9th February 2025 All Age All Nations - KV Cherian - Power to be a Neighbour

Paul's gods, and Israel is not following God at all,

but he is in Samaria, which is the cultural head.

It's like saying, you know, go to Las Vegas, tere

the prophet is okay, none of you'll know what las

Vegas means. Okay, you are too holy. Right. So he

goes there and he's waiting to meet Elisha. Very interesting passage.

He's going to meet Elisha and he says to the attender,

go tell Elisha that I name and has come to

meet you. And Elisha does this most funniest things. He

just he doesn't even come to meet him. He just

send a word, go tell Naman, go dip yourself in

the Jordan river and you'll be healed. Oh my god

name and lost it? What even, dude, what even? You

didn't even come out to meet me? Do you know

who I am? I am naming the mighty One, the

valiant one? Who is who you know who raids your

cities and takes loodes? You don't even come and you know,

do something fancy, you know, wave your hand around me

and then say whosh, your healed. No, No, Jazz, Naman

got really mad. I'm sure if you were there in

this place. None of y'all would have got mad, because

y'all are so so calm. You don't like me. I'm hyperactive,

but I was thinking about it. Naman had expectations, he expected,

and I'm coming for my healing and I'm coming with

everything gives and everything else. Elisha would come and treat

me in a different way and do this whole miracle

thing in such a fancy way. But he didn't do it.

So why did Elishah not do it? A couple of things.

Elisha was helping name and understand a root problem. Elishah

didn't bother about the leprosy. Leprosy was not the issue.

There was a root problem which Nayman had to be

dealt with, and that was pride. None of you'll have it.

I'm just telling what Naman had. Naman had this issue

that you know. It's like this sometimes when we go

to God, we have our expectation. Lord, I need this healing,

but I need it like this. Okay, none of you'll

pray for healing. Okay, so you don't know what I'm talking. Okay,

I'll give you a much more easier exams. Lord. I

like this guy, not me, I'm just saying, somebody, some

be serious. Okay, somebody saying this. Okay, let's take a teenager.

You know, teenagers are the best. Teenagers at least agree

with me, right, okay, Okay, So I'm a teenager. I'm praying.

I like this girl, Lord, she should be like this,

like this, and ten different characteristics that I need. Your will, Lord,

always your will Lord. But these are the things that

I need. And then you're praying, You're fasting about it

every Tuesday, you're praying every Friday. That's a prayer request.

It's a secret one though. We don't tell all these

real prayer requests. We give all a dignified prayer request, right,

Pray for me to get closer to God. Pray that

I read the word of God. Those are the good ones.

That's what we usually tell people, the real ones. If

we have a time of prayer, that's what we would say.

The real prayer request comes in there, what we really need,

and that we would have one set of lists. I'm

sure you didn't have. I had. I had a lot

of lists which God, God had to deal with me

on that we give them. We give him the list

and so we say, look this is what I exactly need.

I'm sure God doesn't know how what we need right.

He needs help, and we are trying to help him

to understand what our real needs are. We're so helpful,

you know, but if God sends another person, you're just like,

be away from me. This is not God's will. The

number one issue Namean had was pride. I'll give you

another example. You have a shoulder pain, right, and when

you're standing in here in church, the spirit of God says,

worship me, lift your hands. The first thing that you

your mind would say, I don't have to lift my hands.

I'm worshiping God in my heart. I don't have to

lift my hands. I don't have to open up my mouth.

My heart is worshiping the Lot twenty four past seven. Anyway,

I don't have to do this. You see, God's instructions

are very very simple. If you would have obeyed and

raised your hands, you would have got your miracle. But

we didn't want to. We want the miracle the way

we want it, not the way God prescribes it. So

Elijah didn't go to meet Naymen. That was one pride.

Second things. Second second point was Elishah wanted Naman to

know that God's power works on his terms, not on

Naman's expectations. You can expect anything that you want, but

it's not going to work because you expect it. It

works because on his terms. His power works on his terms.

Elisha wanted Naman to clearly understand few things, and that

is this. You cannot transaction. You know, you can't transact healing.

God's power is not for sale. You can bring all

your gifts, you can give one million dollars, It's not

going to give you his power. You know why, because

it's not for sale. You know the I know should

I tell this, but anyway, I'm going to say it anyway.

You know we have we we live in an age

where we have evangelists on TV saying send your ten pounds,

send your ten dollars and get your healing. I think

that's something a dear friend, dear friends of mine in

the Catholic world did it all a long back. They

were masters at it, you know, buying forgiveness. I don't

know if you know the concept. By in the dark ages,

you know, the Catholic used to, you know, write out

scripts and say, okay, your forgiveness this much you know,

ten bags of gold coins. He has your forgiveness. It's

the same thing. There's nothing new under the sun. But

God's power is not based on your transaction. Elisha also

wanted Namen to know that God's grace cannot be purchased.

You cannot purchase God's grace. It comes because of a relationship.

And also one thing Elisha wanted to make it very clear,

it is not the messenger. You know, if Elisha came

before Naman and did all this you know, fancy stuff,

and moved his hand round and you know, told the

twelve names of God and all of that, Nayman would think, okay,

this guy Elisha, let me build a statue of him

and keep it at home and start praying over it.

Humans are very good idle man, because that is why

we have the show called American Idol, in the Indian

Idol British Idlers. He wanted Elisha wanted name him to know.

God alone is able to do things and it's not

about people. He uses people. This instruction that was given

to name in to name in, it was humiliating. He

got so mad and he's saying, Jordan that X y

Z river do you want me to go dip in

that I have better rivers, better rivers from where I am.

I have, you know, he he says, in the name

of two rivers, Abana and Parafra. And if you don't

know tongue starts speaking the words in the Bible, you'll

automatically get tones. The most dirtiest river muddy all the time,

muddy is Jordan. You know, we have some imaginative at

least I have some imaginative paths where I think Jordan

is this amazing river. You know why, because Jesus got

baptized in that. You know, sometimes you would hear super

super super holy believers saying I want to get baptized

in Jordan river. If you wait for that, I don't

think you'll You'll get baptized in Heaven directly then, So

don't don't wait for that. Wherever you find, whichever opportunity

to get baptized, just jump into it. Elijah was testing Namen.

He wants to get healed, But is he going to

obey God's word or no? Because end of the day,

regardless of whether you're name Mean or whether you're Jerobo

or King David or Abraham or whoever you are, be

it a Jew or a non Jew. God's looking for

one thing. Are you obeying what I say? So? Here

name is in this place where he has to decide.

Am I going to obey? And he's super pissed and

I'm not going to obey and he walks out. You know, like,

have you seen these small kids when you when you

don't buy them something? You know, you take them to

this supermarket and they see all these chocolate and say mommy, mommy,

can I buy this chocolate? And you say lovingly, no, dear?

And what there's a childhood? Does a child say yes, mommy? No?

Stomp your foot and say get angry, get mad? You know,

we're all laughing at it. But you know what, we've

all done this, not as kids, though, but as adults.

God didn't answer me. I'm not gonna pray. God didn't

answer me for this. I'm not gonna talk about. Why

should I talk about I'm not talking about you, I'm

talking about me. I've done this. I've done this you know,

many many times, many times. God didn't come through for

this or He's put this difficulty in my life. I'm

so upset with God. Yeah, you can get upset with God.

True belief in God manifests itself in full obedience to

the word of God. I'll repeat that again, true belief

in God manifests itself in full obedience to the word

of God name and thank God. Was a man of

logic in reason. So when his friends who came along

with him basically servants actually who came along with him, said,

Father or Master, you know, if the prophet would have

told go take a dip in that river, wouldn't you

obey it? Or if you have told you to do

something else, wouldn't you not obey? Then why not give

it a try? Why not give it a try? You

know what? Sometimes God, God waits for you to get

to the point of desperation. That's like the antidote for pride.

He'll wait, He'll wait till you come out to a

place where you're desperate, because when you're desperate, your pride

will take the back seat and you will want to

try anything that's possible to get you out of that situation.

This guy is good, and Aymon is good because he listened.

He listened to his peers or his servants and said, okay, fine,

Thank God for good friends. You know, some of you

all have good friends in your life. Thank God there

aren't many, so hold them close. Amen. Pride will make

you deaf and blind to God, just like how Israel

was come to that moment, you know, the moment nay

Man decided, Okay, I'm going to do it, even it

be it's a dirty river, I'm still going to do it.

The moment he started walking, his healing process began. We

always think that the moment he dipped in the river

at the end of the seventh time is when he

got healed. No, okay, is my personal thing, is my

personal understanding of it. But I believe this, the moment

you obeyed, his healing started. You may be sitting here

with so many issues. There are certain recurring issues with

certain issues that you don't know how to deal with

if you obey. You know, one thing I've noticed is

this God doesn't ask complicated things. He's a very simple guy.

You look so serious. You know who makes it complicated? Yeah,

you can tell his name. Yes, we but we are

in inspired by somebody else. You know. At home, we

call them the diablus. It sounds fancy, that's why. But

the devil, basically religion makes it complicated. I'll give you

an example. When I was studying in a Catholic school,

everybody thought I was a Catholic, even though I kept

shouting at the top of my tongue that I'm a Protestant,

you know. But in Catholics, when I have a lot

of friends of a lot of Catholic friends, so and

so that they think I'm a strong Catholic. Right. I

don't know how that makes sense, But anyway, you know,

when when when they need a resolution for an issue,

they'll say these standard prescriptions ten Hail Mary's twenty half

other day and night such and such a day. Simple.

You know you do all this. You're done any other religion.

You know, you go climb this mountain bare foot, take

take bath every day in the hold water, and go

to this high mounted barefoot and fast for three days.

You know. Surprisingly, we would all love to do it.

We would all love to do it because you know,

we like to purchase the miracle. We don't like something free.

We devalue it. God gives it free, not because it's cheap,

because you can never purchase it. You don't have the currency.

All the money in the world cannot purchase him. I

cannot purchase even a drop of his anointing. He gives

it free because He has his mercy towards you. He

is merciful towards you. God. It can be a simple

thing to this. You have an issue. But when you

come Sunday, God's telling okay, open up your mouth and

praise God. I ain't doing that. Lord. I can do

this when I'm in college. I can shout in the

party that's going on, I can scream my lungs out

that the next day I can barely speak. Or in church,

I'm gonna be all other Lord, Why because my grandfather

was lothers or because I come from the church which

is off chosen and the frozen. That's pride and stubbornness.

And that's exactly what Israel was doing. They think they

knew God very well. They treated God as their personal property.

But God did all the healing, not with Israelites. That's

why Jesus quoting the scripture that he didn't he anybody

in Israel. He healed people in Samaria because you know what,

they obeyed God and sit here hear a nice sermon

and do zero obedience and be still stuck in the

same Omal problem, Whereas people on other side of the

world who are going through enormous issues believe God, obey

God and walk in his miracles. You see the choices

with us. Are you going to obey the simple things

that God asks you? Or are you going to complicate

it and then think if God does this, I will

do it believe me? Or no place to bargain with God? Okay?

Can I go a little deeper? Is this too heavy? No?

Can I go deeper? Are you with me? Are you

with me? Amen? Thank you Lord. That's an indication. You know.

I was curious as to you know, why seven times.

I'm sure he would have dipped himself in the river

and he would have got healed. It's not like God's

power works in some sort of method or anything, you know.

I was just curious about it. Why the seven times?

Of course, seven is the number of divine perfection. Somebody

said that, thank you. I think it was you don't. Okay,

thank you, it's the number of divine perfection. But I

just wanted to go deeper. You know, what does it

actually mean? Because anywhere in the scripture you see God

loves to hide little nuggets. Do you want a little

nugget today, not the chicken nugget that you'll get later.

So when Naeman walked into the river, you think about it.

Put yourself in Naeman's shoes. I did for the first time,

check my leprosy not healed, second time, third time, fourth time,

fifth time. Now I'm like the saying working bro. And

then seven times his skin was brand new, like the

skin of a new baby. No cream in the world

can give you that. What's the name? Some of the

creams holy or I don't know, that's not my division anyway,

you know, none of those creams, garner or whichever cream

can't give you that. You know, it's the same with us.

We stand in worship and then we raise our hands

and then they say, Lord, it's not working. We'll try again,

try again, try again, and you will see God working,

because when he says something, he will do it. Okay,

let's go to why seven times. Right, when a person

is inflicted with leprosy, there is a purification process. You know,

Israelites had a lot of customs and traditions to follow, right,

So in the Leviticus book, if you go to the

leven Tickets book, you will see when they are healed.

They need to take two birds. I had two clean birds,

could be pigeons or whatever. Right, one is slaughtered over

a fresh water in a clay pot. The second is

dipped in the blood along with sed word, scarlet yarn

and hippos. Okay, one is slaughtered. The other one is

dipped in the blood of this bird along with word scarlet, yon, hippos,

and the blood is sprinkled seven times on the heal

person and the live bird is released into the open field,

symbolizing freedom and cleansing. This was mind blowing for me

because God has put in a small nugget there even

in the healing of Namen. If I look at the

Seder word, it symbolizes the cross. If I look at

the scarlet yarn, it symbolizes the blood. If I look

at the hippos, it applies. It is the application of

faith in Christ's sacrifice the two birds on his death,

on his resurrection, you are set free. It's complete freedom.

You know, Naman was not just healed of his leprosy.

He was restored three sixty degree in such a way.

See we are looking at just the healing of the flesh.

But what happened to Naman was you know what Namon told?

Now I know there is no other God but the

God of Israel. That is what God wants. He wants

you to know. The healing is not the whole purpose.

The healing is for you to know who really the

Lord is. Today, I want you to I want to

ask you this. What is God asking you to do?

Is he asking you to get baptized? Is he asking

you to connect with any of the teams. Is he

asking you to be more faithful in prayer? Is he

asking you to be more faithful in your giving? Or

is he asking you come to me and accept that

I'm your Lord? What is stopping you? Ask yourself this question.

Don't leave this place without answering that question, because the

Lord is answer asking you that question. Today. Before we close,

I just want to read one verse that is fust

Samuel fifteen twenty two. But Samuel replied, does the Lord

delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as in

obeying the Lord? To obey is better than sacrifice, and

to heed is better than the facts of ram Amen.

Let's pray, Lord, Holy Spirit. I thank you Lord for

moving on our heart's Lord. I pray Lord that you

will give us the grace to answer your question. Lord,

help us clearly know what you're asking us to do, Lord,

and give us the strength to do it. Lord. I

pray Lord that you will move our hearts and minds

from indecision Lord to firm decisions. Lord. I pray Lord

that commitments will be made today morning. Lord, that broken

altars will be repaired. Lord, that hearts will be returned

to you. Lord, that souls will be one today. Lord.

Every person listening to this voice, Lord, I pray that

your spirit will move upon them. Lord, speak to the Lord.

Don't remain silent, speak to him. If you don't know

who this Lord is, cry out to him and say, Lord,

I want to know you. I really want to know you.

I want to know you as my Lord and my savior.

Thank you, Holy Spirit, because you are able. Thank you Lord,

because you know where we are, and you know the

questions that you ask is the answers that we seek. Lord.

I thank you Lord because you're able. I thank you

because you love us immensely. Lord. Thank you because you've

heard and answered our prayers. Lord, and Jesus Mighty name

me pray thanks. Sherrian okay story of