Not enough money
2. Broken Appliance, car trouble
3. Job loss or fear of job loss
D. Gehazi was trapped by his own fear of destruction
1. He had no practical faith in God
2. He saw the external threat: the King of Syria and his armies
3. Gehazi had no spiritual sight: he was spiritually blind
V. ELISHA WAS LOOKING AT GOD'S PROVISION - Verse 16
16 So he answered, "Do not fear, for those who are with us are more than WHAT ARE YOU LOOKING AT?., p.3
those who are with them."
A. Elisha was a man of God who operated in Wisdom
1. God gave him spiritual sight
2. He saw what Gehazi couldn't see
B. God is greater that any external threat - 1 John 4:4
4 You are of God, little children, and have overcome them, because He who
is in you is greater than he who is in the world.
1. You plus God is a powerful majority
2. Read the end of His Book: We win!
C. This World is a spiritual world
1. There are circumstances beyond our comprehension
2. W e can only exist through the eyes of Faith
D. Afraid of Death like Gehazi?
1. God's in Control
2. See what God sees
3. I am a spirit, but live temporarily in a tent
a. One day I will pull up the stakes and move on
b. I will live on, but my body won't
4. God's power works the greatest when death is imminent
9 But as it is written: "Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, Nor have entered into the heart of man The things which God has prepared
for those who love Him." 1 Corinthians 2:9
VI. ELISHA WAS LOOKING AT GOD'S POWER - Verse 16
17 And Elisha prayed, and said, "LORD, I pray, open his eyes that he may see." Then the LORD opened the eyes of the young man, and he saw. And behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.
A. Some solutions to life's conflicts can only be see through prayer
1. We are guilty of Rationalizing
2. We vainly attempt to think ourselves through conflicts
B. Elisha prays and God opens Gehazi's spiritual eyes
1. God's Horses and Chariots of Fire
2. Between them and the Syrian chariots and army
C. What are you Looking At?
1. Are you looking w/o prayer thru physical eyes?
2. Are you looking with God's Spiritual Sight?
Eg. A street preacher was speaking to a crowd about Jesus. A man interrupted and shouted how he didn’t believe in Jesus, God, hell or judgment, because he’d never seen God. Another man spoke up: "Friends, you say there is a building over there, and a bus that stops here twice a day, and that grass grows in the yard across the street. That is untrue; and you yourselves don’t exist either, because I’ve never seen you. You see I am blind. And the more I say you don’t exist, while others can plainly see, just proves I’m blind."
WHAT ARE YOU LOOKING AT?
2 Kings 6:8-18 (NKJV)
8 Now the king of Syria was making war against Israel; and he consulted with his servants, saying, "My camp will be in such and such a place."
9 And the man of God sent to the king of Israel, saying, "Beware that you do not pass this place, for the Syrians are coming down there."
10 Then the king of Israel sent someone to the place of which the man of God had told him. Thus he warned him, and he was watchful there, not just once or twice.
11 Therefore the heart of the king of Syria was greatly troubled by this thing; and he called his servants and said to them, "Will you not show me which of us is for the king of Israel?"
12 And one of his servants said, "None, my lord, O king; but Elisha, the prophet who is in Israel, tells the king of Israel the words that you speak in your bedroom."
13 So he said, "Go and see where he is, that I may send and get him." And it was told him, saying, "Surely he is in Dothan."
14 Therefore he sent horses and chariots and a great army there, and they came by night and surrounded the city.
15 And when the servant of the man of God arose early and went out, there was an army, surrounding the city with horses and chariots. And his servant said to him, "Alas, my master! What shall we do?"
16 So he answered, "Do not fear, for those who are with us are more than those who are with them."
17 And Elisha prayed, and said, "LORD, I pray, open his eyes that he may see." Then the LORD opened the eyes of the young man, and he saw. And behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.
18 So when the Syrians came down to him, Elisha prayed to the LORD, and said, "Strike this people, I pray, with blindness." And He struck them with blindness according to the word of Elisha.
Spiritual Sight
A Matter of Focus
Eg. Suzanne feels we are all spiritually blind and lacking discernment. The real problem is that she's the one with spiritual blindness
Now, spiritual blindness did not just appear in our day; it has been around for a long time. Centuries before the birth of Christ, the enemies of Israel were the Assyrians. The king of Assyria wanted to conquer Israel. God wouldn’t let that happen, so He kept giving prophetic insight about Assyria’s plans to a prophet named Elisha. (This was the same Elisha who had served as prophet-apprentice to Elijah). Elisha would warn the king of Israel, and at each attack, Syria’s army would be routed. Elisha had become a major pain to the king of Assyria.
When the king found out his losses were Elisha’s doing he put a price on the prophet’s head and laid plans to capture him. This was the ancient equivalent of putting enemy faces on a deck of cards, except there was just one face on the whole deck - Elisha! The king made only one mistake…Elisha really wasn’t his enemy, God was! The conflict was not going to be much of a contest.
In the pre-dawn hours Elisha’s servant gets up early to begin the morning chores. That was his job. In our mind’s eye we see the servant dragging out to the well to draw water. He is only half-awake, shuffling along. But, something is not quite right; the early birds and other critters are not making their usual noises. Pushing the sleep away from his eyes he scans the local hillside and his heart stops beating. There, in the morning haze, silhouetted against the first indistinct rays of the dawning sun are Syrian soldiers - a whole army of them standing at ready, spears and bows locked and loaded!
As it turned out, Elisha’s servant Gehazi was spiritually-blind, but his physical eyesight was 20-20. He scrambled into the house and woke Elisha, "Master, Elisha, wake up; the whole Syrian army is out there, and they aren’t happy. Elisha, wake up, man, they’ve got machine-bows and sling missiles…we’re toast!"
There is an interesting side-issue here, in that the name given to the servant, Gehazi, means valley of vision. The man had the name, but he fell short of living-up to his name. He was as spiritually blind as the king of Syria.
Gehazi’s problem was not the reality of the coming battle, but his perception of that reality. He served a Jewish prophet of "Jahweh, God Most High"; he carried the name of spiritual sight, yet knew nothing of vision.
Gehazi was the corrupt servant of Elisha who eventually was stricken with Naaman's leprosy.
What are you looking at?
Eg. What you are is determined in large part by what you see. A buzzard flies over the landscape. On that landscape are all the wonderful things God has created, roses, beautiful trees and meadows, wonderful mountains and rivers and the joy of life. But a buzzard is looking for corpses, dead stuff. His eyes are not open to all of God’s goodness - he is in the habit of looking for a rotting carcass. The desire of God is for you to focus on things above:
Philippians 4:8 (NKJV)
8 Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy--meditate on these things.
2 Kings 6:15-17
Gaining Spiritual Sight
Seeing What God Sees
EXEGETE 2 Kings 6:15-17
Surrounded by the Enemy
Isaiah 59:19b
19 . . .When the enemy comes in like a flood, The Spirit of the LORD will lift up a standard against him.
Psalm 3:6
6 I will not be afraid of ten thousands of people Who have set themselves against me all around.
2 Chronicles 32:6-8
6 Then he set military captains over the people, gathered them together to him in the open square of the city gate, and gave them encouragement, saying,
7 "Be strong and courageous; do not be afraid nor dismayed before the king of Assyria, nor before all the multitude that is with him; for there are more with us than with him.
8 With him is an arm of flesh; but with us is the LORD our God, to help us and to fight our battles." And the people were strengthened by the words of Hezekiah king of Judah.
Chariots and horses were the strength of the Aramean oppressors of Israel; therefore, Jehovah causes His earthly ministers to see that He also has at His command horses and chariots, and that of fire.
As Christians, we can be the same way. Too often we don’t take our spiritual warfare seriously. We act as though Satan and his kingdom were asleep or posed no problem to us. We go out unprepared spiritually. Consequently, when faced with some form of spiritual warfare, like Elisha’s attendant was, our response is consternation, “Alas, my master! What shall we do?” At least the attendant had the good sense to seek the counsel of the prophet, which is more than we can say for a lot of believers who often turn to the world for their advice (cf. Ps. 1). How quick we are to listen to the advice of the world rather than to meditate on the Word.
Hazael is anointed by Elisha to become the instrument of destruction that will punish first Israel and later Jerusalem for the idolatry and wickedness.
Syrians routed by the horses and chariots of God.
Many years later the Syrian king Hadadezer became very sick and Hazael suffocated him and seized the throne. Hazael reigned for about 37 years (842-805 B.C.). He went to war with Israel in the north and Judah in the south. Assyrian records indicate wars with Syria, and an inscription by Shalmaneser III mention Hazael and his son Ben-hadad by name:
"I fought with Ben-hadad. I accomplished his defeat. Hazael, son of a nobody, seized his throne."
WHAT ARE YOU LOOKING AT?
