Fan… or Follower?
A fan likes God when life is good.
A follower obeys God when life is hard.
We’ve been talking about what it takes to have a satisfied life.
In week one I talked about how important it was to be a giver if you want to experience a satisfied life. Spending, getting, keeping, saving, investing, begging, and gambling simply do not satisfy. They leave you hungering for more. Only giving produces the satisfied life. That’s because God made us in his image – and our God is HUGE giver. He is the giver of life and the source of all love. When we imitate God by following Jesus example in life the result is that we give until we are satisfied!
In week two we looked into the biggest challenge that we face in our giving – debt. In our attempts to find satisfaction with stuff and with experiences we’ve spent money we don’t have on things that we don’t need to impress people we don’t like only to discover that it doesn’t satisfy and to then figure out that we are stuck making payments for the next 4 years… so we can’t give to honor God with tithes and offerings. We already spent our future on ourselves. That needs to change! It changes by repenting and getting out of debt.
Last week, in week three, I shared some observations from Haggai and Malachi about the benefits and value of returning the tithe to God. Perhaps the most important thing that comes from tithing is that it produces showers of blessings. Not just a drizzle… we’re talking monsoon!
Today, we are going to look at a very simple and exceedingly difficult concept – obedience. It’s simple because there really aren’t any nuances. Either you are obedient or you aren’t.
Obedience is like being pregnant. In the same way that it is impossible to be kind of pregnant, it is impossible to be kind of obedient.
The difficulty comes because we are independent and have free will to obey or to resist. Often our pride leads us to be resistant and rebellious toward God even though accepting God’s plan and enjoying the security of obedience is far better for us.
In the book of 2 Kings there is a story that speaks to us all. It’s a story about a man who had to learn to be obedient to find a satisfied life in hard times.
Naaman
1 Naaman, commander of the army of the king of Syria, was a great man with his master and in high favor, because by him the LORD had given victory to Syria. He was a mighty man of valor… but he was a leper.
2 Kings 5:1
This is a story of Hope, Realization and Obedience.
Here is a great man who is reduced to helplessness and isn’t that the way of our world? We want to believe that if we just have enough stuff we’ll escape our past limitations, be in control of our present circumstances, and chart our future destiny.
But life can reduce the greatest, the richest, and the most powerful person of influence to helplessness with a single word.
In the days of Naaman that word was “Leprosy.” 500 years ago it was the bubonic plague. 100 years ago it was “Tuberculosis.” 50 years ago it was “Polio.” Today the word is “Cancer.” Tomorrow, if we ever figure out how to beat cancer there will be another word.
Whatever the word – it can turn your world upside down in a matter of a few hours. Trust me, Donna and I know, as do we all, directly or through someone we know and love.
The fact is that cancer, polio, tuberculosis, the bubonic plague, and leprosy, like all diseases, are a product of evil. Not directly, mind you. Getting sick is not evidence that you have sinned. It’s evidence that we are a part of humanity and live under the curse of sin – which is death.
Jesus came to free us from this cursed body of sin and death. That’s why he came from heaven to earth, took the form of a man, lived among us for 33 years, and then allowed himself to be put to death on a cross and was then resurrected to a new life by the power of God through the Holy Spirit. By doing this he forged a path through death for every one of us. He cut and hacked his way through the jungle of death to life without end. To find this richly satisfying life all we need to do is to obey Him.
Obedience! Obedience means doing what you told even if you don’t understand why. It’s a test of faith, trust, and loyalty.
For Naaman it meant doing something that was simple, easy, and required nothing demanding. It also meant giving up control. The real challenge was not the act of obedience itself… it was the fierce pride stubborn independence that stood in the way.
Let’s look at this story together and observe the lessons of obedience.
Hope
3 She said to her mistress, “Would that my lord were with the prophet who is in Samaria! He would cure him of his leprosy.”
2 Kings 5:3
This is a story of hope. Everyone is dealing with something challenging in this life. If you aren’t – you will. Just give it a little time. When that time comes you don’t need sympathy or empathy. You need hope.
When Naaman’s time came he was fortunate to have a young slave girl in his home who told his wife that there was a prophet in Samaria who could save him from his leprosy. What she told him gave him hope.
By the way: This is an excellent example of what it takes to be an evangelist… you simply give your personal testimony about what you have experienced to those who need hope.
Did this young girl know the impact her testimony would have? I really doubt that she did. Yet, in sharing what she knew to be true through the experiences of her life she gave hope to Naaman and his wife.
It always begins with hope! Then there are a series of revelations and realizations.
First Realization: The Limitations of Power and Money
So he went, taking with him ten talents of silver, six thousand shekels of gold, and ten changes of clothing.
2 Kings 5:5b
The first revelation and realization is that money is not the answer. In this story Naaman had a lot of money that came from his considerable power. He was the commander of the army of Syria and he had won a great victory. Nothing gives a person influence more than success on the battlefield. Naaman had been rewarded with great wealth.
Since he is sick and he heard about the hope of healing he brings a lot of it with him 10 talents of silver, 6000 shekels of gold and 10 sets of clothing.
This is a lot of money and a lot of power. The 10 talents of silver would be worth around $150,000 today. The 6000 shekels of gold – about $3.7 million dollars.
And then there is the clothing. Most people had one set of clothing in those times. Two sets of clothing was an extravagance that most could not afford. Naaman had 10 that he brought as a gift for others.
Naaman was a great man. Naaman was a rich man. But even with all the power and riches of a kingdom it was not enough. What good is all this stuff when he couldn’t enjoy any of it?
He was a leper. Power and money didn’t change this simple fact. That leads us to the second realization.
Second Realization: The Helplessness of Man
7 And when the king of Israel read the letter, he tore his clothes and said, “Am I God, to kill and to make alive, that this man sends word to me to cure a man of his leprosy? Only consider, and see how he is seeking a quarrel with me.”
2 Kings 5:7
We see this as the story progresses. He took all his silver, gold, and the ten changes of clothing and asked the King of Israel to heal him of Leprosy… and that started a diplomatic crisis! Naaman had simply assumed that the information he received from his servant girl would be widely known by all in Israel and being a man who was familiar with the chain of command he went right to the top. He went to the King but the King of Israel was not a man of God.
The King of Israel tore his clothes and called his advisors saying, “I can’t heal this man. What does he want from me? Is he trying to start a war?” He went into full panic mode because he couldn’t deliver what Naaman needed no matter how much power and money there was in the room.
We are filled with sorrow and joy as our sister Gale Fleming stands at the doorway of death because of our word – cancer. This past Wednesday morning Ray called me and I went to the hospital. I read the 100th Psalm aloud and then those of us who were there gathered around the bed and we prayed with Gale.
Immediately after we were done a Dr. came into the room and it was quickly evident that he had nothing to offer except his sympathies and compassion.
There is a limit to what any man can do in the face of death. But there is a third realization – we are not and have never been helpless because of…
The Final Realization: The Power of God
8 But when Elisha the man of God heard that the king of Israel had torn his clothes, he sent to the king, saying, “Why have you torn your clothes? Let him come now to me, that he may know that there is a prophet in Israel.”
2 Kings 5:8
Elisha heard what had happened in Jerusalem when Naaman had arrived with his request for healing. Elisha heard of the King’s panic and anxiety and sent word – send him to me. He pointed out that he was a prophet of God and that God wanted Naaman to come to him.
That’s really all God wants from us. God just wants us to come to him. It’s what any father wants from his children.
Yet, we often come to Him only when we have exhausted all the other options. God, our creator, has all the power and all the ability to heal us and to give us a rich and satisfied life – now, for all of time, and eternity.
Death is the Great Thief
10 The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.
Jesus, John 10:10
Death is the great thief. But Jesus conquered death. He took the sting out and pulled it’s fangs. Death is no longer something we fear because Jesus took a dead-end tomb and made it into passageway to new life.
The story of Naaman shows us that the secret to finding the passageway to life is obedience.
Obedience
“Go and wash in the Jordan seven times, and your flesh shall be restored, and you shall be clean.”
2 Kings 5:10-11
When Naaman showed up at the home of Elisha he was told to go to the Jordon River and to dip himself seven times.
Not only is the Jordon River is not terribly impressive, (It’s not unlike the Red Cedar River that’s in our back yard) but Elisha didn’t even bother to come out and talk to Naaman directly. Elisha sent his servant!
The wealthy and successful commander of the Syrian army comes riding up to Elisha’s home in his chariot accompanied by his entourage of servants, personal body guards, and baggage with all the silver, gold, and clothing and Elisha doesn’t even look out the window.
On top of this obvious insult the man’s servant tells him to take a bath in a muddy river – seven times! What good could possibly come from such a silly and weird course of action.
Obedience is often challenging – not because it’s difficult. It’s challenging because we must be obedient – even when we don’t understand.
It’s not surprising that Naaman almost missed out on his healing because he about to go home when his servants convinced him to go ahead and follow the prophet’s commands.
So… he did. And when he did he discovered something very important.
Obedience Is Evidence of Faith
14 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.
2 Kings 5:14
Naaman had already decided what the prophet should do to cure his leprosy before he even arrived at his house. He already had it in his head what was going to happen.
The Elisha would burn some incense, wave his arms over him and say a magical incantation. Then Naaman would be healed! But that is not what happened.
Elisha didn’t even come out of his house. Elisha didn’t even talk with the man. Elisha just told Naaman what to do if he wanted to be healed. And Naaman, after a moment of hesitation and unbelief, obeyed.
It is important to remember that God is God and we are not. God doesn’t always do what we want him to do. In fact, it’s fairly rare. Sometimes we forget who is Lord and who is submissive – don’t we?
Well eventually Naaman obeyed and he was cured because he was obedient.
Why? Because obedience is evidence of Faith.
So… back to the question.
Are you a Fan or a Follower?
Fans like God. Followers Obey God. They do so first in salvation from sin through Jesus and then in a transformed life through the Holy Spirit of God. It has been this way from the first day of the church when Peter stood up the first time and announced what we need to do to be obedient to God.
We are all sick… not with leprosy, the plague, TB, polio, or cancer. We are all sick because of sin.
38 And Peter said to them, “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.
Acts 2:38
God wants you to be saved. He has provided the way through his son.
It requires our faith. Like Naaman was told to dip himself 7 times in the Jordon we are told to turn away from our sins and to be baptized into Jesus death, burial and resurrection.
It’s easy to say that such an act is foolish. Why is it important to get all wet? In fact why doesn’t the preacher say some magical incantation and bless me with special and holy words.
The answer is that God asks our obedience as the proof of our faith in Him. Then we begin to experience the life. But obedience is not a one time event. It’s a lifetime of commitment to the mission of God.
Are You Committed to the Mission?
Fans are fickle. They only follow when the cost is low and the entertainment is cheap. Followers are committed to the mission of the one they follow. The early believers weren’t fans. They were followers. They were obedient to the Lord and committed to his mission. Jesus’ mission was and is people. You can’t be committed and not be supportive. This is where the giving comes in.
2 On the first day of every week, each of you is to put something aside and store it up, as he may prosper, so that there will be no collecting when I come.
1 Corinthians 16:2
God’s mission is people. We have been tasked with the work of being that young slave girl in Naaman’s life to the people in our world.
For us here that means the people of the Venezuela that meet Katie Bollman. It means the people who live in the mole in Haiti where some of our own will be going this summer.
But most important of all it means being that messenger of hope to our own community as we tell the people in our lives about the hope of Jesus.
Everything we do here. Every program we offer. Every staff person we hire. Every activity we launch is part of the singular goal of offering the message of hope to the people in our world.
Imagine what we could do if we were truly generous in our giving… Imagine what we could do in our community. Yes, we have an opportunity to give away our offering on March 30 but the truth is that we do that every week because none of this is for us. It’s all for them.
We are not commanded to GO to church. We are commanded to BE the church.
Here is the root, the foundation, and the source of a satisfied life.
Steps for Obedience
Repent and be Baptized
Ask for God’s help daily to live a holy life
Give regularly and proportionately
Pray and Prepare for the Generosity Offering – March 30
