Elisha: The Holy, Humble, Anointed Man of God | New Covenant Men in the Old Testament | Zac Poonen

so we'll continue our study on old testament men of god who lived by new covenant principles which is a challenge not only to us but as we look around and see so many people who have understood the new covenant in their minds who live by old covenant standards this is the contrast and we must learn from this one lesson and that is knowledge of the truth does not mean that we are living by it jesus said you shall know the truth and the truth shall set you free in john chapter 8 you will know the truth and the truth will set you free but what did he mean by that it's not a head knowledge of the truth it's a knowledge that brings a result in our life so if it doesn't bring that result that's not the type of knowledge god wants us to have so you need to ask yourself is the measure of freedom in your life freedom from sin because that is what jesus was referring to there in john chapter 8 you know they were talking about being free from sin they verse 32 you shall know that john 8 32 you shall know the truth and the truth will make you free and the pharisees said no what do you mean free we are already free and he said i'm talking about being free from sin verse 34 if you search sin you're a slave of sin if you commit sin you're a slave of sin so what is the mark that somebody knows the truth it is that he's free from sin it's so clear in john 8 32 if i'm not free from sin i don't know the truth what i know is in my head and i fear that many many people because they have read so many of our books and listen to so many messages they think they have understood the new covenant and that is why i wanted to take these studies from old testament men who could not explain one percent of what some people today can explain of the new covenant and contrast the old new covenant all that but these men are still seeking their own the fundamental problem with the children of adam is they seek their own not the things that are christ's it's not just that i overcame my anger and i overcame some other habit here deep down underneath the root of it all is that we seek our own not the things that are christ's that we glory in ourselves and not in the cross of jesus christ whereby the world is crucified to me so when we look at the examples of these men which you've already considered we see that they could not explain things like we can today but they live the life and there are many men through the centuries of christendom who could not explain the new covenant like we can today many of us but who have lived the life and who live the life and that that is the ultimate test of whether we know the truth or not please remember this all your life my brothers and sisters don't ever understand you don't ever think you've understood the truth if it has not set you free from sin you shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free john 8 32-36 please read it meditate on it and see what jesus was saying there so keeping that in mind we look at one more example from the old testament books we've already seen the example of job and we saw the example of abraham and moses men who lived really godly lives and we understood so much of this new covenant principles we were talking about they had their faults they made mistakes but they had some fundamental qualities which made them you know live by new covenant principles in many areas of their lives today we want to look at elisha elisha was the prophet who followed after elijah you know elijah in one kings chapter 19 he he ran away after bringing fire down from heaven because jezebel threatened him and he got into a cave and said lord take away my life i've had enough he was so persecuted it's very easy to judge and why he got discouraged because of a woman shouting at him but he was under such tremendous pressure he just killed 450 prophets of baal and he didn't have the inner holy spirit like we have so don't ever compare yourself with elijah and he went and hid himself and the lord said to him okay i'll take you up to be with me but i want you to go and anoint elisha to succeed you and so he you read in one kings in chapter 19 [Music] and verse 19 he departed and found elisha the son of shephard plowing with 12 pairs of oxen and he with the 12. must be quite a job flowing with 12 pairs of oxen hard-working man and elijah passed over him passed over to him and threw his metal on him which is an indication i'm calling you to follow me and elisha understood that he left the auction immediately and ran after elijah and said hey let me just say goodbye to my father and mother and i'll follow you and elijah said what have i done you do what you like and so he came and followed after elijah in verse 21. and ministered to him now what i see here is the lord chose a hard-working man you know if you look in the new testament you find every apostle whom the lord chose every one of his 12 disciples were chosen the ones we we know about were all chosen in their place of work they were hard working people fishermen james john peter andrew fishermen are some of the most hardworking people i have met in my life they go out to sea and sometimes i've heard of fishermen in some places they go out for weeks on end before they get fish and come back home and hard-working people because their entire income is from catching those fish and they have to keep on working till they get enough fish to feed their families and jesus chose such people who were hardworking matthew was working hard as an accountant i never find in the new testament anyone whom jesus called who was just lazily sitting at home without a job god does not call such people he calls those who are faithful in the work they are doing this the first thing we need to see about elisha he wasn't a man who went to a bible college to get a degree to be a full-time worker no that type of tribe of people we see these days they're not servants of god they're just they didn't get a job anywhere else and they failed in all their school and university exams so they go to bible school because there are bible schools that give you free accommodation free education and a free job at the end of it that's a tragedy in so many countries today and that's why jesus the bible is completely against having bible schools you read in the old testament about a school called the school of the prophets i think samuel probably started it because there were no prophets in those days and i think it was i mean he had good intentions they were called the bible school students were called the sons of the prophets but not a single true prophet came out of the school of the prophets all the false prophets came out from there with their bible school degree they say i'm one of the persons who's come out from the school of the prophet started by samuel and they were the false prophets at that time just like but the true prophets you read in the old testament were never went to any bible school they didn't come out of the school of the prophets they came they were working hard and god laid hand on them called them and anointed them that's how any true servant of god was called in the old testament or new testament or today ever since you must never forget that don't be deceived by all these people who have a lot of head knowledge that they've accumulated in bible schools here was a hard working man elijah is the first thing you need to see and when he was called he left it he didn't leave because he wanted to be a full-time worker no there's no such thing as wanting to be if god doesn't call you and you try to serve the lord you will be a total failure and 95 of the full-time workers i've seen are in that category total failures because god never called them elisha was called and let's never forget that if you're not called into full-time christian work work in your secular job and be a wholehearted servant of god you can be more useful to god paul was a working man i say paul was a christian businessman who was an apostle he supported himself he didn't depend on anybody for his money if people gave him a gift he took it but he was not dependent on them and that is the best way in our day and age to serve the lord to support ourselves not be dependent on anyone and to serve the lord and we see here a wonderful example in elijah a hard-working man just like the new testament disciples whom jesus called so that's the first thing we see about him then we go on to the time when elijah was about to leave you know god was going to take him up in a chariot of fire and you read in 2nd kings chapter 2 something more about this man again new covenant principles it says it came about in second kings chapter 2 that the time came when god was about to take elijah up to heaven and in a whirlwind and now this is elijah telling the man whom he has called whom he had put his mantle on says in one second kings chapter 2 verse 2 elijah said to elisha please stay here because the lord has sent me to bethel where were they they were in gilgal verse 1. elijah went with elijah gilgal so they're starting at gilgal and the lord elijah told elijah stay here i'm going it was a test because later on we read three times elijah told elijah to stay and he said no i'll go i'll go go on with you. and then finally he he first started in gilgal then he went to bethel verse 2 and then from there he went to jericho verse 4 and then he finally went to jordan verse six so these are four places and every time elijah told elijah says no stay here stay here in gilgal elisha said no then the elijah said when they came to bethel elijah said to him i shall stay here in bethel and elisha said no and then when they came to jericho again elijah said stay here and he said no i'm not going to stay and you read that in the first few verses now what do we learn from this see ultimately when finally when elijah and elijah crossed over jordan elijah asked elisha okay why in the world have you been following after me what do you want and elisha let me paraphrase his words what do you think i've been following you for all this time you want you think i'm looking for a title like director of the work or chief elder of this church that i've got to take over from you and you know your successor you've been the elder so far please tell everybody i am the new elder he wasn't interested in anything like that today christians are interested in titles director supervisor chairman and elder and all that elisha was not at all interested in that he was interested in only one thing and i wish all christians would also be interested in the one thing the anointing of the holy spirit all titles are worthless if you are not anointed with the holy spirit to be known as an elder oh big man in the church think you think you're more spiritual than everybody else you should be a servant of everybody else the anointing of the holy spirit i've seen so many churches whether people in the church are more anointed than the elder it says here elijah's elisha said to elijah i don't want just the anointing you had i want a double portion of the anointing you had you know he was bold in asking he was thirsting for it he said what do you think i've been following you and if you look at the miracles that elijah did you find he did exactly the double the number of miracles that elijah did you calculate it and see he got what he wanted he was anointed with supernatural power from heaven because he thirsted for it this is the first requirement jesus said if anyone thirsts let him come to me and if you believe in me out of his innermost being will flow rivers of living water the first requirement to be anointed with the holy spirit is not doctrinal understanding he never spoke about doctrinal understanding today we have so much so many books on being filled with the spirit doctrinal understanding but very few people who are genuinely filled because they don't have a thirst notice here let's go back and see gilgal you know gilgal is the place you read in the book of joshua i think it's chapter 5 where it says the reproach of egypt was rolled away through circumcision they circumcised and said the reproach of egypt has been rolled away so that's the first step where we begin where our sins are forgiven the past is blotted out and you come to that place and are you happy to stay there elijah tells elisha you come to gilgal the reproach has been rolled away your sins are forgiven you're on your way to heaven now stay here many people say thank you brother thank you i've got an assurance i'm now going to die and be in god's kingdom that's all i need they stay in gilgal all their life you think such people will be anointed in the holy spirit never so then they go on to bethel this is the people who've gone one step further bethel is the place where bethel means the house of god this is where jacob saw the latter going up to heaven and he called it bethel so that this is people who've gone beyond forgiveness of sins and come into a new testament church see this is wonderful we're not just like those other people in the denominations just their sins are forgiven and they live like that no we found a newcomer church you're a part of there are people who glory in that the church they belong to and they don't have any life themselves they don't have no anointing but they're in a good church the good church with good elders and anointed elders and new covenant church bethel this is the house of god this is not a dead denomination this is the house of god bethel praise god but you went beyond gilgal to bethel and the elijah says stay here he says no i'm not satisfied i'm not satisfied forgiveness of sins i'm not satisfied that i'm a part of a new covenant church no elijah says i'm gonna go on to jericho and you know what jericho means stands for jericho is the place where the power of god was manifested and they blew the trumpets and the walls fell down and that's the other thing you know some people they experience the power of god in some supernatural way in their life and they're satisfied with that maybe they got a genuine gift of tongues a lot of tongues i've heard 95 of what i've heard is fake but there are there is a genuine gift of tongues and some have received it i thank god for it i use it in my private prayer but that's some people are satisfied with that oh a supernatural experience or they got some supernatural healing somewhere and they talk about it for the rest of their lives but then they don't have an anointing they just experienced some manifestation of god's power you know the children of israel experienced the manifestation of god's power not once every single day for 40 years they had food dropped from heaven every single day in the desert they got water from a rock when they were bitten by snakes they were supernaturally healed their clothes never wore out for 40 years their sandals never wore out for 40 years they've got a testimony that they could go around testifying everywhere and it was true but it says god was not pleased with him god was not pleased with any of them we read and we read that in 1 corinthians 10 we read that in hebrews and chapter 3. so gilgal great bethel great jericho far of god great not good enough it's not the anointing these are just manifestations of god's goodness and so he's elijah said stay here in jericho are you happy with it you got forgiven you found a new covenant church you've experienced some supernatural answers to prayer are you happy elijah said no elijah says i'm going to jordan elijah said okay i'm going to follow you and jordan speaks of death to self where does death to self come somewhere early on no see the stages gilgal forgiveness of sins in the past blotting out the reproach of the past life gone bethel come into a new covenant church jericho experiencing the power of god in our life still not satisfied oh i wish there were more people like that who experienced all this and say i'm not satisfied i want to go further jesus said if you want to follow me you got to take up the cross every day and follow me i want to come to that life which is called in hebrews 10 20 the new and living way through the flesh which speaks about the way jesus went himself through the flesh so that is the way of the cross and jordan was a place you know where jesus was baptized and baptism when jesus got baptized he was saying i accept death to myself to be buried i accept other people pushing me down putting me to death you know inwardly he lived like that for 33 years before he finally hung on the cross dying to self every day otherwise he couldn't possibly tell us to take up the cross every day if he himself had not taken up the cross every day he's not saying well i'm going to take up the cross once finally when i die on the cross but you guys are going to take it up every day no he said if you want to follow me if you want to walk the way i walked you have to take up the cross every day because that's the way i walked so thereby he was telling us in luke 9 23 that that is the way he walked all his life and though elisha didn't understand all of that he wanted this so that is what jordan symbolizes death to self jesus said i submit to john the baptist burying me under the water submitting to what symbolically saying let people do what they like to me i believe my father will raise me up wherever there's an acceptance of death to self the father raises up people we experience the power of resurrection so that is what jordan symbolizes submitting to the cross and not stopping there experiencing the power of his resurrection that's the real anointing of the holy spirit that's the real part of the holy spirit part of his resurrection and it's not something you just get once paul said towards the end of his life when he was 60 years old in the philippians i want to know more of the power of his resurrection so that's what we see here and then elijah says at the end in verse 9 what do you think i've been following you all this time give me a double portion of your spirit and what does elijah say now today he says you asked for a very hard thing verse 10. now today you go to some preachers who believe in this and say brother i want to be anointed with the holy spirit says yeah come right here i'll lay my hands on you and you'll be anointed right now oh it's an easy thing rubbish you get nothing out of that that man puts his empty hands on your head what do you get zero what you need is the nail pierced hands of jesus to be laid on your head not that man's empty hands being put on your head you get nothing out of that it's not an easy thing and i just said it's a hard thing i wish there were more people who said that today to people seeking for the power of the holy spirit verse 10 of second kings two you've asked for a hard thing but if you see me when i'm taken up you'll get it otherwise you won't get it see the re seeing the risen lord elijah here is a picture of christ who was taken up to heaven and elisha is a picture of the disciples seeing him go up you and i so what the lord is saying here is symbolically if you see me you'll have the anointing but if you're taken up with ministry and taken up with titles and taken up with other things on this earth you will not have it even what you have you lose so that's the first thing we need to learn from the example of elisha great testimony seeking for the anointing and the power of the holy spirit and willing to pay any price for it lord i want this at any cost so then we go on to another thing that we learned from elisha in the next chapter second kings chapter three ahab and uh jahashipat were planning together for a battle and uh there were so many false prophets you know the people who had come out of the bible school of prophets who were saying all types of false things and jehoshaphat was a man with discernment because the false prophets said ya ya ya the the lord will give these people into your hand and josh pat heard all this and says it doesn't ring true and he said in second kings 3 11 is that a true prophet here should we beside all these preachers we heard all of them is that a true prophet anywhere here and one of the king of israel's servant said yes elisha he's the only guy who's a true prophet and he's the one who used to pour water on the hands of elijah see his title he was not dr elijah or reverend elijah known as not archbishop elijah he was one who was poured water on the hands of elijah he was known as elijah's servant poured water means when elijah finished eating his food elijah would bring a dipper of water and pour it for elijah to wash his hands that was his title and that was his calling the portal of water for elijah the prophet wow imagine to be known like that and it's not that he that's the only thing he did because in the previous chapter we read that he split the he split the river jordan when he took elijah's mantle and struck the waters and we read in second kings 2 14 that the river parted and he came came through and another time we read that when the waters were impure bad in verse 19 onwards of second kings 2 he prayed for it and poured some salt into it and the waters were purified he had seen some miracles like that so they didn't refer to all those they didn't say this is the man who split jordan and came through after elijah went up to heaven this is the man who purified water just by praying over it and sprinkling salt there no they said this is the man who poured water on the hands of elijah it's wonderful after all the miracles we've done uh dear brother sister to be known as a servant that the primary thing you're known for is not the miracles you did but that you have a spirit of a servant there we can all follow him we may not we are not all called to do miracles but we can all follow him and we read there elijah spoke the truth now the next thing i want you to see here about elijah is in second kings chapter 4 he used to pass through a certain town and uh in second kings chapter four there was a but he used to pass over to shunam we read in verse eight second kings four verse eight there was a very important lady a prominent woman means probably a well-to-do important lady in that town and when he she used to persuade him to come and eat food with us and whenever he passed by there he stopped and ate food there and so she told her husband let's let's make a little chamber here and let's set a bed and a table and a chair for him verse 10 so that whenever he passes by he can stay there and he came there there's nothing spectacular he wasn't preaching sermons or he didn't do any miracles there but he came and ate food with them and he would go and sleep in that room and pass on he was only passing through and you know what impression this lady got about him just watching him no miracle she had not seen him do any miracle she just saw the way he conducted himself in the house the way he ate his food and the way he would quietly go to his room and probably keep his room in a tidy way and he said she said to her husband i can see that this is a holy man of god who passes by that's why she made that little extra room for her see the impression elijah gave to people just the way he ate food with them there's nothing else you read there there was nothing else he did there just the way he conducted himself the way he ate food at the table and maybe the conversation he carried on with them in the in the table he gave an impression of a holy man great example for us today we have so many people boasting about new covenant and all if you sit with them and eat with them they're joking and laughing and this don't get the impression of a holy man you get the impression of a joker a man who's trying to get a reputation for humor you know the number of believers i've met who want to get a reputation for being a humorous person you become popular because you get a reputation for being humorous and other poor believers who don't have that ability they feel inferior oh i can't do this what this brother does aha can you be known as a holy man never mind if you're not known as a joker be known as a holy man holy this is a holy man of god that should be our longing elijah was not known as a joker he probably didn't have a great sense of humor like many people today have and who long for it and who are seeking a reputation for it he wanted to be known as a holy man his conversation was around holiness he wasn't cracking jokes at the table he was leading people to godliness this is a new covenant man in the old covenant compare him with all these people who claim to know the new covenant today where is he and where are today's people i hope we can see this remember what i said in the first message jesus said you folks compare yourself with the men of nineveh compare yourself with the queen of sheba compare yourself with so many people in the old testament who repented and turned so that's what i say look at these people so we move on from there and you know god did a miracle later on for this lady and gave her a son she hadn't been didn't have any children till then and she got a son and one day that son died we see here she goes looking for elisha the son died she left that child dead on the bed and she got onto a donkey uh second kings 4 22 and she saddled and said let's go quickly i want to meet elisha and she met the man of god verse 25 at mount carmel and when elisha saw her she said hey that's a shinomat let's go and ask her what happened and she came and said that the she first said the child is well and then elijah said i think there's something troubling her and the lord has not shown it to me verse 27 and then she explained to him how the child was dead and then i want you to see this elisha said to gerhasy in second kings 4 29 now take my stuff i mean you run you can run faster than me run ahead and don't salute anybody on the way and go and lay my stuff on the lad's face and the mother of the lad said i'm not gonna go with galaxy no i know what ghazi is like and i know what you're like both of you sit at my table and eat food with me and this guy's just a joker but you are different elijah i'm not gonna go with him i will not leave you i will not leave you elijah he can go if he wants and so elijah also got up and first elijah just wanted to send a servant she said nothing doing anyway gehasi went ahead and took the stuff verse 31 just like elijah told him to do and put it on the lad's face no response so he came back and said nothing happened see this reminds me of people today who use the name of jesus they heard of someone who did something wonderful in the name of jesus a miracle and they go with that the name of jesus is the lord they have in the name of jesus in the name of jesus hallelujah hallelujah praise the lord praise the lord nothing happens brother it is not in words using words is just like a guarantee putting a rod on on somebody and praying that something will happen when your life is not right when you're not a holy man of god your prayer is worth nothing the effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man awails much we read in james 5 or 17 onwards they're effective prayer of a righteous man gerhaza can use the same name and use this rod of elisha nothing happens then elisha has to come himself and he entered in and prayed to the lord and went up and put his mouth on his mouth and his eyes on his eyes and his hand on his hands and stretched himself and the child woke up and he gave the child back to the mother and he went away he didn't wait there to call everybody in the town and say hey do you see what i did so he was a man who walked with god and when a need came up as the lord led him he blessed people he was first known as a holy man of god and he had a servant who was absolutely useless he had heard all the message but he didn't he didn't get elijah's spirit and if you get to the next chapter you see why it was like that in second kings chapter 5 we read of naaman who was a great man with you know general in the army of the arameans and he had leprosy you know the story how they they had a servant girl from israel with them and the seventh girl said to them to the mistress you know we have a prophet in israel on church he can cure my master of the leprosy and so naman got a letter from the king and went we read in second kings chapter 5 and he went to the house of elisha we read in verse 9. he came with his horses and his chariots and a lot of money and stood at elijah was in a small little hut he and gazi was staying there and elisha and he stood at the doorway of the house and said you know can you come and heal me and elisha look at this man of god this great general has come from another country big shot and elisha knows this man has to be humbled i really admire elijah he was a man of god who couldn't care less for the big shots in the world he wasn't going to cover before him and be scared and come and greet him and say all types of nice things to him no he didn't come and say oh name and i'm so honored that you came to visit me just like today's preachers if some big man in the world comes there fawn over him and make much of him but not elijah it was a man of god i tell you we need more men of god like that and they're very very rare and so he just sends a message i think garusi went out and said my master says go to jordan verse 10 dip yourself seven times and your flesh will be restored to you and you will be clean and naaman was angry he's never experienced the great general of our of syria or whatever aram uh he's never experienced anybody talking like this he says i thought he would come out to me and wave his hand and cure me and he said he tells me to go on wall dip in that dirty river jordan there are better rivers in damascus and he was angry and he went away turned away then his name and servant said wait if the bastard the prophet i told you to do something great you'd have done it it's so simple why don't you go and try and he went and dipped himself in the river jordan and he was healed completely and then he comes back with money here is an unconverted godless man coming with a whole lot of money to give to this servant of god who has healed him of leprosy what a miracle there was no cure for leprosy those days the lepers had to be put outside the can and when this time elisha comes out and tells him second kings 5 16 here you see what a man of god he was as the lord lives before whom i stand i will take nothing now there are preachers today also who say no no brother i don't want it no thank you i don't want it but somebody present no no take it no no i don't want it no please take then they okay if you insist i'll take it elisha was not that type of actor pretending to be humble pretending not to be interested in the money no matter how much it says neymar urged him he said no he urged him 20 times he says no sorry i will not take a cent from you and there was a reason for it he probably didn't tell him straight away but you can see in the next verse you know naaman says you know elisha had discernment this guy got a physical healing he's not interested in following the lord no he only wants a miracle just like a lot of people today they want a miracle they're not interested in following jesus and elijah could see that and neyman said okay if you don't take this at least let me take a little earth from here which i can put in my house and take some of the israeli mud and earth and kneel down there and pray to god and but there's one thing elisha if you will please listen to me you know when my master verse 18 goes into the idols temple and he bows down to the idol he always leans on my hand he calls his name and he says neyman come with me and i have to bow myself in that before that idol otherwise he'll dismiss me i'll lose my job he may kill me i hope the lord will forgive me for that one thing can you imagine the lord forgiving somebody for worshiping an idol throughout the old testament god did test idols and there elijah discerned that this guy is a compromiser he wants the blessing he wants the miracle he wants to be healed of leprosy but once he's healed doesn't want to follow the lord god of israel he wants to go back and worship that idol who could not heal him of the leprosy he wants to please his master there are many people like that who come to the church for some type of benefit for themselves some gain they want for themselves and the true servant of god must be able to see through such people you should be able to discern a person by five minutes of talking to him if you're an elder in a church and you're serving to the lord you should be able to discern people by what speaking to them for five minutes you don't need to know all about their past history elijah could discern straight away in fact he discerned before even he met damon and he he knew that that's why he never came out to meet him and here also he discerned what type of man he was he was a compromiser who was seeking his own position and honor with his master and so elijah said i won't take anything from you how many servants of god are there today who will refuse to take money from someone who is a compromiser say i don't want your money go on give your money to the idol ramon or whichever idol you worship we don't want it god doesn't want it jesus doesn't want it we see such a different spirit in christendom today that they will take money from anybody who offers it there's a great verse in the third episode of john which tells us how it was with the early apostles in third john in the seventh verse it says those who went out to serve the lord never took the third john and yeah verse 7 they went out for the sake of the name of jesus accepting nothing from non-christians accepting nothing from non-christians in other words if a non-christian offered them money they said no thank you that is what a christian church must have as a testimony if you are not born again brother sister you have no right to put money in the offering box we will not take it there are people who sent money to our church when i knew they were non-christians i did one of two things in some cases i returned the money as a testimony saying uh dear sir we cannot take money from you because you're not a born-again christian and in some other cases depending on the leading of the lord i would buy a whole lot of christian books for the same amount of money and give it to that person so that not one cent of his came into the lord's work he it's like he's buying a book okay here you are so he doesn't feel insulted but sometimes i felt led to tell him so that he gets converted brother god does not take money from someone someone who is not born again so we need to be very clear in this area of money elisha was so clear and faithful in the area of money and that is why god used him he had far more of a new covenant spirit than multitudes of preachers today almost 99 percent of preachers don't have the spirit no wonder all talk of new covenant is just hollow it's not it's not this this guy had more of the new covenant spirit than many many people today even you may not be a full-time christian worker what is your attitude to money look at the launchers attitude there we see a new covenant man living in oldest covenant times and see the contrast there in gazi who was you see ghazi was elijah's servant pouring water on his hands just like elijah poured water on elijah's hands and if elijah took over from elijah is the prophet who was going to be the next prophet but instead of getting the anointing he got leprosy instead of getting the anointing of elijah he got leprosy and you know why only one reason that guy was crazy after money a warning to all preachers and believers today who are crazy after money what you'll get is spiritual leprosy and you see that how gazi when he saw elijah just letting him go and he says what a fool my master elisha is in verse 20. this man just came and gave it freely and he still learned she would not take it okay if elijah doesn't take it i'll go and take it myself and so he ran says in verse 20 i run what's he running after money like many people today and he pursued neyman and naaman saw him running and said hey what's the matter is everything okay and then he has to tell a lie you know when you are after something when you're after money it's very easy to tell a lie small lie or a big lie this was a big one he says two people have come to join the bible school here to be sons of the prophets and uh can you please give me some clothes for them you know we want to support these students in the bible school just like people begged today with their begging letters they call it prayer letters it's not prayer letters at all it's all begging letters many of you may have got it from people in india and africa and all they send these so-called prayer letters all begging letters asking for money or hinting for money that's exactly what we see here we are running a bible school students have come they need clothes they need some money will you please support us followers of gehazi you think elijah would do something like that no and the lies they say so many people have come and so many people so many people getting converted a lot of rubbish and then neyman said oh oh you want money sure i'll give you you want um a talent of silver i'll give you two talents you asked only for one two changes of clothes i'll give you any number of changes of clothes bags with two chains of clothes and and say here my servants will take it and when they came to the top of the hill and nearing elijah's house elijah's house yes he said okay thank you very much you can go away and he quietly took all that and went and hid it in his house and then he came and stood before elisha as if he was very innocent that we had just been having a time of prayer or something and elijah said where have you been gaze and he tells another lie you know whenever you start telling lies you never stop with one and he said i didn't go anywhere you think you can fool elijah elijah saw through neyman he saw through gazi i want to see i want you to see something here dear brothers this man had more discernment than 99 of people who talk about the new covenant today i've seen so many people even elders talk about the new covenant they are fooled by people who are not really wholehearted disciples of jesus they compromise the standards of god's word because they won't walk with god like elijah and elijah could see through neyman he could see through gazi he said gazi i know what you did my heart went with you you turned you went to follow this chariot to collect money is this a time to receive money that's what i say to all the people who go around begging for money today in prayer letters and begging letters is this a time to receive money did jesus ever send such prayer letters to get money from people like naaman to today's naamans or those days neyman's to the disciples ever sent begging letters like that you see so many letters written by paul does he ever mention i'm in need my work needs my ministry needs never you find jesus ever asking for different people gave jesus and to paul you read in luke chapter 8 verse 1 to 4 and in 2nd corinthians chapter 8 9 and philippians 4 that people gave sometimes to to paul and he took it but they never asked for it and they would never take from unbelievers and so he says okay you went after him and is this the time to get money i'd say the same thing is this a time to receive money from these unbelievers okay gazi you not only got neyman's money you got his leprosy as well and i believe this is absolutely true today that so many people who have run after the money of unbelievers have got their spiritual leprosy as well you see dear brothers and sisters how these men in the old covenant old testament man like elisha had a hundred times more the spirit of the new covenant than a lot of people today would talk about the new government particularly in the area of money can you find the servant of god like elisha nowadays rare there are a few but rare who have the discernment of elisha even more rare but that's what we need so don't despise these old testament people ah they were under the old covenant we look at the old testament books they were under the old covenant we need to be shamed when we read about how these people lived yeah i want to say one more thing we read in it's an amazing thing here in second kings and chapter 13 verse 14 elisha became sick with the illness with which he died do god's servants become sick or do they die without sickness this wonderful prophet who had doubled the anointing of elijah who did double the miracles of elijah who raised people from the dead he gets sick well i'm sure he prayed lord heal me but no his time had come the lord said this time has come you have to you're not going to be healed you're going to die in the new testament you read that greatest of all apostles paul he had a sickness you read in second corinthians 12 which he called a thorn in the flesh it's amazing to see how some of god's greatest servants had sickness and it troubled him so much i believe it was an eye infection that paul had which was so repulsive that's why he says in galatians 4 to those people you saw this in me this sickness and you did not despise me you were willing to pull out your eyes and give them to me that's why i feel that it was that was his thorn in the flesh and he says lord take it away from me take it away this is a messenger of satan he calls it and the lord says no what's the reason paul you've been mightily used you've been taken up to the third heaven you've written scripture you planted churches you need something to keep you humble and this is the only way i can keep you humble jesus never needed a thought in the flesh he was so radical and wholehearted that he could remain humble throughout the end till the end do miracles do all types of things walk on the water raise the dead feed the five thousand not one speck of humility anywhere a speck of pride totally humble all the way till the end but paul needed it and i want to say to you my brother sister you and i need something that god has to do to keep us down in our face sometimes it's a failure in the world in somewhere maybe a financial loss i know god's through the years as i've tried to support myself through the years i've experienced financial loss and god says that's to humble you that's to free you from the love of money i say praise you lord i praise you with all my heart where other people praise god for their financial gains i praise the lord for financial losses many times thank you lord but you provide me enough for my needs that's all i want the rest of the time you are interested in my spirit that i keep humble and broken and don't imagine that i'm somebody or i'm smart or any such thing that i will never glory in anything but the cross of the lord jesus christ whereby the whole world is crucified to me and the word i'm crucified to the world so elisha remained became sick and he was about to die and he died now i want you to see this it's very interesting verse 20 elisha died and they buried him and the moabites used to invade the land in the spring of the year and as they were burying a man they saw a marauding band coming against them and so they threw the man into some open pit they saw there oh here's a something dug here they threw that dead man's body there and that happened to be the grave where elisha was buried there was no big monument or anything over elijah's grave just a hole there in the ground and they threw this man in and there was not much earth as well that elijah's body had deter and degenerated it had become all mud and earth but his bones were there and this man's dead man's body touched the bones of elijah verse 21 and he he rose up from the dead and stood on his feet there was more anointing on elijah's dead bones than there is in lots of so-called new covenant people today what a challenge a man who lived and walked with god completely the main thing we see about him one of the main things we see one is tremendous humility all his life he was willing to be known as one who poured water on the hands of elijah after he'd done miracles he was not known as a miracle worker not the man who split jordan or put salt on the water and healed it no the man who poured water on eli just hands see that's how jesus was known at the end of his life a man who poured water to wash his disciples feet including the feet of judas iscariot he says you call me lord and master but i am here as your servant washing your feet i am your servant dear brothers and sisters please be gripped by this this is true of all the great men of god throughout the ages and we see that in elijah too a man who poured water i don't want any other title i poured water for someone to wash his hands jesus he refused you know the time when they tried to after he fed the 5000 it says they wanted to make him a king he said no he ran away into the mountains because he would not take a position of honor he was he came here to be a servant he didn't want to be a director or chairman or any title he just wanted to be a servant and he manifested that by washing people's feet at the end of his earthly minutes the last day of his life on earth the last thing he did before he went to the cross was to wash the feet of his disciples wonderful example so that was one thing about elijah and the other words we saw was this tremendous pursuit of the anointing i'm not happy with gilgal i'm not happy with bethel i'm not happy with jericho i want to go through jordan and get the double portion of the anointing so that i can serve god a passion the bible says in jeremiah 29 and verse 13 you will seek me and you will find me when you search for me with all your heart jeremiah 29 13. that's what we see in elijah pursuit and then the third thing is what that woman of shunam said about him just seeing him how he ate his food how he conducted himself at the dining table this man is a holy man of god without hearing his sermon these are the examples we need to follow washing people's hands or feet any of us can do it seeking after the way of the cross to die to ourselves to be willing to submit to other people crucifying us that's going past bethel gilgal bethel jordan to jericho to jericho to jordan yeah we can go that way too and being free from the love of money being free from the pursuit of money if we can learn these lessons from elijah this new covenant man in all covenant times i believe it will benefit us much what we learned from all these examples is that what i've said many a time there were new covenant men living in old covenant times the spirit of the new covenant they couldn't explain the doctrine like we do today but there was an attitude in them towards serving others attitude to money their willingness to deny themselves many many things that we see in these men that we've seen so far job abraham moses and now elisha may the lord help us to follow in their footsteps and learn from them as much as we learn from other godly men in the new testament let's pray heavenly father help us lord that we are not just understanding these things or just excited by some message but be gripped in our heart to live this new covenant life to have the new covenant attitudes in all areas so that we can fulfill your purpose never seeking our own in anything but only that christ might be glorified pray in jesus name amen you

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Length: 59min 8sec (3548 seconds)

Published: Thu May 27 2021