Sunday service, Baba Dube, 25 Feb 2018
We see God working in amazing ways in these days here at the mission amongst the young men and also at the different branches. If we shared it with you, you would find it difficult to believe. God is still working today as He did at the beginning of the revival. At the different schools the children spontaneously want to confess their sins. But we also know that when God works Satan also works.
When I speak about revival I mean it in a particular way. If someone is revived it means that when someone was dying they get new life. When we hear God’s word it quickens the remnant that is still there and you are encouraged to serve the Lord. Where God’s word is preached you are revived. It doesn’t matter who preaches, you sense God is in it.
2Kings 5:1 – 14
1 Now Naaman was commander of the army of the king of Aram. He was a great man in the sight of his master and highly regarded, because through him the Lord had given victory to Aram. He was a valiant soldier, but he had leprosy.[a]
2 Now bands of raiders from Aram had gone out and had taken captive a young girl from Israel, and she served Naaman’s wife. 3 She said to her mistress, “If only my master would see the prophet who is in Samaria! He would cure him of his leprosy.”
4 Naaman went to his master and told him what the girl from Israel had said. 5 “By all means, go,” the king of Aram replied. “I will send a letter to the king of Israel.” So Naaman left, taking with him ten talents[b] of silver, six thousand shekels[c] of gold and ten sets of clothing. 6 The letter that he took to the king of Israel read: “With this letter I am sending my servant Naaman to you so that you may cure him of his leprosy.”
7 As soon as the king of Israel read the letter, he tore his robes and said, “Am I God? Can I kill and bring back to life? Why does this fellow send someone to me to be cured of his leprosy? See how he is trying to pick a quarrel with me!”
8 When Elisha the man of God heard that the king of Israel had torn his robes, he sent him this message: “Why have you torn your robes? Have the man come to me and he will know that there is a prophet in Israel.” 9 So Naaman went with his horses and chariots and stopped at the door of Elisha’s house. 10 Elisha sent a messenger to say to him, “Go, wash yourself seven times in the Jordan, and your flesh will be restored and you will be cleansed.”
11 But Naaman went away angry and said, “I thought that he would surely come out to me and stand and call on the name of the Lord his God, wave his hand over the spot and cure me of my leprosy. 12 Are not Abana and Pharpar, the rivers of Damascus, better than all the waters of Israel? Couldn’t I wash in them and be cleansed?” So he turned and went off in a rage.
13 Naaman’s servants went to him and said, “My father, if the prophet had told you to do some great thing, would you not have done it? How much more, then, when he tells you, ‘Wash and be cleansed’!” 14 So he went down and dipped himself in the Jordan seven times, as the man of God had told him, and his flesh was restored and became clean like that of a young boy.
What is the implication of having leprosy? We take leprosy to mean sin. This man with leprosy was highly regarded. A young girl from Israel spoke to her master and told him that in Israel he could get help. Grasp that. She didn’t say it serves him right that he has leprosy. Do we feel happy if someone experiences something bad? Naaman humbled himself and listened to a young child. Maybe you have a grudge and say, “I will never forgive that person for what he has done to me and it serves him right if something bad happens to him.”
When Elisha sent a servant to inform Naaman to go dip himself seven times in the Jordan he got angry. How do you react when you’re given an instruction that you feel is below your dignity? Fortunately his servants convinced him to obey and he was healed. Afterwards he wanted to give Elisha gifts but Elisha would have none of it. Gehazi, the servant of Elisha, was covetous and received the gifts from Naaman’s hand. He tried to deceive Elisha, but was struck with leprosy.
Leprosy brought separation because those with leprosy could not have fellowship with other people. Sin brings separation. You enjoy sin but it separates you from God. When God speaks to you don’t look at the messenger. It costs us to humble ourselves. Get rid of your pride. If a child speaks to you as an adult, listen and respect because God is in that child. What helped Naaman is that he humbled himself. It wouldn’t have helped him if he hadn’t dipped himself seven times. Maybe sin is ravaging your life and eating you away. Paul says that some people’s speech is like gangrene and eats away. There is a reason that God speaks to us like this. Don’t come in and leave again with your leprosy. God is gracious. He wants us to be washed and that we are restored like a little child. You find some are young but when you look at their faces they are worn, eaten away by sin. Some are aged by looking at pornography. That purity and innocence is gone. We are told to wash ourselves. When Naaman obeyed, he was cleansed. Do you see this young girl who was following God? What she had been taught from a young age helped her to have pity on her master and she said that if he could get to the prophet of God he would get help. Do you have empathy towards those who are lost in their sin? We have a job to do help those around us.
Choir
German Translation
French Translation