This sermon presents a sobering examination of spiritual decline through the life of Gehazi, Elisha's servant, illustrating how a seemingly faithful beginning can deteriorate into selfishness, complacency, and moral failure. Centered on key passages from 2 Kings 4 and 5, the message traces Gehazi's gradual loss of servant's heart—marked by diminished compassion, diminished perception of others' needs, and diminished faith in God's power—culminating in his deception, greed, and ultimate condemnation with leprosy. The preacher emphasizes that outward religious activity without inward integrity leads to spiritual ruin, warning that neglecting the heart's condition, prioritizing personal gain over divine service, and compromising one's testimony inevitably results in lost purpose, severed relationship with God, and generational consequences. The call is urgent: to examine one's motives, repent of hidden selfishness, and recommit to faithful service before the heart becomes hardened beyond recovery.

The central message of Leviticus 13 and 14 is that holiness—understood as wholeness and purity—is essential for fellowship with a holy God, and that uncleanness, whether physical, ritual, or symbolic, must be addressed through divine law and priestly judgment. These chapters, though often misunderstood as medical instructions, are not about leprosy but about the broader concept of defilement, including skin conditions, mould in clothing, and decay in homes, all of which disrupt the covenant community's integrity. The process of cleansing and restoration, involving complex rituals and sacrifices, underscores that reconciliation with God is not automatic or simple, but costly and requires atonement, reflecting the deep need for a Saviour. This law reveals humanity's inability to achieve holiness on its own, pointing forward to Jesus Christ, who fulfils the law, bears the curse of sin, and offers complete cleansing and restoration through His death and resurrection. The God of the Old Testament is not a distant judge but a loving Father whose ultimate desire is reconciliation, now fulfilled in Christ, who makes sinners whole, presents them blameless before God, and establishes an eternal covenant of grace.

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"Depart from me, O Lord, for I am a sinful man." But Peter got it backwards. If Jesus' goal was to avoid sinners, He made a colossal mistake when He chose to come to earth and live as one of us. Of course, Jesus' goal was not to avoid sinners. His goal was to save them — to proclaim good news to the poor, deliverance to the oppressed, the opening of the prison to those who are bound. In fact, if you look at the next-to-last verse of our text this morning, you see that multitudes were gathering to Jesus. It is the exact opposite of Peter's "depart from me." Rather than sending away sinners, or going away from sinners, Jesus actually calls sinners, inviting them to Himself, and forgiving and cleansing them. As we will see, Luke does not really distinguish Jesus' ministry in terms of "dealing with sin" and "dealing with everything else." He sees a comprehensive Savior, a Savior for whom opening the prison, cleansing the leper, and forgiving the paralyzed man are all aspects of a unified ministry. That ministry is so big that no term smaller than "salvation" can do justice to it. Indeed, the salvation Jesus brings is not just for one or two, or one or two dozen. It is so comprehensive that He is repeatedly called the Savior of the world. Luke does not use that term in this text; instead, he shows us Jesus in a variety of contexts and environments, doing multifaceted ministry work. The same Jesus who controls the fish controls the leprosy and encourages His people to obey the law of Moses. Again He manifests His deity as God of cities and deserts, lepers and clean people, the God who sends leprosy away so that His people can gather in His presence and hear Him.

Leprosy was and is a real disease. In our text it was part of the curse of sin and Jesus Christ came to save sinners. Nine men left cured of leprosy but still lost in sin. One was cured of leprosy and also forgiven of his sin. The charismatics only focus on the physical and they are frauds. Jesus focuses on the spiritual and the physical outlook is changed when the heart is right with God.

Sunday Morning Service – March 29, 2026 – Pastor Rhon Roberts Hymns used from the following: Great Hymns of the Faith Brentwood Benson Publishing - CCLI License for live streaming Soul Stirring Songs and Hymns - Sword of the Lord Publishers - permission granted by publisher From the Media Ministry of Mukwonago Baptist Church 1610 Honeywell Road Mukwonago, WI 53149 www.mukwonagobaptist.org

Does true healing come from religious performance? If so, how does humility and surrender rate, and what will be gained by those with humble characteristics? Pastor Jamie contrasts the leper's genuine faith with the hollow self-exalting attitudes of the elites. This sermon calls believers to a personal, life-changing relationship with Christ. While the needs we have may bring us to understand Christ has the fix, we learn that turning to Christ for life, gains life, not just a fix. Please listen to "Desperate for Healing," taught by Pastor Jamie.

B.I.— With full authority, Jesus executed His ministry in preaching, teaching, healing, miracles, sin, cleansing, etc. INTRODUCTION: 4A. IN THE NATURAL REALM. 1-11 5A. OVER LEPROSY. 12-16 6A. OVER SIN'S PARDON. 17-26 7A. IN JESUS ASSOCIATIONS. 27-31 8A. OVER KINGDOM TRANSITION.33-39 9A OVER THE SABBATH. 6:1-11 CONCLUSION: