Wednesday, April 14, 2021

Lessons from a Leper

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Central Baptist Church of Ponca City, OK
DATE: Wednesday PM, April 14, 2020     
SERMON BY: Bro. David Barbee
SERMON TITLE: Lessons from a Leper
SERMON THEME: The Story of Naaman
SERMON SERIES: Guest Speakers
SERMON TEXT: 2Kings 5

* Lesson 1 - Bad things happen to honorable, moral, respected, and good people.  Bad things are realities in a sin-cursed world and body.
* Lesson 2 - When we have every excuse to be cold and callous (e.g., the little servant maiden), we still need to point the way for others. Even though bad things happen, we can be loving.
* Lesson 3 - When God is the only One Who can help, it’s a waste to go anywhere else.
* Lesson 4 - God often intercedes even when we are wandering lost and confused.  God sent Elijah anyway.
* Lesson 5 - God will often not match our expectations. Naaman was angry when Elisha sent his servant out to meet and instruct him.
* Lesson 6 - When we are in a position of debt, we can’t call the shots! Naaman walked away in anger.  But we can learn a lot from a servant... especially humility.
* Lesson 7 - God helps in His time and his way!

2Kings 5:1 Now Naaman, captain of the host of the king of Syria, was a great man with his master, and honourable, because by him the LORD had given deliverance unto Syria: he was also a mighty man in valour, but he was a leper. 2 And the Syrians had gone out by companies, and had brought away captive out of the land of Israel a little maid; and she waited on Naaman’s wife. 3 And she said unto her mistress, Would God my lord were with the prophet that is in Samaria! for he would recover him of his leprosy. 4 And one went in, and told his lord, saying, Thus and thus said the maid that is of the land of Israel. 5 And the king of Syria said, Go to, go, and I will send a letter unto the king of Israel. And he departed, and took with him ten talents of silver, and six thousand pieces of gold, and ten changes of raiment. 6 And he brought the letter to the king of Israel, saying, Now when this letter is come unto thee, behold, I have therewith sent Naaman my servant to thee, that thou mayest recover him of his leprosy. 7 And it came to pass, when the king of Israel had read the letter, that he rent his clothes, and said, Am I God, to kill and to make alive, that this man doth send unto me to recover a man of his leprosy? wherefore consider, I pray you, and see how he seeketh a quarrel against me. 8 And it was so, when Elisha the man of God had heard that the king of Israel had rent his clothes, that he sent to the king, saying, Wherefore hast thou rent thy clothes? let him come now to me, and he shall know that there is a prophet in Israel.

2Kings 5:9   So Naaman came with his horses and with his chariot, and stood at the door of the house of Elisha. 10 And Elisha sent a messenger unto him, saying, Go and wash in Jordan seven times, and thy flesh shall come again to thee, and thou shalt be clean. 11 But Naaman was wroth, and went away, and said, Behold, I thought, He will surely come out to me, and stand, and call on the name of the LORD his God, and strike his hand over the place, and recover the leper. 12 Are not Abana and Pharpar, rivers of Damascus, better than all the waters of Israel? may I not wash in them, and be clean? So he turned and went away in a rage. 13 And his servants came near, and spake unto him, and said, My father, if the prophet had bid thee do some great thing, wouldest thou not have done it? how much rather then, when he saith to thee, Wash, and be clean? 14 Then went he down, and dipped himself seven times in Jordan, according to the saying of the man of God: and his flesh came again like unto the flesh of a little child, and he was clean.

 
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