Naaman    2 Kings 5:1-14    Naaman Healed of Leprosy
During the days when Mohammed Ali was a great boxer, he would go around in his arrogance and say that, "He was the greatest." Humility was never his strong suit. One day, back in his prime, he was on an airplane and the plane was ready to take off and the flight attendant had repeatedly told him to put on his seat belt. He finally told her, "I’m superman and superman don’t need no seatbelt." The flight attendant didn’t hesitate a minute but shot back with, "Superman don’t need no airplane either, now buckle up."
The lion was proud of his mastery of the animal kingdom. One day he decided to make sure all the other animals knew he was the king of the jungle. He was so confident that he by-passed the smaller animals and went straight to the bear.
"Who is the king of the jungle?" the lion asked. The bear replied, "Why you are, of course" The lion gave a mighty roar of approval. Next he asked the tiger, "Who is the king of the jungle?" The tiger quickly responded, "Everyone knows that you are, mighty lion "
Next on the list was the elephant. The lion faced the elephant and addressed his question, "Who is the king of the jungle?" The elephant immediately grabbed the lion with his trunk, whirled him around in the air five or six times and slammed him into a tree. Then he pounded him onto the ground several times, dunked him under water in a nearby lake, and finally
dumped him out on the shore. The lion--beaten, bruised, and battered--struggled to his feet. He looked at the elephant through sad and bloody eyes and said, "Look, just because you don’t know the answer is no reason for to get mean about it!"
Isn’t it something how everything can be right about someone’s life but it just takes one thing to mess things up.

Ill. - Just think about Majic Johnson of the L.A. Lakers. He was at the top of his game. He had everything he wanted, then everything changes because he makes wrong choices. Because of a little virus called H.I.V. gets into his body.
Ill. Think about people all around us.  I knew a man who had retired from his job. He had bought a nice vehicle. It was a beautiful summer day. He was out washing and waxing his pride and joy. When all of a sudden with no warning what so ever his heart stops. He has a massive heart attack. Instant death, instant eternity.

Think of all the lives that we are hearing about that has cancer now a days.
This Great General Naaman had the world under his control. He had everything right where he wanted it. He was at the height of his career. BUT there was this little disease that destroyed his body with nasty, pus tur ous  sores all over his body.
- When you had leprosy no one wanted to be around you, you were banned from life. In fact, they had leprosy camps for all of those who were unclean.
To often when everything is going well in our life that we have no time for God. We don’t even acknowledge God. We just live our life in whatever way we want.
That’s exactly what Naaman did. He had everything going for him. He was a Syrian. The Syrians had their own gods.
One was named Rimmon.
I wonder why he didn’t go to Rimmon for the healing of his leprosy. On the other hand, I bet he had already tried everything including his false gods.
He probably went to the best physicians, the  the world had to offer.
Isn’t that what we do - try everything in the world and then if the doctors, medicines, psychologists, psychiatrists, and everything else doesn’t work then we say God you’re my last resort.
There’s no other place to go.
No one else can help me
- Naaman was probably feeling as low as he could feel. It seemed like there was no hope. His body had betrayed him, the whole world had let him down. He was all alone.
Then came a little slave girl that he had gotten from Israel.  She says Naaman - I know a man that can take away all of your problems.
- Naaman’s eyes must have opened wide,
his ears perked up.
“Tell me, slave girl, who is this man?”
“His name is Elisha - He’s a man of God.”
“He can get in touch with Heaven.”
“He can cure you of this plight in your life.”
What a witness! A man that can touch Heaven’s portals.
Oh dear ones, that is exactly what Christ is trying to tell you this morning.
No matter how bad it seems,
no matter what the situation,
no matter how deep in sin you have gotten yourself --- Christ can heal you of this awful disease of sin. He can cleanse you,
He can cure you of your plight.
-- What kind of plight do you have this morning? Pride, Self-Indulgence, No self-control?
-- What has been eating away at your soul?
-- What has distracted you from having a purifying relationship with God?    Work, Children, Money, Sickness, Abuse, Priorities our of Order?
GOD IS THE CURE!
I am  here to tell you this morning that God has heard your cry, He knows your need and that he can take care of the problem. There’s nothing too hard for our Lord. With man it is impossible, but with  God ALL things are possible.
So what does Naaman do?
-He collects some very nice gifts.
-He get’s the king of Syria to write a letter to the king of Israel.
-He has a big escort of the military.
Look at this great man.
He has all the world could offer -
- Riches    - Power     - Social standing     - Might
But those things don’t give happiness that will last. They can and will let you down.
Dear ones it didn’t make him content or cured. It made his life feel hopeless and empty.
Have you ever felt that way?
Your works, your riches that you worked so hard for, your might, your position, and your power will not save you.
Just like it didn’t save Naaman.
- Elisha heard about this great enterage of Naaman and he sent word to the Syrian Commander to come to his house.
- In other words, Elisha was saying you’ll not find your answer in the world.
It’s going to come from a higher power than a worldy king or a worldly  religion.
When this parade arrived at Elisha’s house He sent his messenger to this foreign dignitary.
He didn’t even invite him in.
- The messenger said for him to “Go and wash in the Jordan river 7 times.”
- “Wash in the what? - How many times?
Are you crazy?
Do you realize who you are speaking to?”
- “Yeah, aren’t you the leper, the one who has tried everything else to make you happy and haven’t got the answers to your needs?    Aren’t you the one who came and wanted to be cured?
“By the way mister, we didn’t come looking for you. Do you want to be healed or not?”
Listen friend, do we want to be healed or not? If we don’t want to be healed then I guarantee you this. We won’t be.   We have got to get to the point where we come to God and ask him to save us - Heal us - Fix our miserable lives. And when he says humble yourselves before me, have faith, trust in me.
You know what we say many times? “Yeah, but I wanted you to help me so I could be about my own business as usual.
Lord don’t you know that this is the microwave age.
Where’s the instant cure in a package?
Why are you trying to interrupt my lifestyle?”
I didn’t expect for you to ask for this consecration thing where I actually have to obey what you say. I thought I could bring you a few gifts, give you a little of my attention and you would fix all my problems and I would be on my way.
vs. 11 - Naaman was angry - full of rage. Because he didn’t like the way he was being treated.
Anger, Pride, and rebellion will only cause you more problems. They won’t solve the ones you have now.
Did God cause your situation or did you?
Many times we get ourself into pickles and expect our Genie in the bottle to fix it all up.
Maybe the prayers we have been praying is not effective because we aren’t willing to do what God says to do to solve the problem.
- God says I’ll give your life back if you come and  live as I have shown you through my Word.
- And you’ll get your priorities straight.
- Seek ye FIRST the Kingdom of God and His righteousness and THEN all these other things will be added unto you.
Maybe you’ve not been seeking the right things and not in the right places  that’s why we are not getting the results that we are looking for.
God help us to get on track with Him again! Instead of saying why do we have to do this?
Say ‘Lord what can I do?’
Vs. 11 “But Naaman was angry - full of rage and went away”

The worst thing you could do this morning is to walk out that door and not search yourself of where God wants you to move up.
“But Naaman was angry -
full of rage and went away”,
Just like we have done to God too many times. Many times maybe you have come face to face with God and walked away.
“Has He talked to your heart but yet you walked away?”

Vs. 11 “But Naaman was angry - full of rage and went away, and said, Behold I thought, He will surely come out to me...”
How many of us have tried it our way?

How many of us have tried to make deals with God. “Lord if you save me out of this situation then I will...” Lord if you do this then I’ll do this.”
This is so familiar. How many times have we come to God in prayer with the answers already in our minds that we want him to give.
Too many times we have the mindset of ... “Lord let your will be done” and Lord by the way here is your will.”
- I can’t help to wonder of how many blessings we have messed out on because we were not willing to do things God’s way?   And not ours!
Because WE know what we needed to do before we asked God. Instead of letting him give us Divine Wisdom. I wonder when we got so WISE that we didn’t need God’s Word in our life.
Lord help us to humble ourselves before the Lord of Lord’s, King of Kings, and God of Gods. We need to say Lord whatever you want, whatever you ask I will obey!
We can never be saved until we are willing to let God be the Lord of our life as well as the Savior of our life.
We can never stay saved until continue to walk in the light of God’s Word no matter where it takes us.
Vs. 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! “

Vs. 14 Naaman had to set his pride out of the way and have faith in Elisha.
“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.”
He was cleansed of all sickness.
He was made pure.
Dear ones, that is exactly what happens when we are cleansed in the blood of Jesus Christ.
WE are washed of all uncleanness.
Praise the Lord it means we are made whole again.
When Naaman minded the Lord, when he obeyed the Lord’s command. Only when he obeyed the Lord’s command. Only then when he put away his pride then...Naaman was made whole.
If you are here this morning and you have not been made clean by the Lord. If you still have this deadly thing called sin in your life you too can be cleansed. Why not experience the cleansing power of God right now?
Ajax can’t get you cleaner.
Clorox can’t whiten you any whiter.
Dove can’t soften your old hard skin any better.
You can be freed from the bonds of sin this morning by allowing Jesus to cleanse your heart with His blood. The soul cleansing blood of the spotless lamb of God that was sacrificed on the Cross of Calvary for our sins.
No other way will do. Only God’s way will work! Why don’t you allow God to make you whole again? Dip into God’s love today!
Dear ones, we are in the same situation this morning. If you don’t take the transfusion of blood that Jesus has provided, we too will die an even more horrible death than this man.
This death the Bible says will be eternal punishment, eternal torment.
God help us this morning to set our pride and self out of the way and let the Lord have His way.

Don’t let Satan harden your heart this morning.
Don’t let friends or family stand in your way.
Don’t let some idea of I will later, allow your soul to be damned forever.
Let the blood of our Saviour be transfused into your veins this day so that you might have life and life more abundant. God can and will save you if you are willing to do it His way!