The gandering eye of Gehazi - Bro Jesse Howell 5-19-2024

Sure to appreciate the Lord, the Spirit, the Lord, we feel,

the Holy ghost, somebody good. God. I appreciate my pastor. I

had a list about it my long that I wanted to say and just left

me. Oh wow, that's a shame. I've been working on that.

Oh since Yeah, talking to me about being ready. I appreciate the Lord

so much. I appreciate this service so far, enjoyed the preaching, brother,

this war. I thank God for my holiness heritage. Yeah. I

appreciate my parents, my father and my mother. I've been thinking about which

I had plans on preaching this direction until God changed my mind, changed my

heart. I was gonna preach on a house, a home, and not

a house, a sanctuary, not a structure. There's so much different in

a house. Brother, Jonathan, you just bought a house. He didn't

my home. It'll be a home whence him and whoever he marries moves into

it and makes it a home, then it'll be a home. My parents

provided a home. A home is more than a meal and close on our

back. A home is a meal closing our back. Love to go around

carrying so much caring, and I appreciate so much my parents they have truly

been wonderful. A God send to me. It's a giving us this holiness,

heritage, this way of living, introducing us to the world. Lord

at a young age grew up my whole life in the church, and I'm

so thankful for it. God has surely been good to us. Thank the

Lord so much. You can be turned into the book of Second Kings here.

This morning, Pastor was reading the chorus on that song I'm in a

New World, and he talked about he opened up my blinded eyes, and

I want to talk a little bit tonight about the eyes. You know,

the eyes can get us in a lot of trouble. The eyes can be

a real hindrance. The eyes can be a real blessing. But we have

to use our eyes for what God would have us to use our eyes for,

because we don't want them to be a hindrance to us. Second Kings,

the fifth chapter, I do desire your prayers here tonight. I don't

know when I've ever h I don't know whether it's a burden or what.

But it was such a struggle this this I ain't trying to I ain't trying

to make no enemies, and I don't want everybody to get tired on me.

I'm not mad, and I ain't mean I'm not I'm not here to

hurt nobody. I'm here to help somebody. And I don't want the church

to toppen up on it, because I really feel like it's one or two

here and I'm trying to help. So what I need is a praying church,

a church that will stand behind the mission of their pastor and help us

here. Tonight, we're gonna start reading in verse number twenty. It's about

seven verses. They're pretty good sized verses, a little rimpity, but believe

it'll be all right here tonight to read the Word of God in the House

of God verse number twenty. But but but the haes I, the servant

of a life should the Man of God said, behold, my Master has

spared name in this Syrian in not receiving at his hand that which he brought.

But as the Lord liveth, I will run after him and take somewhat

of him. So behes I followed after naming And when Name and saw him

running after him, he lighted down from the cherry to meet him and said,

is all well? And he said, all is well, my Master

has sent me. Say, behold, now there be come to me from

me for him, two young men of the sons of the prophets. Give

them, I pray THEE a talent of silver, two changes of garments,

and name, and said, be content, take two talents. And he

urged him bound two talents of silver in two backs, with two changes of

garments, and laid them upon two of his servants, and they bare them

before him. And when he came to the tower, he took them from

their hand and bestow them in the house. And he let them in go,

and they departed. But he went in and stood before his master,

and Elisha said up to him, whence comest thou, gahesi, And he

said, thy servant went no whither, and he said up to him,

went not my heart with thee. When the man turned again from his chariot

to meet thee. Is it a time to receive money, to receive garments,

and all of yours vineyards and sheep and oxen, men, servants and

maid servants, the leprosy therefore of name, and shall cleave unto thief and

unto thy seed forever. And he went out from the presence. From his

presence a leper as white as would you help us pray here tonight. God,

we thank you so much for your goodness and your mercy, for your

grace and your kind God. God, I ask right down that you help

thee Lord be a help to someone. God, that I would have a

spirit more than none of kindness God, the spirit of help. God.

That someone could see your word Lord and can come to life in their heart.

God, that you would speaking of their God, and that you would

help them understand Lord. And there is a heaven to gain and there is

a hell of sun. God. We asked that you would hide me behind

the cross or let them see you and not need Lord. Let me say

nothing more than you would have me to say. God would say everything that

you would have me. Lord. In the name of Joesus, we pray,

Amen and Amen. I'm so thankful for the spirit of the Lord once

again. This man named the gahze I is a servant to the Man of

God Elosha. You can first read about him in chapter four of the Second

Book of Kings, in the account of the shoot of my Woman and the

room that was built for the Man of God Elisha. This Shunonemite woman caught

a vision to do something for the Man of God, and so she had

her husband deal in her room. And this is the first time we hear

of ghahese I. From what I've read, Gahzi is mentioned three times in

the Bible, once with the shoon Amite woman and the room that was built

for Elisha, when there's when her son died and was raised to life.

Once again when Naming got his healing and he took of the garments, which

we read in our text. The third and final time that I read about

Naming was in the eighth chapter, whenever we're dealing with the same shot Amite

woman and the woman comes back after the family to get her her belong means

her land in her house. That's the three times that this servant through the

Man of God has mentioned that. With that I read about in scripture and

our text came on the heels of a wonderful miracle performed by Jehovah and Elisha.

Naming was a Syrian captain and he came to Elisha seeking a healing.

He needed something that was impossible, be theyde possible either been where where sucking

looked like was impossible. There was no way that you and yourself could conquer

it. There's no way that you could deal with the issue. But thankfully

Naming as someone in his life that could point him in the right direction.

There was a little girl that said, I know just the place, mister

Navan, I know right where you need to go. And after some convincing,

we know the story. Naming does end up going to Jordans differing seven

times and he's healed. He's so thankful for the healing that he's received.

He's so thankful for the Man of God that that he was told about.

That that he goes to the Man of God and he tries to repay a

little bit of the kindness of the Man of God. And so he offers

him what what what name, and called to blessing. I want to give

you a blessing. So standing nearby, well, first off, Elisha refuses

the man, the man naming his blessing. You know, and the Man

of God is never looking for something in return. I thank God for our

Man of God. He's never asked for something. He's give, give and

given. That's what Elisha did. He gave to Naming and Naming trying to

give back it. And Elisha was just proving a point to him. I

don't need what you have. I don't need no no, no sin close

or no Serian money. What God has given me is enough I have.

God has provided for me. He's been a friend when there was no friend.

God's been provision enough. What God has given me has been enough.

But standing nearby to the Man of God is this servant GAHAZEI, and he's

watching what's going on. He's seemingly just a fly on the wall. I

don't really reckon. He speaks up and says, well, lies, don't

you think we could use it? I say. He just stands back and

he's watching the Man of God, seeing what the Man of God is gonna

do. Right, He's listening to the Man of God tell name and that

he don't need anything. I don't need what you have to offer. The

world will trying to offer you something. But what we need to do is

follow the leading of the Man of God, follow the leading of the Holy

Ghost, and say what's of God? I don't need what's your offering?

I don't need. I've got no use for it. I got no use

for the things of this world. I've got better things to folk us on

I've got better things to work towards, but haze I don't do this and

got it in some deep trouble because his eyes watching is watching this transaction or

lack thereof. He's watching the men of God refused, And as I laid

in the floor of my unborn son's nursery in the car, then I had

tears rolling down my face and I was praying God speak to my heart.

I didn't have a text, I didn't have nothing, and out of nowhere

in the courts of my heart what I heard spoke into my heart. I

didn't spend ten minutes trying to come up with the rhyme. And I've done

it before, but this is different. There's been two times that I know

God has given me a title, and tonight is one of them. God

spoke into my heart. The gandering eyes of the Hazei ghze I stood back

and was watching what the man of God was doing. Ghayes, I have

heard what Elijah said, put his eyes got in troubling. What he was

listening to, don it in trouble? What in trod to dude gone in

in trouble. The eyes of the of the Hazei was his problem. If

he wasn't watching, if he wasn't listening to the eyes open up the heart.

The haze I had no doubt heard of Elijah. I'm sure this gahese

is very only Elizia's ministry, very on, very early, very early on

in Elisiaus mystery. So I can't help but believe that gahze I had possibly

known of Elijah. He had possibly heard of Elijah, probably seen Elijah,

and he seen Elisha, and he's seen Elisha's burden for the man of God.

Had he's seen what Elisha done for Elijah. I believe it was Elijah

that the Bible says poured hands. Elisha poured hands on Elijah's hands. Gaheze

I had seen the departitation of Elisha when he said stay here, and Elisha

said, I won't stay here. I'm going all the way with you men

of God. Becauzz I had heard of Elisha, and somehow they're passed across,

and behese I became the servant through Elisha. He had seen mighty things

through Elisha. He had witnessed the miracle of the the shoot of my woman.

He had seen mighty things done by the power of these men's God.

And I'm sure he was intrigued by the relationship that Elisha had with God Almighty.

And I'm sure that I can't hell the thing that the hazel One day

thought maybe I'll graft that in antl that I heard Elisha talk about fell from

heaven. I thought, maybe on Elisha when Day was talking to the haze

I was telling the story and told his son, what I got from this

man to come to you? What I gone from this God of Heaven in

New York CLIs that ain't behave my prayer. I'm taking the mantle of Elisha

one day, ghese I. Surely though one day I'll carry that mantle.

One day out preached the word of God to this Later one day the man

to of Elijah and the man who of Elijah will fall to me. But

the dreams of gahese I, the dreams of the future, Oh gahyese I

was rooted cass to naught because he couldn't unsee what name it had offered the

man of God. We read in our text that after a Liah shall refuse

to give some name, that the haze I run after him, and he

spends a tall tail about two men from me for him right say give me

what you God, I'll take it. I feel like gahze I kind of

thought that that that Elisha should have handled the situation a little bit differently than

he did. Maybe the haze I thought that Elisha should have took the garments,

But the haze I saw and so the haze I became unsatisfied with his

situation. He became unsatisfied and where God had put him. He became unsatisfied

with what God had given, and he tried to to to to get something

extra. He just said to take a detour. And whenever we decide we're

gonna find the way around what God has said, and we decide that we're

gonna find a new way other than what the Man of God said, we'll

find ourselves in trouble because he as I found himself in trouble. What's wrong

with being satisfied with the Man of God for your life? What wrong with

just settling down and saying, I'm gonna live for Jesus? What's wrong with

just settling down and saying what God wants for me is what I want.

Sometimes we gotta quit looking around for what we want and be content with what

the Bible says about it. I've seen people trying to text so many scriptures,

trying to twist them and bedding them to their situation. They try to

make them work for theirself. But that's not the way the libel works.

What God says is what God said, and that settled it. Because haze

I thought he knew better than Elisha. And when Elisha asked, gah haes

I, where are you wentz I tried to lie. Come on, man,

you're gonna lie to the men of God that you know what kind of

relationship we have with God. And you're gonna tell him I ain't going nowhere.

You're gonna tell Elisha. You're gonna tell Alyosha. He's hill off the

way you last night. The man of God ain't missed it. The man

of God ain't this it by refusing the gifts of this world. The man

of God, I ain't missed it. My refusing the proditionis of this world.

Elisha's that and missed it. The haze I said in verse twenty five,

my servant, we know whither he said. He told the Liesha.

I've been right here the whole time. My mind ain't went nowhere. My

eyes ain't looking nowhere, my heart ain't in nowhere. I've been right here.

I went no whether for the man of God. I didn't go anywhere.

He tried to convince Elis that he didn't make a mistake. He tried

to convince Elisher that his eyes didn't get him in trouble. Then what he

saw didn't get him in trouble. And we can try to deceive God,

we can try to deceive the man of God. But the Bible says in

proverb, the eyes of the Lord are in every place. The eyes of

the Lord are in every place, beholding the evil, beholding the good.

There's another man in the Bible that God in his eyes got him in trouble.

Joshua, chapter number seven and twenty one is a story of Acon.

Joshua came and confronted Achin and Acan. When he told him, he said,

I saw among the spoiled. I saw among the spoil a goodly babylonious

garment, two hundred shekels of silver, and a where to go. Then

I coveted them and took them, and behold they are in the earth.

They are hid in the earth, in the midst of my tent, and

I want you in the oh. There's something about gahese I and ancon both

of them. Both of these men felt the need to hide what they had

got. When gehayese I came to the tower and says they may stole them

in the house, and then went and stood before Elisha, he hid them

in the house, and then went to Elisa and told him, I didn't

go anywhere. I've been right here. Akin took him and he hit him

in his tent in the earth. They both felt the need to hide it

from the man of God. And I've heard I've heard the saying. I've

heard the saying all my life that that if you have to hide it,

start wars happened. If you have to sneak around and do it, it's

not worth doing. If you've got to hide it from the men of God,

and you've got to spit a tall tail to try to hide it from

the man of God, what you need to do is quin get your trouble,

just focus on what God would have for you. They Let God direct

your life, Let God direct your path. The children of Israel had just

come through one of their greatest victories ever recorded in scripture. The whole time,

though, if they were marching through their victory, as they marched through

the flat walls of Jericho, God had laid flat Aintan was looking in the

spoil. He was looking into through the rubble. He was looking in the

trash, trying to something that was worth having. He just said, I

spied my soul among the spoils, in good lit garment. Instead of enjoying

the victory with everyone else, instead of enjoying what God had just done for,

instead of basketing the grace of God, instead of basket in where God

had brought it through, he began to look through the spoils. He began

to see what he could find. He tried to find something that would benefit

himself. He got what he wanted, but it wasn't what he needed.

He got. You get what you want, but when it comes down to

it, it won't be what you really needed. If he wasn't looking for

something he shouldn't have been, or desiring something that he didn't need, he

never would have found himself in possession of what the Bible calls the accursed thing.

If his eyes wouldn't have been looking in the spoil, he would have

never found himself in that situation. We must guard our hearts, guard our

eyes. If only, if only Aching would have been satisfied with God's provision,

if only he would have been satisfied with what God had given him,

What a different story Achan would have had. We would have never heard about

the man. He might have been like every other victory borious Israelina that we

never heard about till we get old of glory. He might have. He

might have been in the same number as then went running down the streets of

Canaan. But you sowed out can you sowed out the land of promise?

You lost it all for some garments. You lost it all for some spoil.

If you're looking for something in the spoil of this world, you'll find

it. If you're not sold out to God's planning for your life, the

course that He has laid out for you, and you're looking for another way,

you'll find what You'll find what seems to be the easiest case. You'll

think you'll find a way. You look hard enough, you'll find something.

Well. Elsha told of gaze On, we're not my heart with you.

When the Man of God said, we're not my heart with you, I

imagine Ghezin's heart got really weak. Gaze, I knew the gig was up.

The game's over. It's not fun anymore. There's no more covering it

up. There's no more hiding it. When Joshua in front of a aching

he admits to his wrongdoing. The Bible says that Joshua sent messengers to his

tent, and they ache and spoil to Joshua. They said, they brought

up before Joshua and all the children of Israel. They set it all out

in front of all Israel. All the people got to see what a can

trade it up for, what a can trade it out for. Everyone knew

that the truth was out. There was no more hiding it. The Bible

says, be sure your sins, we will find you out. The haese

eyes, sins found him out. Acing sins found him out. There was

no more hiding it. It will be known at that time that the man

of God didn't miss it, because Haze. Everyone will know that a lie

you wasn't missing it when he said, where did you go? Ain't And

everybody will know that your Joshua didn't miss it when he felt that among the

people something was off, something was wrong. Until the Bible said, I

read it today that Joshua went tried by tried, and then he went family

by family, and then he went man by man, and it came upon

aching, and until Ankin's name was drawn Aching, acting like it wasn't him.

He acted like Joshua must be insident. We'll see what happens. He

could have just said it was me, but he tried to hide it.

He tried to be secretive about it. Anything here, everybody knew. I

tell you, when it comes down to it, there'll be no hiding you.

It will be known day. And when the Man of God plowed that

road and he hit that root, and he stood right there and he started

digging around it, that he didn't miss it. We can act like everything

is okay. We can act like that we aren't looking. But sooner or

later that sin. Sooner or later that sin that we're hiding, and the

stuff that sin that we think we've got hire and we'll come to lighter.

But God will give you grace to get it. Under the blood God,

we'll give you a chance to repent. You know, there was a king

in the Bible that his eyes got him in trouble. David's eyes got him

in trouble. One day the Bible said, he saw your right's wife.

Her name was Bethshiva. He said he saw her and he wanted her.

He's at who is that woman? Bring her to me? His eyes got

the best of him, God Blood, he won't it. Yes, but

it wasn't without consequence. They written, Nathan the Prophet, turn it to

the palace. When God said Nathan the Prophet to David, and they come

walking through through the palace, then people knew something was wrong. They knew

that that sin wouldn't be colored no more. The difference in David and some

of the other ones. David repented, He hummed himself. He admitted that

he and eyes had got him in trouble. David wrote a whole psalm,

A whole song is number fifty one. Song fifty one is nineteen verses of

pure sensin here repent. This first one isn't I'm sorry. Verse nineteen is

and I'm sorry. Not that not a first all it was color up,

not a verse all. It was trying to hide it no more. David.

Then I gotta get this down with. I gotta get this man right.

I've gotta get it to daughter. Let God take it. David cried

out for mercy. David found mercy when he cried out for mercy, I

said, our eyes and then a battle since the dawn of time. The

mother of all living right, Mamma Eve, God's personal handmaid creation. She

had an eye problem when she was deceived. Yes, chapter number three and

verse six, it says, and when the woman saw all that the tree

was good for food, and that was pleasant to the eye. When she

saw it, looks so good. That looks like what I need. That's

what I think God should have. This treat is beautiful, This treat is

good for food. Just look at it right What a beautiful, magnificit tree,

God Almighty planting it right here. God Almighty made this tree right here

in the middle of this garden. And look how perfect it is. Hell,

can I pass this tree up? It just makes so much sense.

Whoopen these pieces of fruit? It's just a grat ag piece of fruit.

I remember, sister Woo you. I believe you used to work in a

packing house grape and fruit, didn't you. I remember that, sister woodiness

was did Every piece of fruit on this tree was the most prettiest fruit you've

ever seen in your life. It passed any inspection. My it looked good

on the outside, God Almighty planted it. The issue is that the woman

was deceased right that fruit, that piece of fruit that she took, was

so perfect on the outside. It had death on the inside. It looked

so good, It looked so promising. And I want to say this here.

As I was praying, it comes to my attention that because of Eve's

mistake, because Eve saw this piece of fruit, she desired that she wanted

it, canaan Abel never made it to the garden. Kaan Abel never got

to live in that wonderful place that was created by God of Heaven for them

boys, the garden of ed. It wasn't just for Adam and Eve.

He was for Headam, he was for Eve, He was for trade,

he was for Able, he was for sent, he was for all the

house of Adam. From the tall Mother's eyes got the best of her for

till their summer. Kate and Abel should have been sacrificing here in the garden.

They should have been heaven sweeter in and with God Abadi. They should

have been walking with calm in the coary just like their father, their mother.

But the claus Baba Dad clan the hand of the fruit right, because

Barma Dad cutt into the high balls, Rama Dad could the hand of the

candage the chill the summer, Adam and Eve were thrust out of the garden

be fourteen and Aba were ever her born before they got to reap the benefits.

They were thrust out because Mama's eyes thought the best of them. Because

that fruit looks so pleasant. It's like just what I need. This is

what I've been looking for. What kind of story do y'all think that we

would have heard about? Tain't it? Abel? What kind of brethren?

You know the Bible said SeeMe and Levi they be brethren. What kind of

brethren do you think these two men would have been if Fama would have got

the better of her eyes. What kind of children? What kind of men

are gone? Do you think these boys would have raised up? They weren't

allowed to go back here in the garden. Fama messed it up. Tell

he messed it up. There's angels darning. Now I'll turn you down.

God. What angels at the date? Ima leader said, with flaming swords,

I'll take it in if I'm running it in, take it there,

put mama can nagel suden put it. Hide and seek in the garden,

eating them all the fruit right your children and fight children will never live in

the promise. They will never live in the promised Lamb. If we can't

get control of our eyes. If you partake of that fruit that you've been

eyeing, that thing that you've been looking at, that thing that you've been

contemplating, if you take a bite, you'll realize the Bible said, and

agra, oh, whenever they don't look that bite of fruit said, their

eyes were open. They knew when they messed up. If you do it,

you know when you messed up. What ain't they to day? I'm

preaching of myself too, But I'm preaching to some people right here. We've

gotten going to worry about than ourselves. We've got a trust to worry about.

We've got a family need to worry about. We've got runners and sisters

to worry about. Had him and Eve were thrust out of the garden,

thinking in his family and all they're bre Everything that ever belonged to the man

lost everything it was started, They w the family was stored, They burned

them. They burned the possessions. They lost everything because I saw I Goodn't

they got because I saw something I thought I needed. Ain't you lost everything

until he thought he needed something that I did. The man I've got talked

to you don't need that. The man I've got for you that you don't

need that, but you think you need it anyways, then you'll lose everything.

I told you. I ain't man, and I ain't me, but

I'm trying to help somebody. Tonight, Gep died under control. The haze

I went out from Elisha and he bore the liprosy of naming name. It

came. This is a little bit of our imagination. Name. It came

to Elisha Hm with maybe a piece of an ear of this in or something.

He left Elisha whole. The haze I came home right, and he

left with the promise of his ear falling off. He left when the promise

their neighbor's leprosy will cling to you. Count stop there and to our family.

Everybody who hold death, everybody does gains you. Every son, every

daughter you have, your family shall bear this librocy. What if be haze

I would have been content with the provisions of Elisha. What if Acon would

have been content and satisfied with the victory at Jericho. What if he would

have been content with all these other trees that are good. Why don't we

have to have that one thing? Family, No, we shouldn't. Why

do we want that one thing? And God said no? Yea pastor talked

this morning about being stead fast, about being steady. If these people would

have been steadied, if they would have been instead of fast, if they

would have been grounded in their heart, if the hazes I would have said

the Man of God said we don't need it, then we don't need it,

he would have been just fine. Hevers Chipter number twelve. Birth number

two says, Look, God, that Jesus the author, the finisher of

our food. Forget about all this, Forget about all the garbage in this

world. Forget about all the filthy Luther, forget about the well, forget

about all the women, forget about all the men. Focus on what God

has for you. Focus on God playing for your lives. Focus. Don't

wear God puts you focus. Don't wear God told you to go to church.

Wear God puts your heart. I'm closing. Don't worry about what goes

on around you. Don't worry about what family does, what they say.

Don't worry about what co workers think. Brother Cody, you told me today

before we left, you told your boss I'm not coming to work on Sunday.

I sit to it. If ire you praise God. That's what we

need is somebody to focus their eyes on Jesus. They say, I don't

care what happens. Don't hell and sells me. I want fail in that

commitment. Praise God. Stick to it. You put God first, who

didn't take care of the rest? I hurless for that. Amen. I've

seen God' supply needs. I've seen God's apply jobs. I've seen God's apply

better jobs. Church is important. Focus on Jesus, Focus on God.

Peter was walking on the waves. Peter was walking on the stormy see.

As long as he kept his eyes on Jesus, as long as he kept

his eyes on the Master of the wind. He was walking on talk.

Mother, as long as you keep your eyes on Jesus, he'll see to

your provision, he'll see to your protection. Days. I didn't need those

garments, aycan didn't need those garments. What they had would have sufficed what

you have will suffice in this church. There's more in God, but you

don't need no more in this world. We get enough of that from a

seven to five point thirty. Well, I do what's your hours five thirty

two. That's enough of this world. That'll be just enough. All we

need to do is focus on what God's got for us. Focus on what

Jesus has in store for us and for our families. Keep your eyes on

Jesus. When Peter got got his eyes back on Jesus, he didn't perish.

He was saved. Every stand Jesus. Can you look to Jesus and

he'll see to your needs. The Bible said, he will supply all of

our needs according to his riches and glory. You don't need that. Were

worrying about it, been thinking about it. We gotta worry about our eyes.

We gotta worry about what we're looking at. David said, I will

put no wick good thing before my eyes. Focus on the Savior. That's

what God's give me. Tonight you feel like pray and find a place to

pray. Ask God, help me keep my eyes on the Master. Help

me keep my eyes heavenwards, focusing on what God's got for me praise.

He's got good things. M h. Looked to Jesus. Look to Jesus.

Look to Jesus, the Author and the finisher of our faith. You'll

take care of the kneeds. Your supply, all of your deeds according to

His riches and glory. Praise come. H m hmmmmm