Naaman The Syrian
I wish to call your attention to one who was a great man in his own
country, and very honorable; one whom the king delighted to honor.
He stood high in position; he was captain of the host of the King of
Syria; but he was a leper, and that threw a blight over his whole
life. As Bishop Hall quaintly puts it, "The meanest slave in Syria
would not have changed skins with him."
Now you cannot have a better type of a sinner than Naaman was. I
don't care who or what he is, or what position he holds--all men
alike have sinned, and all have to bear the same burden of death.
"All have sinned, and come short of the glory of God." All men must
stand in judgment before God. What a gloom that throws over our
whole life!
"But he was a leper." There was
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Drawn Nearer To God
I believe that many a time trouble and sorrow are permitted to come to us that we may see the face of God, and be shut up to trust in Him alone. But Abram went down into Egypt, and there he got into trouble by denying his wife. That is the blackest ... For Twenty-five Years
Abraham had been in the Promised Land without the promised heir. God had promised that He would bless all the nations of the earth through him, and yet He did not give him a son. Abraham's faith almost staggered a number of times. Ishmael was born, ... God Honored Her Faith
"What do you say? A prophet in Israel that can cure leprosy?" "Yes." "Why, did you ever know any one that was cured?" "No." "Well, then, what makes you think there is a prophet that can cure leprosy?" "Oh, that isn't anything to what El... He Came Half-way
and stayed there--we do not know just how long, but probably about five years. Now, I believe that there are a great many Christians who are what might be called Haran Christians. They go to Haran, and there they stay. They only half obey. They a... He Thought The Lord Had Made A Mistake
that he was not the man. He said, "Who am I?" He was very small in his own estimation. Forty years before he had started out as a good many others have started. He thought he was pretty well equipped for service. He had been in the schools of the Eg... He Would Not Give Up One Darling Sin
The longer I preach, the more I am convinced that that is what keeps men out of the kingdom of God. John knew about Herod's private life, and warned him plainly. If those compromising Christians of whom I have spoken had been near John, one of th... Herod And John The Baptist
If some one had told me a few years ago that he thought Herod at one time came near the kingdom of God, I should have been inclined to doubt it. I would have said, "I do not believe that the bloodthirsty wretch who took the life of John the Baptis... How Many Would Buy Salvation!
But, thank God, it is not in the market for sale. You must buy it at God's price, and that is "without money and without price." Naaman found that out. My dear friends, did you ever ask yourselves which is the worse--the leprosy of sin, or the le... How Prophetic That Answer Was
when Abraham turned and said to the son, "God will provide Himself a sacrifice?" I don't know that Abraham understood the full meaning of it, but a few hundred years after God did provide a sacrifice right there. Mount Moriah and Mount Calvary are c... I Know
There is no hesitation about it, no qualifying the expression. Naaman doesn't now say, "I think"; no, he says, "I know there is a God who has power to cleanse the leprosy." Then there is another thought. Naaman left only one thing in Samaria, and... In The Very Act Of Obedience
he was blessed. Look at those ten New Testament lepers who came to Christ. He said to them: "Go show yourselves to the priests." "Well," they might have said, "what good is that going to do us? Here we are all full of leprosy, and if we go and ... Joy Among The Saints In Heaven
Once, as I was walking down the street, I heard some people laughing and talking aloud. One of them said: "Well, there will be no difference, it will be all the same a hundred years hence." The thought flashed across my mind, "Will there be no ... Justifying Christ
The next thing, he justifies Christ: "This Man hath done nothing amiss." When men are talking against Christ, they are a great way from becoming Christians. Now he says, "He hath done nothing amiss." There was the world mocking him; but in the mi... Keep Away From Christ
because they are looking for the experience of some dear friend or relative. They should not judge of their conversion by the experiences of others. They have heard some one tell how he was converted twenty years ago, and they expect to be converted... Lifted The Curtain Of Time
for Abraham. He looked down into the future, saw God's Son coming up Calvary, bearing his sins and the sins of all posterity. God gave him that secret, and told him how His Son was to come into the world and take away his sins. Now, my friends, n... Loved His Country
I like to see a patriotic man. He began to inquire about his people and about the city that was very near to his heart, Jerusalem. He had never seen the city. He had no relations back there in Jerusalem that he knew of. Nehemiah was not a Jewish pri... Many Josephs Today
men of position, of whom it could be said they are secret disciples. Such would probably say to-day, "I do not need to take my stand on Christ's side. What more do I need? I have everything." We read that he was a rich and honorable councillor, a ju... Mayor Of Sodom
He was getting on amazingly well; wonderfully prosperous. But by and by there comes a war. If you go into Sodom, you must take Sodom's judgment when it comes, for it is bound to come. The battle turned against those five cities of the plain and th... Naaman The Syrian
I wish to call your attention to one who was a great man in his own country, and very honorable; one whom the king delighted to honor. He stood high in position; he was captain of the host of the King of Syria; but he was a leper, and that threw a... Needed Bolstering Up
But his covetous eye looked upon the well-watered plains of the valley of the Jordan that reached out towards Sodom, and he chose them. He was influenced by what he saw, He walked by sight, instead of by faith. I think that is where a great many Chr... Never Have Heard Of
either of them if they had not done this. They stooped to conquer; and when you get ready to stoop God will bless you. Plato, Socrates, and other Greek philosophers lived in the same century as Nehemiah. How few have heard of them and read their wor... No Crown Without A Cross
We must take our proper position here, as Joseph did. It cost him something to take up his cross. I have no doubt they put him out of the council and out of the synagogue. He lost his standing, and perhaps his wealth: like other faithful followers o... No Eight-hour Working Day
then; they were on duty from the rising of the morning till the stars appeared. They did not take off their clothes except to wash them. Fancy, this man who came from the Persian court with all its luxury, living and sleeping in his clothes for thos... No Name In History
so well known as the name of Abram. Even Christ is not more widely known, for the Mohammedans, the Persians, and the Egyptians make a great deal of Abram. His name has been for centuries and centuries favorably known in Damascus. God promised him th... No Physician
who could help him in Syria. None of the eminent doctors in Damascus could do him any good. If he was to get rid of the leprosy, the power must come from on high. It must be some one unknown to Naaman, for he did not know God. But I will tell you... No Voice For The Son Of God
Dear friend, if He is your Savior, confess Him. Every follower of Jesus should bear testimony for Him. How many opportunities each one has in society and in business to speak a word for Jesus Christ! How many opportunities occur daily wherein every ... Not A Myth But A Person
"He came to His own, and His own received Him not. But as many as received Him, to them gave He power to become the sons and daughters of God." That is the way you get the power. Naaman goes down to the river and takes the first dip. As he comes ... Not Able To Sleep Much
that night; he kept thinking of what he had heard. When the Holy Ghost is dealing with a man's conscience, very often sleep departs from him. Herod cannot get this wilderness preacher and his message out of his mind. The truth had reached his soul; ... Not An Orator
My friends, we have too many orators. I am tired and sick of your "silver-tongued orators." I used to mourn because I couldn't be an orator. I thought, Oh, if I could only have the gift of speech like some men! I have heard men with a smooth flow of... One Of The Sublimest Grandest Acts
that any man ever did. In that darkness and gloom, His disciples having all forsaken Him; Judas having sold Him for thirty pieces of silver; the chief apostle Peter having denied Him with a curse, swearing that he never knew Him; the chief priests h... One Text:
"Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand." Day after day you could hear his voice ringing through the valley of the Jordan: "Repent! repent! repent! The King is at the door. I do not know the day or the hour, but He will be here very soon." ... Open-air Meeting
for the reading of the law of Moses in the hearing of the people. A pulpit of wood, large enough to hold Ezra the Scribe and thirteen others, was built. The people wept when they heard the words of the law, but Nehemiah said: "Mourn not, nor weep... Reviling
The first thing we read, then, of this man is that he was a reviler of Christ. You would think that he would be doing something else at such a time as that; but hanging there in the midst of torture, and certain to be dead in a few hours, instead... Ridicule
is a mighty weapon. "What do these feeble Jews?" said Sanballat. "Will they fortify themselves? Will they sacrifice? Will they make an end in a day? Will they revive the stones out of the heaps of the rubbish which are burned?" "Even that whic... Salvation Is Distinct And Separate From Works
Some people tell us we have to work to be saved. What has the man who believes that to say about the salvation of this thief? How could he work, when he was nailed to the cross? He took the Lord at His word, and believed. It is with the heart men ... Salvation Is Separate And Distinct From All Ordinances
--not but that ordinances are right in their place. Many people think it is impossible for any one to get into the kingdom of God if he is not baptized into it. I know people who were greatly exercised because little children died unbaptized. I ha...