Sermon February 11-12, 2012

Title: God’s word is healing to all who trust in Him!

Text: 2 Kings 5:13-14 (ESV)

¹³ But his servants came near and said to him, “My father, it is a great word the prophet has spoken to you; will you not do it? Has he actually said to you, ‘Wash, and be clean’?” ¹⁴So he went down and dipped himself seven times in the Jordan, according to the word of the man of God, and his flesh was restored like the flesh of a little child, and he was clean.

Dear friends,

A Persian legend says that a certain king needed a faithful servant, and two men were candidates to fill the position. He took both at regular fixed wages, and his first order was to fill a basket with water from a neighboring well, saying that he would come in the evening and see their work. After putting in one or two bucketfuls, one man said, "What is the good of doing this useless work? As soon as we put the water in one side it runs out the other." The other answered, "But we have our wages, haven't we? The use is the master's business, not ours." "I am not going to do such fool's work," replied the other. Throwing down his bucket, he went away. The other man continued until he had exhausted the well; looking down into it he saw something shining—a diamond ring. "Now I see the use of pouring water into a basket," he cried. "If the bucket had brought up the ring before the well was emptied, it would have been found in the basket. Our work was not useless."—Christian Herald.

God’s word is healing to all who trust in Him

  

¹ Naaman, commander of the army of the king of Syria, was a great man with his master and in high favor, because by him the LORD had given victory to Syria. He was a mighty man of valor,

The Lord had given victory to Syria over Israel in our lesson today and this had come about by Naaman, a great man who is highly favored by his master. He commands the kings army holding a position of high authority …

  

…  but, he was a leper.

This disease of the skin which causes the outer surface of the skin to swell and fester gets worse with time and can cause fingers, toes, ears and nose to fall off and eventually lead to death. Here, this leprosy, at the very least would be for Naaman – incurable – and limit his ability to fulfill his duties.

² Now the Syrians on one of their raids had carried off a little girl from the land of Israel, and she worked in the service of Naaman's wife. ³ She said to her mistress, “Would that my lord were with the prophet who is in Samaria! He would cure him of his leprosy.” 

Here, in captivity to another, this young Israelite girl’s faith in God’s word through His prophet is evident. She tells him if only you would go to him he would heal you!

⁴ So Naaman went in and told his lord, “Thus and so spoke the girl from the land of Israel.” ⁵ And the king of Syria said, “Go now, and I will send a letter to the king of Israel.”

So far so good, Naaman hears that there is a prophet that can heal him and he believes. He gets a letter from his King and proceeds to the King of Israel. Now, the King of Israel sees this as a ploy to start a fight.

“Am I God, to kill and to make alive, that this man sends word to me to cure a man of his leprosy?

The king has no answer to this request. He cannot heal this man and wonders why he was sent to him and feels that he is being held responsible for this man’s healing so he tears his closes in despair.

⁸ But when Elisha the man of God heard that the king of Israel had torn his clothes, he sent to the king, saying, “Why have you torn your clothes? Let him come now to me, that he may know that there is a prophet in Israel.”

God’s word is alive with Elisha. He is God’s prophet.

¹⁰ And Elisha sent a messenger to him, saying, “Go and wash in the Jordan seven times, and your flesh shall be restored, and you shall be clean.” 

Here God’s word is very clear. Do this and be clean. There is very little other direction. Wash seven times and be clean.

¹¹ But Naaman was angry and went away, saying, “Behold, I thought that he would surely come out to me and stand and call upon the name of the LORD his God, and wave his hand over the place and cure the leper. 

God’s word is healing to all who trust in Him!

We too fail to be a beacon of hope at times and also to trust God’s word. If you saw another who did not know Christ would you have a witness as bold as the little slave girl to say, “I know the cure to your illness!” You have not the Christ the Son of the living God. He holds the keys to life and death and gives salvation to all who believe in him.

We too fail to trust his commands. When Jesus says: ¹⁹ Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, ²⁰ teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. We look at the command and say, “How can simple water do such great things”

Martin Luther in the small catechism tells us:

It is not the water indeed that does them, but the word of God which is in and with the water, and faith, which trusts such word of God in the water. For without the word of God the water is simple water and no baptism. But with the word of God it is a baptism, that is, a gracious water of life and a washing of regeneration in the Holy Ghost, as St. Paul says, Titus, chapter three: 

By the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Ghost, which He shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ, our Savior, that, being justified by His grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life. This is a faithful saying.

  

God’s word is healing to all who trust in Him!

  

Naaman continues:

¹² Are not Abana and Pharpar, the rivers of Damascus, better than all the waters of Israel? Could I not wash in them and be clean?”

The answer would be sure, if Elisha had said to go into the Abana or Pharpar rivers, because it is not the water but faith and trust in God’s word of healing through his prophet.

So he turned and went away in a rage. ¹³ But his servants came near and said to him, “My father, it is a great word the prophet has spoken to you; will you not do it? Has he actually said to you, ‘Wash, and be clean’?” 

God’s word through His prophet was clear … wash and be clean.

¹⁴ So he went down and dipped himself seven times in the Jordan, according to the word of the man of God, and his flesh was restored like the flesh of a little child, and he was clean.

God’s word is healing to all who trust in Him!

  

God too, washes us clean in our baptism by the promise that we become His disciples (his followers or His children) by this saving act. God takes we who are born in sin and by nature sinful and unclean and he makes us alive in Christ. He gives us faith by the power of the Holy Spirit to believe. He marks us as redeemed by this water connected to His word of promise. Some like Naaman turn in a rage and leave because they refuse to trust God’s promise that an infant can have faith too as it is truly a gift of God and not our work.

So too when we receive His true body and blood in the sacrament in Holy Communion trusting in his word of promise,

“This is my body which is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” ²⁵ In the same way also he took the cup, after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.”

It was God’s word that raised Lazarus from the dead and called him from the tomb from death to life. It too is God who calls us from our spiritual death to newness of life by His word and His sacraments giving us faith by the power of the Holy Spirit to believe.

God’s word is healing to all who trust in Him!

  

Just as the servants in our opening illustration didn’t see the reason for the pouring of the water into the basket until it had been revealed and one of them walked away mad. Many too fail to see how God can use the simple means of word and sacraments to accomplish His will. God’s message of forgiveness is real and by His means available to all He calls to believe this blessed Good News. That by Christ’s sacrifice you are forgiven in Him. God comfort you today and every day that you who believe are saved.

In the name of the Father and of the Son + and of the Holy Spirit,

Amen