The Simplicity of a Saving Faith

The Character in Our Story — (Vs. 1a)

Naaman — “Pleasantness”

He was the head man over all military actions.

He was highly esteemed.

He was an honorable man.

He was a hero in the sight of men.

He had priority.

He had prestige.

He had pomp.

He had pride.

But…he also had a problem which leads us to....

The Calamity that had befallen Him — (Vs. 1b)

Naaman was a Leper.

Now if you don’t know anything about leprosy this morning, I will give you a quick rundown of the disease. Leprosy is an infectious disease that causes severe, disfiguring skin sores and nerve damage in the arms and legs and severe cases can affect one’s vision. It usually starts with small skin lesions and if not treated, begins to move to other parts of the body killing nerve endings therefore leaving the affected area numb and not able to feel. Now days leprosy can be treated with MDT (multi drug therapy) where the patient is given different forms of antibiotics over a given period of time ridding the body of the awful disease but in this day and time there was no cure for this disease, henceforth rendering most victims defenseless and fighting for their lives once infected by this dreaded disease.

A very slow and painful death awaited this dearly beloved and highly esteemed general.

Little did Naaman know though that God was about to make a way where there seemed to be no way which leads us to...

The Calling of Naaman — (Vs. 2-4)

Here was a little maid who had been taken captive from her homeland and made a servant girl to Naaman’s wife.

She had every right to be discouraged, to be angry, to dislike Naaman, but instead she practiced what Jesus said in His sermon on the mount in...

Matthew 5:44 — But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you;

Luke 6:35 — But love ye your enemies, and do good, and lend, hoping for nothing again; and your reward shall be great, and ye shall be the children of the Highest: for he is kind unto the unthankful and to the evil.

This little unnamed maid’s reward is that thousands of years later we are still talking about her shining example of what it means to be born again!

She loved her God, she loved her neighbor as herself, she even loved her enemies and wanted them to know the same God she knew!

I’m here to tell you this morning friends, we could all take some notes on this little maid’s life!

God uses one of His own to share His good news with one who’s not His own!

One who isn’t even of the Children of Israel. This man Naaman was a gentile. He was outside the fold, a stranger to the God of Israel!

But he’s about to be grafted into the fold as we will see here in a minute and this is but a picture, a foreshadowing of the time to come in the New Testament when the gospel went out, not to the Jews only, but to all who would believe and call upon the name of Jesus Christ!

Now that we’ve seen the call of Naaman, let’s look next at...

The Charge of the Syrian King — (Vs. 5)

10 talents of silver — 750 lbs of silver

6,000 pieces of gold — 150 lbs of gold

10 changes of raiment

In today’s money, it would be equal to around $4.4 Million dollars!

This speaks to how much the King of Syria thought of his right hand man!

He comes laden with riches but what he didn’t realize is that there was a conflict in his request.

The Conflict in the Request — (Vs. 6-7)

The conflict in the King’s request was two-fold.

He thought he could purchase Naaman’s healing.

He thought a man had the power to heal him.

I want to make something big, plain and straight for you this morning, no amount of money can save a person and no man has the authority to save a person!

The Bible says of Jesus in...

Acts 4:12 — Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.

Listen to me this morning friend, there is one way and one way only that anyone enters into heaven and that is through the precious blood Jesus Christ!

You enter in through Christ or you don’t enter at all, Amen!

Some of these religions out there today say to trust in this person or that person or do this or do that but I’m here to tell you that Jesus, the one and only Son of God, said I am the way, the truth and the life and no man cometh to the Father but by me!

Naaman was trying to save himself the same way many in this world are today!

They put their trust in their money to save them or they put their trust in a man to save them but one day, if they don’t change their ways, they will wake up on the wrong side of eternity and realize they have put their trust in the wrong person or thing and it will be too late!

Listen to me this morning friend, we all get one shot at this thing called life!

You either get it right here or you don’t get it right at all!

What you do with Jesus on this side of eternity will determine where you spend eternity on that side!

If you don’t know Him this morning, you need to get to know Him!

If God is speaking to you this morning, quit pushing the Holy Spirit away and answer that call while there’s still time!

Now is the accepted time and today is the day of salvation!

We see The Conflict in the Request, now let’s look at...

The Communication from Elisha — (Vs. 8-9)

Elisha is essentially saying, “let him come to me and when I’m done with him he will know that there is a God in Israel!”

Not only did Naaman leave Israel knowing that there was a God there, he ends up leaving “knowing” the one, true, God of Israel!

He left with a relationship he didn’t come with and my prayer this morning is that maybe someone here will leave with a relationship they didn’t come with!

We see The Communication from Elisha now let’s move on to...

The Commission of Elisha — (Vs. 10)

Naaman makes his way over to Elisha’s house with all of his pomp and prestige and his whole entourage is at the front door of Elisha’s house waiting for Elisha to come out and perform some marvellous miracle but out walks not Elisha but his messenger and this messenger tells this great general to simply go to the Jordan river and wash himself seven times and that his flesh would be restored and he would be healed.

Pretty simple, right?

One would think as simple a command as this was, that Naaman would be running to the Jordan river to dip himself and rid himself of his leprosy but instead, Naaman throws a conniption fit!

Look at...

The Conniption Fit that Naaman throws — (Vs. 11-12)

Naaman’s problem was things didn’t go according to his plan! Notice he says “I thought.”

So many people want to come to God on their terms and not God’s terms but that isn’t how salvation works friend!

You either come to God on His terms or you don’t come at all!

And this is exactly what was happening to ole Naaman here. He had a preconceived notion of how he was going to be healed but God had other plans!

He wanted Elisha to fix his skin problem but God wanted to fix Naaman’s heart problem!

And maybe you’re sitting here today or watching online and God is wanting to fix your heart problem!

My advice to you is this…let Him!

Don’t be like Naaman and be all puffed up with pride and turn your back on God in a fit of rage because He didn’t come to you on your terms!

Turn to Him, come to Him on His terms and be healed from your sickness of sin which is a sickness unto death!

We all have a sin problem that we are in need of being healed from for there is none righteous, no not one for all have sinned and come short of the glory of God!

We’ve seen here Naaman’s conniption fit. Now let’s look at...

The Consideration of the Servants — (Vs. 13)

Sadly, Naaman’s servants had more sense than he did.

I love their understanding here though and we’d all do well to learn the lesson being taught here.

Salvation is Simple!

Here’s Naaman, this mighty commander in Syria and he’s got all the might and clout and power that one could ask for but he’s got a problem he can’t solve!

So he thinks he’ll purchase his way out of his problem.

He’s come to this prophet’s house with silver and gold and clothes but his money is worthless and his material goods get him nowhere!

His pride is brought low and he’s told by a messenger to simply go and wash seven times in the Jordan river and the would be made clean!

Salvation is so simple that even a child can understand it but somehow it’s simplicity confounds and confuses the wise and prideful!

Here was a man who almost missed out on salvation because the way was to simple for him!

If it weren’t for his servants, he would have surely spent eternity in hell but because of their understanding, this prideful man is brought low and heaven is now his home!

“If he’d of told you to do some great thing wouldn’t you have went to whatever lengths imaginable to be healed?”

“Then why not go and do something as simple as wash yourself in the Jordan river and be healed!”

The simple consideration and cool heads of his servants leads the hot headed Naaman to salvation which leads us to our next point...

The Conformity of Naaman — (Vs. 14a)

He received the call of salvation. He responded by coming. And now he puts his faith in action by following through and doing something about it!

If God is calling you this morning friend, put your faith into action and do something about it!

Stop sitting in that pew week after week putting God off. Get up and come to the altar and get things right today!

Naaman put his faith into action and if you want to be saved this morning friend, you have to do the same thing!

You can hear the call of God but if you never respond, then you will die lost in your sins and spend eternity in hell!

Naaman could of and almost did deny the call and go home to Syria but he didn’t. He put his faith into action and look what happened next!

The Change in Naaman — (Vs. 14b)

His flesh came again like unto the flesh of a little child and he was clean!

Do you know what this is a picture of? It’s a picture of being born again!

Jesus said in...

Matthew 18:3 — And said, Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven.

John 3:3–7 — 3 Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. 4 Nicodemus saith unto him, How can a man be born when he is old? can he enter the second time into his mother’s womb, and be born? 5 Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. 6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. 7 Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again.

Naaman needed to be born of the water and the Spirit!

Can I just add here that water alone cannot save a man!

You must be born of the water and the Spirit!

And when a man has been born again there will be evidence of his rebirth!

Look at...

The Confession of Naaman — (Vs. 15-16)

There is no God in all the earth but in Israel!

I want to ask you this morning if you know this same God that Naaman came to know?

Jehovah is His name!

If not, and you are feeling that tug on your heart this morning why don’t you come and trust in His Son Jesus so that you can come to know Him as well!

Naaman offers the goods he brought with him to Elisha but Elisha refuses and then Naaman makes a counter offer to Elisha.

Look with me at...

The Counter Offer of Naaman — (Vs. 17-19)

Naaman was so determined to worship the God of Israel that he takes dirt from Israel back with him in order that he can build an altar in Syria to offer sacrifices to the God of Israel upon!

What a testament to the power of God!

He took a man out of a Pagan nation, saved him and then sent him back with a testimony for all who knew him to see!

“Look what the God of Israel did for me!”

And this morning what I want you to know is that God can do that same thing for you and can give you that same testimony!

You can leave here saying… “Look what God has done for me!”

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