Hero to Zero
Introduction
Have you ever been at the top and fallen all the way to the bottom?
It’s a hard pill to swallow!
One minute everything is going great and the next, it’s all falling apart!
In some situations, such a fall from hero to zero we find it’s hopeless to recover.
But the good news is that our God is an all powerful loving and forgiving God!
He can do miracles where with man it would be hopeless.
Salvation is that way too! With man, it is impossible to get to heaven, but with God, all things are possible. God provided a way for salvation by simply turning from sin and trusting in Jesus for salvation! The plan of salvation seems so easy that some reject it and instead turn to things like works for salvation or other paths that can never save anyone.
Today we are going to talk about a man named Naaman who was a man of valor in the Syrian army. He was a hero in Syria!
But, seemingly by no fault of his own, he went from hero to zero and became a desperate man!
So desperate he would do anything no matter how crazy it sounded to recover from his fall.
All of us too are in a falling state (sinners) and whether we realize it or not, we too are hopeless to do anything about it of our own accord. Our only hope is to rely on a real hero in Jesus!
Study
2 Kings 5
5:1 Now Naaman was commander of the army of the king of Aram. He was a great man in the sight of his master and highly regarded, because through him the Lord had given victory to Aram. He was a valiant soldier, but he had leprosy.
Naaman was a commander and valiant warrior of the Syrian Army, highly respected.
Imagine being highly respected and popular and then getting leprosy?
You would go from hero to zero in an instant!
In one moment, everyone is swooning on you, and the next moment, you are shunned!
Leprosy is often representative of Sin.
Once you have it (well actually you are born into sin) you can’t get rid of it, and it will eventually kill you. It’s a death sentence, just like leprosy!
Once you get leprosy (aka Sin), it’s hopeless for you. Leprosy brings death, Sin brings spiritual death (hell is known as the second death).
Once you get it (leprosy or sin), there’s nothing humanly possible that you can do! Game over!
Hint there is hope!
Notice that it says that the Lord had given Naaman the victory in Syria’s battles?
God still loved Naaman even though he was not an Israelite (aka a believer).
Romans 5:8 But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
1 Timothy 1:15 The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the foremost.
If God didn’t love sinners, how could we possibly get saved? Good thing He does love sinners!
So, right off the bat, we perhaps see that this “Naaman situation” was orchestrated by God.
Now, if you know God orchestrates some situations, and that God only wants good for us, this little note seems to tell us that God is orchestrating something special here, so take note!
Jeremiah 29:11 For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.
2 Now bands of raiders from Aram had gone out and had taken captive a young girl from Israel, and she served Naaman’s wife. 3 She said to her mistress, “If only my master would see the prophet who is in Samaria! He would cure him of his leprosy.”
Even though this Israelite girl was taken captive, she still was a woman of God and loved her enemies by sharing with them a possible solution to Naaman’s hopeless skin problem. Do you think that maybe God orchestrated this godly girl being taken by the Syrians? Maybe!
The girl sharing hope, is similar to sharing hope for the lost. If you find someone is lost, even if they are your enemy, would you hold back the plan of salvation from them? Hopefully not! Hopefully, you would overcome your bias and care enough to share the love of God, to friends and to enemies. You might win over your enemy and they might become your friend! Wouldn’t that be great! I’m not saying it’s not hard to do, but it’s the right thing to do. This girl was a godly enough woman to do the right thing and share the solution.
4 Naaman went to his master and told him what the girl from Israel had said. 5 “By all means, go,” the king of Aram replied. “I will send a letter to the king of Israel.” So Naaman left, taking with him ten talents of silver, six thousand shekels of gold and ten sets of clothing. 6 The letter that he took to the king of Israel read: “With this letter I am sending my servant Naaman to you so that you may cure him of his leprosy.”
If there’s no hope, what do you do? You would hope against all hope! You would be desperate, and you might be willing to try anything!
Surely, this sounded like a crazy impossible idea, but when you’re desperate you’ll try anything!
The King highly respected Naaman and said, “by all means go”, and even gave him tributes and a letter to give to the King of Israel.
Similarly, if someone is lost, and knows they are on the road to a devil’s hell, wouldn’t they seek out what it takes to be saved? Many lost souls are clueless to their lost state and have no idea that they even need to be saved. They think they have money but what will money buy when they stand before God and then realize that they are sinful and not clothed in righteousness?
Revelation 3:17 You say, ‘I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing.’ But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked.
7 As soon as the king of Israel read the letter, he tore his robes and said, “Am I God? Can I kill and bring back to life? Why does this fellow send someone to me to be cured of his leprosy? See how he is trying to pick a quarrel with me!”
8 When Elisha the man of God heard that the king of Israel had torn his robes, he sent him this message: “Why have you torn your robes? Have the man come to me and he will know that there is a prophet in Israel.”
The King of Israel didn’t know what to make of the King of Syria’s letter.
It’s weird how Kings of Israel were often not very spiritual.
Elisha the prophet told the King to have Naaman come to him - and he will know.
Elisha was about to open his eyes!
9 So Naaman went with his horses and chariots and stopped at the door of Elisha’s house. 10 Elisha sent a messenger to say to him, “Go, wash yourself seven times in the Jordan, and your flesh will be restored and you will be cleansed.”
11 But Naaman went away angry and said, “I thought that he would surely come out to me and stand and call on the name of the Lord his God, wave his hand over the spot and cure me of my leprosy. 12 Are not Abana and Pharpar, the rivers of Damascus, better than all the waters of Israel? Couldn’t I wash in them and be cleansed?” So he turned and went off in a rage.
Naaman had it in his mind how this healing should go and his expectations were subverted!
That’s not how it should go! Total Pride.
He expected it to be some hard thing or weird thing but just go wash in the Jordan?
Too easy, that can’t be right, this is not it, he must have thought!
The Jordan is an icky, nasty, muddy river, and Damascus rivers are nice and clean - it just doesn’t seem right!
Many times the lost has it in their mind how salvation should be. They think they have to do works or they have to get baptized, or have to take communion.
Salvation is so easy, you just have to turn from sin and put your trust in Jesus!
That seems too easy and it can’t be right, they think!
Are you not getting saved because trusting in Jesus is too easy that you think it must be something else so you reject Jesus for works or something besides belief in Jesus?
13 Naaman’s servants went to him and said, “My father, if the prophet had told you to do some great thing, would you not have done it? How much more, then, when he tells you, ‘Wash and be cleansed’!” 14 So he went down and dipped himself in the Jordan seven times, as the man of God had told him, and his flesh was restored and became clean like that of a young boy.
Naaman’s servants brought him to his senses and so he tried the remedy and it worked!
I hope each of you will also learn to trust in Jesus and not trust in your sinful self.
Isaiah 64:6 All of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags; we all shrivel up like a leaf, and like the wind our sins sweep us away.
Romans 3:10 As it is written: “There is no one righteous, not even one;
Romans 3:20-24 because by the works [a]of the Law none of mankind will be justified in His sight; for through the Law comes [d]knowledge of sin.
21 But now apart from the Law the righteousness of God has been revealed, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets, 22 but it is the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all those who believe; for there is no distinction, 23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 being justified as a gift by His grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus,...
Ephesians 2:8,9 For by grace you have been saved through faith; and [l]this is not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; 9 not a result of works, so that no one may boast.
15 Then Naaman and all his attendants went back to the man of God. He stood before him and said, “Now I know that there is no God in all the world except in Israel. So please accept a gift from your servant.”
16 The prophet answered, “As surely as the Lord lives, whom I serve, I will not accept a thing.” And even though Naaman urged him, he refused.
17 “If you will not,” said Naaman, “please let me, your servant, be given as much earth as a pair of mules can carry, for your servant will never again make burnt offerings and sacrifices to any other god but the Lord. 18 But may the Lord forgive your servant for this one thing: When my master enters the temple of Rimmon to bow down and he is leaning on my arm and I have to bow there also—when I bow down in the temple of Rimmon, may the Lord forgive your servant for this.”
19a “Go in peace,” Elisha said.
Naaman was healed, but not only that his eyes were opened to the truth of the one true God!
He could no longer worship false gods!
He wanted to give a gift to Elisha but Elisha would not take payment for God’s work (free gift)
Salvation is also a free gift that does not require payment! You just have to accept salvation.
The greatest gift anyone could ever give and if salvation could be bought would be worth more than all the money in the universe and yet it’s free!
What would you give in exchange for your soul? You couldn’t afford it, good thing it’s free!!!
Mark 8:35-37 For whosoever will save his life shall lose it; but whosoever shall lose his life for my sake and the gospel's, the same shall save it. 36 For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? 37 Or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?
MAY RUN OUT OF TIME SO THIS MIGHT BE THE TIME TO SKIP TO THE CONCLUSION…
19b After Naaman had traveled some distance, 20 Gehazi, the servant of Elisha the man of God, said to himself, “My master was too easy on Naaman, this Aramean, by not accepting from him what he brought. As surely as the Lord lives, I will run after him and get something from him.”
21 So Gehazi hurried after Naaman. When Naaman saw him running toward him, he got down from the chariot to meet him. “Is everything all right?” he asked.
22 “Everything is all right,” Gehazi answered. “My master sent me to say, ‘Two young men from the company of the prophets have just come to me from the hill country of Ephraim. Please give them a talent of silver and two sets of clothing.’”
23 “By all means, take two talents,” said Naaman. He urged Gehazi to accept them, and then tied up the two talents of silver in two bags, with two sets of clothing. He gave them to two of his servants, and they carried them ahead of Gehazi. 24 When Gehazi came to the hill, he took the things from the servants and put them away in the house. He sent the men away and they left.
25 When he went in and stood before his master, Elisha asked him, “Where have you been, Gehazi?”
“Your servant didn’t go anywhere,” Gehazi answered.
26 But Elisha said to him, “Was not my spirit with you when the man got down from his chariot to meet you? Is this the time to take money or to accept clothes—or olive groves and vineyards, or flocks and herds, or male and female slaves? 27 Naaman’s leprosy will cling to you and to your descendants forever.” Then Gehazi went from Elisha’s presence and his skin was leprous—it had become as white as snow.
Gehazi also went hero to zero by letting his greed get a hold of him.
Certainly, this sin was something he will regret forever.
This is a cautionary tale of Gehazi, if you’re a hero, don’t stumble in sin and become a zero.
Conclusion
(Maybe some of you are singing the Hero to Zero song from Disney’s Hercules?) :)
So Naaman was a hero who became a zero, but God not only restored him but opened His eyes and now he has a personal relationship with God. He was saved that day not only of his physical illness but of his spiritual illness as well.
Naaman, no longer a hero, had to rely on another Hero sent by God to save him.
We too must rely on another Hero to save us in Jesus.
Jesus our hero went to the cross and became a zero for us to take our place.
But then He rose from the dead, the only one who can, and went from zero to hero and so much more! He’s the only one who can save, there is no other. You can’t save yourself.
Gehazi, on the other hand, had it all but was still greedy. He went from hero to zero.
So the moral is, if you’re lost, God is seeking you right now and wants to save you and give you a better and blessed life!
1 Timothy 2:3,4 This is good, and pleases God our Savior, 4 who wants all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth.
Also, remember, it’s never hopeless. If you’ve sinned, God forgives, go to Him in prayer and ask forgiveness. Therefore, there is hope even for Gehazi…
Joel 2:12-14 “Even now,” declares the LORD, “return to me with all your heart, with fasting and weeping and mourning.”
13 Rend your heart and not your garments. Return to the LORD your God, for he is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love, and he relents from sending calamity.
14 Who knows? He may turn and relent and leave behind a blessing— grain offerings and drink offerings for the LORD your God.
Deuteronomy 4:29 But if from there you will seek the LORD your God, you will find Him if you seek Him with all your heart and with all your soul.
