July 12th 2020 Sermon Notes

Speaker:Rev Elvis Goodman
Theme: Try it one more time
Text: 2 Kings 5: 1-3 and 14

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 a leper. 2 And the Syrians had gone out on raids, and had brought back captive a young girl from the land of Israel. She waited on Naaman’s wife. 3 Then she said to her mistress, “If only my master were with the prophet who is in Samaria! For he would heal him of his leprosy.”
14 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.

There are so many things in our life that we need to try one more time.

Something you go through life and get disappointments. Life never goes the way we want it all the time and it was like that for Naaman. He was a great man he was a 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 a leper.

Leprosy was a terrible disease in those days.

King Uzziah was struck with leprosy for disobeying God (2 Kings 15:5, 2 Chronicles 26:19-21).

Miriam got it as well.
Numbers 12:9 - 12
9The anger of the Lord burned against them, and he left them.
10 When the cloud lifted from above the tent, Miriam’s skin was leprous - it became as white as snow. Aaron turned toward her and saw that she had a defiling skin disease, 11 and he said to Moses, “Please, my lord, I ask you not to hold against us the sin we have so foolishly committed. 12 Do not let her be like a stillborn infant coming from its mother’s womb with its flesh half eaten away.”

Naaman thought the king would heal him.
5 Then the king of Syria said, “Go now, and I will send a letter to the king of Israel.”
So he departed and took with him ten talents of silver, six thousand shekels of gold, and ten changes of clothing. 6 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.
7 And it happened, when the king of Israel read the letter, that he tore his clothes and said, “Am I God, to kill and make alive, that this man sends a man to me to heal him of his leprosy? Therefore please consider, and see how he seeks a quarrel with me.”

God is still willing to give us favour and Healing even during a Covid pandemic.

Naaman had to keep pressing in even through the king rejected him. He had to try it one more time.

God will get the word out there to the right person.
8 So it was, when Elisha the man of God heard that the king of Israel had torn 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.”

So Naaman tried one more time
9 Then Naaman went with his horses and chariot, and he stood at the door of Elisha’s house.

But the prophet did not even come out to see him
10 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.”

Naaman was not happy
11But 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.’

Naaman has an attitude but he persisted. He tried one more time.
14 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.

After the first dip he checked but the leprosy was still there but he tries one more time.
Seven dips and then he was restored like the flesh of a little child, and he was clean.

Seek and persist, persevere after your dreams. Keep on despite the obstacles.
Don’t stop, persist in your prayers keep pressing in until something happens.
Don’t give up keep trying one more time. Be a good finisher, get up and go after your dream. Try it one more time.
Victory is around the corner just keep persisting you will get the breakthrough

Covid may have shut down the world but God is still working.

We have to try and make the effort to restore that broken relationship

Let us display love and unity.