Sermon – “He Almost Missed It!”

5 Now Naaman was commander of the army of the king of Aram. He was a great man in the sight of his master and highly regarded, because through him the Lord had given victory to Aram. He was a valiant soldier, but he had leprosy.^[a]

² Now bands of raiders from Aram had gone out and had taken captive a young girl from Israel, and she served Naaman’s wife. ³ She said to her mistress, “If only my master would see the prophet who is in Samaria! He would cure him of his leprosy.”

⁴ Naaman went to his master and told him what the girl from Israel had said. ⁵ “By all means, go,” the king of Aram replied. “I will send a letter to the king of Israel.” So Naaman left, taking with him ten talents^[b] of silver, six thousand shekels^[c] of gold and ten sets of clothing. ⁶ The letter that he took to the king of Israel read: “With this letter I am sending my servant Naaman to you so that you may cure him of his leprosy.”

⁷ As soon as the king of Israel read the letter, he tore his robes and said, “Am I God? Can I kill and bring back to life? Why does this fellow send someone to me to be cured of his leprosy? See how he is trying to pick a quarrel with me!”

⁸ When Elisha the man of God heard that the king of Israel had torn his robes, he sent him this message: “Why have you torn your robes? Have the man come to me and he will know that there is a prophet in Israel.” ⁹ So Naaman went with his horses and chariots and stopped at the door of Elisha’s house. ¹⁰ Elisha sent a messenger to say to him, “Go, wash yourself seven times in the Jordan, and your flesh will be restored and you will be cleansed.”

¹¹ But Naaman went away angry and said, “I thought that he would surely come out to me and stand and call on the name of the Lord his God, wave his hand over the spot and cure me of my leprosy. ¹² Are not Abana and Pharpar, the rivers of Damascus, better than all the waters of Israel? Couldn’t I wash in them and be cleansed?” So he turned and went off in a rage.

¹³ Naaman’s servants went to him and said, “My father, if the prophet had told you to do some great thing, would you not have done it? How much more, then, when he tells you, ‘Wash and be cleansed’!” ¹⁴ So he went down and dipped himself in the Jordan seven times, as the man of God had told him, and his flesh was restored and became clean like that of a young boy.

¹⁵ Then Naaman and all his attendants went back to the man of God. He stood before him and said, “Now I know that there is no God in all the world except in Israel. So please accept a gift from your servant.”

¹⁶ The prophet answered, “As surely as the Lord lives, whom I serve, I will not accept a thing.” And even though Naaman urged him, he refused.

¹⁷ “If you will not,” said Naaman, “please let me, your servant, be given as much earth as a pair of mules can carry, for your servant will never again make burnt offerings and sacrifices to any other god but the Lord. ¹⁸ But may the Lord forgive your servant for this one thing: When my master enters the temple of Rimmon to bow down and he is leaning on my arm and I have to bow there also—when I bow down in the temple of Rimmon, may the Lord forgive your servant for this.”

¹⁹ “Go in peace,” Elisha said.

⁹ In their hearts humans plan their course,
    but the Lord establishes their steps.

7 When Jesus had finished saying all this to the people who were listening, he entered Capernaum. ² There a centurion’s servant, whom his master valued highly, was sick and about to die. ³ The centurion heard of Jesus and sent some elders of the Jews to him, asking him to come and heal his servant. ⁴ When they came to Jesus, they pleaded earnestly with him, “This man deserves to have you do this, ⁵ because he loves our nation and has built our synagogue.” ⁶ So Jesus went with them.

He was not far from the house when the centurion sent friends to say to him: “Lord, don’t trouble yourself, for I do not deserve to have you come under my roof. ⁷ That is why I did not even consider myself worthy to come to you. But say the word, and my servant will be healed. ⁸ For I myself am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. I tell this one, ‘Go,’ and he goes; and that one, ‘Come,’ and he comes. I say to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.”

⁹ When Jesus heard this, he was amazed at him, and turning to the crowd following him, he said, “I tell you, I have not found such great faith even in Israel.”

I title my message this week he almost missed it God had a blessing God had a healing for an individual but he almost missed it you know if God had something good in store for you if he had a healing in store for you or a blessing of some sort would you want to miss it you want to receive what God has for you right you want to you want all that God has for you nominate ask him questions here and you can really you can wait to the end who believes they got is the creator of all things who believe that God is sustainer of life that every breath that we breathe is a gift from God who believes that God is all powerful who believes that God is All knowing that he knows all things how many believe that God knows what is best for you knows what is right for you I have one that believes all those things Ok I know I did I did Ok who believes all those things about God good everything goes up so you know what if we believe all those things about God that he has what’s best in store for us and knows what is best for us why should we ever disobey Him Why should we ever disobeyed Him we shouldn’t we should always obey everything that God reveals to us or speaks to us whether it’s something great or something small something difficult or something simple even obey him in the simple things the main context of today scripture is it’s a matter of obedience being obedient to what God has commanded you to do we’re going to look to 2nd Kings Chapter 5 verses one through 19 here the word of the board. Now naman the commander of the Army of the king of Syria was a great and audible 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 leopard and a serious had gone out on raids and had brought back captive a young girl from the land of Israel she waited on name as wife then she said to her mistress if only my master were with the prophet who is in Samarian for he would heal him of his leprosy and name and went and told his master saying thus and thus says the girl who was from the land of Israel and the king says 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 10 talents of silver 6000 shekels of gold and 10 changes of clothing then he brought the letter to the king of Israel what said now be advised when this letter comes to you that I have sent name and my servant to you that you may heal him of his leprosy and 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 a healed him of his leprosy Therefore please consider and see how he seeks a quarrel with me. So it was when the man of God heard that the king of Israel had torn his clothes that he sent to the king same why have you 20 your clothes please let him come to me and he shall know that there is a prophet in Israel that name and went with his horses and chariots and he stood at the door of the license house and he Lysa sent a messenger to him saying Go and Washington Jordan 7 times and your flesh shall be restored to you and you shall be clean but naman became furious and went away and said Indeed I said to myself He will surely come out to me and stand and call in the name of the Lord his God and wave his hand over the place and heal my leprosy or not the Abana before the rivers of Damascus the mascot’s better than the waters of Israel could I not wash in them and be clean so he turned and went away in a rage and 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 so he went down and dip 7 times in a 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 and he returned to the man of God with 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 but he said as the Lord lives before who must stand I will receive nothing and he urged him to take it but he refused so name and said then if not please let your servant be given to you loads of earth for your servant will no longer offer either burnt offerings or sacrifices to other gods but to the Lord yet in this thing May the Lord pardon your servant when my master goes into the temple with him on to worship there and he leans on my hand and I bow down in the temple rim on when I bow down in the temple rim on May the Lord please pardon your servant in this thing then he said Go in peace so he departed from from him a short distance they got out his blessings to the here and in the reading of His Holy Word let us pray Grace’s father we thank you and praise you for your word we thank you Father for the many stories and accounts of your interaction with mankind to reveal your Grace to reveal your love and reveal your power Father we thank you and praise you and father may your power be present today may your power nor just be in all of us that we would walk in your strength your might in your glory I pray your anoint in upon the word Today father that it would plant seeds that were grow in multiplied many times over to bear fruit for your kingdom father that’s why we’re here to bear fruit for your kingdom Father we thank you for your Grace thank you for your spirit and pray that all that we do would be for your glory and for your honor in Jesus’ name amen actually look at a little bit at the beginning the end of this then we’re going to go back to the beginning looking at Commentary some think it’s really strange that he asked for 2 mule loads of earth and he’s going to take back with him to Syria. And I think well it’s because he thinks there is no other God but the God of Israel so he wants a little bit of Israel to take back with him and that’s his way of saying I am worshipping the same God that he Lasher warships I’m going to honor him I’m not going to bow down to the false gods I’m not going to bow down to Romano anymore but he said then he asked for permission whenever my master which is the King when he goes into the temple he needs to lean a mile arm I need to continue to be faithful my service to the king which requires me to do this one thing please pardon me and that in a lie says Go in peace God knows your heart. He knows your heart our passage big passage begins with many accolades and praises towards naman declaring him to be a great and honorable man in the eyes of his master who has been heard Dodd the 2nd king of a ram in Damascus and he’s not just an ordinary commander not a commander of like a regiment like a sin ter in who would be in charge of a 100 men not even just of the commander who would be in charge of a 1000 men he is the commander of the entire army of Syria he would be like the defense secretary for the United States he’s over the entire army he was held in very high favor of the king because he had brought him many victories but all of these accolades a great an honorable man of valor of a great commander but he was a leper is following up with that but we don’t like that on the end of something to identify ourselves doing but he’s a pretty good guy but he has this issue we don’t like that you know this had to haunt him to be a man with such power. Such wealth and have no power over the disease of leprosy you know think about that in today’s world you know no matter how much power you have you can be the c.e.o. of a magnificent Fortune $500.00 company but one little sickness or disease can be that but on the end of your identity you can identify who you are a disease like cancer all the money in the world sometimes cannot save you from it heart disease they might repair some things but all the money and all the power at times cannot fix the son the smallest little disease right fill in the blank he’s a great man but he has this you know in the Old Testament leprosy was a disease in which there was no known cure it was an uncontrollable slow growing disease that would cause swollen lumps on the skin and also risk abs all over the body in severe cases there was a numb the sensation that caused a leopard to scratch in self and damages body unknowingly a leprous person would look scaly and often times very deformed their hair in their body was noticeably white would mate which made them easy to identify their bodies at times would begin to rot parts would become be formed fingers toes and sometimes feet would rot to the place where they would just fall off a leper would drag himself along in his voice would often sound gruff like a dog rallying a little bit like months of this morning the only hope in rest for the leper in a severe case would be death. Under the visible law that bars were considered unclean they were forced to separate themselves from public the mere touch of a leper brought on plainness what tell you one that wasn’t afraid to touch the leper and that was Jesus breathing the same air as a leper was thought to be dangerous when someone pronounced was pronounced leprous they were looked upon as dead and cast out they would live in a leper colony sometimes in caves sometimes intense they were commanded to wear certain clothing according to live it will all keep themselves a certain distance from other people so as to not contaminate them some of them had to wear bells they had to cry out unclean unclean so that people wouldn’t get too close to the rabbis viewed leprosy as test ties men from God because of more was use Thank the Lord that there are ways they can cure leprosy today naman however was not an Israelite so he didn’t fall under the law but apparently his leprosy was not so severe that it prevented him from carrying out his duties as commander of the Syrian army he was still able to carry that duty out a very courageous a very powerful man you know there’s a couple unsung heroes in our story today the 1st one is the young girl the young girl that was brought back captive from Israel in one of those raids where they sent out and brought captives back her role was just amazing the it’s very important in this passage she apparently had wonderful parents they believe that this girl may have only been 111213 years old is old Aziz young girl set up here on the film from Pew. But apparently she had pairs that taught her about the God of Israel apparently taught her about the prophet. In the power of the god used in a live show she knew these things we can see God’s divine providence in this whole story that he placed that little girl in that home that she would say if my master were in Israel but you know her actions reveal something else the graciousness in her character is such a young girl she could have been angry most probably would have been angry would have been angry with anybody that had anything to do with stealing her away from her parents more than if someone stole you away are you going to be mad yeah you’re going to be mad she could have been mad and said Ah she could have sacked can’t wait to his disease get so bad that his feet rot and fall but she didn’t she didn’t instead she said if only my master were with the prophet in my homeland I know I know he could heal him she genuinely cared for others even as a captive which is Jesus tell us to do Love your enemies pray for them what a contrast between her faith the faith of this young servant girl who knew him. In the king of Israel naming goes with this letter I know it’s a little odd that the king sent the letter to the king stead of straight to the prophet but the king of Israel lives or he did he should have known about a lie Should he says one who I’m odd God did I can heal him he says more than the pick a fight with May I it’s all he’s trying to do. Why didn’t he say there’s a prophet in I can’t do it but there’s a prophet in the life I know that he can heal you where was his faith apparently where it wasn’t work should have been right was it in the lodge the true God did work to rely ship would name him departed from Syria did you catch all that he took with him course he took a whole entourage of people with thing he took 10 talents of silver $6000.00 shekels of gold 10 changes of clothing in today’s standards that’s around $4000000.00 The gold is the gold price of gold right so naming goes of the Prophet with this letter with the power with the authority of the letter with all of this wealth What does that tell you anything does it speak anything to you it tells me he thinks he’s going to buy it that’s what it tells me he’s going to buy it I’m going to blah this feeling I’ve got all this money he gets in his fine chariot he’s going to the problem he’s going to buy his healing I can tell all of you one thing for certain God’s healing God’s power is not for sale it is not for sale if there is a pastor a preacher out there says where you send enough $1000.00 and you’re going to receive your healing just turn him off because God’s healing is not for sale if if God is truly working through a prophet or a preacher or whomever evangelist he’s going to give the gift that God has given him free because it is not for sale it is not for sale the profit refused it if you don’t name and also came not only with all of this stuff he came with a preconceived notion of how the prophet was going to heal him and you know I was a sing about this just the other day. And here’s what I thought about. The superintendent system superintendent called the other day and my phone says Hey says need to come to the office All right so I had a little trek to get there because I was away down services and I’m going up in this is the way the mine works and I don’t think it’s just me something what I do now. What I do that I do something wrong so then your mind. Going to get chewed out with them a month ago what did I do good maybe I did something good that’s our nature if we’re going to have to get called to the office or someone says we need to talk about something our minds begin to work don’t think our minds start reeling and we’re thinking what are they going to say what did I do all these things start going through a mind and usually it’s nothing right but name in areas he leaves Syria it looks to be in the neighborhood of 120 to 150 miles from Syria so they’re going by chariot now they’re not going out here and get an inner Toyota and get in there and a day or a couple hours so we’re looking probably at a couple or few days to get there so we have a lot of time for his mind the work of how this prophet he didn’t know his name he how’s he going to healing All right so he devised it all and he’s mine verse 11 said indeed I said to myself He will surely come to me in a stand and call in the lame of the Lord is God and who waved his hand over the place he’s going to heal my laughter see all right here he’s convinced he’s convinced the self that’s the way it’s going to happen don’t we sometimes do same thing we’re put God in a box don’t we hear God this is the way you need to operate against us and then in property 69 says a man’s heart plans his ways but the Lord directs his steps name is pride. It was almost his undoing he was too proud too stubborn to follow the prophet simple instructions he almost bypassed he almost missed his blessing God had in store for him he was furious number one because a prophet didn’t even bother to come out himself sent a messenger and I should knew who was out there he just sent his messenger out hey go tell the man to door to go deep in the Jordan 7 times he’ll be he’ll become one I’m a powerful men and you mean to tell he’s not even going to come out and greet me himself he don’t even think enough for me to send come to me and give the message himself sends a servant a messenger and to go dip in the Jordan Well there’s a 2nd thing that made him periods that filthy old Jordan River are not the rivers Abana and before much better much cleaner walking out go dip in them he went away in a huff Have you ever went away in a huff yet we have we have. You know there’s a passage in the New Testament were Jesus I’m going to kind of just jump to new test for a moment and welcome back Jesus has an interaction with the Inter in that is actually the complete opposite of this Luke 71 through 9 now when he concluded all his sayings in the hearing of the people he entered Capernaum and a certain Centurion servant who was dear to him was sick and was ready to die so when he heard about Jesus he sent elders to of the Jews to him pleading with him to come to heal his servant and when they came to Jesus they’ve begged him earnestly saying that the one for whom he should do this thing was deserving for he loved our nation as build us a synagogue that Jesus went with them and when he was already not far from the house this in Turkey and sent friends to him so in this case this inter incented messengers not the prophet said the messengers to him saying to him Lord do not trouble yourself for I am not worthy that you should enter under my roof therefore I did not even think myself worthy to come to you but say the word in my servant will be healed for I also may man placed under authority having soldiers under me and I say to one go and he goes another come and he comes into my servant do this and he does it when Jesus heard these things he marveled in itself and turned around and said to the crowd that followed him I say to you I have not found such great faith not even in his room so this commander was so humble that he didn’t think himself worthy to go to see Jesus name and was so proud that he wouldn’t obey the word if you. Sent him a from a messenger if a lie sure would have told naman we need you to go and conquer this land. And you’ll be healed of your leprosy while he would a jump back in his chariot and say Man let’s go we’re going to lead the charge we’re going to go get some more troops we’re going to conquer this land that I might be healed of this dreadful disease to go deep in the Jordan friends think about this for just a moment this disease that there’s no cure for does it not seem almost too easy doesn’t it to me you think about it it almost seems too easy come on disavow or gone into water and dip down. Come on it’s quite amazing to me that the servants in this story are the heroes there are they here I mean except for. But they’re the unsung heroes if you will 1st the servant girl with the great Faith said that my master was only with them and then name and servant who was wise enough to say to him Father if the prophet had told you to do something great would you not have done it how much more than just to go dip into Jordan to do this simple thing it took a servant to calm him down to calm that rage and say Master you’ve got nothing to lose I’m paraphrasing here you’ve got nothing to lose right you might get a little dirty and not money all Jordan and if it doesn’t work then you can go to them other rivers and wash off but you have nothing to lose Benjamin Franklin said there is perhaps not one of our natural passions so hard to subdue as pride beat it down stifle it mortified as much as one pleases it is still alive even if I could can see that I had completely overcome it I would probably be proud of my humility. Well I watched a feat of 20 guys today where I watched feet of $25.00 you know we would be proud of our humility we can be helpless more not to be prideful in our humility God knew that naman needed more than a physical healing didn’t he knew that he needed healing will need inside because he was full of himself full of himself I mean he went away from there in a huff he jumped in his fancy chair and I listened there wealthy would he take with him almost $4000000.00 worth by today’s standards so he jumped in his fancy chariot it had mag wheels leather seats and all that stuff fancy chariot and went away in a huff I’m not listening to him but that services master Father listen it’s not that big of a deal not that big of a deal obey obey this simple thing that the prophet has commanded and see if you’ll be healed Can you imagine when he finally humbled himself he gets out of his chariot that fine chariot walks down to the river banks and all his guys are there they’re watching their stand on the river banks watching what’s going to happen what would happen if he to walk down in there and only dip 3 times and said I’m not doing this what would happen nothing exactly he would have been healed he could’ve been a little bit dirty from that water right he wouldn’t have been healed God needed naman to humble oneself by friends he wants us to humble ourselves he does not want to us to do it our way that’s a problem today many people want to do it their way we want to do things our way we want to have our own way we don’t want someone telling us what to do or how to do it we want to be able to say I did it my way don’t worry I did it my way. Friends God’s way is always the right way he wants us to come to the place where we say God is right therefore I will Bay even if it means humbling myself how many myself to go dip in that dirty old Jordan if God had told naman to do that great thing as I said Surely he would have done it but here’s the problem he would have thought he had earned that healing wouldn’t I did does great thing therefore I earned this he and I contributed to that healing the humbling process revealed to him who God really was in a god must be humbly obeyed great ending in verses 1516 and 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 it’s kind of like it’s some kin for the light bulb came on now I know that there is no God in all the earth except in his room now therefore please take a gift from your servant but he said as a lord live before whom I stand I will receive nothing and he urged him to take it but he refused we need to a bay God’s word obey God’s directions obey his voice obey the spirit whatever speaking to you we need to obey it even when it doesn’t make sense sometimes that’s a tough one because we like to make sense we like to think what the outcome’s going to be don’t we my friends even if it doesn’t make sense obey him all those who serve God my friends should not be doing it for financial gain but out of love out of a 1000000000 so the Lord. Refused to give to my friends God is a giver not a taker and if we are working for him we should be a giver and not a taker. Name is healing from leprosy is also wonderful picture of our salvation from sin isn’t it simple faith simple beauty and see fees and 2 for through 10 the God who is rich in mercy because of his great love with which he loved us even when we were dead in our trespasses made us alive together with Christ by grace you have been saved and raised us up together and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus that in the age to come he might show the exceeding riches of His grace in his kindness toward us in Christ Jesus For by grace you have been saved through faith that not of yourselves it is a gift of God Not of works lest anyone should boast for we are His workmanship created in Christ Jesus for good works which God prepared before him that we should walk in them so my friend’s name and story is a wonderful picture he couldn’t earn it he just had to do that simple thing and obey and that is where our faith in our hope and eternal life lies simply obey obey have the faith of a child of friends that’s where it begins as a child trust their parents will trust in and then know that they’re going to protect them keep them in watch over them that’s a simple faith it takes to trusting God we’re not going to earn it we could have all the money in the world we could do all the amazing great deeds in the world that is not going to save us we could preach to thousands we could preach to millions that is not going to save our Billy Graham with one time say I’m not going to heaven because after each to millions of people. I too may want to have an only because of the work of Jesus Christ on the cross because of the blood that he shed in my faith my simple faith in Him It’s our simple faith in God trust in him obeying him in the great things but also and those little things trust him and do not miss the blessing that God has in store for you how simple to walk down in that river and receive such an amazing blessing so remember that when we go about or our lives in our and the things that we do even those simple things we could receive a great blessing but give him the glory on a 4 day men.