Dr. Frank A. Thomas See My Change

as gratefulness that's flowing from my heart that God would take a snot-nosed kid from the south side of Chicago and make him into something the God would take a high Ella quiet introverted Negro and put him on stages that he knows not of God I want to say thank you today I want to bless your Holy Name I want to thank you that you're faithful and you're true I want to thank you that you do what you said you were gonna do you said if I opened up my mouth you would put words in it you said if I did my homework and I studied you would show up you said greater is the one that is in me than the one that is in the world you said it's by the foolishness of preaching that you save men and women boys and girls and so we ask now that you would be the preacher we ask that you would get the glory we ask Oh God that just spirit would reign in this place we thank you for what we've already heard we thank you for what we've already felt we thank you for what we've already experienced we ask now that you would get the glory and that you would get all of the praise we bless you and we thank you and we bless you and we thank you now use me God you did it yesterday I ask you to do it again you did it yesterday I ask you to do it again now if you need my high tones God you got that if you need my low tones God's you got that if you need my intellect you got that if you need my heart gods you got that if you need my hands to clap you got that if you need my feet to run you got that God you got everything in me now I give myself over to the preaching of this gospel of Jesus Christ that somebody might be saved I thank you today and I bless you again and now you get the glory what we after now is a blessing we thank you now in the name of Jesus that we do pray and if you agree with this prayer and you stand with the preacher in this prayer I want you to put your hands together and bless the name of the Lord our God hallelujah I do love preaching I love to preach and I love to hear good preaching so I want you to take your Bibles into the book of second Kings yesterday I invited you to WWE choose coach comm and I invite you up there y'all gave me so much feedback we have a feedback tab we believe that preaching is conversational in a 21st century and if you'd like to go up there I was able and gifted and God blessed me we designed an app I have my own app I want you just to check it out and let me know what you think as we try to take preaching into the 21st century to see what God is gonna do between preaching and social media and technology to bring the gospel forward at another level in the book of second kings in the fifth chapter my daughter read that scripture I wish I was preaching that she read it so well amen book of second kings in the fifth chapter I want to look at the first verse and you'll find these words naming commander of the army of the king of Aram was a great man and in high favor with his master because by him the Lord had given victory to Aram the man though a mighty warrior suffered from leprosy now the Armenians on one of their raids had taken a young girl captive from the land of Israel and she served naimans wife she said to her mistress if only my lord were with the Prophet who is in Samaria he would cure him of his leprosy then skipping to verse 9 all the way to verse 9 so naman came with his horses and chariot halted at the entrance of Elijah's house and Elijah sent a messenger to him saying go wash in the Jordan seven times and your flesh shall be restored and you will be made clean I want to preach something this morning entitled see my change see my change naman was a Syrian and the commander-in-chief of the army of the king of Iran he was a man of great valor and highly respected by the king and all the people because the army under his leadership had one victory after another under this mighty warrior the Armenian army had one victory after another one writer said that so impressive on were the battles that namin one that's this rider this Hebrew writer of the book of second Kings drew the astonishing conclusion that this pagan that this uncircumcised Gentile that this unbeliever that on his side such was an awesome warrior was naman he was a national hero was naman upon his head while arrows and wreaths of victory upon his chest were medals of honor and he was so bad and he was so awesome and he was so mighty that does rider said that this uncircumcised Gentile had God on his side because nobody could win these battles like this without God being on their side God allowed naman to win another battle and as part of the spoils of victory he took an Israelite servant girl into his house to serve his wife the servant girl of the armour-bearer if you will the adjutant if you will notice the suffering of naman notice his isolation and his pain and she looked past his way the past his fame look past in his military skill and his power and Sabah heard of his yes I want to stop here for a minute and say thank God for the humble and the unpretentious people in our lives who sincerely love us and care about us and see our inner need thank God for those that serve us and attend to our physical and our ministry needs and yet also love us and care about us to our very soul see God for imma Paris free guard for people who carry the Bible put water on the table bring out the handkerchief thank God for the simple unpretentious people that make possible for us to do what we do she went to name ins wife and toe neighbor's life that she was somebody who knew somebody who could take care of her husband's condition she knew somebody who knew somebody that could handle this leprosy situation she said there was a prophet in Israel who knew something about healing if naman could get to the Prophet he could be healed of his leprosy now you know of course that leprosy in biblical times was an infectious disease and the fear of leprosy was much akin to the early extreme and paranoid fear about AIDS in this country leprosy was a fungal condition that caused patches of discoloration and thickening of skin leprosy was accompanied by ringworms and psoriasis that made the skin itch and peel often forming sores and wounds people violently avoided lepers the clothing the housing and the possessions of left were in often times and their possessions infected with fungus and were called therefore unclean lepers were mandated to wear torn clothing to keep their hair disheveled and cover the lower part of their faces and they had to cry unclean unclean when they entered this hallowed convocation center they would have to cry unclean unclean so nobody would touch em as they entered to hear the word of God preached there was a tremendous fear of infection and since there was no cure there was only isolation of the infected whenever possible lepers were herded into colonies on the outskirts of town or completely outside town boundaries the leper was an outcast the leper was a reject the leper was a misfit the leper was what Frantz Fanon called the wretched of the earth naman would have been treated just like every other a leper except that he was a mighty soldier because of his military skill he had fame he had power he had wealth to avoid being treated like a typical leper he had more privileges and access than any leper in the world as a matter of fact that Hebrew root of naman is name meaning delightful meaning pleasant meaning beautiful and based upon the importance of names in the Old Testament context it tells us thing about this man and Mayman he was handsome he was at least until he was afflicted by leprosy he was a gracious and delightful man at least until he was afflicted by leprosy he had good looks he had great personality he had pain he had power he had wealth he had military skills he had everything and yet he had nothing he had everything and yet he had nothing because he was a leper he had everything he wanted but he lived without the thing that he needed most why do we need most I want to suggest for purposes of argument here today that what we need most is touch naman had everything in yet he had nothing because he was untouchable untouchable people respected him people felt genuine sympathy for his tragic condition and treated him well but nobody touched him people smiled at him were cordial to him greeted him politely and respectfully due the dignity worthy of his status and his position but nobody touched him nobody shook his hand nobody caressed his face nobody got close enough to allow themselves to be accidentally touched by him name and hug nobody and nobody a hug me man people kept their physical distance and it hurt name and deeply namin had not been touched with deep carrying affection by another human being in a very long time which brings me to ask the question when was the last time that you were really touched when when was the last time that you were touched and caressed with a touch that could reach your soul when when I know that that you've been touched to reach your flesh I know that you've been touched with sexual interest in the grips of desire but when was the last time you were really touched up so that that that that touch could go in down deep to your very soul some of us here know what naman feels some of us have lived without touching we know exactly how naman feels he had everything he had wealth he had power and yet he had nothing because he was a yapper he lacked the touch that could reach his soul so naman went to the king and told him what the servant girl said that she knew somebody who knew somebody that could do something about his condition he asked the king for a leave of absence the king gave him permission to go naman packed ten talents of silver six thousand shekels of gold and ten sets of Vestal garments ten sets of party clothes ten sets of suits for the captain's ball ten royal regal garments he packed ten talents of silver six thousand shekels of gold and ten sets of party garments and he left for Israel the king of Aram wrote a letter to the king of Israel stating that he was sending his servant to him that he might be cured of his leprosy well the king of Israel got the letter and panicked he thought it was a trick to set up war he didn't had a power to heal anybody and he didn't know anybody who knew anybody that had the power to heal anybody the Bible says that he tore his clothes and fell before God because he didn't know anybody who knew anybody that could do anything about namin situation and he thought it was a trick of war the prophet Elijah enters the narrative and he heard that the King had torn his robes and he sent word to the king saying let him come to me that the King made and that there is a prophet in Israel I want to suggest that God always has a prophet I want to suggest that God always has somebody somewhere I don't care how lost you are and I don't care how alone you are and I don't care how disconnected you are God has a prophet somewhere that can speak to your situation I know we don't feel like it all the time and I know sometimes we lose connection but Elijah says all kings so that you might know that God always has a prophet sent him down here to my house the Prophet tells the King not to worry when a man arrived the king sent him down to Elijah's house in Samaria naman followed the Kings instructions and went down to the house of the prophet naman and his entourage stopped that Elijah's front door with their horses and their chariots with ten talents of silver six thousand shekels of gold and ten sets of festal garments naman got out of his elegant chariot and stood outside as if agitant as his armor-bearer goes in to announce his arrival because of his status and position naman expected the red carpet to be rolled out naman expected a personal audience with appetizers fine dining and stately protocol Elisha wasn't much for protocol Elisha got down to the bottom line Elisha had no red carpet Elisha had no orders and fine dining Elisha had no glorious silverware no elaborate China all Elisha had was a from the Lord as a matter of fact Elijah did not even bother to come out he sent a messenger back out to announced her naman to go down to the River Jordan and wash seven times and he would be healed naman when he sees the servant come back out naman was highly upset and lost his composure naman got upset because this was a major and disrespectful breach of basic commander-in-chief protocol naman says in verse 11 I thought surely he would come out to me naman was one of the most powerful men in the world and on Elisha had the audacity to send a servant out with such an important message a man of naman status and position who has come all this way with all this entourage with all this silver and gold in all these Festo garments the very least the Prophet could do was come out and greet him personally it was the height of disrespect and insult to send a servant out to receive naman without the royal treatment to which he was due and accustomed naman was enraged if we look at the source of naimans rage naman can be called part of what i call the pastor only crowd those in the past only crowd believed that only the pasta can heal and they can't be healed unless they got our personal audience with the pasta the pasta only crowd takes stock of their status and position and while it is true that pastor Elijah cannot visit everybody they think because of their status and position their above everybody and it gives them the right to be visited they ignore the fact that the Deacons and the ministers and the Stephen ministers and the associate ministers have come to the hospital to pray if the pastor don't come out to pray then the pastor wholly crowd has not been prayed for if the pastor don't preach the past only crowd has not been preached to Neiman almost missed his blessing waiting on the pasta Naima did not realize that God's got many servants and God can send up blessing by a deacon and usher or trustee or whoever goddess in God's blessing when God get ready by whomever whenever however and if you caught in status privilege power and position you miss don't miss your blessing because God does not always send it the way you want by whom you want and when you won't God's got many vehicles and many channels of delivering a blessing don't miss God's blessing because you think you're important pastor naman got off the plane and the limo was not at the airport I thought Neiman says he would at least come out to me to me to me come out to me ii ii ii thing in his text naman did not expect that he would have to do anything to be healed in verse 11 he says I thought that he would surely come out to me and stand and call on the name of the Lord his God wave his hand over the spot and cure me of my leprosy naman thought that spectator religion would get him healed you ain't listening naman wanted to be healed but he wanted to be a spectator he thought that he would not have to do very much to get a healing he thought impasse elijah jumped and danced and shouted and waved his hand and called on the name of his God then naman would be healed up naman thought opacity Liza's choir sang gloriously and passing lysis deacons free until the power of God came down that he would be here live past the elijah tune that passed elijah moaned and passed elijah who passed Eliezer twirled and lifted up his leg then naman would be healed he did not believe that he would have to participate in the healing he did not understand that he had to exercise his faith to get a healing he believed the pastas faith would get him healed Naima did not understand that we must remember is a tremendous amount of ourselves to get healed healings are not cheap healings are not free healings are not always based on somebody else's effort it costs an enormous amount of faith and risk from one's own person if God is going to affect a healing one will never get a healing with spectator religion some of y'all waiting for me to jump dance and twirl right now spectator religion or if you get on with me in this thing and exercise your faith we'll see what God getting ready to do third third third third third he thought that he knew best where to get his healing after hearing the message go down to the river Jordan and dip seven times wash and you will be made clean he asked aren't there rivers in Damascus that are better than the waters of Israel the Jordan was dirty and muddy and unclean and back in his homeland the water was clear as crystal how could muddy and filthy water bring forth a healing surely the crystal-clear spring water back in Damascus was necessary for healing leprosy if I had been the Prophet I would have asked him if waters were so healing at home why did you come here I would at all name it don't write prescriptions if you don't know anything about healing I want to help naman to understand that the waters my only incidental to the healing the waters did not have any healing property for leprosy neither the draught no the rivers in Damascus the power was in exercising faith and obeying God's commands whether or not wonder one understood or even agreed with God the power of God would become operative in naimans life by doing exactly what God see even if it seemed foolish at the core of naimans rage Elijah triggered something deeply buried in naman he interpreted Elijah's treatment of him as rejection and it brought back all the other times that he had been rejected the fact that pastor Elijah would not come out triggered all the times people would keep their distance and not touch him it Sri got all the pain and the hurt he had suffered all these years it triggered all of the loneliness and that pattern he had being untouchable years of hurt and bitterness turned into an uncontrollable rage and naman stormed off he left in a rage as naman headed back to her and one of the armor bearers caught up with him what are the adjutant's one of the people who bring towels and bring waters or one of the people who pick us up in the limos the but the driver if you will I caught up with him in say it wait wait wait wait wait wait wait wait bishop or what wait dr. ray pastor wait wait a minute if he had asked you to do some great things you would have done it why do you scoff at a small thing if you would have told you something that in your opinion would have boosted your ego you would have done it thank God for the humble the unpretentious people in our lives that speak truth to our hurt our arrogance and our poly thank God for the humble and unpretentious people in our lives who simply love us and simply care about us and see our inner need thank God for those that serve us and attend to our physical and ministry needs and yet also love us and care about us down to our very soul thank God for the executive assistants thank you God for the personal assistants thank you for the car drivers the adjutant the water bringing the power bring us thank you for the folk they carry the Bible thank you for the simple folk the average for the caring for thank you for the prayer warriors the servant tells bigshot laymen the important thing is not the River Jordan but the last part of the sentence he says did you miss the last part of the sentence the last part of the sins was wash and be made clean the servant says who cares was at the front of the sentence it's the back of a sentence that really matters it was the beauty and the simplicity and the truth of what the servant said that forced namin to heed the servants words so naman went down and dipped himself in the River Jordan the water was more muddy and filthy than he heard and he detested what he saw he was repelled by the stench and the polluted condition of the river and he almost vomited at the thought that he would have to go down in battle he was accustomed to the very best of clear water he bathed in crystal clear spring water at exactly the right temperature after the bath he wrapped himself in the finest of hot towels and rubbed him delve down with expensive and soothing lotions he had the best spa treatments that the world had ever seen he came down from all of that to this he was repelled to the pit of his stomach he remembered what the Prophet and his servant had said and he forced himself to go down after the first three times he looked at his hands and there was no change he began to feel foolish and stupid and ridiculous he would just go back to where he came from here ash utilized that being a leper was not so bad at all after all he had his fame and his wealth he felt embarrassed and humiliated that he could be so gullible as to come from all of this way and believe that somebody could heal him of leprosy everybody knows that leprosy could not be healed but he looked there at his surf at his arm repair his object his executive assistant his limo driver standing there on the riverbank praying that his master would do what the Prophet said and be healed thank God for the humble and unpretentious people in our lives who sincerely love us and care about us and see our physical and I inner need and love us to our very souls namin went down for the fourth time and now the mud and dirt has gotten down all in the sores it stung him and he could feel the infection and the disease his whole body cried for relief how did mud and filth help heal how the stench and refuse cure leprosy he would die from the infection before he would get healed he decided to go home he raised himself up to lift out of the River Jordan and then his servants a name and hold on there's no power in the water none in the muddy stream the power comes from doing exactly what God says and aiming to remember what the Prophet said tip seven times that naman resolved himself to dip one more time he went down the fifth time and his body was still covered with sores he went down for the sixth time and the songwriter said it this way six times in the Jordan six times so stranger six times he looked at himself six times no chains he wondered if he could be free if he did not dip the seventh time he doubted God's promises would come true even if he did dip the seventh time the moment of truth was at hand would he dipped the seventh time would he dipped the seventh time and in the middle of his doubt he looked over at the servant on the bank praying thank God for the humble unpretentious people and the servant said naman when God says seven six will not do he went on down for the seventh time all the way down in the water this time he began to feel something new that was a tingling all over him it was not the tingling of infection and disease it was the feeling of healing that was flowing in his body he could feel sores being healed ringworms melting and leaving his body and the itch removed he felt the psoriasis leave and realize that he had been changed and this is what he wanted all of his life this is what he had longed for this is what he had hoped for to be changed he realized that he had been healed he realized that he could touch people he realized that people could touch him he realized that he could hurt people he realized that people could hug him he realized that he could caress somebody's face and somebody could caress his face when he realized the beauty of the new future of Vail bow to him he jumped up out of that muddy stream and he shouted seems I've been changed glory hallelujah I've been changed skin like a newborn baby exchanged healed and delivered change he looked over at his servant and he said see my change look at what happened to me look at what God's done for me look at how God has brought me out see my change look at what God Almighty has done he's changed my life he's changed my home he's changed my ministry he's changed my preacher huh he changed my marriage he's changed my relationship and now I know that there is no other God in all of Israel excuse me if I get personal this is my sermon I have to leave the waters of Lake Michigan go down to the muddy Mississippi I ask God aren't there waters in Lake Michigan that I could get healed no God said go on down to the muddy Mississippi looked at the Mississippi River I compared Lake Michigan to the Mississippi River the Lake Michigan is clear the muddy Mississippi Lake Michigan was beautiful the muddy Mississippi I had a decision to make up if I was gonna dip seven times one time I went down but I wasn't healed the second time I went down but I wasn't healed the first I went down but I wasn't healed the fourth time I went down I wasn't here the fifth time I got ready to go back home but my executive assistant said you can wash and be made clean I went down for the sixth time I got ready to go home my wife said no when God says seven six will not do I did for the seventh time all of a sudden healing came over my body I'm here to declare that I've been changed I know I've been changed I looked at my hands and they were new I looked at my feet and they were - I know I've been changed follow me down to the Jordan stream the water was silly it killed my body but not my soul look at me now see my change look at me now see my change look at me now see my change and if that's not enough for this sermon in about me and it's not about me mother it's about the love of Jesus or when your dip in the blood of Jesus I hear the songwriter say there is a fountain real drawn from Emmanuel's veins and sinners plunged beneath the fur to remove all somebody say oh oh I didn't hear you say all their guilty stains and sinners can say see my change look what God has done look what God has brought me through I wish I had two or three of y'all that could help a preacher now who could say I've been changed I've been healed I've been delivered I've been brought out wanna do it let me do it wanna do it let me do it I wanna do it Amy all right is God all right can you do it when I think of the goodness of Jesus and all these one for me my soul cries out hallelujah a vacant for blessing me I have been changed Hey

Channel: Frank Thomas

Views: 16,325

Rating: 4.7903929 out of 5

Keywords: Change, Namaan, The River Jordan, Frank A. Thomas, Frank Thomas, Pastor Frank A. Thomas, Dr. Frank A. Thomas

Id: KjwD-kzB084

Length: 44min 22sec (2662 seconds)

Published: Sat Dec 21 2013