II Kings 5:1-14

Salvation Through obedience

2 Kings 5:1–19 NKJV

1 Now Naaman, commander of the army of the king of Syria, was a great and honorable man in the eyes of his master, because by him the Lord had given victory to Syria. He was also a mighty man of valor, but a leper. 2 And the Syrians had gone out on raids, and had brought back captive a young girl from the land of Israel. She waited on Naaman’s wife. 3 Then she said to her mistress, “If only my master were with the prophet who is in Samaria! For he would heal him of his leprosy.” 4 And Naaman went in and told his master, saying, “Thus and thus said the girl who is from the land of Israel.” 5 Then the king of Syria said, “Go now, and I will send a letter to the king of Israel.” So he departed and took with him ten talents of silver, six thousand shekels of gold, and ten changes of clothing. 6 Then he brought the letter to the king of Israel, which said, Now be advised, when this letter comes to you, that I have sent Naaman my servant to you, that you may heal him of his leprosy. 7 And it happened, when the king of Israel read the letter, that he tore his clothes and said, “Am I God, to kill and make alive, that this man sends a man to me to heal him of his leprosy? Therefore please consider, and see how he seeks a quarrel with me.” 8 So it was, when Elisha the man of God heard that the king of Israel had torn his clothes, that he sent to the king, saying, “Why have you torn your clothes? Please let him come to me, and he shall know that there is a prophet in Israel.” 9 Then Naaman went with his horses and chariot, and he stood at the door of Elisha’s house. 10 And Elisha sent a messenger to him, saying, “Go and wash in the Jordan seven times, and your flesh shall be restored to you, and you shall be clean.” 11 But Naaman became furious, and went away and said, “Indeed, I said to myself, ‘He will surely come out to me, and stand and call on the name of the Lord his God, and wave his hand over the place, and heal the leprosy.’ 12 Are not the Abanah and the Pharpar, the rivers of Damascus, better than all the waters of Israel? Could I not wash in them and be clean?” So he turned and went away in a rage. 13 And his servants came near and spoke to him, and said, “My father, if the prophet had told you to do something great, would you not have done it? How much more then, when he says to you, ‘Wash, and be clean’?” 14 So he went down and dipped seven times in the Jordan, according to the saying of the man of God; and his flesh was restored like the flesh of a little child, and he was clean. 15 And he returned to the man of God, he and all his aides, and came and stood before him; and he said, “Indeed, now I know that there is no God in all the earth, except in Israel; now therefore, please take a gift from your servant.” 16 But he said, “As the Lord lives, before whom I stand, I will receive nothing.” And he urged him to take it, but he refused. 17 So Naaman said, “Then, if not, please let your servant be given two mule-loads of earth; for your servant will no longer offer either burnt offering or sacrifice to other gods, but to the Lord. 18 Yet in this thing may the Lord pardon your servant: when my master goes into the temple of Rimmon to worship there, and he leans on my hand, and I bow down in the temple of Rimmon—when I bow down in the temple of Rimmon, may the Lord please pardon your servant in this thing.” 19 Then he said to him, “Go in peace.” So he departed from him a short distance.

Intro:

We have in this miracle a beautiful picture of salvation through faith in God’s Word. Every lost sinner can see himself in Naaman; he can also see the power of saving faith.

The Problem.

2 Kings 5:1 NKJV

1 Now Naaman, commander of the army of the king of Syria, was a great and honorable man in the eyes of his master, because by him the Lord had given victory to Syria. He was also a mighty man of valor, but a leper.

Naaman: Great man of Honor. Great leader. He was rich. Honoralbe man in the eyes of his master (The King)

The Lord has giving victory to Syria. Why? READ WHY. Israel had turned their back on God.

Man of valor (He was a great warroir)

But, he was a leper.

He was a leper. All his glory and valor could not hide the fact that he was leper.

Essentially, you turned into the walking dead.

In those days, there was no cure. There was 100% death rate.

And they believed it was highly contagious. So, the moment you were discovered, you were banished immediately, where you’d spend the next 10–20 years in isolation.

Sin has a death sentence. Ealb

The solution VS 2-10

2 Kings 5:2–10 NKJV

2 And the Syrians had gone out on raids, and had brought back captive a young girl from the land of Israel. She waited on Naaman’s wife. 3 Then she said to her mistress, “If only my master were with the prophet who is in Samaria! For he would heal him of his leprosy.” 4 And Naaman went in and told his master, saying, “Thus and thus said the girl who is from the land of Israel.” 5 Then the king of Syria said, “Go now, and I will send a letter to the king of Israel.” So he departed and took with him ten talents of silver, six thousand shekels of gold, and ten changes of clothing. 6 Then he brought the letter to the king of Israel, which said, Now be advised, when this letter comes to you, that I have sent Naaman my servant to you, that you may heal him of his leprosy. 7 And it happened, when the king of Israel read the letter, that he tore his clothes and said, “Am I God, to kill and make alive, that this man sends a man to me to heal him of his leprosy? Therefore please consider, and see how he seeks a quarrel with me.” 8 So it was, when Elisha the man of God heard that the king of Israel had torn his clothes, that he sent to the king, saying, “Why have you torn your clothes? Please let him come to me, and he shall know that there is a prophet in Israel.” 9 Then Naaman went with his horses and chariot, and he stood at the door of Elisha’s house. 10 And Elisha sent a messenger to him, saying, “Go and wash in the Jordan seven times, and your flesh shall be restored to you, and you shall be clean.”

VS 2

2 Kings 5:2 NKJV

2 And the Syrians had gone out on raids, and had brought back captive a young girl from the land of Israel. She waited on Naaman’s wife.

Elab on what has hapened and on this girl. She was a slave (young)

VS 3

2 Kings 5:3 NKJV

3 Then she said to her mistress, “If only my master were with the prophet who is in Samaria! For he would heal him of his leprosy.”

She tells Naamans wife and she talks to Naaman. Both were desperate.

a. This young girl didn’t have to do this. She had compassion.

b. She saw someone who needed a touch from God, she didn’t keep it to herself.

c. Like Naaman people need God, they are dead in sin. Salvation through Jesus is their only hope. We know what they need. We have the answer.

VS 4

2 Kings 5:4 NKJV

4 And Naaman went in and told his master, saying, “Thus and thus said the girl who is from the land of Israel.”

He told the King what the girl at told him. Go to the prophet (man of God) to be healed.

Elab telling people how to be saved.

VS 5

2 Kings 5:5 NKJV

5 Then the king of Syria said, “Go now, and I will send a letter to the king of Israel.” So he departed and took with him ten talents of silver, six thousand shekels of gold, and ten changes of clothing.

Ealb on what th Kings does. This shows how much he cared for Naaman.

You can’t buy your way into salvation. You can’t baptase your way into salvatio. You can’t work your into salvation. You can’t chuch mememebrship your way into salvation.

VS 6

2 Kings 5:6 NKJV

6 Then he brought the letter to the king of Israel, which said, Now be advised, when this letter comes to you, that I have sent Naaman my servant to you, that you may heal him of his leprosy.

1. The king of Israel had no cure. He went tp the wrong source.

a. There many miss leading ways. Many churches leading to wrong way.

b. Naaman went to the wrong source.

c. Many people who are lost go to the source for salvation. Elab

Opra: “One of the biggest mistakes humans make is to beleive there is only one way. There are many diveres path to waht you call God”

VS 7

2 Kings 5:7 NKJV

7 And it happened, when the king of Israel read the letter, that he tore his clothes and said, “Am I God, to kill and make alive, that this man sends a man to me to heal him of his leprosy? Therefore please consider, and see how he seeks a quarrel with me.”

He think Syria is looking for an excuse for war.

VS 8

2 Kings 5:8 NKJV

8 So it was, when Elisha the man of God heard that the king of Israel had torn his clothes, that he sent to the king, saying, “Why have you torn your clothes? Please let him come to me, and he shall know that there is a prophet in Israel.”

The word got to Elisha. (God had a plan)

a. Elisha perceived a bigger purpose in this leprosy—he knew God had given it to Naaman so that Naaman might come to know God.

VS 9

2 Kings 5:9 NKJV

9 Then Naaman went with his horses and chariot, and he stood at the door of Elisha’s house.

1. So Naaman came with his horses and chariots. This was sight to see. Elab

a. Elab Elishas house. Most likey not very big.

b. Here is Naaman, a General. A man who give orders and his orders were obeyed.

Obedience VS 10-14

2 Kings 5:10 NKJV

10 And Elisha sent a messenger to him, saying, “Go and wash in the Jordan seven times, and your flesh shall be restored to you, and you shall be clean.”

Why didn’t Naaman come to him?

a. This made Naaman made.

b. Elab on what Elisha tells him to do. 7 Times. This was the solution, but Naaman had to be obedent.

2 Kings 5:11–12 NKJV

11 But Naaman became furious, and went away and said, “Indeed, I said to myself, ‘He will surely come out to me, and stand and call on the name of the Lord his God, and wave his hand over the place, and heal the leprosy.’ 12 Are not the Abanah and the Pharpar, the rivers of Damascus, better than all the waters of Israel? Could I not wash in them and be clean?” So he turned and went away in a rage.

1. He resisted God’s simple way of salvation.

a.Elisha did not come out to see Naaman; the general was a leper and would have defiled the prophet.

b. Elisha wanted Naaman to know he was a rejected, condemned man. He treated the proud general like a sinner, and Naaman was angry at such treatment. “Doesn’t he know who I am?” he asked.

c. Like some peopletoday, Naaman thought the prophet would put him through some ritual to make him well.

d. He would not humble himself to go into the Jordan, the river of death. He thought that his lovely rivers closer to home were far superior.

f. Today many people think there are many way to salvation. Baptizim, good works....

2 Kings 5:13 NKJV

13 And his servants came near and spoke to him, and said, “My father, if the prophet had told you to do something great, would you not have done it? How much more then, when he says to you, ‘Wash, and be clean’?”

1. The humble servant had more sense than the great general.

2 Kings 5:14 NKJV

14 So he went down and dipped seven times in the Jordan, according to the saying of the man of God; and his flesh was restored like the flesh of a little child, and he was clean.

a. How unreasonable it is to resist God’s simple way of salvation. When Naaman obeyed in faith, he was “born again” and came out of the waters with flesh as clean as that of a little child.

c. The seven dips in the Jordan are not a picture of baptism, for nobody was ever saved by being baptized even once, let alone seven times. Naaman’s faith was proved by his works; he trusted the Word and acted upon it.