Different choice – different destiny

Rev. Peter Tuchyna

Luke 9:57-62 , Luke 12:49 , Luke 12:52-53

Elisha – Gehazi

God gave us the freedom of choice. There is a very important reason for this. We have total liberty to make decisions on

our own behalf. Sometimes we exercise it, other times we don’t. We do, what seems to be more convenient to us at a

particular time. Often, later on we do regret that we either made such a decision or that we did not make the right decision.

We would like to pay attention to the consequences of a personal choice as illustrated in the Bible.

The Word of God is giving us a clear knowledge of the principles of God revealed for the life of a man and the reasons

for these principles. It is up to every individual soul, whether he/she would accept this, and act upon this.

God never uses any force or pressure, He is just revealing the future consequences of either decision. The choice is yours

and mine. God revealed His will for entire mankind in the words said through Jeremiah to the OT Israel.

Jeremiah 29:11 For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to

give you an expected end.

12 Then shall ye call upon me, and ye shall go and pray unto me, and I will hearken unto you.

13 And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart.

14 And I will be found of you, saith the LORD: and I will turn away your captivity, and I will gather you from all the nations,

and from all the places whither I have driven you, saith the LORD; and I will bring you again into the place whence I caused

you to be carried away captive.

God wants to reveal Himself to us. He desires to communicate with us. He wants to bless us, to protect us. He has an imminent

interest in our personal well being, greater than we have interest in our own children. Yet, we do sacrifice for our children

willingly, even to the point of personal hurt.

Matthew 7:11 If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father

which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him?

Luke 11:13 If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children: how much more shall your heavenly

Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him?

Galatians 5:7 Ye did run well; who did hinder you that ye should not obey the truth?

What is truth? Jesus Christ and His Word is truth. John 17

Once, when we believed and accepted Him as our Lord, he began to teach us the eternal principles, which often are contrary to

our logic and our fleshly experience. God enjoys the praises of His people. It is recorded in his Word:

Praise Him upon the loud cymbals; praise Him upon the high sounding cymbals.
Psalm 150:5 Praise him upon the loud cymbals: praise him upon the high sounding cymbals.

6 Let every thing that hath breath praise the LORD. Praise ye the LORD.

Psalm 145:1 <<David's Psalm of praise.>> I will extol thee, my God, O king; and I will bless thy name for ever and ever.

2 Every day will I bless thee; and I will praise thy name for ever and ever.

3 Great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised; and his greatness is unsearchable.
Psalm 22:3 But thou art holy, O thou that inhabitest the praises of Israel.

2 Chronicles 20:19 And the Levites, of the children of the Kohathites, and of the children of the Korhites, stood up to praise

the LORD God of Israel with a loud voice on high.

Acts 4:24 And when they heard that, they lifted up their voice to God with one accord, and said, Lord,

When we lay aside our pride and stubbornness and surrender our will to God, if we have no wrath, no unforgiveness, and no

bitterness of the spirit, if we are not filled with doubt, than we will have no objections to please the Lord his way.
1 Timothy 2:8 I will therefore that men pray every where, lifting up holy hands, without wrath and doubting.

Those things are the beginning of the walking and following Jesus Christ.

If there is any individual who is personally struggling with these principles, which are dealing with worship directed to Jesus Christ,

he will have greater difficulties to enter into the deeper walk in a progress of servanthood and realm of supernatural.

All servants of God in the Old Testament and New Testament were great worshipers.

We would like to pay attention now to the lives of two servants in the Old Testament, to two different choices they made

and the different consequences they experienced in their personal lives.

2 Kings 2:1-10

Elisha was so consumed and thrilled with the supernatural miracles working power, which Elijah possessed that his desire was to

have a double portion of that power. He received that power.

He was so saturated with the presence and the power of God that a dead man who was laid on his bones raised to life again.

2 Kings 13:21 And it came to pass, as they were burying a man, that, behold, they spied a band of men; and they cast the

man into the sepulchre of Elisha: and when the man was let down, and touched the bones of Elisha, he revived, and stood up

on his feet.

When Elisha asked for a double portion of the Spirit of his Master, Elijah did not tell him, that it would be easy to receive.

He did not respond like: If that is all you want, this is not a problem. Anybody can have it Elijah said: Thou hast asked a hard

thing.

There are many people who would like to receive the Holy Spirit if there is no effort needed, if they do not have to change

anything, and if they could have it rather in a hurry for they are busy people and they cannot spend much time in preparation

or waiting.

They are busy people and they cannot be bothered too much. If they can just come to the front and have some minister lay

his hands on them and get it over quickly, they don’t mind.

They just don’t have time for this talk about repentance, forgiveness or restitution or any change of lifestyle.

There is no time to speak and to prepare for the life of dedication and commitment to the things of the Lord and definitely no

time to think or to do something about the deliverance to suffering and oppressed humanity.

After all, it should be an easy thing, if God wants me to have it. It should not require any concern, it should not involve any

additional burden, for I have enough on my plate as it is.

Oh, no! Elijah said: Thou hast asked a hard thing. 1 Kings 19:19-21 .

• It was a hard thing for Elisha to leave his father and his mother, but he did.

• It was a hard thing to leave his business, his income and financial prosperity – but he did.

• It was a hard thing to leave all his friends behind and to become a servant rather that his own boss – but he did.

• It was a hard thing for him to burn down his bridges behind him – but he did.

He cooked one yoke of oxen with instruments and gave feast, a good party to his friends.

He did not say, I will put the instruments and the oxen away. This may not work out and I may need them for sometime into

the future. Elisha burned the instruments and served the oxen. It was a big BBQ.

• It was a hard thing for him to go to Bethel, Jericho and beyond the Jordan river, when he was discouraged from doing

  so at every turn of the road by Elijah himself, but he did.

You know yourself, how many times you said in your own heart that it is hard to follow Jesus, yet how much encouragement

have you received from your spiritual friends, your brothers and sisters and the Pastor. Elisha was even discouraged. Elijah

told him: go home. Don’t worry, do not follow me. You won’t make it. It’s too hard.

• It was a hard thing to keep his eyes on his master as he was taken from him in a chariot of fire and a whirlwind. He

  could have become easily distracted and more interested in the noise of the whirlwind and the supernatural visitation

  of the heavenly chariot, than looking at his master – but he did not.

• It was a hard thing to pick up the mantle of Elijah and march over to the river in the front of the shallow sons of the

  prophets who viewed from a far off.

What if the mantle won’t work? What if the river did not part? What if he were embarrassed?

• It was a hard thing to stand before them all with nothing, but the Word of his master, but he did.

When he cried: Where is the Lord God of Elijah? The waters parted. The sons of the prophets shouted: The Spirit of Elijah

doth rest upon Elisha, 2 Kings 2:14-15.

He wasn’t a son of a prophet. He did not observe as a child the ways of the Lord. Yet, he was not intimidated with the

presence of the shallow sons of prophets, who were observing from a far off and who suppose to know better.

We too, have watched our Master, Jesus Christ and have been thrilled with the supernatural. We have watched Him open the

eyes of the blind, make the dumb to speak, the cripple to walk, the possessed being delivered, the brokenhearted being healed,

the oppressed being released, the unclean being made righteous.

We want that anointing and the power. Our cry is: Lord, let a double portion of your Spirit rest upon me.

We have asked a hard thing.

We have to be empty, before we can be filled. It is hard to empty ourselves of self, of pride, of ambitions, of ulterior motives.

It is hard to admit that we are wrong. It is hard to make restitution. It is hard to ask someone to forgive us.

It is hard to forgive, who has wronged us. It is painful to allow Jesus to search us and to locate every hidden sin and bring it

before our own eyes that we may put it under the blood of Jesus. It is hard to put Jesus before mother, father, husband,

wife, son or daughter.

Jesus said: He that is not willing to forsake all cannot be my disciple!

It is hard to go to Bethel and in deep sincerity renew your vows to Jesus Christ.

It is hard to go to Jericho, where the fanatics are shouting and marching around the city or the hall.

Is there an easier way to have the power and the anointing of God than by getting mixed up with that crowd who shout and

march and pray loud for the sick, cast out demons and believe in the supernatural?

It is hard to go on to the Jordan, the river of death, for we love ourselves so very much.

It is difficult to leave traditions and to risk to be misunderstood by relatives and friends.

There are those like Annanias and Sapphira who kept back a part of a price and died failures.

But there are also those like Elisha, who will pay the price. These people care not, what it will cost.

These people will be at the closing of the service at the altar of God, offering their lives and renewing their vows to Jesus

Other type of a servant. 2 Kings 5:20-27 .

Elijah was a mighty prophet of God. He looked around him for a one who would minister to him and who would carry on the

work of God after he left. God led him to choose Elisha.

When Elijah was to be taken away he asked Elisha what his desire was. He asked double portion of the anointing as we already

learned. He received the double portion and went forth to do a mighty work of God.

Now, it is Elisha’s time to choose a young man to minister (serve) him and eventually carry on the work.

He chose Gehazi. The record does not contain that, but it could have. What do you want me to do for you, Gehazi? He could say.

Let a triple portion of your spirit (anointing) rest upon me. But he didn’t.

Instead, Gehazi was rotting away with leprosy, because of his selfish desires. How he must have wept before the Lord, when he

saw the man he could have been. But the love for money, and prestige and recognition robed him of it.

Gehazi failed for two reasons.

• He failed to be moved by the seriousness of his day. Elisha said: Is it time to receive money, and to receive olive yards

  and vineyards and sheep and oxen and menservants and maidservants?

His mind was not serious about the cause of the Lord. His heart was filled with thoughts of money, garments, property and servants.

• He failed also because even though he lived in the midst of a great supernatural move, he was not concerned about seeking

  it for his own ministry for the benefit of others.

He was there, when the waters of the Jordan rolled back.

He was there, when the poisonous water was healed.

He was there when God performed a miracle and sent water in abundance without rain or cloud.

He was there when the Shunamite’s son was raised from the dead.

He was there when Naaman the Syrian was healed from leprosy.

All of this did not move him. It did not thrill him. He was too busy to think and to make plans of how to make money from it,

how to acquire material possession, properties and servants and how to take advantage from the relationship with the man of God.

What is my and your concern right now? Is it in the physical realm? Will I allow the temporary things of life, to rob me of the

supernatural move and the presence of God? If so, my loss and your loss will be also great as was Gehazi’s.

What a different choice of two different servants. What a different consequence it brought. What a different consequence for the

rest of eternity for both servants who had a free choice and they chose different values.

What is my choice and my desire right now. Is it the presence of the Lord and the anointing of God, or am I preoccupied with the

physical things despising the spiritual, the real, and the eternal?

How about you?