Sermon Preached By Rev. Kendrick D. Weaver - July 9, 2006

2 Kings 5:1-14

No matter how successful, prosperous and happy a person’s life may be there is always at least one thing that a person would like to change about it. If you have a lot of resources, then the relationships in your life are in disarray. If your relationships are great, then your resources are limited. If you have a lot of influence and popularity, then you have low self-esteem. If you are happy then you are not healthy. If you are healthy then you are not happy. If you thrive in professional settings, then you lag behind in social ones. If you have plenty of free time, then you are bored out of your mind. If you have fulfilling activities, then you don’t have enough time. If you have a great marriage then you can’t control your kids. If the kids are doing great, then you and your spouse are on rocky ground.  

There is always something.  There is always that one thing, that thorn in the flesh. If we could just make it go away or fix it, then everything else would be OK; we would be made whole.  We would be healed. 

Naaman was a person who had it all.  He was a successful commander. He was wealthy. He had a loving wife. He had the full support and confidence of the King.

He had people waiting on and attending to his family. He had the respect of an entire country. But Naaman still had one thing that he wanted to change about his life: his leprosy. Naaman spent his entire life trying to get rid of that one thing that was interfering with his picture perfect life; he spent his entire life trying to be made whole. 

I.  God Granted Naaman’s Success

Being a commander with all the perks that went along with it was the aspect of Naaman’s life that he was pleased with and wanted to keep.  His leprosy was the part of his life where he wanted God to be present and to change.  But the scriptures tell us that God was already present assisting Naaman in being a successful commander.  Naaman wanted God to do something for him, but he did not realize that God was already doing plenty.  Sometimes when we ask God to take care of something, we approach God as if he is not already taking care of the many other things going well in our lives. 

There was a son who was doing very well for himself and had recently moved into a new house.  One day the son notice that the sink in his upstairs bathroom was leaking.  At first he thought to call a contractor, but then he remembered that his father was very handy and he had immediate access to him.  He called his dad and said, “Dad, I have a leaky sink in my upstairs bathroom.  Do you think you can come over and fix it for me?”  The father responded, “Sure, son I will be right there.”  The father came to the son’s house.  The son opened the door and said, “Dad it is so good to see you.  You haven’t been over in a while; let me show you some of the updates that I have made to the house.”

The son took the father to look at the back yard and said, “Yeah, Dad, I have the greenest grass in the entire neighborhood.  I planted a vegetable garden on this side and a flower garden on that side. Everyone always compliments me on my yard.”  The son showed the father his deck.  “I decided to enclose the deck and create a little green room.  And then I placed a patio next to the deck.”  The son took the father inside the house.  “I put hardwood floors in the kitchen, living room and dining room. They are made from the finest wood available.”  Then the son looked around and said, “Yup, I am really glad I was able to scrape the money together to get this place. Dad, as you can see, I have everything else under control, if you can just fix that leaky sink I will be fine.”

The father looked at the son and smiled.  “Son, what do you mean you have everything else under control and that you just need me to help with the leaky sink?”

“Who was the one that taught you how to cut the grass?”

“You were Dad.”

“Who was the one that taught you how to plant gardens?”

“You were.”

“Who was the one that sent the contractors over to your home to build your patio and deck?”

“You were.”

“Who was the one that helped you lay down those hardwood floors?”

“You were.”

“Who was the one that gave you the money for the down payment on this home?”

“You were Dad.”

“So what do you mean all that you need me to do is to fix this leaky sink.  I am the reason why you even have a sink.”              

Before you open your mouth and make any request about how you want your life to be, acknowledge all that God has already done.  Most of the problems that you have reveal the blessings that you have received.  Having impaired health conditions reveals that you have been blessed with the gift of life. Having a turbulent marriage reveals that you have been blessed with a spouse. Having a difficult, problematic child reveals that you been blessed with the life of a child. Feeling the pain of losing a loved one reveals that you have been blessed by someone that loved you and impacted your life. Not having a nice home reveals that you have been blessed with having a home. Not having the best parents reveals that you have been blessed by having some parents. Not having enough resources reveals that you have been blessed to have some resources. The problems that you have expose the blessings that you have received. Before you ask God for anything first acknowledge how much God has blessed you. God was the reason for Naaman’s success. 

II. A Little Girl Believed

On one of Syria’s conquests a little girl from Israel was captured and assigned to attend to Naaman’s wife.  This girl was combing the wife’s hair one day and she said, “You know that is too bad what happened to your husband because I know a man who serves a God that can cure him of his condition.”

            The girl believed that Naaman could be better off than he currently was.  Naaman’s healing began with a belief that he could be cured. Healing begins to manifest to the surface with some kind of faith that improvement is possible.

III. Elisha wants Naaman to be Clean

Naaman finally locates Elisha.  He approaches the prophet’s house in his chariot and waits for the prophet to come to him.  Elisah sends out his messenger, who tells Naaman to go to the Jordan, wash in it seven times and he will be cured and cleansed. We must distinguish being cleansed from being cured.  To be cured is to have a physical problem solved.  To be cleansed is to be placed back into your proper relationship with God.  The Jordan River was considered a sacred river where Yahweh’s spirit and presence manifested itself.  Seven was a number of completion and fulfillment. Elisha told Naaman, “Completely surround yourself with God’s presence and not only will your leprosy go away but you will be placed back into a proper relationship to the creator.” 

There was this mother who wanted to teach her young daughter how to bathe by herself.  On the first day the mother tried to get her daughter to bathe by herself she ran some bath water, went into the girl’s room and said, “Alice, go take a bath.”  The girl went into the bathroom, placed one foot in the bathtub, placed her hands in the tub, splashed some water on her face, dried off and went to bed.  The mother inspected the girl and saw that she had dirt all over her.   The next day the mother tried again.  She ran some bath water, went into the girl’s room and said, “Alice, go take a bath.” The girl went into the bathroom, placed one foot in the bathtub, placed her hands in the tub, splashed some water on her face, dried off and went to bed.  The mother inspected the girl and again saw that she had dirt all over her.  After this continued to occur for a week, the mother became very frustrated and decided to take a different approach.  She ran some bath water, went into the girl’s room and said, “Alice, go make yourself clean.”  The girl asked, “How do I make myself clean?”  The mother responded, “First, you must put your body completely in the water.  Second, you must use some soap, then you will be clean.”            

            Some of us are washing in the water of God’s grace. We are trying. We are making some effort to be clean.  We are making some effort to be in a proper relationship with God, but we are missing the soap. We are missing the connection with Christ that we need. Isaiah 1:16 says, “Wash and make yourself clean.”  1 John 1:7 says, “The blood of Jesus, his Son, cleanses us from all sin.” In order to be healed you must be made clean.  In order to be healed you must establish a relationship with Christ, which places you back into a proper relationship with God. 

IV. Naaman Was Elevated

Naaman received his command from Elisha. Instead of immediately doing what Elisha had said, Naaman allowed his preconceived notions, standards and knowledge to interfere with taking Elisha’s advice. Naaman was standing in his chariot; he was elevated over everything and everyone else.  He was elevated by his observations of other people being cured. He was elevated by the stories that he heard of how a healing was suppose to happen. He was elevated by his knowledge of the purest rivers in the region. He was elevated by his status and accomplishments. But as long as Naaman was elevated in his chariot, was elevated by what he knew and who he was, he would never  be able to step down into the Jordan where his healing was. In order for you to be healed you must step down from your elevated position. Your knowledge, titles, status and ego can sometimes be the greatness hindrance to your healing.

V. Naaman Becomes Young

Naaman dipped himself in the Jordan seven times and he was cured and cleansed. The text tells us that his skin became like that of a young child. Notice Naaman’s healing was closely tied to youth. Naaman found out about Elisha from a young girl.

Naaman was convinced to follow Elijah’s orders by younger servants (who addressed him as father).  Naaman had to become like a little child.  He had to let go of his adult experience, knowledge and ego to receive his healing.  “I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.” (Matthew 18:3)

In order to be healed you must become like a child.  You must become open to the possibility that the world can be radically different from how you know it and have experienced it.  You must become naive enough to believe that Jesus Christ can actually change your life and the lives of everyone you know.