Transcription downloaded from https://yetanothersermon.host/_/riversidehop/sermons/92864/wheels-of-experience-the-shunamite-woman/. Disclaimer: this is an automatically generated machine transcription - there may be small errors or mistranscriptions. Please refer to the original audio if you are in any doubt. [0:00] Amen. You got your Bibles, turn with me to Psalm 119. Psalm 119. [0:17] We're so blessed to have His presence meet us here when He didn't have to. [0:36] That's what my desire is. Every service is that we get out of the way. I pray that He interrupts our agenda. We like to say we don't have an agenda, but we do. But what we do want is His interruption. [0:54] Most churches don't want that. They'd rather not be interrupted. They've got their schedule. They've got their bulletin already printed. And it's not in the bulletin. We don't want to do it. [1:08] That's the opposite here at this church. So I'm excited about that. So if you feel the Spirit of God to move on you, you're not interrupting anything. [1:20] We just ask that you obey the Spirit of the Lord. If you've got your Bibles, turn with me to Psalm 119 and verse 9. [1:32] We're going to read together as a church. If you've got your phone, Psalm 119 verse 9. Let's stand up. Reverence of the Lord. [1:44] And we're reading out of the King James Version. And there's a reason why I read now the King James Version. If you want to know, come talk to me after service. [1:58] It starts with wherewithal. Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his way by taking heed thereto according to thy word? [2:09] With my whole heart have I sought thee. Oh, let me not wonder from thy commandments. Thy word have I hid in my heart that I might not sin against thee. [2:26] Blessed art thou, O Lord. Teach me. Thy statutes. Give the Lord a shout. Hey! And let's sit down and praise God. [2:36] I mean, you can stand up if you want. I mean, you're not going to bother me. So, teach me. Teach me. [2:49] And the louder y'all shout, the shorter I preach. Woo! Woo! Well, that knocked out about 30 seconds. Amen. [3:01] Amen. Lord. Teach me. The word teach. I looked that up, Brother David. It means la mad in the Hebrew. And it means to goad. [3:14] Or to prod. Teach me. As if I'm walking through life and... And... [3:25] Here's God. Here. Here. I need to see it. I'm going to use you. I got it right there. [3:40] Help me with it. Help me with it. Teach me. Okay. I'm trying... I'm trying to go over here. [3:50] You know? Where's your mat? Keep it. We're going. Help me with it. Help me with it. Help me with it. Help me with it. Help me with it. Help me with it. Help me with it. asking God to teach you is going to it may be uncomfortable but he's getting you in line he's getting you under the path that you're supposed to be that's what a teach is teach me and so many of us don't want to be taught it's hard for us to have that that spirit to be taught because we want to teach somebody how many of y'all share a message a preacher message or a song to someone and they say I want you to hear this I want you to listen to this and you know they ain't clicking on that thing but when they send it to you you know you ain't clicking on theirs so we go through this big charade this game hey I send you one you send me one okay but we never listen to each other we don't want to be taught anymore but God wants to teach us he wants to [4:59] Paul said he was on the road and he said Jesus said it's hard isn't it it's hard what's hard and Jesus talked to him in his spirit and said it's hard for you to kick against the prodding you're kicking you're kicking against the prodding I'm trying to keep you in line I'm trying to you know you can fight me go ahead it's tough isn't it and saints you know that's what it's all about it's about understanding who's prodding you and welcoming it but I felt through life we go through these circles it's like a wheel of experience and you every time you go around the wheel you learn who God is and as you're journeying on that wheel there's a lot of doubts there's a lot of a lot of fear and a lot of disappointment is this really how it was supposed to be sadly a lot of folks get stuck on that wheel and they never make it back up and they get stuck here and they leave [6:13] I see a lot of that if you can understand the concept of the sermon tonight it will make so much sense to you it's everybody everybody's on this wheel and in Exodus when Moses was on Mount Sinai God told Moses that there are 12 names about me 12 names and I believe that when we go through life we may hit that wheel God really wants us to hit his name 12 times but some of us get stuck and he'll make us ride that wheel as many times as we have to unless for us to learn that one name that he needs us to learn the first one's Lord which he he really owns it all which is where a lot of folks get tripped up the very first one well if God owned it all then why does he allow everything that he owns to go through bad stuff uh oh hello come on come on come on see it and that's just the first one out of 12 yeah yeah and so we go through life hitting that circle over and over and over and over until we finally get it then we graduate and they'll go into the second one [7:29] God is he really is it really just one God that I should be serving that word God means the singular the only one yeah man should I really be serving just the one I got so many merciful and we'll ride that mercy wheel is he is he really that merciful come on am I the only one that struggles here or is anybody else come on so I don't know where I'm in in these 12 I might be stuck on the first one I don't know but only God knows but that's what it's all about it's all about allowing yourself to ride that wheel of experience and seeing what comes out of it so with that let's turn to the message tonight I'm not going to keep you long 2 Kings chapter 4 by the way it's good to see my brother here tonight in the house of the Lord give the Lord a hand glory in case you don't know miracles don't happen they do yeah they do amen yeah they do [8:43] I'm going to I might use yes your mom's here she had two miracles your mom's here mom's here give the Lord a hand for mom Nana's here brother Jeremy and sister Tisha's here isn't that wonderful yes Bruce and Missy look we're all here let's all give each other a hand you made it you made it tonight you know you had that thought maybe I shouldn't go you know it's raining you made it Pam's here Pam's here in the flesh and she's feeling better we're going to claim it Hunter's here Christian's here Christian's here I'm glad are you going to sing this a light of mind Jesus is here that's who that's who's here everybody in 2nd Kings chapter 4 verse 8 through 10 if we get this this is a very special passage in the Bible very near and dear to my heart and if you understand what it means it will last a lifetime chapter 4 verse 8 and it fell on a day that Elisha passed to Shunem where was a great woman the word great there if you google it online it will tell you that it means that she had money but if you look it up in the Strong's [10:27] Brother Bruce it also means that she was well known so she could be just well known how many know that you don't have to have a lot of money to be well known I know quite a few folks that's very well known that don't have a pot to pee in poor and church mouths but you also don't have to be very well known to have a lot of money I was thinking about that there's some rich people that you'd never know you would never know that they're loaded but the Bible says she was a great woman and when Elisha would come by her house she introduced herself and constrained him to stay you know what that word constrained means it means to persuade heavily why don't you come in oh I don't really no seriously why don't you come in no I really don't want to bother you you're not going to bother nobody come in come in he came in and she says we've got bread she constrained him to eat bread sounds like Nana and so it was anybody go to some how was how was [11:42] Aunt Almy or Sister Flo would you go over there did you ever go there and not eat you went over there to eat and you didn't say oh I'm not hungry and what'd she do she put you a plate in front of you so I'm I'm convinced that that's why she was great I think that probably was her M.O. [12:05] she would do that to everybody anybody if you if she heard you were hungry somebody get some bread over there we're going to take some bread over to this family right now or if she saw you coming you're going to sit down and eat no I'm not hungry sit and eat that's what she did with Elisha and so it was that as often as he passed by he turned in thither to eat bread and she said unto her husband behold now I perceive that this is a holy man of God which passeth by us continually let us make a little chamber I laughed at that let us has Jeremy has your wife ever said let us do something you found up you're the one doing it I'll never forget one time [13:07] Jordan said you know why don't we have Christmas lights up there on the house why don't we do lights and I know what she was saying is why don't you do lights on the house she said let us let's build onto the house let's build onto the house for this guy let's put it on the wall over there we'll just we'll build off that wall and let us set for him there a bed okay so I'm gonna I got a little demonstration tonight everything in the hall next is let's you know what he might be tired we'll give him his bed he might just be just wore out from walking all the time you know we ought to also build [14:28] Mr. Husband let's build let's give him a table because that way in his room that we built for him he can have a place to have his Bible and his bread that we fixed for him we're gonna fix him a dinner you know that let's give him a table what's the next thing we're gonna give him a candlestick is the next one a stool is the next one or the candlestick the stool you know what he's probably his feet are wore out let's give him something that he could you know if he wants to kick up and study he can he can kick his legs up and a candlestick he's been walking around God's people and all their doubts and disappointments all day he might need just a little bit of light besides that he might turn in at night time so we might just go ahead and give him some light that way if he wants to stay up a little bit and he can pray he can eat and read he's got it said so when he cometh to us he shall turn in thither and it fell on a day that he came thither and he turned into the chamber and he lay there are you going be my [15:57] Elisha good and he said to Gehazi Gehazi was his servant he said you know what he's sitting there in bed the servants you know somewhere else I don know get to get to get to sleep on the floor he said you know what you ought to do you ought to call that Shunammite woman over here she's been nice to us she's given us all these things I'd like to I'd like to give her something so verse 12 says he said to Gehazi his servant called the Shunammite and when he had called her she stood before him verse 13 says and he said unto him say now unto her behold thou hast been careful for us with all this care what is it to be done with you she said he said would you like to be spoken to the king I you know we know people would you like us to talk to the captain the host the military generals you got any enemies we'll take care of them and she answered [17:11] I dwell among my own people what answer so you know what I really don't need any help right now I I'm pretty well known where I'm at I'm fine here so Elijah was like I don't like that answer so she went away verse 14 says and he said then what's to be done for her he's talking to Gehazi Gehazi has been talking around he's been walking around town and he says you know what I've been I've been talking to a few folks sister Judy she's never had a child she's never she's she doesn't she doesn't know what it's like to have that experience and I found out that everybody knows her and everybody knows that she would really like to have one she'd always wanted one she was that mother of the town that never got to have a child and by the way he said her husband's old which means she's probably never going to have one verse 14 says and he said we'll call her and when he had called her she stood in the door and he said about this season according to the time of life you shall embrace a son and she said nay my lord thou man of god don't don't lie to me i've wanted this my whole life you gonna come to me when i'm eighty something years old my husband's old you tell me this don't play any tricks on me i'm happy you could come you could come stay all you want but look who you been talking to how'd you know no don't verse 15 says and the woman conceived and bear a son who's our father that's an easy one god who's our mother in the word the mother who's our brother jesus who births us into the kingdom holy ghost the holy ghost the holy ghost is feminine masculine but is a birther is she is is that what the holy ghost does are we birthed into the kingdom jesus said lest you be born again and brought forth and so this story represents a birth from the holy ghost of something special when she was riding that wheel of experience in her life and she found disappointment and but you know what she also found that a man of god came and she made room for him she built on she uh he seems pretty comfortable uh he's got a bed he's got a table he's got a lamp and has made time continually has sacrifices for a continual basis for him to swing by and then we find that she's been let down before hmm the woman conceived i've never been pregnant thank god my wife has and i've also heard from other folks that the moment you [21:12] get pregnant i mean just days after you can tell can you tell you start to show on your face a certain type of glow and then after a while she started to show and people knew something happened i don't know there's a syndrome somewhere something where people think they're pregnant you ever heard of this they think i mean they're convinced they'll try to convince you oh i'm pregnant i really am i'll never forget one time one of my dad's girlfriends called me and drew and convinced us she tried that we had she she she pregnant with twins but not was a true no babies ever came no funerals no nothing heard about abortion nothing nothing heard about that they died in hospital nothing nothing ever came this wasn't the case here she conceived and brought forth a son verse 18 says and when the child was grown it fell on a day that he went to his father to the reapers to work he said unto his father my head my head and it wasn't feeling good sister and it went up to his head somewhere in that in that wheel that she had she was going through she got confused and and something happened to this experience that she's had she's something that she's always wanted her whole life something that she's prepared for that the [23:16] Lord has blessed her with that she never thought she would get the experience of a lifetime and something's going on wrong with it doesn't feel very good and his father said hey you take your buddy over here and bring him to his mother I thought that was interesting that the father didn't bring him to his mother he commanded his brother his friend brother in Christ whatever to bring him to his mother that's what we should be doing when it comes to folks that have a hard time we should be bringing them to the spirit of God we should be bringing them to God's house we shouldn't we shouldn't just well I hope you get feeling better see ya I feel like Jim Carey on the side of the gas station there see ya later no we should be you know what why don't you come to church with me why don't you come to church sometime well I don't want to go well why don't you come anyway well the next week [24:26] I don't want to go well why don't you come the week after that's what got brother van in church so I don't want to bug nobody well if juju didn't bug brother van what would happen think about that and when he had taken him and brought him to his mother he sat on her knees till noon and then he died you doing okay fender will you be my my little boy he will lay down and die can you believe this what's she supposed to think what did she do did she bury him what did she think did she did she get on the gossip chain and say you won't believe what [25:37] I'm telling you I'll never ever go to that church again watch watch I'll never go there no you won't this is this is a poly it's sick what those people do over there can you believe this no she didn't run her mouth no she took that disappointment get resurrected real quick get up because you're on another journey ministering somewhere he got resurrected and then he died again and lay him there on the bed and lay him there on the bed of the prophet do you realize what you have when you have a daily routine basis with the Holy Spirit the Holy [26:37] Ghost that you asked to come into your life you asked to come into your house you asked to come into your family you know didn't mind it at all that he'd come and maybe leave crumbs under the table or might have roughed up the sheets a little bit didn't mind it at all that he'd come later but you know what I've got this bread for you you're welcome in my house you're welcome in my house and then to have a disappointment what do you do with that you give it back to God you know what our problem is we don't want no babies we don't want we're back to Bethlehem you know we don't have any room for the inn in the inn we don't we don't want any of that stuff here we've got it just how we like it and so when we get disappointment we don't know what to do with it I see that there's so many people you run into they have nowhere to lay their depression they have nowhere to lay their sadness they have nowhere well my so and so has died and I don't know what I'm going to do without them never ever once darkened the church never once got a relationship with the Lord don't you feel bad for those folks yes no hope but she had hope in fact she said or she what she did is went up laid him on the bed of the man of God shut the door and walked out she called him to her husband and said send me verse 22 [28:11] I pray one of the young men one of the asses that I may run to the man of God and come again and he said wherefore will you go to him today this ain't a church day it's not a new moon it's not this isn't why and she said it shall be well it shall be well pretty confident verse 24 says he saddled and asked and said to her servant drive she said go forward slack not in their riding for me don't worry about being careful I we can't afford that I've got to get right back to the man of God and I'm preaching to myself too somebody say he's preaching to me too because we'll run to Tylenol we may run to the gossip box the heliphone let's see what facebook says today and I'm going to write what I think everybody should know since my opinion matters do we ever run to our prayer closet it wasn't too long ago [29:37] I was in bad shape with a job needing a job I'm in a bad shape I had the current job I had I had some financial issues accounting issues with one of my customers where it left me in a bond and debt and credit card debt almost $20,000 that's close to it and you know what I went to my prayer closet and I said you know God you know I pay my tithes what is this I found out that when I started to get serious with God he's ready to get serious with me when we're done playing games with God he's like you know what I'll play games all day long but when it's time to get serious he's ready to get serious God's a good businessman and he holds up his end of the deal by the way and I thought you know I did something really crazy I read in the Bible where it says to go into your prayer closet and that if you prayed in secret and you didn't tell anybody what you were praying about that he would reward you openly [30:44] I actually believe that sister I was like yeah you know I'm actually going to do it I'm going to go into my prayer closet every day I'm going to do it when Jordan doesn't know it not that I'm trying to hide something but you know this is between me and God right now I'm going to do it when nobody I'm not going to post it I'm not going to put on the group I'm praying I'm not going to put on the group pray for me you know what I'm going to do I'm going to go right in my prayer closet and it's going to be a secret place between me and the Lord and I'm going to get down on my knees and I'm going to tell God God you know where I'm at you know where my finances are but I'm standing on what you said brother Ernie came and preached to us he said it is written and I said it is written that you take care of me if I was faithful and paying my tides then I did something really really crazy brother Jeremy I went to church and brother [31:44] Steve said does anybody have any testimonies and I did not go to church for this I promise but something jumped up inside of me and said I got testimony I said I've been praying for something and God and I'm thankful that God will answer it and I didn't tell the church what I was needing and I thought why could I do such a thing that's weird and then it hit me Jesus said when you pray give thanks as if you have received and it wasn't two or three weeks later I get three different job offers from three different industries completely different industries one's here one's here and one's here begging me to jump on full time and give it 100% so God answers and you know what I had a place in my faithfulness in the times that [32:46] I took to pray the times I took to sacrifice in secret and God rewarded me openly I believe that's what he did with this Shunammite woman we don't know that yet verse 25 says so she went and came to the man of God to Mount Carmel and it came to pass when the man of God saw her afar off aren't you glad God sees you afar off even when you're disappointed even when you're depressed even when things ain't going right God's like you know what I still see you I still see you and I've often thought you know you may not hear from God on that prayer you've been asking for but he knows who you are he came you would think at some point he would say what can we do for her eventually he did that's the way it is with the [33:46] Lord if we believe it and he said wonder what's going on with this I know that woman and he said that's the Shunammite woman and it came to pass when the man of God saw her afar off he said go meet her I know who that is run and meet her verse 26 and ask her is everything okay surely she wouldn't be coming to see me you know something's got to be up here he said is it well with you how is your son how I remember that we we prayed that you have a son I assume you have one how is it how is your son and she told Gehazi it is well how could she have such an answer verse 27 and when she came to the man of God to the kill she caught him by the feet but Gehazi came near to thrust her away and the man of [34:48] God said let her alone for her souls vexed within her and have hid it from me but he didn't tell me verse 28 says then he said she said to him didn't I desire a son did I not say don't tease me don't deceive me then he said to Gehazi gird up your loins take my staff the staff represents your education we read earlier that it was a teach me prodding of the staff teach me teach me so he said take your rod which is a sign of your spiritual education that you should know and place that on the boy and so you'll find that he did and nothing happened he said gird up your loins and don't talk to nobody you'll find out that it doesn't say anything about him girding up his loins so then we find out he said [35:50] I'm gonna have to go myself and he came in and he shut the door and if you read the story along you'll find out that he made it he raised that child back to life now what does this mean to us we can't forget that the child represents the relationship that we have with the Lord and a lot of folks will let that child die and walk away from God never to come back to church again never to want to talk about God again and then be miserable the rest of their life they don't have to do that you know what we've done though I found sometimes he came back! [36:37] to that room where he always stayed and said there's the boy right there and I'm going to raise this one back to life and that's what he does with each and every one of us he comes right into the room that we have prepared for him and that place that prayer and study and work he says I'm going to need that amen amen amen amen you say faithful to him! [37:05] he's going to be there you know what I've seen this do he's came back to our house we've changed the logs on him he's like you know I'm going to go back to that huh well this was the room I was I went in but it's locked that's weird this is this is the place I used to go that's why in revelation he says behold I stand at the door and knock whose doors he's knocking on he's knocking on your door hey he's on the outside here that's right yeah where's my microphone at what's he saying behold [38:11] I stand at the door he said hello hey hello Jeremy I know you're in there I can the lights are on hello hey you won't believe this I was going back to that place you had for me it's locked missy hunter are you in there your car's home judy Anna Connie! [39:01] Rose where are you? Drew? Christian can you hear me? [39:14] I'm trying to get in there but the door is locked that's why in revelation he turns around when he can't get in and he said if any man open the door to me I will come in and I will suffer with them and I will sit down with him and he will sit down at my table with me when are we going to learn God wants our fellowship he wants our fellowship how many times have we rejected the call because we didn't want to be taught we didn't want to learn anything we already know it all you don't have anything to teach us I don't want to be that person that locks the door on him anymore where will we go and lay our doubts and our disappointments where will we go so [40:23] I hope he comes and knocks on your door today and find that spot where he can meet you when I was studying this the Lord impressed me that if I were to just create a little place for him in my house that he would come I said you invited my house you are you know and we had a guest room at the time and I straightened the bed up put the pillows in order I even put a bottle of water brother Jeremy brand new this is for you Lord if you're thirsty you come in my house you can stay you can stay with us you're welcome here I'm done rejecting him I'm done rejecting it's just like like it wasn't Zacchaeus he just wants to come and have dinner with us we think we got to reach some high part of the tree to try to figure out where he's at where he's coming he said [41:29] I'm coming to see you buddy anyway I love you I want to be better about making sure his room is available and made not just made anymore but available oh yeah I had relationship with God a long time ago! [41:50] God locks he's knocking he knocks on our door every day we ignore it we just turn the TV up you hear somebody I don't know what the knock is probably some sales anyway give the Lord a hand for the word of God! [42:09] !! who who