WEBVTT 00:00:05.259 --> 00:00:08.140 Hello and welcome to this week's episode of Trinity 00:00:08.140 --> 00:00:11.220 Sermons. This week we are continuing our sermon 00:00:11.220 --> 00:00:14.279 series, Filed Away, where we are diving deep 00:00:14.279 --> 00:00:17.600 into 2 Kings chapter 5 and the story of Naaman's 00:00:17.600 --> 00:00:20.780 transformation. But how do we know that Naaman 00:00:20.780 --> 00:00:24.120 really was transformed? What's the proof that 00:00:24.120 --> 00:00:26.800 this encounter with God actually left him changed 00:00:26.800 --> 00:00:29.059 and wasn't just something that he forgot the 00:00:29.059 --> 00:00:31.440 next day? That's what Rob is going to unpack 00:00:31.440 --> 00:00:39.570 for us in today's sermon. Today's reading is 00:00:39.570 --> 00:00:50.270 from 2 Kings 5, verses 9 -10 and 14 -27. So Naaman 00:00:50.270 --> 00:00:53.109 went with his horses and chariots and stopped 00:00:53.109 --> 00:00:57.049 at the door of Elisha's house. Elisha sent him 00:00:57.049 --> 00:01:01.369 a messenger to say, Go, wash yourself seven times 00:01:01.369 --> 00:01:04.409 in the Jordan, and your flesh will be restored 00:01:04.409 --> 00:01:08.769 and you will be cleansed. So he went down and 00:01:08.769 --> 00:01:11.950 dipped himself in the Jordan seven times, as 00:01:11.950 --> 00:01:15.390 the man of God had told him. And his flesh was 00:01:15.390 --> 00:01:19.069 restored and became clean like that of a young 00:01:19.069 --> 00:01:23.569 boy. Then Naaman and all his attendants went 00:01:23.569 --> 00:01:27.450 back to the man of God. He stood before him and 00:01:27.450 --> 00:01:31.989 said, Now I know there is no God in all the world 00:01:31.989 --> 00:01:36.920 except in Israel. So please accept a gift from 00:01:36.920 --> 00:01:41.340 your servant. The prophet answered, As surely 00:01:41.340 --> 00:01:45.620 as the Lord lives, whom I serve, I will not accept 00:01:45.620 --> 00:01:49.980 a thing. And even though Naaman urged him, he 00:01:49.980 --> 00:01:55.000 refused. If you will not, said Naaman, please 00:01:55.000 --> 00:01:58.359 let me, your servant, be given as much earth 00:01:58.359 --> 00:02:02.319 as a pair of mules can carry. for your servant 00:02:02.319 --> 00:02:05.780 will never again make burnt offerings and sacrifices 00:02:05.780 --> 00:02:12.360 to any god but the Lord. But may the Lord forgive 00:02:12.360 --> 00:02:16.560 your servant for this one thing, when my master 00:02:16.560 --> 00:02:20.939 enters the temple at Rimen, to bow down and he 00:02:20.939 --> 00:02:24.659 is leaning on my arm, and I have to bow there 00:02:24.659 --> 00:02:28.319 also. When I bow down in the temple of Rimen, 00:02:28.860 --> 00:02:33.159 May the Lord forgive your servant for this. Go 00:02:33.159 --> 00:02:39.840 in peace, Elisha said. Gehazi, the servant of 00:02:39.840 --> 00:02:44.400 Elisha, the man of God, said to himself, My master 00:02:44.400 --> 00:02:48.099 was too easy on Naaman, this Armenian, by not 00:02:48.099 --> 00:02:51.960 accepting from him what he brought. As surely 00:02:51.960 --> 00:02:55.199 as the Lord lives, I will run after him and get 00:02:55.199 --> 00:03:00.460 something from him. So Gehazi hurried after Naaman. 00:03:00.719 --> 00:03:03.900 When Naaman saw him running toward him, he got 00:03:03.900 --> 00:03:07.180 down from the chariot to meet him. Is everything 00:03:07.180 --> 00:03:11.180 all right? he asked. Everything is all right, 00:03:11.280 --> 00:03:15.159 Gehazi answered. My master sent me to say, two 00:03:15.159 --> 00:03:18.639 young men from the company of the prophets have 00:03:18.639 --> 00:03:22.560 just come to me from the hill country of Ephraim. 00:03:23.370 --> 00:03:26.810 Please give them a talent of silver and two sets 00:03:26.810 --> 00:03:31.050 of clothing. By all means, take two talents, 00:03:31.270 --> 00:03:34.669 said Naaman. He urged Gehazi to accept them, 00:03:34.789 --> 00:03:37.969 and then tied up the two talents of silver in 00:03:37.969 --> 00:03:42.689 two bags with two sets of clothing. He gave them 00:03:42.689 --> 00:03:47.550 to two of his servants, and they carried them 00:03:47.550 --> 00:03:52.610 ahead of Gehazi. When Gehazi came to the hill, 00:03:52.960 --> 00:03:55.800 he took the things from the servants and put 00:03:55.800 --> 00:03:58.960 them away in the house. He sent the men away 00:03:58.960 --> 00:04:03.740 and they left. When he went in and stood before 00:04:03.740 --> 00:04:07.939 his master, Elisha, asked him, Where have you 00:04:07.939 --> 00:04:11.620 been, Gehazi? Your servant didn't go anywhere, 00:04:11.860 --> 00:04:16.839 Gehazi answered. But Elisha said to him, Was 00:04:16.839 --> 00:04:19.600 not my spirit with you when the man got down 00:04:19.600 --> 00:04:24.259 from his chariot to meet you? Is this the time 00:04:24.259 --> 00:04:28.579 to take money or to accept clothes or olive groves 00:04:28.579 --> 00:04:32.699 or vineyards or flocks and herds or male and 00:04:32.699 --> 00:04:37.579 female slaves? Naaman's leprosy will cling to 00:04:37.579 --> 00:04:42.240 you and to your descendants forever. Then Gehazi 00:04:42.240 --> 00:04:45.420 went from Elisha's presence and his skin was 00:04:45.420 --> 00:04:50.540 leprous. It had become as white as snow. This 00:04:50.540 --> 00:04:54.040 is the word of the Lord. When it comes to legal 00:04:54.040 --> 00:04:59.160 language a smoking gun is that one piece of evidence 00:04:59.160 --> 00:05:02.980 that finally proves the case. It's the photograph 00:05:02.980 --> 00:05:06.720 that you have of the suspect at the scene. It's 00:05:06.720 --> 00:05:09.939 the fingerprint that you found at the scene of 00:05:09.939 --> 00:05:12.839 the crime. The smoking gun could be a recorded 00:05:12.839 --> 00:05:16.199 phone call where the suspect reveals everything 00:05:16.199 --> 00:05:20.500 that happened. A smoking gun doesn't just reveal 00:05:20.500 --> 00:05:23.240 what might have happened or suggest what could 00:05:23.240 --> 00:05:26.259 have happened. No, a smoking gun determines what 00:05:26.259 --> 00:05:30.360 actually really did happen. And when investigators 00:05:30.360 --> 00:05:32.810 or when lawyers get their hands on that smoking 00:05:32.810 --> 00:05:35.209 gun piece of evidence, they finally know they 00:05:35.209 --> 00:05:38.250 have everything they need to make their case 00:05:38.250 --> 00:05:42.829 to the jury. Well, today, ladies and gentlemen 00:05:42.829 --> 00:05:46.870 of the jury, I want to present to you the smoking 00:05:46.870 --> 00:05:50.709 gun. I want to present it to you the undeniable 00:05:50.709 --> 00:05:56.930 evidence of spiritual transformation. I want 00:05:56.930 --> 00:06:01.639 to show you this morning proof. what it looks 00:06:01.639 --> 00:06:06.379 like when someone has had a life -transforming 00:06:06.379 --> 00:06:10.740 encounter with the living God. Not speculative, 00:06:11.120 --> 00:06:15.480 not hearsay, but real evidence of a real encounter 00:06:15.480 --> 00:06:21.160 with the real God that goes beyond a shadow of 00:06:21.160 --> 00:06:25.120 a doubt. How do we know for sure when that has 00:06:25.120 --> 00:06:29.279 happened? Well, we are continuing this teaching 00:06:29.279 --> 00:06:32.660 series, which we're calling Filed Away. We're 00:06:32.660 --> 00:06:35.259 looking at this important story that is buried 00:06:35.259 --> 00:06:39.980 in your Bibles, the story of Naaman. And Naaman 00:06:39.980 --> 00:06:42.800 had an encounter with God. And we can presume 00:06:42.800 --> 00:06:45.540 that as a result of that encounter, he was changed 00:06:45.540 --> 00:06:49.389 forever. But was he? Really? Do we know that 00:06:49.389 --> 00:06:52.750 for sure? Is there any hard evidence to prove 00:06:52.750 --> 00:06:56.310 that what happened to Naaman actually made a 00:06:56.310 --> 00:06:58.910 difference in his life, that he had actually 00:06:58.910 --> 00:07:04.149 been changed by God? You know, if someone were 00:07:04.149 --> 00:07:07.069 to look at your life, would they see evidence 00:07:07.069 --> 00:07:10.069 in your life of someone who has been changed 00:07:10.069 --> 00:07:14.649 by God? If you were put on trial for being a 00:07:14.649 --> 00:07:17.459 Christian, as the saying goes, Would there be 00:07:17.459 --> 00:07:22.180 enough evidence to convict you? Let's begin a 00:07:22.180 --> 00:07:25.240 little bit with a recap. Last week, we cracked 00:07:25.240 --> 00:07:28.759 the case of Naaman, this man who had absolutely 00:07:28.759 --> 00:07:30.980 everything going for him. He had power, he had 00:07:30.980 --> 00:07:34.019 prestige, he had money. He had it all, except 00:07:34.019 --> 00:07:38.470 one thing. He had leprosy. And what we learned 00:07:38.470 --> 00:07:40.449 last week was it doesn't matter what kind of 00:07:40.449 --> 00:07:44.069 amazing life you have made for yourself. Something 00:07:44.069 --> 00:07:47.550 is always going to come along and ruin it. And 00:07:47.550 --> 00:07:50.810 for Naaman, that thing was leprosy. For you and 00:07:50.810 --> 00:07:54.129 me, it will be something else. But when it happens, 00:07:54.230 --> 00:07:56.829 there is nothing you can do to fix it. There's 00:07:56.829 --> 00:08:00.029 nothing the world can do to help you about it. 00:08:00.129 --> 00:08:03.980 And when you come to that point, That point where 00:08:03.980 --> 00:08:06.439 you realize you don't have it in you and you've 00:08:06.439 --> 00:08:08.620 reached the limit of your own self -sufficiency. 00:08:08.620 --> 00:08:12.519 It is then and maybe only then that you will 00:08:12.519 --> 00:08:16.040 finally turn to God and you will seek God and 00:08:16.040 --> 00:08:19.240 find God. And that's what happened when Naaman 00:08:19.240 --> 00:08:23.180 came to God finally empty handed. That's exactly 00:08:23.180 --> 00:08:26.860 where God met him. And that is exactly when Naaman 00:08:26.860 --> 00:08:29.920 was healed. And you might. think, well then, 00:08:29.980 --> 00:08:33.320 absolutely, that was the moment where Naaman 00:08:33.320 --> 00:08:36.320 was forever transformed. I mean, who can go through 00:08:36.320 --> 00:08:38.679 something like that and not be transformed by 00:08:38.679 --> 00:08:41.580 an encounter like that? Well, not so fast. Just 00:08:41.580 --> 00:08:44.720 hold on. Because I think it is very fair to ask, 00:08:44.899 --> 00:08:49.159 is every encounter with God a transforming one? 00:08:49.879 --> 00:08:53.379 Are people always changed when they find God? 00:08:53.480 --> 00:08:56.379 And as it turns out, no, it's not true at all. 00:08:56.559 --> 00:08:58.700 In fact, we just read in our story about another 00:08:58.700 --> 00:09:02.480 fellow, a fellow named Gehazi, who was a religious 00:09:02.480 --> 00:09:05.559 professional, someone who was in tight with one 00:09:05.559 --> 00:09:08.559 of the greatest prophets of the land and spent 00:09:08.559 --> 00:09:11.559 all his days listening to the word of God. And 00:09:11.559 --> 00:09:14.860 yet, even with all that religious exposure in 00:09:14.860 --> 00:09:18.669 Gehazi's life, he was not transformed. into a 00:09:18.669 --> 00:09:21.429 person of grace. So you can have two people, 00:09:21.570 --> 00:09:24.629 right, who encounter the same God, but they have 00:09:24.629 --> 00:09:27.490 two very different verdicts. One is transformed 00:09:27.490 --> 00:09:30.649 and the other is not, which tells us something 00:09:30.649 --> 00:09:34.710 very crucial, that you can be around God and 00:09:34.710 --> 00:09:38.309 you can still miss God. You can experience grace 00:09:38.309 --> 00:09:43.710 and remain unchanged. So today we're not just 00:09:43.710 --> 00:09:46.250 asking the question, did Naaman meet God? We 00:09:46.250 --> 00:09:48.289 answered that last week. Yes, Naaman met God. 00:09:48.429 --> 00:09:52.429 Today we're asking what proves that Naaman met 00:09:52.429 --> 00:09:55.529 God? What evidence is there that he was changed 00:09:55.529 --> 00:09:58.850 as a result of this meeting? Is there a smoking 00:09:58.850 --> 00:10:02.870 gun? Is there real evidence of transformation 00:10:02.870 --> 00:10:07.789 here? So ladies and gentlemen of the jury, today 00:10:07.789 --> 00:10:10.110 what I want to do is I want to enter into evidence 00:10:10.110 --> 00:10:14.330 four exhibits. And I will be showing you that 00:10:14.330 --> 00:10:18.129 these, in fact, are concrete signs that, yes, 00:10:18.289 --> 00:10:22.009 Naaman was changed by God. But as I do this, 00:10:22.070 --> 00:10:24.250 please remember, this is not just about Naaman. 00:10:24.370 --> 00:10:27.490 This is about me. And this is about you. And 00:10:27.490 --> 00:10:31.850 this is about all of us. Is there proof of transformation 00:10:31.850 --> 00:10:36.750 in our own lives? Do we see these exhibits in 00:10:36.750 --> 00:10:39.230 our own lives as well? So let's examine the evidence. 00:10:41.419 --> 00:10:43.580 court stenographer here, but if you want to take 00:10:43.580 --> 00:10:46.399 notes, we've given you some notes to follow along. 00:10:46.940 --> 00:10:50.220 So let's begin. Members of the jury, I want to 00:10:50.220 --> 00:10:54.259 present to you Exhibit A. Exhibit A, which is 00:10:54.259 --> 00:10:57.500 this. I suggest to you that if someone has been 00:10:57.500 --> 00:11:01.000 truly encountered by and changed by the living 00:11:01.000 --> 00:11:03.960 God, what you will see is a brand new perspective 00:11:03.960 --> 00:11:09.299 in their thinking and in their worldview, right? 00:11:09.419 --> 00:11:11.899 After all, a real transformation isn't just an 00:11:11.899 --> 00:11:13.860 emotional experience. It's not just this religious 00:11:13.860 --> 00:11:16.399 moment that you have and then you file it away 00:11:16.399 --> 00:11:19.580 and it never affects you again. No, an encounter 00:11:19.580 --> 00:11:22.940 with God, if it is real, it should affect your 00:11:22.940 --> 00:11:25.580 reality. It should challenge your thinking. It 00:11:25.580 --> 00:11:29.860 should change your worldview. Everything should 00:11:29.860 --> 00:11:32.159 change absolutely everything and let's be honest 00:11:32.159 --> 00:11:36.860 though lots of people encounter Jesus without 00:11:36.860 --> 00:11:40.320 being changed in their thinking they hear the 00:11:40.320 --> 00:11:44.059 gospel maybe they come to church and They leave 00:11:44.059 --> 00:11:45.960 and they don't see the world any differently. 00:11:46.179 --> 00:11:48.200 They don't see themselves any differently. They 00:11:48.200 --> 00:11:50.899 don't see God any differently either their minds 00:11:50.899 --> 00:11:55.580 are Unchanged their mental map is still as it 00:11:55.580 --> 00:12:01.269 was But real transformation produces real change 00:12:01.269 --> 00:12:04.230 in our thinking. It changes everything that we 00:12:04.230 --> 00:12:07.429 thought we knew. And this is what happened to 00:12:07.429 --> 00:12:11.309 Naaman. Ladies and gentlemen, look at what Naaman 00:12:11.309 --> 00:12:14.629 says after he receives his healing. He says, 00:12:14.649 --> 00:12:19.039 now I know. that there is no God in all the world 00:12:19.039 --> 00:12:22.860 except in Israel. Now that sentence might sound 00:12:22.860 --> 00:12:25.559 simple to you and me, but for Naaman and in Naaman's 00:12:25.559 --> 00:12:28.879 culture, it is a revolutionary change in thinking. 00:12:28.960 --> 00:12:31.480 Because you see, Naaman lived in a pluralistic 00:12:31.480 --> 00:12:34.279 culture, in a culture where there were many, 00:12:34.360 --> 00:12:37.639 many gods. There were national gods and regional 00:12:37.639 --> 00:12:41.440 gods and cultural gods. So if Naaman had said 00:12:41.440 --> 00:12:45.049 after his healing, now I know. that your God 00:12:45.049 --> 00:12:48.610 is greater than my other gods, or now I know 00:12:48.610 --> 00:12:51.850 your God is just as good as my other gods, that 00:12:51.850 --> 00:12:55.610 would not have been a change to his existing 00:12:55.610 --> 00:12:58.190 worldview. That would have just slipped God into 00:12:58.190 --> 00:13:00.850 his existing worldview. But what he actually 00:13:00.850 --> 00:13:05.769 says is, now I know there is no God except the 00:13:05.769 --> 00:13:10.240 God of Israel. You see, God didn't just God didn't 00:13:10.240 --> 00:13:13.679 just slip into his belief system. God blows up 00:13:13.679 --> 00:13:19.419 his belief system. And Naaman moves from believing 00:13:19.419 --> 00:13:23.120 in many gods to one true God. He moves from pluralism, 00:13:23.120 --> 00:13:28.419 you could say, to monotheism. This is a worldview 00:13:28.419 --> 00:13:32.139 revolution. This is a complete reorientation 00:13:32.139 --> 00:13:35.700 of your thinking. Now, everybody has a worldview. 00:13:36.559 --> 00:13:38.620 Right? Your worldview. You want to know what 00:13:38.620 --> 00:13:40.740 your worldview is? How do you answer these questions? 00:13:41.000 --> 00:13:44.899 Who is God? What is salvation? Who am I? What 00:13:44.899 --> 00:13:47.139 matters most in life? What doesn't matter in 00:13:47.139 --> 00:13:49.659 life? That's your worldview. However you answer 00:13:49.659 --> 00:13:53.679 those. And Naaman had answers to all those questions 00:13:53.679 --> 00:13:59.139 before he was healed. But afterwards, every single 00:13:59.139 --> 00:14:02.840 one of those answers changed. And there was no 00:14:02.840 --> 00:14:06.669 going back. His world was now rocked. All his 00:14:06.669 --> 00:14:10.710 mental map had to be reordered. He couldn't unsee 00:14:10.710 --> 00:14:13.909 this truth that he had seen. He couldn't unlearn 00:14:13.909 --> 00:14:17.289 this grace that he had experienced. And that's 00:14:17.289 --> 00:14:22.950 why I argue that he was truly transformed. He 00:14:22.950 --> 00:14:26.389 was totally changed in his thinking. But members 00:14:26.389 --> 00:14:30.070 of the jury, members of the jury, when you encountered 00:14:30.070 --> 00:14:33.990 God, when you encountered Jesus, did it change? 00:14:34.720 --> 00:14:38.240 Everything for you. Did Jesus change how you 00:14:38.240 --> 00:14:41.080 understood this world? Did he rock your world? 00:14:41.899 --> 00:14:45.639 Or did Jesus just get added to an already crowded 00:14:45.639 --> 00:14:48.539 shelf of other ideas and values and beliefs as 00:14:48.539 --> 00:14:52.960 one option among many? No, no, no. Real transformation 00:14:52.960 --> 00:14:56.960 happens when it produces a real change in our 00:14:56.960 --> 00:15:00.220 thinking and worldview. And once that happens, 00:15:00.259 --> 00:15:02.539 you can't go back. And so there you go. I submit 00:15:02.539 --> 00:15:05.639 it into evidence. This is exhibit A. A genuinely 00:15:05.639 --> 00:15:08.759 transformed life shows a new perspective in thinking 00:15:08.759 --> 00:15:11.139 and in worldview. And that is exactly what we 00:15:11.139 --> 00:15:13.980 see happening in Naaman's life. And now that 00:15:13.980 --> 00:15:15.980 I have entered that into the record, I can go 00:15:15.980 --> 00:15:19.490 on to exhibit B. Exhibit B says, and here's my 00:15:19.490 --> 00:15:22.309 argument, that if someone truly encounters a 00:15:22.309 --> 00:15:24.190 living God, it doesn't just change how they think. 00:15:24.190 --> 00:15:28.009 It changes how they relate to their possessions 00:15:28.009 --> 00:15:35.250 and to wealth. Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, 00:15:35.309 --> 00:15:37.610 don't you find it a little odd sometimes when 00:15:37.610 --> 00:15:40.909 people say, I have received the life -transforming 00:15:40.909 --> 00:15:44.049 gift of God. I have received the costly grace 00:15:44.049 --> 00:15:47.750 of Jesus Christ. I have received the loving forgiveness 00:15:47.750 --> 00:15:50.870 of my sins. I have received the promise of eternal 00:15:50.870 --> 00:15:53.590 life, and yet they're still anxious about money. 00:15:55.129 --> 00:16:00.049 Still measuring their life by stuff. It's suspicious. 00:16:00.879 --> 00:16:03.620 Suspicious indeed, and it makes one wonder if 00:16:03.620 --> 00:16:05.659 real transformation has actually happened just 00:16:05.659 --> 00:16:09.659 yet. Because if you've really received the greatest 00:16:09.659 --> 00:16:12.840 treasure in the entire universe, how can you 00:16:12.840 --> 00:16:16.179 still be letting these smaller ones control you? 00:16:16.779 --> 00:16:22.080 Real transformation loosens our grip on money 00:16:22.080 --> 00:16:25.360 and on possessions. It doesn't make them disappear. 00:16:25.639 --> 00:16:28.240 It doesn't mean that they're evil now. Money's 00:16:28.240 --> 00:16:32.289 bad and evil. No. but it loosens our grip. Because 00:16:32.289 --> 00:16:34.990 when God has become your security, when God has 00:16:34.990 --> 00:16:38.340 become your treasure, then possessions and wealth 00:16:38.340 --> 00:16:42.000 lose their power over us. Now, did this happen 00:16:42.000 --> 00:16:44.419 to Naaman? And once again, ladies and gentlemen, 00:16:44.419 --> 00:16:47.139 I want to suggest to you that yes, in fact, it 00:16:47.139 --> 00:16:50.500 did. Because look, immediately after Naaman received 00:16:50.500 --> 00:16:53.879 his healing, he says to Elisha, please accept 00:16:53.879 --> 00:16:57.700 a gift from your servant. This was likely an 00:16:57.700 --> 00:17:00.299 enormous gift he was offering. Last week we spoke, 00:17:00.379 --> 00:17:02.039 it could have been in the order of millions or 00:17:02.039 --> 00:17:06.210 tens of millions of dollars. But why would Naaman 00:17:06.210 --> 00:17:09.430 do this? He doesn't need to give Elisha anything. 00:17:09.470 --> 00:17:12.750 He's already got his cure. He already got his 00:17:12.750 --> 00:17:16.230 healing. He received what he came for. There's 00:17:16.230 --> 00:17:20.170 really no reason now or obligation to give anything 00:17:20.170 --> 00:17:23.869 at all. And yet he insists. Why does he do that? 00:17:24.190 --> 00:17:28.430 It's because he's truly changed. This man who 00:17:28.430 --> 00:17:30.930 initially brought all his wealth as leverage 00:17:30.930 --> 00:17:35.940 now offers it as gratitude. He no longer is attempting 00:17:35.940 --> 00:17:41.480 to buy God's grace. He has received God's grace, 00:17:41.480 --> 00:17:44.740 and now he's responding to God's grace. The money 00:17:44.740 --> 00:17:48.539 is still the same money, but Naaman is not the 00:17:48.539 --> 00:17:53.349 same Naaman. Naaman's wealth no longer defines 00:17:53.349 --> 00:17:56.630 him. It no longer secures him, no longer controls 00:17:56.630 --> 00:17:58.750 him. God has now taken first place in his life. 00:17:58.809 --> 00:18:00.329 And that means that all his stuff and all his 00:18:00.329 --> 00:18:02.970 money could be put in its proper place. And that 00:18:02.970 --> 00:18:05.269 is one of the clearest evidences that actually 00:18:05.269 --> 00:18:08.869 grace has really landed, really landed in someone's 00:18:08.869 --> 00:18:12.170 heart when God becomes your ultimate treasure. 00:18:12.920 --> 00:18:15.259 And everything else kind of fades to the background. 00:18:15.420 --> 00:18:17.200 So let me ask you again, ladies and gentlemen 00:18:17.200 --> 00:18:19.059 of the jury, this isn't just about name and it's 00:18:19.059 --> 00:18:23.240 about us. Has your encounter with God changed 00:18:23.240 --> 00:18:27.140 your relationship to money? Or are you still 00:18:27.140 --> 00:18:30.920 anxious about it? Still driven by it? Still hoarding 00:18:30.920 --> 00:18:33.799 it? Still measuring your life by what you own 00:18:33.799 --> 00:18:36.299 or what you might own or how much you have or 00:18:36.299 --> 00:18:38.660 what you earn or whatever? True transformation. 00:18:39.759 --> 00:18:42.500 does not just show up in our beliefs. It shows 00:18:42.500 --> 00:18:46.559 up in our budgets. It's in our giving. It's in 00:18:46.559 --> 00:18:50.660 our spending. It's in our savings. Our bank accounts 00:18:50.660 --> 00:18:53.680 tell as much about what's going on in us as our 00:18:53.680 --> 00:18:58.119 words do. And so I submit into evidence, exhibit 00:18:58.119 --> 00:19:03.480 B, a genuinely transformed life shows this new 00:19:03.480 --> 00:19:05.900 relationship to possessions and wealth. And again, 00:19:05.940 --> 00:19:09.339 I want to state, we see this. loud and clear 00:19:09.339 --> 00:19:13.559 in the life of Naaman. Now, exhibit B has been 00:19:13.559 --> 00:19:15.779 entered into evidence. I move to exhibit C. Members 00:19:15.779 --> 00:19:20.480 of the jury, I submit to you, exhibit C, that 00:19:20.480 --> 00:19:23.660 when someone has truly encountered, truly encountered 00:19:23.660 --> 00:19:26.140 the grace of God, they don't just think differently, 00:19:26.220 --> 00:19:27.759 they don't just handle money differently, but 00:19:27.759 --> 00:19:31.819 they actually relate to other people differently. 00:19:32.720 --> 00:19:36.420 Transformation produces a new heart of servanthood. 00:19:37.069 --> 00:19:40.190 and humility. I mean, it is strange. Again, I 00:19:40.190 --> 00:19:44.250 say why some people who claim to know God continue 00:19:44.250 --> 00:19:47.049 to look down on other people. They continue to 00:19:47.049 --> 00:19:48.930 exclude people. They continue to feel superior 00:19:48.930 --> 00:19:52.029 to people. If God has accepted us, knowing all 00:19:52.029 --> 00:19:56.650 our flaws and foibles, then surely shouldn't 00:19:56.650 --> 00:19:59.369 that mean that we are going to soften our hearts 00:19:59.369 --> 00:20:05.109 toward others and show grace and acceptance toward 00:20:05.109 --> 00:20:06.970 others, just as God has shown grace and acceptance 00:20:06.970 --> 00:20:10.170 to us, it would make sense. Ladies and gentlemen, 00:20:10.190 --> 00:20:12.809 the jury, that is exactly, again, what we see 00:20:12.809 --> 00:20:15.650 in the life of Naaman. As evidence, I offer you 00:20:15.650 --> 00:20:19.950 this. Notice how Naaman over and over and over 00:20:19.950 --> 00:20:23.609 again, refers to himself now as a servant. Accept 00:20:23.609 --> 00:20:25.210 a gift from your servant. Please let me your 00:20:25.210 --> 00:20:27.130 servant, your servant. Forgive your servant, 00:20:27.250 --> 00:20:30.390 your servant. This is not by accident. Every 00:20:30.390 --> 00:20:32.809 word, I think, in this story is carefully chosen. 00:20:33.170 --> 00:20:36.349 You see, when Naaman first came to Elisha, he 00:20:36.349 --> 00:20:38.809 came as a commander, as a general, as someone 00:20:38.809 --> 00:20:42.130 who ordered people about, as someone other people 00:20:42.130 --> 00:20:47.849 served. But after encountering God's grace, Right? 00:20:47.910 --> 00:20:51.109 His posture changes. Now he comes to Elisha not 00:20:51.109 --> 00:20:55.549 to use him, not to get something from him, but 00:20:55.549 --> 00:20:59.890 to serve him. Now he comes with humility. This 00:20:59.890 --> 00:21:05.569 is grace. Grace dismantles. Our superiority. 00:21:05.910 --> 00:21:08.390 Grace removes the need for us to dominate or 00:21:08.390 --> 00:21:10.529 control other people. We don't need to be above 00:21:10.529 --> 00:21:13.309 them. We can accept them and we can serve them 00:21:13.309 --> 00:21:15.509 because God's accepted us. And in Jesus, God 00:21:15.509 --> 00:21:18.470 has served us. True transformation doesn't just 00:21:18.470 --> 00:21:23.750 say, I now believe differently. It says, I now 00:21:23.750 --> 00:21:27.549 see people differently. I serve people readily. 00:21:27.950 --> 00:21:30.650 That is the evidence. And folks, the evidence 00:21:30.650 --> 00:21:32.769 is really mounting here at this point. Wouldn't 00:21:32.769 --> 00:21:37.559 you agree? Naaman is truly a transformed person 00:21:37.559 --> 00:21:39.259 here. But again, I got to come back to you, ladies 00:21:39.259 --> 00:21:40.900 and gentlemen of the jury. I have to ask you, 00:21:40.940 --> 00:21:43.880 do you have this kind of a servant heart? Are 00:21:43.880 --> 00:21:46.380 you humble like this, especially toward people 00:21:46.380 --> 00:21:48.519 who are different from you or people who maybe 00:21:48.519 --> 00:21:51.279 have less power than you or less status than 00:21:51.279 --> 00:21:55.059 you or less influence than you? Do we serve others 00:21:55.059 --> 00:21:59.539 or do we expect them to serve? Us, real transformation 00:21:59.539 --> 00:22:03.779 will always deflate our egos and point us downward 00:22:03.779 --> 00:22:09.640 in humility. And so exhibit C, submitted into 00:22:09.640 --> 00:22:13.759 evidence, a genuinely transformed life shows 00:22:13.759 --> 00:22:17.579 a new heart of servanthood and humility. And 00:22:17.579 --> 00:22:20.779 once again, we see this in the life of Naaman. 00:22:20.859 --> 00:22:23.700 And now. We can move to the fourth and final 00:22:23.700 --> 00:22:25.460 exhibit I want to share with you today in my 00:22:25.460 --> 00:22:27.980 argument. Members of the jury, I submit to you, 00:22:28.039 --> 00:22:31.960 someone who has truly encountered God doesn't 00:22:31.960 --> 00:22:33.359 just change how they think, doesn't just change 00:22:33.359 --> 00:22:34.920 how they handle money, doesn't just change how 00:22:34.920 --> 00:22:38.339 they treat people, but it should also give them 00:22:38.339 --> 00:22:41.740 a new conviction. In worship, in witness, put 00:22:41.740 --> 00:22:44.819 another way, a new conviction, not just about 00:22:44.819 --> 00:22:48.500 what they do on Sunday, but about how they live 00:22:48.500 --> 00:22:52.779 their lives Monday through Saturday. You see, 00:22:52.779 --> 00:22:55.720 a person, as we all know, can behave one way 00:22:55.720 --> 00:22:58.099 at church on a Sunday morning and completely 00:22:58.099 --> 00:23:01.710 different. the rest of the week. On Sundays, 00:23:01.849 --> 00:23:05.890 our faith can feel very sincere, but it can be 00:23:05.890 --> 00:23:08.349 absent at work, it can be invisible at school, 00:23:08.630 --> 00:23:12.609 it can be completely silent in public. But if 00:23:12.609 --> 00:23:15.130 God is truly God, and he's truly the Lord of 00:23:15.130 --> 00:23:17.250 our lives and the Lord of the world, then our 00:23:17.250 --> 00:23:21.150 faith can't be confined to one day a week. It 00:23:21.150 --> 00:23:24.349 cannot be kept to ourselves throughout the week. 00:23:25.210 --> 00:23:27.309 So ladies and gentlemen, I want to submit to 00:23:27.309 --> 00:23:32.170 you. That Naaman truly lived his faith in the 00:23:32.170 --> 00:23:34.829 world for all to see. And this is part of the 00:23:34.829 --> 00:23:36.710 story that actually confuses people, I think, 00:23:36.710 --> 00:23:39.549 a fair amount. Because at first, what it looks 00:23:39.549 --> 00:23:41.890 like is Naaman is going back to his old life. 00:23:42.500 --> 00:23:45.460 Naaman is going to go back to Syria. He's going 00:23:45.460 --> 00:23:48.700 to go back to worshiping his old god, Rimon, 00:23:48.720 --> 00:23:51.619 alongside his king. At first glance, this looks 00:23:51.619 --> 00:23:53.420 like a step backwards. It looks like a compromise. 00:23:53.619 --> 00:23:55.700 It looks like he's returning to pluralism. But 00:23:55.700 --> 00:23:58.000 look more closely. Look more closely. Naaman 00:23:58.000 --> 00:24:02.240 asks for some earth. He asks for some Israelite 00:24:02.240 --> 00:24:06.579 dirt to take home. Why is that? It is because 00:24:06.579 --> 00:24:09.900 in the ancient world, worship was always closely 00:24:09.900 --> 00:24:13.599 associated to the land. And so Naaman decides 00:24:13.599 --> 00:24:15.500 this is what he's going to do. At least this 00:24:15.500 --> 00:24:17.740 is the best interpretation I've heard. He is 00:24:17.740 --> 00:24:20.000 going to take back this dirt with him. And when 00:24:20.000 --> 00:24:21.920 he goes into the temple and he has to worship 00:24:21.920 --> 00:24:24.200 in the temple of Rimen, every time he kneels 00:24:24.200 --> 00:24:26.559 down, he's first going to throw down a handful 00:24:26.559 --> 00:24:28.660 of this Israelite dirt on the ground so that 00:24:28.660 --> 00:24:31.920 every time he kneels down and starts to worship, 00:24:32.039 --> 00:24:35.079 it is clear. It is clear to everyone who can 00:24:35.079 --> 00:24:37.599 see and a lot of people can see what he is saying. 00:24:37.720 --> 00:24:41.619 I may be here in Syria. I may be in this temple. 00:24:41.839 --> 00:24:46.559 but I worship the God of Israel. It is a bold 00:24:46.559 --> 00:24:49.380 statement. It is not a private statement. It 00:24:49.380 --> 00:24:52.319 is a public statement, even for the king next 00:24:52.319 --> 00:24:56.539 to him to see this man has changed. His worship 00:24:56.539 --> 00:24:59.640 and witness is different. Now you could say, 00:24:59.660 --> 00:25:02.160 I suppose Naaman, he could have just stayed in 00:25:02.160 --> 00:25:04.140 Israel. Why didn't he just stay in Israel and 00:25:04.140 --> 00:25:06.359 worship there? No, he said, I want to go back 00:25:06.359 --> 00:25:09.299 to my culture. And I will take the worship of 00:25:09.299 --> 00:25:12.400 God into my culture. And I will thereby witness 00:25:12.400 --> 00:25:18.019 to God in my culture. In other words, Naaman 00:25:18.019 --> 00:25:23.730 goes back to the center of public life. but with 00:25:23.730 --> 00:25:26.369 God now at the center of his life. He doesn't 00:25:26.369 --> 00:25:28.750 withdraw from the world. He doesn't hide his 00:25:28.750 --> 00:25:30.970 faith. He doesn't keep it personal. It's just 00:25:30.970 --> 00:25:34.569 between me and God. No, he lives a life of worship 00:25:34.569 --> 00:25:37.289 and witness for all to see. And what about us 00:25:37.289 --> 00:25:41.690 members of the jury? We live too in a secular 00:25:41.690 --> 00:25:45.059 world, right? How do we live out our faith in 00:25:45.059 --> 00:25:47.140 the workplace, in our neighborhoods, in our schools, 00:25:47.240 --> 00:25:49.480 in our friendships? How do we hold together Sunday 00:25:49.480 --> 00:25:52.039 worship with Monday responsibility? Well, Naaman 00:25:52.039 --> 00:25:56.059 shows us the way. Let your worship on Sunday 00:25:56.059 --> 00:26:00.099 inform your work on Monday. Don't keep your faith 00:26:00.099 --> 00:26:02.960 contained within these four church walls, but 00:26:02.960 --> 00:26:05.140 let it shape how you live out there in the world 00:26:05.140 --> 00:26:07.839 because real transformation shows up in both 00:26:07.839 --> 00:26:10.819 our worship and our witness. And so I submit 00:26:10.819 --> 00:26:13.640 it to you. There it is. Exhibit D, a genuinely 00:26:13.640 --> 00:26:18.200 transformed life isn't hidden. It's lived faithfully 00:26:18.200 --> 00:26:21.539 for all to see. And once again, Naaman gets it 00:26:21.539 --> 00:26:24.500 just right. So let's just review this evidence. 00:26:24.839 --> 00:26:28.619 Review the evidence. Naaman demonstrated a new 00:26:28.619 --> 00:26:30.819 perspective in his thinking and worldview. Naaman 00:26:30.819 --> 00:26:33.420 developed a new relationship to possessions and 00:26:33.420 --> 00:26:35.480 wealth. Naaman gained a new heart of servanthood 00:26:35.480 --> 00:26:37.940 and humility. And Naaman lived a new life of 00:26:37.940 --> 00:26:41.140 worship and witness. Guys, the evidence is consistent, 00:26:41.240 --> 00:26:43.160 ladies and gentlemen. I think it's very compelling. 00:26:43.359 --> 00:26:49.500 It is the smoking gun. Naaman, truly a transformed 00:26:49.500 --> 00:26:53.500 person. But just before you render your verdict, 00:26:54.599 --> 00:26:57.279 Let me just compare Naaman really quickly to 00:26:57.279 --> 00:27:01.299 Gehazi. Gehazi. Did Gehazi show a new perspective 00:27:01.299 --> 00:27:05.480 in his thinking and worldview? No. Gehazi still 00:27:05.480 --> 00:27:07.599 believes that grace should come with strings 00:27:07.599 --> 00:27:09.480 attached. It's something that you should earn. 00:27:09.720 --> 00:27:13.099 He says that Elisha was too easy on Naaman, right? 00:27:13.160 --> 00:27:17.579 His worldview hasn't changed at all. Did Gehazi 00:27:17.579 --> 00:27:20.519 show a new relationship to possessions and wealth? 00:27:20.680 --> 00:27:24.410 No. Gehazi greedily ran after Naaman for his 00:27:24.410 --> 00:27:26.690 own personal gain. He's still consumed by money 00:27:26.690 --> 00:27:29.750 and possessions. Did Gehazi show a new heart 00:27:29.750 --> 00:27:32.490 of servanthood and humility? No. In fact, did 00:27:32.490 --> 00:27:35.890 you hear how Gehazi referred to Naaman as this 00:27:35.890 --> 00:27:40.230 Aramean? Gehazi still feels superior and he looks 00:27:40.230 --> 00:27:45.210 down on others. And did Gehazi's life witness 00:27:45.210 --> 00:27:47.940 to a different way in the world? No. In fact, 00:27:48.000 --> 00:27:50.019 he looks just like the world. Where have you 00:27:50.019 --> 00:27:52.720 been, Gehazi? Elisha asks. Well, the answer is 00:27:52.720 --> 00:27:55.599 in the world, still living and playing by the 00:27:55.599 --> 00:28:01.420 world's rules. So, ladies and gentlemen, I don't 00:28:01.420 --> 00:28:03.299 think the contrast could be clearer. Naaman, 00:28:03.319 --> 00:28:05.740 the outsider, meets God and is transformed, and 00:28:05.740 --> 00:28:10.680 Gehazi, an insider, misses God entirely. Now, 00:28:10.700 --> 00:28:12.559 I've been using a lot of courtroom language and 00:28:12.559 --> 00:28:14.720 drama language here today, but I don't want anyone 00:28:14.720 --> 00:28:18.839 to leave here today feeling guilty or anyone 00:28:18.839 --> 00:28:23.359 here feeling judged. Because really, you're not 00:28:23.359 --> 00:28:27.960 on trial here today. And here's why. Jesus has 00:28:27.960 --> 00:28:32.460 already stood trial for us. And Jesus has already 00:28:32.460 --> 00:28:37.819 been judged for us. Jesus took upon himself all 00:28:37.819 --> 00:28:42.319 our guilt. On the cross, Jesus absorbed all our 00:28:42.319 --> 00:28:47.160 sins so that now God looks at us and declares 00:28:47.160 --> 00:28:52.519 his verdict once and for all not guilty. He declares 00:28:52.519 --> 00:28:58.740 us accepted. He declares that you are made new. 00:28:59.380 --> 00:29:04.740 The gospel is not be changed so God will accept 00:29:04.740 --> 00:29:10.119 you. The gospel is. God accepts you. Therefore, 00:29:10.319 --> 00:29:15.680 be changed. So like Naaman, let's be changed 00:29:15.680 --> 00:29:19.220 people. Let's be changed in how we think. Be 00:29:19.220 --> 00:29:21.700 changed in how we handle our money and possessions. 00:29:21.839 --> 00:29:23.640 Let's be changed in how we treat others. Let's 00:29:23.640 --> 00:29:27.700 be changed in our life and witness in this world. 00:29:29.500 --> 00:29:34.660 And with that, the defense rests. The verdict 00:29:34.660 --> 00:29:40.180 is in. Go and let grace reshape your life. Thanks 00:29:40.180 --> 00:29:45.279 be to God. Amen. Thanks for tuning in to this 00:29:45.279 --> 00:29:47.859 week's episode of Trinity Sermons. This sermon 00:29:47.859 --> 00:29:50.339 was recorded at Trinity Church Streetsville in 00:29:50.339 --> 00:29:54.299 Mississauga, Ontario on February 8th, 2026.