Sacred Parenting Ch. 10 - What Matters Most

Read Genesis 5

There are some excellent nuggets in this scripture but GT focuses on just one point

Who knows the SVP of GM in 1960?

Who know who was the best doctor in Memphis or the US in 1950 – more than one or two?

Who knows the fashion guru of 1960?

Who knows if your great grandfather x 5 was fit or fat?

Good at golf or chess?

If you are in a believing church, full of grace and the Holy Spirit, he and she were good enough patents!

Gary Thomas says, "Only after we embrace our historical insignificance are we free to concentrate on very real, eternal relational significance."

      - I matter to my wife

      - I am very important to my children

      - I have a secure standing with the God most high

- What else do you need????

Why not focus on where I/we matter

Scripture lauds just one hero - who?

God Himself

When Abraham took things into his own hands?  He created a conflict that still lasts today in the friction between Ishmael (Muslims) and Isaac (Christians/Jews)

You can't  improve your own situation ----

-   Why can’t you improve your situation????

You are already a Prince or Princess in the Kingdom of God…how can it get any better????

- Abraham and Sarah did have the right goal - they wanted to be tree planters not big trees themselves

- He was always asking what good is all this blessing if I can't pass it on

- lets look at what God said to Moses in Exodus 10 1-2

- God will perform these miraculous signs....so that you will tell your children and  grandchildren

- what else matters????

- what else do you need to do for your kids?

Mothers and Fathers if all you did was faithfully raise a disciple maker to pass the Word on to the generations that would be fabulous

But we do so much more...so what is it we are doing????

What are the other things we are doing???

The important thing to take from this chapter is the lack of significance and historical significance in chasing things others than the Lord, His Word and the souls of man

Only thing that matters is Him, His Word and making disciples

Simple Math - 1 in 10 billion or 1 in 10 million are our chances of being remembered by anybody but our family in 50-100 years

Gary Thomas says, "to me Genesis 5 says I was made to enjoy and serve my God, enjoy my wife, invest a lot of time with my kids, and then welcome death as my part in getting out of the way so other can be born live and do the same"

But what about the verses….. that say put aside your family…is this inconsistent?

This chapter – focused on your relationships with your family and raising the next generatation

Enjoy and be with our God and His Word

Next – the Family Mission

Home   >>>> Church >>>> Neighbors >>>> City  >>>> Nation  >>>> World

Even to the ends of the earth …starting with

Believing and enjoying the Gospel ….not from guilt or performance

But from Love and Prayer …and Mission

Paul says it this way

The verse that makes it all clear is Philippians 1:21

“For to me to live is Christ and to die is gain.”

What does this mean???

What do we see???

Desire to want and be with Christ!!!!

But stay back only for the mission!!!!

This is how you were made!!!!

Let’s start by pushing one personal goal aside this week and spending it making disciples in hour home

Sacred Parenting Ch. 7 - "Burning Love"

Intro

A. It's a bit of a clique in Christian circles, but it applies to this chapter - "hate the sin, not the sinner."

• We know ourselves to be sinners, so it ought not to surprise us when our children misbehave as they too are sinners

B. Gary Thomas points out that anger itself is not a sin

• 535 occurrences of "anger" "wrath" or "angry" in the Bible


• 65% of those occurrences refer to the Lord's anger or wrath


• Ps 6:1 - "rebuke me not in Your anger."


• Ps 38:1 - "though You were angry with me."


• We also have the most famous depiction of anger in Jesus' response to the money-changers at the temple who were cheating worshippers out of their money (Matt 21:12)

He "cast" them out; He "overthrew the tables"

This was a physical response

Thomas: God's wrath is often very forceful & passionate

C. We need to be careful when it comes to our own anger - we are not holy and are often not justified in our anger as God is always justified in His anger

• Augustine: "not such a disturbed feeling as exists in the mind of an angry man, but that His (God's) just displeasure against sin


• Gary Thomas says that when he would become angry at his children sometimes he almost didn't recognize himself


• Key: Motivation

Nehemiah - An Example of Righteous Anger

A. Nehemiah became angry when he heard Israelites were taking advantage of other Israelites who were more poor (similar to internet schemes taking advantage of tragedies - Katrina, etc.)

• Nehemiah 5:6-7 - he became righteously angry


• Yet, he "pondered;" paused and thought about the motivation behind his anger


• Key: He subjected his anger to wisdom and rational thinking

Moses - An Example of Unrighteous Anger

• Numbers 20:10 - his anger was a loss of control as he struck the rock and caused water to gush out


• His anger was motivated by his loss of patience at the grumbling of the Israelites in the desert


• He also used the word "we" in pronoucing the water to come out


• As a result Moses was punished and told he would not be able to enter the promised land


• Key: it's NOT unrighteous to punish your children


• Must be for a righteous reason - take time to "ponder" as did Nehemiah

Walking Near the Dark Side

A. Gary Thomas relates the story of a young mother who lashed out in anger by yelling at her infant because the child was constantly crying

• Thomas: "Anger toward babies almost always relates to how we, the parents, are being inconvenienced."


• Ps 37:8 - "Refrain from anger and turn from wrath."


• Eph 4:31 - "Get rid of all anger."


• James 1:19 - "Be slow to become angry."

B. We have two options in dealing with our anger, as Thomas suggests:

1. Become hyper-religious and try to avoid anger altogether (we know how being hyper-religious worked out for the Pharisees)


2. Learn to walk in the field of anger, knowing that sometimes we will err as we learn to express appropriate anger

• There is a time for anger (Eccl. 3:1-9); the key is balance

Relationship Behind the Wound

A. Why does God get angry with His people?

• Because he cares; the stakes (our souls) are so high


• As parents, the greater our emotional involvement, the greater our potential to get angry


• However, acting out of woundedness can get us into all kinds of trouble

B. What's the solution?

• Act in a way that it's all about our children (not us) and THEIR relationship with God


• When we get angry - step back and take inventory (Nehemiah)


• Caveat: handling anger this way is, according to Thomas, is "a fine art crafted out of many and repeated failures."

Where Angels Fear to Tread - Conclusions

A. Thomas warns us not to be performance-driven in our pursuit to control anger

• Anger is like a "toxic substance" - necessary for certain occassions, but you must handle with care

B. 5 Parameters to Follow in Applying Anger

1. Enter into anger reluctantly (James 1:19)


2. Limit our anger - contain anger in its proper season (Eccl. 3:1-9)


3. Govern anger with reason, maturity, & wisdom (I Cor 13)


4. Righteous anger is a double-edged sword - do we get equally upset when we commit the same sins?


5. Love - not wrath - is the ultimate Christian response

Sacred Parenting Ch. 5 - How Raising Children Helps Us Embrace God's Joy

Introduction

A. God rejoices over us - what a blessing!

• 198 occurrences of "rejoice" in Scripture; 165 occurrences of "joy"


• Deut. 30:9; Is. 65:19


• Key: we have in this chapter of Sacred Parenting a picture of God rejoicing in us with our families as the template

B. Sarah Hughes - olympic ice skater; behind in points

• Her brother helps calm her nerves; she skates the routine of her life


• Wins the gold in a great come-from-behind victory


• What about the family behind the scenes?


• Mother had aggressive cancer; multiple treatments; eldest son gave blood platelets to his mother


• There is still joy here: family stayed together (unlike most althetes who leave home at age 10) - picture of the church (Acts 2:42)


• Gary Thomas: "We make sacrifices as parents, but we also reap transcendent joy."

Merry Parents

A. Gary Thomas uses the story of Mary as an example of how we ought to find joy in parenting

• Mary hears the good news that she will give birth to the Messiah


• She give us a song (referred to as "the Magnificat") in Luke 1:46-55


• Mary rejoices in the Lord - there's that word again, "rejoice"


• She also receives the warning from Simeon (Luke 2:35): "Listen carefully...a sword will pierce your own soul as well."


• Thomas makes the point that we have a journey as parents - from heights of joy to depths of pain, but sometimes its just fun being a parent.


• John 15:11 - "I have told you this so that My joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete."

Prayerful Parents

A. Gary Thomas speaks about how we should pray thankfully for being parents

1. Thank God for our children; they are His gift to us


2. We will be changed as we rely on God for His plans with our children


3. We will be reminded how much God cares for our children


4. We will have a more stable foundation for a relationship with our children

• Thomas: "If our Father in heaven doesn't model His care by showing obessive fear for us and constantly harping over our failures, why should be build our relationships with our children on such a worthless foundation?"

Listening to Little Voices

A. Gary tells the story of how he took off work to spend time playing with his son

• Gary calls these moments of "contentment"


• How much has society, with busy lives, e-mail, cell phones, instant gratification stolen from our contentment?!

B. Thomas: "Families (and marriages) start to breakdown when we stop enjoying each other."

• There is a place for discipline, sacrifice, commitment, and perseverance


• Equally important is enjoyment

Call to Action

1. Have the correct framework for family life - enjoying each other


2. Be thankful parents - prayerful, but not necessarily for change - thankful for the privilege of being a parent


3. Balanced family life - we must work to provide for our families, but not at the expense of our families

Scotty Ward Smith: "To be so preoccupied with the goespel that you ignore your spouse and kids only confirms you're no preoccupied with the gospel."

Gary Thomas: "Sacred Parenting" Chapter 4 (Seizing Heaven Through Listening)


I. Intro
a. The meat of this lesson is in what we take away from it practically and what God tells us throughout our lives and our parenting. Listen.
b. Talkative girl – nonstop
c. Dad’s response is to nod every once in a while and say “uh huh” every couple minutes
d. Like us

i. God has sooo much to say
ii. The typical Christian life, though, is similar to the “uh huh” if we do what the Lord wants without having a loving relationship with him
iii. “If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal.” (I Cor. 13:1)

II. Practical Help – “Everyone who listens to the Father and learns from him comes to me.” John 6:45
a. Early morning quiet time.
b. Spend time listening

i. To God
ii. To God for your children
iii. To children
iv. In that order

c. Listening to God makes parenting sacred

III. An Inspired Life – “Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know” (Jeremiah 33:3)

a. Not a sin, but a choice to live a powerless life

i. Even though we’re not perfect listeners doesn’t mean we shouldn’t make the effort
ii. Must be humble listeners: Willing to hear God’s corrective word
iii. Don’t listen based on your needs, but on what your children need
iv. Don’t listen based on your needs, but on what God wants to say

IV. Listen for nuances – “Consider carefully how you listen” (Luke 8:18)
a. Children’s speaking

1. Hearing child’s type of cry – Different methods of communication


2. Anger


3. Hitting


4. Joyful dancing


5. Enthusiasm about certain subjects or targets


6. Words


7. What are some ways your children communicate deeper meaning?

• Luke wants to be liked


• Luke loves learning


• Charlie wants to be heard


• Charlie loves music

ii. Our method of listening
1. Silence
2. Nature
3. Music
4. Scripture
5. Prayer

iii. What are some ways you listen to God best?

V. Entering the Interior Castle – “My sheep listen to my voice” (John 10:27)
a. Sit in God’s lap
b. Teresa of Avila
i. Not praying longer and longer

1. Quality and approaching God softly
a. Begin with prayer of meditation
b. Next prayer of recollection
c. Prayer of quiet
d. Prayer of union
e. “Interior Castle” – fullness of spiritual marriage
c. Frank Buchman

i. Moral Rearmament
1. Accept a man’s voice via radio – can’t we accept God’s voice
2. Holy Spirit is most intelligent source of information – “Listen carefully to what I am about to tell you.” Luke 9:44
a. Answer to every problem
b. Teacher

3. Do less and listen more
a. Don’t get so spiritually busy that we can’t have relationship with God – 1 Corinthians 13
ii. Don’t wait for the big decisions, but constantly listen to God
b. God changes languages – “He who forms the mountains, creates the wind and reveals his thoughts to man…the LORD God Almighty is his name.” Amos 4:13

• Scripture speaking to you


• Sight of a tree


• Silence to bring you to your roots


• Art


• Music


• Specific circumstance in life

VI. Challenges
a. Determine your children’s methods of communication
b. Find out how you best listen to God
c. Every day make an effort to listen to his word and his calling and who he is.

Gary Thomas: "Sacred Parenting" Chapter 3 (The Gold Behind the Guilt)

I. Introduction
a. Guilt probably means different things to different people.
b. *Definition of guilt

i. Having committed an offense

ii. Feeling of culpability for offenses

iii. Feelings of culpability especially for imagined offenses or from a sense of inadequacy

c. Guilt is not being pointed to as a feeling to avoid, but one that can be used
d. Our greatest fear in life should not be of failure, but of succeeding at things in life that don’t really matter – Francis Chan

II. What about parenting makes you feel guilty?

a. Not being home enough
b. Being home so much that your children can’t avoid seeing your flaws
c. Lack of quality time
d. Putting your needs above someone else’s you love
e. Having goals or activities that aren’t tied to our children
f. American dream – focusing on the wrong things in our own lives, in our children’s lives or both

III. Thomas reasons why we feel guilty

a. Impossible to get it right

i. Parenting demands skills we don’t yet have
ii. High speed game and you can’t always prepare for it

1. College to NFL – Vince Young
2. Not very many opportunities to “do it over”

iii. Stay at home moms

1. nonstop activity with the kids
2. So easy to do 20 things right and one wrong that sticks out to the children

iv. Working parents are

1. home during a small portion of the waking day of your child
2. balance of doing work well, parenting well and having the right attitude at the right time

b. Parenting Produces guilt by design

IV. Samuel syndrome

a. Read 1 Samuel 8:1-3: 1When Samuel became old, he made his sons judges over Israel. 2The name of his firstborn son was Joel, and the name of his second, Abijah; they were judges in Beersheba. 3Yet his sons did not walk in his ways but turned aside after gain. They took bribes and perverted justice.

b. Take heart

i. Samuel did many things right
ii. Bible doesn’t say he did it wrong as a parent

1. Doesn’t mean trying to be a Godly parent doesn’t matter

a. Eli in 1 Samuel 3:13 – does cast blame
b. 1 Tim. 3:4-5 about serving in the church with poorly disciplined children
c. We feel guilty for who our children become, but role is not to create our children
d. Role is to shepherd our children into those who bear God’s image…not ours

i. Take too much credit for the good and the bad
ii. No one can be a good enough parent four our child to deserve salvation, but also can’t be bad enough to condemn our children
iii. 2 Chronicles 17:3 “The LORD was with Jehoshaphat, because he walked in the earlier ways of his father (Asa’s father) David. He did not seek the Baals, 4but sought the God of his (Asa’s) father and walked in his commandments, and not according to the practices of Israel.”

e. Do you try to make yourself the kind of parent that fills the place of God in your children’s lives? Do you want them to love you the way they should love God? Why or why not?

V. Gold-plated guilt – how can God use Guilt to help us grow?

a. Points us to God

i. Luke 12:48b “….Everyone to whom much was given, of him much will be required, and from him to whom they entrusted much, they will demand the more.”

1. God is asking a lot from us
ii. Model the need for God

2. Tell children why you are not God (imperfect, just like them) and why you need a savior as much as they do

a. Solemn, dragging, grumpy a couple of weeks ago and just not having a great attitude with Luke
b. Apologized and he was fine. Said, “Thanks for showing me grace Luke even though I don’t deserve it.”
c. Response “Daddy, I will always love you, even when you do things I don’t like.” Praise God!

3. “Guilt shouldn’t be a parking lot, but a carwash.”
b. Guilt can motivate us to do better
i. Look at your own failings with

1. God’s grace in mind
2. God’s provision in mind – we should lean on him, not ourselves

ii. John 8:11 “…Go now and leave your life of sin.”

4. Use it as positive motivation
c. Guilt can remind us of God’s providence
i. Trust God and let some responsibility fall back on him as he is perfect and can handle it
ii. Pray for God to make up for our weaknesses or better for him to raise our children and use us appropriately in the process
d. Teach us to love mercy
i. Micah 6:8 “8 He has shown you, O mortal, what is good.
And what does the LORD require of you?
To act justly and to love mercy
and to walk humbly[a] with your God.”

5. (ahab - Hebrew) Love mercy is embrace and have passion for and to live for
ii. James 2:13 “For judgment is without mercy for those who show no mercy. Mercy triumphs over judgment”
6. What our lives are about – the fact that judgment would condemn us all, but mercy is great, more powerful and more wonderful than judgment.
iii. Therefore, we should turn our guilt into an act of worship that God is greater than what we deserve

e. Therefore, this is all a positive hidden agenda
i. To have us turn our children over to the Lord
ii. To have us improve what we do / how we parent and shepherd our children
iii. To remind us that God is greater than us and his hand is in a Godly family
iv. To remind us to worship him
v. Brings us as individuals closer to him and into a better relationship with him

VI. Conclusion
i. Bumbling imperfect messes as we try to be parents that glorify the Lord

Tim Keller’s “Counterfeit Gods”: Chapter 6 – The Hidden Idols in Our Lives

I. Introduction

1. We’ve been dealing with personal idols – i.e., idols of the heart - It’s easy to spot these because they are the passions of our heart


2. Now Keller explores the “hidden” idols in our lives – the idols of our culture & society


3. Keller starts out hitting at a recurring idol - money

• Our particular culture here in America is built upon capitalism & profit


• In and of themselves, those things are not bad


• However, Keller points out that our society’s preoccupation with profit has led to abuses


• Ex: Paying employees what they are worth & providing them a good working environment leads to higher profits


• Keller points out that it’s simply the right thing to do


• Honesty & commitment are goods in themselves & are equally important as profit

II. How did we get here?

a) I want to introduce a concept quickly that is a good overlay concept to all of the cultural idols we’re discussing

• Francis Schaeffer in his book, “The God Who Is There” came up with the concept he called “The Line of Despair”

Europe (pre-1890) / U.S. (pre-1935) ___________________________________________ The Line of Despair

• Above the line, man dealt in absolutes (God); below the line, truth has been blurred (enter Fredrick Nietzche who said, "God is dead.")


• We don’t have time to dive too deep into this, but the long-and-short of it goes like this:


• Pre-1935 – “she is a good girl;” we both would think the same thing: she goes to church, she studies hard, she volunteers at a soup kitchen


• Post-1935 – “she is a good girl;” You might still use the same concepts to describe this “good girl,” however, to me the term “good” means she hasn’t killed anyone, she’s only been in jail once


• Because of relativism, we now have a different definition of “good”


• What Schaeffer points out next is that the Line of Despair has infiltrated not only our broad culture, but the church

Philosophy

Art

Music

General Culture

Theology

• What Schaeffer is saying is that it was a subtle, gradual process for our society and ultimately our theology to remove God and replace Him with relativism

b) Keller approaches it from the “Hope” of a nation

• He quotes Andrew Delbanco in “The Real American Dream”


• The “Hope” of a culture is what it tells its members what life is all about


• In sequence, he states American’s “Hope” went from God, to Nation, to Self


• The U.S. was a Christian story that was abandoned during the Enlightenment of the 18th century for the deified nation; that “hope” was replaced by the age of “Self”


• Keller: “Any dominant culture “Hope” that is not God Himself, is a counterfeit God. And also, “When we are completely immersed in a society of people who consider a particular idolatrous attachment normal, it becomes almost impossible to discern it for what it is.”

III. Idols in Our Religion (the effects of the Line of Despair in Religion)

a) Three types of Idolatry in Religion

1. Doctrinal Accuracy – relying on the rightness of one’s doctrine for standing with God rather than on God’s grace; Proverbs – “scoffer,” contempt & disdain for opponents rather than graciousness; sign that we don’t see ourselves as sinners saved by grace


2. Ministry Success – mistaking spiritual gifts (talent, ability, etc.) for fruits of the Spirit (love, joy, patience); mistaken feeling that our standing with God depends on how many lives we are changing; Keller points out that ministers can suffer from this religious idol


3. Moral Rectitude – seeking to control God & others through our moral performance; we feel God & others owe us respect; it’s a form of moral striving for our own salvation

IV. Man (people) on the Run

a) Keller uses the story of Jonah to illustrate how the idols that drive us are complex, many-layered, & largely hidden from us

• Cultural/Religious idols can super-charge personal idols


• Jonah: prophet; nationalistic zeal; urged King Jeroboam to pursue expansionist military policy


• God commands Jonah to go to Ninevah – the most powerful city in the world – to proclaim God’s word & bring Ninevah to repentance


• As He does with us, God was putting all of Jonah’s idols to the challenge

a) Warning Ninevah would benefit them and be disastrous for Israel

b) Assyria was a violent & cruel empire – Jonah is biased

c) What does Jonah do in response to God’s command?

• He flees – goes in opposite direction (West) on a boat


• Hilarious to me – Does Jonah actually think he can escape God by getting on a boat?!


• We do this don’t we – we skip church; we avoid Scripture; we go to the things that fill our minds with anything but God

V. What are Jonah’s Idols?

a) Personal – ministry success

b) Cultural – nationalism for Israel over God

c) Religious – moral rectitude; he felt superior to the wicked, pagan Ninevites

• Peter is convicted of these same issues


• Galations 2 – Peter refused to eat with Gentile Christians


• Paul convicts Peter that he’s not acting in line with the Gospel (Galations 2:14)

VI. How Ought We to Defeat Our Hidden Idols?

• Jonah is an example of how we can let our religiousity turn into a idol that becomes super-charged and multi-layered

1. Humility – Jonah had to sit in the belly of a whale


2. 2. Watering – In order to reseed a yard, you must water the yard continually after laying the seeds not to simply cause the grass to grow, but to break down the hard outer shell of the seedling; this is similar to our spiritual growth; we need the constant watering of Scripture, Worship, Service, & Fellowship to break through our idols and maintain our focus on Christ


3. 3. Love – Keller rightly points out at the end of this chapter “Shouldn’t we just love like God?”

• We live, work, have fellowship with image-bearers each and every day; we need to love as God loves and our idols will have little ground in which to root themselves!


• Burk Parsons said it best with regard to our religious idols: “Is your goal celebrity (sitting at Jesus’ right hand) or sevanthood (washing the feet of a bunch of nobodies)?

"Counterfeit Gods" - Chapter 4: The Seduction of Success

I. Introduction

a) Success: does anyone know how many times the word appears in Scripture???

• Twice (depending upon your version) – II Chronicles 7:11 / Joshua 1:8


• “Sakal” (Heb) – means skillful, wise, prosperous


• Key: success is not always about money, fame, or power per se

b) Prosper: appears in Scripture 21 times

• Psalms 118:25 / Daniel 3:30 / 3 John 1:2


• “Tsaleach” (Heb) – means to be good, to breakout


• “Euodoo” (Gk) – means to have a good journey, succeed in business, succeed in reaching

c) Keller starts with a quote from Madonna

• “feeling of inadequacy”


• “My struggle has never ended and it probably never will.”


• One of her better known songs “Vogue” describes current popularity of fashion and fame; how quickly those things fade???

II. When does personal success & achievement become an idol?

a) Answer: When our view of ourselves becomes distorted

• Achievements = basis of our self-worth


• Achievements = keep us safe


• Achievements = lead us to a belief in our supremacy / autonomy

b) Luther: “I have three evil dogs: ungratefulness, arrogance, and envy. When all three bite, one is badly mauled.”

• Envy – when we covet the success of others


• Key: what are we saying when we question our perceived lack of success or the coveted success of others?


• We are saying that God doesn’t know what He’s doing!


• The fallen, arrogant creature is trying to tell the Omnipotent Creator what is best?!


• Can you imagine anything so ridiculous?

III. What are the possible signs in an individual’s life which point to the fact that success is an idol?

a) Lack of confidence unless we’re at the top

• Chris Evert – “I needed the wins, the applause, in order to have an identity.”

b) Think our success can solve our problems

• Naaman (II Kings 5:1) – he is commander of the army, highly regarded among men, but he had leprosy


• Though he had success & wealth, under it all his life was falling apart


• His wife’s slave – she was an Israeli girl taken captive by Naaman’s men; she directs him to see Elisha the prophet (we’ll get back to this slave girl when we talk about solutions to our success idols)


• Naaman takes money, clothing, letter from his king – he thinks he can use his success to get healing


• Question: How do we follow Naaman’s folly?


• Name dropping?


• Putting our faith in our success instead of God


• Naaman was seeking a tame, private God who can be put into debt


• It is God who puts us in debt with His grace


• Keller: "Only if we understand Grace will we see our successes are ultimately gifts from God."


• Ironic: We want to use gifts given from God to hold God in debt – typical sinful man

IV. How can we break our heart’s fixation on doing “some great things” in order to heal ourselves?

• We must look at the Slave Girl – captured by the raiding Syrians; at the bottom of the Syrian social structure; who is responsible? Field Marshall Naaman!

a) Idolizing the top of the ladder can lead to cynicism & bitterness

• That’s not what this slave girl felt


• “If only my master would see the prophet.”


• She saw her role as glorifying God • Matt 5:44-45 – “But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate , and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.”


• She did not seek revenge; she trusted God to be the judge of all


• Francis Schaeffer: “The vocation of an honest merchant or housewife has as much dignity as the vocation of a king.”

b) The Idol of Success cannot be expelled – it must be replaced

• Keller: "Only when we see what Jesus, our great Suffering Servant, has done for us will we finally understand why God’s salvation does not require us to do “some great thing.”


• Matt 6:19-21 – “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.


• This is what Naaman struggled with – he took money, clothing, references from his king; that’s where his heart was – thinking his success and temporary treasures would save him.


• When we focus on Christ and his reign and use any success for His glory, then our success will be in the proper context and we will less likely to make any success or any sought after success an idol

V. Conclusion

• Naaman humbled himself in the end and did as Elisha instructed, and as a result, Naaman’s leprosy is healed!


• But Naaman still doesn’t get it – the free gift of Grace


• II Kings 5:14 – “But he (Elisha) said, ‘As the Lord lives, before whom I stand, I will receive nothing.’ And he (Naaman) urged him to take it, but he (Elisha) refused.”


• Elisha gets it on two fronts: 1. He wanted Naaman to know & realize grace is free! 2. Elisha himself is focused on the right thing – it’s not his success (Naaman’s healing) but God’s success


• Keller: “Jesus’ salvation is received not through strength but through the admission of weakness and need.”


• Lack of personal success can be a blessing through which God brings mercy to the lost (look at the Slave Girl)


• Keller: “God chooses the weak things of the world to shame the strong.”