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I'LL
MEET YOU BY THE RIVER
TEXT:
II Kings 5: 1-15
Introduction:
In these days of
diverse opinions as to how a person can get to heaven In these days of so called
political correctness in these days where we are constantly being instructed to
be tolerant of alternate lifestyles
in these days where the so called universal love of God is used as an excuse for
every ungodly lifestyle and every evil sin
We need to get back to the clear Bible teaching that there is only one way to
heaven.
This one way is not as man instructs or interprets, but as Almighty God has
said.
Just as God etched His law into stone on Mt Sinai, He also has etched His love
for mankind and His only way of salvation into the Saviour on Mt Calvary.
Before you will have a
moving day to the streets of gold, you are going to have to have a meeting day
with the Saviour.
Before you will ever be born again, you will have to bathe in God's river of
redemption
God has said that He will meet you by the river of blood that flowed from
Calvary
When you meet God by the river of blood that flows from Calvary, then and only
then will you be permitted to meet God by the river of life that flows from the
throne of God.
Arrogant, agnostic and atheistic man thinks that he is
smarter than God, but the truth is
that he can't even get out of bed without the help
of God
All roads do not lead to the river, but all roads, except God's, leads to ruin
Leprosy in the Bible was a
dreaded disease.
It usually started with a small skin blemish.
Then it would progress into a full blown disease that would cause fingers, arms
and legs to fall off and eventually cause death.
Leprosy is symbolic of sin - it is a picture of sin.
Sin always starts with a small blemish, but always results in death.
Nothing to worry about, just a small itch, hardly noticable, be gone tomorrow
Without the divine intervention of God, man could not recover from leprosy
Neither can man recover from sin with the amazing grace of God.
I. THE MAN THAT HAD A CASE (VERSE 1)
A)
He had medals of honor
("captain of the host")("a mighty man of valor")
No doubt Naaman was a highly decorated soldier of many conflicts & battles
He
very well could have been the most highly decorated
soldier of his day.
One did not become the
captain of the host of the king without having a record of victories in battle.
A trip to his house probably would have produced quite a site with all his
medals and spoils of war displayed.
B) He had the markings of
a hero
("was a great man with his master")
Just as David was a hero after he slew Goliath, Naaman was a hero in Syria.
No doubt when he made an entrance, it was quite a display.
Throngs
of people would probably flock around him, wanting to hear his battle stories of
heroism.
No doubt he was a well known
figure in Syria.
No doubt everyone looked up to him as a hero and veteran of many war encounters.
C) He had morals in his habits
("honorable")
Naaman's moral standing was
more than likely above reproach.
He was an honorable man who no doubt lived his life by standards of excellence
in his habits and associations.
Morality used to mean
something, especially in Naaman's day.
A man's word was his bond.
A
man's lifestyle was his calling card.
This was a man of men and he was an honorable man.
D) He had a malignancy that wouldn't
heal
("but he was a leper")
No doubt Naaman would have traded all of the above just to live one day
without that dreaded disease
of leprosy.
His honor couldn't cure him, his heroism couldn't cure him,
his
moral habits couldn't cure him.
He was an outstanding and an upstanding man, but he was a
leper.
This is the picture of the world today.
Many a man and many a woman have honor, have
heroism, have morality, but they are a sinner.
And just as none of Naaman's acheivements in life
could cure him, neither can the many achievements of mankind cleanse him from
sin.
II.
THE MESSAGE THAT STATED THE CAUSE (verses 2-4)
A) It was a
singular message of Providence (verse 2)
We now get a divine lesson in the providence of God. Notice
back in verse one that it states that Naaman was used of the
Lord to bring deliverance unto Syria.This was the
beginning of the moving of providence in the life of Naaman.
Long
before he even knew there was a God of Israel, much less meet Him, God had his
divine hand of providence upon the life of Naaman.
B)
It was a simple message of Participation (verse 3)
Nothing is greater than to see the divine amazing hand of
providence as it works it's way out in a life.
The very little maid that Naaman brought back as a
captive was to be the singular message of hope for his leprosy.
Naaman was a general in the king's army,and this
little maid was a nobody captive.
"Little is much when God is in it".That singular
message of divine hope was "Would God my lord were with the prophet that is in
Samaria".
God always uses the simple things to confound the minds of
men.This is the point where the providence of God begins to participate in the
life of Naaman.The solution was through the man of God, Elisha.
Not because of the man part, but because of the "of
God" part.
C)
It was a solutioned message for the Problem
("for he would recover him of his leprosy")
Here was the first hint that God was going to meet Naaman
by the river. The
solution for his problem had been stated, and no matter what he tried or who he
tried to do it by, in the end this was the solution.
God's way is the only way.
We cannot detour. direct or disassemble it, it is
intact just as God has purposed it.
Only one way of salvation, the way of the cross, the
way of the blood, the way of Jesus Christ.
Now we can see:
1) The Foundation of God's
Providence (God's hand was on Naaman in the battle)
2) The Faithfulness of God's
Providence (little maid was the only mentioned captive)
3) The Forthrightness of God's
Providence (the King of Israel couldn't cure him)
4) The Fearlessness of God's
Providence (his servants argued with him)
D)
It was a settled message for the Person (vs
8-12)
1)
It was settled at the Door of Announcement (vs 9)
Notice that Naaman arrived at Elisha's house and stood at
the door waiting for an announcement. Verse 10 says that Elisha did not come
himself, but sent a messenger to the door with the good news.
God sent His messenger to the door of the world, He
did not come himself.
This is why Jesus said, "I am the door". God also
sent another messenger to the door of the soul at Pentecost.
2)
It was settled in the Declaration of Atonement
(vs 10)
Everything that Elisha said in this announcement was
specific.
There was no room for debate or misunderstanding.
The place was named, the process was named, the
person was named, and the purification was named.
God still operates the same today with lost sinners.
There is nothing left to debate.
3)
It was settled in Spite of Discontent and Arrogance
(vs 11)
Elisha had said, "only one river will do", but Naaman
wanted to alter Elisha's instructions and said, "any old river will do".
Today, people are saying, "Why not the Rick Warren
river, the Joel Osteen river, the Muslim river, the Catholic river, the self
righteous river,
or the self works river?
But God's only way of salvation is to meet God by
the river of his choice, and he has chosen the river of blood that flowed from
Calvary.
They also say "any old church will do, any old music style
will do".
III.
THE MIRACLE THAT HAD THE CURE (verse 14-15)
A)
There was the Course that brought the Miracle (verse 14)
Naaman had come to Elisha as a General who happened to have
leprosy, but Elisha dealt with him as a leper who happened to be a general.
1)
This course had a direction ("down")
After his servants brought
him down in humility, he had to go down to get to the river,and once he got
there he had go down in the water.
God's way is always down before there will ever be
an upward trip for man.
2)
This course was divine ("seven times")
Seven is the number of perfection with God.
This
was to be a perfect cleansing that
would leave no trace of that dreaded disease.
In the same way,
God through salvation gives us a perfect cleansing
of our sin, leaving no trace of past sins.
B)
There was the Character behind the Miracle (verse
15)
Naaman's words at this point will ring through eternity, "Now I know that there
is a God".
This is the evidence of an encounter with God. The recepient will always magnify
God after salvation.