Sermon Central
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Throwing Away Our Trash
Contributed by Joe Rowland on Aug 3, 2009 (message contributor)
Summary: Do we have things in our lives that God has been dealing with us about? Maybe we do things or say things that we ought not to say or do. It is time to throw away our trash and serve Jesus with a whole heart.
Throwing Away Our Trash
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.
I have entitled this today: “Throwing Away Our Trash”
Leprosy in the Old Testament was a type of the Spiritual condition of unregenerate man.
There was no earthly cure for Leprosy, just as there is no earthly cure for sin.
Naaman was Captain of the host of the king of Syria, He was a great man with his master, and He was honorable, because by him the LORD had given deliverance unto Syria: he was also a mighty man in valour,
All of these great things said about Naaman in verse one did not save or heal him; he was still a leper.
And so are the untold millions in the world who think their state, status and position mean something with God, they don’t.
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.
This “little maid” would figure prominately in history; the Holy Spirit does not even give her name; however her testomony would affect nations.
It would have been very easy for her to be bitter, morose and angry toward God, for Him allowing her to be taken captive away from her land and her family and made a slave in Syria.
She exhibited none of these evil traits, she retained her testimony. The things that she did not understand, she left in the hands of God. What an example!
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.
In effect what she is saying, “I know somebody who knows somebody who knows what to do for you.
One went in and told his Lord, saying, thus and thus saith 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.
Man, in reality, has always been trying to buy something from God, when in reality the Lord has nothing for sale; it is all a free gift.
Joh 3:16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
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.
