This morning, I invite you to turn with me to 2 Kings 5. 2 Kings 5. We read together the chapter, the text being the last portion, verses 20 to 21. No doubt a familiar portion of Scripture, a familiar episode in history regarding Gehazi, the servant of the prophet Elisha. In some ways, a little bit, we might say that this sermon serves as an introduction. Pastor Donovan, for quite some time, has been planning on doing a series of sermons with regard to the episodes that we find about Elisha. And he hopes to begin that in a month or two. And with his permission, this one portion then kind of serves to introduce the prophet Elisha and his work to us. We read together the chapter of 2 Kings 5, again the text being verses 20 through 27. Hear now the word of God. Now Naaman was commander of the army of the king of Aram. He was a great man in the sight of his master and highly regarded, because through him the Lord had given victory to Aram. He was a valiant soldier, but he had leprosy. Now bands from Aram had gone out and had taken captive a young girl from Israel, and she served Naaman's wife. She said to her mistress, If only my master would see the prophet who is in Samaria, he would cure him of his leprosy. Naaman went to his master and told him what the girl from Israel had said. By all means, go, the king of Aram replied. I will send a letter to the king of Israel. So Naaman left, taking with him ten talents of silver, six thousand shekels of gold, and ten sets of clothing. The letter that he took to the king of Israel read, With this letter I am sending my servant Naaman to you so that you may cure him of his leprosy. As soon as the king of Israel read the letter, he tore his robes and said, Am I God? Can I kill and bring back to life? Why does this fellow send someone to me to be cured of his leprosy? See how he is trying to pick a quarrel with me? When Elisha, the man of God, heard that the king of Israel had torn his robes, he sent him this message, Why have you torn your robes? Have the man come to me, and he will know that there is a prophet in Israel. So Naaman went with his horses and chariots and stopped at the door of Elisha's house. Elisha sent a messenger to say to him, Go, wash yourself seven times in the Jordan, and your flesh will be restored to you, and you will be cleansed. But Naaman went away angry and said, I thought that he would surely come out to me and stand and call on the name of the Lord his God, wave his hand over the spot, and cure me of my leprosy. Are not Abana and Farpar, the rivers of Damascus, better than any of the waters of Israel? Couldn't I wash in them and be cleansed? So he turned and went off in a rage. Naaman's servants went to him and said, My father, if the prophet had told you to do some great thing, would you not have done it? How much more then when he tells you, wash and be cleansed. So he went down and dipped himself in the Jordan seven times, as the man of God had told him, and his flesh was restored and became clean like that of a young boy. Then Naaman and all his attendants went back to the man of God. He stood before him and said, Now I know that there is no God in all the world except in Israel. Please accept now a gift from your servant. The prophet answered, As surely as the Lord lives whom I serve, I will not accept a thing. And even though Naaman urged him, he refused. If you will not, said Naaman, please let me, your servant, be given as much earth as a pair of mules can carry, for your servant will never again make burnt offerings and sacrifices to any other god but the Lord. But may the Lord forgive your servant for this one thing. When my master enters the temple of Rimen to bow down, and he is leaning on my arm, and I bow there also. When I bow down in the temple of Rimen, may the Lord forgive your servant for this. Go in peace, Elisha said. After Naaman had traveled some distance, Gehazi, the servant of Elisha, the man of God, said to himself, My master was too easy on Naaman, this Aramean, by not accepting from him what he brought. As surely as the Lord lives, I will run after him and get something from him. So Gehazi hurried after Naaman. When Naaman saw him running toward him, he got down from the chariot to meet him. Is everything all right? he asked. Everything is all right, Gehazi answered. My master sent me to say, two young men from the company of the prophets have just come to me from the hill country of Ephraim. Please give them a talent of silver and two sets of clothing. By all means, take two talents, said Naaman. He urged Gehazi to accept them and then tied up the two talons of silver in two bags with two sets of clothing. He gave them to two of his servants and they carried them ahead of Gehazi. When Gehazi came to the hill, he took the things from the servants and put them away in the house. He sent the men away and they left. Then he went in and stood before his master Elisha. Where have you been, Gehazi? Elisha asked. Your servant didn't go anywhere, Gehazi answered. But Elisha said to him, Was not my spirit with you when the man got down from his chariot to meet you? Is this the time to take money or to accept clothes, olive groves, vineyards, flocks, herds, or men's servants and maid servants? Naaman's leprosy will cling to you and to your descendants forever. Then Gehazi went from Elisha's presence and he was leprous as white as snow. Let's bow together, asking for God's blessing upon the reading and preaching of His Word. Father, we thank You for Your Word. Your Word read. Your Word to be preached. Yet we know, Father, that Your Word is not effective in our hearts and lives apart from Your blessing, the blessing of Your Holy Spirit. We pray that You would open our hearts and our lives, even at this time, that we might be vessels into which You pour Your blessing, Your grace, Bless him who brings your word. Give him strength. We pray that your word may go forth in all of its beauty and all of its holiness as that which it is your word, O Lord. And may we all receive a blessing in this day. And may you receive all the praise and the honor and the glory. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen. Now, beloved of our Lord Jesus Christ, if I were to ask you to summarize this text with one word, it probably wouldn't be too difficult for most of you. And most of you probably would even come up with the same word. Greed. And in some ways, most likely, all of us are experts on the subject of greed because very few people are really, truly content with what they have but always want more. Gehazi is the servant of the prophet Elisha. He's probably best known for this particular episode. But this text, you see, is about so much more than just Gehazi's greed. It's about God's grace and glory and Gehazi's greed. Now, the event that just took place before this is important for us to understand this last portion of chapter 5. We must understand the message that the Lord had just taught Naaman through Elisha. Naaman, the commander of the army of the king of Aram, also known as Syria, comes to the king of Israel to be healed of his leprosy. And remember, or we need to remember, this was a time when Israel was fallen away from God. It was a time of apostasy. So God allowed them to be oppressed by the Syrians. And therefore, Naaman, this enemy, this oppressor, if you will, He comes, you see, because of the witness of his wife's Israelite maid, but he comes to the king of Israel. And now in this king, we also see the fallenness. We see the apostasy of Israel. He freaks out. He doesn't know what to do. He doesn't know where to turn. The king thought this was just an excuse for Syria to attack again. He never thought to turn to Elisha, the prophet of the one true God. So Elisha sends word to the king and tells the king to send Naaman to him so that, as verse 8 says, he will know that there is a prophet in Israel. Beloved, this was a way of saying that God's word can still be found in Israel. Even in the midst of this apostasy, that God is still represented in Israel through his prophet. And what we have here is a situation where the Lord God is about to reveal Himself to the nations as represented by Naaman. We know the story. We read it. Naaman is healed of his leprosy. He comes back to Elisha. He makes a beautiful profession of faith. And then he offers Elisha a substantial gift of cash and clothes. One commentator estimates the value of Naaman's gift in our terms today approximately $1,250,000. Not a bad day's pay. It's called a gift. But in actuality, Naaman was trying to pay for the healing he had received. But Elisha won't take it. Why? Because he didn't heal Naaman. God did. Naaman had received a measure of God's mercy and grace and he was healed. And the message that Elisha was delivering to Naaman, and this is what we need to keep in mind as we come to the text, The message was that God gets all the glory for what he has done. Not Elisha, not anyone else. Elisha was teaching Naaman that God's gift of grace is exactly that. It's a gift full and free. You cannot buy it, Naaman. It is a gift and you must receive it as a gift. That's the message we must remember. But then there's Gehazi. Standing in the background, watching and listening to everything that's going on. Gehazi has a different message for Naaman as Gehazi's greed tries to steal the glory of God's grace. We want to notice from this text the attitude, the action, and the accomplishment of Gehazi's greed. First, the attitude of Gehazi's greed. Verse 20 says, Gehazi, the servant of Elisha, the man of God, said to himself, My master was too easy on Naaman, this Aramean, by not accepting from him what he brought. As surely as the Lord lives, I will run after him and get something from him. Now notice Gehazi's attitude, his attitude toward Naaman, his attitude toward Elisha, his attitude toward the entire situation, and ultimately his attitude toward God. You see, Gehazi saw the entire encounter between Elisha and Naaman. he saw all those goodies that Naaman had to offer and he watched as Elisha turned those things down. And as he's watching all of this, the greed is just boiling up inside of him. The root of all kinds of evil is quickly growing into a full blooming plant. And we can imagine that as Gehazi watches Elisha turn down these gifts, he's saying under his breath, come on, Elisha, Master, don't be a fool. you deserve what He has to offer. Take advantage of this opportunity because you may never have another one like it. Seize the moment. Besides, you can really use this money. Remember, this all happens during a time of famine. It was a down economy. Think of yourself. Think of the seminary for the prophets down the road. Think of me, your faithful, trusty servant. Gehazi, this reminds us a little bit of the serpent in the garden with Eve. It's okay. Take a bite. It won't hurt you. In fact, it'll do you some good. Or how about Achan after the Jericho attack in Joshua 7? He wanted just a little bit for himself. Surely, God would never miss just a little bit. If Gehazi had had his way, the sign on Elisha's front doorpost would have read, Payment due at the time services are rendered. And Gehazi says, My master was too easy on Naaman, this Aramean. Gehazi's attitude toward this situation was that Elisha had the right and he had the power to charge Naaman for this healing. But Elisha blew it. So Gehazi was going to run after Naaman. He was going to renegotiate the deal. He was going to try to do a little bit better than Elisha did. He was going to get something. Absolutely anything from Naaman. You see, beloved, as Elisha was teaching Naaman about the power of God's grace, that it cannot be bought, that it's a gift. And that Elisha had no right to be paid for what God did. Somehow, Gehazi missed it. His greed caused him to miss the application of Elisha's message to Naaman. Gehazi, God receives all the glory. Not man. So Gehazi is now going to run after Naaman and attempt to steal the glory of God's grace. And notice what he says. He says, as surely as the Lord lives. This is an oath formula. As surely as the Lord lives. An oath, we know, is calling upon the only sovereign one, God, who is able to read the hearts of men, Gehazi is calling upon God to come down and witness his sinful actions and attitudes. But we must also notice Gehazi's attitude toward Naaman. He refers to Naaman as this Aramean. You see, he could just as well have said, this foreigner, this enemy, this pagan, this dog. This unbeliever. You see, Gehazi had an unequal view of mankind. Naaman isn't like you and me, Elisha. This guy doesn't stand up to our status. He didn't deserve to get something for nothing. In fact, this is the type of guy that you double your rates for. Why? Well, number one, because he can afford it. Number two, he didn't deserve the healing he received in the first place. He was an outsider. He didn't belong here. This, he doesn't belong in our church. People of God, Gehazi's lust and greed for Naaman's gifts, again, caused him to flip out. His sin caused him to lose his perspective on who Naaman was and on mankind in general. Naaman was a man created in the image of God who had been blessed with a measure of God's grace. And when it comes to the Lord bestowing His grace, it shouldn't have mattered to Gehazi that this guy was an Aramean. Because it didn't matter to God. Even as Paul says in Acts that the Lord calls all men everywhere to repent. But you see, Gehazi missed a major point here. He had seen the man healed of his leprosy. He had heard the man's profession of faith. In verse 15, Naaman said, Now I know that there is no God in all the world except in Israel. And he commits to sacrificing to no other God ever again. Naaman was no longer just this Aramean. He was now saved. He was a new man. He was a believer, a brother in Christ. He was a Christian. Gehazi missed this point because of his greed and his hard heart. He was trying to decide for God, who deserves God's grace. Paul says in Galatians 3, verses 26 to 28, you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. For all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. And beloved, if we're honest here today, we will admit that at times we are or have been guilty of doing exactly the same thing that Gehazi did. We fall prey to Gehazi's attitude. Sometimes in our greed for God's grace for us, maybe that sounds strange, but in our greed for God's grace for ourselves or for self-righteous reasons, in some way we try to decide for God who should and who shouldn't receive His grace, who does and who doesn't deserve to be in the church. How many times haven't we said, in effect, this Aramean by saying, this bum, this thief, this alcoholic, this lower class citizen, this homeless person, this family in the dumpy house, this person who doesn't dress according to our standards to come to church. There are many more. You can fill in the blank. How often, maybe haven't we stuck up our nose at an individual or a family who walk into our church just because they don't seem to fit the image or the character of our church. Maybe they're not Dutch. Maybe they look like they will need a lot of help. Or maybe they simply don't look like they have anything to contribute to our church family. May we not let our greedy attitudes determine who deserves the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ. Secondly, we notice the action of Gehazi's greed in verses 21 to 26. Again, Gehazi no doubt watches Naaman and all these nice gifts disappear into the sunset and it's simply more than he can bear. He takes off after Naaman and his money. Naaman, as the passage says, sees Gehazi coming. He stops. He gets down from his chariot and he asks Gehazi if everything is okay. Gehazi says, yeah, you bet. Everything is just fine. Oh, by the way... And now the action of Gehazi's greed starts. lying, and taking. But not only that, maybe you notice for what he says, he blames Elisha. In verse 22, Gehazi answered, My master sent me to say, Two young men from the company of the prophets have just come to me from the hill country of Ephraim, pleased to give them a talent of silver and two sets of clothing. Now there was indeed a school of the prophets where young men would go to learn. There was a seminary. Gehazi says, you know, these two seminarians, they just happened to arrive after you left. And Elisha was thinking that since, you know, we're in the middle of a famine and the economy is bad and these guys have tuition to pay, they have books to buy, not to mention living expenses, you know, maybe you, with all of these nice gifts, maybe you could, you know, spare a little for them. Maybe you can help them out. What do you say, Naaman? Actually, it's a heart-wrenching story. And it certainly would be a good deed for Naaman. And notice, too, that Gehazi isn't overly greedy. He doesn't ask for much. He only asks for a fraction, a small portion of what Naaman had. And Naaman jumps at the opportunity to help. After all, he really was truly grateful for the healing he had received. And he talks Gehazi into taking two talents of silver instead of one. I'm sure it wasn't too hard to twist his arm, Yet, the text almost makes it sound like Gehazi was a little bit standoffish. No, I can't do that. No, no, that's not necessary. And then to top it all off, two of Naaman's servants carry the goods for Gehazi. And by this time, as easy as this con job was, Gehazi is probably thinking, you know, I'm in the wrong line of work. I'm not getting paid near enough, and this is a whole lot easier. The congregation, by taking these gifts, By taking these gifts, Gehazi was giving Naaman a message that completely contradicted Elisha's message. According to Gehazi, Elisha had thought twice about it and he decided that yes, he should have taken Naaman's gifts. Yes, Naaman, it is possible to buy and to pay for God's grace. And Gehazi takes his loot, he hides it, and then as if nothing happens, he goes into Elisha. Elisha says, where have you been, Gehazi? Who, me? What a surprise. Nowhere. I didn't go anywhere. Gehazi lies a second time. Actually, we can find more lies in there, but principally a second time. And notice the principle of lying at work. You know, when you lie once, you have to lie a second time in order to cover up the first lie. In Hebrews 12, the writer talks about the sin that so easily entangles us. And lying we know entangles us in a very, very tight web of deceit. Think of David after his committing adultery with Bathsheba. All the lies he had to tell. Finally then putting Uriah to death. Some of the boys and girls, maybe you and some of the young people have found this out the hard way that when you start lying you have to keep on lying in order to cover up the lies you've already told. Maybe some of you struggle with that even right now. Honesty is still the best policy because that's what God commands because our Lord Jesus Christ is the truth. Gehazi lied to Naaman about Elisha needing the gifts, so now he had to lie to Elisha about being with Naaman. And Proverbs 9, verse 9 says, A false witness will not go unpunished, and he who pours out lies will perish. And we know, of course, that Gehazi actually lied to God through God's representative, Elisha. But Elisha was way ahead of Gehazi. He says in verse 26, Was not my spirit with you when the man got down from his chariot to meet you? Is this the time to take money or to accept clothes, olive groves, vineyards, flocks, herds, or menservants and maidservants? In other words, is this the time, Gehazi, while it is a time of apostasy and sinfulness, and turning away from the one true God, and while there are false prophets out there telling lies, then is this the time for you or for me to benefit materially and financially from what God has done? Should you try to steal the glory of God's gift of grace? Beloved, I believe that Gehazi represents the seed of the serpent, striking the heel of the seed of the woman. His attitude and action show that Satan continues to try to attack the work of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ to downplay, to wipe out or to erase that work. Satan tries to do whatever he can to stop the grace of God or, if he can't stop the grace of God, to reroute the glory that belongs only to God. Gehazi not only tries to give name in a message, but He also tries to give you and me a message. He tries to teach us that as God's people, it may be possible for us to profit from others for God's grace. When God has poured out His grace upon a person and maybe worked through you or me in some way, then yes, it may be possible for us to benefit from this in some way. Let me try to illustrate. If God uses you to minister to a person lost in sin and that person indeed experiences God's forgiving grace and becomes a Christian, you may think that you were the one who led them to Christ. In addition, that person, because they are grateful for their new life in Christ, they may feel a special debt to you and they may be willing to do anything for you. And it would be easy for you to take advantage of them, to exploit them for your own advantage. Even with a humble spirit like Gehazi, Well, these two seminarians came. Now, they're the ones that need the help, not me. It'd be easy to take advantage, but you'd better not do it. Because it wasn't you who brought them to Christ, but the grace of the Holy Spirit, God Himself. You and I may not take the glory and stand in God's way. To God be the glory, not to you, not to me. We also see some today trying to capitalize from God's grace by spiritual manipulation. We see televangelists or so-called mission outfits begging for money for their ministry or for their cause, begging in the name of Jesus Christ. But the money never gets to where it's supposed to or never gets used for the advertised purpose. It was a complete fraud. Sometimes I think we might even be tempted to use our status as Christians to get favor. I mean, after all, there are people in the world who are unbelievers that still have some regard for the church and for Christians, and if they find out that you and I are Christians, they might be able to give that extra discount or whatever it might be. And for them, in their minds, it's a way of thinking, well, I'm participating a little bit. You know, I'm attaching myself onto this Christian. It's a good work on their part. Even ministers have temptations to use our ministerial status to get special treatment. For example, to try to get out of speeding tickets. Beloved, it doesn't work. I don't say that to be funny, but it doesn't. One time when I did try, the officer proceeded to tell me what church he went to and then apologized profusely that he had to give me the ticket. But the temptation is really there, beloved, especially for ministers to use their ministerial status to get certain favors and special treatment, to capitalize on what God has done in God's grace and take advantage of that. The congregation, Gehazi's message to you and me is that it is possible to steal God's glory. But Elisha also gives us a message for those who do try to steal the glory of God's grace. And we see this in our third point, the accomplishment of Gehazi's greed. Elisha says to Gehazi in verse 27, Naaman's leprosy will cling to you and to your descendants forever. And you might say that ending up with leprosy was not much of an accomplishment. And you're right. It's more of a consequence of his greed than an accomplishment. Gehazi didn't accomplish anything as far as gaining anything. The only thing he did accomplish was bringing judgment from God upon himself. It's ironic, isn't it, that the leprosy that was taken from Naaman on account of his faith in the living God, passes to Gehazi because he departed from the one true God. Galatians 6, verse 7 says, Do not be deceived. God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. Gehazi sowed trouble by trying to steal the glory of God's grace. So God made him reap a reminder of this occasion. Naaman's leprosy. But there's another significant thing to note about this leprosy. You may remember this from Old Testament history. By inflicting Gehazi with leprosy, God was telling Gehazi that he now belonged outside of the camp, as it were, of God's congregation. He was now placed outside of the church of Jesus Christ, excommunicated, because he was unclean. In Leviticus 13, we find the regulations concerning a person with leprosy. You remember those, I trust, that if you had leprosy, you were considered unclean and you had to stay outside the Israelite camp until the priest pronounced you clean. And then you could return. Leviticus 13.46 says, As long as he has the infection, he remains unclean. He must live alone. He must live outside the camp. Because of his greedy attitude and greedy action, God sent Gehazi outside of the camp and outside of, away from the Lord's presence and it didn't look like Gehazi would get back in. Elisha said, Naaman's leprosy will cling to you and to your descendants forever. We read in Psalm 101, verse 7, No one who practices deceit will dwell in my house. No one who speaks falsely will stand in my presence. Notice the seriousness of the punishment because of the seriousness of the crime. And that too fit with the Old Testament regulations. The punishment must fit the crime. For example, a life for a life. Beloved Gehazi's message to you and me is dead wrong. You cannot buy God's grace or His favor. Unfortunately, still today, there are many people who think they can buy it through certain works, that it's possible to work for God's grace. Even Christians in the church. And they try to work for grace in subtle ways. For example, teaching Sunday school or catechism classes. Leading societies. Being a cadet or a gems counselor or a young people's leader. Or being involved in a Bible study or a society of some sort. Witnessing for Christ. Or being present at worship services. There are some who actually believe that just going through the motions of attending church regularly or having your name on the roster, the membership role, that that's enough to get them into heaven. And I trust that no one here believes this way. As well, there are those who will say, well, I'm simply not that bad of a person. I might not go to church or whatever. I might not believe in the God of the Reformed Christians, maybe Allah, but I'm not that bad of a person. You see? So certainly nothing bad is going to happen to me. And there are others still who think that they can buy God's grace not through their work, but by giving generously to the church or to the Christian school or to missions. Certainly God's grace and favor can be gotten that way. After all, none of these things can survive without financial resources. But how completely wrong these ideas are and how unscriptural they are. The Bible says in Ephesians 2.8, For it is by grace you have been saved through faith, and this not from yourselves, it is a gift of God, not by works, so that no one can boast. Our work in God's kingdom and the giving of our financial resources, which indeed are necessary, yet they cannot and will not buy off God. If we perform these things in the strength of the Holy Spirit by faith, these things will function as evidence of God's grace in our lives. See, God requires these things not because they have some sort of a purchasing power, not because grace can be gotten, but because grace has already been given. He requires these things as evidence. That's it. God's grace is a gift. People of God, this is true comfort that we don't have to pay for the grace of God because we can't do it. But we also must not try to, in a sense, charge others for His grace, to sell God's grace and to try to steal the glory of that gift of grace by taking advantage somehow. It's dangerous to stand in God's way. There's only one who could purchase God's grace for us, and that's Jesus Christ, who paid for God's grace for us with His own precious blood. He gave His life for ours, life for life. And in Him alone we are cleansed and brought back inside of the camp. Once again, those who are brought into the very presence of God. Jesus Christ made atonement for you and for me. And because of the work of Christ, God gives His gift of grace to all whom He has elected and brings them to repent and believe in true faith. Ephesians 2, verse 4 says, But because of His great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions. All the glory for God's grace goes to our Lord Jesus Christ. Gehazi was punished for his actions, but how much more will those who try to steal the glory of God's free gift of grace have hellfire to pay? To those who reject Jesus Christ, God is graceless. But to those who believe, He is gracious. Remember the words of God in Isaiah 42, verse 8, I am the Lord, that is my name, and my glory I will not give to another, nor my praise to carved images. Beloved, how much less will God share His glory with sinful creatures? May we not stand in God's way, but instead rejoice in His gift of grace. To God be the glory. Great things He has done. Amen. Shall we pray? Father, we pray that it would be our desire that you receive all the praise and the honor and the glory that you rightfully deserve. Indeed, we must confess that at times we like to be noticed. We like to be patted on the back. We like to receive praise and glory. But may it never be, O Lord, that we would steal from what you have done. For you deserve all the credit for the salvation of your people. Father, we thank you for your work in our lives. May we be humbly thankful day after day. We pray, Father, that you would indeed prepare us to share in the glory of heaven, which you have reserved for your people. In Jesus' name we pray, amen.