The Leprosy that is Sin
A Sermon on 2 Kings 5:1
Originally preached Feb. 14, 1960
Scripture
1Now Naaman, captain of the host of the king of Syria, was a great man with his master, and honourable, because by him the LORD had given deliverance unto Syria: he was also a mighty man in valour, but he was a leper.
Sermon Description
In the Old Testament is the story of a man named Naaman who had leprosy and was healed by God. In this sermon on 2 Kings 5:1, Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones focuses on the truths that can be found in this story and its relation to sin and people today. First is that sin, like a spiritual leprosy, can eat away at lives until it has complete control. It robs of the fullness and perfection of life that God originally intended for His people. Not only that, but no human can cure sin, just as no human was able to cure Naaman’s leprosy. Too often, people look to all the wrong places to solve this problem, but the things they do find are inadequate and fail in solving anything. They become so busy searching for something to heal them that they lose sight of the one true person who can: the humble carpenter who came down from heaven to bring salvation. Just as in the story of Naaman, the healing came from a humble person that the world would least expect to have success. Dr. Lloyd-Jones concludes by stating that once the Christian has received this salvation, they must waste no time in sharing it with the rest of the world.
Sermon Breakdown
- Sin is something which spoils life. It detracts from happiness and wholeness.
- Sin causes positive unhappiness and pain. It makes life ugly and offensive.
- Sin is no respecter of persons. All are subject to it.
- Men at their best and highest cannot deal with the problem of sin. Physicians, kings, governments, philosophy, education, culture have all failed.
- Man is ignorant of the only way to deal with sin. The solution has been there the whole time but man looks to "great" solutions and misses it.
- The solution to sin is in the "little maid", the unknown, the unexpected - in Jesus Christ.
- The world looks for great, grand solutions but God's way is through the small, weak, and foolish.
- The solution is in the testimony of Jesus Christ and his power to heal and restore. We must point people to Jesus.
- People must go to Jesus, trust in his power, and they will be healed and saved.
Sermon Q&A
What Does Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones Teach About Sin as Leprosy in the Story of Naaman?
From his sermon on 2 Kings 5, Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones uses the story of Naaman to illustrate profound spiritual truths about sin and salvation. Here are some key questions and answers based on his exposition:
How does Dr. Lloyd-Jones use Naaman's leprosy as a metaphor for sin?
According to Lloyd-Jones, Naaman's leprosy perfectly illustrates what sin does to human life. Just as we read about Naaman being "a great man with his master and honorable...a mighty man in valor, but he was a leper," sin is that "but" that spoils everything good in our lives. Lloyd-Jones explains that "sin is leprosy" in that it:
- Detracts from life's wholeness and completeness
- Makes perfect happiness impossible
- Causes positive unhappiness and suffering
- Is ugly and offensive like leprosy
- Is no respecter of persons, affecting kings and commoners alike
In his words: "Sin is something which spoils life... Sin always leads to trouble. The way of the transgressor is hard."
Why does Lloyd-Jones believe human solutions cannot solve the problem of sin?
Lloyd-Jones points out that in the story, neither Naaman himself, nor the king of Syria, nor the king of Israel could cure his leprosy. This represents humanity's inability to solve its fundamental problem despite all our efforts. He explains:
"That's an epitome of the whole history of civilization for you. That's the story of the human race."
He catalogues human attempts to solve sin through: - Tribal laws and governance - Acts of Parliament and legislation - Philosophy and education - Psychology and modern social agencies
Yet despite all these efforts, "the leprosy remains. Man is still sick. Man is still miserable and unhappy."
What is the surprising source of the solution in the Naaman story, and what spiritual truth does this teach?
The solution came unexpectedly through "a little maid" - a captured Israelite servant girl who knew about the prophet Elisha. Lloyd-Jones emphasizes how this illustrates God's way of working:
"The world is unaware of the answer, but the answer is there the whole time. It's looking for great things. God does it in this way."
He draws parallels to: - Joseph solving Egypt's famine problem from prison - David defeating Goliath as a shepherd boy - Jesus being born in Bethlehem, not Jerusalem - The early church starting with ordinary fishermen
The principle is that God consistently uses "the unknown, the unexpected, the humble and lowly person who doesn't seem to count at all" to provide the solution the world needs.
What is the only solution to the problem of sin according to Dr. Lloyd-Jones?
Lloyd-Jones declares that the only solution to sin is Christ himself. Just as the servant girl pointed Naaman to the prophet in Samaria, the church points people to Jesus:
"Whatever your problem, whatever the running sore of your soul, whatever the thing that gets you down and damns and ruins your life, there is one cure. It is an absolute cure. It is the cure of God."
He concludes with this invitation: "Go to Jesus of Nazareth, the Son of God, and you will be cured. He can remove your guilt because he's already taken it away. He can give you new life, new power. He will heal you. He will restore you. He will make you anew."
Old Testament
Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones
Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones (1899-1981) was a Welsh evangelical minister who preached and taught in the Reformed tradition. His principal ministry was at Westminster Chapel, in central London, from 1939-1968, where he delivered multi-year expositions on books of the bible such as Romans, Ephesians and the Gospel of John. In addition to the MLJ Trust’s collection of 1,600 of these sermons in audio format, most of these great sermon series are available in book form (including a 14 volume collection of the Romans sermons), as are other series such as "Spiritual Depression", "Studies in the Sermon on the Mount" and "Great Biblical Doctrines". He is considered by many evangelical leaders today to be an authority on biblical truth and the sufficiency of Scripture.