Title: Leper’s Can’t Be Choosy
2 Kings 5:1-14
Date: 10 Jun 01
Introduction:
C. S. Johnson shares this family lesson:
"My son, Michael, was four years old the night I found him sobbing uncontrollably in the hallway. Concerned, I knelt next to him and drew him close.
" ’What’s the matter, sweetheart? Are you hurt?’ He shook his head and turned to me, but I was unprepared for his response.
" ’Daddy said a bad word to me!’ he sobbed. I almost laughed out loud. I had known my husband 12 years and had rarely heard him raise his voice. But Michael had heard him say something, and I was curious enough to want to know what it was.
" ’Honey, what bad word did Daddy say?’ And seeing a chance for sympathy, my sensitive four-year-old stopped crying and blurted out--’Obey!’
"I never think of that incident now without asking my Heavenly Father to keep me from believing, as my son did, that ’obey’ is a bad word."
I. Naaman had a problem
A. 1Now Naaman, captain of the host of the king of Syria, was a great man with his master, and honorable, because by him the LORD had given deliverance unto Syria: he was also a mighty man in valor, but he was a leper.
B. He had everything! He had the highest position in the Syrian military, he had a high position with the King of Syria, he was an honorable man among the Syrians because of the major victories he had won in battle, and he had strength in the time of war, he was a mighty man of valor. But there was one thing; he was a leper. This disease no doubt was a thorn In Naaman’s side. He was probably getting to the point where the disease was starting to cripple him, and finally he realized he had a problem.
C. We need to realize we have a problem. WE can have everything in this world, but if we have sin in our lives we will lose the most important treasure of all, and that my friend is our soul. Jesus said it very clearly in Matthew 16:26, “26For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?” We need to realize we have a problem! We need to realize that we need a healing!
D. And one day the Syrians had captured a little Jewish maiden and took her home to Naaman to look after his wife. And notice with me two important characteristics that this young girl possessed:
i. She knew where to direct Naaman to get his healing
1. We need to direct people to Jesus
ii. And she wasn’t afraid of his leprosy because she had compassion for him and she wanted to see him get healed
1. The strict laws of Moses prohibited for people to have anything to do with a leper, because a leper was socially unaccepted and unclean. But this girl knew where this man could get a healing and she had made up her mind that she was going to have compassion for him anyway.
a. Friend, we need to have compassion for the lost! We need to care for those who are hurting and those who are sick and afflicted! Jesus, our role model definitely cared for the sick and those who were diseased. Notice: And, behold, there came a leper and worshipped him, saying, Lord, if thou wilt, thou canst make me clean. 3And Jesus put forth his hand, and touched him, saying, I will; be thou clean. And immediately his leprosy was cleansed. Honey, I am here to tell you that Jesus will cleanse the Leper; He will heal those with cancer; He will heal those with hart disease; He will heal those migraines; He will heal those who are sick and afflicted! He will save those that are lost! He will remove their burdens! He will take away their sins, and give them a clear conscience! He had compassion for them and so must we!
E. And Naaman got leave to go see the king of Israel. And when he got there the king didn’t receive him very well. Naaman gave him the letter from the king of Syria reading like this: Now when this letter is come unto you, behold, I have sent Naaman my servant to you, that you may heal him of his leprosy. (Wouldn’t be nice if the hospitals would send us those folks who were incurable? Wouldn’t be nice if they said, we’ve heard that there was something going on down there at this Pentecostal Church?”)
i. Notice how the king was afraid of the situation. He wanted to send him away unhealed.
1. First of all he put the burden on God trying to take him off the hook!
a. We do the same thing when we pray for someone to be healed and say, “God you do it.” And when it doesn’t happen we think, “well, were off the hook because we put the ball in God’s court and we are relieved from this situation.” We need to #1 pray with an anointing, believing that God has done it! We need to #2 walk in the healing! Having faith enough in God to walk in His healing!
2. Second, he had no compassion for the lost, all he could think about was how this must be some kind of trick to provoke a fight between Israel and the Nation of Syria.
a. We are not fighting the lost, but we are to have compassion for them to win them to Christ. We need to get our minds off of condemning thoughts of the sinner, and onto the healing concepts of the soul.
F. Those people that say that healing isn’t for today need to be slapped! They need to know that Jesus took all of our infirmities and that by His stripes we are healed! They also need to understand that He said in Mark 16:18 that we shall lay hands on the sick and they shall recover. And many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord shall deliver us out of them all! And further more call for the Elders of the church and they shall anoint you with oil and the prayer of faith will heal you! Honey, healing is for today! And if you are sick in body today, God wants to heal you and set you free from your illness! He wants to deliver you from the sickness that has bound you for so long! And in the name of Jesus, RISE UP and be made whole!
II. Elisha told the king, “Send him to me”
A. Honey if you ain’t gonna do anything, then get out of the way! If you ain’t gonna do anything, then step aside! I am choosing to walk in the anointing! I am choosing to be a vessel whereby the healing touch of Jesus can flow through me. Get out of the way religion! Get out of the way tradition! I want the people in Pryor, Oklahoma to know that there is a Prophet in town who wants see them made whole! Who cares for them and wants to see them set free! Who wants to see them saved! Who wants to see them restored to the potential they have in God
B. Friend, we can’t neglect the gift of the Holy Ghost! We need to respond to the call of God to lay hands on the sick, and cry out to the hurting and those who are afflicted, and to those at the bottom of the barrel, and those with spiritual Leprosy, saying, “there is a man by the name of Jesus Christ who can make you well!” There is a Savior who died for you and shed his blood for you and was beaten for you and bruised for you, so that your sins could be forgiven! So that your body could be healed! And who rose from the dead on the third day so that you could live in victory forever! And have life more abundantly!
C. Send them to me, for I know the One who can heal Cancer! I know the One who can heal heart disease! I know the One who can heal Emphysema! I know the One who can heal Arthritis! I know the One who is able to do exceedingly great things! The God who want to heal you! I know the One who wants to heal your sin sick heart! I know the One who desires to be in fellowship with you and restore you the family of God!
III. Elisha had the on-time message from God for Naaman
A. There was no waiting around for the Word of the Lord because Elisha had already received the Word of the Lord! He didn’t have to tell Naaman, “Oh, come back next Sunday night Naaman when we’re going to have a healing service.” He didn’t have to schedule a meeting with the Elders. He didn’t have go find a prayer closet because he had already been in prayer and had the ON TIME HEALING WORD OF THE LORD!!!!
B. He simply lived close enough to God to know His voice when He spoke to him, and then he had faith enough to proclaim what God had given him to say.
C. We need to live close enough to God to provide the on-time message to those around us who are hurting and to those who need a touch from God! We need to have the on time message, heralding for the King of Kings the message of healing and hope, and of reconciliation and salvation!
IV. Naaman got mad when Elisha didn’t heal him like he wanted him to
A. He got mad when God didn’t do it his way!
i. He should’ve been more Pentecostal!
ii. He should’ve got more excited!
iii. He should’ve jumped and kicked his heels 10 feet in the air and shouted and called the hand of God down from heaven!
iv. He didn’t even lay hands on me! And he calls himself a man of God!
v. Moreover, he wouldn’t even come and see me, he sent his servant to me!
vi. Not only that, he wanted me to wash in that nasty old Jordan River! Out of all the Rivers, he wanted to send me to the Jordan. Why didn’t he send me to the clean Rivers of Damascus? Why didn’t he do it the way that I wanted him to do it! Why didn’t he do it my way!
vii. How many times have we questioned the ways that God decided to work in some of our situations? How many times have we questioned God and how he decides to perform?
V. Obedience is key!
A. It is better than sacrifice! And God demands it!
B. How many are glad we serve the God of Grace!
i. He could’ve nullified His Word and not heal Naaman because of his disobedience! But because of His unfailing love, he captured his heart by healing him
C. And Naaman finally obeyed the Word of the Lord and dipped 7 times in the Jordan
i. We need to stay after those we know who are living in disobedience to the Word of the Lord! God hasn’t given up on them! Sometimes we do, but God doesn’t!
ii. Describe each dip in the Jordan. (How he must of though how stupid he looked.) to (On the 6th dip he started having faith and said I don’t care how stupid I look, I am going to be healed!)
iii. Like the man at the pool of Siloam (Jesus spit in the dirt and made two mud balls and placed them in his eyes and said go and wash in the Pool of Siloam. He could’ve said, what did you just do? What are you doing putting mud balls in my eyes! But he went and washed and those 2 dead sockets became two eyes with 20/20 vision and that man when the Pharisees asked him who done this miracle for him said, “I don’t know, but all I know is that once I was blind, but now I can see.”
D. And when Naaman was healed he ran back to the man of God and testified that “there is no other God, except in Israel.” He gets the glory!
E. Don’t light your own fire! When miracles start happening in your life and in this Church people are going to start coming up to you, trying to lift you up and say, Oh, when you touched, or when you did this or when you did that! Or You healed me! You are to say no mamm, no sir, but it was Jesus! It was HIM! Because people need to know that there is no other name given among men by which we can be saved! That He is Way, the Truth and the Life! And that He is the God that healeth thee! He’s the God that restoreth your soul! He’s the God that leads you beside the still waters! He’s the God who calms the storms! He’s the God who fights your battles! He’s the God who strengthens thee! He’s the AUTHOR and the FINISHER of your faith! He’s the ALPHA and the OMEGA, the BEGINNING and the END! The First and the Last! There is no other God! He is Omnipotent! He is All-Powerful! He is Omniscience—All knowing! He is Omnipresence- He is everywhere! He is Almighty God! And He wants to heal you and restore and cleanse you and make you well.
F. Taking God with you when you go!
i. 17And Naaman said, Shall there not then, I pray thee, be given to thy servant two mules’ burden of earth? for thy servant will henceforth offer neither burnt offering nor sacrifice unto other gods, but unto the LORD.
ii. Describe the National God’s
iii. Remembering to praise God for your healing
1. Wherever you’re at!
2. Whatever the circumstance!
*Lord, please heal all who are hurting, afflicted, and Lord of heaven and Earth, heal those who are sick in body!
