Me and my wife and my son, we enjoy watching teleserye, entitled, THE CURE. Many people were infected by a certain virus that turns the victim to a zombie. People are looking for cure. I hope next week when we watch it again they already find the cure.
The story today is a person who thought there is no cure for his illness. But one day, he heard this good news that there is a cure for him.
Let us open our Bible on 2Kings 5:1-14. The title of this message is, "Do You Avail the Cure?"
The Lord had given Syria a victory through the mighty and valor man named, Naaman. He was a commander o the army of the king of Syria. He was a great man with his king and in high favor. But there was one thing that troubled him so much, his leprosy. He was a leper. In his time, there was no cure and no remedy for this kind of illness. He knew that one day his disease will getting worse and worse. This disease will eat his own flesh. People will keep away from him and all his greatness and things he was enjoying will be gone. How miserable he was. In spite of his wealth and power, he felt that his life was incomplete. Even the things he was enjoying give no hope, no cure. What a wretched man he was!
His wife had a maidservant, a young lady, carried from the Israel during the raid. This lass had a good news. She knew a prophet who can heal the captain. At once, the wife told her husband about this news. Immediately, the captain went to the king and told everything that the lass had said to him. He asked permission to go to the land of Israel for his cure, and the king permitted him. He immediately prepared himself to go to Israel. He brought with him ten talents of silver and six thousand shekels of gold. It is equivalent to more than 1,000,000.00 Php. It was a great amount of money with additional ten changes of clothing.
When he arrived in Israel, he gave the letter to the king. The king torn his clothes when he read the letter because what the king of Syria wants is impossible, to heal Naaman. If he will not make Naaman clean, there will be war between Israel and Syria. This is the reason why the king of Israel torn his clothes. The sad story is that the king of Israel did know that there is a prophet in Israel who can make the captain well.
However, prophet Elisha heard the news about the king, so he sent a message to the king that he can heal the captain. For this reason, they will know that there is a prophet in Israel. So the captain went to the prophet's house. The prophet sent a message to the captain through his messenger. He told him to to go and wash in the Jordan River seven times for his cure. Was the captain excited? No. His pride consumed him. His joy and excitement when he heard the good news of cure turned to anger. Why? Because he was a proud man. He is a mighty man, the captain of the army of the king of Syria. Pride swallowed him.
What is pride? Pride is looking one's own self better than others, or having a better idea than others, or superior from others. Pride is what hardens the heart of the captain to refuse to go and wash in Jordan River. Pride is what consumed the Lucifer. It is his pride that made Cain angry at his brother that leads to murder. It is the pride that made Israel continue to cling to their idols instead to YHWH. Likewise, it is the same pride that hinders ever sinner in this room to repent of sin and believe in Christ. To go and wash in Jordan River is hard as to deny one's self and to carry the cross daily and follow Jesus because of pride. Pride hinders everyone to repent of sin and to believe Christ. Naaman's pride hindered him of his cure, so with every proud who are sitting here today. Unless pride is gone, there will be no cure for you.
Naaman was disappointed to the solution of the prophet. He thought that the rivers, Abana and Phapar in Syria are better than Jordan River. He did not want the way of the prophet for him to be cured. He thought there will be other solution. It is like the rich young ruler who was disappointed to Jesus' way to inherit the kingdom of God. He turned his back, and went sad. He thought, like Naaman, there is a better solution than the given prescription. Is there any other way? the answer is no. No other way to be healed from leprosy aside what the prophet has prescribe. In the same way, there is no other way to get saved aside from Jesus' prescribed way but to repent and believe in Him. Unless you consider the only prescription from God, there will be no cure for you. There's no cure for your sin, its curse, and its verdict. The author of this book is crying out, "Throw your pride and do what God said which is to turn from your wicked ways and be healed." It is the same voice that echoed in the ears of the captain, "Throw away your pride, go and wash and be healed." It is the the voice of God through His word saying, "Throw your pride, repent and believe Jesus Christ and be saved."
The story goes on. The servants came to him and said, "It is a great word the prophet has spoken to you. Will you not do this?" These words knock at the door of the heart of Naaman. It keeps knocking and knocking, "Will you not do this?" The pride started to dusk and humility dawns in the heart of the captain. He about face and went dive into the river. He washed seven times. What happened? He was healed. The leprosy has gone. Humility reigns and healing begins. Humble yourselves before God and be healed. There is hope for you brothers and sisters if you humble yourselves. He is able to cleanse you. Repent and believe. This is the only way for you to avail the fountain that will cleanse your sins. As the author of Hebrew said, do not harden your heart if you hear His voice. The captain listened to the message of the prophet. He did not harden his heart. You hear the voice of Jesus, the voice of God through this book, do not harden your heart. There will be no salvation to those who continually harden their hearts. From the mouth of the One greater than Elisha comes the word that will make you clean from all your filthiness and sins and unrighteousness. Listen to Him. There will be salvation to those who listen to Jesus. His word gives life. There is cure to those who listen and do His word
Brothers and sisters, there is a cure for your sin. Throw your pride and humble yourselves before God. Listen to what He is saying, "There is a cure for you, oh humble man."
Let's pray.
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