Painful Purpose
Sermon Notes
Introduction:
Hey everybody my name’s Louis I’m the lead pastor here at City Awakening, it’s great to gather with you both onsite and online. At this time let’s go ahead and dismiss the children to children’s church. If you didn’t get to check your child in, please see our children’s ministry leaders in the back and they’d be more than happy to assist you with that...
Today we’re continuing our teaching series called The Story, where we’re going through the biblical narrative from the very beginning in Genesis 1 to the last amen in Revelation 22, and today’s text brings us to the story of Naaman. It’s a story about 2 people experiencing pain and suffering in life, but the Lord uses their pain and suffering for a purpose. The Lord doesn’t cause their pain and suffering, he uses their pain and suffering for a purpose. It’s a story everybody can relate with, because everybody experiences pain and suffering in life. So the question isn’t will you experience pain and suffering in life, it’s will your pain and suffering be used for a purpose? This is what we’re talking about today, so let’s turn to 2nd Kings and get into it. You’ll find 2nd Kings in the front quarter part of your bible, and we’ll be in 2nd Kings 5:1-19. Title of today’s message is Painful Purpose, and the big idea is your pain can have a purpose...Your pain can have a purpose...
Context:
Here’s your context. 1st and 2nd Kings records a period in history where Israel is divided into two kingdoms, it’s the Northern Kingdom of Israel and the Southern Kingdom of Judah. Both kingdoms started sinning against the Lord, they started worshiping other things instead of the Lord, and a succession of corrupt kings starts leading both kingdoms down a path of destruction. God keeps sending prophets to lead them to repent and turn back to him, but most of the kings and Israelites aren’t listening. In 2nd Kings 5 we learn Elisha’s the new prophet of the Northern Kingdom of Israel, and his ministry was filled with lots of warnings and miracles. One of those miracles happens right here in ch 5, which is the healing of Naaman from a deadly disease. Now as we study this text we’ll learn the Lord uses Naaman’s pain in 3 ways. He uses Naaman’s pain: #1 to expose his sin, #2 to expose his need for God, and #3 to spread the faith. Let’s check it out.
The Word:
2 Kings 5:1-19, “Naaman, commander of the army for the king of Aram, was a man important to his master and highly regarded because through him, the Lord had given victory to Aram. The man was a valiant warrior, but he had a skin disease.” The skin disease that’s being referred to here is leprosy, which was one of the most feared diseases in ancient civilizations. It starts as a small rash that eventually spreads throughout the entire body. Their skin would turn into boils that would eventually burst turning into open wounds, and their nerve endings would die causing them to lose things like their fingers and toes. They didn’t have a cure and so it was terminal, it had a 100% death rate. The worst part is they believed it was highly contagious, so if somebody was diagnosed with leprosy they were immediately banished from society, and had to live in isolation with other lepers. They had to live in isolation away from their spouses, their children, their family and friends for roughly 10-20 years until they died. Leprosy was a painful disease, that would bring even the strongest warriors to their knees. It’s exactly what’s happening to Naaman. He’s a strong commander, a strong warrior, who now has this painful deadly disease.
Vs. 1 again states, “The man was a valiant warrior, but he had a skin disease. 2 Aram had gone on raids and brought back from the land of Israel a young girl who served Naaman’s wife. 3 She said to her mistress, ‘If only my master were with the prophet who is in Samaria, he would cure him of his skin disease.’” We don’t know this young girl’s name, we just know she was an Israelite taken by Naaman’s army. It happened during a time when the Israelites were unfaithful to the Lord, and as a result Naaman’s army was able to win some battles over them. But this young Israelite girl tells Naaman’s wife she believes the prophet Elisha can heal Naaman.
Vs. 9, “So Naaman came with his horses and chariots and stood at the door of Elisha’s house. 10 Then Elisha sent him a messenger, who said, ‘Go wash seven times in the Jordan and your skin will be restored and you will be clean.’”Notice Elisha doesn’t even come to the door. He sends a messenger instead of delivering the message himself. It’s like having the president of the United States show up at your house with an entourage of special agents, and you just sit there in your La-Z-Boy. I don’t care how much you like or dislike the president, if the president shows up at your house you go to the door! You at least go to the door to take a picture, do a funny photo bomb, or ask why gas prices are so high!...But Elisha doesn’t even go to the door. He sends a messenger instead of delivering the message himself. Why does Elisha do that? I mean clearly Naaman’s in pain and desperate for healing, because he’s traveled over 250 miles to see a prophet from a country he’s enemies with. So why doesn’t Elisha come outside to care for him?...Why doesn’t Elisha at least come to the door?...We learn why in vs 11-12.
Vs. 11-12 states, “But Naaman got angry and left saying, ‘I was telling myself he will surely come out, stand and call on the name of the Lord his God, and wave his hand over the place and cure the skin disease. 12 Aren’t Abana and Pharpar, the rivers of Damascus, better than all the waters of Israel? Couldn’t I wash in them and be clean?’ So he turned and left in a rage.’” There’s the problem, there’s the issue with Naaman. It’s his pride...The reason he’s full of rage, is because his heart’s full of pride. He’s like “I thought for sure Elisha would come out to see me with my mighty entourage. He knows who I am, because everybody knows who I am! I’m Naaman the mighty commander, the mighty warrior of the Aramean army, and he sends out a messenger to tell me to bathe in Israel’s nasty Jordan River! I’ll show him! I’ll leave and come back to raid Israel again.” He leaves full of rage, because his heart’s full of pride. So what we’re learning at this point in the text, is the Lord’s using Naaman’s pain for a purpose, which is...
#1 To expose his sin = The Lord’s using Naaman’s pain to expose his sin. I want to be careful here because not all our pains in life are the result of our own sins. Sometimes our pains are the result of other people’s sins against us, like the young girl who led Naaman to Elisha. She’s suffering the pains of slavery, the pains of being away from friends and family, because Naaman sinned by raiding her country and taking her as a slave. So sometimes the pains we’re experiencing in life are the result of other people’s sins against us, but sometimes it’s the result of our own sins. Sometimes there’s sin in our hearts we don’t realize, until something painful happens to expose it. In Naaman’s case, his pain exposes his sinful self-centered pride. He wants to be cured from leprosy, but the Lord wants to cure his sinful self-centered pride. It’s why Elisha doesn’t go outside, it’s why he sends a messenger, it’s why he tells him to dip in the nasty Jordan River. The Jordan River was a nasty river, especially compared to the rivers Naaman mentions, and the reason for all of this is to expose Naaman’s sin. Through the prophet Elisha, the Lord’s saying “Naaman there’s a greater leprosy in your heart, than the leprosy in your body. There’s a sinful self-centered pride in your heart, that’s eating away at your soul. You came to heal your body, I want to heal your soul.” The Lord cares about his holiness, not just his happiness. The Lord cares about your holiness, not just your happiness. There’s sin in all our hearts that’s eating away at our soul, and like leprosy it’ll keep spreading, keep decaying our lives over time. The Lord’s loving enough to do surgery on our sins. He’s loving enough to sometimes use the painful situations in our lives to expose our sins, so we can have healing for our soul like Naaman.
Vs. 12 again states, “Naaman turned and left in rage. 13 But his servants approached and said to him, ‘My father, if the prophet had told you to do some great thing, would you not have done it? How much more should you do it when he only tells you, ‘Wash and be clean’?’ 14 So Naaman went down and dipped himself in the Jordan seven times, according to the command of the man of God. Then his skin was restored and became like the skin of a small boy, and he was clean.”He was clean, he was healed from both his leprosy and his sinful self-centered pride. I mean it took humility and faith for him to dip in the Jordan River not just once, but 7 times! He wasn’t the kind of guy who’d humiliate himself like that. So clearly his heart was changed from rage and pride, to humility and faith. The Lord healed both his leprosy, and his heart.
Vs. 15, “Then Naaman and his whole company went back to the man of God, stood before him, and declared, ‘I know there’s no God in the whole world except in Israel. Therefore, please accept a gift from your servant.’ 16 But Elisha said, ‘As the Lord lives, in whose presence I stand, I will not accept it.’ Naaman urged him to accept it, but he refused.”The reason Elisha rejects Naaman’s gift is because he doesn’t want Naaman thinking God’s grace can be purchased. He’s showing Naaman that God’s grace isn’t dependent on a person’s wealth, strength, or legendary fame, it’s dependent on faith in the Lord. Ephesians 2:8, “You are saved by grace, through faith!” Naaman displays faith with his actions when he dipped in the Jordan River 7 times, and he displays faith with his words when he says there’s no God in the world, except the God in Israel. What saves Naaman isn’t his wealth, strength, or legendary fame, it’s his faith in the Lord. Now we’re learning the Lord’s using Naaman’s pain for another purpose, which is...
#2 To expose his need for God = The Lord uses Naaman’s pain to expose his sin, but also to expose his need for God. We aren’t partners with God in our salvation, and sometimes the Lord uses painful situations to wake us up to that reality. It’s the reality that no matter how hard we try, we can’t save ourselves. Like Naaman we can’t save ourselves, we need the help of God. It took leprosy for Naaman to wake up to that reality, but for some us it takes something else. For some of us it takes marital issues, parental issues, financial issues, health issues, some painful issues to finally wake us up to the reality we need the help of God. What if the Lord’s doing that with you?...What if the Lord’s using your pain not to expose sin, but to expose how much you really need to rely on him?...The point isn’t that the Lord will heal anyone who cannon balls in the Jordan River, it’s that the Lord will freely gives grace to anyone who humbly puts their faith in him. Naaman came to Israel thinking he needed a cure, but he left realizing he really needed the Lord. He came to Israel for a cure, but he left relying on his new relationship with the Lord.
Vs. 17, “Naaman responded, ‘Please let your servant be given as much soil as a pair of mules can carry, for your servant will no longer offer a burnt offering or a sacrifice to any other god but the Lord. 18 However, in a particular matter may the Lord pardon your servant: When my master, the king of Aram, goes into the temple of Rimmon to bow in worship...and when I have to bow in the temple...may the Lord pardon your servant in this matter.’ 19 Elisha said to him, ‘Go in peace.’” Elisha’s response can be a bit shocking for some people, because the bible teaches we shouldn’t bow to any god except the God of the bible. But the reason Elisha responds this way is because Naaman’s saying when he bows, he’ll bow to the God of the bible instead of Rimmon. This is the 3rd way we see the Lord uses Naaman’s pain for a purpose, and it’s...
#3 To spread the faith = The Lord uses Naaman’s pain to expose his sin, to expose his need for God, and to spread the faith. Naaman doesn’t want to worship Rimmon or any other gods anymore. He wants to bring his faith back into the career and country he was living in, so he can worship and serve the Lord there. Scholars say the reason he asks to take soil from Israel is because he either wants to build an altar for the Lord in Aram, or he wants to place it on the ground when he’s expected to bow to Rimmon. Either way Naaman’s willing to go back to his old career and country, back to the place where he has a lot of influence, and he wants to bring his faith with him. The Lord was using Naaman’s pain for even greater purposes than Naaman’s life. He was using Naaman’s pain to bring salvation to Naaman’s life, but also to bring salvation to other people’s lives through Naaman’s life. The Lord saves Naaman’s life, but also sends Naaman to lead more people to faith in Aram. This is exactly what the Lord does with the young Israelite girl’s pain vs 2! The Lord uses her pain to lead Naaman to faith in the Lord.
Remember that young girl was taken from her home in Israel during one of Naaman’s raids, and she was forced into slavery. Biblically and theologically there’s room for her to have a righteous anger over that, but she was careful not to use her anger in unrighteous ways. When we are sinned against it’s always tempting to retaliate, to fight back in unrighteous ways. You can have a righteous anger, but be tempted to handle it in unrighteous ways. This young girl didn’t do that. She didn’t retaliate with sin, she retaliated with grace. When she finds out Naaman’s sick she doesn’t seek revenge on Naaman, she doesn’t wish ill will against Naaman saying, “I’m glad he got leprosy! I’m glad he’s going to die! He got what he deserved!” She doesn’t retaliate against Naaman, she extends grace to Naaman despite the fact he didn’t deserve it. She points Naaman to the Lord, she points him to the prophet Elisha for healing. It’s clear the Lord was still growing her faith even while she was facing pain and suffering. The Lord was doing a work on her heart, and used her painful situation to do a work on Naaman’s heart. The Lord’s plans never just involve you, they also involve those around you. The Lord doesn’t just have plans for your life, he has plans for the lives of those around you. The Lord doesn’t just have a purpose for your pain, he wants to use your pain for the purpose of helping others with their pain. He wants to use your pain to help spread the faith, to help relieve others of their pain like the young girl did for Naaman, and like Naaman’s going to do for others in Aram. The Lord used the young girl’s pain for a purpose, he used Naaman’s pain for a purpose, and he’s using your pain for a purpose.
The Big Idea:
The big idea is your pain can have a purpose...Your pain can have a purpose, like it did for the young girl and for Naaman...Is the Lord using your pain to expose sin in your life?...Is the Lord using your pain to expose your need for him?...Is the Lord using your pain to help spread the faith, to help relieve other people’s pain, to help lead others to him?...Maybe the Lord isn’t using your pain in the 3 ways he used Naaman’s pain, but he’s still using your pain for a purpose. Inthe words of John Piper “God is always doing 10,000 things in your life, and you may only be aware of three of them.” God is always doing 10,000 things in your life, and he can be doing 10,000 things in your pain, even when you can’t fully see it or understand it.
The greatest evidence we have of this is Jesus. Jesus suffered tremendous pain on the cross, but there were way more than 10,000 things he was doing through that pain. Think about how many lives Jesus changed through his pains on the cross, and think about how many good deeds have come through those lives that have been changed. We can’t even fathom how many ripple effects have come through his pains on the cross! There’s way more than 10,000 things he’s done and is still doing through his pains on the cross! Jesus used his pain for a purpose! He used his pain for our gain! He used his pain on the cross so the leprosy of our sinful souls, could be cleansed, redeemed, transformed into having an eternally joyful life with him. If you give him your sin and pain, he’ll give you his forgiveness and love. He’ll use your pain, for a purpose.