Subject Thirty-four

THE HEALING OF NAAMAN THE LEPER

Scripture: 2 Kings 5

1. Naaman’s position
   1. Naaman was a commander of the army, a man in a high position.
   2. Today in society there are many people with high positions.
2. Naaman’s condition
   In preaching the gospel we can never stay away from position and condition.
   1. Though he was a commander in a high position, Naaman was full of leprosy. He was a mighty man of valor, but he was a leper.
   2. Today many people, even though they are in high positions, are full of sin and evil. Leprosy keeps man from coming near to God. In like manner, sin cuts off the fellowship or communication between man and God.
3. Naaman heard the gospel
   1. Through a little maid from the land of Israel, Naaman heard that in Israel there was a prophet, Elisha, who could cure him of his leprosy. This was good news of great joy. This was the gospel!
   2. Today there are many little Christian maids at the side of people in high positions. They are their maids or waitresses. They are the ones to whom people do not pay much attention, but they bring them the gospel. They tell them that there is a Savior who can save them, One who can take away all of their sins.
4. The Savior’s way of salvation
   1. The way Elisha healed Naaman was to tell him to go and wash in the Jordan River seven times.
   2. At that time the savior was Elisha the prophet. Elisha typifies Christ. The way of salvation at that time was to wash seven times in the river Jordan. This typifies that the only way of being cleansed is to enter into the death of Christ. The Savior sent by God is Christ, and the way of salvation prepared by God is the death of Christ. For your sin to be taken away and for your leprosy to be cleansed, you have to accept the death of Christ.
5. The way to be cured
   1. You must give up the world’s method of being cured.
      When Naaman heard that he had to go and wash in the Jordan River in the land of Israel, he was angry and demanded, “Are not the rivers of Damascus better than all the waters of Israel? Are there not rivers outside Israel?” But eventually he had to go to Israel’s Jordan River to be cured. The rivers of Damascus, the ways of religion, must be given up. Only by receiving Christ, including receiving the death of Christ, can anyone be cured.
   2. You must be humble.
      Because of his pride, Naaman nearly lost the opportunity of being cured.
   3. You must believe the word of the Lord.
      Naaman was cured because he believed the word of Elisha. Likewise, if a sinner wants to be saved today, he must believe the word of the Lord Jesus. The Lord said, “He that believes and is baptized shall be saved.” Therefore you must believe and be baptized.
   4. You must receive the Lord’s death and be buried into the water.
      Naaman dipped seven times in the river Jordan, which typifies: (1) receiving the death of Christ, and (2) being united with Christ. As Naaman believed the word of Elisha in his day and washed seven times in the river Jordan, so today we must likewise believe the word of the Lord and be buried.
6. The result of salvation
   1. When Naaman came up from the river Jordan, his flesh was restored like the flesh of a little child.
   2. The moment we believe in the Lord and receive the second birth, immediately the expression of that new life will be seen.
   3. Since the old life was buried into the water of baptism (the Jordan River), we ought to live the new life as soon as we come up from that water.