2 Kings 5:1,14 (NKJV) Now Naaman, commander of the army of the king of Syria, was a great and honourable man in the eyes of his master, because by him the Lord had given victory to Syria. He was also a mighty man of valour, but a leper…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.
What do you do when faced with a challenge in life? Different people respond differently. It is easy to give up, get offended with God, and walk away from Him. However, that is not what a true believer should do.
We all need to respond in faith and take time to discern whether it is a trial, test, or tribulation. If it is a trial, having faith in God will grant us the grace and strength to endure while our character is being pruned. If it is a test, we also need faith in order to pass the test by offering to God what is dearest to our hearts, which may have become our idol. Lastly, if we are faced with a tribulation caused by the evil one, we also need to trust in God’s faithfulness. While others can support us by encouraging us on our journey, ultimately, no one can walk this faith walk except ourselves in Christ.
Naaman was a commander in the Syrian army, not an Israelite but a Gentile. He was known to be a great and honourable man. He did not know the God of Israel, nor did he have a covenant with Him. He was suffering from leprosy despite his status and wealth. His flesh was slowly rotting and falling away, and he was living without hope because, unlike today, there was no cure for leprosy. All that was left for Naaman was a slow death.
It was God’s mercy, grace, and impartiality towards men that healed Naaman. After experiencing miraculous healing, Naaman came to know the most powerful God whom he wanted to worship. God gave him a new lease of life when Naaman chose to surrender himself to God’s way of healing and to believe in the God of Israel.
Naaman represents many of us today. Before being born again, we were also living a life without God and hope in this world, despite having everything in life, such as achievements, status, wealth and power. Instead of leprosy, our problem is one that would lead all of us to eternal damnation—sin. Praise be to God that as Christians, we have been justified and made righteous through faith in Jesus’ work of atonement and redemption. We become righteous when we believe in our hearts and confess with our mouths that Jesus is our Lord and Saviour (Romans 10:9). We, who are Gentiles like Naaman, are included in God’s plan, though He chose the people of Israel as His covenant people to bring forth the Messiah. Therefore, we can approach God for help in any area of our lives, just as Naaman did.
Sermon Series：We Need to Have Simple Faith
从绝望到盼望
列王纪下 5:1,14 “亚兰王的元帅乃缦，在他主人面前为尊为大，因为耶和华曾藉着他使亚兰人得胜。他又是大能的勇士，只是长了大痲疯……于是乃缦下去，照着神人所说的话，在约旦河里沐浴七回，他的肉复原，好像小孩子的肉，他就洁净了。”
当我们在人生中面对挑战时，你会怎么做呢？不同的人会有不同的反应。我们很容易选择放弃，对神心生怨言，甚至远离祂。然而，这并不是一个真正信徒该有的回应。
我们都需要以信心来回应，并花时间分辨眼前的处境是“试炼”、“考验”还是“患难”。如果是试炼，我们需要凭信心倚靠神，祂会赐下恩典和力量，让我们在品格被修剪的过程中仍能坚持到底。如果是考验，我们同样需要信心来顺服神，愿意将心中最宝贵、最容易成为偶像的事物献上，借此通过考验。而若是出于恶者的患难，我们也要坚定地信靠神的信实。虽然他人可以在路上鼓励和支持我们，但最终，这条信心之路，唯有我们自己能在基督里走完。
乃缦是亚兰王的元帅，他不是以色列人，而是一位外邦人。他是一位伟大又受尊敬的人，然而他并不认识以色列的神，也没有与神立约。尽管他有地位和财富，却身患麻风病，皮肉逐渐腐烂脱落，生命陷入无望之中。因为在当时，麻风病是无法治愈的，他只能等待一个漫长而痛苦的死亡。
然而，神的怜悯、恩典与对众人的不偏待，临到了乃缦。神奇地医治了他，使他经历了超自然的医治大能。从那一刻起，乃缦认识了这位至高无上的真神，并渴望单单敬拜祂。当乃缦选择顺服神的医治方式，并信靠以色列的神时，他的生命就被更新，得到了新的开始。
乃缦的故事正代表着今天的我们。重生得救以前，我们的生命中也没有神、没有盼望。纵使我们拥有成就、地位、财富与能力，却仍然活在灵里的绝望之中。虽然我们没有麻风病，但我们的“问题”却更加严重——那就是罪，它使我们陷入永远的沉沦。
感谢神！因着耶稣基督的救赎与赎罪之工，我们已经因信称义，成为义人。当我们心里相信、口里承认耶稣是我们的主和救主时（罗马书10:9），我们就得以被神接纳。我们这些如同乃缦般的外邦人，也被纳入神的救恩计划中。虽然神拣选以色列人为立约的子民，以带出弥赛亚，但如今，我们也能像乃缦一样，在任何生活的需要上，坦然无惧地来到神面前，寻求祂的帮助。
讲章系列：我们需要简单的信心