Once Upon A Time
To my sons,
It's dad again with some more words. If I had something to do over again it would have been that from the time you could remember your dad would
have been with you every time your mother took you to church. Big mistake on my part. You see, when you were very young I did not teach you to have a relationship with God.
Big mistake. Anyway that is the past. So I'll keep trying to help you to become a much better man, husband and father then I.
I did the invitation at midweek bible study last Wednesday, please read it.
Your dad loves you.
2 Kings 5
1 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.
2 Now bands 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 of silver, six thousand shekels 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 any of 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.
Once upon a time, these words are the beginning of a story. We all just love to hear stories. I know my grand kids are happy recipients of a story. Just the words of "once upon a time" get these kids ready for a word adventure. I can see their faces and imaginations getting ready for the word journey.
We have a story here in 2 Kings 5:1. Once upon a time there was a man named Naaman. Naaman is the character of our story. You know not all stories find the ending of happily ever after.
I'll let you think about the week of news you have listened to, it was bad news wasn't it? I don't know about you but I'm in need of some good news. We are in need of some good news.
Once upon a time there was a man named Naaman. We find Naaman in this book of the Bible. Some people like to look at the Bible as a compilation of many different books. I like to look at the Bible as one story. It is the story of the relationship of God with man. In this book we can find the cause and the nature of all of our trouble. Most importantly it is a book of direction towards happily ever after.
Once upon a time there was a man named Naaman. And Naaman lived in a very desirable place. Damascus was a beautiful city. It was well watered; it was the center of influence in that day.
In the city there was a man named Naaman. And Naaman was probably envied because he had wealth, he had power, he had position. You see Naaman was a Commander of the Kings army. People reported to him. He was a great man in the site of his master. The King viewed him as a great man.
The good news: He had possessions. We know he had at least three quarters of a million in gold alone. That doesn't even take in to account the value of the silver and all of his other assets. The bad news: Naaman had leprosy, you can read this at the end of verse one.
His context was that he lived in a very desirable place but his condition; he was leprosies. He had everything but he had a spoiling and separating condition. The physical condition of Naaman represents the spiritual condition of men and women today, sin. And this is the condition that separates us from God.
And we can say I have accomplished this and that. However we all have a "but" towards the end of our story.
Leprosy is no respecter of persons. Just as sin is no respecter of persons. None of us are without sin. Sin subtracts from our happiness, it is ugly just as leprosy is ugly.
This world, they may make immorality look so wonderful, but it is ugly. They may make the desire for riches look so appealing, but greed is ugly. In fact the economic pressure we are all feeling today is a result of greed. And soon those men and their sins will be revealed. The quest for power, position and authority, that you don't know who I am attitude is ugly. Look at verse 11 where Naaman became angry because he was not consulted or included in the details of his cure. In short Naaman and Naaman's ego exceeds his authority.
Leprosy and sin are both terminal human conditions. Just like Naaman we are all just miserable.
The good news is that there is a cure. Remember it is a story about God's relationship with man. And sin separated us from God in Genesis. But God had a plan to send His Son to walk among us. Jesus gave us all instruction in His gospel and then He was that perfect sacrifice so that our sins can be forgiven and remembered no more.
If you are in need of His forgiveness don't wait. If you have one side of you saying "Go be baptized" And another side holding you back. The side of you saying "Go be baptized" is the new you but the old you is holding you back. Become the new you. It is He that is calling you, not me. He is saying "Come follow me". You are being invited to join Him on a path towards heaven.
Contributors: Alistair Begg; Indiucky