Sermon Tone Analysis

God appointed Elisha to replace the prophet of Israel, Elijah – – and a series of miracles are recorded to confirm his position, including the healing of Naaman, the captain of the Syrian army – 5:1-14.

I) Stricken with disease

Leprosy was an incurable disease caused by a bacterium that resulted in permanent disfigurement until death and is contagious, so the Mosaic law required isolation –

Syrians considered themselves superior to the Jews, but knew they had no answer to leprosy – – so Naaman was willing to beg for help

Sin is a disease over which we have no power – – and causes isolation from God - – and we need help to overcome it –

II) Cure requires humility

Naaman was insulted that Elisha did not honor him – – despite his desperation and humbleness, and he was unwilling to immerse himself in a different culture (muddy Jordan)

Baptism should be an act of humility, not aggrandizement – – if we consider the baptizer to be significant, we are putting an emphasis on the flesh, not the Spirit – – and the life of Christianity is a new culture to us – ;

True obedience requires humility – ; – and absolute obedience requires absolute humility – ;

III) Obedience must be complete

Naaman was not clean until he came up the seventh time – – not progressively cured, or on the road to recovery, but pure like a baby

There are no half-way measures to bring us to God – – and someone seeking to do the bare minimum to please God will never do so – ;

Concl: We can learn much about our salvation from this study of the healing of Naaman.

Would you be cleansed of your sin today?