We're going to begin our worship this evening by singing to God's praise in Psalm 27 in the
Sing Psalms. We're singing verse 1 to verse 5. The Lord's my Savior and my light, who will make me
dismayed. The Lord's the stronghold of my life. Why should I be afraid? When evildoers threaten
me to take my life away, my adversaries and my foes, they will stumble in that day. We're going
to sing from verse 1 to 5. The tune is St. Columba, and we'll stand to sing.
St. Columba, and we'll make me dismayed. When evildoers threaten me to take my life away,
my adversaries and my foes, they will stumble in that day. Although an army hands me in,
my heart will feel no dread. Though war against me should arise, I will lift up my head.
one thing that I need before the Lord, and this I'll see always, that I may come within
in the cross-house and dwell in cross-house and dwell there all my days.
and in the cross-house and dwell there all my days.
on the beauty of the Lord, I constantly believe in his, and in his mouth may seem to know
the direction in the cross-house and dwell there all my days.
the beauty of the Lord, and in his way.
the beauty of the Lord, I constantly believe in his, and in his mouth may seem to know
the direction in his ways.
the beauty of the Lord, and in his dwelling is, and in his dwelling is, and in his ways.
the meaning is, and in his ways.
the beauty of the Lord, and in his dwelling is, and in his ways.
May seem to know
Direction in His ways
For in His dwelling
He will be
Be safe in trouble
Will face
Within His tent
He'll shelter me
And on and on
Be raised
Let's unite her
Hearts in prayer
Let us pray
Lord our God
Our Father in Heaven
The privilege is ours
To come and draw near
To You in worship
The joy is ours
To know that You are a God
Who delights
In Your people coming
And to draw near to You
And to offer up
Praise from the very bottom
Of our hearts
Rejoicing in the fact
That You alone
Are our salvation
That in You alone
There is salvation
For all who will come
And put their trust
In the Lord Jesus Christ
And we thank You
That the Gospel
Is an open invitation
That there are no restrictions
Put on it
But that there is a free offer
Through the Gospel
We thank You
That the Word
Became flesh
And dwelt among us
And we thank You
That the beauty of Christ
Has been seen
And indeed is seen
In this world
That there were many
Who gazed upon the Lord
Who saw His works
Who saw His miracles
Who spoke of them
Who marveled at them
That we thank You
That the greatest one
Of all
That was those
Who could say
He is not here
For He is risen
We thank You
That there is such great hope
In those words
That though there were many
Who looked on
As our Lord
Was led to the cross
And as He was crucified
And as He gave His life up
That there was much sorrow
In that time
As there was darkness
Over all the earth
We thank You
For the resurrection morning
We thank You
For the power
He has
Over conquering death
And that in Jesus Christ
Now
We know the beauty
Of salvation
We know the delight
To be able
To come near to Him
And we pray
That even this evening
We will have that
Great longing
Of the psalmist
That one thing
We'll plead
Before the Lord
That we will seek it always
That we may come in
Within God's house
And dwell there
All our days
That we would see
The beauty
Of the Lord
And gaze constantly
Upon Him
We thank You
That that is not just seen
Here in this place
But even as we leave here
This evening
Help us to fix our eyes
On our Lord
And Saviour
Jesus Christ
The one who heals
Our sin sick hearts
The one who
If we come in repentance
And confessing
Our sins anew
He is able to cleanse us
From all our sin
So we acknowledge
Lord before You
And You this evening
Our shortcomings
How we are a people
Who falls short
Of Your glory
In so many ways
You know the wickedness
And the deceit
Of our hearts
As the word says
The heart is wicked
Beyond all things
And we know Lord
In our own experience
In our day to day lives
How easy it is
For us to sin
How often we say
The wrong thing
How often we do
The wrong thing
How often the wrong thoughts
Come into our minds
How often our inaction
Is sin as well
But we thank You
That there is yet
Forgiveness with You
And so we come as sinners
Before a holy God
This evening
Pleading with You Lord
Have mercy upon us
And direct us
Towards You
Lead us in our worship
Lift up our hearts
And our souls
To You this evening
So whatever our circumstances
Whatever our situation
We may find that great joy
Of salvation
Restored to our hearts
We thank You
That You are the one
Who is able
That we come before You
With powerless hands
And lips
We thank You
For the power of Your Spirit
We thank You
For the power You have
To work in and through us
And so we plead
Lord Your presence with us
That You will draw near to us
As we draw near to You
Bless all our homes
And families
As we unite our hearts
Together here
Bless the homes
We reach into
Through the online services
As well
And all who are
Unable to be with us
For such a variety
Of reasons
We thank You
That we have the means
To
For the gospel
To go out
We pray that You will bless it
To all ends of the earth
Not just the gospel
Preached here today
But throughout
Our denomination
Throughout our churches
Throughout all the churches
Of the world today
Wherever Your people
Have gathered
As Your church
That wherever Your name
Has been praised
That there will be much glory
Given to You
We pray for the work
Of salvation
To be seen and known
Far and wide
But we thank You
That Your gospel
Is not confined
In any way
Not limited in any way
And even as we see
In our reading this evening
That Your word
Is powerful
To convict
And to convert
And so we pray
For that power
To be with us
As we hear Your word
And as we come
To study it together here
We know Lord
That You know
Our very hearts
And our innermost thoughts
And we thank You
That as we come
In prayer
We come rejoicing
In the hope
That You are the one
Who is able to answer
Above and beyond
All that we ask
Or imagine
We thank You
That as we ask
For comfort
In our prayers
That You are able
To comfort
Beyond the comfort
We even imagine
That we cannot enter
Into the experiences
Of Your people
At times
In the hurt they feel
In the anxieties
They have
In those who are
Downcast in their hearts
Sorrowful in their souls
But we thank You
That You are the one
Who is able to uplift
That You are the one
Who is able to encourage
And so we pray
For all
Who we know
And love
And care for
Who are going
Through difficult times
Times of sorrow
Times of illness
Times of grief
We do pray Lord
For Your hand
To be upon them
For good
That they would know
That You are the one
Who is faithful
And always ever present
That You are the one
Who is near
We pray Lord
For our communities
At this time
We know that there's
Been so much activity
Around the town
These past days
We do thank You
For many people
We've met
And spoken to
We do pray Lord
That even from
This morning's
Breakfast
That there will be
Many seeds
That have been
Sown there
That will be
Blessed by You
Thank You
For every engagement
That was made
With people in the hall
Thank You
For those who came
Into the worship service
And maybe even here
This evening too
Those who are visiting
With us
We pray Your blessing
On each and every one
And we do thank You Lord
That You are a God
Who is able to unite us
As a people
Through praise
And worship
We thank You
For the families
Who are present
This morning
For the baptisms
We thank You
For the children
Who are baptized
We continue to pray
Your blessing on them
We thank You
For that great covenant
Promise that there is
And we pray
That You will draw
These children
And all our children
To know the covenant
Promise of Christ
Fulfilled in Him
That they through faith
Might come to confess Him
As their Lord and Saviour
Look after all our young people
During these holiday times
Remember especially those
Who are at camps just now
We continue to pray
For the camps
That continue to meet
In this week
And the week ahead
The weeks ahead
We ask Your safety
And Your protection
And Your blessing
Over each and every one
Of the leaders
And all the activities
They are involved in
And the children
Lord may they hear
The gospel good news
And may they be blessed
By it
We do pray for
The ongoing work
Of the church
Throughout our nation
And the nations of the world
How we need Your light
To go forth
And with power
Into our
Into every nation
Of the world
To bless our leaders
To bless those
Who rule over us
To bless those
Who have such
Desires for evil
In this world
When we think of war
And terrorist activities
And greed
And all of the things
That direct our hearts
So often
We pray for You
To melt the hardest
Of hearts
To bring grace
And to bring mercy
And to bring repentance
And to bring glory
To Your name
So we continue to pray
For the needs of our world
For Your protection
Over us as a people
For Your blessing
To be upon us
For Your reviving power
Of Your spirit
To be with us
Even in this time together
May You continue
To bless us this day
And look after us
And go before us
In the days ahead
Direct our steps
And our paths
Encourage our hearts
And give us lips
That will always sing
Your praise
And witness for You
So Lord continue
With us now
In our praise
As we continue
To worship You
Forgive us all our sins
And all we ask
We ask the forgiveness
Of all our sin
In Jesus name
Amen
We'll again sing
To God's praise
In Psalm 125
In the Scottish Psalter
You'll find this
On page 429
Psalm 125
Page 419
We'll sing the whole
Of this Psalm together
Then the Lord
That firmly trust
Shall be like Sion Hill
Which at no time
Can be removed
But standeth ever still
We'll sing
The whole of this Psalm
The tune is St. Andrew
And we'll stand
To sing
From the Church
Amen.
Okay.
We turn together to read in God's Word, a reading in the Old Testament and in the book of 2 Kings.
2 Kings chapter 5.
We're reading from the beginning of the chapter down to the middle of verse 19.
2 Kings chapter 5, reading from the beginning of that chapter.
1 Kings chapter 5, reading from the beginning of that chapter.
he is seeking a quarrel with me. But when Elisha, the man of God, heard that the king of Israel had
torn his clothes, he sent to the king, saying, Why have you torn your clothes? Let him come now to me,
that he may know that there is a prophet in Israel. So Naaman came with his horses and chariots
and stood at the door of Elisha's house. And Elisha sent a messenger to him, saying,
Go and wash in the Jordan seven times, and your flesh shall be restored, and you shall be clean.
But Naaman was angry and went away, saying, Behold, I thought that he would surely come out to me and
stand and call upon the name of the Lord his God, and wave his hand over the place and cure the leper.
Are not Aban and Farpar, the rivers of Damascus, Beth and all the waters of Israel?
Could I not wash in them and be clean? So he turned and went away in a rage. But their servants came
near and said to him, My father, it is a great word the prophet has spoken to you. Will you not do it?
As he actually said to you, Wash and be clean. So he went down and dipped himself seven times in the
Jordan according to the word of the man of God. And his flesh was restored like the flesh of a little
child, and he was clean. Then he returned to the man of God, he and all his company, and he came
and stood before him. And he said, Behold, I know there is no God in all the earth but in Israel,
so accept now a present from your servant. But he said, As the Lord lives before whom I stand,
I will receive none. And he urged him to take it, but he refused. Then Naaman said, If not, please,
let it be given to your servant two mule loads of earth. For from now on, on your servant,
on your servant will not offer burnt offering or sacrifice to any God but the Lord. In this matter,
may the Lord pardon your servant. When my master goes into the house of Rimon to worship there,
leaning on my arm, and I bow myself in the house of Rimon, when I bow myself in the house of Rimon,
the Lord pardon your servant in this matter. He said to him, Go in peace.
And so on. And may God bless that reading from his word to our souls. We're going to sing again
before we turn back to this passage in Psalm 31. We're singing the Sing Psalms version. Psalm 31 on
page 36 of the Psalm books. I'm going to sing from verse 1 to verse 7. In you I have taken refuge,
Lord. You are my shelter in distress, so let me never be ashamed, but save me in your righteousness.
We're going to sing verse 1 to verse 7, and the tune is Rockingham, and we'll stand to sing.
in you I have taken refuge, Lord. You are my shelter in distress. Oh, let me never be ashamed, but save me in your righteousness.
Lord, turn you here to hear my cry. How quickly to be dear to hear my cry. How quickly to be dear to hear my cry.
Lord, deliver me, and bring my love and firm defense, my stronghold and security.
You are my fortress and my love. You are my fortress and my love. For you may save me, my sure guide.
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O God of truth, my spirit I commit to you.
I hate all those who trust false gods.
I trust the Lord, for he is true.
I will rejoice and take delight in all the love that you have shown.
For my affection you have seen.
To you, my soul's distress is known.
Amen.
Well, if we can turn back to our reading in 2 Kings 5.
We want to consider these verses we've read.
Together we read of this man called Naaman.
Naaman, who was, as we read in verse 1, commander of the army of the king of Syria.
He was a great man with his master and in high favor, because by him the Lord had given victory to Syria.
He was a mighty man of valor, but he was a leper.
And so it goes on.
There are many things that we maybe think are hidden from others in this life.
Many things that we probably know in our own hearts that we're glad that people don't know about us.
But God's word reminds us that there is nothing hidden from the Lord.
You know, in the psalm we just sang, Psalm 31.
In verse 7 we read these words.
For my affliction you have seen.
To you my soul's distress is known.
And in the midst of Naaman's life, in the midst of everything that was good in his life, as he would see it himself,
there was something that was a great affliction to him.
But almost unbeknown to him, the Lord had a great plan and a greater plan for him than anything that he could have planned in his own heart.
And that's what we want to look at this evening as we come to look at this passage.
One of the many things that people will look forward to on a Sunday, and perhaps you've already enjoyed this afternoon,
is to sit down to a nice meal.
To sit down and enjoy maybe a traditional Sunday roast.
Gathered around the table, maybe with family and friends.
Sometimes it's hard to beat, just a nice roast and all the trimmings.
But with it comes another issue.
The dishes.
There may be a rush to come and sit at the table when everyone's called, that the food is ready.
But then once all the food is gone, once all the food has been devoured,
there'll be a different kind of rush.
And that's the rush away from having to do the dishes.
We'll leave that for someone else to do.
Because to make a roast involves a lot of work.
The roasting dish will be hard to clean.
The pan of vegetables that's dried and burnt to the bottom will be impossible to clean.
The Yorkshire dish, the Yorkshire pudding dish, it just will not clean no matter how much you scrub at it.
So there's a lot of work.
And that's when people will disappear.
And that's why there are billions spent on trying to find the magic cleaning agent
or the magic machine that will do the work for you.
But there are some stains that are just impossible and so hard to remove.
Well, this evening as we look at Naaman, we're looking at a man who in the midst of all his power and all his wealth,
a man who probably never had to clean a dish in his life.
We look at him, but he's got a different problem.
A different issue that's needing cleaning.
But no matter how much he has and no matter how much he can try to deal with this issue himself,
it is impossible.
It's a stain that's impossible to remove by himself.
As we've read there in verse 1, you see so many things about this man.
So many things that would have held him in great esteem among his people.
He was a man of great power, a commander of the army, second only to the king of Syria.
And yet he finds himself having to humble himself and look for help from someone he would never want to go near
by his own choice.
To go to the people of Israel.
To go to the prophet of God.
To go to Elisha in order to be healed.
And yet it's into this amazing situation that we see God working things for his good.
From the most unexpected of sources comes a word of hope to him.
From a little girl who had been taken captive.
Who has a great burden for her Lord as she calls him.
For her master.
And she speaks to his wife these wonderful words.
If only he would look to the Lord.
If he would only listen to this prophet of God.
And it's in this encounter that the word of God takes hold of this man who was a stranger to the God of Israel.
A stranger to the Lord and his grace.
And at the center, at the heart of it, is what it really means to be clean.
To have that stain of sin washed away.
A stain that we can never remove ourselves.
But that only the Lord can.
It's a reminder to us of ourselves.
And how we are a people who are unclean in so many ways.
But how the Lord is able to work from the inside out.
To make us clean.
In other words, to make us right with God.
But we may see ourselves in Naaman.
Or we have to see ourselves in Naaman.
In different ways to know this cleaning.
In order for our hearts to be made right with God.
Our hearts need to be pricked.
Just as Naaman's was.
And there's three things I want us to see about Naaman this evening.
That remind us of ourselves.
The first thing is this.
That Naaman was a sick man.
The second thing is he was a stubborn man.
The third thing.
And the most amazing thing is he was a saved man.
So the first thing we see is Naaman is a sick man.
Naaman and who he was.
We are introduced there in verse 1.
It tells us all about him.
But what does it tell us?
What does it say in that verse that stands out to you?
He was a commander.
Commander of the army of the king of Syria.
Which at this time was one of the most powerful kingdoms in the whole world.
It's hard for us to imagine just the power that this man had.
The hold that he had over his own armies.
And over all the nations around him.
People lived in fear of him.
He was a commander in the midst of this.
It says too that he was a great man with his master.
He was trusted by the king of Syria.
He gave him all authority and all power to do as he saw right in his eyes.
To go about all his conquests.
He was trusted by the king of Syria.
It also says that he was a mighty man of valor.
He was a brave man.
He had conquered many nations.
Many people.
He'd won many battles over his years.
You can almost see him as being untouchable in so many different ways.
And these are the kinds of things that in our day and age are so appealing to people now as well.
They want this sense of being untouchable as we were hearing this morning about everybody has their own individual ideas.
You cannot tell me what to do.
I am going to do what I want.
And these are the things that people see as being important.
People want power and wealth and authority are strived for.
And as we've seen over the last few years, they're not easily given up.
Nobody wants to let go of this power.
Nobody wants to let go of this authority if they have it.
People want this sense of power.
But yet there is something about Naaman in this verse that it tells us to.
Something telling.
You see, at the end of verse 1, there is a but.
He may have been all these great things.
A commander.
A trusted man.
A man of valor.
A mighty man of valor.
Yet it says at the end of the verse,
But he was a leper.
He was a sick man.
No matter how much power.
No matter how much money or authority he had.
This was something that was incurable.
He was a sick man.
Now we've experienced much sickness in different ways over these last few years.
Our world was living in a way where it seemed people were untouchable.
Nothing could get to them.
And yet during the pandemic, it seemed at some points that each day it was emphasized just how contagious the virus was.
And it was often noted that even so-and-so has got it.
And it's almost like people were astonished, surprised, that people in positions such as the rich and the famous sports people, the politicians, that this virus could touch them.
And yet no one was immune to it.
No matter the power that Naaman had.
No matter the wealth that Naaman had.
He was sick.
And no matter the power that anyone has today.
Or the status that anyone has today.
People are not immune to sickness.
But this is telling us more than just a physical illness.
This is reminding us of a greater problem.
A problem that's even more contagious than any virus of this world that comes our way in this world.
And it's the problem of sin.
Sin is the greatest sickness that we experience.
And we all have it.
You see, no matter how you describe your life today.
No matter how well you feel today.
Or no matter how weak and vulnerable you maybe feel today.
This is something we cannot get away from.
This is a problem we all have.
We all have this but in our life.
Not I am a leper.
But I am a sinner.
I am a sinner.
Naaman was a sick man.
You and I are sick people.
Because the word of God tells us so.
You read in the book of Romans chapter 3 verse 23.
We all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.
No matter how much we try and deny it.
No matter how much we try and push that away from us.
No matter how much the world will tell us that we cannot say you are a sinner.
The word of God tells us that we are sick.
That we are all sinners.
Naaman was a mighty man.
A powerful man.
But he was a sick man.
But in the midst of this.
There is something greater going on.
God is at work.
There is another but in this verse.
A verse.
A but that we maybe don't see.
Immediately that doesn't stand out as much as.
But he was a leper.
You see in this opening verse.
It is not all about Naaman.
It is not telling us.
How great Naaman was.
It is telling us.
How great God is.
You read through verse 1 there.
And there is all these things about Naaman.
Naaman was a commander of the army.
He was a great man with his master.
High in favor.
But in the middle of the verse it says.
Another but if you like.
But because.
By him.
The Lord.
Had given victory to Syria.
It wasn't through Naaman's power.
It wasn't through Naaman's.
Military tactics.
Or skills.
It was the Lord.
That had given victory.
It was the Lord.
Who had won.
God.
Was in the midst.
Of everything here.
And it's a reminder to us as well.
For all.
Our world is sin sick.
That God.
Is working in this world.
God is working.
His purposes.
Through all his works of providence.
Providence.
God is still working.
Providence.
That doesn't seem to make sense to us.
At times.
Who could understand.
Why this mighty nation of Syria.
Naaman's day.
Was all conquering.
And all powerful.
When they did not trust God.
Yet in the midst of it.
God was teaching his people lessons.
And God was working.
Even in the heart of Naaman.
An enemy of God.
It was the Lord.
Who had given.
Victory.
In all the victories.
That Naaman had.
It was the Lord.
Naaman.
Could do nothing.
Without the Lord.
Willing it.
And the same.
Is true for ourselves.
Too.
We are lost.
Apart from the Lord.
God.
But we should be thankful.
That the Lord is speaking.
That the Lord is working.
That the Lord looks down.
On this sin sick world.
And what does he want for his people.
That they might be saved.
That they might come.
To him.
And be saved.
Because there is something else here.
In these opening verses.
That reminds us.
Of God's great works.
In verse 2.
It says.
Now the Syrians.
On one of their raids.
Had carried off.
A little girl.
From the land of Israel.
And she worked.
In the service.
Of Naaman's wife.
She said.
To her mistress.
Would.
That my Lord.
Were with the prophet.
Who is in Samaria.
It's such.
A minute detail.
In so many ways.
Naaman.
Would have had no thought.
For this little girl.
As she was taken captive.
Probably along with hundreds.
Or even thousands of others.
But this little girl.
Was about to change his life.
This little girl.
In God's providence.
Was brought to work.
In his household.
To have a word.
To speak.
To Naaman's wife.
Would.
That my Lord.
Were with the prophet.
Who is in Samaria.
Watching the courage.
Of that little girl.
To speak.
To say these words.
To her masters.
In their own home.
To stand up before them.
And direct them.
To their enemy.
And say.
You can get help there.
From this man.
Of God.
From this prophet.
Of God.
The courage.
Of this little girl.
And then.
Isn't it wonderful.
How God.
Works together.
All things.
How God.
In the midst.
Of this mighty.
Man of valor.
Life.
Uses.
A little.
Helpless girl.
To direct him.
To the place.
Of healing.
What we see.
In this little girl.
Is what we should see.
In every Christian.
Courage.
To speak.
And to point people.
To the prophet of God.
To the son of God.
To Jesus Christ.
And to say.
To the sin sick world.
I know your problem.
Because I have it too.
I am a sinner.
In my heart.
Yet I know.
Where there is hell.
Would.
That you would go.
To Christ.
Would.
That you would come.
To him.
Who is able.
To heal.
We have a powerful man.
Who is a sick man.
But who hears.
Of a great God.
And that is what we should long for today.
For ourselves.
To know our sickness.
To know that.
No matter what power we feel we have.
We are unable to do anything about this sickness.
But to hear.
That there is a God.
Who can help.
To acknowledge our sin.
To acknowledge our weakness before God.
Pleading for help.
With him.
But we see the second thing.
Is a problem we also have so often.
Naaman.
Is a stubborn man.
And isn't that a problem.
We so often have.
Ourselves too.
You just look at the way Naaman responds.
When he hears about this.
Possibility of help.
He hears.
The potential of healing.
For himself.
And he's keen.
To find out.
What it is.
But he wants it on his own terms.
He wants everything done.
His way.
And that's because.
Like you and I.
He was stubborn.
Sin.
Makes us stubborn.
Sin makes us a people.
Who want to work things out.
For ourselves.
We want things done.
In our own way.
And who is willing.
To acknowledge.
Their stubbornness.
We are so often.
Too slow.
To admit it.
Even if someone was to tell us.
Why are you so stubborn?
Or you're just a stubborn person.
Our natural reaction.
Would be to say.
I'm not stubborn.
Our stubbornness.
Makes us stubborn.
To admit we're stubborn.
We don't want.
To admit it.
And we'll go on the defensive.
Straight away.
And so.
If someone tells us.
You're a sinner.
And you need to come to Christ.
Our natural reaction is.
No I'm not.
And how dare you tell me so.
And you see.
Our own hearts.
In Naaman's.
In his stubbornness.
As you see.
In verse 11.
Naaman was angry.
He was angry.
And he went away.
Saying.
Behold.
I thought he would surely.
Come out to me.
And stand.
And call upon.
The name of the Lord.
And just wave his hand.
Over the place.
And cure the leper.
Why.
Was he so angry.
Because.
In his stubbornness.
He couldn't humble himself.
To this point.
Where he would receive help.
From somebody else.
He wanted it done.
To.
In his way.
First of all.
He thought.
He could sort things out.
For himself.
By his wealth.
You see that.
In the middle.
Of verse 5.
In verse 5.
It says.
The king of Syria said.
Go now.
And I will send a letter.
To the king of Israel.
So he went.
Taking with him.
Ten talents of silver.
Six thousand shekels of gold.
And ten changes.
Of clothes.
In today's value.
You're looking at silver.
They're worth about.
Two hundred thousand pounds.
And gold.
Worth.
Probably around.
Three million pounds.
And here he is.
Carrying this wealth.
With him.
In the hope.
That he could probably.
Buy.
His cleansing.
Purchase it for himself.
And to be able to say.
I have done it.
By my own wealth.
And by my own means.
But we are fools.
To think.
That we can in any way.
Do anything.
To earn or pay.
For our salvation.
To find a way.
That is going to save me.
That's.
A cost that I can pay myself.
Because our salvation.
Is a cost.
That we can.
And could never pay.
Isaiah 55.
Verse 1.
Is that.
Great invitation.
And says.
Come.
Everyone who thirsts.
Come to the waters.
He who has no money.
Come.
Buy and eat.
Come.
Buy wine and milk.
Without money.
And without price.
But Naaman would rather bring.
His own wealth.
To buy it.
And isn't that the stubbornness.
Of our hearts.
So often too.
Where we feel.
That there is a way.
We can do something.
About our situation.
Ourselves.
We need to learn.
This lesson.
Of our stubbornness.
You cannot.
We cannot.
Do anything.
The second way.
You see.
He was stubborn.
Was.
Who he came to.
He was told.
To go.
To the prophet.
Of God.
In Samaria.
But who does he come to?
He came.
To the king.
Elisha.
Was almost way down the ranks.
He wasn't going to go to a common person.
He was going to go to the top.
To the king.
If anyone was going to help him.
It would have to be someone really important.
So he goes.
To the king.
But no.
It wasn't to the king.
He had to go.
But his stubbornness.
Made him.
When he did eventually go to Elisha.
He wouldn't even go through his door.
He wasn't going to come down.
And go into his place.
He was going to have to come out to him.
To help him.
Did he not know who he was?
And how important a person he was.
In our stubbornness.
We need to humble ourselves.
To recognize how unimportant we are.
And to realize the importance of the one.
Who is able to help.
The one who came into this world.
Who humbled himself by coming into this world.
Who was nothing to be looked at.
And yet when we are saved.
As the psalmist says.
That we might see the beauty of the Lord.
The beauty of Jesus Christ.
And humble ourselves before him.
Our stubbornness wants things done.
Our way.
But humility teaches us.
And grace teaches us.
There is nothing we can do.
That it has all been done.
By the Son of God.
By Jesus Christ.
And to see Jesus.
And to see the price that he has paid.
Should humble us.
That he came to give his life.
As a ransom for many.
That he came to pay the price.
That we could never pay.
The book of Acts.
It tells us that there is only one.
Who can heal our sin sick hearts.
In chapter 4 verse 11.
It says.
This Jesus is the stone.
Who was rejected by you.
He has become the cornerstone.
And there is salvation.
In no one else.
For there is no other name.
Under heaven given among men.
By which we must be saved.
There is no other way.
In a stubbornness.
Naaman thought.
He could do things his way.
Again you look at.
Verse 11.
And it says.
In his anger.
Behold.
I thought.
That he would surely come out to me.
I thought.
This is how it was going to work out.
I thought.
This was what was going to happen.
And we all have our own plans.
I thought.
This is how I would be saved.
But the truth.
Changes it for us.
To recognize it so often.
Not what we thought.
But what the Lord wants.
He thought he could change.
God's plan.
Naaman thought.
His ways.
Were superior.
To God's ways.
He even found fault.
In God's plan.
When Elisha says to him.
Through the messenger.
Go and dip yourself.
Seven times.
In the Jordan.
What's his response?
What an insult.
Are there not better rivers.
In my own country.
That I could go and dip myself in.
Are there not better places.
I could go.
Be a bit like someone.
Saying to us.
Go to Glasgow.
And dip yourself in the Clyde.
You say.
Well.
Why not just go to the Creed?
It's cleaner.
It's better.
But when God says.
To do something.
You must do it.
We must obey.
The command of God.
And not say.
But I've got a better idea.
I've got a better way.
If God says.
Go to church.
To hear his word.
You don't say no.
If God says.
You're a sinner.
You don't say.
No I'm not.
If God says.
You must repent.
You don't say.
No.
I've got no need.
For repentance.
If God says.
Believe in the Lord.
Jesus Christ.
It's the only way.
To salvation.
You don't have the right.
To turn and say.
No.
I've got a better way.
For there is only one way.
To be saved.
And that is through him.
Millions.
Every day.
Make the same mistake.
That Naaman made.
Perhaps you've been making.
That mistake.
In your own life.
Again.
And again.
You think.
Your own ways.
I thought.
I could do this.
I thought.
I could do it.
This way.
Or a better way.
I've got a better plan.
But God is saying.
No.
There is no other way.
To be saved.
So he speaks.
To Naaman's.
Stubborn heart.
In the same way.
He speaks.
To our own.
Stubborn hearts.
And he says.
Do it my way.
Come.
Repent.
And put your trust.
In the Lord Jesus Christ.
In our stubbornness.
God sent his son.
To bring a stubborn people.
Back to himself.
There is only.
One way.
Naaman.
Was a sick man.
Something we must acknowledge.
Naaman was a stubborn man.
Something again.
We must acknowledge.
And turn our hearts.
Towards him.
But the third thing.
And the great thing.
You see here.
Is Naaman.
Is a saved man.
When we see.
God's grace.
Fulfilled.
In his life.
You see the.
I thought.
I knew best.
In verse 11.
God.
I know.
He is a saint.
I know.
He is a saint.
In verse 15.
He returned.
To the man of God.
To Elisha.
He and all his company.
And he came.
And stood before him.
And he said.
Behold.
I know.
There is no God.
In all the earth.
But in Israel.
I thought.
I knew.
He is saying.
You see his humility.
Now I know.
there is no other God in all the earth but in Israel. And this is the God who has come to us
in the person of Jesus Christ. There is no other God but him. What a transformation for this man
Naaman, the second most powerful man in the world, humbled before God.
How was he humbled? How did he come to this point? He obeyed the word of God from the prophet.
He dipped himself seven times into the Jordan and he was cleansed.
There was repentance. There was humility. There was obedience.
He went from unwilling to willing. And you notice some things that brought him to this point.
There was a word from his own servants in verse 13. Even when he was angry, his servants came and said
to him there in verse 13, my father is a great word. The prophet has spoken to you. Will you not do it?
Will you not do it? And sometimes we just have to speak directly to people. People are angry against
God. But they said to him, my Lord, my father, it's a great word the prophet has spoken.
Sometimes the hardest thing for us is to speak the truth.
But in a world that's so confused and lost, it is the truth that needs to be heard.
My friends, you are sinners.
But my friends, there's a cure in Jesus Christ.
Naaman's stubbornness is turned to submission.
Who would have thought, looking at this man, this Naaman, the most powerful man at this time,
that in his stubbornness, he would be changed.
And when we look around ourselves today, we see our own stubbornness and we see the stubbornness of others.
We see the truth in love.
Naaman dipped himself in the Jordan.
And what the word of God is telling us is, you must believe.
You see, Naaman wasn't changed by the dipping itself.
He wasn't changed by the Jordan itself.
It was by the power of God that changed this leper into a man who was clean.
And how are we made clean today?
How can we be made clean?
Well, Peter, in his first letter, tells us,
not with perishable things such as silver or gold,
but with the precious blood of Christ,
like that of a lamb without blenish or spot.
We are made clean through faith in Christ.
And Naaman's cleansing was complete.
He got more than his health.
He was made whole.
It tells us there at the end of verse 14,
his flesh was restored like the flesh of a little child,
and he was clean.
He was made well.
And you see it so often in the cleansing of Jesus in the New Testament.
The woman with the issue of blood.
Blind Bartimaeus.
And so it goes on, there's so many.
By the touch of Christ, they are made well.
They are made clean.
They are made whole.
Your faith has made you well, he says.
We need that faith.
And as he is made well,
you also see that even in his anxieties and his fears
of being a man who had come to trust in the God of Israel,
and he had to go back to his own people,
to his own land,
and the fear of the worship that they were involved in.
And you see that in verse 17 down to the middle of verse 19.
He's going back to a place that is offering sacrifices to any God,
but the Lord, it says.
There's so much that is wrong with where he is going.
And he has this fear.
And he brings this fear to Elisha.
He's almost saying to him,
he's bowing himself before him.
He's saying in verse 18,
in this matter, may the Lord pardon your servant.
He knows the challenges he's going to have going back.
But Elisha says this to him,
go in peace.
And one of our greatest fears
when it comes to faith in the Lord Jesus
is to go back into the world
and to live among a people who will challenge our faith,
a people whose ways may be so different to our faith,
to hear a language that hurts,
to see behavior that hurts.
We don't avoid it.
You see, Naaman was being put back there
as a light for the gospel,
a powerful man in the midst of that nation,
just like Daniel,
who stood up for the Lord,
just like so many we see in the scriptures
who stood up for the Lord.
And so we as Christians
are to stand up for the Lord.
Do not be afraid to believe.
For the Lord says,
go in peace.
And what these words means is
he goes with us.
When we are well,
we are to tell others
of the way to be well
and not to be afraid,
for the Lord is with us.
He will never leave us
or forsake us.
He is with his people always.
That is the great promise.
Do you see yourself then in this man, Naaman?
We are a sick people,
just like Naaman.
But in God's providence,
here we are with the opportunity
to know
the one who is able to make us clean,
the Lord Jesus.
We are a stubborn people.
Our hearts are always stubborn.
To be told what we must do,
we don't like it.
The Lord is telling us,
humble yourselves.
Humble yourselves
unto the mighty arm of God
so that he may lift you up.
That's what the gospel tells us.
And the gospel assures us
that when we come to the Lord Jesus,
we are made well,
we are made clean,
and we are able to go in peace.
That peace that only he can give.
We all have this issue of uncleanness.
The stain that's so hard to remove,
impossible for ourselves.
But God sent his son into this world
that these stain of sin
may be eradicated from our hearts,
that we may be made well with him,
and that we may know his peace.
Just like Naaman,
we are to humble ourselves in obedience
and come to him.
So may we hear that great invitation
to come and be clean,
to be well,
and to go in peace.
May God bless his word to us.
We're going to conclude by singing
to his praise in Psalm 92
in the Scottish Psalter.
Psalm 92,
page 351.
We'll sing from verse 1 to verse 3.
Psalm 91,
Psalm 92, sorry.
Psalm 92,
in the Scottish Psalter,
verse 1 to verse 3.
To render thanks unto the Lord,
it is a comely thing,
and to thy name,
O thou most hide,
you praise aloud to sing.
We'll sing from verse 1 to verse 3
to God's praise.
You praise aloud to sing.
To praise aloud to sing.
Love to die in all the most high,
to praise aloud to sing.
Thy lovingkindness to show
for when shines a morning light,
and to declare thy faithfulness
with pleasure every night,
and to declare thy faithfulness,
with pleasure every night,
on heart and sing it instrument,
upon the psaltery,
And on heart and singлена.
And on heart we shall
and sound a BE sweet melody,
and邊 sweet melody,
and two.
And on the heart will fall in sun
And grace be carried out thee
After the benediction I'll go to the door to my right hand side
Let's close with the benediction
Now may grace, mercy and peace from God
Father, Son and Holy Spirit
Rest upon and abide with us all
Now and forevermore
Amen