II Kings 5:1-14

1. leprosy, a type of sin
1. the sight of a leper would help us to understand the Bible teaching on the sinfulness of sin
2. most people have never seen leprosy
3. leprosy is a Biblical picture of the horrendous defilement that has seized our soul: sin
4. Naaman was a typical man, that was afflicted and covered with this typical disease
5. our text reveals how this typical sinner fares when he comes in contact with the Lord God Almighty
2. leprosy reveals the depth of our need
1. many people stumble at this (the depth of our need)
2. the vision of a leper is a sermon to all that see him
1. what leprosy is to the outward man, sin is to the inner man
2. leprosy is an miserable and incurable disease
3. how the Bible states the case of Naaman – 1
1. "captain of the host of the king of Syria"
2. "a great man"
3. "honorable"
4. "by him the Lord had given deliverance unto Syria"
5. "a mighty man in valor"
6. after making all these wonderful remarks about Naaman, the Bible adds "but he was a leper"
4. after boasting of all our goodness, the fact still remains that we are nothing but a hell bound sinner
5. when taken into God’s scales, and weighed in His balances, here is the end "he was a leper"
6. the Bible is not rude, it takes everything into consideration, but it will not speak false words
1. the Bible is an honest evaluation of what we are
2. the good, the bad, and the ugly
3. honestly speaking, we all have a very great need in our life (what to do about our sin)
3. the means of grace
1. little events can produce great events - 2
1. the wonderful story of God’s gracious dealings with Naaman turns upon a seemingly trivial incident
2. a band of thieving Syrians went into Israel , and took away this little maid
3. what a great work this little maid did
2. what this little maid did lives forever in the imperishable record of God’s Word (told him how to be saved) - 3
1. she gave a simple testimony
2. she had all the qualifications of a first-rate, successful preacher
1. she had a message
2. she spoke it simply, directly, and with great assurance
3. she spoke what she knew
4. there was a ring of sincerity and conviction in what she said
3. may God helps us all to speak like her
4. proclaiming the simple gospel - 3
1. on the surface, this little maids testimony may seem weak and foolish (she was just a little slave girl)
1. God has chosen the weak and base things to do His work
2. the things that are despised, He has chosen to give Him eternal fame and honor, and to save souls
2. who is the prophet that is in Israel
1. it is no longer Elisha, but it is the Lord Jesus Christ
1. the Prophet of prophets, the King of kings, the Lord of lords
2. He is the One with healing power
2. if we know Him, let us not only know Him in our hearts, but let us testify of Him before all men
3. our testimony can go places that we can not – 4
4. how they corrupted the simple gospel – 5
1. they went to the wrong person
2. they though money was necessary
5. the uselessness of any other way – 6-7
1. there are some things that kings and councilors, and priest and preachers cannot do
2. God will give His grace and mercy in only one way
3. we learn here that leprosy was regarded as incurable, and man has no power to cure it
4. sin is incurable, and there is no remedy but one (man cannot save a sinner)
5. the power of God
1. when all other ways fail, God is still seeking the lost sinner – 8
1. Elisha’s speech may seem like boasting, but it was the right kind of boasting [let him come to me]
2. Elisha was not lifting up himself, but the God who gave him the power he had
3. we re poor, weak, vile, and nothing; but the gospel we preach can change every sinner
2. the trial begins – 9-10
1. but who is on trial here
1. does Elisha have to prove that he is true, or that he can perform – NO
2. Naaman is the one on trial
3. God can only help those who humble themselves and believe
2. at first Naaman did not do very well when on trial – 11-12
1. Naaman is like a lot of people when they hear the gospel [but Naaman was wroth]
2. Naaman thought that any way should be OK, and that other ways were even better – 12
6. the leprosy of pride – 11 [I thought]
1. this is what is wrong with most of us (we put our thoughts above God’s thoughts)
2. leprosy was Naaman’s outward problem, and the leprosy of pride was his inward problem
1. he needed to be humbled before he could be healed
2. pride is what keeps most of us from being a happy a Christian
3. when a sermon is not what someone wishes or thinks it should be, the preacher gets an ugly verdict
4. our thoughts are nothing, when God speaks that settles it
7. the old gospel
1. many people have spoken in the same contemptuous way of the gospel
1. they call it old, narrow-minded, strict, and bigoted
2. in the day that we became aware of the impending doom for our sin, we changed our tune
3. when a man speaks against the gospel, they are showing the darkness of their heart or their ignorance
2. Naaman’s servant saw the simplicity of Elisha’s request – 13
1. the gospel message is so simple, "believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and be saved"
2. the simplicity of the old gospel message is a stumble stone for many
8. blessedness comes by obedience – 14 [and he was clean]
1. this is the gospel, are you willing to try it
1. the gospel will never prove its power in anybody as long as we criticize and question
2. the gospel is for believing and receiving
3. "taste and see that the Lord is good: blessed is the man who trusteth in Him"
2. Naaman had his god points, but he had leprosy
1. he had the sentence of death eating into him
2. hell has its mouth wide open while many are questioning and wanting another gospel
3. beggars should not be choosy (we are beggars at heavens gate)
3. Naaman gave into God, and he won
4. let all of us come to the simplicity of faith in Jesus Christ, who died for our sins, and rose again for our justification