Lighthouse Church Durban

Obedience brings Fruitfulness

Disobedience can keep us from God’s good purposes; obedience leads us into them. We need to trust God when his actions, his chosen instruments and his instructions don’t make sense to us - his ways are higher than ours!

The path of obedience can be difficult, even painful - but the pains are temporary while the blessings are eternal!

2 Kings 5:1-15, John 10:10, Isaiah 55:8-9, Ephesians 3:20-21, Matthew 16:24-26, Romans 8:28, Matthew 26:36-44, 2 Corinthians 4:16-18

Duration:: 20m
Broadcast on:: 09 Nov 2024
Audio Format:: other

The message that I have on my heart to share with you today, I believe will be helpful each one of us to walk in obedience to God's perfect will. I'm going to be reading from two Kings chapter 5 verse 1 to 3 and onwards in the NIV version. My title of my message is "abedience brings fruitfulness." Now let's have a look at two Kings 5 verse 1 and we'll read onwards from there. "Nabin was commander of the army of the king of Aurum. He was a great man in sight of his master, highly regarded because through him the Lord had given victory to Aurum." God used him powerfully, he was a valiant soldier, but he had leprosy. Now bands of raiders from Aurum in verse 2 had gone out and taken captive a young girl from Israel and she served Naaman's wife, very instrumental in God's plan. She said to her mistress, "If only my master would see the prophet who is in Samaria, he would kill him of his leprosy." Naaman was an impressive general of the army of the king of Aurum, highly regarded a perhaps even a national hero, a man of power, highly regarded however the word of God shows us that he had leprosy, was in this leader or the life-changing witness, something that would hold him back from his future and even from having a healthy lifestyle. We can have victories in our journey I felt with the Lord and can portray all is well upwardly, yet we can experience an inward struggle unknown to others. May we all grow our prey as we gain wholeness from the fullness of life God wants us to have, and I felt John 10 excuse me verse 10 is a great example of that where Jesus said the thief comes only to steal, to kill and destroy, but I have come that they may have life and have it to the full. We don't always know the pain and the inward struggles people are facing, no matter how strong and spiritual we may seem we all need strong spiritual relationships that can help us when we are struggling, someone who can share openly and honestly with and we can receive prayer and guidance to strengthen us forwards. Naaman's life changed when a servant girl who served his wife was kidnapped from his role and sold as a slave and this horrific experience brought her into a position to influence Naaman, God had a plan. She encouraged Naaman by giving him direction for his healing that he so desperately needed. Two kings chapter 5 verse 4 to 7 as we move on, Naaman went to his master and told him what the girl had said. "But all means go," said the king of Aurum, "I'll send a letter to the king of Israel." So Naaman left, taking with him 10 talents of silver, 6,000 talents of gold and 10 sets of clothing. Naaman was a wealthy man. The letter that he took to the king of Israel read this, "Was this letter I'm sending my servant Naaman to you that you may cure him of his leprosy as soon as the king of Israel read the letter he tore his road that he said, "Am I God? Can I kill and bring back your love? Why does this fellow send someone to me to be killed of his leprosy see how he's trying to pick a quarrel with me?" The king was offended, but he also felt the pressure he was not able to bring relief into Naaman's situation, the spot all the riches he was bringing. And I've felt money and wealth can never substitute God's war for our lives. Two kings, five, verse eight to nine, when the last of the men of God heard that the king of Israel had torn his robes, he sent him this message, "Why have you torn your robes? Why have the men come to me and he'll know there's a prophet in Israel?" Elisha sent his message. So Naaman went with his horses and chariots and stopped at the door of Elisha's house. Elisha the prophet stepped in and invited the king to send Naaman to him. God's plan was unfolding. God was setting up his perfect plan. God used Elisha to draw Naaman to his purpose as God's heart for Naaman was salvation in his plan. Two kings, five, verse 10 to 12. Elisha sent a messenger to say to him, "Go wash yourself seven times in the Jordan River and your flesh will be renewed, restored and you will be cleansed." Verse 11, Naaman went away angry and he said, "I thought he would surely come out and stand and call on the name of the Lord his God, wave his hand over the spot and kill me of my leprosy." I thought like that before, "Surely thank God for prayer, they'll just lay hands on me, call on the name of the Lord God and I won't be totally healed." These things that we think, we think, I thought, I thought it would be that way. I thought it would be healed immediately. I thought God would do it that way in that situation, at that time. Verse 12, "Then Naaman continued to add to God's words of what he wanted him to be obedient in. "Are not a banner in far far the rivers of Damascus better than all the waters of Israel? Couldn't our wash and Naaman be cleansed?" And he turned and went off in a rage. In our lives, our expectations can rob us of what God has ahead for us in our seasons. When God touched my life years ago, it was an amazing experience. I was touched, cleansed, I was really in a great place, peace of God, I'd been healed, I was born again, a new Jesus Christ as my Lord, had an encounter with God. But what I did was, I started trying to live out the call of God of the plans I thought God had for my love, future was now, I've got Jesus in my love. Maybe I should go then, try again and work then and all move to another city, another nation. It wasn't long before disappointments. Set into the already changing trials I was facing and I lived in confusion. That all happened until I got involved with a local church. Now started to learn the word of God, getting counseling and prayer and getting advice from spiritual leaders. I thought coming back to that absolute, I thought that Naaman declared. Not only did Naaman have expectations for me, Lasha, but Naaman challenged God's commands by adding into his ideals. I think many of us like to be in control and I find myself doing that after God wants me to change an era of Allah. I tend to want to add things in, change something, try and help God instead of just being obedient to what He wants me to do and to be led by His Holy Spirit. As I have fifty-five verse eight or nine, my thoughts are not your thoughts. Neither are your ways, my ways declare the Lord, as the heavens are higher than the earth. So are my ways higher than your ways, my thoughts than your thoughts. Naaman almost must God's plan. Restoration and salvation that would change His life eternally. When we look at two kings five, verse thirteen and fourteen, Naaman's servants went to Him. God sent the servants again. God has faithful, long suffering and said, "My Father, if the Prophet had told you to do some great thing, would you not have done it? How much more than when he tells you to wash and be cleansed?" As Naaman went down and ducked himself in the Jordan, seven times as the men of God had told him. As Naaman obeyed God, ducked in that muddy Jordan seven times, his flesh was restored and became clean like that of a young boy their scriptures tell us. God is so faithful to spot Naaman's rage and negativity. He sent Naaman's servants to Him to encourage him to wash and be cleansed. Once Naaman obeyed, he went down and ducked himself in the Jordan seven times and the result will praise God. He never fails his promises. Naaman's flesh was restored and became clean like that of a young boy. What a transformation God had for Naaman. We really don't know what blessings God has had for us as we walk in obedience. I love Ephesians 3 verse 20, "God is able to do immeasurably more than all I can imagine or think according to the power that it has worked with in our hearts. God is able to do far more than what we can think or imagine when we are obedient to Him." Going into two Kings 5 verse 15 now, Naaman and all his attendants went back to the man of God. He stood before him and said, "Now I know, now I know that there is no God in all the world except in Israel, so please accept a gift from your servants." Not only was Naaman healed and restored, Naaman had revelation about God he never had before. Now I know he said, "Incredible salvation came to this man." I know that without a doubt there is no other God in all the world except in Israel. I want to bring to a conclusion the message that I've been sharing to you. So first of all, God's world is not just a once of prayer of repentance, it all begins there. Repentance is very important, giving our hearts to Jesus, receiving God, turning away from our sin and walking with God and freedom. But this is a constant continual relationship with Jesus as we grow and as we learn his ways and his world, it equips us to learn how to be obedient to God in future things. Matthew 16, verse 24 to 26 is a typical example of this, "Who ever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves, pick up their cross daily and follow me, whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will find it. What good will it be for someone to gain the whole world yet for for their very soul? Or what can anyone give an exchange for their soul?" So obedience is learning to take up our cross daily and to follow Jesus, learning his word in certain ways, equipping us to learn obedience. Incredible Scripture in Romans 8, verse 28, "Our daily walk with Jesus will help us not be discouraged and disappointed with God's purpose doesn't fit our dears of love." Romans 8, verse 28, "God works all things together for good for those who love him who are called according to his purpose." That's God's purpose, his plan to always work in our lives. Obedience is never easy and just a brief overview of Matthew 26, verse 36 of the experience Jesus had at Kissimony when he went up to prayer the night before he had to face the cruelty of that painful cross of what he had to die and suffer for you now. The word of God teaches us that even his disciples fell asleep and Jesus cried out to the Father three times at Kissimony and Jesus cried out and said, "Is there any other way?" Jesus doesn't want to go through this anguish, this pain, this turmoil, but he realized that God's plan was the only plan and for you and I there can be no substitute for obedience. God wants us to obey him and his word is clear on areas of obedience. It doesn't say it would be easy, in our lives much of what God requires of us will take it to termination, your will not mine. Not just a one-off pray, but a continual lifestyle of that. Each day living in God's grace, cannot God your will be done, not mine. This opens our hearts and lead us into greater things with God. As we stumble and take wrong turns, God is always there to restore us and help us back. He's so faithful, so faithful. In our summaries first of all, number one, we can judge people externally and not understand what's happening within their hearts and lives, the painful struggles they are having. We can look on the outside, I can really be someone that you can look at and think, "Well, she's doing so very well," and that can be true, but there can also be struggles internally that I need help within. Secondly, our response to obedience to God determines our fruitfulness in our new season. Thirdly, be careful of expectations. I thought God would do it this way, I thought God would provide for me to be there. I thought I would be ending, I thought I would be in another city now. I thought, I thought, I thought my plan, I thought, I thought my life was, we've got to be led by the Holy Spirit as God leads and guides us. So be careful of expectations, I thought. Fourthly, the struggles in our lives are never, forever. Two Corinthians 4, verse 16 to 18. Our Latin momentary troubles, our Latin momentary troubles, their momentary pauses, they are achieving for us an eternal glory that outweighs them all. He says, "Now, just what you're going through now, the suffering you're going through now, it's momentary compared to the eternal glory God's called us to." Now, our struggles sometimes feel that they're never going to come to an end, but when we see the scriptures and we see here, that outwardly we're wasting away inwardly we've been renewed day by day as we fill ourself with the word as we pray as we seek God. We are achieving an eternal glory. And then, firstly, God may use the most unusual people to speak into our lives. The most unusual way started with that servant God. Who would have thought it would have been her? Speaking to a general, speaking into his life for his healing, kidnapped out of Israel, in a horrific situation, giving reference and blessing to this incredible man of God. That, in all things, is the joy that he said before us, obedience will bring fruitfulness. Father, pray for us today that there will be an increase in our lives of revelation of your love for us, Lord, and how you want us to be obedient that you can bring us into fruitfulness for you, giving you all the glory, the praise, and the honor in Jesus' name. God bless you, amen. [BLANK_AUDIO]

The path of obedience can be difficult, even painful - but the pains are temporary while the blessings are eternal!

2 Kings 5:1-15, John 10:10, Isaiah 55:8-9, Ephesians 3:20-21, Matthew 16:24-26, Romans 8:28, Matthew 26:36-44, 2 Corinthians 4:16-18