WEBVTT 1 00:00:00.600 --> 00:00:04.300 In the name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen. 2 00:00:05.700 --> 00:00:10.000 Our text read a few moments ago, from 2nd Kings 5. 3 00:00:12.000 --> 00:00:13.800 When I was asked to preach here, 4 00:00:15.500 --> 00:00:19.100 my mind had a very immediate and direct thought. 5 00:00:19.700 --> 00:00:24.000 No, not going to do it. 6 00:00:25.100 --> 00:00:25.900 Not me. 7 00:00:27.500 --> 00:00:31.000 Sure, I've preached hundreds and hundreds of times and a number of 8 00:00:31.000 --> 00:00:33.700 different congregations but never here. 9 00:00:35.400 --> 00:00:38.900 Let one of these other guys in my class do it. 10 00:00:41.100 --> 00:00:44.000 Not me, not going to happen. 11 00:00:46.400 --> 00:00:49.300 You see, there's a little bit of Naaman in me. 12 00:00:50.700 --> 00:00:52.200 And I'm not the only one. 13 00:00:53.600 --> 00:00:54.700 Let me explain. 14 00:00:55.200 --> 00:00:59.400 You heard the story Naaman this important general of the king of 15 00:00:59.400 --> 00:01:00.000 Aram, 16 00:01:01.400 --> 00:01:02.300 has leprosy. 17 00:01:02.700 --> 00:01:03.400 Interesting. 18 00:01:03.600 --> 00:01:06.400 Interestingly, he's not banished from their society 19 00:01:06.400 --> 00:01:06.800 is he? 20 00:01:09.000 --> 00:01:10.100 Aram says, 21 00:01:11.300 --> 00:01:12.700 You need to be healed. 22 00:01:14.000 --> 00:01:16.400 And as you heard the slave girl of 23 00:01:17.500 --> 00:01:18.600 his wife 24 00:01:20.600 --> 00:01:22.400 said, go to Israel. 25 00:01:23.600 --> 00:01:25.500 And there you can be healed. 26 00:01:26.400 --> 00:01:27.700 So Naaman probably thought 27 00:01:27.700 --> 00:01:29.800 okay, that's worth a try. 28 00:01:30.700 --> 00:01:34.800 And he goes to King Jehoram, I'm here to be healed. 29 00:01:36.300 --> 00:01:40.000 And, of course, Jehoram immediately says, oh, this is, this is bad 30 00:01:40.000 --> 00:01:40.300 news. 31 00:01:40.300 --> 00:01:41.300 This is trouble. 32 00:01:42.200 --> 00:01:44.400 I can't do anything like that. 33 00:01:46.500 --> 00:01:50.400 He probably is just testing me and he's going to go back. 34 00:01:50.500 --> 00:01:53.300 He's going to bring his army, and we're going to have this major 35 00:01:53.300 --> 00:01:53.900 battle. 36 00:01:56.200 --> 00:01:58.900 But Elijah comes to the rescue, send him to me. 37 00:02:00.100 --> 00:02:01.100 Well already 38 00:02:02.200 --> 00:02:03.800 Naaman's, not in a good mood. 39 00:02:05.300 --> 00:02:06.200 Strike one. 40 00:02:08.000 --> 00:02:13.600 So he goes to this man called Elijah. Expecting Elijah to come out, and 41 00:02:13.600 --> 00:02:18.800 wave a magic wand, or come out and do a little dance or say some magic 42 00:02:18.800 --> 00:02:22.500 words and Naaman is going to be healed. 43 00:02:23.600 --> 00:02:24.400 Nope. 44 00:02:25.900 --> 00:02:29.500 Elijah doesn't even come out but sends a messenger. 45 00:02:31.400 --> 00:02:33.900 Who does Elijah think he is? 46 00:02:34.800 --> 00:02:39.000 I'm this important General how dare he not come out and see me strike 47 00:02:39.000 --> 00:02:39.500 two. 48 00:02:42.200 --> 00:02:43.700 Then the messenger says, 49 00:02:44.800 --> 00:02:47.500 go wash yourself in the Jordan River. 50 00:02:50.300 --> 00:02:51.500 Absolutely not. 51 00:02:52.100 --> 00:02:53.300 Not going to do it. 52 00:02:54.600 --> 00:02:58.700 What does he honestly think that by washing this 53 00:03:00.000 --> 00:03:01.500 Leprosy is going to go away? 54 00:03:01.800 --> 00:03:04.500 Does he think I haven't bathed since I had leprosy? 55 00:03:04.800 --> 00:03:05.500 Does he really think 56 00:03:05.500 --> 00:03:07.100 water takes away leprosy? 57 00:03:07.100 --> 00:03:08.100 It's foolishness. 58 00:03:08.400 --> 00:03:09.300 It's ridiculous. 59 00:03:09.400 --> 00:03:10.400 I'm not doing it. 60 00:03:11.900 --> 00:03:14.800 And of course, he begins to head home enraged. 61 00:03:15.900 --> 00:03:18.800 But his servants, come to him and say 62 00:03:20.300 --> 00:03:22.000 why don't you think about a little more? 63 00:03:24.500 --> 00:03:28.100 What if he had asked you to climb a mountain? 64 00:03:28.400 --> 00:03:29.400 Wouldn't you have done it? 65 00:03:30.800 --> 00:03:35.600 Or if he said, why don't you run a marathon? 66 00:03:36.200 --> 00:03:37.800 Wouldn't you have tried to do it? 67 00:03:40.200 --> 00:03:41.400 And perhaps Naaman would have thought 68 00:03:41.400 --> 00:03:45.300 well maybe yeah, I guess I might have. Well then go and do the very 69 00:03:45.300 --> 00:03:47.900 simple thing he asked you to do. 70 00:03:49.200 --> 00:03:50.900 Go wash yourself in the Jordan. 71 00:03:51.300 --> 00:03:51.600 Sure 72 00:03:51.600 --> 00:03:54.200 it's not as nice as the rivers back home, but who cares. 73 00:03:55.200 --> 00:03:56.500 So Naaman relents. 74 00:03:58.100 --> 00:04:03.900 He follows the will of God as directed by Elijah and he is healed. 75 00:04:05.200 --> 00:04:10.400 And he glorifies the true God, the God of Israel as the one true God 76 00:04:10.400 --> 00:04:11.400 who can heal 77 00:04:12.800 --> 00:04:14.900 and who has power over all things. 78 00:04:17.100 --> 00:04:22.300 Well, of course we don't have leprosy, but we have something far far 79 00:04:22.300 --> 00:04:25.600 worse. A kind of spiritual leprosy 80 00:04:25.600 --> 00:04:33.500 of course, we call sin. Sin, which envelops our whole being and affects 81 00:04:33.500 --> 00:04:36.300 our words, our thoughts, our actions, 82 00:04:37.300 --> 00:04:43.000 and this disease, kills it kills our relationship to God. 83 00:04:43.900 --> 00:04:46.200 It can kill our relationship to other people. 84 00:04:47.700 --> 00:04:48.900 And it's going to kill us. 85 00:04:51.000 --> 00:04:54.500 Not just in the here and now, but forever. 86 00:04:55.800 --> 00:04:58.800 So we need a cure, we need a solution. 87 00:05:01.500 --> 00:05:07.700 And God comes to his comes to us in his Word and says I have the cure. 88 00:05:09.900 --> 00:05:12.300 And we say great, tell me what to do? 89 00:05:14.300 --> 00:05:19.000 And as Saint Paul told the Jailer at Philippi, a very simple and 90 00:05:19.000 --> 00:05:23.100 direct message believe in the Lord Jesus Christ 91 00:05:23.900 --> 00:05:27.300 And you will be saved. Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and you will 92 00:05:27.300 --> 00:05:28.100 be healed. 93 00:05:31.400 --> 00:05:37.400 And that little Naaman inside, which we call our sinful flesh, 94 00:05:38.600 --> 00:05:42.600 says no way, that's too simple. 95 00:05:43.400 --> 00:05:46.800 That's too easy, that sounds foolish. 96 00:05:47.800 --> 00:05:52.900 Now if God had asked me to do something special, maybe that would earn 97 00:05:52.900 --> 00:05:53.500 me enough 98 00:05:53.500 --> 00:05:56.700 Brownie points that I would be healed. 99 00:05:56.700 --> 00:05:59.800 So maybe if he would send me to China to be a 100 00:06:00.000 --> 00:06:03.900 Missionary for 10 years, that would probably be enough. 101 00:06:05.300 --> 00:06:08.500 Or maybe if he asked me to raise 50 million dollars for the Lutheran 102 00:06:08.500 --> 00:06:08.800 Church 103 00:06:08.800 --> 00:06:09.800 Missouri Synod. 104 00:06:09.900 --> 00:06:13.800 You know maybe that that would do it, something big. 105 00:06:16.200 --> 00:06:18.300 God says no none of that. 106 00:06:20.300 --> 00:06:22.500 Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ. 107 00:06:23.400 --> 00:06:27.100 Believe that he lived a perfect life in your place. 108 00:06:28.600 --> 00:06:33.500 Believe that he took your spiritual leprosy of sin upon himself. 109 00:06:34.600 --> 00:06:39.200 And suffered and died on the cross in payment for that sin and that 110 00:06:39.200 --> 00:06:40.700 leprosy to free you. 111 00:06:42.600 --> 00:06:47.000 And then believe that he rose victoriously on Easter morning to 112 00:06:47.000 --> 00:06:50.300 guarantee Victory and life for you in his name. 113 00:06:50.800 --> 00:06:51.600 That's it. 114 00:06:52.300 --> 00:06:53.200 That's the Cure. 115 00:06:53.200 --> 00:06:59.700 That's the only cure. The only source of pardon, and life and 116 00:06:59.700 --> 00:07:02.000 forgiveness, that's it. 117 00:07:04.300 --> 00:07:04.700 Well. 118 00:07:06.100 --> 00:07:12.600 Why do we struggle with accepting God's simple directive? 119 00:07:12.600 --> 00:07:14.800 Believe in the Lord, Jesus Christ. 120 00:07:16.900 --> 00:07:20.100 Does it not go back to the First Commandment? 121 00:07:22.100 --> 00:07:26.100 Fear love and trust in God above all things, there it is, trust. 122 00:07:26.700 --> 00:07:29.600 Do I really want to trust in God 123 00:07:29.600 --> 00:07:34.700 completely for my salvation, for my cure, for my forgiveness? 124 00:07:35.900 --> 00:07:39.100 And that little Naaman inside our sinful flesh, as they're not 125 00:07:39.100 --> 00:07:39.600 really. 126 00:07:42.400 --> 00:07:44.200 I want some of that credit. 127 00:07:45.700 --> 00:07:47.500 I want some of that Glory. 128 00:07:48.600 --> 00:07:51.600 I want some of that appreciation. 129 00:07:52.600 --> 00:07:58.700 So Jesus step off your pedestal, thanks for all you did whatever you 130 00:07:58.700 --> 00:07:59.200 did. 131 00:07:59.800 --> 00:08:01.800 I need to be on that pedestal. 132 00:08:03.300 --> 00:08:05.200 I want that praise. 133 00:08:05.200 --> 00:08:07.500 I want that credit and glory. 134 00:08:09.700 --> 00:08:11.800 That's what our Naaman wants to do. 135 00:08:15.400 --> 00:08:18.700 I have taught many a Junior confirmation classes. 136 00:08:18.700 --> 00:08:21.000 As number of you guys have. 137 00:08:23.100 --> 00:08:26.600 And I know there would be classes were the whole time period. 138 00:08:26.600 --> 00:08:31.000 All we talked about was salvation by grace through faith in Christ, 139 00:08:31.500 --> 00:08:35.600 And I did my very best to try to communicate and talk about that and 140 00:08:35.600 --> 00:08:40.790 discuss it. And you get to the end of the class 141 00:08:42.700 --> 00:08:44.300 and you'd ask, okay. 142 00:08:45.500 --> 00:08:49.500 If someone came up to you and said, what must I do to be saved, how 143 00:08:49.500 --> 00:08:50.600 would you answer them? 144 00:08:52.600 --> 00:08:56.500 And invariably there'd be a couple students that say, 145 00:08:56.500 --> 00:08:59.600 It's a well you got to live a good life. 146 00:09:01.400 --> 00:09:02.900 And you shake your head. 147 00:09:04.500 --> 00:09:06.700 And you'd start almost wanting to cry. 148 00:09:06.900 --> 00:09:09.100 Now, I may be a very poor teacher. 149 00:09:10.300 --> 00:09:12.700 But the Holy Spirit is not a poor teacher. 150 00:09:14.800 --> 00:09:16.000 You see that 151 00:09:16.600 --> 00:09:20.100 sinful Naaman inside just won't go away. 152 00:09:22.600 --> 00:09:27.000 How we need God's forgiveness for letting that little Naaman voice 153 00:09:27.800 --> 00:09:29.900 continue to arise in us. 154 00:09:31.700 --> 00:09:33.100 How we need that 155 00:09:34.800 --> 00:09:35.300 sure 156 00:09:35.300 --> 00:09:39.100 forgiveness and pardon for listening to that voice. 157 00:09:40.300 --> 00:09:43.100 And how we need the Spirit's help to keep drowning him. 158 00:09:43.100 --> 00:09:44.600 Keep pushing him down. 159 00:09:44.800 --> 00:09:49.600 Keep pushing him in the background to let Jesus Christ stand first, and 160 00:09:49.600 --> 00:09:52.400 foremost, in our hearts and minds. 161 00:09:54.800 --> 00:09:56.800 And that's our challenge as pastors 162 00:09:58.400 --> 00:10:00.300 to communicate that very thing. 163 00:10:01.500 --> 00:10:03.200 To communicate the gospel. 164 00:10:04.600 --> 00:10:09.100 To make sure that they're little Naaman inside is defeated day in 165 00:10:09.100 --> 00:10:12.800 and day out by the power of Christ, and the power of the Spirit. 166 00:10:13.900 --> 00:10:18.800 And to challenge ourselves and our listeners to be in that Word, and 167 00:10:18.800 --> 00:10:24.000 to be in the grace of God, to let the power of the Spirit dominate. 168 00:10:25.000 --> 00:10:28.800 And overthrow and overrule that little Naaman inside. 169 00:10:30.100 --> 00:10:31.900 So that Jesus Christ 170 00:10:32.900 --> 00:10:37.800 is the one who gets the glory and the credit and the honor and the 171 00:10:37.800 --> 00:10:38.700 praise. 172 00:10:41.600 --> 00:10:45.200 We are soon about to remember another Reformation. 173 00:10:46.600 --> 00:10:47.700 How appropriate. 174 00:10:50.800 --> 00:10:52.500 So, if you ever come to a time, 175 00:10:53.800 --> 00:10:56.500 in your own personal life or in your ministry, when you think. 176 00:10:58.100 --> 00:11:02.100 I think I've preached the gospel enough, you haven't. 177 00:11:04.000 --> 00:11:06.200 If you ever reach the time where you think. 178 00:11:06.400 --> 00:11:08.600 I think I've taught the gospel enough. 179 00:11:09.700 --> 00:11:10.500 You haven't. 180 00:11:11.700 --> 00:11:14.800 If you ever get to that point in time where you think I've 181 00:11:14.800 --> 00:11:18.200 communicated the gospel enough, you haven't. 182 00:11:20.800 --> 00:11:27.200 The gospel must continue to be preached and taught and shared and 183 00:11:27.200 --> 00:11:32.400 communicated, until Christ himself returns and calls it an end. 184 00:11:34.100 --> 00:11:35.300 That's our challenge. 185 00:11:36.800 --> 00:11:39.400 To Christ be the glory now and forever. 186 00:11:40.100 --> 00:11:40.700 Amen 187 00:11:40.900 --> 00:11:41.800 and Amen.