The name of the message is a
leper made clean. A leper made clean. Here we have before us a man
named Nahum. He was a soldier. He was a soldier. He was the captain of the host
of the king of Syria. He was a man who was in charge
of a great multitude of men. He was a leper. He was a leper. Let's look at this wonderful
portion of Scripture and I pray that God the Holy Spirit would
illuminate it for us and teach us about Christ. It's a wonderful,
wonderful portion of Scripture. That we could see a picture of
how we are full of the leprosy of sin. Full of the leprosy of sin. That
we can be made clean and washed in the precious blood of the
Lord Jesus Christ. We will see God's mighty hand
of providence at work and how he moves, moves people
from one place to another. And he does it all according
to his purpose and all according to his will. And it's marvelous. It's marvelous. And all things
work out for good For those who love Christ Jesus, for those
who are called according to His purpose. 2 Kings 5, verse 1. Now, Naaman,
captain of the host of the king of Syria, was a great man with
his master. He was renowned. He was a great
man, and honorable. Because by him the Lord had given
him deliverance unto Syria. So the Lord in His providence
had given him great victories. He was also a mighty man in valor,
but he was a leper. He was a leper. Now, lepers were
shunned. People didn't want to go near
them. Just a contact with them and you'd get leprosy. Naaman was a great man, an honorable
man. He was a heathen, though, an
idolater. Yet the Lord had given him success,
as I said, and great victories, and he was the captain of the
host of the king of Syria. God had put him in that position. And remember that, too. God places
His people wherever He's pleased. A police officer is by the authority
of God. He puts people in authority,
whoever he chooses. God, and God by His providence
too, had made this man to prosper. He's a mighty man of valor, a
man of great courage, a warrior, a soldier. But despite all that he had accomplished,
he had this dreadful, loathsome disease called leprosy. which probably made Him a terror
to everyone who came near Him, as they might be infected by
just a touch. Now think of this, beloved. Sin, wherever it is, in humans
it reigns. Now leprosy, when it's come to
a fullness, infects the whole body. And sin infects our whole body,
from the top of our head to the bottom of our feet. Sin reigns in us. We fell in
Adam. So we're born into this world,
dead in trespasses and sins, and full of the leprosy of sin.
Leprosy is a picture of sin in Scripture. And we're full. And think of this. Sin strikes
rich and poor. It doesn't discriminate. It strikes rich and poor, young
and old, as we're born into this world with sin. We're all sinners. Turn, if you would, to Romans
3. Scripture declares this. Now, folks don't like it, but
Scripture declares it. That we're sinners. We're sinners. Look at Romans
3, verses 9-11. What then? Are we better than
they? Verse 9. What then? Are we better than
they? No, and no wise, for we have before proved both Jews
and Gentiles that they are all under sin. As it is written, there is none
righteous, no, not one. So everyone's under sin, rich,
old, poor. We're all born into this world
dead in trespasses and sins. And then it says, there's none
righteous. We do not have a righteousness that we can present to God that
makes us worthy to be in His presence, because we're sinners. And then it says, there's none
that understand it. This is why we pray that God
would open the ears and open the understanding of sinners
to see Christ. Because there's none that understand
it. And look, folks say that they're seeking Christ. There's
none that seek the death of God. But you will if the Lord makes
you willing. Oh, you run to Him. But in our natural state, born
into this world, there is none of us who seek God. None. Even if you don't think you're
a sinner, you're a sinner. And what does God do for those
of us who are saved? He reveals to us that we're sinners
in desperate need of Christ, and we run to Him. We run to
Him. Now, think of this with Nahum.
There's one commentator who said this, that there was not a slave
alive in Syria which would have exchanged his skin with Him,
because he was full of leprosy. And so here before us, we see
God's mighty hand of providence at work. He had granted Nahum
victories. He's a man of valor. Look at verse 2. And the Syrians
had gone out by companies and had bought away captives out
of the land of Israel, a little maid. And as she waited on Nahum's
wife, Look at this. Think on this, beloved God. We
see again the providence of God at work. Again, we see the providence
of God at work. The Lord had planned mercy for
Nahum. He'd planned mercy for Nahum. Now, he didn't know that,
did he? But by God's providence, look
at this, and the Syrians had gone out by companies and bought
away captive out of the land of Israel a little maid, and
she waited on Nahum's wife. By God's providence, the little
maid is bought from Israel into Nahum's home by God's providence,
not by chance. It's not by chance this happened.
She's by birth an Israelite. Oh, we see God moving. She's
by birth an Israelite. She's captured by a raiding party
into Israel and taken into Syria where she becomes a servant in
Nahum's household. God's moving. He's at work. And some commentators said she
may have even met the prophet Elijah, but our text doesn't
say that. But in her home in Israel, and
among her people, she would have been taught about the worship
of the one true God. And she would have known about
the prophet Elijah. She would have known about him. In homes in Israel, the children
were taught about the God of Israel. The covenant God. The
God of Israel. The one true God. To worship
Him, He was the God of their fathers. Look at verse 3. And she said unto her mistress,
Would God, my Lord, with the prophet that is in Samaria, for
he would recover him of his leprosy. Would God, my Lord, were with
the prophet that is in Samaria, he would recover him of his leprosy.
This little maid was waiting upon Nahum's wife at a certain
time. Maybe when she was in distress
about her husband. We don't know. Maybe she's mournful
about the state of her husband. It's desperate. It's incurable,
isn't it? Leprosy was a killer. Once you got it, it was over. It eventually just ate your body
away. Sin kills us, doesn't it? And we're infected. But this
little maid, this little maid testifies that the great God
of Israel, the great God of Israel and his prophet Elijah, She probably had heard of the
miracles wrought by Elijah. And she testifies, though, that
God could cure Nahum of his leprosy if he chooses to do that. Now, think of this. She was in
Israel. She's captured. She's brought
to Nahum's home. She's now telling his wife about
the God, the prophet, that he could go to to be cured, that
God could cure Nahum's leprosy. We see God's providence at work
in this little maid, taken from her home to the home of Nahum,
that she might tell him this. What a picture of a believer
testifying of the one who can take away the sin, the leprosy
of all our sin. The Lord Jesus Christ in him
alone. He's the only one who can cure us from our leprosy
of sin. And as I said, leprosy in the
Bible is a picture of sin. But there's one, the Lord Jesus
Christ, who can cleanse, who can cleanse you from all your
sins. all your sins in the fountain of His precious
blood. Look at verse 4, in 5 and 6,
but verse 4, And one went in and told his lord, saying, Thus
and thus said the maid that is in the land of Israel. One probably
went in, a servant probably went in and told Nahum what this little
maid had said. Look at verse 5 and 6. And the king of Syria
said, so Nahum goes to the king and asks him permission probably
if he could go. 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 remnant. And he bought
the letter to the king of Israel, saying, Now when this letter
has come unto thee, behold, I have therewith sent Naaman my servant
to thee, that thou mayest recover him of his leprosy. So our text
tells us here that he departed, right? And he took some items
with him. He took some items with him.
Now people today, and all through the ages, Think that
they can buy their way into heaven by something they do or something
that they give. They try to gain merit and favor
with God by things, whether it be some work, whether it be walking an aisle,
whether it be praying a prayer, whether it be reading Scripture
for a certain amount of time, Whether it be praying for a certain
amount of time, now we should pray, shouldn't we? We should.
But always remember this. I don't have to pray, I get to
pray. I don't have to read my Bible,
I get to read my Bible. You see, it's a blessing. It's
a blessing. We don't do it to gain merit
and favor with God, we do it because we get to. We get to
read about our wonderful Savior. Our King. Oh, what a glorious
one He is. So when nothing we do can gain
us merit and favor with God, can gain us, remember, there's
none righteous. None. God's Word says that we
are only saved by grace through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.
Turn, if you would, to Ephesians chapter 2. We are only saved
by grace through faith in Christ. Outside of Christ, there is absolutely
no salvation. None at all. None at all. Only in Christ. It's only in
Him. And think of this, Nahum goes
forth with silver and gold, and he also has a letter from the
king of Syria. He's bringing all these things. But Scripture declares in Ephesians
2, verses 8 and 9, For by grace are you saved through faith,
and that not of yourselves. It is the gift of God, not of
works, lest any man should boast. It's a gift. Remember today on
Sunday school we looked and we saw that we who believe are vessels
of mercy. If you're here and you're a believer,
you've obtained mercy. Mercy. So here's Naomi's taking
gold and silver and remnant and a letter from the king to be
given to the king of Israel, right? What a picture of a natural
man who thinks that he can gain deliverance from his sin by his
works or by going through another human being. We must come to Christ empty-handed. Absolutely empty-handed. Empty-handed. Praying a prayer won't save us.
We saw baptism today, Brother Charlie. Baptism doesn't save.
It's a wonderful ordinance. Church membership doesn't save.
Shaking a preacher's hand doesn't save you. After you've prayed
a prayer, only the Lord Jesus Christ and Him alone saves. No
one else. Neither is there salvation in
any other. For there is none other name under heaven given
among men whereby we must be saved. Salvation in no other
but Christ. Only the Lord Jesus Christ can
save a sinner from their sins. Only the Lord Jesus Christ can
make a leper clean. Turn, if you would, to Galatians
chapter 4. God, in His providence, sent
His Son to redeem us who were under the
law. Galatians 4, verses 4-6. But when the fullness of time
was come, God sent forth His Son, made of a woman, made under
the law, to redeem us, to purchase us with His own precious blood. that we're under the law, that
we might receive the adoption of sons. And because you're sons,
because you're God's people, right? It's not because you walked
an aisle. It's not because someone prayed
a prayer. And because you're sons, God has sent forth the
Spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying, I have a Father. born again by the Holy Spirit
of God. And we cry out to Christ. We
flee to Christ. Now, do we pray? Absolutely. Absolutely. But there's enough
sin in one of my prayers to condemn me to hell. The only one who saves my soul
and those of us who believe is the Lord Jesus Christ and Him
alone by the shedding of His precious blood. Abba, Father. Abba, Father. All that a sinner
needs is found in Christ. All that a sinner needs. Look
back to our text in verse 7. Now here Nahum goes to the wrong
king. 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 this man? Thou send
me to recover a man of his leprosy? Wherefore, consider, I pray you,
and see how he seeketh a quarrel against me. The man went to the
wrong person. Who had the little maid told
him to go to? Elijah, who pictures Christ. But he goes to the king of Israel
instead. Look at verse 3 again. And she
said unto her mistress, Would God, my Lord, wherewith the prophet
that is in Samaria? For he would recover him of his
leprosy. She told him to go to Elijah. But he goes to the king
of Israel instead. Elijah is a picture of Christ.
Christ is king. He's king. Nahum went to the
wrong king. Because there's only salvation
in Christ. There's salvation in no other
Only in Christ. Christ is the only one who can
cleanse you from your sins. Millions of people go to Mary.
She can't do anything. Millions of people go to Buddha.
He can't do anything. They're dead in the grave. Many people go to a priest. He
can't do anything. Many people look to preachers.
True preachers point you to the one who can do it all. Christ. Don't look to me. Look to Him.
Look to Christ. There is only salvation in Jesus
Christ our Lord and in no other. And this is why, beloved, this
is why it's absolutely vital that we preach Christ and Him
crucified. That every time a man gets in this pulpit, that he
preaches Christ. It's vital. Salvation is of the Lord. It's
in Christ and nowhere else. Salvation finds its origin in
Christ long ago in eternity. God chose a people in Christ.
Salvation is executed in Christ alone. He is the one who redeems
his people from their sins. God's justice is appeased. His
law is satisfied in the place of his people in Christ. Salvation finds its sustaining
power in Christ. And only in Him. Those He saves,
He keeps until the end. Even if they get Alzheimer's
or dementia. He keeps them. Because our salvation is in Him.
It's in Christ. In Him alone. Oh, what a great King. Salvation
finds its perfection in Christ. God's people will one day be
glorified and without sin and we shall be in the presence of
Christ. And it's all because of Him.
It's all because of what He's done. We look outside of ourselves
and we look to Christ. Oh, that God would give you eyes
to see and ears to hear. Oh, that He would open up your
understanding if you don't know Him. Oh, that you'd flee to Christ
for salvation, for the salvation of this, your eternal soul. Every
one of us here has an eternal soul. Every one of us. One day we're
going to shed this case, this body. Oh, every one of us have an eternal
soul. Those who trust in Christ go
to heaven, and those who trust in themselves will go to hell. It's very humbling to think that
I deserve to go to hell, but I've attained mercy. And that's what God's people
have. We've obtained mercy. Mercy. We do not get what we
deserve. The Lord Jesus Christ said this,
I am the way, the truth, and the life. No man cometh unto
the Father but by me. Anyone who trusts in their church
to save them, or their supposed keeping of the law, or their
doing things, or their little checklist, will, without trust
in Christ, trusting in those things instead of trusting in
Christ, will perish in their sins. Now think of this. If Nahum had
went back to Syria, he would have remained a leper. He never
would have been healed. Never would have been healed. But what a picture we have here
of God's grace going before us. By God's providence, look at
verse 8, Elijah heard that the king of Israel had rent his clothes
and he sent for Naam. I believe in fetching grace. Fetching grace. God goes and
fetches his people. by the Holy Spirit, and they're
drawn to Christ. And it was so, verse 8, when
Elijah, the man of God, 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. Let him come now to
me. The Lord says, Come, all ye who
are weary and are heavy laden. So, Elijah tells Nahum to come
to him. He shall know that there is a
prophet in Israel. Look at verse 9. So Nahum came
with his horses and his chariot and stood at the door of the
house of Elijah. Nahum comes with gifts in his hand, elegant
clothing to cover his leprosy. Robert Hawker says this, behold
in this man an emblem of the coming of every awakened sinner. He comes to purchase his salvation.
He comes in his best robes, his best chariot, his gifts to hide
his sinful soul. Alas, all these must be put off,
and the sinner come down from all high flights of fancy goodness."
Ask a person if they're a sinner, and they'll tell you, I'm a good
person. It's hard to find sinners nowadays. And he finishes this with, before
a cure can be obtained for the leprosy, of his soul. He must come down from all his
fancy goodness before a cure can be obtained for the leprosy
of his soul. And so it must be for us. We
must be bought to know what our sin is. To know that we've sinned
before a holy and righteous God. And God reveals to us our sinful
states. Look at verse 10, And Elijah
sent a messenger unto him, saying, Go and wash in the Jordan seven
times, and thy flesh shall come again to thee, and thou shalt
be clean. Elijah didn't come out. He didn't come out to him. But
he sent a messenger unto him, saying, Go and wash in the Jordan
seven times. and thy flesh shall come again
to thee, and thou shalt be clean. God's preachers are messengers
sent by the prophet, the Lord Jesus Christ. We're messengers. That's all
we are. We're heralding the good news
of salvation in Christ in Him alone. God's preachers are messengers
sent by the prophet, the Lord Jesus Christ, to proclaim salvation
by the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ in Him alone. The prophet
tells the messenger what to say to Nahum. Grace preachers, God's
people will tell you what they know. They'll tell you what God's shown
us in Scripture. That salvation is only in Christ,
and we're to look to Him. But look what our Scripture says
in verse 11 and 12. But Nahum was wroth, and went away, and
said, Behold, I thought he would surely come out to me. He's madder
than a wet hornet. He's ticked right off. And stand, and call on the name
of the Lord his God, and strike his hand over the place, and
recover the leper. Are not Abdonah, And Farpar,
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." Nahum got mad when he was told
to go and dip himself seven times in the Jordan. So many react the same way when
they hear the preaching of the free grace of God in Christ and
the simplicity of trusting in Christ. They say, surely, if I do this,
or if I do that, then God will accept me. Surely, there's something I have
to do. No, look to Christ. Look to Christ. Nahum expected the prophet to
come out and make some big deal about him being there. Brother
Henry Mahan says this about this. When Nahum finally came to the
prophet of God, he came with the wrong attitude. The wrong
attitude. See him stand proudly outside
the humble dwelling of Elijah. He wanted to be treated as a
great man who happened to have leprosy, when in reality he was
only a leper who happened to be a great man. Elijah knew his pride and arrogance
and would not come out to meet him, but instructed him to strip
off his earthly garb of glory and wash in the muddy Jordan
seven times. How degrading this appeared to
Nahum. Now, folks are always wanting
recognition for what they do. Folks in religion, they always
want recognition, and folks in general want recognition for
what they do. They don't think they're sinners, they think they're
good people. Well, good people go to hell.
God saves sinners. God saves sinners. Look at verse 13. And the servants came near and
spake unto him and said, My father, if the prophet had bid thee to
do some great thing, wouldest thou not have done it? How much
rather then when he sayeth to thee, Wash, and be clean? Now
they call Nahum my father. It's a term of honor and reverence
and submission. Because he was their master.
And think of this here. People think that there's many
ways of salvation, but scripture declares there's only one. Only
one. And almost all things are by
the law purged with blood, and without the shedding of blood,
there's no remission. Now, him going under that water pictures
us in the fountain of the blood of Christ. And we're going to
see that. But man despised the only remedy
for sin. They despise it. And they seek
to do anything else but to flee to Christ, and it's to their
eternal doom. I tell you, nay, but except you
repent, you shall all likewise perish. We must, we repent, we
place our faith in Christ and repent. And faith and repentance
is like a piece of paper here. You don't have one without the
other. It's like a piece of paper, one side faith, one side repentance,
and they're both gifts from God. Oh, what a great king we have
here before us. The Lord Jesus Christ. But so many react in
this way. Man will go to great lengths
to work salvation, and in the end they perish. Tell a man to
make a decision, or pray a prayer or do something to be saved,
and they'll do it. But tell a man that salvation
is only in Christ Jesus our Lord, and they'll run, they'll flee,
unless God makes you willing. Turn, if you would, to Isaiah
chapter 55. You see, our thoughts on salvation, our thoughts on
how to be saved, are not God's thoughts. Our ways of thinking how to be
saved are not God's ways. He is so far above us. He's God. Remember? Particles of His creation. Particles. Look at Isaiah 55, verses 9-11. Man's thoughts on salvation are
not God's way. And salvation is only in the
Lord Jesus Christ. Look at this in Isaiah 55, 9.
For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways
higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.
See, so many people bring God down to being like you and I,
and He's not. He's not. And think of this. This God became a man, the man
Christ Jesus, and died on the cross for his people. For as
the rain cometh down, and the snow from heaven, and returneth
not thither, but watereth the earth, and maketh it bring forth
and bud, that it may give seed to the sower, and bread to the
eater. So shall my word be that go forth out of my mouth. It
shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that
which, what? I please. God's Word goes forth
with power, and it accomplishes whatever He pleases it to do. For some He saves, and for some
He hardens. But remember, too. Remember this. If you go to hell, it's all you.
Brother Henry said this years ago, and it just stuck with me. If you go to hell, it's all you.
But if you go to heaven, it's all God. It's 100% God. It's all because we're responsible
for our sins. Fully responsible. So shall my
word be that goeth forth out of my mouth. It shall not return
unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please. And it shall
prosper in the thing whereunto I sent it. Oh, if God makes you
willing, You flee to Christ. You flee to Christ. And then,
you know what? You never stop coming. You never
stop coming. You just continuously come to
Him in faith and repentance. Repentance is not a one-time
thing. Oh, we're constantly saying, God, be merciful to me. I am.
I'm always saying, oh, Lord, I'm such a sinner. Please forgive
me. He's such a great God. But we
continuously flee to Him. Mark also how God in this providence
had sent the servants to cool down Nahum. To cool down his rage and listen
to reason. Think of this, who was it who
first told you of the Lord Jesus Christ? Who preached to you to
seek the Almighty Prophet in Israel? The Lord Jesus Christ, the only
one who could cure us of the leprosy of our sin. Which of us in the past have
not recoiled like Nahum? I remember I did. At the message of God's free
grace in Christ. We come to Christ before we're
saved in our self-righteousness. in the robes of our works. And God's Word thunders this,
not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according
to His mercy He saved us by the washing of the regeneration and
renewing of the Holy Ghost, which He shed on us abundantly through
Jesus Christ our Savior, that being justified by His grace,
we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.
Not by works of righteousness which we have done, Mercy. Mercy. Look at verse 14. Nahum's being
humbled. And when the Lord Jesus Christ,
and think of this, who but the Lord could humble this mighty
Syrian, this haughty Syrian, to listen to the prophet? Only God can do this wondrous
work. Only God the Holy Spirit can bring us down. And He does
it as He's drawn us to Christ, right? Look at this in verse
14. Then when He down and dipped
Himself seven times in the Jordan, according to the saying of the
man of God, and His flesh came out again like unto the flesh
of a little child, and He was clean. He went in full of leprosy. He went down under six times
a leper. He came out the seventh clean. Clean. And He was clean. What a picture of a believer
coming to Christ and being made just cleansed clean from all
their sins in the fountain of His precious blood. Oh, plunged in the fountain of
the blood of Christ. Turn, if you would, to Isaiah
1, verse 18. And it says, "...like unto the
flesh of a little child." Right? In our text. "...like unto the
flesh of a little child, and he was clean." Fresh, pure, free
from leprosy. Free from it. Or the mark of the disease. Sometimes
we have scars after things happen to us, right? Clean. Made whiter
than snow. What a picture of a sinner plunged
in the fountain of the blood of Christ. Those who are black
with sin are made whiter than snow. Look at Isaiah 1.18. Come now and let us reason together,
saith the Lord. Though your sins be as scarlet,
double dye red. Scarlet. Black with sin. And we can't, deeper than the
stain is gone, right? The blood of Christ goes. We
can't take the stain out. They shall be white as snow.
Though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool. When the Lord Jesus Christ died
on the cross, He died in the room instead of sinners. Turn,
if you would, to Matthew chapter 9. Oh, that God would show you
your need for Christ. He didn't come to save those
who are whole. Matthew 9. He saves sinners. He saves sinners. Matthew 9,
verses 10-13. I love this portion of Scripture.
And it came to pass, as Jesus sat at meat in the house, behold,
many publicans and sinners came and sat down with Him and His
disciples." Aren't you thankful that it says, many publicans
and sinners? That's us, beloved. Matthew 9,
verse 10. And then verse 11. And when the
Pharisees saw it, now these are the religious folks, right? They're
going to get all bent out of shape. They said unto His disciples,
Why eateth your Master with publicans and sinners? They all have nothing
to do with Him, right? But Christ Jesus our Lord, He
came to save sinners. Sinners. But when Jesus heard
that, He said unto them, They that behold need not a physician.
They that think they're good need not a physician, but they
are sick. Are you sick with sin? Christ
is the mighty Savior. He is the mighty Savior. But go ye and learn what that
meaneth. I will have mercy and not sacrifice, for I have come
not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance. Oh, what
a mighty God. There is a fountain, and remember,
man went down in the water, right? There is a fountain filled with
blood drawn from Emmanuel's veins, and sinners plunge beneath that
flood, lose all their guilty stains, lose all their guilty
stains, and sinners plunge beneath that flood, The blood of Christ
lose all their guilty stains. Turn, if you would, on Matthew
8, one chapter over from where we were. Oh, we come lepers before Christ,
infected with the leprosy of sin. And look at this wonderful portion,
Matthew 8, verses 1-3. When He was come down from the
mountain, great multitudes followed Him. And behold, there came a
leper and worshipped him, saying, Lord, if Thou wilt, Thou can
make me clean." Is this not a picture of a sinner coming to Christ?
Lord, if Thou wilt. If Thou wilt. Thou can make me clean. And Jesus put forth His hand
and touched him, saying, I will. This is God incarnated in the
flesh. And he says, I will. Every one of us that come to
God are like this leper. And he says, I will. I will be thou clean. And what happens? And immediately
the leprosy His leprosy was cleansed. What a picture of the cleansing
power of the blood of Jesus Christ. Oh, sinners full of leprosy are made
clean by the precious blood of Christ. Let's go back to our
text in 2 Kings 5 and we'll close with this verse. Sinners full
of leprosy are made clean by the precious blood of the Lamb
of God, the Lord Jesus Christ. And our hope is that God would
grant you faith. You who do not know Christ, that
God would grant you faith to believe. To believe on Him. He is the only one who can save
us from our sins. No one else. And look here, we see a picture
of a grateful, pardoned sinner. A picture of a grateful, pardoned
sinner. And he returned to the man of
God, he and all his company, and came and stood before him
and said, Behold, now I know that there is no God in all the
earth but in Israel. He was a heathen. Oh, this is wonderful. 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. What
a picture of a grateful, pardoned sinner. Behold, I know. that there is no God in all the
earth but in Israel. Do you know this God? Oh, I pray
that He'd reveal Himself to you if you don't. We who know Him
are so grateful, so thankful, and we praise His mighty name
for all that He's done for us. So what a picture we've seen
here of God saving a sinner. God saving a sinner. God in His
providence has someone tell the sinner about Christ. And we preach the gospel of God's
free grace and pray that God would make it effectual. Nahum
was humbled. God made him willing. God makes those of us who are
sinners willing to flee to Christ. And just as Nahum was cleansed
from his leprosy, we are cleansed in the precious blood of Christ.
And then we continuously look to Him. And then we also say,
Behold, now I know that there is no God on all the earth but
in Israel. This is not our cry. Do we not
just give Him all the glory and all the honor and all the praise
after He's revealed Himself to us? And then, beloved, it just
gets more and more and more marvelous as we grow and get closer to
being with our Lord. What a wonderful time that will
be. What a wonderful day that will be when we see our Savior.
A lot of folks say, well, when I get to heaven, I can't wait
to see such... When we see our Savior. It'll be amazing. It'll be incredible. Praise and glory goes to His
name.