Naaman's Servant Girl [Part 2]

Pastor, author and Bible teacher Alan writing.

How can you think you're giving something to God when all you're doing is holding what he's already given you UK five God love you came by God's grace and you sure can buy salvation gospel is simple and the gospel is free. That's faster welcome to another message of good news that will help you see your life for no hold. I'm Dino print excited for you to hear the teaching today. In the series titled God used who and you may just be surprised as presented at written old the church in North Carolina. If you're not able to stay with us throughout the entire program I want to make sure you know how to get our special resource right now. It can be yours for your donation this month to Alan Reich Minister as you listen to today's message go deeper as we send you today's special offer. Contact us at pastor@an.org or call 877-544-4860 that's 877-544-4860. More on that later in the program but now let's get started with today's teaching here is Alan Wright and even that were marred and broken by sin in this world.

Have you ever noticed that most people unless they just have a totally totally see your conscience and horrible heart. But most people like to give you directions if you ask me if ever notice that there is little different now that we get the GPS and we don't stop and ask for directions very much not that I myself ever needed directions but notice that most people might be occasional person who is ruthless, but most people can give you directions you want. If there's some your loss and you decide to get some soap in there from that area and they know and I can give that to you is a surprising happy but one time I was traveling with Jeff R Sharon Allied's executive director and we were trying to get from the Dallas area to some retreat center north of Lubbock, Texas, and the we are on the isolated road in the middle of absolutely no it was Texas roads just it just goes forever. You can see forever, and there's nothing you can see there are no houses dated near no people there some there's some towels and no other cars in the GPS. The phone went dead and what is lost and is had no idea what I was on the road. We only have a mapping I don't care maps anymore discount on your phone to get to their will goes dad. Yeah, not every person is out of an old pickup truck pulled up behind us and we pulled up behind his life. Okay, maybe this is good in any kind of pulled up beside us and we looked in the pickup truck it look like I've seen the movie deliverance. I mean these guys we're live near the old cowboy drive this thing in his his young son argued about about 20 years old and he was sitting in and he would smile his cot staring at us like this where you boys doing and I well thought about that would lead to find just take a break here and we told them where we are trying to go is it will follow me and is that I'll just take it over that way. So he started drive and I were drama, my week went into a trap. Here is but sure enough they let us to a regular meal module crusty old cowboy and as I like to help you get where you're going or something inside of us that with you could give somebody a precious gift, it causes you some kind enjoy this only way you can explain my little girl like this would want something for the man who taken her captive. It's it's it's something was most precious thing ever gave somebody, it's just maybe then cost a lot of money, but which is precious because maybe only you could give it and and and it meant so much to see.

It just means so so much. We had a funeral this Friday for a very precious man and her daughter. His daughter Kathy told me this story that to her dad.

Brent had suffered a memory impairment from stroke and disease and he had come to that place where he could not articulate words very much and he couldn't remember things and so she one day during Christmas season. She was just thinking about how she'd read that sometimes music will stimulate the brain where you can remember things that music and is true and so she was remembering that there was this story that her dad would tell about a time when he and his wife were young and this wife Kathy's mother who died when Kathy was to she never knew her mom and Brent and his wife and her younger went to a Lynyrd Skynyrd concert and sat on the front row and walked around death for three days, but how much they love it.

Was this great memory and so Kathy just had this come up her mind and she pulled out her phone and decided to play a Lynyrd Skynyrd song for her dad and she played free bird and she said when the free bird started he started crying and then he started laughing and then he mouthed the words to the song which began if I leave here tomorrow, will you still remember me at it in the song he looked at her he said you remember you is more blessed in that little gift the dad or the daughter if you can give somebody a gift of life and she said Kathy said I saw grace I gift it just came when you see grace at work when you see a gift that comes in you been the instrument through which I gift this come is a joy that is unspeakable. It is more blessed to give than it is to receive and there is no greater blessing of giving and giving somebody the directions to Jesus. So this little girl and an unthinkable act of love. I wish that my master would go to Israel there's a prophet there and it may be just as shocking that Naaman would go because there was so much animosity between Syria and Israel. Even as there is today. This past week Syrian forces fired missiles against Israeli aircraft is in Israeli forces are committed to destroying weapons that are developed in Syria that are being funneled to Hezbollah. There is a very dire conflict that is going on and millions of Syrians are escaping into Lebanon into refugee camps and there is still a tension that same tension that was there an ancient time and Naaman is the head of the entire military Syria and Israel is an enemy and he is going to go to Israel for his healing. When a person's need in the fullness of time is met by the offer of grace. That's when a person will be changed his need was so dire and he was willing to go.

Can I just say this you will never be able to know unless the Holy Spirit just shows you that you can do but you'll never be able to know for sure who it is this going to accept the things of God, in whom I throughout my life I have been mystified people that I thought would be so ready to accept the gospel and aren't and people I thought would never be a chance I be scared even mentioned Jesus.

John might be the ones ready to just take hold weight. We've laughed over the years. My sister-in-law Catherine had a good friend that Catherine thought about inviting her to church. They were unchurched, but she thought I just don't think I don't think she go for so just time went by. Time went by, so she just never invite her until finally, her friend came to rest at Catherine could not go to church with you. It was so funny. We put the two of them appear on this platform just to tell their story and laugh about it. The fact is probably somebody in my life right now and probably in yours that you think like this little girl would've have every right thing will Naaman would never go to Israel he's in. And yet God's been making the way we had a manager at King Brown, who just walk around till thereby about Jesus and his theory of evangelism was actually pretty sound pieces.

I know that God will save somebody's people I know is going do it so I just tell her by because you know you gonna get some kind of a good way to look at action talent right will have more teaching moment from today's important series that you believed in mind. My experience in the left lever of myself as a love story from beginning to end spiritual bride of Christ, the perfect bike.

The Bible tells walk with Fremont Hispano met with a woman tasted the sweetness of God's love for you is pretty woman who searched for 25 conflict Gary Chapman Dr. the five love languages size incredible reality that God pursues us in life comes to lever of myself ancient biblical accounts explode in the heart accept this proposal and showing his embrace. Traveling after the match made in heaven, lever of myself gospel is shared when you get to write ministries. This broadcast is only possible because of listener financial support. When you get today. We will send you a special offer. We are happy to send this to you as our banks from our night ministries, seven 877-544-4860 877-544-4861 come to our website past Rowan.like today's teaching now continues here once again is that he comes Naaman – and this simple gospel is at first offensive to Naaman. Elisha doesn't even come out to meet him. He just sent a servant out why I think it's because Elisha is wanting Naaman to understand.

It's not about Elisha Naaman said I thought he would come out here wave his hand and do some hocus-pocus by one preacher said he wanted him to be the Wizard of Oz if he told him go get me the broom of the wicked witch of the West and bring it to me now heal you. Naaman would've done it but instead he gave them nothing to do. The simplest is like it's the simplest thing that Elisha could think of just go dip in the Jordan River seven times himself. Elisha didn't want to give any appearance that this is about you being able to buy this or procure this through any of your prowess. You see the irony Naaman couldn't get healed in Syria and he had everything, power, prestige, money, servants, and skills so he came to Israel.

Hoping to get healed what it bring with them money, power, servants, prowess and skills so he brought all the things that couldn't heal him in Syria open it somehow it would work in Israel.

And Elisha's letter, the Lord is that will come out and talk to you because I want the exclusive attention to rest upon God who heals you. And it seems so simple that Elisha is offended by the simplicity of the gospel is a scandal Argentinian pastor and author Juan Carlos Ortiz is hilarious and powerful man of God, and he would do interesting things with his congregation.

One time he was trying to make a point about the simplicity of the gospel. So he said to his cargo she said to me if I tell you what is 2+2. Nobody said anything. As it is not a rhetorical question. He sits on my tell me what is 2+2 is client was the trick so they said on the second.

He said there was actual Prof. of mathematics professor PhD in math. They said Prof. Can you tell us what is 2+2 professors sheepishly grinned, set so he looked at a five-year-old boy and he said, son, can you tell me what is 2+2 and the boys have for a center-right and then he made his point because it was so simple. Everybody thought it could be for them. Here's the irony.

What it took for Naaman to be saved was for Naaman to bring nothing to the table when you get to the point that you that you could bring to the table is just that simple. These children stood up here today and profess their faith just simple beautiful. We had baptisms last week and that is the baptismal cabinet was put into the baptismal pool and sit down in the water before being immersed pastor Dylan read a statement of faith from each one of them and one was a small child maybe four or five years old, which for five-year-old child can profess faith in Christ is in you don't gotta understand everything about God in order to be saved or else anonymous would be saved and so this was the simplest little statement of faith and I am a damn paraphrasing of the pastor Dylan out rent out the words of the child said.

I believe in Jesus. I know God is real because while it would be here and found all the scientists with that question right there such simple thing the gospel is simple, a little child shall lead them out of the mouths of babes. He has ordained praise unless you become like a little child Jesus said you will never enter the kingdom of heaven, and so closely related to it that Naaman was having to learn in order to really be saved. He had to understand is simple and he's humbled and this is the part of it is free utterly completely totally free. Thus, when Elisha was healed and he came. He said I know there's no other God now not to worship any other God he is.

He's he is a believer and he so excited this will stick you want to give you have to pay to pay Elisha is nothing nothing wrong with obviously people. Gratitude giving to the Lord. And as we do every week and as we invite you to do, but in this particular case when Elisha, the man of God. Now some time now. Someplace, because Naaman could be confused, he could be confused.

He's been paying for things. His whole life and I don't want to think that is that he's paying for this. This is utterly and completely free and it's it's what God did and I didn't do it and I don't want to pay me out when so want to understand is totally 100% free. There's just something in our nature that is drawn to the law and we want to feel like that somehow we can pay for something we can merit something that you really ever going to be saved.

You got understand is totally free look at it this way, even if you were to give something to God and God would bless you. Because of that, and you would be saved because of that, wouldn't it be that whatever good gift you gave God was already God's.

Anyway, he is the creator of the ends of the earth, and he made you again, pastor Ortiz one time when him to preach and see. He grabbed a deacon beforehand in the day, the deacon's quality had a whole bunch of cash and is it when you hold this for me during the service, the deacon said sure when the middle of the sermon. Pastor Ortiz stopped and he spoke to the deacon he said they said that, would you please bring me that wallet out of your pocket. I want to take it and I want to take all the money out of it and keep it and not give it back to you and a man jumped right up game as well in the whole car is gasped and they said is just people just run up and given him money out of there, but he can't do that, people, and he stopped and explained that actually he had been him that money before the service to hold it for him, and in fact the matter if the man had said no it would've been a crime because he would then be stealing the money.

How can you think you're giving something to God when all you're doing is holding what he's already given you that you came by God's love. You came by God's grace and you sure can buy salvation. The gospel is simple and the gospel is free but get Heisey the servant of Elisha who should have known better and then mentor by the man of God.

Instead he got greedy he said to this rich Syrian heat. He's our enemy, and he wanted to give us all his money so he just goes in Contra July says Elisha has sent me. We have some people just come from some profit young man and they need some provisions in a text.

He takes the he takes the money so it stands in contrast, stark contrast, the man who receives freely is healed and clean, but the man who think that blessings come with payment attached lines up with Naaman's previous diseased condition. Grace heals Christ sets free, but if you think you're going to be in a relationship with God that based on payments. Your soul will remain diseased in your miss the beauty of the gospel. So the story and the and about a little girl who had a very unlikely way wants her captor to be healed and a little girl when a very unlikely way. Bill leaves that a mighty military man could be healed and a little girl who in that sense bears the cost of instead of holding in bitterness and hoping that her enemy would perish also have life because is meant to point us to the true suffering servant Jesus, he came in he died for the ungodly.

While they were still in their sin. This is love. Now that we first love God that he first loved us and not holding bitterness against us for the sin and rebellion that we had against him. He suffered all the way to across and he said father forgive them. I don't know what they're doing and loved his enemies, and believe it or not we can to Vanessa gospel. Today's teaching Naaman servant girl. The series God use who stick with this.

Alan is back in a moment with additional insight on this for your life and today's final word. Glad you believed my experience in the left lover of myself as a love story from beginning to end spiritual bride of Christ, the perfect bike. The Bible tells my mom handed her anymore and it's gonna member the woman tasted the sweetness of God's love for you is pretty woman who searched for 25 inches long and fully doctor the five love languages size incredible reality that God pursues us in life comes to lover of myself. Ancient biblical accounts explode in the heart except Christ proposal and showing his embrace raveling after the match made in heaven, lover of my soul gospel is shared when you get Alan Wright Ministries. This broadcast is only possible because of listener financial support. When you get today. We will send you a special offer. We are happy to send this to you as I banks from Alan Wright Ministries, seven 877-544-4860 877-544-4861 come to our website Pastor our and data work we start the program every day, Alan. We talk about how our desire is to bring healing and hope by sharing the good news of what God is done for us in Jesus Christ. And that seems extremely true with today's teaching. What's a marvel to me Danielle, this unnamed servant girl of Naaman. Scholars think perhaps likely she was taken from her homeland captured may have seen her parents be killed if she is held against her will become the servant to this powerful and Naaman and she wants him to be healed in a remarkable sheet sheet she wants the one who is for Door perhaps one is responsible for parents murder. She wants it to be healed. It's a beautiful it's a beautiful story and a beautiful picture in the end invitation was all like Naaman who didn't have anything that he could do no mighty deed. No price they just dip in the waters and I think maybe someone. Thank God's just reminding you his grace is already there. Immerse yourself today's good news message is a listener supported production Alan Wright Ministries