Little Is Much When God Is in It — 2 Kings 4-5

0:00 Good morning. I just want to reassure you, a lot of you probably are surprised that I'm standing up here today. I'm just kind of a mystery speaker. They don't put me on the program but I've known about this for a few weeks and there's been a lot of switching back and forth. Roger has to learn to play chess to get his speakers arranged.

0:23 Shall we just open with a word of prayer? Our father, we're so thankful this morning for the Lord Jesus Christ. The one that we've just been singing about, that we love because he first loved us. We're thankful that he left heaven's glories. He came down with the express purpose of dying, to be the lamb of God at Calvary.

0:52 And our father, we're thankful for the finished work. We're thankful for his ascension and glory at the right hand of God. As we open thy word this morning, we ask that thou would give help. We confess our own insufficiency, but father it's the spirit of God, it's the word of God. We pray that thou will give help to the speaker and to the listeners as well, that it might change each of our lives.

1:17 For we ask it in the name of our lord Jesus Christ. Amen. What I have to try to share with you this morning, kinda fits in a little bit with the announcement that Denzel was giving at the end. Of trying to encourage the younger ones. And we're so thankful that there's so many teenage, early twenties, not even teenage but they're involved.

2:34 So it kind of covers the whole spectrum of the audience. But in each case, they learned that little is much when God is in it. And if we can remember that lesson, may we apply it to our own lives. You know the Lord Jesus told his disciples in John 15, without me you can do nothing. And that's the lesson we all need to be reminded about.

3:05 I'd like to look at, second Kings chapter five, please. First and second Samuel, first and second Kings, but second Kings chapter five and verse one. Now Naaman, commander of the army of the king of Syria, was a great and honorable man in the eyes of his master. Because by him, the lord had given victory to Syria. He was also a mighty man of valor, but but a leper.

4:35 I will send a letter to the king of Israel. So he departed and took with him 10 talents of silver, 6,000 shekels of gold and 10 changes of clothing. Then he brought the letter to the king of Israel which said, now be advised when this letter comes to you that I have sent Naaman my servant to you that you may heal him of his leprosy. It happened when the king of Israel read this letter. Then he tore his clothes and said, am I God to kill and to make alive?

5:16 That this man sends a man to me to heal him of his leprosy? Therefore, consider and see how he seeks a quarrel with me. So it was when Elisha, the man of God heard that the king of Israel tore his clothes, that he sent to the king saying, why have you torn your clothes? Please let him come to me and he shall know that there is a prophet in Israel. Then Naaman went with his horses and chariot.

5:50 He stood at the door of Elisha's house. And Elisha sent a messenger to him saying, go and wash in the Jordan seven times and your flesh shall be restored to you and you shall be clean. But Naaman became furious and went away and said, indeed I said to myself, he will surely come out to me and stand and call on the name of the lord his god, and wave his hand over the place and heal the leprosy? Are not Abana and Farfar the rivers of Damascus better than all the waters of Israel? Could I not wash in them and be clean?

6:37 So he turned and went away in a rage. And his servants came near and spoke to him and said, my father, if the prophet had told you to do something great, would you not have done it? How much more then when he says to you wash and be clean? So he went down and dipped seven times in the Jordan according to the saying of the man of God. And his flesh was restored like the flesh of a little child and he was clean.

7:13 Now, to give you the picture of the background of this story. Naaman, who we read such great things about. In verse one, it says that he was commander, and that's written like the general of the army. General of the army of Syria. He was a great man.

7:39 But he also was an honorable man in the eyes of his master, the king. Because, and it's interesting in this next statement, the lord had given him victory victory in in Syria. Syria. Actually, God had dictated that the Israelites would be defeated because they had been turning away from him. It says he was a mighty man in valor.

8:12 Naaman was one that everybody looked up to. He had a position. He had a reputation. He had success. He was recognized as a true leader in Syria, next to the king.

8:32 But then those three words at the end, but a leper. Now in the scriptures, leprosy speaks of sin. It's a picture of sin and just for a couple of minutes at the beginning of the bible hour, I'd just like to just share the gospel for a few minutes, in case there's someone that does not know the savior. Naaman with all his privileges, with all his accomplishments, with everything that he had going for him, he not only was a leper, but he had one other problem we're going to look at. It was the problem of pride.

9:55 She had every right perhaps to be angry. She had every right to say, my master is a leper, serves him right. Because he hauled me out of my country, took me out of my own home, took me away from my family. This is God's judgment on him. But instead, she had compassion.

10:19 She knew that there was one in Israel, the prophet Elisha, that could heal this man of his leprosy. I'd like to have you just focus on how however old this girl was. Maybe eight, maybe 10, maybe 12. The New Testament, when the Lord healed Jairus' daughter, she was 12 and he says, little girl, I say unto you, arise. But whether this girl was eight, 10 or 12 doesn't matter.

10:58 This young girl had a faith that devised the wisdom of mankind. Because the scriptures tell us in Luke four, there were many lepers in Israel in the times of Elisha the prophet. But none of them were cleansed except Naaman, the Syrian. She had never seen a leper cleansed in her time. But she had a faith.

11:38 And so she told what she knew, what she really believed from her heart. When she said, Naaman needed to go to the prophet. Somehow he wasn't listening. He goes to his boss, the king, and he says, this is what the little girl in my house has said. And the king of Syria says, I'll fix it up.

12:06 I'm going to send you to the king of Israel. I'm going to send you with a lot of money. You'll have gold, you'll have silver, You'll have clothing. You'll have all the things that can purchase and pay for your healing. You know, there's a lot of people like that in the world.

12:25 They think salvation is something that can be bought, or earned or merited. Salvation is a gift. The price is infinite because it required the shed blood of the Lord Jesus Christ. Here was Naaman. He estimated the wrong price.

12:45 He engaged the wrong person. He expected the wrong procedure. He said, behold, I said with myself. The king James says, behold I thought. Elisha the prophet will come out, he'll meet me at the doorway, he'll wave his hand over the spot, and he'll pronounce a blessing and I'll be healed.

13:13 He pulls up there with his chariot, and with all his pride he gets down from the chariot. And he stands at the door, and a servant comes to the door and gives the message. This mighty man thought that he had been disrespected. And he became very angry. And he said, I will not do what that servant told me to do.

13:40 I will not go and wash dip seven times in the muddy Jordan. We've got better rivers back in Damascus. I have my way, not his way. You know there's people like that in the world today. They want their way of getting to heaven.

14:02 They say there's many ways. You have your way, I have my way. We're all going to wind up there. It doesn't work that way. The Lord Jesus said, I am the way, the truth, and the life.

14:16 No man cometh unto the Father but by me. There is none other name under heaven given amongst men, whereby we must be saved. But finally, Naaman's servants prevailed upon him. And he said, you know master, if that prophet had told you to do something really hard, really difficult, you would have done it. He said, now this is so easy.

14:48 Just go down and try it. Before you go back to Syria the way you came, give it a try. He goes down once, twice, three times, comes up, still the same, four, five, six times, still the same. Comes up the seventh time. And his leprosy was removed.

15:10 His skin was as a young child, and we know how smooth that is. But I'd just like to stress for a minute this young girl that told what she knew. She didn't know all the theology, but she knew the power of God. And how did she know that? I suggest to you that it was her family back in Israel that had trained her.

15:39 Had trained her as to the power of God in their life. Had trained her as to what God had done as he brought the nation out of Egypt. Of how he had done so many things. And there was a blessing, and there was a power associated with honoring God. Now, we've been reminded already this morning that the young people and the older ones as well are involved in a number of ministries, especially to the unsaved.

16:18 We've got the Sunday school going on right now. We've got Awana starting next week. We've had the BBS. They've got the preaching down on public square. They've got the work at the city mission.

16:37 They've got child evangelism fellowship classes in some of the schools. They've got bright lights. We've been reminded of the boys to men, the college and careers. There's a lot of activity going on. And we're thankful for it and we're thankful that so many of the younger ones are involved.

16:55 But the lesson for each of us, young and old alike, is that it requires not only effort and preparation and commitment, but it requires the power of God in the message. Message. We plant and we water the word, but it's God that gives the increase. Turn just one chapter earlier in second kings chapter four. Verse one.

17:58 This next statement is so sobering. And she said, your maid servant has nothing in the house but a jar of oil. Then he said, go borrow vessels from everywhere, from all your neighbors. Empty vessels, Do not gather just a few. When you have come in, you shall shut the door behind you and your sons.

18:34 Then pour it into all these vessels and set aside the full ones. So she went from him and shut the door behind her and her sons, who brought the vessels to her and she poured it out. Now it came to pass when the vessels were full that she said to her son, bring me another vessel. And he said to her, there is not another vessel. So the oil ceased.

19:01 Then she came and told the man of God and he said, go, sell the oil and pay your debt. You and your sons live on the rest. You know, as we read this story, this widow had two sons that were still living at home. Old enough to be sold as slaves, but young enough to still be under her home. And for all that she had practiced, and her husband had practiced in obedience to God.

19:41 God had removed her husband and taken him home. And she comes to Elisha and she says, life isn't fair. My husband served God. My husband was faithful. He feared God.

19:59 And now the creditor's coming to take my two sons, and I'll be alone, but they'll be in servitude. Elisha says, what do you have in your house? Just a jar of oil. Something she could use in a lamp but she couldn't really eat. You can't just drink oil by itself.

20:28 It certainly won't fill you up. It'll cause some other issues. But she said, go. He told her, to your neighbors. Go everywhere you can and get empty pots.

20:46 Don't just bring a few, Bring as many as you can get. And then go in and shut the door, and just start pouring out the oil. Erica, just imagine as she tells her two sons. Boys, you have to go to all the neighbors. And I'm going to go too.

21:09 Tell them you need every empty pot they can spare. And don't just go to the neighbors next door. Go all through the neighborhood. Get as many empty pots as you can. And then bring them here.

21:27 And they'll say, empty pots? Can't eat from an empty pot. Can't pay from an empty pot. What do we need empty pots for mom? Just do what the prophet said.

21:44 They bring them all in and they close the door. Start pouring... She starts pouring the oil into one pot. Two, three, four, five, 10, 15, 20, 40, whatever it was. And finally she says to her son, bring another one.

22:00 He says, mom, that's all. So the oil stops flowing. The prophet tells her go and sell the oil. Pay off the debt to the creditor and live on the rest. You know, that neighborhood probably never was the same in that generation.

22:26 They had given all these empty pots and they said, you know, that widow must have already started to flip. And then they bring back the pots. She says, here's your pot. Can you buy my oil? And they say, sure.

22:40 I need the pot back so I'll pay for the oil. And that was a real sales pitch. But you know, it was God's provision for her. And really, the faith. What I'd like to look at is just for a moment.

22:54 This was a picture. She went into the house and shut the door. It was a personal experience with her and her two sons with God. I'd like to make an application from this story. Because in Matthew six verse six, when you pray, go into your room.

23:21 And when you have shut your door, pray to your father who is in the secret place. And your father who is in the secret place will reward you openly. How much do we know about persevering and private prayer? Waiting upon God in private. Pouring out our souls in private.

23:49 The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous believer avails much. We've seen some tremendous answers to prayer lately, from people that persevered in prayer. There's power in prayer, But it requires perseverance. It requires time. It requires sacrifice.

24:43 It's the only miracle that all four of the gospel writers write about. And yet, John is the one that gives some of the most amazing details of the story. But the lord had been teaching the multitude. He was moved with compassion as he saw them as sheep having no shepherd. He was preaching.

25:09 He was healing. He was teaching about the kingdom of god. And it was now very late in the day. The disciples come to him and say, Master, send the people away that they might have something to eat. He says, you don't have to send them away.

25:27 You give them something to eat. They said, we don't have anything. It would require 200 denarii, which was two hundred days wages, to give just a little bit. But there's no stores here. We can't go to the supermarket.

25:47 We can't come up with anything. And he said, how many loaves do you have? Go and see. The disciples moved through that whole crowd. And finally, Andrew comes back with a little boy, a lad.

26:07 And he says to the Lord, here's a lad. He 's got five barley loaves, which were probably small rolls, and two small fish. John's the only one that says the fish were small. Five rolls and two small fish. And he says, Lord, what are these against so many?

26:30 We've got thousands here. But this boy is willing to give his lunch. Now, the Lord takes that. He gives thanks to god. He breaks the rolls, he breaks the fish, and he has the disciples feed the multitude.

26:54 You know, and then when they're through they take up 12 baskets of the fragments. They started with five little loaves, rolls, and two small fish. And after everybody is satisfied, filled, some of them might have had two or three helpings, we find that they have all this left over. I'm just thinking, this boy, this lad, he had a lunch. What was he going to do with it?

27:28 He gave it to the Lord. The Lord fed thousands. Now I just like to use our imagination a little bit. Sometimes I like to use imagination in some of these stories. You think about this lad when he gets home.

27:48 And his mother says to him, son, how was your day? How was your time with the Lord? Oh, was great. I saw him do all those miracles. I saw him and heard him teach about heaven.

28:05 It was wonderful. And he goes on and he tells her some more and she says, well what about your lunch? Was it enough? He says, mom that was the best part. She says, now the lunch wasn't that good son.

28:19 He says, no, you don't understand. It's what the Lord did with my lunch. You know, I heard one of the disciples and they said his name was Matthew. He used to be a tax collector. He really knew how to count.

28:33 And when the Lord told all the people to sit down in groups of 50 or a 100, I saw Matthew going around, he was counting everybody. He says there's over 5,000 men plus women and They all were fed from my lunch. She says, you know son, there's a lesson in that. She said, I knew you were hungry. I prepared something for your physical need as you went out today.

29:08 She said, but you know there's something we do every day to try to prepare for your spiritual need. And that's reading the scriptures and praying. You know, I just like to encourage each of the mothers and fathers here. Just prepare and fortify your children each day as you go out and send them into the world. This world is a place that can distract and can destroy.

29:42 We need to be bringing our families to God. Praying with them and for them. Reading the word of God with them. And then applying it in our lives. The word of God is living.

30:33 In the back of the desert, he had seen a bush that was burning with fire and yet it was not consumed. And he said, I will now turn aside and see this great sight. And as he approached, he heard a voice out of the bush saying, Moses, Moses, don't draw any closer. Take off your sandals. And he said, well I'm here, Lord.

31:08 Who are you? He said, I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob. And Moses hid his face from the fact that he was facing a scene that he realized the presence of God was there. But the lord... God had told him that he was to take, and he would be the leader to lead the people of Israel out of Egypt.

31:41 In chapter four and verse one, Moses answers and said, but suppose the people will not believe me or listen to my voice. Suppose they say, the lord has not appeared to you. So the lord said to him, what is that in your hand? And he said, a rod. What is that in your hand?

32:09 A wooden club that he had used as a shepherd for forty years in the back of the desert. Something that he had used to defend against wild animals. Something that he looked upon, and the world would say, that's just a stick. What would you use that for? You need an army.

32:38 You need all kinds of preparation. Well Moses had had the preparation. He'd had forty years in Egypt. And Stephen said that he was learned in all the wisdom and knowledge of Egypt. But the wisdom of Egypt wasn't going to accomplish God's purposes.

33:01 So for the next forty years, Moses wanders in the desert as a shepherd. Learning the experiences of how to deal with stubborn sheep. Because for the next forty years, he would have a stubborn nation that he would try to lead. What is that in your hand? A rod.

33:27 Something I've used for forty years. Something that is part of me, but it has no power except as I swing it. The lord says, throw it on the ground. He throws it on the ground and it becomes a serpent. The lord says, grab it by the tail.

33:51 He grabs serpent by the tail and it becomes the rod. And he said, this is my power. When you go to the people, you show them this miracle. And so he said, why of all these reasons why I shouldn't be the one? In verse one he had given his first objection.

34:13 He said, the people won't listen to me. The people won't believe me. In verse 10 he says, well, I'm not eloquent. I'm slow of speech and I'm slow of tongue. God says, I will be with your tongue.

34:33 Finally, in verse 13 he says, just send someone else, not me. Send someone else. You know, sometimes when God is speaking and God is calling, we can come up with a lot of excuses, a lot of reasons in our mind. We don't think they're excuses, we think they're reasons. Not me.

35:00 I'm not the right one. There's somebody else that can do a much better job. Moses said to the Lord, well, pick Aaron. The lord said, well, I'm going to have Aaron be your mouth to the king, pharaoh. But I'm going to speak to you, and you will speak to Aaron because you will be in my place to give my message out.

35:28 And this rod that was just a wooden club, as they went through the plagues of against pharaoh in Egypt. Aaron's rod was used for the first few. But for the seventh plague of hail and fire from heaven, the eighth plague of the locusts all over Egypt. The ninth plague of darkness for three days. It was Moses' rod.

36:01 And I'd just like to look for a minute down in that chapter four. Because in verse 17, God says to Moses, you shall take this rod in your hand with which you shall do the signs. Your rod. But in verse 20 at the end, Moses took the rod of God in his hand. God said, this is your rod, but it's going to be my power.

36:37 And you're going to do these signs, these miracles in my power. So not only had the plagues upon Egypt been as Moses took his hand and held out the rod. But as they had left Egypt and they come to the Red Sea, and they're hemmed in with the Red Sea in front, the armies of Egypt behind, the mountains on both sides. The people cry out, why have you brought us out here? God says to Moses, stand still and see my salvation.

37:13 He says, take that rod and hold it out over the Red Sea. The waters parted. They stood up as walls on both sides. The nation of Israel marched through on dry land. Imagine going through on dry land in a river that had been flowing.

37:35 It was that flood season. And so we find that after they get through, the armies of Egypt are coming behind. God says, hold out that rod again. And the waters came back. The army of Egypt was destroyed as they drowned.

37:57 Then in chapter 17, they're crying out because of thirst in the wilderness, there's no water. They're rebelling against Moses. Moses cries out to God and he says, go up to the rock at Horeb and strike the rock with the rod. And there gushed out a river of water that followed them and gave them sustenance. The rod of Moses became the rod under the power of God.

39:00 Or to... Choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God than to enjoy the passing pleasures of sin. Esteeming the reproach of Christ, greater riches than the treasure of Egypt. You know, it's interesting. He forsook the treasures of Egypt, but he really didn't.

39:26 He took it with them as they left Egypt. They plundered that nation as they took all the remaining wealth of that nation that the Egyptians had given to him and said, just take this and leave. For he looked to the reward. By faith he forsook Egypt, not fearing the wrath of the king, for he endured as seeing him who is invisible. By faith he kept the Passover, and by faith they passed through the Red Sea as on dry land.

40:00 Whereas the Egyptians attempting to do so were drowned. You know, I understand next week that Donald Henderson will be speaking probably as part of his message on the Bema, the judgment seat of Christ. You know, we've had some examples of people today. And as you think of the fact they looked for eternity, Moses was looking to the future For he was looking at him who is invisible. You know, as each of us stand before the Lord and our our Christian lives are reviewed, I don't want to take away from the message next week, but there's some very motivating thoughts.

40:47 And even the lives of these people concerning, present. They were living in order that they might be pleasing to the savior or their god in the old testament. To please him, who is altogether worthy to be served. To do things for his glory, for his honor. You know, our times down here are short.

41:28 In light of eternity, we have so much that crowds in upon our time. We have so much that can occupy us. And I'm just like the rest of you. I can get distracted. But only one life, 'twil soon be past.

41:52 Only what's done for Christ will last. We can send part of it on ahead with financial Only giving. We can send part of it on ahead with souls won to the savior. We can send part of it on ahead by encouraging believers and mentoring younger believers and encouraging them to go on for the Lord. But in the time that's left, whether young, middle aged or older, may we just make it our aim to be well pleasing to God, to serve him for his honor and glory, that when we finally stand before the beam and have our life reviewed, oh that each of us would long to hear those words, Well done, good and faithful servant.

42:55 Shall we pray? Our father, as we think of these very practical examples of people that had what the world would despise, and say of no value of no account. Yet father, a jar of oil that flowed until there were no more pots. A boy's lunch that fed maybe eight or 9,000. A rod, a hunk of wood that became the rod of God.

43:39 And a little girl whose faith was so great that she said the prophet could do what had never been done before. And she told what she knew, and it changed the life of not only the general, Naaman, but made such an impression upon the nation. The neighborhood around that widow was changed. The multitudes that saw that miracle of feeding the thousands. Yet it's a boy whose name we don't even know.

44:15 But you know, and father that each of us might seek to be like that boy, to give what little we have because you are a great God and can use it for thine honor and glory. We ask, father, to impress upon us, change us, change our effect on the world. For we ask it in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen. Hi.