The Message of Healing

Vincent Ongori

Midland SDA Church

September 7, 2013

Key Text : 2 Kings 5:1-14
Scripture Reading : 2 Kings 5:3

Intro:

Naaman: -Commander of the army of the king of Syria.
                 -Great and honorable before the eyes of his master….why ?
                 -Because by him the LORD had given victory to Syria
                -Mighty man of valor.…(Great courage in the face of danger, especially battle; fearlessness; bravery; courage; daring). 
                -BUT he was a leper.
Let me stop there and just expound on those issues:

(1) The LORD can use you, an individual, to be a source of blessing to a whole nation; and that is why before I started my sermon I clearly made mention that it is intended to you as an individual.
In this case, God used Naaman to give the nation of Syria , victory.
Lesson 1:
-“ Do not conform to the world, but be transformed by the renewing of the mind.” Romans
GOD’s ways are truly mysterious: how He can grant victory to a whole nation just because of one man, who in the first place was not from Israel, GOD’s chosen nation; speaks how mighty the LORD I serve.
But this also reminds me of Matthew 5:45- ‘…for He makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.’

Lesson 2:
-It’s never about going with the crowd but about standing out from the crowd. There is no better way to do this than having God dwell in you.
Verse 1 continues to tell us that Naaman was a mighty man of valor…BUT he was a leper. (Lepers were regarded as lesser beings in the society; and  in fact they were viewed as outcasts; but how Naaman overcame this stigma, we are not told but what I can learn from all these is that he chose to be a Victor and not a Victim.
Which brings me to Lesson No. 2 : GOD can use a perceived disadvantage to propel you to the highest of advantages. : How a leper becomes a commander of the king’s army, and  be regarded as great and honorable by the king is just amazing. But I am also reminded that my favorite book-the Bible  is full of similar examples:

Talk of Moses (a felon ,whom GOD called to go and lead the Israelites out of Egyptian captivity)

In all these I have come to conclude that circumstances, tough as they may be, can be likened to the furnace process, which burns out the dross,and at the end of it all you will come out shining.
Do I have a witness?

And as the saying goes: Behind every successful man, there is a woman….(and all the sisters say -Amen !)
Enter Naaman’s wife, reading vs 3, whom we find conversing with the captive young girl who was her maid.
The fact that she was conversing with a captive young girl speaks volumes about herself:
(i) She did not despise her given that she was a captive, more-so her maid.

(ii) She listened and heeded her advice; which can imply that they were in good terms, which gave   the young girl courage to suggest to her, “If only my master were with the prophet who is in Samaria! For he would heal him of his leprosy.”
(iii) She also cared for her husband.

This brings me to
Lesson 3: Wives care for your husbands.(That is self explanatory.)

-It will only be fair if I highlight qualities of the captive young girl.
We are not told her name, but that did not stop GOD from using her to bring about one of the greatest healing miracles in the Old Testament.
-She never let her captive status, stranger in a foreign land, cloud or dilute her faith in GOD.
Reminds me of Psalm 119:11-(Thy word have I hidden in my heart…..)
She instead overcame the Victim mentality by seeking the best for her master; not herself, but Instead of being BITTER, she made the BETTER or is it BEST  of the situation.
-There is something that I have learnt about GOD; He hides his blessings in mysterious places.
-When you let go of yourself, and let GOD; He can use you to accomplish much.
‘Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, the things the LORD  hath in store for those who love Him’
(1 Corinthians 2:9).

We then proceed to vs 4: Where we find Naaman reporting to the king, his master about this advice from the girl, and preparations for the journey.

The clarity of Naaman’s communication to the king-

-Preparation: Ten talents of silver, six thousand shekels of gold & ten changes of clothing.
-Remember the girl’s message was  ‘ if only he had been in Samaria’ no mention of these other extras.
-Reminds me that neither gold nor silver can buy me salvation….Salvation is only in the name of the LORD.
-Quick reminder to those evangelists-tele-evangelists: Call the 1-800 number on your screen right now and sow a seed to receive your Blessing.
Lesson 5: Protocol vs GOD’s Call-

In  vs 6. ‘No mention of the captive girl nor of the prophet in Samaria.
-The msg was out of context in totality, little wonder the king of Israel  responded as he did in vs 7: “ Am I GOD to kill & make alive, that this man sends a man to me to heal him of his leprosy? Therefore please consider, and see how he seeks a quarrel with me.”
-But God’s word shall never return to Him void, but shall accomplish what He (GOD) pleases…Isaiah  55:11
Enter the man of GOD:
-His name Prophet Elisha;  -His Father Shaphat; -His early life ,a farmer. His calling: Picked up the Elijah’s mantle while farming. -His training: Under  Prophet Elijah.  –His  style: Fearless; His witness: Peerless; His integrity: Priceless.

-It was Elisha who had saved a widow’s sons from enslavement by creditors over an unpaid debt by causing the oil in the widow’s jar to multiply, filling all the vessels including those borrowed even from neighbors; which was later sold and the proceeds used to pay-off the debt.

-It was Elisha who had brought back to life the Shunammite’s son who had died.

-Elisha knew how to “comfort the afflicted and afflict the comfortable”.

vs 8: So when Elisha the man of God, hears that the king of Israel had torn his clothes, that he  sends to the king saying, “Why have you torn your clothes ? Please let him come to me, and he shall know that there is a prophet in Israel.”
Powerful….Powerful… Elisha remembered how the Spirit of the LORD was always upon him & all those miracles GOD had performed through him.
-So is it with us ,my brothers and sisters:
We don’t need great numbers in non-believers but great believers in our numbers to experience such miracles.

-Vs9: Then Naaman went with his horses and chariots and he stood at the door of Elisha’s house. <quick flashback to Vs 3: this was the original message from the captive girl, but some unnecessary protocol  somehow caused a delay.>
-But Elisha does not even go to meet Naaman but instead sends his messenger to him saying , ‘go and wash in the Jordan seven times, and your flesh shall be restored to you, and you shall be clean.
-Vs 11: But Naaman became furious, and went away and said, “Indeed, I said to myself, ‘He will surely come out to me, and stand and call on the name of the LORD his GOD, and wave his hand over the place, and heal the leprosy.’”
Lesson 6: Its never about the messenger, but its all about the message.
GOD’s ways are not our ways;.. ‘For My thoughts are not your thoughts, Nor are your ways  My ways, says the LORD. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, And My thoughts than your thoughts.’ Isaiah 55:8-9.
For Naaman he wanted the healing to come his way, according to his status, and on his terms;
So is it with us today, instead of taking the Word to the world, we are bringing our ways, convenience included (worldly ways) to GOD’s word and worship.
…oh you know we have the bills to pay, so we need so & so, …in other words, its all about what one brings to the table …focus is not on spirituality and being moved by the Holy Spirit…but we have gotten so caught up by the bills till we have lost our Spiritual senses: but let me tell you saints:
‘If it is GOD’s will then the bill belongs to GOD;
If its GOD’s choice, the invoice is His.
Lets always seek GOD and acknowledge His ways. Amen??
To my last lesson-Lesson 7:Healing
(Give a quick recap of Lesson 1-6: for those taking notes)
Reading vs 12:
“Are not the Abanah and Pharpar, the rivers of Damascus, better than all the waters of Israel ?
Could I not wash in them and be clean? So he turned and went away in rage.
We have three rivers here: Jordan which GOD through Prophet Elisha has told Naaman to go and wash seven times in; and Abanah and Pharphar which Naaman prefers.

-At Calvary we had one cross on which Jesus Christ, He who was baptized at River Jordan, was crucified, and  two other crosses where the two other men were crucified for their acts.
-Jesus kept the 7^th day Sabbath holy, and His crucifixion brought salvation and healing to mankind because of their sins.

-For Naaman to be healed it required his servants to further speak to him to go and wash in the Jordan…vs 13….and when he did it his flesh was restored like the flesh of a little child. He was clean.

Today ,I am  like Naaman, I am a soldier in the LORD’s army,(sing & match)
God has given me victories -
-Tuition payer on the student accounts line
-Restored relationships
-Healed you of the disease
-Took care of my home, when it was all set for Foreclosure
-Saved you from the pink slip when all your colleagues were laid off
-Gave you that Grade which enabled you graduate, when all your classmates had to wait another Semester.
BUT I am a leper, and my leprosy is sin:

Romans 3:23 (For ALL have sinned and fallen short of GOD’s glory).
BUT thankyou GOD-Jehovah Rapha..GOD  my healer;I don’t have to go to Samaria to meet the Prophet;He sent Jesus,who was baptized at the Jordan and crucified at Calvary to heal and save me from my sins….That death meant that My sins are forgiven only if: I confess with my mouth & believe in my heart….surely I am saved.
Altar Call: