Humble Yourself and Live
2 Kings 5:1-5 & 9-17 New King James Version
5 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.” 4 And Naaman went in and told his master, saying, “Thus and thus said the girl who is from the land of Israel.”
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.
…
9 Then Naaman went with his horses and chariot, and he stood at the door of Elisha’s house. 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.” 11 But 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.’ 12 Are not the Abanah and the Pharpar, the rivers of Damascus, better than all the waters of Israel? Could I not wash in them and be clean?” So he turned and went away in a rage. 13 And his servants came near and spoke to him, and said, “My father, if the prophet had told you to do something great, would you not have done it? How much more then, when he says to you, ‘Wash, and be clean’?” 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.
15 And he returned to the man of God, he and all his aides, and came and stood before him; and he said, “Indeed, now I know that there is no God in all the earth, except in Israel; now therefore, please take a gift from your servant.”
16 But he said, “As the Lord lives, before whom I stand, I will receive nothing.” And he urged him to take it, but he refused.
17 So Naaman said, “Then, if not, please let your servant be given two mule-loads of earth; for your servant will no longer offer either burnt offering or sacrifice to other gods, but to the Lord.
PRIDE Will Keep You STUCK in the Very Things You HATE
Naamans Journey Through The Cycle Of Overflow
Naaman’s NEED || Healing from leprosy
Naaman SEEK || The God of Elisha the prophet
Naaman’s PREPARE || Wash in the Jordan 7 times
Naaman’s Cycle of Resistance || PRIDE
Naaman’s POUR || Healing of leprosy
Naaman’s OVERFLOW || Salvation and relationship with God
Naaman’s NEW NEED || How to go home and explain that he serves Yahweh alone
What is PRIDE?
Pride - Ga’a (H1342), Ga’on (H1374), Hyperephanos (G5244)
To Rise Up, Grow, Be Exalted
Exaltation, Majesty, Pride
Believing And Showing One’s Self Above Others
Pride Is:
The Belief That We Have No NEED
The lie that we are FULLFILLED when we are actually empty
The lie that we are STRONG when we are actually weak
The lie that we are ALIVE when we are actually dead
The lie that we can EARN what can only be given
The Boast That We Are Already FULL
That who we are is more important that who we can still become
That what we know is more important than what we can still learn
That how far we have come is more important than how much further we can still go
PRIDE Will Cut Us Off From OVERFLOW
Pride Keeps God From Entering Our NEED
Psalm 138:6 New King James Version
6 Though the Lord is on high, Yet He regards the lowly; But the proud He knows from afar.
Jesus will not enter a NEED we refuse to admit exists
Jesus will not POUR out into a vessel that believes it is already FULL
This is Why We Do NOT Celebrate or Affirm PRIDE at East Gate
5 Reasons We REFUSE to Celebrate or Affirm Pride Month at East Gate
1. God Hates Pride
Proverbs 6:16-17a New King James Version
16 These six things the Lord hates, Yes, seven are an abomination to Him: 17 A proud look…
Proverbs 16:5 New King James Version
5 Everyone proud in heart is an abomination to the Lord; Though they join forces, none will go unpunished
At East Gate, we REFUSE to celebrate what our Creator, Lord, Savior, and Master HATES
Cultural LIE of the Devil || God cannot hate PRIDE because God IS love
Hate is NOT the opposite of love, apathy is
You can love a person and hate the cancer within them, and that cancer is part of them
Apathy doesn’t get involved nor does it care if people live or die, go to heaven or hell
2. God OPPOSES Pride
James 4:6 New Living Translation
6 And he gives grace generously. As the Scriptures say, “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.”
3. Pride Leads to DISGRACE
Proverbs 11:2 New Living Translation
2 Pride leads to disgrace, but with humility comes wisdom.
4. Pride DESTROYS Lives
Proverbs 18:12 New Living Translation
12 Haughtiness goes before destruction; humility precedes honor.
5. PRIDEMONTH is Demonic
The Devil [Lucifer/Leviathan] is the SOURCE of all pride and the KING of the children of pride
Isaiah 14:12-14 New King James Version
12 “How you are fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! How you are cut down to the ground, You who weakened the nations! 13 For you have said in your heart: ‘I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God; I will also sit on the mount of the congregation On the farthest sides of the north; 14 I will ascend above the heights of the clouds, I will be like the Most High.’
Job 41:34 New King James Version
34 He beholds every high thing; He is king over all the children of pride.”
At East Gate We Celebrate and Affirm LIFE Month
Roe v Wade was OVERTURNED June 24th, 2022
We are believing this is was the beginning of our nation turning away from PRIDE and toward LIFE
God Desires to See People Reject PRIDE, Humble Themselves, and Find LIFE
C4L March || This is why we march today, not to OPPOSE pride, but to CELEBRATE life!
We will HUMBLE ourselves, LIFT UP the name of Jesus, and DECLARE life over Bethlehem
3 Things We Can Learn From Naaman
1. We All Struggle with PRIDE
Naaman Was A Leper
Skin disease that starts as a small red dot, but spreads and causes desensitization to pain
The joints and cartilage are quickly affected and begin rot away until death
Gums, nose, ears, and eyes waste way and fingers, toes, and limbs eventually fall off
Interesting Connections Between Pride and Leprosy in the Old Testament
PRIDE operates very similarly to LEPROSY
Starts small as you begin to grow strong, successful, knowledgeable
Spreads and causes you to become desensitized to pain [conviction]
You begin to lose your ability to walk with God as your spiritual senses waste away
Your life is eventually consumed and destroyed by PRIDE [Proverbs 18:12]
Old Testament Examples of PRIDE Manifesting in LEPROSY
King Uzziah [2 Chronicles 26:16-21] || Became exalted [proud] in his own eyes, entered the temple to burn incense, which was not his role as king, was struck with leprosy
Miriam [Numbers 12:1-15] || Looked down on Moses [a proud look], spoke against him in pride and was struck with leprosy
Gehazi [2 Kings 5:20-27] || Believed he deserved, and could deceive Naaman and Elisha for a reward and was struck with leprosy for his presumption [pride]
Naaman was Great, Honorable, a Mighty Man of Valor, Victorious in the Lord, But He was a Leper
A GREAT man can struggle with PRIDE
An HONORABLE man can struggle with PRIDE
A MIGHTY MAN OF VALOR can struggle with PRIDE
A man who is VICTORIOUS IN THE LORD can struggle with PRIDE
2. We All Need Our PRIDE Confronted
Pride Remains HIDDEN Until it is CONFRONTED
It’s easy to believe we’re humble, obedience, and submissive around people who NEVER confront us
If You CANNOT Receive Correction From A Nameless Servant, You WILL NOT Receive From a Prophet
Elisha sent a nameless servant to Naaman with a message
“Go and wash in the Jordan seven times, and your flesh shall be restored to you, and you shall be clean”
Naaman was confronted and offended, because while he was humiliated by his leprosy, he was not yet humble before the Lord
Why do I need to wash and be cleansed? I AM sick, NOT unclean!
Naaman wanted Elisha to AFFIRM his pride, BEFORE delivering him from its consequences
“Surely he will come out to me… call upon the Lord… wave his hand over the place…
Naaman became furious and went away talking to himself [offense]
Beware the SECOND VOICE, usually invokes intense negative emotion and gets you to talk to yourself, instead of God
PRIDE ALMOST KEPT NAAMAN IN THE VERY THING HE HATED MOST!
The VALUE of Nameless Servants
Nameless servants are those who are looking to serve God, not make a name for themselves
They confront and correct discreetly [they came near…] and in humility [My father…]
1 Timothy 5:1 New King James Version
5 Do not rebuke an older man, but exhort him as a father, younger men as brothers,
PRIDE tells us that we will receive correction from the people who are qualified to confront us
That same PRIDE will disqualify any and everyone who confronts you
PASTORAL MOMENT || The PRIDE in you will often call those who confront you PROUD
“If you would have worked so hard for PRIDE, why not simply obey for LIFE?
It is SUCH HARD AND COSTLY WORK to hold onto your PRIDE
HUMBLE yourself, WASH and be CLEAN, REPENT and be SAVED!
Who In Your Life Has Permission To Have Real Talk With You? [At East Gate it is EVERYONE]
3. We All Need to HUMBLE Ourselves
Naaman Humbled Himself, Obeyed [Weakly], and Found LIFE
So he [Naaman] went down
Dipped [dip vs wash] 7 times in the Jordan [“descender” and flows into the “Dead” Sea]
He was clean
Naaman Returns to Elisha In the Newness of Life that Humility Brings
With LIFE [wholeness] and SALVATION [Revelation of, and submission to, the ONE TRUE GOD]
Naaman couldn’t buy [earn] a new life, he needed to bow low for one
GOOD NEWS || No one has to be RICH, FAMOUS, or well CONNECTED to be saved. We HUMBLE ourselves before Jesus and LIVE!
PRIDE Will Keep You Stuck in the Very Things You Hate
4 Practical Ways to Reject Pride and Find Life
1. Recognize YOUR Pride Flags
“This message doesn’t apply to me” or, “I really need to send this message to…”
The desire to be great in the eyes of men, not God
Hiding our inner condition behind our outer accomplishments
Loss of conviction over personal sin
Only accepting correction, teaching, confrontation from the mighty prophets we affirm, not nameless servants
Believing simple obedience is optional or beneath us
Slow obedience, partial obedience, grumbling obedience
Believing that where we have come from is more important than where God is leading us
Practical Advice || We won’t see our PRIDE flags until we want to see our PRIDE flags
Ask Holy Spirit and your parents, spouse, friends and trusted leaders in Christ to expose your pride
2. Humble YOURSELF
PRAY and FAST
CONFESS and REPENT
Choose to be TEACHABLE and CORRECTABLE
3. Wash Yourself DAILY [Dip in the Jordan 7 days a week]
Daily Secret Place [CONNECT - Discover how you best connect with God]
Wash yourself in the PRESENCE of God [As you DIP into Thanksgiving and Praise]
Wash yourself in the PROMISES of God [As you DIP into Scripture]
Wash yourself in the PEACE of God [As you DIP into Prayer]
Wash yourself in the PEOPLE of God [As you DIP into Fellowship]
4. REJECT Shortcuts
Naaman wondered aloud if the rivers [swift, support] of Damascus were better than the rivers of Israel [wrestles with God]
Reject the communities that are swift [quick] to support our PRIDE, sin, brokenness, etc.
Cling to the communities of people who have wrestled with God and will encourage us, and walk with us, as we do the same
Will You Humble Yourself This Morning, and Find Life?
Come Forward, Confess Your Pride, Repent and Find LIFE
Naaman Humbled Himself and Found New Life in Submission to the Lord
Two mule-loads of the earth from Israel to take home with him [verse 17]
Will you go back to YOUR hometown with a new heart that bears witness of Jesus?
Will You Bear Witness of Jesus and Declare Life Over Bethlehem?
Luke 4:27-30 New King James Version
27 And many lepers were in Israel in the time of Elisha the prophet, and none of them was cleansed except Naaman the Syrian.”
28 So all those in the synagogue, when they heard these things, were filled with wrath, 29 and rose up and thrust Him out of the city; and they led Him to the brow of the hill on which their city was built, that they might throw Him down over the cliff. 30 Then passing through the midst of them, He went His way.
The World and Culture Could Not Stop Jesus, and They Cannot Stop His Witnesses
The culture cannot kill what we have already crucified
The culture cannot cancel what they did not commission
The culture cannot curse what God has already blessed
