I want to return to that story in 2nd Kings that we read a few minutes ago, chapter 5, and if you'd care to follow along you'll find it on page 323 of the Bibles there in your pews.

Story of Naaman.

His translation calls him the commander of the army of the king of Syria.

Probably by today's standards, he'd really be the equivalent of the secretary of defense,

of one of the great powers of the ancient world during a time of warfare. In other words, he held a most significant and important position.

It calls him a mighty man of valor.

That's exactly the same phrase that the angel used who was sent by the Lord to speak to Gideon and say, I have called you to deliver my people from the hand of the Midianites. A mighty man of valor is one anointed by God to bring deliverance.

If you were reading in the King James translation, where it says that the Lord had given victory through him, King James says the Lord brought deliverance through him. The great oppressing power of that day was the Assyrians. Assyrians. These are the Syrians. It's two different peoples. The Syrians were also a great power, but the Assyrians were the despotic oppressors of the day. And somehow, under the leadership of this man, Naaman, the Syrians had been liberated.

They had been delivered. The Lord had used him to bring a mighty victory, a mighty liberation.

It's interesting to note, by the way, that he is being used of God quite unwittingly. It's only the very end of the story, verse 15, where we find him acknowledging God to be the Lord. At this point, presumably, he thinks it's by his own skill and wisdom and expertise.

Which is an interesting commentary on things. So often that's the case. You remember the word of the Lord through Isaiah to Cyrus. He says, I gird you, though you do not know me. I surname you, though you don't acknowledge me. I'm the one who raises up men into positions of leadership and authority, and I will use them for my purposes, and I'll bring blessing through them, even though they may sometimes not acknowledge it at all, or even be aware of it.

So this Naaman is an agent of blessing, an agent of deliverance, an agent of great power within the people of Syria in his day. But whilst he's an agent of blessing, he himself bears the curse of leprosy in his own body.

A leper is the most despised amongst peoples in this generation. Not only is it a curse from God or the gods, but also it's tremendously feared because people thought that it was so contagious. So you have this self-contradiction in his own person. A man of great nobility, of esteem, of power, of influence. In a very real sense, second only unto the king, and yet at the same time, a man accursed.

It's this Naaman with whom we have to do this morning.

We meet one of the very minor characters of the Bible. A maiden whose name is not even given. She only speaks one sentence in the scripture that we have recorded. Very minor character, but she ends up playing a very major role.

She says to Naaman's wife whom she serves, I know how he can get healed.

If only he could go to the prophet in Samaria. God would touch his body and free him of this accursed sickness, would cleanse him, would make him whole.

And hers is the first of three kinds of faith that I want us to observe this morning.

Hers is the faith to believe that God can use her, can use her witness, her testimony, In the midst of unexpected, unchosen, unpleasant, uncertain, unglamorous circumstances.

Stop and think about it for a moment. What in the world would convince Naaman's wife,

and then Naaman himself, and then through him the king of Syria,

that this little maiden knew what she was talking about?

what about her gave credibility to this claim that if he'd only go to Samaria there's somebody there that could heal him

may I suggest to you that implicit in the story this girl whoever she was has discovered the secret of living victoriously in the midst of difficult circumstances notice will you that she was carried off in the midst of one of their raids to be a slave a bond servant she didn't ask for the job cut off from her people ripped away from her family uprooted from her home made to be a servant girl to alien oppressors how easy it would have been to sit around all day feeling sorry for herself complaining about things poor me down in the mouth.

But somehow, instead of that, she's living the kind of life that is eager to say a word about God given an opportunity. Is eager to witness to His power to meet somebody else's need and something about the consistency of the way in which she carries out her life day by day, the way she goes about the tasks assigned to her, The way she exercises a servant's heart lends credibility to her claim.

Her mistress takes her seriously. Goes and tells Naaman. Naaman takes her seriously. Goes and tells the king. The king takes her seriously and says, you go and get cured.

The faith to believe that God can use me, can use my witness in the midst of circumstances I would never have chosen.

How often somebody will share a problem with one or another of us, and our response to it is simply to commiserate. Or worse, to play one-upsmanship. You think that's bad, let me tell you what I've got to contend with.

but this girl instead of that sees an opportunity to bring glory to the Lord and to witness to His power

how many chances have you had to do that this past week

I remember when I was in high school I was involved in a youth group and the leader would ask us week after week exactly that question how many of you had an opportunity to bear witness to Christ this week and very seldom anybody raised his hand.

And finally, the leader got quite exasperated and he said, every single one of you has had opportunity this week, every week. It's a question of whether or not we take advantage of the opportunity.

God didn't give me a glamorous situation. He gave me a difficult one. Okay? Do I dare to believe that in the midst of that situation, He can use me nonetheless? He hasn't forgotten about me. He's put me exactly where He wants me, that my life can touch somebody else's life and maybe revolutionize it.

Some of you say, well, I don't feel at all comfortable giving verbal witness. I don't know how to speak about my faith. I witnessed by my life. That's exactly the point. Exactly the point. This girl had witnessed by her life.

But when the opportunity came, she also was willing to open her mouth and articulate what her life was about. I would say to the person whose claim is, I witnessed by my life, there are at least two questions that need to be raised. What kind of an impact is your life making? That's the first one. Are people taking notice of your life and saying, I don't know what it is he's got, but I want it.

When's the last time somebody came up to you and said, How come you're always joyful, even in the midst of difficult circumstances? That's witnessing with your life. Something about you is different and makes people sit up and take notice. But secondly, when the opportunity comes, do you dare to believe that God can use your verbal witness, that your life has prepared the ground for a word of witness or testimony to this great God whom we serve? That's the first kind of faith.

And this little lady, whoever she was,

dares to believe that God can use her word of witness. I'm reminded of Paul sitting there in the jail in Philippi. He's been beaten and he's now in the stocks. And he and Silas are singing praises to the glory of God in the middle of the night. All the other prisoners are sitting there wondering, what in the world is this? I've never seen anything like it. And God so honored their faith that the church in Europe began because of that witness. You dare to believe that God can use you even in the midst of difficult circumstances as you dare to speak a word about Him.

Well, Naaman goes. He gets permission from his boss to take some time off and go investigate. And he goes full of expectation. Notice how he goes. With a formal letter from one king to another. This is my servant Naaman, and I want you to heal him. How would you like to receive that order?

The king of Israel is absolutely horrified. Who am I? Am I God that I should be able to heal this man? Tears his clothing, which is a symbol of desperation.

Naaman goes not only with the order from the king, but expecting a great celebration and a great meeting between himself and whoever it is that will receive him. It says that he took with him ten talents of silver, six thousand shekels of gold, which adds up to something over eighty thousand dollars in cash. In addition to ten festal garments.

The king is horrified. what can I do about such a problem? And then we encounter in the person of Elisha the second kind of faith that I want us to notice this morning. Elisha, one of the most beautiful examples in all the Bible of trusting faith. Trusting faith. Immediately sends word to the king of Israel why are you so upset?

Don't be dismayed, send him to me. Let him know that there is a prophet in Israel. And let him be healed. I want us to be very clear. That in saying that, Elisha is not in any way whatsoever exercising spiritual pride. He is not saying, I can handle it. He is saying, my God can handle it. When he says, let him know that there is a prophet in Israel, the role of prophet is not to point to himself. it's to point away from himself to God he says I know the Lord who can handle it don't be dismayed

and so Naaman goes and he expects as I said that there's going to be a great a tremendous welcome an ovation for him fanfare and trumpets and red carpet state banquet Elisha doesn't even come out to greet him and Naaman is absolutely miffed at all this and then as if to add insult to injury the advice he gives him is go down and be washed in the Jordan

and Naaman says I could have washed in any one of the rivers back in Damascus which are some of the most beautiful rivers in all the world why does he think I came all this distance if all I needed was a bath

and of all places the Jordan. Jordan River was described by George Adam Smith in the historical geography of the Holy Land as muddy between banks of mud.

Humiliation to go and be washed in the Jordan. And Naaman rises up in pride and presupposition and says, behold, I thought.

there's the source of a lot of problem behold I thought Naaman is willing to come on what some would say is a fool's errand

but he comes with his own little grid his own expectation God will work in terms that I anticipate and none other how many of you can identify with that

I'll let God do His thing but only on my terms

certainly not go be washed in that muddy Jordan I mean how embarrassing how humiliating known people who've said I want the blessing of the Holy Spirit but certainly not with that speaking in tongues and all that hand raising business I mean how embarrassing

or people with a different kind of mindset say, yes, I want to worship the Lord, but I don't like to read prayers out of a book.

I'll do it on my terms, thank you very much.

Behold, I thought.

But God won't be forced into that box. He says, I'll do it on my terms. And that's where the blessing is. I want to suggest to you that Elisha is not deliberately disdaining Naaman. He's not deliberately mocking him or snubbing him by refusing to come out and meet him face to face. I said a moment ago that he epitomizes trusting faith. It seems to me that what Elisha is saying is, this problem isn't big enough to get all worked up about.

here's what God wants you to do go do it and you'll be healed that's all there is to it God said it, you believe it that'll settle it

some folks seem to have the idea that God can't act unless there's screaming and shouting and ranting and raving and great carrying on lengthy, agonizing, emotional prayer

Elisha says Do what God says, and that will take care of it.

Elisha knows that the power is not his.

When Naaman is finally healed, Elisha refuses to take any credit for it, refuses to accept any of the gifts.

It's an interesting sequel to that story. His servant Gehazi runs after Naaman and his party and says, I'll take some of those gifts.

And ends up getting not only the gifts, but the leprosy.

But Elisha simply says, you do what God says, and that will settle it. I wonder if we dare to exercise the faith to believe God for mighty things. Some of you know that a while back a man from this congregation came up to the front of the church at the close of one of our services and said, Would you please pray for me? He could hardly move at that point. His back was absolutely tied in knots. He was in tremendous pain. Tears were literally running down his cheeks. He had gotten up that morning, thought better of even coming to church, but decided, well, maybe I'll limber up.

Instead, he got here and things got worse.

he said would you pray for me and by that what he really meant was over the next couple of weeks as I take my medicine and do what the doctor says and lie flat on my back and maybe a difference will be made and some of us gathered around him and prayed with him and for him right then on the spot and laid hands on him and somebody said to him Jim will you receive your healing right now

there was a long pause

and he said yes I will and then he gave out a little exclamation a little squeal of delight he said my back doesn't hurt and he jumped to his seat and he bent over and touched his toes and he went home and spent the afternoon chopping wood

will you receive it

you want a definition of faith faith is receiving

God said it I believe it therefore I'll take it as if we were offering a present will you receive it will you take it to as many as received him to them gave he power to become the children of God you know that phrase in the book of Colossians as you received Christ Jesus the Lord so live in him That's the key to success in the Christian life.

In the same way that you became a Christian. How? By receiving. As you received, so live.

God has given all these promises to meet our every need as we put our trust in Him. You've got to receive it. Will you receive your healing? Edna Coons has said, Some of you come week after week to get prayed for. When are you going to come to get healed? When are you going to receive it?

James says, You'll get what you ask for if you ask in faith with no doubting. He who doubts is like the wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind. That person must not suppose that a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways, will receive anything from the Lord.

God said it I believe it I receive it that settles it

this is the faith of Elisha trusting faith just do what God says and believe his promise

Naaman as I said is offended by all this he wants to leave in a huff but his servants prevail he said now wait a minute Naaman you came all this distance You brought your $80,000. You were prepared to do some great and difficult, arduous thing if he had asked it of you. What do you have to lose?

Why not try it?

So Naaman finally does.

And in him, we see the third kind of faith. reluctantly, hesitantly, tentatively, with all sorts of qualification, finally Naaman exhibits the faith to experiment, the faith to test God's promise. Having come to the end of himself, having exhausted all other possibilities, not at all certain of the outcome, he's finally willing to give God a chance on God's terms.

and you can just imagine the scene here are all of his servants standing around he's got chariots and horses and all this money and baggage and he steps into the muddy old Jordan River says to himself this is really very silly this isn't going to work

ducks himself under comes up, checks himself nope, hasn't begun to fade you know he thought maybe there would be a kind of a gradual cure second time nothing third time nothing come on guys let's go home no stay fourth time fifth time no change

he's wondering if they're going to laugh at him when he comes out of the water fifth time sixth time nothing and then the seventh time he ducks under the water and comes up and his flesh is like that of a newborn baby. And he's healed.

The faith to experiment.

You know, the lovely thing about that, sometimes you hear people say, well, I'm too much of a scientist to believe God. You know, the scientific method is the method of putting it to the test. of experimenting with it and see what happens. That's all Naaman really did. He took the risk and allowed God to work.

The Lord says, put me to the test and see.

Some of you know that phrase is talking about tithing in the book of Malachi. God says, put me to the test, bring in the full tithes, and see if I won't open the windows of heaven and pour down an overflowing blessing.

I remember wrestling with that I had a stack of bills couldn't pay them, didn't have enough money I tried and tried to make sense of my finances and couldn't do it finally I was very much challenged that I was not managing my money in a Christian way makes absolutely no sense that I'm going to be able to pay my bills with less money because I'm tithing than I had beforehand

how ridiculous but even God couldn't make a bigger mess than I've made, I'll give him a chance.

And three months later I was out of debt.

We say we've got to look out for number one. If we don't, nobody else is going to. He says, honor the Lord with your substance and with the first fruits of all of your produce. Then your barns will be filled with plenty and your vats will be bursting with wine. Put me to the test. Try it. We say, child rearing is so very chancy.

How do you know what you're supposed to do? I mean, Joyce Brothers says one thing. Eric Erickson says something else. Minnie Hutchinson says something else.

What's a mother to do?

And he says, train up a child in the way he should go. raise him in the fear and admonition of the Lord inculcate my statutes when you rise up in the morning when you sit down, when you walk by the way when you're on your way to bed at night and when he's an adult he won't depart from it

we say some say this, some say that some say some other thing three out of five dentists survey disagree with four out of five doctors who responded to our questionnaire.

And he says, when are you going to start listening to me?

Experimental faith.

Says, I've made a terrible mess of it.

Let me give God a chance. As ridiculous as it looks, it flies in the face of everything my culture is telling me. It doesn't make any kind of sense to my rational mind.

But here's what he says, I'm going to take the risk and see.

The psalmist put it this way, commit your way to the Lord, trust in Him, and He will act. Do you notice, there is absolutely no way that you're going to know whether that's true or not, except by trying it.

Commit your way to the Lord. Trust in Him. And then, He'll be able to act.

And so we have these three kinds of faith. First, the faith to testify.

To give verbal witness that our God is a great and mighty King whose power is from of old. His arm is not shortened. He's still able to do more abundantly than we can ask or imagine. to dare to believe that God could use my witness. The faith to testify.

Secondly, the faith to trust. To believe Him for our needs and for those of others. To receive blessing at His hand abundantly. To meet crisis with confidence. He said it. I believe it. That settles it. The faith to trust.

And thirdly, the faith to test. Say, okay, Lord, I don't know, but I'm going to give you a chance. Come into my life right into the midst of this mess that I'm in and begin to help me sort it out.

A man came into my office this week and shared with me some very, very difficult problems.

And he said, I'm an engineer.

And I think in equations. And this particular set of facts adds up to a pretty desperate conclusion.

I said, that's true, but you know, you've left God out of the equation.

And he said, you're right, that's why I'm here.

Will we let God back into the equation?

Let us pray.

Heavenly Father, Scripture says that faith itself is a gift. And we would ask you for the gift of faith.

The courage to exercise the muscles of faith and see them grow strong and vibrant, able to dare greater things,

able to stretch and reach beyond ourselves and discover the God of the impossible. Give us the faith to open our mouths and to confess You more boldly. Give us the faith to open our hearts and trust You more expectantly. Give us the faith to open our lives, to take you at your word, and to see you prove yourself once again the God of miracles. For we ask it in Christ's name and for his sake.

Amen. Amen.