Trust and Obey Pt. 1 - Naaman's Need

Isaiah 55:8–9 KJV 1900

8 For my thoughts are not your thoughts, Neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord. 9 For as the heavens are higher than the earth, So are my ways higher than your ways, And my thoughts than your thoughts.

Introduction

When it comes to God, our point of view is ALWAYS different from His...

God’s thoughts are higher than our thoughts, and His ways are better than our ways. God sees the whole picture, while we see only a snapshot. And this is true, not only in interpreting the facts of a situation, but also in understanding the way God designed life to work.

What we assume is so often different from what the Bible tells us is true. For example,

• We think trials bring only pain; God says they bring growth.

• We think the way to get is to keep; God says the way to receive is to give.

• We think the greatest person has the highest position; God says the greatest is a servant.

• We think that when someone hurts us, we should get even; God says that when someone hurts us, we should bless them.

• We think God uses great people; God says He uses insignificant people.

In pretty much all areas of life, our natural thoughts run opposite of what Scripture teaches…As a matter and fact, that’s why in the process of Christian growth, we must have our mind’s renewed...

Romans 12:2 KJV 1900

2 And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.

In the next several weeks, Lord willing, we will be looking at truths from the Bible that run the exact opposite of our natural way of thinking...

Tonight, I want to look at the fact that even when we cannot understand God’s plan, we can still walk by faith. We simply TRUST AND OBEY.

2 Corinthians 5:7 KJV 1900

7 (For we walk by faith, not by sight:)

Hebrews 11:6 KJV 1900

6 But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.

If we are going to receive what is best and experience life to the fullest, we must be willing to walk by faith and trust God no matter what He asks us to do.

We are going to look at three examples of TRUST AND OBEY from three different perspectives over the next few weeks and tonight, we begin with:

Naaman’s Need

Turn to 2 Kings 5 with me...

The Christian journey starts by trusting Christ as our Saviour.

We don’t come to Christ on our own terms and earn salvation - the Bible is clear on this.

How do we do it? We simply trust the payment Jesus has already made and obey Him by calling out to Him for salvation...

Simply TRUST and OBEY...

The story of Naaman in 2 Kings perfectly illustrates this...

2 Kings 5:1–12 KJV 1900

1 Now Naaman, captain of the host of the king of Syria, was a great man with his master, and honourable, because by him the Lord had given deliverance unto Syria: he was also a mighty man in valour, but he was a leper. 2 And the Syrians had gone out by companies, and had brought away captive out of the land of Israel a little maid; and she waited on Naaman’s wife. 3 And she said unto her mistress, Would God my lord were with the prophet that is in Samaria! for he would recover him of his leprosy. 4 And one went in, and told his lord, saying, Thus and thus said the maid that is of the land of Israel. 5 And the king of Syria said, Go to, go, and I will send a letter unto the king of Israel. And he departed, and took with him ten talents of silver, and six thousand pieces of gold, and ten changes of raiment. 6 And he brought the letter to the king of Israel, saying, Now when this letter is come unto thee, behold, I have therewith sent Naaman my servant to thee, that thou mayest recover him of his leprosy. 7 And it came to pass, when the king of Israel had read the letter, that he rent his clothes, and said, Am I God, to kill and to make alive, that this man doth send unto me to recover a man of his leprosy? wherefore consider, I pray you, and see how he seeketh a quarrel against me. 8 And it was so, when Elisha the man of God had heard that the king of Israel had rent his clothes, that he sent to the king, saying, Wherefore hast thou rent thy clothes? let him come now to me, and he shall know that there is a prophet in Israel. 9 So Naaman came with his horses and with his chariot, and stood at the door of the house of Elisha. 10 And Elisha sent a messenger unto him, saying, Go and wash in Jordan seven times, and thy flesh shall come again to thee, and thou shalt be clean. 11 But Naaman was wroth, and went away, and said, Behold, I thought, He will surely come out to me, and stand, and call on the name of the Lord his God, and strike his hand over the place, and recover the leper. 12 Are not Abana and Pharpar, rivers of Damascus, better than all the waters of Israel? may I not wash in them, and be clean? So he turned and went away in a rage.

We see that Naaman, a captain of the host of the king of Syria (a pretty important guy) has leprosy.

Leprosy was one of the most feared diseases at that time, and most of the time, the person who contracted leprosy would die from it.

There was a little servant girl who believed in what God could do. She told Naaman’s wife that there was a prophet of God in Israel who could heal Naaman of his leprosy. This was amazing faith on the part of the servant girl, because up to this point, we have no record of anyone ever being healed of leprosy.

It’s wonderful to me that God would use this little servant girl to fulfill His plan in saving Naaman…

Naaman had position, power, prestige, popularity, and possessions, but did not have the answer to his problem. Yet, a little servant girl, who by all means would have been a nobody, had the accurate solution and she was faithful to point the way.

If you are a Christian, don’t underestimate your power and ability to give hope to people and be used to change their lives by pointing them to the Lord.

Naaman went to Israel and directly to Elisha’s house.

Elisha didn’t bother to answer the door. Instead, Elisha sent his servant with the prescription for healing…Elisha wasn’t impressed by the letter from a king or by Naaman’s status. He presented to Naaman, God’s simple solution for healing.

The Bible tells us that Naaman was furious in reaction to what Elisha had instructed him to do.

Naaman wanted to be healed, but he wanted it to be done his way.

Referencing back to the introduction tonight, Naaman’s thinking was different than God’s thinking.

Look back at verse 11...

2 Kings 5:11 (KJV 1900)

11 But Naaman was wroth, and went away, and said, Behold, I thought, He will surely come out to me, and stand, and call on the name of the Lord his God, and strike his hand over the place, and recover the leper.

Naaman had thought the prophet of God would come to him face to face and call upon the Lord in an elaborate ceremony. Naaman thought the rivers in Syria were far nicer than the muddy Jordan River. Everything that Naaman thought was the opposite of God’s plan.

Naaman thought that the prophet of God would come to him face to face and call upon the Lord in some elaborate ceremony, and Naaman thought the rivers in Syria were far nicer than the muddy Jordan river...

Everything that Naaman thought was the opposite of God’s plan...

Had it not been for some servants with some sense that talked to Naaman, he would never have been healed.

He listened to their advice and followed Elisha’s instructions.

When Naaman exercised faith through obedience, God healed him from the leprosy...

2 Kings 5:13–14 KJV 1900

13 And his servants came near, and spake unto him, and said, My father, if the prophet had bid thee do some great thing, wouldest thou not have done it? how much rather then, when he saith to thee, Wash, and be clean? 14 Then went he down, and dipped himself seven times in Jordan, according to the saying of the man of God: and his flesh came again like unto the flesh of a little child, and he was clean.

Naaman needed cleansing from leprosy. But the greatest need all of us have is cleansing from our sin. In fact, leprosy is sometimes used in the Bible as a picture of sin.

Naaman’s story is a picture of God’s way of cleansing us from sin.

All of us are born sinners. This is a condition that was passed down to us from Adam, and it is one that we choose as well.

Romans 3:23 KJV 1900

23 For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;

Romans 5:12 KJV 1900

12 Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned:

We don’t find cleansing from our sin through our good works or attending church or being baptized or giving to the poor or any of the “Syrian rivers” we might think would bring cleansing. Salvation doesn’t come from works at all.

Ephesians 2:8–9 KJV 1900

8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: 9 Not of works, lest any man should boast.

Have you received forgiveness of sins? Do you have eternal life?

One Sunday afternoon in Chicago, a group of ballplayers entered a saloon. When they emerged, they saw a group of people outside a building playing instruments, singing gospel hymns, and testifying of Christ’s power to save from sin.

Memories of a log cabin in Iowa, an old church, and a godly mother raced through the mind of one of the ballplayers. Tears came to his eyes.

Presently he said, “Boys, I’m through! I’m going to turn to Jesus Christ. We’ve come to the parting of the ways.”

Some of his companions mocked him, but others were silent. Only one encouraged him.

He turned from the group and entered the Pacific Garden Mission. Later the ballplayer told what occurred. “I called upon God’s mercy. I staggered out of my sins into the outstretched arms of the Saviour. I became instantly a new creature in Him!”

The converted ballplayer was Billy Sunday, who became the world-renowned evangelist.

Conclusion

If salvation were up to you or me to determine, we probably would devise a plan that didn’t require us to simply humbly receive God’s gift.

Our plan would be like Naaman’s—we would want a big fanfare and special appreciation for our contributions.

But the plan of salvation isn’t up to us, it’s up to God. And His plan is that He gave His own life to pay for our sins, and He offers us forgiveness and a restored relationship with Him as a free gift.

Romans 6:23 KJV 1900

23 For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Have you received Jesus as your Saviour? Have you turned from trying to earn salvation by your effort or religion or ideas and simply trust the payment that Jesus already made?

Salvation is just the beginning of our walk of faith and learning to trust and obey the Lord.

Next Wednesday, we’ll look at another picture of how God sees things differently than we do through a challenge the disciples faced while ministering with Jesus.