A Proud Man and a Suffering Girl, Part 2

And at length with Jenny Greer.

Humility is the one thing the dog keeps going after with name and one thing he's going after name in the story to try to go to the top dog to send them to the bottom. God will only speak to him, your servants make name and bathed in a nasty Creek see the path to God is the path of humility you can't get there any other way. The one thing the one thing that you absolutely leave when you come to God, the Bible teaching ministry Jenny Greer you been with us for a while now were in the middle of the teaching series called the whole story.

The cover to cover. Overview of the Bible, revealing how every story is really part of one greater story. The story of the gospel. If you've missed any of the previous messages, you can always listen online@jdgreer.com today were looking at a lesser-known account in the Old Testament that gives us a powerful picture of God's purpose and suffering is the story of the young girls faith in a proud man's brush with death. Sounds intriguing right. I bet you've heard it before but not quite in the same way. You'll hear today. Let's join Pastor JD right now as he teaches from the second 512 18 distorted name and y'all chapter 5 verse one management or the army of the king of Syria was a great mighty man with his master and high favor because by him.

The Lord had given victory to Syria. Now the Syrians on one of the raids and carried all the little girl from the land of Israel. She worked in the service of name is white. She said were mistress would that my wardrobe with the prophet was in Samaria she's talking specifically about Elisha was one of the mightiest prophets of this of this era he he. Elisha could cure this man of his leprosy, your name and of his leprosy, burst forth the name and when told his lord the king of Syria doesn't start for the girls in the land of Israel, the king of Syria said go now. Also, the letter on your behalf. The king of Israel, so Naaman went, taking with him 10 talents of silver and 6000 shekels of gold and 10 changes of clothing as a gift that he can give Elisha verse six and brought a letter to the king of Israel. The letter said when this letter reaches you know that I sent to you, Naaman, my servant, that you may cure him of his leprosy.

The king of Israel read the letter, he tore his close and set out my God to kill and make alive that this man sends word to manicure a man of his leprosy only consider and see how he is seeking a quarrel with me other words, he thinks the king of Syria is looking for an excuse for birthday. But when Elisha, the man of God heard that the king of Israel for his close he sent to the king why you join your close let them come now to me that he may know that there is a prophet in Israel Burstein so Naaman came with his horses and chariots, and you can imagine what this would look like this mighty cavalcade of horses and chariots showing up little Elisha's house. Burstein, Elisha sent out a messenger to him, saying, go and watch the majority seven times in your flesh will be restored and you shall be going. Elisha got a lot, but Naaman was angry. He felt disrespected and he went away, say, behold, I thought surely he would come out to me and stand and call upon the name of the Lord is God wave his hand over the place and Carol ever. So he turned to me one often arrange the word for rage in Hebrew means literally super ticked off, but his servants were 13 notice more servants come near and say to him. My father if it was a great word prophet spoken you when you've done that, I told you was going watch what you got to lose Naaman try it first 14. So when Downey himself seven times in the Jordan picture the scene, and he's seething with rage and he gets in the Jordan River inside its whole body and muddy nasty little creek and he goes on at seven time he comes up cost than what he comes up and says he looked, and behold his flesh was restored of the flesh of a little child was clean. Verse 15 when he returns to the man of God Elisha you all this company came and stood before him, and he said, behold, I know that there is no God in all the earth, but Israel.

He makes not first mention of leprosy. Naaman was not looking for God. Naaman was looking for a cure for leprosy.

But God used his search for a cure to lead him to something even greater than the cure itself number one God uses your pain to bring you to himself. You see, here's the question I want you to think about in your life.

What if God had a much bigger purpose in your pain.

You see the point of this story is not that every leper who heads out of the Jordan River find healing for skin disease. The point is to show us that God uses these kinds of things to bring us to himself. This story is about how God pursues centers not just for Susan today inside before I move on verse I don't want to show you how the story ends. Naaman says were 15 except now a present from your servant, but he Elisha said as the Lord lives, before whom I stand, I will take none of it. See, Elisha knows that you received this gift might confuse everybody watching Naaman had started this process thinking that he could purchase the miracle because of his riches, and if he ends up receiving this gift, even a gratefulness.

People might assume that he had been able to purchase it.

One thing one thing that has to be understood about the gospel is that it is a free gift of grace.

Verse 17 and Naaman said would not please let there be given to your servant to mule loads of earth or from now on, your servant will not offer burnt offering or sacrifice daily God, but the Lord now. That's what a job and it was going on with his plans to spread out underneath him whenever he sacrifices to God back in Syria was himself or sacrifice of the God of Israel, but Israel with him and offer sacrifice of God in this matter. May the Lord pardon your servant when my master goes into the house of Ramon.

That's a false God to worship there leaning on my arm and I bow myself in the house of Ramon the false God to the Lord pardon your servant in this matter. What he seems to be asking Elisha for permission to be a coward and bow down before false God is verse 19 Elisha says go in peace. Naaman's obedience is imperfect, but it's a start and he's coming in faith. So God receives off like a lot of Christians forget this because they talk like you come to Jesus and Pam. Also you wake up the next morning, the spirit filled, mature Christian your common God songs in your head all the Beyoncé at M&M on your iPod is transformed into Katie and Hank singing gospel tunes.

At times he would say that's not true. You start out as a baby and baby scroll and they drool may run into stuff and they break things and that's okay because your crawl in the right direction to see if you're serious about repentance. God is serious about having you regardless of what shape you comment as a compassionate father.

He will patiently guide you if you just come in his direction. You're the only thing you need to come to Jesus. The only things that you neither humility and faith humility. That's the one thing that God keeps going after with Naaman and the one thing he's going after Naaman and the story to try to go to the top. God keeps sending them to the bottom. God will only speak to him to servants to make Naaman bathed in a nasty Creek see the path to God is the path of humility you can't get there any other way. The one thing the one thing that you absolutely need when you come to God's need all that you need all that you needed me one thing you can do without Naaman wants to find salvation to power and strength but it can be found. That way it won't be found. That way, because it is by grace you can be saved through faith, they thought how awesome you are. Even all the great things are to do its faith in what God in his grace did for you. When Jesus died on the cross is not a war because God doesn't want anybody to boast Naaman's problem is his pride and so God is going to tear down his pride and God got to say you are helpless. You got nothing. You're only going to have my grace you get that you never to be saved.

You see, the cross absolutely destroys our pride because the cross tells you that God's verdict on your life was death, doing good, how my doing.

God says how you doing death. That's how you doing most people want to embrace that most people don't really want to wrestle with that promotion. What keeps them from the gospel is they don't have the humility requires to agree with God but the verdict on their entire life is death and hell and they were powerless to do anything about it, and their only hope is grace. We talk about how much we love, grace, we don't really most of us want to be in a position where we really needed because is insulting because we don't like to feel needy. We don't like to feel like were dependent on the favors of others. We don't like to feel like we are dependent on grace.

The question is how do you say you love grace, but do you have the humility that actually come to Jesus and say you got what I deserved. You took what I deserved. That was the verdict of my life. I did not get a gold star. I did not get a passing grade 5 filled entirely and completely.

And if you gave me what I deserve. I would be apart from you forever because that is where the gospel begins one of the thing on this thing about how much humility it took for Naaman across the border to come in Israel Beasley worn inferior race to him. It was a despised culture. He had to admit that salvation was not found among the mighty Syrians we see why point that out is about 10 of you. I would guess with all of our campuses that statements applies to you, you never thought you'd be in a place like this with people like these, listening to somebody like me and I'm sure you know why you lost a bet. That's why you're here right now because we are born again Christians and born-again Christians knuckle dragging Neanderthals. People use snakes obscurity they want to know it doesn't with your byway but you say in your thought. This is like there's no cost. Here's a question you have the humility to question your convictions in the humility to admit that salvation might actually come from people that you previously despised because that's what Naaman had to go through in order to find the ceiling. Humility and faith to believe what God says and then he got accepted. God says is a river that can wash away your sins and heal you, but you have to believe that implant yourself in it and receive it. Your essay can't be that easy. That's what Naaman said it can't be that easy. If you're saying that it's only because you're still looking for a way that you can save yourself you looking for what mountain to climb. Salvation is not found. It's not about what you do to save yourself.

It's about what he has done that you simply believe and receive. You see, there is a fountain filled with blood drawn from Emmanuel's veins and sinners plunge beneath that fly lose all their guilty state that river is not made out of the good works that you do. It's not made out of religious you can be. How many verses you know that river that flows is entirely fueled by God's grace to help that you plunge you believe it when you receive it baptism that we do it if it's a picture of.

That's all you save you what it does give you picture what salvation looks like. This looks like it's put in the water. You are basically putting yourself in the Jesus you say I do it I do the work of salvation.

Unit and you put yourself into it and you receive it, and it washes away your sin makes you a new creation and you become in your are white as snow before I go on to that limit is one of the thing in the story middle, I'll bring it back to the baptism. My number so God uses our pain to bring others to him is what we see from the store uses a premium payment bring us to him user pain to bring other people to him after we become believers was turned away from the pain of Naaman and go back to the little girl that we saw the beginning because in my opinion, she's a real hero of the story Mr. question how would you respond to the person murdered by your friends and family and taking you as a slave to live in his house.

How would you respond when that person got leprosy exactly what I would old goons got leprosy. Now I get a front row seat to watch his decrepit old body fall apart and die and I will say there is a God. That's what I was listening with a sweet little girl says with my Lord. With the properties in Samaria. He could cure him of his leprosy. She seems genuinely care about. She seems genuinely care about them. Remarkably, she seems to have forgiven him somehow little 14-year-old girl has the faith to say I'll let God be the judge to make things right.

I have compassion on Naaman.

I really want to give this girl a hug when we get to heaven this'll sweep 14-year-old girl whose name we never know gives us maybe one of the clearest Old Testament pictures of Jesus thing about it. She was suffering through no fault of her own. In fact, her suffering was caused by name and said, but she forgave him. And what's more, her suffering became the means of his salvation right.

Think about it.

Had she not been in this situation been Naaman would have not known about Elisha and then I would've died in his leprosy so her suffering which he because became the means of his salvation. In the same way our salvation would come to a suffering servant like this little girl Jesus suffered not for his own sin he suffered for hours and like her instead of hating us for causing the suffering he for gave us any Loving us in the suffering became the means by which we can wash our sins away. We tell him we kill him, but he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities the punishment that brought us peace was put upon him by the stripes that we put into his body stripes we are healed. So Lord now. Indeed, I find I power and died alone can change the leopard spots and melt the heart of stone. Jesus paid it all all him IOC and had left a crimson stain my Senate love the crimson state. His blood was so white as snow. Here's what that means for you believer like this little girl and like Jesus, God is going to use your suffering to bring other people to him last week we saw that God was punishing Israel for their disobedience by putting them in the captivity been here we see God had another purpose and send them out other nations he was going to use the suffering of the innocent people caught up in that like this little girl. The point the Naaman's of the world. The salvation we did you write something down. It's a difficult statement, but it's true. Suffering is the God ordained means by which God brings salvation. Others, the suffering of the church is the God ordained means that God uses to bring salvation to others initially were that's in Scripture it's all over the place will a really clear place. Paul said it cost of 124 is a very difficult verse now, every choice he says in my sufferings for your sake, Paul is not a masochist you like. I rejoice in my sufferings because you're given to begin God. I just I'll take it no, I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, because in my flesh, my body was for this.

I'm filling up what is lacking in Christ's afflictions. What Jesus on the cross that it is finished, we mean something is lacking in Christ's afflictions. Paul had the nerve to say something is lacking in Christ's afflictions after Jesus said it is finished. It's true that Jesus paid the full price for sin.

That part is finished and there's nothing that you or I could ever do that to that Paul understood that it would matter if Jesus died for people if they never heard about it. And while the work of salvation has been finished the work of evangelism has not, and Paul knew that in order for people to hear about Jesus's death and believably say wounds were going to have to appear in his body the way that God would bring salvation to the world. I hate to tell you this not only like they got myself the way to God bring salvation of the world is not to our elevation is not to our success.

It's not you are you becoming rich and awesome.

The way that God bring salvation to the world. According to Scriptures through suffering. 1952 of you may have heard the story of five young American men were scared to death on a beach in Ecuador as they tried to bring the gospel of arbitrage people and the burden was an unexpected tragedy. Jim Elliott that's before the name he was from that Nate St. some frilly guys. They were just tragically killed right on the beach. Others try to do is bring medicine, health in the gospel. This group of tribes people and everybody asked why would God let that happen will years later, Nate sinks on his young son when he grew up. They did this very careful investigation we talk a lot of the alkyd Indians actually murdered these guys, they become Christians about what happened on that day in this careful investigation.

Nate sinks sons of the most remarkable thing in this interview was of this lease as it looks like there's no way this could've happened. Apart from the direct intervention of God meaning so many things went wrong at the same time just to random all the wrong together.

They should should never happen. It was like God arranged it all just perfectly so that they could die. Which means that not only did God not protect them. God seems to have arrange their deaths because of Colossians 124 God appointed the salvation about this to happen to the death of the church is our salvation happened to the death of his son for the world to live in many ways the church was die. John Piper says that at any given moment in your life. Believer there got into it about 10,000 things in your life, your whereabouts, three of the other 9997 you'll know about, and others not hundred 9097 about 9992 to have anything to do with you.

It has to do with what is God is doing through you to the world. God brings salvation to the world of the suffering of his church. So the question is are you willing to take on wounds so that other people can come to Jesus. You see, maybe God is and put it on your heart that you make this financial sacrifice is really going to affect your lifestyle you want to give out the excess regards as knowledge at a given ways to change your lifestyle is a pain in your life. See that's become the means of salvation brothers is letting your kids have the freedom to pursue the mission of God, love your kids be able to go on one of these mission trips, even though it scares you as a parent, maybe a if your kids are grown, it means that you give them the freedom to not live near you. If God is calling them to live as a part of the mission somewhere in the world to suffer by not being that close to your families, you always want to God through use of the bring salvation maybe is for you to forgive somebody and it feels painful to like death. Maybe it's for you to endure the scorn of other people talk badly about you because your convictions and your choices. When I got really serious about God in high school I was the first of my friends to do so. They fought off by a lot of my friends and I was a Jesus freak the Bible banger is self-righteous and all those things and by God's grace, I kept going because I knew there was no other alternative. Years later, when I was not alone but for five years later second year of college at this letter from a girl who had spent I probably talk to for 30 seconds total in high school I never knew you. We never had any kind of relationship she sent me this letter out of the blue says I became a Christian. Lastly, she says they got verse 11 Christ asked me what it was that brought me to faith in Christ to name the influences and she said the first person to know mom is you. She said when you've got serious with God in high school. She said I was in a place right and we know what I believed. See how you believe and you realize that I wanted to know Jesus. You never you never knew about how you endured the mockery of these people gave me the courage to follow him realizing I got that letter that God had appointed the mockery of my friends as a means of bringing her to faith in Christ or she can believe. Are you willing to become a suffering servant for others is getting the story of Naaman presents two questions.

One of the believer want to, not a believer is your believer. Are you willing for your suffering become a means of salvation we say God hereby use me like pain.

Wish I did not pain but that's what you gotta do to bring salvation to my kids, my neighbors, my family, my friends on unreached people groups remove the world and God are much believer. Let me ask you have the humility to come to Jesus only takes two things humility of faith. Humility is the ability to admit he's your only hope, faith to believe that he will save you and reach out in faith and receipt as all things ready to take that step and surrender your life to Jesus.

So, we'd love to help you learn more here listening to Summit life with Jeannie clear and we have a ton of resources on Jeannie Greer.com designed to help you take that whole importance of trusting Jesus as your Savior look you join us regularly you know that in addition to the daily teaching on this program with different resources to go along with our study.

A lot of these are workbooks or Bible studies, but this month we've picked out something pretty unique so Jeannie can eat just a little bit about it yet in the series.

The whole story. Religion of the Bible is what it really is 66 books written by different authors.

40 different authors into one continuous story that is the story of Jesus destroy the gospel so to go along with the series. We got a new resource of the called the books of the Bible cars. It's a set of cards that will help you as you read the Bible to make connections with the context of the original audience. Each card there's one for each of the 66 book is going to include a great illustration that just represents the book details about the books and historical must knows that you give you at least three truths that you can glean from the boat to get your mind around it will show you where the book points to Jesus and the good news of the gospel's gospel. I'd love to give you this resource is reference for any time doable to the Bible. Great stack.

Next, where daily me with God. You can find out more about this cards in the software. Jeannie Greer.com and you get a single gift or when you make your first donation monthly gospel partner. Thanks for the books of the Bible as you review the Bible to help identify where you are in the green here in the Bible only 335-2866 335 DT 20 the books of the Bible online.com unmotivated and I'm glad that you doing today is here to listen again Thursday. Continue a series called Summit light