Great Expectations
Great Expectations
A.Introduction
What are your expectations this morning? Certainly as you came to church you had expectations about what the service would be like today. When our Pastor commented on the number of people that would attend the Super Bowl and their fervor he asked the question “Why aren’t our churches like that, seeing that we have so much more to be excited about. One of the men in the church pointed out that we don’t come expecting to hear from God or to see Him work. In the book of Habbukkuk the prophet exclaimed in Chapter 2 – “I will stand my watch And set myself on the rampart, And watch to see what He will say to me, And what I will answer when I am corrected.” The ancient prophet in the book of Jeremiah said as we read this morning- in Lamentations 3:24-26 "The LORD is my portion," says my soul, "Therefore I hope in Him!" The LORD is good to those who wait for Him, To the soul who seeks Him. It is good that one should hope and wait quietly For the salvation of the LORD.” But if is the case can our expectations of God ever be tainted by our sinful flesh? The answer is yes and I will try and show you today from Good’s word how that can happen and why we should guard against it. Our text is taken from 2 Kings 5:1-15: “The Cure of Naaman's Leprosy
1Now 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. 2And 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. 3Then 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." 4And Naaman went in and told his master, saying, "Thus and thus said the girl who is from the land of Israel."
5Then 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. 6Then 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.
7And 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."
8So 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."
9Then Naaman went with his horses and chariot, and he stood at the door of Elisha's house. 10And 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." 11But 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.' 12Are not the Abanah F4 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. 13And 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'?" 14So 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.
15And 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."
B. Acknowledge Your Need.
1Now 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.
1. What is your Need?
a. Matthew 5:3 "Blessed are the poor in spirit, For theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” We all have a void inside that God allowed to be put there, in order that we might recognize our need for Him. Those who recognize this and seek to satisfy it in Christ will indeed be blessed. Those who don’t will never know
b.Php 4:19
And my GOD shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.
2.Confess your sinful attempts to have that need met somewhere else.
Isaiah 55:1,2 “Why do you spend money for what is not bread, And your wages for what does not satisfy? Listen carefully to Me, and eat what is good, And let your soul delight itself in abundance.”
Psalm 107:5-9 Hungry and thirsty, Their soul fainted in them. 6Then they cried out to the LORD in their trouble, And He delivered them out of their distresses. 7And He led them forth by the right way, That they might go to a city for a dwelling place. 8Oh, that men would give thanks to the LORD for His goodness, And for His wonderful works to the children of men! 9For He satisfies the longing soul, And fills the hungry soul with goodness.
C.Prepare To Have that Need Met by God
4And Naaman went in and told his master, saying, "Thus and thus said the girl who is from the land of Israel."
9Then Naaman went with his horses and chariot, and he stood at the door of Elisha's house.
1. Psalm 51:16 For You do not desire sacrifice, or else I would give it; You do not delight in burnt offering. 17 The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit, A broken and a contrite heart-- These, O God, You will not despise.
2. Romans 12:1 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service.
D. Be Obedient To Receive God’s Blessing
14So 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.
1. Story of the Atheist Mountain Climber
2. Joshua 3:7,8 “And the LORD said to Joshua, "This day I will begin to exalt you in the sight of all Israel, that they may know that, as I was with Moses, so I will be with you. You shall command the priests who bear the ark of the covenant, saying, "When you have come to the edge of the water of the Jordan, you shall stand in the Jordan.”
3. Joshua 3:14-17 14So it was, when the people set out from their camp to cross over the Jordan, with the priests bearing the ark of the covenant before the people, 15and as those who bore the ark came to the Jordan, and the feet of the priests who bore the ark dipped in the edge of the water (for the Jordan overflows all its banks during the whole time of harvest), 16that the waters which came down from upstream stood still, and rose in a heap very far away at Adam, the city that is beside Zaretan. So the waters that went down into the Sea of the Arabah, the Salt Sea, failed, and were cut off; and the people crossed over opposite Jericho. 17Then the priests who bore the ark of the covenant of the LORD stood firm on dry ground in the midst of the Jordan; and all Israel crossed over on dry ground, until all the people had crossed completely over the Jordan.
4. Sometimes God requires us to be obedient even without understanding
D. Conclusion
In conclusion we must examine our expectations of God and pray that we approach Him in a way that glorifies and pleases Him. First we must acknowledge our need to God, then we must prepare to have that need met by God, finally we must be obedient to receive God’s blessing. Then we too like Naaman will know that there is no God like our God in all the earth.