Rev. John Lim
City of Light Family Church, Klang
Today's text is from 2 Kings. I'm going to talk about a mad man, a miracle worker and the mighty God.
2 Kings 5:1-15
Naaman Healed of Leprosy
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.
15 Then Naaman and all his attendants went back to the man of God. He stood before him and said, “Now I know that there is no God in all the world except in Israel. Please accept now a gift from your servant.”
A Christian and all of you here is someone who has something to say and show. Jesus is a great example of the Christian movement. He said the spirit of the Lord is upon me to preach the good news to the poor. The word preach and proclaim is that Jesus has something to say. And that he cast out demon is saying he has something to show.
Did it only happened to Jesus and Jesus alone? Jesus commanded the disciples to go and preach the gospel and signs and wonders will follow. When you preach the gospel you must have something to say. And when he said it will be followed by signs and wonders, it says there is something to show. A Christian is someone who has something to say and something to show.
Substance of something that changes a person and something to show like miracles. Then they will say these are the Christians. Christians should not be only those that go to church.
In these passage you will find 5 characters.
1. The Man
This man is Naaman. Who is he? Scripture tells us he was a valiant soldier. He is well liked by the king and the people. But he was a leper. You may say this is the curse of his life and it is a fact. It has to do with one word with three letters. It's called BUT. He was all that BUT he had leprosy. It is not about your description of the person, it is the but after that that defines the person. For example you may say he is a successful businessman BUT he is a crook. Or you may say he is a handsome man BUT he is a "hum sup lo" (or a playboy). Or a housewife who look so efficient BUT is a husband beater our perception of the person just vanishes. The but will stay longer in our mind than all the credentials.
The question was what comes after the BUT that the scripture was addressing. This man has a serious problem. It vanishes all his other credentials. He has nothing to say or nothing to show. The leprosy just negates him.
2. The Messenger
Why is it so important for the bible to describe her. It is relevant to us right now as in then that's why it is in the scripture. She was sold as a slave to Naaman's wife. What kind of encouragement can you get from this girl? What testimony or good can come of her being captured and sold as a slave? It's not a success story. But the scripture mentioned her. Why? Her name is not mentioned but her works was mentioned. Why did scripture held her in high esteem? She's a slave in the household of her enemies.
Her future and situation seemed bleak. She did not complain to God because she has something to say and something to show. She said if my master will go and see the prophet in Samaria he would cure him of his leprosy. She has something to say. What she said brought about a response from Naaman. She's a slave girl. Think. To the eyes of the household she's worth nothing but dust. But Naaman and even the king responded. Would you have something to say that the whole of Penang government will listen to you? Or your neighbour. Or your colleagues. Jesus had something to say. The apostles had something to say and something to show. No wonder the church grew daily.
3. The Mad Man
Why? Who? What did he do? Why was he mentioned. The bible did not say a mad man or a bad man but what he did something seem bad to me. He was King of Israel. He was given the honour to heal Naaman's leprosy. Many thought it was the king that will heal him. Because at that time the people look to the king as a demi-god so he can do miracles. He also had priestly duties back then. There was nothing wrong with the prayer request but a lot was wrong from the response. The king responded by tearing his robe. He desecrated his position. Then the king could have called to God Jehovah. The least he could do is called upon God but he tore his robe instead. He complained and criticised. That this man bothered him with the request.
This is about a man who has nothing to say and nothing to show in spite of the power accorded to this king. The same can be said of us. We have been given the power and authority to say and do in his name. We can talk but do we have something to say. Like some politician, talk talk talk talk like a chicken. But do we have something to say or to show? If we don't the people won't receive anything from God. Then we are like this mad man. Challenge yourself with this. The fundamentals that makes a Christian. Like, I can do all things through Christ Jesus that strengthens me. That means we cannot say cannot. When pastor say come to cell you say cannot? That is because your priorities supersedes the cell. Not because cannot.
I am not a mandarin speaking pastor. I didn't learn mandarin in school but I am pastor to a mandarin church. I can do all thing through Christ Jesus. Amen? In Klang you cannot transfer Christians. You have to go to the streets to get them.
4. The Miracle Worker
He is Elisha the prophet. When Elisha heard what the king did news travelled fast without Facebook or Twitter. He told the king to bring the man over to him. Bring Naaman over to me. Elisha is a person who had something to say. Now you go to the river Jordan. But what he said was not just gibberish but is also an offender to the hearer. That means when you say the person may get offended. They may want to reject it.
There was once I did a miracle rally and this man has eczema and he wore long sleeve because he tried to hide them but he was a modal Christian. No pastor will want to let him go. He had low self esteem. He had such a thick layer of red skin. I know him and my team was told what to do and he knew what were his responsibility. Then I noticed that this guy still had his eczema but he never went for prayer. He was ministering at the altar and when I walked past him I said to him you can go back with your eczema. You may say wah, your words will hurt him. I may hurt him for a moment but his eczema hurt him all his life.
The meeting ended and we went to our hotel and I was tired. Then this man bang on my door and he literally cried. He cried I want to be healed. I said oh, why you didn't say earlier. So I took him in because he looked so pitiful. So I prayed for him and he went home and within three weeks his eczema all dropped. Then he testified and it was even in our magazine. After 3 months he didn't come back to church. Because he eczema reappeared and he disappeared. I went to get him and he cried "my eczema!".
So I looked at what to say. So I thought of Lazarus. Where is Lazarus? He died and Jesus raised him from the dead, but Lazarus later died. I asked him did God healed you? He said yes. Then I told him give God the glory and you can ask God for new miracles. I believe the Lazarus example hit him hard. We must be Christ centred then the miracles has sustainability. When Peter walked on water, he sank when he took his eyes off Jesus. Praise God, today his eczema has completely left him. Praise the Lord.
5. The Mighty God
Ultimately we will display the might of God when we have something to say and something to show. God say you will do my wonders. Ask in his name and God will show his wonders and the people of this world will response.
Now he has something for us. All that needs to be said has been discharge. Will you be the Christian who says I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me? Not by might but by power thus saith the Lord. Or like Isaiah who says I am here, send me.
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| Rev. John Lim taking the pulpit |
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