Randall Caselman
Bella Vista Church of Christ
October 21, 2001 P.M.
SIN - Our Leprosy Of The Soul
Reading - 2 Kings 5.1-14
What I want to do with the lesson tonight is simple.
I want to rehearse this narrative noting the similarities between leprosy and sin.
Leprosy is a hideous disease.
And even though leprosy is never homiletically used as a type, anti-type, of sin in the Bible; there are many similarities between the two.
Let’s notice a few comparisons... For instance:
Leprosy begins small.
It begins as a small shiny white spot on the skin.
A scab that appears lower than the skin’s surface.
Nothing really bad until it progresses into that which eventually covers the whole body.
Sin begins innocently enough... Doesn’t it?
What doesn’t appear to be all that wrong escalates into seemingly uncontrollable urges that invades all of life.
What has a small and simple beginning eventually takes control of our thinking and behavior.
James says sin begins as a simple thought.
Then, that thought turns to lust... (evil desires).
But when it is conceived...
-Thought on...
-Dealt with....
-Rehearsed and played with...
-Incubated...
It brings forth sin, and sin results in death.... That’s James 1.14.
Secondly... Sin separates.
The leprous individual had to carry a bell and ring it as he walked through the street; calling out unclean... unclean... Unclean so that people would stay away from them, lest they too become infected.
Sometimes sin separates:
-Families... Parents from their children... Husband and wife relationships are ruptured.
-Sometimes sin separates and divides churches.
-But sin always... always separates us from God.
Isaiah 59.2 says that it is our sins... our iniquities, that have separated us from God.
Romans 3.23 concluded that all of us are infected... For all have sinned and fallen short of God’s presence... His glory.
Leprosy and sin are both progressive.
You see, leprosy can progress to the point that people no longer feel pain in the effected parts of the body. The nervous system has been so compromised in that area that there is no feeling.
Does this bring any scripture to mind?
-The Hebrews’ writer speaks of our hearts being hardened by the deceitfulness of sin.
-Paul tells us in Romans 1.28-32 that a mind can be totally controlled by sin so that the whole person is affected.
Listen to what Paul says: They become senseless, faithless, heartless, ruthless. They become filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, greed and depravity. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit and malice. They become gossips, slanderers, God-haters, insolent, arrogant and boastful; they invent ways of doing evil and are disobedient to parents.
I Timothy 4.2 speaks of a conscience seared with a hot iron.
Paul is speaking of a heart so hardened by sin to the point that a particular sin no longer pricks... no longer touches the heart with pangs of guilt.
You see church, there is a natural progression to sin...
-First... Horror at the thought...
Why I would, could never do that.
-Second... Rationalization and Justification...
I suppose it is not so bad...
One time never hurt...
After all the Bible says moderation in all things...
Or perhaps, I know a lot of people who do worse.
-Third... Participation...
I did it and nothing happened...
I lied and lightening didn’t strike me. I committed adultery and my wife, my world didn’t end. My wife and children still love me...
Sin is no big deal.
Fourth... Resignation and Acceptance...
We can sin the sin without guilt... No remorse. We commit a particular sin and our conscience, our heart, is no longer touched. This is the hideous progressive nature of sin.
Note that leprosy always ended in death. There was no known cure... And there is still none. Once a person was declared leprous... He automatically knew he would eventually die of the disease. Leprosy was 100% fatal.
James tell us that when sin is accomplished... When sin is finished... It brings death.
Ezekiel 18.4 and 20 says, The soul that sinneth it shall surely... (WHAT?)... Die!!
Romans 6.23 tells us plainly that the wages of sin is?... Death.
No, not annihilation as the Epicureans and some Jehovah Witness teach, but death... Not a loss of consciousness, but eternal separation from God in hell.
Listen to me audience... There was only one cure for leprosy. Do you know what it was?... Divine miraculous intervention from God., as we see here in our text. You see, Scripture tells us that the blood of bulls and goats could never forgive sin.
The Hebrews’ writer says, it was impossible for Old Testament sacrifices to forgive sins. The Old Testament sacrifices only rolled the worshipper’s sins forward for one year. The Hebrews’ writer tells us that at the end of the year, there was an annual remembrance of those sins.
So God intervened in human history... The word became flesh and dwelt among us... Bringing us redemption through His blood, even the forgiveness of sins according to the riches of His grace... That’s:
-John 1.14...
-Ephesians 1.7...
-And Colossians 1.14.
Praise God for His intervention.
Leprosy is not generally spoken of as being cured or healed... But as being cleansed.
Church... We must know tonight that we are never cured of sin. Paul maintains that... We all have sinned... There is none righteous, no not one.
In fact, John says... The man who claims he has no sin is not telling the truth.
You see... We are all sinners, and we will continue to sin. But the good news is that we can be cleansed by the blood of Jesus.
-Isaiah says, Come now, let us reason together, says the Lord, though our sins be as scarlet, they shall be made white as snow. Though they were as scarlet they shall be as wool.
-The Hebrew writer admonishes, Let us draw near with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith. Having our hearts sprinkled... Cleaned from an evil conscience and our body washed in pure water.
-John contends that, If we walk in the light as He is in the light we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus His Son ... WHAT?... Continues to cleanse us from all sin. You see... like a leper, we are never healed... Cured of sin, but we are cleansed by the blood of Jesus.
Praise God for that cleansing!!... RIGHT!!
Go with me now back to our text, and let’s see what else we can learn from this interesting narrative about Naaman and his Leprosy.
First... Naaman is led to his cleansing by another... By a servant.
Most of us here tonight were led to Christ by another... RIGHT??... Perhaps it was a:
-Parent,
-Grandparent,
-Spouse,
-Aunt,
-Uncle,
-Friend.
The real question tonight is this... Will we pass it on? Will we become like this young girl... A genuine servant of God?
I don’t think that there is any doubt that God expects us, who have been cleansed by the blood of Jesus, to bring others to this saving power. Jesus commissioned us to go into all the world with the message of cleansing. He told His early disciples, you will be My witness in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria and the uttermost parts of the earth.
In Acts chapter eight, the first church understood that this commission was not just to preachers, teachers and Apostles, but to each and every Christian. Because of this understanding, when the persecution arose against the church, they went everywhere witnessing for Jesus... Preaching the Word.
Secondly, Naaman’s cleansing was a free gift from God. The first thing Naaman does is try to purchase his cleansing... Note verse five.
He offers...
-Ten talents of silver,
-Six thousand shekels of gold
-And ten changes of garments.
Church, God’s cleansing is not for sale.
Titus 3.5 & 6 tells us that our sin cleansing is a work of God not man... Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy, He saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Spirit. Paul tells the church in Ephesus, Christ loved the church and gave himself for it.
Why?... What for? That He might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word.... That’s Ephesians 5.25 & 26.
Paul says, It is by grace we are saved through faith, and that not of ourselves, it is the... (WHAT?)... Free gift of God.
Indeed, Naaman’s cleansing... And our sin cleansing is a free gift of God.
Naaman had to be obedient to the word of God through the Prophet.
Naaman had his own idea how this healing was going to take place.
But Elisha didn’t even come out of the house to meet Naaman.
Verse ten says, He simply sent word by his servant, Go dip yourself in the river Jordan seven times and you’ll be clean.
Today, everyone has their own notion as to how they will be saved. This is called religious freedom. And it has resulted in what we know as denominationalism.
Audience, it’s not important:
-What I think...
-What you think...
-Or what others think.
Salvation is not a result of doing what some preacher or a church doctrine demands or desires; but obedience to the will of God as revealed through His Word... RIGHT?
Well... What does God say to do for our salvation?... What is important? Scripture tells us that we are saved by Faith...
-Paul says, we are children of God by faith.
- The Hebrews’ writer tells us that without faith it is impossible to please God.
-Jesus said... Unless you believe that I am He, you will die in your sin (leprosy).
Scripture demands we change our allegiance, it is called repentance.
-Jesus said... He came to call sinners to... What?... Repentance!!
-I tell you no, unless you repent, you shall likewise perish.
-Peter told those on Pentecost that they must repent and be baptized.
-In his letter to the church Peter says that, God is patience with us, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.
Folk, we cannot expect cleansing from our sin leprosy unless we are willing to change from living the way we want to and conform to the way God wants us to live.
Jesus tells us that our salvation is based upon our willingness to acknowledge Him... Confess him for who He is, the Son of God sent to save us.
-If you will confess me before men, I will confess you before the father in heaven... But if you deny Me before men, I will deny you before the Father.
-Paul affirms that it is with the heart that we believe, and it is with the mouth that confession is made unto... (WHAT?) SALVATION!!
You see, Naaman was incensed... His pride was hurt.
The river Jordan? That muddy creek. Why we’ve got rivers in Damascus that are cleaner... Purer... Wider... Bigger... and Better.
Some of us are unwilling to obey God completely today because of our own pride.
Folk... The way of the cross has never been dignified. The cross was a shame for Jesus and yet He was willing to go there... Are we??? Christianity is not a religion of prestige. In fact the cross is a stumbling block to some... Foolishness to others, but to those willing to submit in humility to the will of God, it is the power of God to save.
Like Naaman:
-We say, I’ll pay my own way. God says: Not of works lest any man should boast.
-We say, I’m not a bad person. God says: All our righteousness is as filthy rags.
-We say, I have my pride, I will not submit to water baptism... regular church attendance or personal evangelism. God says: Pride goes before a fall... Before destruction.
-We say, I have plenty of time. God says: Now is the accepted time... Today is the day of salvation.
Listen to Isaiah 55.7: Let the wicked forsake his way and the unrighteous man his thoughts, and let him return to the Lord and he will have mercy upon him and he will abundantly pardon.
May God help all to drop our human arrogance, pride and prestige and humbly submit to obeying His will through the Word.
Then finally tonight, Naaman was cleansed through water baptism. It is interesting to note that in the Septuagint, the Greek translation of the Old Testament Hebrew, that Naaman was told to go baptize himself in the river Jordan seven times.
The Greek word in the Septuagint is bapitzo:
-To dip,
-To plunge,
-To immerse,
Himself seven times.
Don’t you just know that after the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th 5th, 6th, times that Naaman checked his skin for leprosy, and it was still there. But our text says in verse fourteen: And he went down and dipped seven times and his flesh became like that of a little child.
No. No. No. Nothing special in the waters of Jordan that would or could cleanse leprosy. So what cleansed Naaman??? Not the water, but obedience to God...
-The answer of a good conscience toward God.
-In humility doing what God asked Him to.
Listen closely to this scripture: The like figure whereunto even baptism doth also now save us. Not the washing of the body in water, but the answer of a good conscience toward God.
-Wouldn’t it have been tragic for Naaman to have returned home with his leprosy?
-Wouldn’t it be tragic tonight, for us to go home still in our sins, when the way of salvation is:
So plain,
So clear...
So easy to follow.
SIN... Our Leprosy of the soul is a hideous disease... But most of us have been cleansed.
My challenge with this lesson is that we never lose sight of how God has healed us... Cleansed us... Saved us... And may we ever praise His name.
If you haven’t been cleansed by the blood of Christ, won’t you come tonight in faith, repentance and New Testament baptism...
Be saved by God as we stand and sing.
