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Colin Smith: There is something that God calls you to do and you don't want to do it. Or there is something that God calls you to give up and you don't want to give it up. And you're offended by God's command. You're stuck in that position. Here's the question: Did you not hear God's promise?

Steve Hiller: Welcome to Open the Bible with Pastor Colin Smith. I'm Steve Hiller, glad that you're listening today as we continue looking at 2 Kings 5 and the story of Naaman. And Colin, I wonder if there's anybody who kind of feels like Naaman. They've been reading the Bible, they come across some command that they feel like God has instructed them to do and they're like, "I can't do that. I don't want to do that." They feel stuck by that, kind of like how Naaman feels stuck. What would you say to that person?

Colin Smith: Well, I think the first thing I'd say is I'm really glad that you're listening to Open the Bible today, because this story speaks directly to the situation that you're in. And I think it's not an unusual one. Someone hears the command of God and you think, "That's not comfortable for me. That's not something that I'm inclined to do. I don't want to do that." That's exactly where Naaman was. He's told to go and wash in this filthy river, and he's absolutely furious. I think he feels insulted. I'm not going to do that.

But what I want you to hear today is that when you may be offended and perhaps even angry about God's command, what you need to hear is God's wonderful promise. And you see this in the story we're looking at today. God's promise to Naaman was, "If you'll go and wash in this river, you will be clean." Now, as you listen to the commands of God, listen to the promises of God. Listen to what God is offering you in and through the Lord Jesus Christ. Listen to what can be yours.

Because when you believe the promises of God, then you will have a new inclination to obey his commands. This link between commands and promises seems to me to be at the very center of a gospel understanding of scripture, a Christ-centered and grace-filled understanding of scripture. When God gives a command, he gives the means and the motive for us to fulfill the command, and he does it in and through his promises that are ours in the Lord Jesus Christ.

Steve Hiller: Well, let's continue to look at this story of Naaman that we find in 2 Kings chapter 5, and continue our message "God Will Cleanse Us." Here is Pastor Colin.

Colin Smith: Naaman was angry. He was angry because Elisha had hurt his pride. And he's angry because Elisha offered only one way to be cleansed. That's the point of verse 12. He said, "There are other rivers in Damascus. Could I not wash in them and be made clean?" Then he was angry because he didn't want to do what Elisha said. "Go wash in the Jordan seven times." That is not something that I want to do.

Now friends, what we have here, if you think about it, is a perfect picture of the response of the natural human heart to the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. Think about this: the gospel humbles us. It says to us: whatever your achievements, whatever your virtues, whatever your position, your influence in life—they make absolutely no difference whatsoever to your standing before God. Before Almighty God, you are a sinner and you are in no better a position than any other sinner. And the natural response of the proud human heart to that is to be angry.

And of course, the human heart by nature is independent. And so the natural response of the human heart to being told that there is one way in which you can be cleansed is to be angry and to say, "I want to choose my own way. You're telling me that you can only be cleansed through the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ?" The natural response of the human heart is to be very angry about that. "Why can't I choose my own way?"

And then the human heart is angry towards the gospel because by nature it is a sinful heart, and a sinful heart clings to sins that it loves. "You're telling me go wash? You're telling me repent? That is not something that I want to do." And so Naaman was angry. He turned away (verse 12), and he went away in a rage. So he's actually returning home, and he's taking his money and his leprosy with him. Except for one thing: the marvelous intervention of his servants. I love this (verse 13): "But his servants came near and said to him, 'My father, it is a great word that the prophet has spoken to you. Will you not do it? Has he actually said to you: wash and be clean?'"

Now you see what's happening here? Naaman had taken offense at the command. "God's commanding me to do something I don't want to do." But the servants come to him and say, "Now Naaman, you've taken offense at God's command, but did you not hear God's promise?" He said: wash and be clean. Has anyone else ever said that to you? The king of Syria couldn't say that to you. The king of Israel couldn't say that to you. You can't make yourself clean. But this word that has come to you promises that you can be made clean. It's a great word. So why in the world are you going off angry and in a rage?

Now you see, this may be precisely the position of some of us here in the service this morning. You have been offended by God's command. There is something that God calls you to do and you don't want to do it. Or there is something that God calls you to give up and you don't want to give it up. And you're offended by God's command, and you're stuck in that position. Here's the question: Did you not hear God's promise?

He says: you can be clean. You can be clean. "Let the wicked forsake his way and the unrighteous man his thoughts. Let him return to the Lord that he may have compassion on him, and to our God for he will abundantly pardon." Naaman listened to his servants. He believed the promise of God. And because he believed the promise of God, he was ready to obey the command of God even though it wasn't initially attractive to him. Do you see that's always the pattern? You won't obey the commands until you believe the promises. But when you believe the promise, you will obey the command.

So he went down and dipped himself seven times in the Jordan, according to the word of the man of God, and his flesh was restored like the flesh of a little child, and he was clean. Friends, here is what God can do for you in and through the Lord Jesus Christ: you can be clean. This is the gift that David longed for when his sin was always before him. He said, "Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin. Purge me with hyssop and I shall be clean. Wash me and I shall be whiter than snow. Create," he says, "in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me."

Dear friend, will you hear this today? You will never be able to cleanse yourself. Can't be done. There is no prophet, there is no king, there is no philosophy that you can take up, there is no religious practice, no effort that you can make to put things right in your life that will be able to cleanse you. But the blood of Jesus Christ will cleanse you from all sin.

And when Naaman was washed and when he was made clean, the effect of this in his life was that he became a worshiper of the God who had given him this marvelous gift. Verse 15: "Behold, I know that there is no God in all the earth but in Israel." Verse 17: "From now on, your servant will not offer burnt offering or sacrifice to any god but the Lord." So here we have a wonderful story of how a rich leper—a man who had once been a ruthless warrior, a man who knew nothing about the God of the Bible—came to living faith and was wonderfully converted.

How did it happen? He heard that there was hope for him. And there is hope for every person here this morning. And he humbled himself, and he believed the promise of God. And because and when he believed the promise of God, he acted in faith and in obedience. That's how cleansing came to him. That's how cleansing comes to us. A rich leper wonderfully converted.

Steve Hiller: A powerful story here on Open the Bible with Pastor Colin Smith, and one that I hope you find great encouragement in. But when we come back in just a moment, we're going to take a look at how a rogue prophet is exposed, so stay with us. Our message "God Will Cleanse Us" is part of a larger series entitled "In God We Trust," where we're taking a look at different accounts from the life of Elisha. And if you ever miss a broadcast in the series, come and listen online at openthebible.org, or you can listen through the free Open the Bible app, which you'll find at your app store. Let's get back to our message from 2 Kings chapter 5. Again, here's Pastor Colin.

Colin Smith: Now, the second part of the story really begins when Naaman returns to Elisha, just full of thanksgiving for this wonderful gift that he has received. He's a new believer at this point, and the first instinct that he has as a new believer is that he wants to show his gratitude for this marvelous gift of healing that he has received. And you remember that he brought with him a boatload of money. And so he says to Elisha (verse 15), "Accept now a present from your servant." But (verse 16) Elisha refused. He said, "As the Lord lives, before whom I stand, I will receive none." And although Naaman tried to press him, Elisha wouldn't move on this. "I won't receive anything from you. I will receive none."

Now here's the question: Why would Elisha not accept a gift freely offered by a man who was well able to give this? He'd brought it for this very purpose. Why would he not accept the money that Naaman would be very, very glad and delighted to give him? I mean after all, we did see earlier in this series that Elisha received gifts from others. There was a wealthy woman who fed him, even built an apartment for him on the roof of her house. So I mean there's nothing wrong in principle in Elisha receiving kindness and generosity from others who support him and the sons of the prophets in ministry.

So why on this occasion would he so resolutely refuse to receive what was so generously offered? And the answer surely is that Elisha was a prophet, and he discerned Naaman's heart. Naaman had received a marvelous gift from the hand of God, and Elisha was very, very determined that nothing would obscure God's free grace. He did not want Naaman going back home thinking that he got something and then he paid for it.

And that leads us to the second story, which is a powerful warning to all of us who know and serve the Lord. If you look in verse 19, we read that when Naaman had gone from him a short distance, Gehazi, the servant of Elisha the man of God, said, "See, my master has spared this Naaman the Syrian in not accepting from his hand what he brought. As the Lord lives, I will run after him and get something from him." Now you see what's happened here? Gehazi, who is Elisha's servant, had seen Naaman's money. And he wanted what Naaman had.

So he goes after Naaman, and he catches up with him, and he says (verse 22), "My master has sent me to say there have just now come to me from the hill country of Ephraim two young men of the sons of the prophets. Please give them a talent of silver and two changes of clothing." So Naaman gladly gave him the money, and Gehazi hid it in his house. Gehazi lied. He coveted. And he deceived. And worst of all, of course, he contradicted the very thing that Elisha was teaching this new believer Naaman.

Now when Gehazi got back home, Elisha asked him (verse 25), "Where have you been, Gehazi?" And Gehazi said, "Your servant went nowhere." You see how one lie leads to another, and to another, and to another. But Elisha was a prophet, and God had revealed to Elisha what Gehazi was up to. And God exposed the hidden deception that was in the heart of this man who was claiming to be his servant.

Gehazi wanted what Naaman had. And he got what Naaman had. He got his money, and he got his leprosy too. Verse 27: "Therefore," Elisha says, "the leprosy of Naaman shall cling to you and to your descendants forever." So he went out from his presence a leper like snow. This is sobering stuff. Here are two men on a journey in an opposite direction. One grows up knowing absolutely nothing about God and is wonderfully saved. The other has every spiritual advantage and blessing and ends up under the judgment of God.

Naaman was a leper, and by God's grace he became God's servant. Gehazi was God's servant, and under God's judgment he became a leper. So the story of Gehazi is a solemn warning to us all. I mean, here is a man who had great privileges, great opportunities. God had put him in a position of trust. God had put him in a position of influence and responsibility. I mean, think about it: he was Elisha's servant. He walked with the man who walked closely with God. But it's clear from this story that Gehazi did not walk closely with God himself.

Oh, Gehazi spoke to others about God, but there were layers in his life that had never been submitted to the God he claimed to serve. The love of money had gripped his heart. And when he saw something that he wanted, he was prepared to do whatever it would take to get it. He coveted. He lied. And he deceived. And God exposed it. You remember that Jesus said: nothing is covered up that will not be revealed, or hidden that will not be known. Whatever you have said in the dark will be heard in the light, and what you have whispered in private rooms will be proclaimed from the housetops.

We who claim to know and serve the living God are accountable to him. We must all stand before the judgment seat of Christ. No creature is hidden from his sight, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must give an account. So dear friends, let's learn from the story of Gehazi this morning: to be done with lies, to be done with deceptions, to be done with coveting what God has chosen to give to others.

See, Gehazi was known, reputed, seen by everybody to be a servant of God. But actually, just like Naaman, Gehazi needed to be humbled. Gehazi needed to repent. Gehazi needed to be washed. Now did that happen? We're not told. But there is just a hint that this might not have been the end of the story. And I say that because a few chapters on in 2 Kings in chapter 8, just very briefly, Gehazi appears again, and he's speaking with the king of Israel. Which just raises this question: Could it be that Gehazi humbled himself?

Could it be that Gehazi repented of his lies and of his deception? Could it be that he washed himself seven times in the river Jordan? Could it be that in God's marvelous grace, he too was healed? We don't know. But what we do know for sure is this: that whatever you may have done, whatever you may have hidden and covered up, whatever consequence it has brought, or whatever consequence its coming to light may bring, there is hope for you in Jesus Christ.

If we walk in the light as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin. So dear friends, let's be done with any deception. Humble yourself. Believe the promise of God. And because you believe his promise, act in obedience to his command. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

Steve Hiller: What an encouraging way to wrap up today's message "God Will Cleanse Us," part of a series called "In God We Trust," where we're taking a look at the life of Elisha. And if you miss any broadcast in the series, you can always come and listen online. Our website is openthebible.org. We're able to bring you Pastor Colin's teaching each day because of your financial generosity, and as you give a gift of any amount this month, we want to say thanks by sending you a copy of Lincoln's Daily Devotional. And Colin, what's one thing that you'd like people to take away from this book?

Colin Smith: Well you know, that opening the Bible is really very, very simple. I think some people have the idea, "Oh I don't have time for studying the Bible and it's all very difficult and all very complicated." Actually it's beautifully simple. And Lincoln's Devotional is really a good place to begin. What this book does is it gives us a verse for every day of the year, just a verse. Sometimes it's two verses from the Bible, but it's very, very short. The idea is that you try and take in a simple and wonderful truth or promise from the word of God and then just carry it in your heart and in your mind to be able to draw strength from it, to draw comfort and hope from it.

And each month in this devotional is organized around a theme of part of the experience of a believer's life. So one month you'll be looking at the temptations that a Christian faces, another month you'll be reading verses from the Bible about the sorrows that a Christian will experience, another month you'll be reading about the joys, and of course you'll end up reading about the glorious hope and the great future that lies ahead of every believer. Very simple, a verse from the Old King James Version of the Bible and a short poem or a verse of a hymn that just reflects on it added. And that's there for you every day for a year. It's a great place to get started, or if you've got bogged down, it's a great way to be refreshed.

Steve Hiller: Well, we want to send you a copy of Lincoln's Daily Devotional as our way of saying thank you for your financial support this month. You can give online at openthebible.org, or when you call 1-877-673-6365. That might be easier to remember as 1-877-OPEN-365. And again, the website is openthebible.org. For Pastor Colin Smith, I'm Steve Hiller. Thanks for listening, and I hope you'll join us next time. This program is a listener-supported production of Open the Bible.

Colin Smith: This is Pastor Colin. And I love the story of the thief on the cross because it's the best story we have to help people understand grace. You know, many people have the idea that if a person was to get into heaven, they'd get there by living a good enough life. Well, the thief on the cross hadn't lived a good life and he wasn't in a position to start living a good life either. But Jesus said to him, "Today you will be with me in paradise." Well, if the thief could get into heaven, so can everyone you know and will ever meet.

"Heaven, How I Got Here" is a compelling 60-minute film in which Stephen Baldwin portrays the thief on the cross in a one-person play. We've seen God use this film to help many trust in Jesus as the thief did. So who is there in your life who needs to understand grace? For more information or to watch this film for free, visit openthebible.org/heaven. That's openthebible.org/heaven.