*******SERMON OUTLINE********
Stepping Into Your Miracle
Bishop J. Butler, Jr.
I. Introduction (A God of Miracles)
Praise The Lord!!!
How many in here this morning Know that we
serve a miracle working God.
Our God is not just some pie in the sky!
He's not just a god! He is THE God! God
Almighty!
And I don't care what your theology says,
My God, the God of the Bible, is a God of
miracles!!!
Open your Bible and from cover to cover it is filled
with one account after another of the miracles of
God!
In Genesis 1 we see how He spoke all of creation
into being.
And then in Genesis 7 we see how He destroyed
that creation with a global flood, and in the midst
of all of the chaos of the storms and the flooding
His mighty hand kept 8 souls and countless
animals safe from harm.
Does that sound like a miracle to you?
The Bible tells of how God miraculously delivered
his people from 430 years of slavery,
And not only did He set them free from bondage,
But He fed them with manna from heaven every
morning and quail fell from the sky every evening!
He made bitter water to become sweet, and even
caused water to flow from a rock that followed
them!
Does that sound like a miracle to you!
Time after time in the Old Testament God uses the
miraculous to deliver, heal, provide, etc.
And then in the New Testament we see that Jesus,
who is God by the way, comes down through 42
generations and wraps Himself up in human flesh
to come and save His people once more!
And if that isn't miraculous enough how about the
fact that God caused a virgin to give birth.
Or that He turned water into wine....
Healed the sick, cleansed the lepers, cast out
demons...
He called Lazarus from the grave, and even raised
Jairus' daughter....
The list goes on and on of the miracles of God, and
yet we still don't want to trust Him for our own
miracle.
Our own deliverance, healing, saving, etc......
We say "Well, I believe God could raise a dead
man way back then, but we don't want to trust
him to heal a headache today."
Well, I don't know what Bible you've been
reading,
but mine says in Hebrews 13:8...
Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever.
He was, He is & He always will be a God of
miracles.
How many came with an expectation this
morning?
You say "Well, Yes we came expecting to hear a
good word", or "We came expecting to have some
good fellowship", etc.
Well, that's all good, but I hope you came
expecting God to do the miraculous!
Because I'm convinced that that is what God
wants to do in this place this morning!
His word says God confirmed the Word with signs
following in Mark 16:20,
And He'll confirm His Word with signs following
this morning!
So today, as we read about the miracle healing of
Naaman, I want to preach on the subject of
"Stepping Into Your Miracle."
II. Body
Turn to...
2Ki 5:1 Now Naaman, captain of the host of the king of Syria, was a great man with his master, and honourable, because by him the LORD had given deliverance unto Syria: he was also a mighty man in valour, but he was a leper.
2Ki 5:2 And the Syrians had gone out by companies, and had brought away captive out of the land of Israel a little maid; and she waited on Naaman's wife.
2Ki 5:3 And she said unto her mistress, Would God my lord were with the prophet that is in Samaria! for he would recover him of his leprosy.
2Ki 5:4 And one went in, and told his lord, saying, Thus and thus said the maid that is of the land of Israel.
2Ki 5:5 And the king of Syria said, Go to, go, and I will send a letter unto the king of Israel. And he departed, and took with him ten talents of silver, and six thousand pieces of gold, and ten changes of raiment.
2Ki 5:6 And he brought the letter to the king of Israel, saying, Now when this letter is come unto thee, behold, I have therewith sent Naaman my servant to thee, that thou mayest recover him of his leprosy.
2Ki 5:7 And it came to pass, when the king of Israel had read the letter, that he rent his clothes, and said, Am I God, to kill and to make alive, that this man doth send unto me to recover a man of his leprosy? wherefore consider, I pray you, and see how he seeketh a quarrel against me.
2Ki 5:8 And it was so, when Elisha the man of God had heard that the king of Israel had rent his clothes, that he sent to the king, saying, Wherefore hast thou rent thy clothes? let him come now to me, and he shall know that there is a prophet in Israel.
2Ki 5:9 So Naaman came with his horses and with his chariot, and stood at the door of the house of Elisha.
2Ki 5:10 And Elisha sent a messenger unto him, saying, Go and wash in Jordan seven times, and thy flesh shall come again to thee, and thou shalt be clean.
2Ki 5:11 But Naaman was wroth, and went away, and said, Behold, I thought, He will surely come out to me, and stand, and call on the name of the LORD his God, and strike his hand over the place, and recover the leper.
2Ki 5:12 Are not Abana and Pharpar, rivers of Damascus, better than all the waters of Israel? may I not wash in them, and be clean? So he turned and went away in a rage.
2Ki 5:13 And his servants came near, and spake unto him, and said, My father, if the prophet had bid thee do some great thing, wouldest thou not have done it? how much rather then, when he saith to thee, Wash, and be clean?
2Ki 5:14 Then went he down, and dipped himself seven times in Jordan, according to the saying of the man of God: and his flesh came again like unto the flesh of a little child, and he was clean.
2Ki 5:15 And he returned to the man of God, he and all his company, and came, and stood before him: and he said, Behold, now I know that there is no God in all the earth, but in Israel: now therefore, I pray thee, take a blessing of thy servant.
1. Realizing the need.
Church, look around you this morning.
Do you see a room full of people who've got it all
together, or do you see what I see.
Do you see a room full of men & women who are
in need of more than what they have now!
You may seem to have everything in order!
You might even have great success in a lot of
areas in your life, but then again so did Naaman!
Verse one tells us 5 positive things about
Naaman.
He was the captain of the Syrian army,
He was a great man with his master,
He was honourable,
And God even used him to bring deliverance unto
his people.
Our text even goes on to label him a mighty man
in valour!
He was successful in his career!
He found favor with his superiors!
He had a good reputation in the community!
He was even being used by God!
BUT... he was a leper.
Don't you just love how that one word can change
so much!
The bad thing on his resume' was bad enough to
keep him from enjoying the other 5 positive traits.
What good does Position, Respect, Character,
Victory and Strength do you if you are poisoned
by a disease that can kill you?
We can be in the same situation - our disease is
SIN and we all have it!
You might not need a "money-miracle" this
morning.
You may not be in need of a healing,
You might have all that this world can offer today,
But do you have all that my God can offer?
To use the words of Jesus in...
Mar 8:36 For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?
The first step toward your miracle is to realize the
need!
We are all in need! We haven't just arrived!
If your sick in your body you have a need of
healing!
If your "sin-sick" you need to be saved!
Whatever your need is:
Salvation, Healing, Deliverance, Reconciliation, etc.
Once you identify the need, instead of worry about
how to fix the problem or trying to do it yourself,
just take the next step toward your miracle,
which is:
2. Recognizing the promise.
You say, "What promise, Bishop?"
The promise that God has given to meet our every
need.
Philippians 4:19 But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.
The promise of physical healing.
Isaiah 53:5 But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.
For the Promise of the Holy Ghost.
Acts 2:39 For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call.
For protection in times of distress.
Psalm 46:1 God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.
The promise of peace, prosperity, etc.
God is not a man that He should lie!!!
God promised those things and we don't act upon
them, but look at Naaman!
He didn't have to hear from God!
A young Israelite maid told Naaman's wife,
and then word got to Naaman that the God of
Elisha the prophet, The God of Israel, our God
could heal him!
And he went straight to the king of Syria and told
him and these great men believed and sent a letter
to the king of Israel who by the way didn't believe!
Church how are we going to share the promises of
God when we rarely believe for them!
Naaman recognized the promise! Shouldn't we!!!
And once we realize the promise for our miracle
the next step is to:
3. Understand the principle of First Action.
Isaiah 55:7 Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the LORD, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.
See, when we act - God reacts. What do you want?
Obey (or ask) for it! Act on it!
Matthew 5:6-7
6 Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.
7 Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy.
Tithe opens the windows of Heaven!
We prosper as our soul prospers!
Ask, Seek, Knock!
Naaman didn't sit around waiting for Elisha to
come to him!
Just like we don't need to sit around waiting on
God to come knocking on our door!
2 Kings 5:9-10
9 So Naaman came with his horses and with his chariot, and stood at the door of the house of Elisha.
10 And Elisha sent a messenger unto him, saying, Go and wash in Jordan seven times, and thy flesh shall come again to thee, and thou shalt be clean.
We need to knock and keep knocking until
someone upstairs wakes up and runs down stairs
to let us in!
The Kingdom of Heaven suffereth violence!
The Violent take it by force!
And when Heaven responds the next step toward
your miracle is to:
4. Make the first move.
Matthew 14:35-36
35 And when the men of that place had knowledge of him, they sent out into all that country round about, and brought unto him all that were diseased;
36 And besought him that they might only touch the hem of his garment: and as many as touched were made perfectly whole.
These men were obviously standing on the
promise of Malachi 4:2 that the Sun of
Righteousness shall arise with healing in His
wings!
And because they moved on it they were healed!
Naaman recieved a word from the prophet, but it
wasn't what he wanted to hear so he left mad!
In vs. 11 we see that he wanted Elisha to call on
the name of God and lay hands a certain way, and
then he would be healed!
But how many knows that God's ways are not our
ways!
And his methods are not always our method of
choice!
How many in here this morning don't have 20/20
vision? Wear glasses? etc.
Would you like to come down front this morning
and let me spit in your eyes to see if you recieve
your healing?
Why not? That's what Jesus did?
I said that to illustrate the fact that his ways aren't
our ways, but how many knows that His way is
the right way!
The man of God told Naaman to go dip in the
muddy waters of the Jordan river!
And Naaman was mad!
I could hear him now:
"I came all the way down here for this bald headed
prophet to tell me go roll around in a mud hole
7 times! We've got cleaner rivers back home!
Why not one of them!"
And how many know that so long as he didn't
make that first move he remained a leper?
But our text says in verse 13 one of...
his servants came near, and spake unto him, and
said, My father, if the prophet had bid thee do
some great thing, wouldest thou not have done it?
how much rather then, when he saith to thee,
Wash, and be clean?
See, we don't mind doing the things that we want
to do to get blessed, but sacrifice has to cost you
something!
2 Kings 5:14 Then went he down, and dipped himself seven times in Jordan, according to the saying of the man of God: and his flesh came again like unto the flesh of a little child, and he was clean.
He stepped in to that water 6 times and nothing
happened!
He went in a leper and he came out a leper!
But the 7th time he didn't just step into the
muddy water of the Jordan river!
He was stepping into his miracle!
But he didn't stop there!
When He stepped out of that water fresh and
clean and smoother than a babies bottom he
made sure to high step on over to Elisha's house
to testify and thank God.
III. Conclusion....
2 Kings 5:15 And he returned to the man of God, he and all his company, and came, and stood before him: and he said, Behold, now I know that there is no God in all the earth, but in Israel: now therefore, I pray thee, take a blessing of thy servant.
REMEMBER TO THANK & PRAISE GOD FOR WHAT HE DOES FOR YOU!
Now I want to close this morning by showing
You how your praise is like steroids for the
miraculous!
Once you start praising and dwelling in God's
presence you now dwell in the miraculous!
Luk 17:12 And as he entered into a certain village, there met him ten men that were lepers, which stood afar off:
Luk 17:13 And they lifted up their voices, and said, Jesus, Master, have mercy on us.
Luk 17:14 And when he saw them, he said unto them, Go shew yourselves unto the priests. And it came to pass, that, as they went, they were cleansed.
Luk 17:15 And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, and with a loud voice glorified God,
Luk 17:16 And fell down on his face at his feet, giving him thanks: and he was a Samaritan.
Luk 17:17 And Jesus answering said, Were there not ten cleansed? but where are the nine?
Luk 17:18 There are not found that returned to give glory to God, save this stranger.
Luk 17:19 And he said unto him, Arise, go thy way: thy faith hath made thee whole.
When the one turned back to praise he was not
"cleansed", but he became whole!
Everything that the disease had eaten away was
restored!
