WEBVTT 00:00:10.160 --> 00:00:16.000 As we come to 2 Kings chapter 5, immediately 00:00:16.000 --> 00:00:23.260 we come into contact with this man, Naaman. This 00:00:23.260 --> 00:00:27.760 man really arises in the story almost out of 00:00:27.760 --> 00:00:33.679 nowhere. But this entire narrative circulates 00:00:33.679 --> 00:00:38.469 around this man Naaman. As we consider Naaman 00:00:38.469 --> 00:00:42.950 and his situation and his cure, his condition, 00:00:44.170 --> 00:00:47.329 we're going to look at three things today. We're 00:00:47.329 --> 00:00:53.109 going to look at the man and his condition, his 00:00:53.109 --> 00:01:02.929 disease, or his issue, his problem in life. And 00:01:02.929 --> 00:01:05.670 then we're going to look at the issues that he 00:01:05.670 --> 00:01:12.629 faced in finding a cure to his leprosy. Lastly, 00:01:13.870 --> 00:01:17.670 we'll look at the cure itself. So as we consider 00:01:17.670 --> 00:01:22.209 the man and his condition, the text gives us 00:01:22.209 --> 00:01:26.549 a very avid description, a clear look at what 00:01:26.549 --> 00:01:32.109 this man was like. Look in verse one. It says, 00:01:32.349 --> 00:01:35.409 now, Naaman, captain of the army of the king 00:01:35.409 --> 00:01:39.959 of Aaron. We think about that statement. This 00:01:39.959 --> 00:01:46.079 man was the captain, the leader of a country's 00:01:46.079 --> 00:01:52.480 military forces. He was a powerful man. He was 00:01:52.480 --> 00:01:55.420 the captain of the army of the King of Aram. 00:01:55.780 --> 00:02:00.640 He was a great man with his master. He was highly 00:02:00.640 --> 00:02:06.760 favored. He was a man most likely of... high 00:02:06.760 --> 00:02:12.780 moral integrity. He was highly respected because 00:02:12.780 --> 00:02:17.120 by him the Lord had given victory to Aaron. Others 00:02:17.120 --> 00:02:24.259 respected Naaman. Others looked to Naaman as 00:02:24.259 --> 00:02:28.400 a role model in their life. Others looked upon 00:02:28.400 --> 00:02:33.250 him, I'm sure some, with awe. of this man, his 00:02:33.250 --> 00:02:37.610 position, his power, his influence, and his status 00:02:37.610 --> 00:02:42.969 in line. It also says that he was a valiant warrior. 00:02:44.710 --> 00:02:49.689 He wasn't one that stayed back while the military 00:02:49.689 --> 00:02:54.650 and the army went into battle. Neyman was a valiant 00:02:54.650 --> 00:02:58.229 warrior. He fought the enemies of his kingdom. 00:02:58.409 --> 00:03:03.430 He went to war with his men. If we stop right 00:03:03.430 --> 00:03:08.650 there and we consider Naaman, this is somebody, 00:03:08.689 --> 00:03:14.189 isn't it? This is a man with pomp. This is a 00:03:14.189 --> 00:03:17.729 man with power. This is a man with prestige. 00:03:18.009 --> 00:03:23.270 This is a man that has a good life in Syria. 00:03:24.039 --> 00:03:27.180 He's got a good job. He's got a good place. He's 00:03:27.180 --> 00:03:33.020 well respected This is somebody but there's one 00:03:33.020 --> 00:03:39.020 issue This man With this pump and with this prestige 00:03:39.020 --> 00:03:43.400 and with this power with this influence had one 00:03:43.400 --> 00:03:51.099 major problem in his life one big issue that 00:03:51.099 --> 00:03:56.240 affected every part of who he is. One big thing 00:03:56.240 --> 00:04:00.979 that was always with him. The text says he was 00:04:00.979 --> 00:04:04.379 a leper. Now when we think of leprosy in the 00:04:04.379 --> 00:04:08.500 Bible, I don't think that that is what they're 00:04:08.500 --> 00:04:12.539 speaking of with Naaman. Naaman most likely is 00:04:12.539 --> 00:04:17.079 referencing some sort of skin disease, not the 00:04:17.079 --> 00:04:20.540 typical leprosy we hear about in the New Testament. 00:04:21.339 --> 00:04:28.920 This leprosy most likely had to do with bad disfigurement 00:04:28.920 --> 00:04:33.439 and pain and suffering. We don't know how long 00:04:33.439 --> 00:04:36.500 he had it. We don't know if it was something 00:04:36.500 --> 00:04:39.639 he acquired recently and he's had temporarily, 00:04:39.980 --> 00:04:41.759 or we don't know if it's something he's had his 00:04:41.759 --> 00:04:45.839 entire life, but we do know that he has it, that 00:04:45.839 --> 00:04:49.259 it's a big issue in his life. He can't get rid 00:04:49.259 --> 00:04:55.529 of it. So, we look at his life and we see that 00:04:55.529 --> 00:05:01.350 he has this big issue and he has it as a Gentile. 00:05:02.470 --> 00:05:06.810 One of the biggest surprises in this story is 00:05:06.810 --> 00:05:12.870 that Naaman is not an Israelite. Naaman is not 00:05:12.870 --> 00:05:16.670 a part of the covenant people of God, yet here 00:05:16.670 --> 00:05:21.800 we find a story about a man. who is a foreigner, 00:05:21.920 --> 00:05:25.639 who is an alien to the promises of God, a foreigner, 00:05:25.920 --> 00:05:30.079 an alien to the people of God, to the God of 00:05:30.079 --> 00:05:34.959 Israel. And we find God's grace and God's mercy 00:05:34.959 --> 00:05:38.860 and God's compassion extending beyond the borders 00:05:38.860 --> 00:05:44.399 of Israel to this Gentile man, that he might 00:05:44.399 --> 00:05:49.139 impact his life, that he might change him. So 00:05:49.139 --> 00:05:54.209 in... In Naaman, we find a man who is apart, 00:05:54.610 --> 00:05:58.769 who is separate, who is distant, who is far from 00:05:58.769 --> 00:06:04.389 the promises of God, who is far from the God 00:06:04.389 --> 00:06:10.990 of Israel who saves. So in Naaman, we find a 00:06:10.990 --> 00:06:16.829 portrait of an unbeliever who is separate from 00:06:16.829 --> 00:06:22.819 Christ. Naaman is not so different from the unbeliever 00:06:22.819 --> 00:06:26.199 today. He's not so different from the modern 00:06:26.199 --> 00:06:30.899 man who rejects Christ, who denies Christ. The 00:06:30.899 --> 00:06:34.319 modern man who rejects Christ and denies Christ 00:06:34.319 --> 00:06:39.339 is far from the promises of God, is distant and 00:06:39.339 --> 00:06:42.480 separate from the gospel of Christ, just like 00:06:42.480 --> 00:06:46.000 Naaman was far and distant and away from the 00:06:46.000 --> 00:06:50.199 promises of God. So this is the man, this is 00:06:50.199 --> 00:06:54.180 his condition, and this is where he's at in life. 00:06:54.339 --> 00:07:00.839 We see his deep, desperate need in this narrative 00:07:00.839 --> 00:07:07.420 already. Now we see also the issues that Naaman 00:07:07.420 --> 00:07:12.139 faced in finding a cure. It's obvious and clear 00:07:12.139 --> 00:07:17.959 from this text that this man desires to be cured. 00:07:18.639 --> 00:07:24.800 This man wants to find a way to be healed of 00:07:24.800 --> 00:07:28.339 his sickness, of his disease, of his leprosy. 00:07:28.699 --> 00:07:31.800 How do we know that? Well, think about the entire 00:07:31.800 --> 00:07:35.259 flow of the story. As soon as a cure is mentioned, 00:07:35.480 --> 00:07:39.560 as soon as a potential healing or restoration 00:07:39.560 --> 00:07:45.839 is proclaimed, he's on it. He's eager to go and 00:07:45.839 --> 00:07:53.350 be healed. He knows he has a problem. But here 00:07:53.350 --> 00:07:57.370 we find this man of great resources, this man 00:07:57.370 --> 00:08:01.550 of great power, encountering one major issue 00:08:01.550 --> 00:08:10.730 in his life. He can't cure himself. He cannot 00:08:10.730 --> 00:08:16.730 find a cure anywhere in Syria. There's nothing 00:08:16.730 --> 00:08:22.959 to be found, surely. Friends, if anybody could 00:08:22.959 --> 00:08:28.480 find a cure for such a disease, if anybody could 00:08:28.480 --> 00:08:32.860 procure healing, if anybody could find somebody, 00:08:33.139 --> 00:08:36.019 find a doctor, find a magician, find somebody 00:08:36.019 --> 00:08:38.299 or anything to take care of the problem that 00:08:38.299 --> 00:08:43.460 he had, it would be Neyman. He had the resources, 00:08:43.519 --> 00:08:46.840 he had the ability, and Surely, he was a man 00:08:46.840 --> 00:08:50.700 of intellectual resources. He had the ability 00:08:50.700 --> 00:08:52.820 intellectually to consider these problems and 00:08:52.820 --> 00:08:58.620 to figure it out, but he was incapable of dealing 00:08:58.620 --> 00:09:04.759 with this issue in his life. He couldn't get 00:09:04.759 --> 00:09:10.200 rid of the leprosy, and there was no way he could 00:09:10.200 --> 00:09:14.559 find anything or anybody in Syria to do it either. 00:09:15.210 --> 00:09:20.090 Already, we find the reality that this man is 00:09:20.090 --> 00:09:24.509 relevant and ever -present relevant for the modern 00:09:24.509 --> 00:09:32.009 unbeliever. Every single person has issues in 00:09:32.009 --> 00:09:37.490 their life because of sin. Every single person 00:09:37.490 --> 00:09:42.750 has needs deep down in their soul in their lives. 00:09:43.240 --> 00:09:46.659 Every single person today in this world, in the 00:09:46.659 --> 00:09:50.220 culture, in society, in Edwards County, everybody 00:09:50.220 --> 00:09:52.559 in Illinois, everybody in the United States, 00:09:52.879 --> 00:09:58.580 everybody in the world has physical issues and 00:09:58.580 --> 00:10:03.779 they have moral issues. And there are some issues 00:10:03.779 --> 00:10:09.659 in life that a person cannot fix themselves. 00:10:11.399 --> 00:10:18.460 You cannot fix your sin. You cannot heal yourself 00:10:18.460 --> 00:10:21.899 of the iniquity that is within you. You cannot 00:10:21.899 --> 00:10:26.019 deal with your own moral problem as an immoral 00:10:26.019 --> 00:10:31.559 person. You cannot deal with the hatred in your 00:10:31.559 --> 00:10:37.399 heart. You cannot deal as an unbeliever and an 00:10:37.399 --> 00:10:41.830 unregenerate person. You cannot address The hate 00:10:41.830 --> 00:10:45.970 and the lust and the iniquity that resides within 00:10:45.970 --> 00:10:50.110 your soul. You can't take care of it. You can 00:10:50.110 --> 00:10:53.269 deal with a lot of things in your life. You can 00:10:53.269 --> 00:10:57.190 take care of your financial issues. You can take 00:10:57.190 --> 00:10:59.870 care of some physical and health concerns in 00:10:59.870 --> 00:11:02.769 your life. You can take care of your job situation. 00:11:03.009 --> 00:11:05.570 You can take care of your family to a degree, 00:11:05.570 --> 00:11:10.320 I'm sure. But you can't take care of the sin 00:11:10.320 --> 00:11:12.620 within your heart. You can't cure yourself of 00:11:12.620 --> 00:11:19.679 it. And you know that it's there. Unregenerate 00:11:19.679 --> 00:11:24.620 sinners are aware that they have sin within themselves. 00:11:25.539 --> 00:11:27.600 If you're here today and you don't know Christ 00:11:27.600 --> 00:11:30.720 by faith or repentance, you know you're a sinner. 00:11:32.080 --> 00:11:34.899 You have things in your life that you hate about 00:11:34.899 --> 00:11:38.690 yourself. You have things in your life that you 00:11:38.690 --> 00:11:41.330 cannot and you do and you want to change with 00:11:41.330 --> 00:11:43.429 every fiber in your being that you want to give 00:11:43.429 --> 00:11:48.669 up that you want to stop But you can't That's 00:11:48.669 --> 00:11:52.110 because you cannot address the sin in your own 00:11:52.110 --> 00:11:56.049 heart You can't cure yourself of it and you can't 00:11:56.049 --> 00:12:02.929 find a cure anywhere It's not to be found just 00:12:02.929 --> 00:12:13.399 like me Naaman is told of a potential cure. A 00:12:13.399 --> 00:12:18.460 potential remedy is proclaimed to him by a young 00:12:18.460 --> 00:12:27.220 slave girl. We read in verses two through three. 00:12:27.500 --> 00:12:31.539 Now the Arameans had gone out in bands and had 00:12:31.539 --> 00:12:36.639 taken captive a little girl. from the land of 00:12:36.639 --> 00:12:41.139 Israel. And she waited on Naaman's wife. She 00:12:41.139 --> 00:12:45.279 said to her mistress, I wish that my master were 00:12:45.279 --> 00:12:48.879 with the prophet who was in Samaria. Then he 00:12:48.879 --> 00:12:57.539 would cure him of his leprosy. This young slave 00:12:57.539 --> 00:13:02.379 girl that was captive obviously treated well. 00:13:03.440 --> 00:13:07.940 because she had affection for her master, knows 00:13:07.940 --> 00:13:11.919 something that this man of power and influence 00:13:11.919 --> 00:13:20.840 does not know. This young Israelite girl knew 00:13:20.840 --> 00:13:25.700 something that this man knew nothing of, that 00:13:25.700 --> 00:13:30.340 this man knew nothing about. The prophet of the 00:13:30.340 --> 00:13:35.379 living God. She knew of the power of God that 00:13:35.379 --> 00:13:39.779 resided not in Samaria But she knew of the divine 00:13:39.779 --> 00:13:44.000 power of God that resided in Israel and Israel 00:13:44.000 --> 00:13:49.539 alone She knew where a cure could be found and 00:13:49.539 --> 00:13:52.039 it was among the people of God and it was with 00:13:52.039 --> 00:13:55.340 the prophet of God and so she proclaims this 00:13:55.340 --> 00:14:00.139 to Her master's wife the wife tells name and 00:14:00.139 --> 00:14:05.860 name and tells the king And so he prepares for 00:14:05.860 --> 00:14:09.139 a journey. He gets to go ahead to go forward 00:14:09.139 --> 00:14:11.399 and to go seek out the cure. So what does he 00:14:11.399 --> 00:14:17.000 do? What do we read in verse five? He departed 00:14:17.000 --> 00:14:22.840 and took with him 10 talents of silver and 6 00:14:22.840 --> 00:14:27.460 ,000 shekels of gold and 10 changes of clothes. 00:14:28.639 --> 00:14:34.009 He gets ready for the cure. He prepares to go 00:14:34.009 --> 00:14:40.929 and get That which he so longs for and how does 00:14:40.929 --> 00:14:48.169 he do so By getting his money By getting his 00:14:48.169 --> 00:14:53.049 well by getting his influence Most likely we 00:14:53.049 --> 00:14:57.490 don't know for certain But this looks as though 00:14:57.490 --> 00:15:01.379 it was about seven hundred and fifty pounds of 00:15:01.379 --> 00:15:06.440 silver. We don't know exactly how much gold, 00:15:06.460 --> 00:15:10.679 but it was probably close to 200 pounds of gold. 00:15:13.299 --> 00:15:18.980 That's a lot of wealth. That's a lot of power. 00:15:19.039 --> 00:15:22.779 That's a lot of influence. This man should just 00:15:22.779 --> 00:15:25.539 go and get it and take it with him. This man 00:15:25.539 --> 00:15:31.070 who has the ear of the king. So what does he 00:15:31.070 --> 00:15:34.610 do next after he hears about the cure? Well, 00:15:34.710 --> 00:15:37.690 he encounters another issue. He encounters another 00:15:37.690 --> 00:15:42.549 problem. The king sends a letter to another king, 00:15:43.009 --> 00:15:45.450 the king of Israel, who most likely was a very 00:15:45.450 --> 00:15:48.710 wicked man at the time and knew nothing of the 00:15:48.710 --> 00:15:55.070 Lord. And so Naaman goes to the king of Israel 00:15:55.070 --> 00:16:01.460 with the assumption that the king of Israel could 00:16:01.460 --> 00:16:04.980 cure him. Now, it's not an issue that he went 00:16:04.980 --> 00:16:09.700 to the king, though we do know he did night raids 00:16:09.700 --> 00:16:14.120 in Israel. He goes to the king, that's not an 00:16:14.120 --> 00:16:17.620 issue, to seek permission to go into the country, 00:16:18.419 --> 00:16:21.799 to go and find a cure, but it's more than that. 00:16:21.820 --> 00:16:24.720 He was going to the king with the assumption 00:16:24.720 --> 00:16:32.490 that the king had the cure. He was looking to 00:16:32.490 --> 00:16:38.429 the king of Israel for the cure to his leprosy. 00:16:38.590 --> 00:16:43.190 Why is the king so flabbergasted? Why is the 00:16:43.190 --> 00:16:47.230 king so taken aback? Because the letter assumes 00:16:47.230 --> 00:16:51.029 that he has the ability to cure this man. He's 00:16:51.029 --> 00:16:55.549 forgotten about the prophet. He's forgotten about 00:16:55.549 --> 00:16:58.159 the word of the Lord. He's gone to the king, 00:16:58.220 --> 00:16:59.899 he's gone to other men, he's gone to the people 00:16:59.899 --> 00:17:03.159 of God. He's forgotten where the cure actually 00:17:03.159 --> 00:17:10.859 is. Already, he's looking in the wrong place 00:17:10.859 --> 00:17:19.940 already. This man of such wisdom, I'm sure. This 00:17:19.940 --> 00:17:24.259 man of such power and influence is looking in 00:17:24.259 --> 00:17:29.670 all the wrong places. for that which he so desperately 00:17:29.670 --> 00:17:41.529 needs. I do not believe that unregenerate men 00:17:41.529 --> 00:17:50.349 ever seek after God. Ever. The man apart from 00:17:50.349 --> 00:17:56.339 Christ does not want Christ. But the man who 00:17:56.339 --> 00:18:01.500 does not have Christ wants everything that Christ 00:18:01.500 --> 00:18:06.900 can give. The man who does not know God wants 00:18:06.900 --> 00:18:11.220 everything that God can give. And when you live 00:18:11.220 --> 00:18:14.380 and dwell in God's creation, that means you're 00:18:14.380 --> 00:18:16.660 all You're always going to be looking for that 00:18:16.660 --> 00:18:18.920 which God can give. You're always going to be 00:18:18.920 --> 00:18:20.900 seeking out, and you're always going to be searching 00:18:20.900 --> 00:18:22.440 out, and you're always going to be trying to 00:18:22.440 --> 00:18:26.420 find that which God can give to cure you of your 00:18:26.420 --> 00:18:32.880 ailments in this life. Always. Non -stop. But 00:18:32.880 --> 00:18:35.519 brothers and sisters and friends, if you don't 00:18:35.519 --> 00:18:38.299 know Christ, you will always go to the wrong 00:18:38.299 --> 00:18:43.480 place. Always. And it will never fix your problem. 00:18:44.170 --> 00:18:46.829 It will never take care of the sin that's within 00:18:46.829 --> 00:18:50.269 your heart. It will never bring healing. It will 00:18:50.269 --> 00:18:52.670 never bring satisfaction. It will never find, 00:18:52.750 --> 00:18:56.130 you will never have joy. It will bring disappointment 00:18:56.130 --> 00:18:59.569 after disappointment and temporary joy and temporary 00:18:59.569 --> 00:19:03.369 pleasure after temporary pleasure. But it will 00:19:03.369 --> 00:19:11.009 bring no power to Satan. Men always look in the 00:19:11.009 --> 00:19:18.130 wrong place when they don't no Christ. This is 00:19:18.130 --> 00:19:23.630 clear that this was an issue for Naaman. Now 00:19:23.630 --> 00:19:30.170 Naaman finally makes his way to Elisha's house. 00:19:30.910 --> 00:19:34.650 He makes his way to the prophet or to the prophet's 00:19:34.650 --> 00:19:40.930 house. How does the text say that Naaman arrives 00:19:40.930 --> 00:19:48.420 at the prophet's home. So Naaman came with his 00:19:48.420 --> 00:19:55.420 horses and his chariots and stood at the doorway 00:19:55.420 --> 00:20:01.059 of the house of Elisha. Verse 15 says that he 00:20:01.059 --> 00:20:04.180 had a large company with him. It wasn't just 00:20:04.180 --> 00:20:09.259 Naaman. It was Naaman and his servants. It was 00:20:09.259 --> 00:20:13.619 Naaman and his entourage. It was Naaman and his 00:20:13.619 --> 00:20:16.039 gold and his horses and his chariots. It was 00:20:16.039 --> 00:20:20.440 Naaman and his power. And he's coming to the 00:20:20.440 --> 00:20:24.420 house of the prophet of the living God? Well, 00:20:24.420 --> 00:20:29.640 he comes to the house, but he doesn't meet Elisha. 00:20:31.000 --> 00:20:36.039 How does Elisha greet him? He doesn't. Elisha 00:20:36.039 --> 00:20:40.579 sends a messenger to talk on his behalf, to tell 00:20:40.579 --> 00:20:48.109 him... the remedy. Now Elisha has given him the 00:20:48.109 --> 00:20:53.890 remedy. He knows the cure. He knows what he has 00:20:53.890 --> 00:20:59.190 to do. He knows where he must go. He knows how 00:20:59.190 --> 00:21:02.809 he can be changed. He knows how he can be healed, 00:21:03.410 --> 00:21:06.630 restored, and delivered from this disease that 00:21:06.630 --> 00:21:10.619 he's in possession of. He knows it. All he has 00:21:10.619 --> 00:21:14.960 to do is go down into the dirty Jordan and take 00:21:14.960 --> 00:21:18.519 a bath seven times. That's all he has to do. 00:21:19.119 --> 00:21:21.440 It's right in front of him, brothers and sisters. 00:21:21.619 --> 00:21:26.319 I mean, he is face to face with his own deliverance 00:21:26.319 --> 00:21:31.240 from leprosy. That thing which he seemingly so 00:21:31.240 --> 00:21:34.200 longs for, that thing which he so desires and 00:21:34.200 --> 00:21:37.380 wants in life, it's right in front of his face. 00:21:38.000 --> 00:21:46.559 It's right there. What does he do? He forsakes 00:21:46.559 --> 00:21:52.680 it. He turns around and he rejects it. He denies 00:21:52.680 --> 00:21:57.319 it. He casts it off. He walks away in a fit of 00:21:57.319 --> 00:22:04.740 rage. What would cause a man to deny that which 00:22:04.740 --> 00:22:10.259 will deliver him of his own disease, that which 00:22:10.259 --> 00:22:14.859 he so longs for? to turn away from it, to reject 00:22:14.859 --> 00:22:21.259 it, to walk away and turn his back to it. Why 00:22:21.259 --> 00:22:29.420 did Naaman forsake his own deliverance from this 00:22:29.420 --> 00:22:32.980 wretched condition that he was in possession 00:22:32.980 --> 00:22:37.559 of? That's the question, isn't it? The answer 00:22:37.559 --> 00:22:43.369 is that it was something much deeper. Naaman's 00:22:43.369 --> 00:22:45.049 issue wasn't that he was looking in the wrong 00:22:45.049 --> 00:22:49.230 place, that was the expression or manifestation 00:22:49.230 --> 00:22:52.849 of something deeper. Naaman's issue wasn't that 00:22:52.849 --> 00:22:56.650 he had no power to do this, he had no ability 00:22:56.650 --> 00:22:58.390 to do this, that was the expression, that was 00:22:58.390 --> 00:23:02.009 the manifestation of something deeper. And in 00:23:02.009 --> 00:23:06.650 his response, we find the answer to why he would 00:23:06.650 --> 00:23:10.670 forsake that which would bring healing into his 00:23:10.670 --> 00:23:18.049 life. It's because of his sin and his unbelief. 00:23:18.730 --> 00:23:23.369 It's because he did not believe in the God of 00:23:23.369 --> 00:23:29.849 Israel. It's because he had no faith in his heart 00:23:29.849 --> 00:23:33.730 with regards to what the prophet was saying to 00:23:33.730 --> 00:23:42.859 him. He rejects the cure in unbelief. And this 00:23:42.859 --> 00:23:47.799 is where we find such an intersection for the 00:23:47.799 --> 00:23:54.420 modern skeptic and the modern unbeliever in the 00:23:54.420 --> 00:24:03.640 reality of unbelief. Unbelief is what ties all 00:24:03.640 --> 00:24:08.750 unbelievers together for all the ages. Naaman 00:24:08.750 --> 00:24:12.150 is not that different from the modern man that 00:24:12.150 --> 00:24:15.309 rejects the gospel, brothers and sisters. He's 00:24:15.309 --> 00:24:18.710 not that different. What's the same and what's 00:24:18.710 --> 00:24:21.789 the difference? The same thing. They're full 00:24:21.789 --> 00:24:24.250 of unbelief, he's full of sin in his heart, and 00:24:24.250 --> 00:24:26.569 he has no faith in the message that he's going 00:24:26.569 --> 00:24:28.670 to be cured, he's going to be restored. He doesn't 00:24:28.670 --> 00:24:33.130 believe in the God of Israel. That stayed the 00:24:33.130 --> 00:24:37.880 same throughout all ages. Men in every age and 00:24:37.880 --> 00:24:43.039 every period have our hearts of unbelief, hearts 00:24:43.039 --> 00:24:47.619 of sin. Thus, they reject the promise or they 00:24:47.619 --> 00:24:52.160 reject the gospel of Jesus Christ. Unbelievers 00:24:52.160 --> 00:24:57.420 today are no different than Naaman himself because 00:24:57.420 --> 00:25:01.220 they do not believe that which can deliver them 00:25:01.220 --> 00:25:04.500 from the condition that they are in possession 00:25:04.500 --> 00:25:10.559 of. The only thing that changes is the circumstances 00:25:10.559 --> 00:25:15.480 in which men exist. The only thing that changes 00:25:15.480 --> 00:25:20.819 is the situation in which that man lives. We 00:25:20.819 --> 00:25:25.519 might think that we are better today than Naaman 00:25:25.519 --> 00:25:30.160 was all those thousands of years ago. But brothers 00:25:30.160 --> 00:25:34.279 and sisters, it's not true. Our situation is 00:25:34.279 --> 00:25:38.059 different, but our hearts remain the same. The 00:25:38.059 --> 00:25:40.700 scenario is different. The context is different, 00:25:40.880 --> 00:25:45.019 but the unbelieving heart remains the same. The 00:25:45.019 --> 00:25:49.059 sin remains the same. The same need, and that 00:25:49.059 --> 00:25:53.200 means there's the same remedy. The same thing 00:25:53.200 --> 00:25:58.440 that will bring restoration and healing. So why 00:25:58.440 --> 00:26:05.000 did Naaman reject and cast off and forsake the 00:26:05.000 --> 00:26:09.740 cure, the remedy that he so desired for in his 00:26:09.740 --> 00:26:15.359 life. Well, it's because it wasn't what he thought 00:26:15.359 --> 00:26:21.640 it should be. We see in verse 11, but Naaman 00:26:21.640 --> 00:26:23.940 was furious and went away and said, listen to 00:26:23.940 --> 00:26:28.680 this brothers and sisters, behold, I thought. 00:26:29.390 --> 00:26:32.990 He will surely come out to me and stand and call 00:26:32.990 --> 00:26:36.950 in the name of the Lord his God and wave his 00:26:36.950 --> 00:26:42.089 hand over the place and cure the leper." He thought. 00:26:43.410 --> 00:26:51.170 He expected. Naaman rejected the cure because 00:26:51.170 --> 00:26:57.490 it wasn't what he thought it should be. He denied 00:26:57.490 --> 00:27:00.430 that which would save him from his disease because 00:27:00.430 --> 00:27:05.009 it wasn't what he thought it should be. How many 00:27:05.009 --> 00:27:10.589 people have forsaken the Lord Jesus Christ and 00:27:10.589 --> 00:27:15.230 denied the gospel of God? Because the gospel 00:27:15.230 --> 00:27:20.210 is not what they think it should be. Because 00:27:20.210 --> 00:27:23.170 the gospel is not what they think it ought to 00:27:23.170 --> 00:27:26.650 be. That's a manifestation of unbelief, brothers 00:27:26.650 --> 00:27:30.529 and sisters. That's an expression of an unbelieving 00:27:30.529 --> 00:27:37.089 heart. It's an excuse for why one doesn't believe. 00:27:38.329 --> 00:27:45.089 The gospel, I'll take part of it. I'll take the 00:27:45.089 --> 00:27:50.390 ethical and moral teachings of Jesus, but I'll 00:27:50.390 --> 00:27:55.539 deny and I'll reject All the miraculous and the 00:27:55.539 --> 00:27:58.799 divine and the supernatural that's in the Gospels. 00:28:00.319 --> 00:28:02.779 I'll take what I want. This is what I think it 00:28:02.779 --> 00:28:04.980 should be and I'll leave that out because I don't 00:28:04.980 --> 00:28:07.140 think that should be in there. Brothers and sisters 00:28:07.140 --> 00:28:10.759 and friends, if you don't know Christ, listen. 00:28:12.339 --> 00:28:17.099 The Gospel is not what you want it to be. The 00:28:17.099 --> 00:28:21.799 Gospel is what God says it is. And that's the 00:28:21.799 --> 00:28:25.619 only gospel that saves any sinners from wrath, 00:28:25.920 --> 00:28:30.460 from sin, from death, and from hell. Only the 00:28:30.460 --> 00:28:38.019 gospel that God says is the gospel saves. Naaman 00:28:38.019 --> 00:28:44.980 didn't believe. And because of that, he rejected 00:28:44.980 --> 00:28:47.200 the gospel. And it wasn't what he thought it 00:28:47.200 --> 00:28:52.059 should be. But why else? Did he reject this cure? 00:28:53.079 --> 00:28:56.180 Why else did he forsake that which would deliver 00:28:56.180 --> 00:29:02.019 him? Because he was thinking carnally or materialistically 00:29:02.019 --> 00:29:10.759 When the command comes to him from Elisha What 00:29:10.759 --> 00:29:15.000 does he think Elisha is telling him to do? What 00:29:15.000 --> 00:29:22.170 is it? He says are not Abana and Farper, the 00:29:22.170 --> 00:29:24.930 rivers of Damascus better than all the waters 00:29:24.930 --> 00:29:28.849 of Israel? Could I not wash in them and be clean?" 00:29:28.849 --> 00:29:32.329 So he turned and went away in a rage. He was 00:29:32.329 --> 00:29:37.589 thinking in terms of water. He was thinking in 00:29:37.589 --> 00:29:41.109 terms of physicality, in terms of carnality, 00:29:41.450 --> 00:29:44.849 in terms of this world and the earth and materialistic 00:29:44.849 --> 00:29:49.430 things. He was not thinking about the possibility 00:29:49.599 --> 00:29:53.759 and the reality of divine power behind the command. 00:29:55.140 --> 00:29:59.440 He had no conception of the power of God to save 00:29:59.440 --> 00:30:03.660 him through those ordinary and those humble means 00:30:03.660 --> 00:30:09.539 that the prophet appointed. He was thinking carnally. 00:30:10.500 --> 00:30:16.319 He couldn't get outside of his carnal mind. To 00:30:16.319 --> 00:30:19.500 see clearly and rightly what the prophet was 00:30:19.500 --> 00:30:22.220 saying. He's thinking I've done this over and 00:30:22.220 --> 00:30:27.279 over I've washed myself over and over I've taken 00:30:27.279 --> 00:30:29.960 bath after bath. I've gone through ceremonial 00:30:29.960 --> 00:30:33.299 cleansing after ceremonial cleansing. It's just 00:30:33.299 --> 00:30:40.680 water There's nothing more He was thinking carnally 00:30:40.680 --> 00:30:43.980 and materialistically the same is true of the 00:30:43.980 --> 00:30:50.950 modern skeptic It's true of the modern scoffer. 00:30:51.210 --> 00:30:54.410 It's true of the modern unbeliever. That they 00:30:54.410 --> 00:30:59.150 only view the gospel through a carnal and materialistic 00:30:59.150 --> 00:31:05.750 lens. How many times do we hear? How many times 00:31:05.750 --> 00:31:09.250 do you hear? How many times have you said, well, 00:31:09.529 --> 00:31:15.089 it's a nice religion. It's a nice construct that's 00:31:15.089 --> 00:31:18.869 been built throughout the ages. from the minds 00:31:18.869 --> 00:31:23.930 of men, but that's it. That's all Christianity 00:31:23.930 --> 00:31:26.609 is. That's all the gospel is. That's all that 00:31:26.609 --> 00:31:30.829 Jesus is, the imagination of men. It's something 00:31:30.829 --> 00:31:33.730 that men have come up with to soothe their conscience 00:31:33.730 --> 00:31:36.490 and deal with their weakness and their issues 00:31:36.490 --> 00:31:42.789 with no conception and no thought and no view 00:31:42.789 --> 00:31:49.680 of the reality of power in the gospel to save 00:31:49.680 --> 00:31:57.240 their very souls. Naaman couldn't look at it 00:31:57.240 --> 00:32:00.380 any different. And this is how he looked at it, 00:32:00.380 --> 00:32:03.680 and this is why he turned his back on that which 00:32:03.680 --> 00:32:08.400 would deliver him from his wretched condition. 00:32:09.660 --> 00:32:14.039 But there's another reason that he forsook the 00:32:14.039 --> 00:32:18.589 remedy and the cure. And I think this is the 00:32:18.589 --> 00:32:21.690 most significant. Knowing his background and 00:32:21.690 --> 00:32:27.910 knowing his character as we do, he refused to 00:32:27.910 --> 00:32:36.250 humble himself. This man of great will, this 00:32:36.250 --> 00:32:41.630 man that was well respected, this man that was 00:32:41.630 --> 00:32:46.980 looked on by his servant, girl. most likely as 00:32:46.980 --> 00:32:53.099 a kind man. This man who had the ability to take 00:32:53.099 --> 00:32:55.079 seven hundred and fifty, eight hundred pounds 00:32:55.079 --> 00:32:57.319 of silver with him and almost two hundred pounds 00:32:57.319 --> 00:33:00.619 of gold and ten changes of fine, elaborate clothing 00:33:00.619 --> 00:33:04.099 with him. This man who had an entourage with 00:33:04.099 --> 00:33:07.819 him. This man who comes to the prophet with pomp 00:33:07.819 --> 00:33:11.259 and power and prestige. Why does he turn his 00:33:11.259 --> 00:33:18.460 back on the cure? because of pride. That's what 00:33:18.460 --> 00:33:20.500 it is, brothers and sisters. That's what it is, 00:33:20.500 --> 00:33:27.059 friends. He is kept from that which he needs 00:33:27.059 --> 00:33:32.039 more than anything else because of the pride 00:33:32.039 --> 00:33:39.599 that remains in him. You're telling me that my 00:33:39.599 --> 00:33:46.099 gift, all that I've brought, You're telling me 00:33:46.099 --> 00:33:48.759 you won't even come out and personally meet me? 00:33:49.920 --> 00:33:56.039 You're telling me that you want me to bathe in 00:33:56.039 --> 00:34:01.839 the dirty muddy Jordan River seven times in front 00:34:01.839 --> 00:34:05.279 of everybody that I brought with all my power. 00:34:05.420 --> 00:34:10.880 Is there nothing more glorious and more proud 00:34:10.880 --> 00:34:16.809 that I could do or take part in? This is so humbling. 00:34:18.050 --> 00:34:25.250 This is so inglorious. You're asking me to submit 00:34:25.250 --> 00:34:34.030 to such a humble approach to this cure. What 00:34:34.030 --> 00:34:38.170 kept Naaman from being cured in that moment? 00:34:39.429 --> 00:34:43.039 It was the pride and the arrogance of his sinful 00:34:43.039 --> 00:34:48.960 heart. It was unbelief. And it manifested itself 00:34:48.960 --> 00:34:54.519 in pride. Do you know what keeps more men out 00:34:54.519 --> 00:34:56.300 of the kingdom of heaven than anything else I 00:34:56.300 --> 00:35:03.340 believe? Pride. The devil's best friend and man's 00:35:03.340 --> 00:35:09.719 worst enemy. Pride. The gospel of Jesus Christ 00:35:12.480 --> 00:35:16.900 requires one to humble themselves before God. 00:35:18.699 --> 00:35:22.980 The gospel of Jesus Christ requires one to repent 00:35:22.980 --> 00:35:26.239 of their sin and recognize that they are a beggar 00:35:26.239 --> 00:35:28.820 with nothing in their hands and that Jesus Christ 00:35:28.820 --> 00:35:33.019 is everything and all that they have. That's 00:35:33.019 --> 00:35:38.159 what the gospel requires and men won't do it. 00:35:38.880 --> 00:35:44.239 Men will give up their sin for Christ? I'm privileged 00:35:44.239 --> 00:35:48.380 and I have the right to my sin. I refuse to give 00:35:48.380 --> 00:35:51.500 this up. I refuse to be humiliated. I refuse 00:35:51.500 --> 00:35:58.300 to humble myself before a sovereign God. More 00:35:58.300 --> 00:36:00.880 men are kept from the kingdom of heaven. More 00:36:00.880 --> 00:36:04.539 men are kept from true wisdom and true wealth. 00:36:04.619 --> 00:36:07.699 and true glory in Jesus Christ because they won't 00:36:07.699 --> 00:36:13.320 give up their vainglory in this world. Brothers 00:36:13.320 --> 00:36:16.099 and sisters, this is the manifestation of unbelief 00:36:16.099 --> 00:36:18.539 in the life of Naaman and this is the manifestation 00:36:18.539 --> 00:36:21.099 of unbelief in your life if you don't know Jesus 00:36:21.099 --> 00:36:25.239 Christ. If you're here today and you don't know 00:36:25.239 --> 00:36:29.699 Christ, your pride is keeping you from Christ 00:36:29.699 --> 00:36:36.429 because you refuse. to give up your riches. You 00:36:36.429 --> 00:36:39.750 refuse to give up your works that you like to 00:36:39.750 --> 00:36:42.369 boast in and you like to hold on to. You refuse 00:36:42.369 --> 00:36:46.769 to give up your righteousness and run to Christ. 00:36:48.750 --> 00:36:53.889 It's keeping you from true glory with Jesus Christ 00:36:53.889 --> 00:37:00.208 and his eternal kingdom. It's keeping you from... 00:37:00.199 --> 00:37:03.659 eternal life and that which your soul needs more 00:37:03.659 --> 00:37:10.179 than anything. It's keeping you from being reconciled 00:37:10.179 --> 00:37:20.059 with your Maker, with God. Pride. Is it worth 00:37:20.059 --> 00:37:27.960 it? Is it worth suffering wrath for your pride? 00:37:30.440 --> 00:37:36.260 Is it worth experiencing eternal judgment because 00:37:36.260 --> 00:37:44.780 of pride in your heart? Forsake the pride and 00:37:44.780 --> 00:37:48.800 run to Jesus Christ. Humble yourself that you 00:37:48.800 --> 00:37:53.480 might be exalted with Him in glory. Give up your 00:37:53.480 --> 00:38:00.860 sin that you might gain eternal life. and forsook 00:38:00.860 --> 00:38:07.960 the cure because of pride. If we were to sum 00:38:07.960 --> 00:38:11.559 up all of these reasons that he rejected the 00:38:11.559 --> 00:38:17.119 cure, we would have to say this. He was coming 00:38:17.119 --> 00:38:23.880 to God on his own terms. He was coming to the 00:38:23.880 --> 00:38:29.000 gospel of Jesus Christ with conditions. He was 00:38:29.000 --> 00:38:33.539 coming to the glorious God and Savior of our 00:38:33.539 --> 00:38:42.320 salvation on his own prideful, sinful terms. 00:38:43.039 --> 00:38:53.539 I'll believe. I'll receive the cure if. If. It's 00:38:53.539 --> 00:38:59.059 the way I want. If. I don't have to give this 00:38:59.059 --> 00:39:09.039 up. If I can keep this. You don't set the terms 00:39:09.039 --> 00:39:14.519 and the conditions for your eternal salvation 00:39:14.519 --> 00:39:17.199 with the creator of the heavens and the earth. 00:39:19.320 --> 00:39:25.130 He sets the terms. He sets the conditions. He 00:39:25.130 --> 00:39:28.750 tells you what is required of you and your soul 00:39:28.750 --> 00:39:34.269 if you are to be saved and he says repent He 00:39:34.269 --> 00:39:37.449 says believe in Christ he says humble yourself 00:39:37.449 --> 00:39:40.309 He says believe and trust in the Lord Jesus Christ 00:39:40.309 --> 00:39:43.309 his life his death and his resurrection and then 00:39:43.309 --> 00:39:48.030 you will be saved You don't set the conditions 00:39:48.030 --> 00:39:52.070 for your own deliverance name and didn't he couldn't 00:39:52.070 --> 00:40:02.420 and you don't Unbelief is rampant in our world 00:40:02.420 --> 00:40:08.320 because sinful hearts are rampant in our world. 00:40:09.380 --> 00:40:13.440 One might think, looking at Naaman and this story, 00:40:14.820 --> 00:40:18.400 that this man of unbelief, this man of pride 00:40:18.400 --> 00:40:21.139 and arrogance and pomp and prestige, you might 00:40:21.139 --> 00:40:26.500 think there's no way that man could be saved. 00:40:28.760 --> 00:40:34.059 There's no way he's cured. There's no way that 00:40:34.059 --> 00:40:40.559 he would believe. But there is. And he does. 00:40:41.480 --> 00:40:45.579 But not because of himself. This leads us to 00:40:45.579 --> 00:40:48.400 the last and third thing we must consider, the 00:40:48.400 --> 00:40:56.300 cure itself. Naaman ultimately did not know what 00:40:56.300 --> 00:41:03.860 he truly needed. He was truly ignorant of his 00:41:03.860 --> 00:41:10.440 true need in his life. He thought he needed healing 00:41:10.440 --> 00:41:15.400 from a skin disease when in reality he needed 00:41:15.400 --> 00:41:20.320 to believe in the God of Israel and his sovereign 00:41:20.320 --> 00:41:31.170 power. The cure was according to the word of 00:41:31.170 --> 00:41:36.210 the man of God. The cure was according to the 00:41:36.210 --> 00:41:43.769 man of God. It was according to the prophet of 00:41:43.769 --> 00:41:50.530 God. It was God's word and the miraculous deliverance 00:41:50.530 --> 00:41:54.530 of Naaman, the miraculous healing that we see 00:41:54.530 --> 00:42:01.699 in verses 13 through 14. confirms the Word of 00:42:01.699 --> 00:42:06.619 the Living God. The miraculous healing of Naaman 00:42:06.619 --> 00:42:12.239 in the Jordan River confirms the reality and 00:42:12.239 --> 00:42:17.619 the veracity of the existence of the God of Israel. 00:42:18.739 --> 00:42:23.500 So Naaman knows without a shadow of a doubt. 00:42:23.880 --> 00:42:26.900 that the God of Israel is the one who saved him 00:42:26.900 --> 00:42:34.639 because Elisha wasn't even present. He knows 00:42:34.639 --> 00:42:39.019 it wasn't just water. He comes to the realization 00:42:39.019 --> 00:42:42.719 that it was God, the God of Israel, who saved 00:42:42.719 --> 00:42:48.699 him. It was the Lord who delivered him from his 00:42:48.699 --> 00:42:56.099 disease. In spite, of all of his unbelief. In 00:42:56.099 --> 00:43:02.019 spite of all his excuses and his reasons for 00:43:02.019 --> 00:43:08.019 forsaking it, the Lord did in fact save him. 00:43:09.860 --> 00:43:15.300 Naaman didn't need water. Naaman didn't need 00:43:15.300 --> 00:43:22.320 the king of Israel. Naaman needed the sovereign 00:43:22.480 --> 00:43:28.739 power of God to transform him. Naaman needed 00:43:28.739 --> 00:43:34.780 God to change him. Naaman needed the God of Israel 00:43:34.780 --> 00:43:41.320 to restore him, to deliver him, to heal him. 00:43:42.019 --> 00:43:46.840 That's what Naaman needed. And that's what God 00:43:46.840 --> 00:43:53.739 did. But it wasn't apart from the means that 00:43:53.739 --> 00:43:57.679 the prophet ordained. It wasn't apart from the 00:43:57.679 --> 00:44:01.400 word of God. It wasn't separate from the humble 00:44:01.400 --> 00:44:05.639 means that the prophet demanded he submit to. 00:44:06.139 --> 00:44:09.840 It was in accordance with those means. It was 00:44:09.840 --> 00:44:13.699 in the water, the dirty water, and it was seven 00:44:13.699 --> 00:44:17.840 times that he submitted to. So it was only through 00:44:17.840 --> 00:44:20.420 the ordained means of the word of God and the 00:44:20.420 --> 00:44:25.719 prophet of God that he would be delivered by 00:44:25.719 --> 00:44:30.099 the sovereign power of God from his disease and 00:44:30.099 --> 00:44:34.480 from his sin. And this restoration, it wasn't 00:44:34.480 --> 00:44:40.079 partial, friends. It wasn't incomplete. He was 00:44:40.079 --> 00:44:44.800 fully and completely and totally healed of his 00:44:44.800 --> 00:44:48.050 leprosy. So when he went down and dipped himself 00:44:48.050 --> 00:44:51.269 seven times into the Jordan, according to the 00:44:51.269 --> 00:44:54.690 word of the man of God, and his flesh was restored, 00:44:54.789 --> 00:44:58.650 listen to this, like the flesh of a little child, 00:44:58.969 --> 00:45:04.929 and he was clean. It's reminding us of the little 00:45:04.929 --> 00:45:10.610 girl in verse 3. It's reminding us of the little 00:45:10.610 --> 00:45:15.909 girl in verse 3 who was his slave. who was in 00:45:15.909 --> 00:45:19.449 possession of faith. It's reminding us of the 00:45:19.449 --> 00:45:21.929 reality that now that Naaman has experienced 00:45:21.929 --> 00:45:25.449 the divine power of God at work in his life in 00:45:25.449 --> 00:45:29.269 this miraculous deliverance, that he has been 00:45:29.269 --> 00:45:33.769 changed and he's been made like a little child. 00:45:34.409 --> 00:45:38.789 Very similar to the slave girl who first pointed 00:45:38.789 --> 00:45:44.550 him to a cure. And this cure is complete and 00:45:44.550 --> 00:45:50.849 total. Can you imagine how different Naaman felt? 00:45:53.610 --> 00:45:57.949 Can you imagine how different Naaman looked? 00:45:58.889 --> 00:46:02.250 Consider, he had skin disfigurement, he had disfigurement 00:46:02.250 --> 00:46:08.070 in his body. It was a total and it was a complete 00:46:08.070 --> 00:46:11.559 disease. It was something that was always with 00:46:11.559 --> 00:46:13.760 him. It was something that was with him at all 00:46:13.760 --> 00:46:17.320 times, at all periods. And it affected every 00:46:17.320 --> 00:46:21.159 part and every area of his life. And now because 00:46:21.159 --> 00:46:27.099 of the divine power of God, it's gone! It's disappeared! 00:46:28.579 --> 00:46:30.719 He's been delivered from that condition, from 00:46:30.719 --> 00:46:35.440 that disease that he's so long to be rid of because 00:46:35.440 --> 00:46:40.869 of God's divine power. It was a complete and 00:46:40.869 --> 00:46:44.610 total transformation because God himself changed 00:46:44.610 --> 00:46:49.989 him and it was only God who could do it. Naaman 00:46:49.989 --> 00:46:52.469 looked and looked and looked, do you remember? 00:46:53.469 --> 00:46:56.130 He had the resources, he had the power, he had 00:46:56.130 --> 00:46:58.750 the intellectual capacity and ability and resources 00:46:58.750 --> 00:47:02.610 to figure it out, but he couldn't. He went to 00:47:02.610 --> 00:47:09.530 the king of Israel. He couldn't help him. Only 00:47:09.530 --> 00:47:16.949 the God of Israel could save him, and only he 00:47:16.949 --> 00:47:26.710 could do it. If you don't know Jesus Christ by 00:47:26.710 --> 00:47:30.909 faith and repentance, then you have never experienced 00:47:30.909 --> 00:47:35.389 the divine power of God to make you a new creature. 00:47:36.960 --> 00:47:40.260 If you don't know Jesus Christ by faith and repentance, 00:47:43.820 --> 00:47:47.679 then God has not worked in your life. He has 00:47:47.679 --> 00:47:50.360 not transformed you. He has not forgiven your 00:47:50.360 --> 00:47:55.980 sins. He has not pardoned you. He has not given 00:47:55.980 --> 00:47:58.340 you eternal life. He has not given you divine 00:47:58.340 --> 00:48:01.119 and supernatural peace. He has not given his 00:48:01.119 --> 00:48:04.559 spirit to you. He has not... sake to find you, 00:48:04.639 --> 00:48:07.440 and he has not justified you. None of the blessings 00:48:07.440 --> 00:48:14.760 of God, of saving reality, of redemption, are 00:48:14.760 --> 00:48:18.539 in your possession if you have not experienced 00:48:18.539 --> 00:48:21.880 the divine power of God to make you a new creature, 00:48:23.199 --> 00:48:28.500 to regenerate you, to convert you, to bring you 00:48:28.500 --> 00:48:33.280 into his kingdom. And only the power of God can 00:48:33.280 --> 00:48:37.519 do it. You can't do it. Nobody can do it. No 00:48:37.519 --> 00:48:40.420 person can do it. But the Lord Jesus Christ by 00:48:40.420 --> 00:48:44.280 his gospel can save you through his divine and 00:48:44.280 --> 00:48:49.639 sovereign power by working in your soul. By causing 00:48:49.639 --> 00:48:54.539 you to be born again to a living hope. He can 00:48:54.539 --> 00:48:56.760 bring you into his kingdom and he can give you 00:48:56.760 --> 00:49:00.000 every blessing that he procured in his life, 00:49:00.119 --> 00:49:03.480 his death, and his resurrection. And he will 00:49:03.480 --> 00:49:08.460 for those in possession of faith and repentance. 00:49:10.539 --> 00:49:16.300 It's only through the cross and it's only through 00:49:16.300 --> 00:49:20.500 Jesus Christ and his gospel that you can be saved 00:49:20.500 --> 00:49:25.269 and delivered from wrath. That's it. Listen, 00:49:25.329 --> 00:49:27.889 the world is going to give you a lot of options. 00:49:29.809 --> 00:49:32.610 The culture is going to tell you to ignore it. 00:49:33.469 --> 00:49:39.389 That it's all hogwash. But there is nothing else 00:49:39.389 --> 00:49:42.929 that can deliver you from the sin in your heart. 00:49:44.840 --> 00:49:48.659 There is nothing else appointed in heaven and 00:49:48.659 --> 00:49:52.079 on earth to save your soul from the depths of 00:49:52.079 --> 00:49:54.920 hell and the wrath to come, but the blood and 00:49:54.920 --> 00:49:58.159 the cross of Christ can. It's the only thing 00:49:58.159 --> 00:50:04.860 that can and it's the only thing that will. If 00:50:04.860 --> 00:50:11.360 God works in your soul, you will be completely 00:50:11.360 --> 00:50:17.409 and totally changed. You will never be the same. 00:50:18.289 --> 00:50:21.130 Your heart will be different. Your affections 00:50:21.130 --> 00:50:24.269 will be different. Your desires and your longings, 00:50:24.349 --> 00:50:26.389 your thinking will be different. The Spirit of 00:50:26.389 --> 00:50:29.070 God will dwell within you. Your life will go 00:50:29.070 --> 00:50:34.869 in a new direction. You will be sanctified. God 00:50:34.869 --> 00:50:39.019 will justify you. He will forgive your sins and 00:50:39.019 --> 00:50:42.019 He will bring you to glory and you will spend 00:50:42.019 --> 00:50:45.239 eternity with Him and His never -ending kingdom 00:50:45.239 --> 00:50:51.280 with Jesus Christ. But that's only for those 00:50:51.280 --> 00:50:55.300 who have come through the appointed means of 00:50:55.300 --> 00:50:59.920 the gospel, through Jesus Christ and His cross. 00:51:03.940 --> 00:51:12.650 Consider Naaman. Consider Naaman and his unbelief. 00:51:13.429 --> 00:51:18.010 Consider your own heart and your own soul. Have 00:51:18.010 --> 00:51:22.909 you considered if you have experienced the divine 00:51:22.909 --> 00:51:28.349 and sovereign power of God in your life? Have 00:51:28.349 --> 00:51:31.929 you been made new? Do you know Jesus Christ by 00:51:31.929 --> 00:51:33.670 faith and repentance?